*The Day of Change*


    Screams intertwined into a chaotic cacophony. But there was no time to pay attention to them. Feet pounded the ground relentlessly, and breath came in ragged gasps. The heart, pushed beyond its limits, pounded like it was about to burst. Even though nausea rose in his throat, he couldn’t stop.


    BOOM!


    The ground shook as if an earthquake had hit. His body staggered, unable to keep bnce. A deafening crash erupted just behind him, followed by more sharp screams. He knew he shouldn’t turn around, but curiosity triumphed over fear.


    And then—


    “Aaahh!”


    A massive fist flew directly at him. The man screamed and rolled to the side, dirt and ash covering him, but that wasn’t the important part. THUNK! The fist mmed into the sidewalk, right where he had been standing.


    Creaking, the massive golem’s head slowly turned toward him. A colossal shadow loomed over his head.


    The man squeezed his eyes shut. Tears streamed down his face.


    ‘I shouldn’t have looked. I should’ve gone another way. No, I shouldn’t have left the house at all.’


    His thoughts didn’t go any further. He braced himself, praying that the pain toe would be brief, curling into a ball.


    Then—


    SWISH! THUNK!


    Instead of the expected agony, he heard the sound of something piercing through. The man jerked his head up. The golem stood frozen in ce, its outstretched fist still aimed at him, but something had pierced straight through its chest. The tip of the object was blunt and covered in ck stic.


    ‘...An umbre?’


    Astonishingly, the golem’s heart had been impaled by what looked like an ordinary ck umbre, the kind you’d find at any convenience store.


    The man gaped as the umbre left a round hole in the golem’s chest before disappearing. He spotted a figure perched on the golem’s shoulder. Even in the brief glimpse, he could tell it was a tall young man.


    The figure raised the stick in his hand—


    THUNK!


    —and smashed the golem’s head. The golem wobbled before slowly copsing to the ground, a cloud of dust rising from its fall. Coughing echoed from all directions. When the dust finally cleared, the man stretched his neck, searching for the figure, but the shadowy figure was already gone, like a ghost.


    Soon, footsteps approached. Several Hunters, wearing fluorescent vests, came running over. One of them approached the still-shaken man.


    “We’re from the Rift Management Bureau. Are you okay?”


    “...It was him.”


    “Sorry, what?”


    The man mumbled something incoherent, so the Hunter asked again, and this time, the man shouted:


    “It was J!”


    ---


    “He was wearing a mask, so I couldn’t see his face, but I’m sure it was J. He disappeared too fast for me to get a good look, but I’m pretty sure it was J. Everything was so dark, I didn’t get a clear view, but I’m positive it was J.... Why do all these testimonies sound like this?”


    The Hunter reading the witness reports shrugged and turned off his tablet. The fluorescent "Safety" armband on his arm shifted as he moved.


    “All the witness statements say the same thing. He moved too fast for anyone to see him clearly, but they all think it was J. There’s at least consistency.”


    Another Hunter, crouching in front of the golem’s remains, propped his chin on his hand.


    “Judging by the clean hit to its core, it probably was J. Did he use a spear?”


    “ording to the testimony… he used an umbre to pierce it.”


    “What is this, some kind of legend? Did he use teleportation, too?”


    “They say it was a critical moment. The witness might have been mistaken.”


    p. A sharp sound cut through the air, drawing everyone’s attention. The source of the sound was a woman wearing a fluorescent vest over a white shirt. She was Yang Hyejin, an A-rank Hunter from the Rift Management Bureau.


    “Enough chatter. What about the witnesses?”


    “They’ve been taken to a nearby shelter in case more monsters appear.”


    “Good job. Let’s get the area secured and clear the golem. It caused quite a mess,nding in the middle of the sidewalk.”


    Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she shoved her hands into her pockets and leaped onto the fallen golem.


    A breeze mixed with white ash blew around her, making her fluorescent safety vest flutter. The golemy with its square head caved in at the center. For some reason, the shape looked familiar...


    “...What the?”


    A strange sense of déjà vu hit her. Why did this look so familiar? Yang Hyejin furrowed her brow and leaned closer to the golem’s head, even wedging her hand into the indent. A nearby Hunter leaned in.


    “Ma’am, they’re transporting the golem to the Seowon Guild. They’ve requested it for research purposes.”


    “Good timing. Hey, why does this look familiar to me?”


    “What do you mean?”


    Both the Awakener Management Bureau and the Rift Bureau were facing manpower shortagestely. This meant the rookie, still unable to shake his status as the newbie, was left to peer over at the golem’s head. Yang Hyejin mumbled seriously.


    “I swear I’ve seen this before.”


    “Really? I don’t recognize it.”


    “Yeah? Ugh, what is it?”@@novelbin@@


    She scratched her head in frustration, when suddenly, her radio beeped. A Hunter working on repairs shouted over the noise.


    “Ma’am! Team 2 is requesting support!”


    “Damn it...”


    “Ah, looks like Response Team 1 is on their way.”


    “Thank goodness for Hunter Jung Bin.”


    She responded absentmindedly and raised her radio. As she did, something about the surroundings tugged at her memory. Just down the alley was her favorite hangover soup restaurant. It had closed suddenly, though...


    The thought made her even more depressed. She missed the spicy broth, the tender meat, and the fragrant peri powder. Not only was the food good, but the part-timer there had been efficient and polite. A clean-cut face shed in her mind. It had only been three months, but her memory of his features had already started to blur.


    The regr customers had checked in on the safety of the restaurant owner and her granddaughter, but the part-timer? He seemed to have vanished without a trace.


    ‘I hope he’s safe and sound somewhere.’


    It was hard not to worry, especially since the restaurant had closed right after "that day." Yang Hyejin mumbled to herself, deted.


    “Man, I could really go for some soju and hangover soup right now…”


    “Uh, Ma’am, your radio is still on.”


    “What? Oh, crap!”


    ---


    Three months ago, the ck Hole that had appeared in the sky turned white, and from it, a massive whale emerged. The media quickly named the day the whale appeared.


    **"The Day of Change."**


    A rather grand name. Some even jokingly called it “The Day of Bleaching.”


    Thankfully, the damage from the Day of Change wasn’t as severe as the Day of the Rift.


    The falling debris from the hole gradually decreased, and after J took down the whale, no other giant monsters appeared. Of course,pared to the past, unregistered rifts and monsters showed up more frequently, but people, having gone through a simr experience before, adapted quickly.


    Seasons passed, winter melted away, and spring arrived. However, people no longer weed the change in seasons like they used to. It wasn’t because of yellow dust or pollution.


    “I can’t wear ck clothes anymore.”


    It was because of the white ash falling from the sky like snow.


    People began calling the giant hole in the sky the White Hole.


    On the screen of a building, a news broadcast yed.


    ---


    **"Guild Leader Mok Tae-oh of the HB Guild has dered that ensuring public safety remains the top priority, and Guild Leader Song Joheon of the Samra Guild has announced that they will work together to ovee this crisis...."**


    **"Meanwhile, Guild Leader Lee Sayoung of the Wave Guild remains missing. The Wave Guild maintains that Guild Leader Lee’s absence from the public eye is due to health issues. However, with the increasing frequency of unregistered rifts, concerns are growing over the absence of the second-ranked Hunter, Lee Sayoung...."**


    ---


    Bzzzt— A mechanical beep interrupted the anchor’s polished voice.


    ---


    **"Rift detected in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon District. Any avable teams, please respond."**


    **"Response Team 1 en route."**


    **"Confirmed."**


    ---


    “Wow.”


    Perched on the rooftop of a building covered in green waterproof paint, a man sat crouched in the shade of arge ck umbre. He had a radio pressed to his ear and let out a soft exmation. With a delicate touch, he adjusted the radio frequency and spoke.


    “No need to worry about this area. Let’s move on.”


    Bzzzt. The radio crackled again.


    ---


    **"Man, I could really go for some soju and hangover soup right now…"**


    ---


    The mention of hangover soup made him nce toward the railing. A tall man, dressed in a ck jacket, leaned over the edge, his arms draped across the railing, his head slightly bowed. His face was obscured by a ck mask that covered him entirely, with no visible eye holes.


    A breeze stirred his ashen hair, blending with the gray sky. The man holding the umbre, Mingi, asked suddenly:


    “Are you ever going to dye your hair again?”


    “


    Is there any point?”


    A lukewarm response. Clearly, it wasn’t a topic he cared for. Mingi, sensing the shift in mood, pretended to focus on the radio.


    “By the way, the rumors are getting harder to contain. Samra Guild and HB Guild have been tightening the pressuretely. Even though the vice guild leader is ying dumb, I’m not sure how much longer they can hold out….”


    “You sure he’s just ying dumb?”


    “Well, that’s true.”


    Between the man’s fingers was a half-burned cigarette. A shadow rose from the ground, forming a dish-like shape, and he tapped the ashes into it.


    “They’re probably aiming to secure the top guild spot for sure this time.”


    “Ridiculous.”


    His voice, distorted beyond recognition, muttered under his breath.


    “They need to look at where they’re stepping before they stretch their legs.”


    There was a faint irritation in his otherwise indifferent tone. Mingi nced at the sky. The ashfall was beginning to subside.


    “Maybe we should call it a day?”


    The man’s gray head nodded slowly. Mingi grabbed the umbre and stood up.


    “Do you really need that umbre?”


    “I don’t want ash on my suit. Besides, the umbre yed a big role today, didn’t it?”


    “...Fair point.”


    The shadow slowly enveloped the man’s shoes.


    “I’ll escort you to the door, sir. Give my regards.”


    The masked man pressed the end of his cigarette between his fingers, extinguishing it with ease, leaving no hesitation in his movements. The butt left no mark, as if he hadn’t felt the heat at all.


    “I will.”


    Only a faint trace of ash remained.


    ---


    By then, the man was already standing in the entrance of a barren, dark home. After removing his dusty shoes, he opened the inner door and gazed down the long corridor ahead. The ce was dim and silent. His distorted voice drifted calmly through the bleak space.


    “I’m back.”


    No answer came. But he was used to unanswered greetings by now.


    His footsteps made no sound as he moved deeper into the house. He opened a door, and the darkness greeted him, apanied by quiet breathing.


    Click. He pressed a button, and a soft red nightlight illuminated the room. Someone was already lying in the bed. Curls of ck hair spread across the pillow.


    A firm hand grasped the ck mask and removed it. A sharp, well-sculpted face emerged—Cha Uijae, J—who held the bed’s headboard as he leaned over and gazed at the sleeping person. His lips parted, and a tender voice slipped through.


    “I’m back.”


    ---


    Three months had passed since **The Day of Change**, and much had changed.


    But Lee Sayoung still slept alone, unchanged.


    From that day, and always.