Endless Nightmare
Ji-ah Lee. She was tormented by an endless nightmare.
A space filled with darkness. In the foggy, blurred landscape, there was a man.
Purple hair spiking out wildly. And eyes sparkling like amethysts embedded in his face.
He was much shorter than her. Even so, it was an undeniable fact that this man had protected Ji-ah all this time.
Father. Ji-ah's father was being violated in the darkness.
They weren't abstract entities. Ghouls, goblins, slimes—the infamous F-rank monsters swarmed the man.
Her father couldn't resist. As if bound, he simply stared blankly at the empty air in resignation.
Whoosh.
A red form called mana or aura formed in her hand.
There was no reason. Only instinct. Thrashing about in this unknown space, she flailed again and again.
She gripped the sword. Slashed at the monsters.
To protect her one and only family. Ignoring the pain surging through her muscles, Ji-ah swung the sword.
The monsters melted away like snow. And reappeared.
Endlessly.
Truly, without end.
Whoosh!
How much time had passed?
Ji-ah's body was gradually stiffening. Her stamina had long reached its limit. Her muscles screamed, now creaking like rusty hinges.
If she stopped even for a moment, she felt like she could never move again. So she swung the sword without rest.
But...
"Urk..."
It was too much. Her stamina wasn't enough to hold back the endless onslaught. If only she could run...
Ji-ah's body crumbled. Her knees buckled, her upper body slamming into the ground.
Even as pain shot through her from the monsters trampling over her, she stubbornly craned her neck toward the sky.
The monsters' arms extended. Watching them coil around the man's legs, groping and ravaging his body, Ji-ah could do nothing.
Perhaps from biting her lips and tongue. The only thing was a trickle of red dripping plip, plip onto the ground.
And...
"......"
She woke up. It was a dream. More precisely, a vision brought on by the awakening pain.
Due to the intense emotions? Even with her eyes open, Ji-ah struggled to regain her senses. Emotion over reason. Her hot heart over her cold head drove her.
Was that why? Even though she vaguely knew where she was, she surrendered to instinct.
A captivating scent assaulted her nose. She seized it, like a faint mist.
The scent had texture.
It was soft and warm.
She yanked the slender form into her arms.
It fit perfectly—nothing else could describe it.
She simply followed instinct. In the dream, she couldn't protect him, couldn't be with him.
Was that why? She refused to let go of what she held closer than ever before.
Her arms wrapped around his waist, fingers digging into soft skin, leaving trails like snakes slithering across desert sand. Past his side, over his back, caressing somewhere between belly and thigh—each touch elicited a slender whimper.
It was a sound as addictive as a drug. More beautiful and intoxicating than any song.
She didn't recognize her target. Drawn by instinct to someone, she seized and ravaged them.
Just as the goblins, ghouls, and slimes had done. Ji-ah, too, surrendered to instinct.
Soft skin. Plush yet moist texture that made her want to touch it all day.
Her body moved naturally.
She nipped an ear lightly, licked it. Watching the reactions shift with her actions, she toyed with them like a plaything.
And then. The fog clouding her vision gradually lifted.
Like anesthesia wearing off. Like thick air clearing from ventilation.
Instinct receded, reason approached. The person she had groped and teased was none other than...
Yuseong Na.
The moment she realized it was the father who had raised her for 20 years, Ji-ah's body reacted on impulse.
Whoosh.
His body lifted into the air. He was a hunter, but not a warrior type, she recalled.
In short... even his freshly awakened daughter could send him flying with ease.
Ji-ah's eyes widened round. Her mind spun. At the same time, the emotion suppressed by instinct—her heart—crashed down like a wall collapsing on her father.
Moral qualms tormented her. Until just now, she had groped and licked her... Dad. But what confused her most was...
Throb, throb.
Not the pain squeezing her chest. But the raw ache in her lower abdomen.
Her lower belly burned. Not quite pounding, but too insistent to ignore—like it might burst.
Confusion. Ji-ah wandered lost in her feelings. Her panicked wide eyes slowly returned to normal.
Unable to accept it. The emotions she had to deny fiercely turned into attitude. Like an elementary kid who doesn't know how to express liking someone and bullies them instead. Having never dated, she was no different from a child in this.
So, in the end...
She voiced the tiny grievance buried in her heart.
[Ji-ah.]
[Ji-ah~]
[Ji-ah?]
[Yeah. Ji-ah.]
The only family for Ji-ah, raised without a mother. She knew too well he had focused solely on her. So devoted, she wondered if he even had personal time.
To such a father, she spat cruel words.
The door clicked shut. What came over me was relief.
The pain like a spike driven into my chest was brief. Well... it'll probably linger in my mind forever. Still, knowing my daughter was safe eased my heart.
And then came the time for reflection.
Thinking back, had Ji-ah ever gotten mad at me? Before her belated puberty hit, not once.
Was that why?
[Get out, Dad. Don't you have friends? Go get a job or something.]
Those words from my daughter stuck in my chest.
Truth be told... I admit it. After losing my wife... yeah, after my wife passed, I focused only on raising Ji-ah.
Was that why? I have no friends, and even conversations with strangers are rare enough to count on one hand.
Simply put, socially maladjusted. Worse, a total loner...?
No, no, not that bad.
Going further back... I wasn't like this before. A bit introverted, sure, but I went through the Hunter Academy with my wife, raided gates together, chatted with party members.
Out of touch for... 15 years?
I really haven't seen people much.
Realizing that made me feel sorry for Ji-ah. For being a pathetic, worthless dad.
Too scared to even talk to the housekeeper, I handle this big house alone. Maybe I should muster some courage now...
Ding-doooong.
The doorbell rang out. A total surprise.
Normally, no one visits our house—unimaginable. Most errands are handled by phone. Deliveries left at the door.
The door cam showed an unfamiliar woman standing quietly. Wh-what do I do?
I scrambled. My head heated up. Couldn't think straight.
What first? Ch-check if I need anything?
Oh, check my outfit. This is a gender-reversed world. Sh-short shorts and a stretched white tee.
Is it okay? Fine? I-I don't know. Change? Yeah, probably...
Ding-doooong.
"Anyone home~?"
Big trouble. Doorbell again. And a voice calling me. Normally Ji-ah would answer, but... she's holed up in her room.
In the end, I have to go.
"C-coming out..."
A voice barely above a whisper. Not sure if she heard, but the cam showed her waiting patiently.
I hurriedly slipped on slippers and stepped out, crossing the garden to the gate. Cautiously opening it...
"H-hello..."
"Ah..."
What caught my eye first was bronze skin. Tanned? All exposed skin was sun-kissed.
Contrasting golden hair. And... black eyes met mine. A hunter? Her build and aura screamed hunter.
A brief silence, then a chattering female voice.
"A hunter? You're a hunter, right?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Academy student? I'm starting this year, so maybe..."
"Ah, uh..."
"Nice to meet you. I just moved in nearby..."
My head spun. In my sight, neatly packed rice cakes. People still give rice cakes when moving in?
Barrage of questions. Pushing past embarrassment, I urgently corrected one thing.
"M-my daughter."
"Daughter...?"
"My daughter's starting at the academy this year."
"Ah, haha... your daughter? Th-then... you're...?"
I clamped my lips shut. Face burning. Unconsciously, my mana leaked, making my spiky hair dance.
Embarrassing. Flustered, I didn't know what to say first. Still, I clung to my fading senses.
Ji-ah told me to go out. Talk to people normally, make friends.
"Mister."
"......"
"I-I'm a mister... I'm turning forty-five this year..."
"......"
"G-got it...? Student...?"
Meet her eyes. Even if embarrassing, look her in the eye.
A woman much taller than me. Muscular build even bigger than Ji-ah's. I did my best to meet her gaze.