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It was just after Ryu Jaekwan entered the mountain lodge that he encountered the college student. A young man with a gentle face looked around in confusion, then ran over with a relieved expression upon spotting him.
"Excuse me, are you the owner of this place?"
"Ah, are you a government official from Seoul?"
"Do you happen to know the way down from here? I’m in a bit of a hurry—I have something urgent I need to take care of."
Even after the lodge's caretaker had introduced himself and everyone was preoccupied with the inheritance, the young man kept asking nervously about the way down.
And, as if in answer, a storm broke out, sealing everyone inside the mountain lodge.
…Just like it always did.
The young man, nervously watching the storm from the window, approached Ryu Jaekwan again.
“You’re a government worker, right? Is there any way to call for help in weird situations like this? Through the government or something?”
Ryu Jaekwan deliberately hardened his expression.
“…There’s no such special emergency contact.”
“Oh…”
It was a painful question. To deny the existence of the Disaster Management Bureau with his own mouth...
Perhaps that’s why Ryu Jaekwan found himself asking back without realizing:
“How did you get that tape?”
Maybe, deep down, he wanted to confirm that this seemingly innocent young man was actually a deeply immoral person deserving death.
But the answer he received was unexpected.
“This… isn’t mine. A relative of mine owns it. They left it at my place for the weekend, and while I had it, all this started…”
Had there been a leak?
An item passed on to someone else? No such case existed in the records.
Of course, he could be lying—but why lie? Especially in a situation where cassette tapes are now known to be equal to inheritance rights?
Ryu Jaekwan was deeply shaken.
In all previous records, only one tape owner remained alive—everyone else died.
Once someone entered this disaster, there was no way out.
‘Then, that means… this person too…’
Ryu Jaekwan didn’t want to face this situation.
He had a duty—a job he had to perform.
It wasn’t like he’d joined the Bureau for things like this, but—
Weren’t they all villains anyway?
Even if an innocent citizen got caught by mistake—
This was a necessary evil to save a greater number of good people.
There was no room for any thought beyond carrying out his mission.
However…
“So… does this mean we can’t get out of here? This situation is just so strange…”
A person who might be an innocent citizen was looking at him, his look full of desperation.
Ryu Jaekwan couldn’t ignore that look.
“…And aside from mealtime, it’s best you stay hidden in your room. That’ll be the safest.”
The young man—he said he was a college student—nodded vigorously, eye wide. His good-natured face was clearly tense.
As Ryu Jaekwan finished speaking and turned to leave, the student called out softly from behind him.
“Um, thank you…”
“…Don’t mention it.”
Ryu Jaekwan walked away, his heart heavy.
Baek Saheon calmed his racing heart as he watched the agent walk away.
‘Damn, I knew something felt off…’
He had only dropped a hint about the government, hoping the man might be connected to the Bureau—but the reaction had been far beyond what he expected.
If a “Seoul government official” spoke like someone who knew way too much about the darkness—it could only mean one thing.
The man himself was from the Disaster Management Bureau!
‘Good thing I didn’t name-drop the company… that could’ve been it for me.’
Baek Saheon had pretended to be a student in consideration for a possible escape route through the Bureau. He silently praised himself for the decision.
‘I am curious about what you can inherit through the tape though…’
When the agent had asked about the tape, Baek Saheon had instinctively sensed danger and did his best to act like an innocent victim, accidentally caught up in the disaster.
Which, wasn't he actually an innocent victim? It wasn't like he knew what this was when he inherited it…
But if he were to claim ownership of the tape—or worse, the inheritance—he’d be immediately branded a greedy villain.
As always, his gut feeling never betrayed him. Like when he gave up his eye to end up as the top of his batch. Or when he escaped the gallery by offering body parts from corpses as payment.
This was no different.
But what kind of Darkness was this? Telling him to hide in his room?
Did something come out at night and take people, one by one?
He racked his brain, but he didn’t have enough mental references to figure it out.
For now, he decided to play it safe and observe the agent closely.
If he could hold out for a few days, the situation might shift and a new opportunity could present itself.
‘You can do this, Baek Saheon. You’re getting out of here alive!’
The next morning.
There was a corpse in the furnace.
The lodge descended into chaos.
And Baek Saheon saw it.
The Bureau agent walking over to inspect the body.
Before he even reached the furnace, there were soot marks on the soles of his shoes.
Chills ran down Baek Saheon’s spine.
He collapsed to the floor, his face pale.
Luckily, the chaos around him meant no one noticed his specific reaction.
He wasn’t shocked by the death itself.
But he had assumed it was a ghost. A monster.
‘What the hell…’
Not just anyone—but a Disaster Management Bureau official—
That bastard’s the killer!
That night, as Baek Saheon was getting ready for bed, there was a knock at his door. He froze mid-motion while drying his hair with a towel.
“Just checking in to see if you’re alright.”
It was the agent.
His first thought:
‘Am I crazy? I’m not opening the door for a killer.’
But then it hit him that if the agent suspected that he knew, he was as good as dead. So with shaking hands, Baek Saheon grabbed his go-to weapon—a ballpoint pen—then opened the door with feigned calm.
Still damp from his shower, dressed lightly, Baek Saheon noticed the man’s gaze falter for a moment.
In that moment—he sensed his opportunity.
Ryu Jaekwan, led to the student’s bed, asked a few questions about his relative.
He didn’t learn much. A distant relative. Frequent visits during childhood, but little contact since.
Not that he expected much. The original owner of the tape had to have committed deeply immoral deeds, the likes of such nobody would admit to a stranger.
But still, he asked.
Maybe he wanted to find some proof—some tie between this gentle-faced student and the evil deeds of their relative.
Something to justify his death.
But there was no such proof.
And then, the student said—
“Thank you.”
“…Sorry?”
Ryu Jaekwan blinked in surprise.
The student gave a sheepish smile.
“You’re trying to figure out if I’m here because something went wrong, right? I don’t know if that matters right now, but… thank you for trying to help me anyway.”
Ryu Jaekwan looked at the gentle face before him, overwhelmed.
All this time, I’ve been trying to justify your death…
‘I can’t stay here any longer.’
He stood abruptly— or tried to.
“You’re leaving already?”
The student, looking alarmed, grabbed both his arms.
“Can’t… can't you stay, just a bit longer? It’s not that late…”
Ryu Jaekwan hesitated. When the student tugged at him once more, he let himself sink back to the bed.
An awkward silence followed. The room was filled with only the sound of their breathes.
After a moment, the student spoke again.
“...You’ve been through strange situations like this before, haven’t you?”
Ryu Jaekwan lifted his head. The student met his eyes.
“It just seems like you have. If you have… can you tell me how you got out safely? I’m so scared. I don’t know what to do. But if I knew even a little, I think I’d feel less afraid…”
His voice trembled slightly. His bright eye looked up at Ryu Jaekwan as if pleading.
Ryu Jaekwan hesitated.
There were confidentiality rules, of course. But they didn’t apply strictly to all civilians—especially not someone who would die the next day.
If sharing stories gave him even a bit of comfort… wasn’t that the humane thing to do?
Even if it made Ryu Jaekwan’s own heart heavier—
He steeled himself.
“…It was right after I became a government worker…”
They sat side by side on the bed, quietly talking.
Ryu Jaekwan chose one of his less traumatic missions and shared it carefully.
The student listened, wide-eyed and curious, occasionally asking questions.
“You’re amazing… staying calm in a situation like that…”
As they talked, the tension eased. The atmosphere softened.
Ryu Jaekwan found himself relaxing. The student, too, looked visibly relieved.
Then, in a quiet moment—
The student looked at him, then slowly reached out.
Fingertips brushed Ryu Jaekwan’s cheek.
Before he could react, the student leaned in—
Filling Ryu Jaekwan’s vision.
Soft lips. A faint scent of soap.
Warm breath —
Snapping out of it, Ryu Jaekwan pushed him away.
“We can't.”
He was out of breath without realizing it.
The student hesitated, then looked up, his eye watery.
“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have…”
Ryu Jaekwan’s heart pounded. He was dizzy. He’d never dated, even in school—he was terrible at reading signs. To suddenly find himself in a situation like this…
Yet his training kicked in. He tried to calm the civilian.
“It’s alright. These things happen during disasters. It’s called the suspension bridge effect.”
“Is that what this is? I just thought… you were amazing. I couldn’t help myself…”
“Let’s talk after we get out. In a safer environment, you might feel differently.”
A textbook answer.
But Ryu Jaekwan was struck by the thought that the student wouldn’t survive to see that safe place.
He felt dizzy.
As if sensing his thoughts, the student asked quietly:
“We will make it out… won’t we?”
Forcing himself to stay composed, Ryu Jaekwan opened his mouth.
“Lock your door tomorrow. Don’t open it for anyone.”
The student nodded.
“You’ll… you’ll come again tomorrow, right? I won’t leave my room...”
“…Yes, I’ll come.”
What else could he say?
Ha!
Baek Saheon laughed to himself, incredulous.
‘What's with this murderer acting all noble?’
If he was being honest, being rejected hadn't felt great. Not when he had put so much work into it. He’d felt such a burst of anger that he’d had to make an effort to calm himself down.
Especially since, having just taken a shower, he’d been prepared to go all the way depending on the man’s reaction…
But during the following conversation, Baek Saheon realized he'd succeeded in reaching his goals.
Because the stiff government man’s ears had gone bright red.
What's more, his gaze was shifting in all directions as if he didn't know where to look…
The man was definitely affected by him.
If the problem is that there's a serial killer, wasn't the best way of survival to get into the killer’s good graces? If he did well, maybe in addition to letting him live, the man might even let him get a cut of the inheritance!
And you never knew—connections to the Bureau could be useful.
‘And it's not as if he looks ugly as hell… Okay, well, he's actually good-looking.’
Even if he did look ugly as hell, Baek Saheon would’ve used the same plan. But since the man was handsome, he could carry out the plan with considerable ease.
Lying in bed, Baek Saheon smiled to himself in the dark.
Maybe this crisis could become another opportunity for him!
The next morning.
Ryu Jaekwan reflected on the previous day, heart heavy. The people he had killed, the ones he still had to… and—
‘Last night…’
He was the one who'd been kissed, yet it felt like he was also the one who had done something wrong.
Wasn't it only natural?
He’d led someone, whom he was going to kill, to develop such feelings towards him…
Of course, over the past several rounds, as Ryu Jaekwan carried out the same duties, he had repeatedly offered false words and gestures to reassure people.
What had sustained him all this time was the fact that his targets were all heinous criminals deserving of the death penalty.
He often reminded himself that he was merely acting as an executioner.
But then… someone appeared.
Someone who might—just might—be a decent person.
And worse yet, this person trusted him, depended on him, in a way Ryu Jaekwan had never experienced in his life —
Ryu Jaekwan sighed deeply, cradling his head in his hands.
There was still so much left to do, but his mind was in chaos.
Suddenly, a piece of advice from a senior agent during his rookie days popped into his head:
“Jaekwan-ah, you doing okay?
We may be the great Hyunmu Team 1, but we can’t control everything in this world.
When things get overwhelming, just focus on saving one person—just the one person right in front of you.”
It was, of course, completely useless advice in the context of the disaster he was currently managing.
And yet, the senior’s voice kept echoing in his mind.
'If I can save even one person...'
It was a futile thought.
He had read all the previous records.
Every attempt to extract someone alive had failed.
But he couldn't shake the image of the college student’s eye from the night before.
Late at night.
Having finished his duties for the day, Ryu Jaekwan dragged his tired feet toward the student’s room.
He saw a light leaking through the crack in the door—he was still waiting. Ryu Jaekwan knocked gently.
“…”
He knocked again.
“It’s me.”
Silence.
“Please open the door.”
No response.
A sudden wave of anxiety hit him. Even though he knew he was the only killer in this place...
He took out the door-opening tool he had already used multiple times that day.
When he finally stepped inside—
The student was asleep.
Curled up awkwardly on top of the blanket.
It seemed he had dozed off while waiting endlessly for someone who never came.
Ryu Jaekwan felt his tension melt away. He closed the door and approached the bed.
The student’s sleeping face looked even more innocent. It was a shame he couldn’t see that bright eye…
Ryu Jaekwan was startled by his own thoughts.
What was he thinking in such a dire situation?
Guilt rushed over him.
To shake off these unnecessary thoughts, he reached out and gently shook the student awake.
“Mm… Oh, you came?”
“It’s late. Please get under the blanket and sleep.”
“Ah… okay…”
The student, still half-asleep, lay back down under the blanket, guided by Ryu Jaekwan.
As Ryu Jaekwan reached out to cover him with the blanket, his hand brushed the back of the student’s hand.
In that moment, the student instinctively grabbed it.
Before he could react, the student’s other hand also came up and enclosed his.
As if afraid to let go of something precious, the student held his hands tightly.
Ryu Jaekwan was flustered.
His heart raced for no reason, and his mind swirled with confusion.
He had to go back to his room.
He had to pull his hand away and leave.
He had to—
But he couldn’t bring himself to shake off the hand that was reaching for him.
So he stayed, until the student’s breathing returned to a steady rhythm.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Finally, with a quiet swallow, Ryu Jaekwan made a decision.
He took out the emergency communicator and dialed a familiar emergency number.
All while his other hand was still holding the student’s hand.
For the first time in a long while, the civil servant, who had functioned like a machine, acted on impulse, following his pure human emotion.
And that act would decide his fate.
Baek Saheon felt like he had been doused in cold water.
He had been half-asleep, pretending to be fully sleep, when the flood of information suddenly snapped him to full consciousness.
When the agent had shaken him awake, even as he was still half asleep, his mind had been racing. Grabbing the agent’s hand was a calculated move, a way to test just how far he’d gotten under the man’s skin.
His thought had been: Let’s see how this goes, if it goes badly, I need to try some other plan…
But not only did the agent not pull away immediately, he stood there awkwardly for a long time as Baek Saheon held onto his hand.
Baek Saheon rejoiced inwardly.
‘He’s more hooked than I thought!’
Then he heard the rustling of the agent reaching into his own pocket.
Baek Saheon tensed.
‘He can't be planning to kill me right now, right?’
His body stiffened with fear, but he maintained the act of sleep, knowing that revealing himself now would be the worst outcome.
Then came—
"Senior, it’s me."
A low voice.
No one’s phone had worked since yesterday, so it seemed that the Disaster Management Bureau had special equipment.
Since he said “senior,” the person on the other end must be another agent. Baek Saheon focused all his attention on the conversation.
That was how Baek Saheon suddenly came to learn a great amount of information.
That maybe only one person could make it out of this place alive.
That despite this, the agent wanted to save him.
And—
That the agent was developing a completely insane plan to make it happen!
‘What? Induce cardiac arrest first? Then restart the heart with CPR? Is he insane? That's just killing and then hoping to revive!’
It was a plan that anyone would agree had a higher chance of failure than success.
What drove him even more crazy was that the agent planned to drug him before, to prevent any resistance.
If things had gone wrong, he would have died in his sleep without even knowing anything!
The worst part was that the agent was discussing it with utmost seriousness, as if it were a standard procedure.
‘This is the best you can do? You people are government agents! Seriously, what the fuck!’
Baek Saheon wanted to scream, but he forced himself to stay calm and keep his breathing steady. It felt as if the act of steady breathing itself was helping him suppress his emotions.
For now, he had to think.
If only one person could survive this, then wasn't there only one answer?
Anyway, as he’d hoped, the agent couldn’t even bring himself to let go of his hand.
What's more, he was completely underestimating him. Wasn't that why he was making such a call while right next to him?
‘If that’s the case, there’s still a way out.’
Baek Saheon quietly swallowed.
The next morning.
“Oh, looks like no one else is up yet…”
That was thanks to Ryu Jaekwan’s labor the previous night. To minimize any variables in today’s plan, he had killed everyone else ahead of schedule. Then, with barely any sleep, he called the student to the kitchen early in the morning.
“It’s still early, so they’re probably asleep.”
“Ah…”
“And breakfast hasn’t been prepared either.”
As he said, the caretaker who usually prepared each meal with care had not yet shown up yet. The dining room was empty.
“I asked you to come early on purpose. I have something important to tell you.”
The student’s eye lit up.
“Do you think there's a way out?”
“Something like that. But let’s talk over a drink. Do you drink juice?”
Ryu Jaekwan took juice from the fridge and poured it into two glasses.
He laced one of them with sleeping pills.
As he set the glasses down, the student spoke.
“Sorry, but… could I get a glass of water too?”
It was a simple request. Ryu Jaekwan went back and returned with the water.
By the time he came back, the student had already finished the juice.
“I drank a little fast.”
“No problem.”
To avoid making the student feel awkward, Ryu Jaekwan drank his own glass in one gulp.
Thinking of what he was about to do made his heart tremble.
He was anxious…
But faintly, he felt hope.
Maybe, just this one person—
Maybe, in this disaster that had demanded so many deaths, he could save just this one.
Even if it was an impossible hope, at this moment, Ryu Jaekwan wanted to believe in it.
But at the same time, he felt tired.
Perhaps it was the aftermath of working nonstop the night before.
He rubbed his forehead. He was so, so tired.
Drowsiness washed over him.
It was only then that he realized something was wrong.
He tried to stand, but his body wouldn’t respond.
He looked at the student with wide eyes.
“You—”
In his fading vision, he saw the cold smile on the student’s face.
That was the last image that Ryu Jaekwan’s eyes held.
Agent Choi locked his bike to the rack. From here, it was an unpaved road—better to walk.
Yes, he had come to surprise his junior by meeting him halfway!
…Pathetically, this was all he could do.
No outsiders were able to enter this disaster until the incident was finished. Even then, the survivor's location changed slightly every time.
All he could do was climb to the base of the mountain and wait for his junior to come down.
Horizon Mountain Lodge was a taboo topic between Agent Choi and Ryu Jaekwan. They had fought over it more than once—fights big enough to sour the entire team atmosphere.
And yet, from within that mountain lodge, Jaekwan had called him, asking for help.
A junior who always followed upper management’s orders to a fault—how much must he have suffered to reach out like that? How long must he have agonized over it alone?
Agent Choi felt guilty for not recognizing his junior’s pain sooner.
…Especially since it was almost certain that he had failed to secure a civilian survivor.
Agent Choi reflected briefly on how the Bureau had changed. Then suddenly, he slapped himself in the face.
“This isn’t the time to wallow!”
His dear junior was in need of a warm welcome from his senior!
He picked up the pace.
As he neared the mountain’s entrance, he saw someone coming from the opposite direction.
A young man with a gentle face was walking down, whistling cheerfully. He seemed to startle when he saw Agent Choi.
Why? Was it the agent uniform?
Something felt off.
Agent Choi approached with a polite smile.
“Excuse me, can I ask something? Did you see someone with a bicycle on your way down?”
“Ah, sorry, sir. This is my first time around here so I got lost for a bit. I didn’t see anyone.”
“I see~”
Was it just surprise at seeing someone?
“Well then, sir, I’ll be on my way. Have a nice day - ”
Agent Choi hesitated.
Something about the man's attitude felt off. His instincts told him not to let this man go.
‘Should I follow him?’
Normally, he wouldn’t have hesitated. At the very least he would’ve walked with him briefly, just to investigate.
But worry for his junior held him back.
So Agent Choi let the man go.
Instead, he quickened his pace toward the mountain base—to give his junior a warm hug when he came down.
Agent Choi waited at the base of the mountain for Ryu Jaekwan.
As the wait grew longer, he felt the urge to smoke.
'No, not today. Jaekwan-ie doesn’t like the smell…'
The list of things he wanted to do for his junior grew longer with each passing moment.
First, a tight hug.
Then, he’d listen.
He’d schedule a visit so they could see the team leader together.
Maybe even a hot spring trip to Gangwon-do next weekend.
He thought of all this as he waited for his beloved junior to come down.
But no matter how long he waited, no one came walking down the mountain path.