What Are You?
I stopped mid-sentence. Her expression had turned ice-cold. One wrong word and it looked like she might actually slap me.
Everything about the way Jeong Hayeon acted sweet and kind in front of others was pure acting. It was all a performance so she could look good in front of Radeon. That was why she behaved so perfectly around him, and even when he wasn’t there, she kept the mask on tight for the sake of her image.
“.....Haa.”
She let out a deep sigh and glanced around. When she confirmed no one was eavesdropping, she muttered in a low voice.
“Hey.”
Then she turned back to me with a chilling tone.
“Right now, only you and I heard this conversation. You understand what that means, right?”
“....”
“If this gets out, I won’t let you off easy.”
“.....”
The café door chimed open with a jingle. When I turned, Radeon and Cha Jiyun were standing there.
“....What’s going on? Did something happen between you two?” Radeon asked.
“Hm? No, nothing at all. You’ll do me this favor, won’t you, Doyun?”
She had put her mask back on. I nodded silently.
Jeong Hayeon watched silently as Nam Doyun walked away into the distance.
“....Did nothing really happen?” Cha Jiyun asked.
“Yeah, I’m really fine. Oh, but something suddenly came up and I have to go.”
“....Suddenly?”
“Ah, really? I wanted to go with you, Hayeon, but I guess it can’t be helped. Jiyun, looks like we’ll have to check out that restaurant together.”
“.....It can’t be helped.”
Cha Jiyun and Radeon walked off. Radeon glanced back at her and gave a thumbs-up.
“.....”
Jeong Hayeon headed to a nearby archery range.
“Welcome.”
“.....”
She didn’t answer, simply handing money to the employee.
“Yes, you can use lane five.”
She picked up a bow. The string drew back with a sharp creak. She stared at the target.
Jeong Hayeon closed her eyes. What she saw wasn’t a target—it was Cha Jiyun’s face. She kept imagining it that way. When she opened her eyes again, the target and Cha Jiyun’s face overlapped perfectly.
A smirk spread across her lips.
Swish—
The arrow slammed dead center into the target that looked like Cha Jiyun’s face. A rush of pleasure surged through her body. The scoreboard flashed 10 points.
Only then did she seem somewhat satisfied, her usual smile returning. But her expression quickly twisted again.
She closed her eyes once more. This time, the target wasn’t a target. It was that bastard Nam Doyun’s face. Their faces overlapped.
Swish—
The scoreboard lit up with another 10 points.
I sat on a bench near a convenience store by the Han River, staring blankly at the water. A pleasantly cool breeze blew past. The night sky was painted with sunset hues. The sight was incredibly beautiful.
Suddenly, old memories surfaced. Before I was possessed, I used to hang out here and have a lot of fun. At first glance, it didn’t seem all that different from the world I came from. But this place was crawling with monsters and demonic humans. For the people living here, simply surviving until tomorrow wasn’t something they could take for granted.
Tonight, at exactly 7 p.m., a demonic human would appear here. The area would turn into a sea of blood. But there was no need to worry. In the original story, Cha Jiyun, Jeong Hayeon, and Radeon—who happened to be nearby—would stop the creature. That event was what made the three of them famous overnight.
I opened my bag. Inside were the sword, bow, and wand used by Elphon Academy students. Once I handed these over, my part would be done.
PM 6:55
Exactly five minutes left. Watching the sunset over the Han River made me crave a beer. I went into the convenience store, bought a cola instead, and returned to the bench.
Gulp, gulp. The sensation was completely different. It would’ve been perfect with a beer, though…
But… something felt off.
I spotted Jeong Hayeon sitting on a mat in front of the river, staring blankly at the water. The time was now 6:59 p.m. Only a minute remained, yet only Jeong Hayeon was there. Cha Jiyun and Radeon were nowhere to be seen.
Wait a second… this had gone seriously wrong. Could my words to her earlier have thrown off their movements?
This was no time to be sitting around.
PM 6:59:20
I immediately called Jin Hyewon.
“...Mm. Hello?”
“A demonic human is appearing at Han River Park right now.”
“What!? For real? Where exactly?”
“I’ll send you the location via text. A student is in danger. Please hurry.”
I sent her the coordinates and broke into a sprint.
The middle-aged man wearing a hat sitting right next to Jeong Hayeon, staring at the river—he was the one who would turn into a demonic human and go on a rampage.
“Hey. Jeong Hayeon.”
She turned around at my voice.
“Get out of the way.”
“What?”
“I said move!”
The moment a demonic human went berserk, it would release an enormous amount of demonic energy. Anyone nearby would suffer terrible injuries. Fortunately, when I looked around, the only person near him was Jeong Hayeon.
I grabbed her and pulled her into my arms.
“You… what the hell are you—”
I held her tight and slid across the ground.
“You fucking— what the hell do you think you’re doing?!” she screamed.
At that moment—
Boom—!
A deafening explosion rang out like a bomb going off. When the smoke cleared, the berserk demonic human stood there. It no longer looked human. Its entire body was pitch black, and its eyes glowed with a terrifying red light. An incredibly ominous aura washed over us.
Jeong Hayeon stared at it in a daze.
“Hey. Snap out of it,” I said.
“Uh… yeah.”
She slapped her own cheeks hard.
“Get a grip, Jeong Hayeon.”
Out of habit, she reached behind her back.
“Huh?”
But her quiver wasn’t there.
“Here.”
I pulled the arrows and quiver from my bag and handed them to her. She took them with trembling hands.
“Did you call for help?”
“Yeah. But it’ll take them a while to get here.”
She drew her bow without a word. The string creaked loudly.
Swish—
The arrow flew toward the demonic human.
“Yes… hit!”
She clenched her fist. But tension quickly returned to her eyes. The demonic human had sidestepped. Its movements were so fast they were almost invisible. It was like it was teleporting.
Cold sweat poured down Jeong Hayeon’s face. In an instant, the creature had closed the distance and stood right in front of her.
“!!!”
It swung its fist at her. Jeong Hayeon rolled sideways at the last second. The concrete wall behind her crumpled like paper. She glanced back and bit her lip hard.
She created distance and drew her bow again.
“!!!”
But the demonic human closed the gap instantly, forcing her to abandon the shot. She rolled again to dodge its attack. The pattern repeated.
Every time Jeong Hayeon tried to gain distance and draw her bow, the demonic human would instantly rush in and attack. She barely avoided each strike by a hair’s breadth. One mistake and her life would be over.
The precarious stalemate continued.
“If I could just… land one hit,” she muttered, biting her lip.
But the creature was too fast. She couldn’t even get a shot off.
Skill 3 — You can now control the actions of demonic humans harboring demonic energy. (Condition: Limited to demonic humans faced for more than 1 minute.)
(Higher skill levels increase the duration of the control effect.)
Condition satisfied.
“Hey. Jeong Hayeon.”
She glanced at Nam Doyun.
“Put everything you have into this next arrow and shoot.”
“What?”
She frowned. Pouring all her mana into one shot was the same as burning through her entire reserve of stamina. She would be completely exhausted afterward, barely able to move. If that one shot missed, she would be as good as dead.
Yet this guy was telling her to do exactly that.
“Just trust me, draw the bow, and shoot. At this rate you’ll collapse first anyway.”
He was right. If things continued like this, she would be the one who died. Even if the odds were slim, she had no choice but to gamble.
“....Fine.”
She drew the bowstring with everything she had. The arrow began glowing golden.
The demonic human instantly closed the distance and stood before her. It swung its arm toward her head. She thought it was over.
But astonishingly, the creature’s arm trembled violently and stopped mid-swing.
What just happened?
She had no idea, but she wasn’t stupid enough to waste the perfect opening.
Swish—
Boom—!
The arrow pierced the demonic human’s body and exploded. The creature vanished without a trace.
“Good work.”
Nam Doyun patted her shoulder. Jeong Hayeon tilted her head, looking unconvinced. Right before the demonic human’s fist reached her, its arm had stopped completely. It was as if something had forcibly restrained its movement.
Could it be…?
Jeong Hayeon narrowed her eyes and stared at Nam Doyun.