Busan Jagalchi Market. PM 11:53

As midnight was approaching, a sound of slippers dragging along broke the calm silence.

Suddenly, the feet wearing a pair of wornout slippers stopped in their tracks.

“……Hey, are you alright?”

A man’s gaze, reflecting the moonlight, slid down.

Sturdy men, members of the Immortal Guild, were scattered like fallen leaves at his feet.

An unknown gate had appeared in Busan’s Jagalchi Market four days ago. The Immortal Guild had dispatched thirty members immediately upon receiving Dr. Plant’s call.

However, the first twenty or so who embarked on the conquest had not returned for three days. Among them was the guild’s thirdincommand, ‘Ironman Do Seongyoon.’

That’s why he had come.

The Immortal Guild’s secondincommand, Heo Jaemin.

Jaemin glanced over the Immortal Guild members scattered at his feet. Seongyoon was nowhere to be seen.

‘Do Seongyoon, that guy, still not back.’

Always acting so arrogantly. Even though I warned him it would be tough without me. When he comes back, I must give him a piece of my mind. When he comes back…… if he comes back.

Jaemin, sighing lowly, slumped down to check the condition of the guild members.

Fortunately, they seemed neither unconscious nor injured, just wearing extremely surprised faces.

‘Is it the effect of the unknown gate?’

Jaemin, who couldn’t understand the reason, squatted down, exchanging looks with his bewildered subordinate hunters.

“What happened?”

Then, one of the guild members sitting on the floor nervously licked his lips.

“Bro, brother. A woman has entered the gate.”

“What?”

At the subordinate hunter’s words, Jaemin swiftly looked towards the gate’s entrance.

“A woman? Who?”

“She, the Princess of Heukyeom…….”

“Heukyeom, what?”

“The Princess of Heukyeom. An Frank hunter who signed a contract with the Wolf Guild.”

Jaemin quizzically raised one eyebrow.

“So, who is she?”

“You know, wearing a black dress, carrying a parasol……. She even appeared on TV.”

“I don’t know about that. There are so many new faces these days.”

With a brief reply, he stood up.

“But it’s strange. How could that woman, an Frank, enter the gate?”

Jaemin scanned the subordinate hunters sitting sullenly on the ground. He then grabbed the cheek of the largest hunter among them, stretching it out.

“Huh? There’s no way you guys alone would be insufficient to stop an Frank hunter.”

“Ugh…… Jaesung sir…….”

Swish.

Jaemin let go of the hunter’s cheek. The strength was so immense that the captured hunter was flung back like a rubber band.

Watching their pitifully weak appearance, Jaemin clicked his tongue.

“I can understand Ironman Do Seongyoon’s struggles in leading you. If you become so weak, you are not worthy to carry the name of the Immortal Guild.”

“…….”

None of those who watched said a word. No, they couldn’t.

The Princess of Heukyeom had struck them one by one with the handle of her parasol, then darted into the gate at an incredible speed. By the time they regained their senses, they were sprawling on the ground.

Several hunters of the Immortal Guild were unable to stop a single Frank concept hunter. There was no room for excuses.

“You pathetic bunch. When you get back to Seoul, it’s 2,000 pushups and 3,000 situps each. Understand?”

“We’re sorry!”

“Do you understand?”

“We understand!”

They shouted their replies. Meanwhile, a shadow silently approached Jaemin.

“Shall I call the master?”

Jaemin briefly glanced over his right shoulder.

“No, we can’t interrupt. How often does he get to date? He’ll arrive here tomorrow morning as scheduled.”

“Then, shall we chase her?”

Whoosh.

The sea breeze ruffled Jaemin’s hair. He stared at the gate’s entrance, seemingly deep in thought.

The dark vortex seemed to exert a magnetic pull, subtly attracting nearby leaves and pebbles. Its mysterious and peculiar appearance resembled a scaleddown black hole seen in documentaries.

“……Leave her be. The result will be one of two things.”

Jaemin, turning his gaze away from the dark rift, added softly.
“Die inside, or die outside.”

A dark, large whirlpool buzzed around, tiny black sparks were sputtering.

(This is a time delimiter.)

“── Sleepy.”

Soft.

There was also a familiar scent.

The smell of soybean paste soup. The moment she recognized it, Eun Ha’s eyes snapped open.

“Eun Ha.”

“……!”

And she froze.

“It’s already 9 o’clock. Time for breakfast?”

“Mom……”

…… Ma?

A metallic sound leaked from between her open lips.

Hair loosely tied with a pink offal band. Eyes that resembled Eun Ha’s as if to prove they were mother and daughter. Even the wornout apron she had insisted on wearing for over 10 years, even if she was told to buy a new one.

“Sleeping in late even on a Sunday? What were you doing up so late last night?”