DINOSAUR (6)

Yongsan IMAX at CVG was packed to the brim today.

"Let go of me! Let go of me, I said! Fuck! Give me the poster! Give me the one hanging on the wall at least!"

"...Ugh, so noisy."

It was a crowd rarely seen these days, reminiscent of the premiere of a blockbuster collaboration between a famous director and a star-studded cast.

Lee Si-ah's heart fluttered with anticipation. There was a rumor—albeit a highly unreliable one—that the cast of Labyrinth Exploration NaN would be making a surprise appearance for a stage greeting today.

"Whew..."

Lee Si-ah sat in one of the prime seats of Yongsan IMAX.

She didn't need popcorn or soda. It was a shame she couldn't watch the live chat since she was in a theater, but whatever. They must have released it as a movie because they were confident it would deliver that level of immersion, right?

Click, click.

The lights dimmed, and the screening began.

"Oh..."

She muttered unconsciously, then quickly covered her mouth in surprise. She had momentarily forgotten she wasn't at home.

In any case, the opening was unique. Because the screen itself was so massive, the atmosphere that flooded her vision was utterly overwhelming.

Who would be in the opening? Drumroll, please. As she felt a nervous flutter of anticipation—

Seol Ha-woon appeared on screen!

The location was the orphanage from the previous episode.

For Seol Ha-woon to open such an important theatrical release was no ordinary feat.

There had been many rumors that Seol Ha-woon's screen time was practically on par with a main character's. Was it actually true?

— Seol Ha-woon: "I found this at his house."

Seol Ha-woon handed the child's pendant to the Orphanage Director. The director's face contorted with sorrow.

— Director: "Perhaps... the young children who left Loha here intended to return for their child later. If they saw this pendant... they would know it was theirs."

— Seol Ha-woon: "I don't need the backstory."

— Director: "Ah, yes. Forgive me, I lost my train of thought. Please wait a moment..."

— Seol Ha-woon: "No. Rather than money."

Seol Ha-woon was refusing the reward. Even in the NaN World, currency was still valuable loot.

— Seol Ha-woon: "Black tea. I would like to purchase as many of the black tea leaves you cultivated from your hometown as possible."

He's just using the black tea as an excuse because he's embarrassed, Lee Si-ah thought.

As Lee Si-ah smiled warmly, the screen transitioned.

— Kang Hyun: "Dong-ha. Is the work going okay?"

— Kim Dong-ha: "Yeah. It's busy, but what kind of corporation has this many assassination attempts? How has this guy even survived?"

Kang Hyun and Kim Dong-ha. Having coincidentally been hired as bodyguards for the same corporation, they were walking home together after work.

— "Hey."

An NPC emerged from an alleyway.

A rough-looking woman with a voice like a wild beast. She had a sturdy, heavily muscled build.

— "Are you the bastards who came from across the sea?"

The two took a defensive stance. The woman smirked.

— ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Shindra: "I'm Shindra. No need to be on guard. I heard you're looking for work."

— Kang Hyun: "...Work?"

— Shindra: "Yes. I'll pay you as much as you want."

As much as they wanted. Just as Kang Hyun and Kim Dong-ha exchanged glances, the perspective shifted again.

This time, it was Kate.

She had gone underground to resolve a request about frequently clogged sewers, only to encounter a bizarre creature.

A new species of monster born from wastewater and filth mixing with magical energy.

— Kate: "Hah!"

A visually spectacular battle, characteristic of Kate, unfolded. Every time she swung her spear, magical energy flashed brilliantly. A swordsman assigned to the same mission was also diligently supporting her.

Both were wearing some sort of hazmat suit, so their faces weren't clearly visible, but they managed to clear out all the monsters.

— Kate: "Whew."

Having completed the mission, Kate returned to the surface and was the first to take off her protective suit.

— Kate: "...Good work. The cost-efficiency of this was terrible."

— Swordsman: "Yes."

The swordsman opposite her also lifted his helmet.

And yet.

— Kim Du-gyeom: "Tell me about it."

It was Kim Du-gyeom!

Whispers suddenly rippled through the theater.

A minor twist. As expected of Labyrinth Exploration NaN, they had decided not to edit Kim Du-gyeom out for the sake of a smooth narrative flow.

It was bound to polarize opinions, but...

— Kate: "You may leave."

Kate offered a business-like smile. She possessed a beauty that made it instantly clear why she was so popular.

Though she seemed gentle on the surface, there was a silent, imposing pressure beneath it that warned others not to get too close.

A woman with an incredibly strong presence, who strictly guarded her own boundaries and never allowed others to cross them.

— Kim Du-gyeom: "Ah... Yes."

Kim Du-gyeom stared blankly at Kate. His face looked rather detestable.

Just as they were about to part ways.

— "Excuse me, are you Ms. Kate and Mr. Kim Du-gyeom?"

A group of people called out to them. They were neatly dressed men in suits.

— "Pleasure to meet you."

Kate glared at them suspiciously, and...

— Butcher: "Haa... Haa..."

The scene abruptly cut to a tense sequence.

This time, a man was running frantically through a cold storage facility. A heavily built, obese man. Was he being chased by someone?

He ran precariously, until—

— Butcher: "Aaaargh!"

He stepped on a bear trap forged from magical energy.

— Butcher: "Urgh... Argh..."

Dragging his leg, he looked back. The camera panned to follow his gaze.

The shaky camera angle captured a pair of beast-like, pale blue eyes gleaming in the deep darkness of the freezing cold warehouse.

Thud!

The resonant strike of a cane shattered the silence like shards of glass.

It was Seol Ha-woon.

— Butcher: "Y-You... you goddamn... goddamn bastard!"

As the massive lump of flesh cursed at him, a flashback seamlessly blended in.

Returning to the present, Bico was crawling on the floor.

— Bico: "Y-You...!"

He clutching a butcher knife, he looked around wildly and threw it toward the sound of the cane.

Thud!

The sound of the blade sinking into something echoed.

— Bico: "Heh, hehe! Got you!"

Bico smirked, but the blade was stopped dead in midair. His eyes widened in sheer shock.

— Bico: "W-Who... what are you...?"

— Seol Ha-woon: "People like you always ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠say the exact same thing."

For some reason, Lee Si-ah was reminded of Kim Du-gyeom at that moment.

Wasn't that exactly how Seol Ha-woon looked when dealing with Kim Du-gyeom, when looking down at him?

A sudden chill ran down her spine.

— Seol Ha-woon: "..."

Seol Ha-woon didn't finish Bico off. Instead, he turned around, leaving him behind.

— Bico: "Where... where are you going?! Take me... take me with you!"

The heinous criminal reached out in desperation, but—

Tap. Tap.

The moment Seol Ha-woon stepped out of the cold storage facility, he shut the door and placed his hand upon it.

Crack, crack, crack—

The sound of the entire warehouse freezing solid. The amplification of the cold.

It felt as though the theater itself had suddenly grown cold.

"..."

The camera quietly captured Seol Ha-woon's retreating figure as he walked away, leaning on his cane.

A dark, heavy soundtrack flowed like thick ink.

He was... a man who showed absolutely no mercy to his enemies. An infinitely terrifying man.

Lee Si-ah unconsciously placed her hand over her heart.

The tension went wild in every scene Seol Ha-woon appeared in. Her lips felt dry.

Everyone in the theater was likely feeling the exact same way.

Whenever he appeared on screen, even those eating popcorn or sipping soda froze in place.

Afterward, the story shifted to the East for a moment.

The East focused on Lee Jun-ho, Seo Ji-woo, and Yun Hwa-rim. They performed a quest in a cave and encountered a Taoist spellcaster, filming a sort of action-adventure sequence.

It was quite entertaining in its own right. Even if they had released the Eastern storyline as a standalone movie, it probably would have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been a hit.

Lee Jun-ho and Seo Ji-woo's fans would absolutely love it.

However, to Lee Si-ah, it was merely a breather.

Because...

— Tavern Owner: "Would you be interested in taking on a new job?"

The West, which she had been eagerly waiting for.

The tavern owner asked Seol Ha-woon.

— Tavern Owner: "Rumors about you have been circulating lately. Someone from a corporation came looking for you."

— Seol Ha-woon: "...A corporation?"

— Tavern Owner: "Yes. A spellcaster of your caliber is always the kind of talent corporations look for. Think it over and pay them a visit. You'll make far more money than you do hunting trash around here."

— Seol Ha-woon: "..."

Seol Ha-woon accepted the owner's suggestion and headed to the building indicated in the document.

He entered the building and rode the elevator up.

An office on the 77th floor.

There, an unnamed man stood looking out the glass window.

— "Ah, you've arrived. Welcome."

He turned to face Seol Ha-woon. A neat side-part hairstyle. Rimless glasses. Long, slender limbs. He was a very clean-cut, handsome NPC.

— Seer: "I am Seer, the Raynos Branch Manager of Estin Corporation. Please, have a seat."

— Seol Ha-woon: "Thank you."

— Seer: "Your name is Ha-woon, correct? As you may know, Estin Corporation is one of the leading conglomerates in NaN..."

Seer began explaining his business.

— Seol Ha-woon: "You can skip the introduction."

— Seer: "...Very well. For some time now, scavengers have been swarming our construction site. It is likely someone's instigation, but..."

The request was to guard a construction site.

It seemed far too trivial a task for a massive conglomerate to commission.

— Seol Ha-woon: "You want me to handle all these stray dogs by myself?"

— Seer: "To be more precise, we are looking for a spellcaster capable of doing so."

A spellcaster of that caliber. It was clearly an employment test.

Seol Ha-woon stared intently at Seer, as if trying to peer into the depths of his mind...

A dark construction site. A ruin littered with piles of structural steel frames where, just as Seer had said, construction had not progressed in the slightest.

Seol Ha-woon stood there.

Though he was merely standing, his very presence felt like an impenetrable defense.

Lee Si-ah was thrilled. He has so much screen time!

Thud.

The construction began. There were no human workers; everything was automated machinery. Seol Ha-woon quietly watched the machines erect the building.

...Rustle.

From somewhere, multiple presences began to move stealthily. The camera captured their movements.

Unbeknownst to Seol Ha-woon, they moved with extreme coordination to surround him, and—

Click—

They aimed their barrels at him and fired instantly.

The entire sequence took less than thirty seconds.

Bang—!

Simultaneously with the gunshot, the footage slowed down. Bullets swam through the air, and Seol Ha-woon watched them rush toward him.

Though the frame rate was incredibly slow, his pupils moved with blinding speed. A velocity that even an ultra-high-speed camera could not capture. In the monochromatic world, only his magical energy glowed a deep, dark blue.

It was the ultra-high-speed calculation of a spell formula.

Just as Lee Si-ah's eyes widened.

Countless magic bullets ground to a halt right before his nose. The warheads vibrated with a pale, blue light in midair.

They had been snared by a barrier of magical energy.

Tap.

Seol Ha-woon took a step forward with his cane.

Immediately after, the trajectory of the gunfire reversed. Along the path they had been shot—as if winding back time.

Gasp! Urgh! Argh!

The slow-motion effect deactivated. The assailants were wiped out in a single second.

Lee Si-ah swallowed hard. The theater was as quiet as if everyone had collectively held their breath.

Having repelled the ambush entirely on his own, Seol Ha-woon remained perfectly composed.

He was far too calm.

He simply took out his thermos, poured some black tea into the cap, and took a sip.

Looking up at the still-dark night and the moon, he took a second sip.

With his eyes closed, he took a third.

Lee Si-ah couldn't tear her eyes away from his serene, unbothered figure. Every single viewer in the theater was staring at Seol Ha-woon.

There was no room for any other thoughts. Only the sound of quiet breathing filled the room. Every gesture, every glance, every word, and every action of his projected on the screen was... simply too captivating.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Suddenly, the sound of applause rang out. Lee Si-ah flinched in surprise, momentarily thinking someone in the theater was clapping.

— Seer: "Perfect."

It was Seer.