The moment I said his name… the man near the café door smiled.
Not a friendly smile.
Not even a surprised one.
It was the kind of smile someone gives when a long game finally starts moving again.
"Dae-hyun…"
The word left my mouth before I even realized it.
Across the table, Seo-yeon blinked.
"You know him?"
I didn't answer.
Because at that moment something strange happened.
The air felt… heavier.
Not physically.
But like the room itself had suddenly become aware of something.
Tae-jun turned slowly in his chair.
His expression changed instantly.
"...No way."
Hae-in's green ring flickered.
Once.
Then again.
She whispered,
"That's him."
Seo-yeon followed our gaze toward the entrance.
The tall man had stopped near the door.
Black coat.
Calm posture.
Eyes scanning the room like he already knew exactly where we were sitting.
Then he began walking toward us.
Slowly.
Like someone who wasn't afraid of anything inside this room.
Seo-yeon leaned toward me.
"Okay, I'm officially uncomfortable."
I whispered back,
"You're not the only one."
Tae-jun's voice was low.
"He disappeared five years ago."
Seo-yeon looked confused.
"And now he's… casually walking into a café?"
Dae-hyun stopped beside our table.
For a moment he said nothing.
Just looked at each of us.
One by one.
His eyes stopped on Tae-jun.
"Still alive."
Tae-jun didn't smile.
"Clearly so are you."
Seo-yeon raised her hand slightly.
"Hi. New person here. What exactly is happening?"
Dae-hyun finally looked at her.
His eyes moved to her hand.
More specifically—
To the gold ring.
His expression changed slightly.
Not shock.
Not fear.
Recognition.
"Interesting."
Seo-yeon slowly pulled her hand back.
"Why does everyone react like that when they see this ring?"
Dae-hyun didn't answer.
Instead, he pulled out a chair and sat down at the table like he had been invited.
"Ji-hoon," he said calmly.
"It's been a long time."
My chest tightened.
"You disappeared."
Dae-hyun shrugged.
"Did I?"
Tae-jun's voice sharpened.
"You were declared dead."
Dae-hyun smiled faintly.
"That was convenient."
Seo-yeon leaned toward Hae-in.
"…I feel like I missed five seasons of this story."
Hae-in whispered back,
"You probably did."
I stared at Dae-hyun.
Something about him felt wrong.
Not evil.
Just… different.
Like he had been somewhere no one else had.
Then I noticed something.
His hand rested casually on the table.
And on his finger—
A ring.
Dark.
Almost charcoal in color.
But when the light shifted, faint crimson lines moved inside the metal like tiny veins.
My pulse quickened.
I didn't know why.
But my instincts were screaming.
Seo-yeon noticed my expression.
"What?"
I whispered,
"That ring…"
Dae-hyun looked down at it.
"Oh?"
Then he looked back at me.
"You remember it?"
My head pulsed again.
Fragments of memory flickered.
Training grounds.
Gunfire.
A night operation.
Someone shouting—
"Don't touch the ring!"
The memory shattered before I could grab it.
Seo-yeon crossed her arms.
"Okay. Enough mystery."
She pointed at Dae-hyun.
"You show up after being dead."
Then she pointed at the rings.
"And everyone here apparently owns magical jewelry."
She sighed.
"So someone start explaining."
Dae-hyun leaned back in his chair.
"Fair."
He looked at her carefully.
"You're Seo-yeon."
She froze.
"…How do you know my name?"
Dae-hyun smiled.
"Because your grandmother wrote about you."
The words landed like a stone in water.
Seo-yeon blinked.
"My… grandmother?"
Hae-in leaned forward slightly.
"You've seen her journal."
Dae-hyun nodded.
"Parts of it."
Seo-yeon's voice became serious.
"That journal never left my house."
Dae-hyun tilted his head.
"You're sure about that?"
Silence.
Tae-jun spoke quietly.
"Where did you see it?"
Dae-hyun's smile faded slightly.
"In the same place the military hid the truth."
My stomach tightened.
"Which is where?"
Dae-hyun looked directly at me.
"A place you've already been."
A chill moved down my spine.
Hae-in whispered,
"The facility…"
Dae-hyun nodded once.
"Exactly."
Seo-yeon stared at him.
"Wait… the military has my grandmother's journal?"
Dae-hyun shook his head slowly.
"No."
He paused.
"They had it."
Tae-jun frowned.
"Had?"
Dae-hyun's eyes sharpened.
"Until someone stole it."
Seo-yeon's voice dropped.
"…You?"
Dae-hyun chuckled.
"Not me."
Hae-in's ring flickered again.
Like it sensed something approaching.
Dae-hyun leaned forward slightly.
"Tell me something first."
He looked at all of us.
"Have any of you noticed what happens when too many rings gather in one place?"
Seo-yeon blinked.
"What?"
At that exact moment—
Her gold ring pulsed.
Hae-in's green ring responded.
Tae-jun's blue ring flashed once.
And Dae-hyun's dark ring glowed faintly.
Four rings.
Four pulses.
The lights inside the café flickered.
Seo-yeon looked around.
"…Did we just break the electricity?"
But no one laughed.
Because outside the window—
Something strange was happening.
The reflection in the glass changed.
For a split second…
The street outside looked different.
Older.
Darker.
Like the city had briefly turned into something from another time.
Then it disappeared.
Seo-yeon gasped.
"Did anyone else see that?!"
Dae-hyun watched the window calmly.
"Yes."
I looked at him.
"What was that?"
Dae-hyun's voice became quiet.
"That…"
He tapped the table once.
"…is what happens when the rings start remembering."
Seo-yeon blinked.
"Remembering what?"
Dae-hyun looked at me.
Not at anyone else.
Just me.
And his next words made my blood run cold.
"The war we already lost once."
Across the café—
The door opened again.
This time…
Three military officers walked in.
And they were looking straight at our table.
Tae-jun whispered,
"…We've been found."
Dae-hyun smiled again.
But this time it wasn't calm.
It was excited.
"Good."
Seo-yeon whispered,
"…Why good?"
Dae-hyun stood up slowly.
His ring glowing faintly.
"Because now the real story begins."