Somewhere on the other side of the world...
The moon's light stretched across the entire globe, casting a soft, all-encompassing glow over everything. The sound of the wind echoed, dispersing across the area. Beneath the moonlight, a few figures darted between buildings, running frantically.
Upon closer inspection, these figures appeared to be covered in bloodstains, with visible marks of injury and expressions of deep fear. A group of about five people seemed to be desperately fighting for their lives as they ran.
"I... I can't run anymore... I'm fading away... You all should go on..." An elderly man, who had been leading the group, turned to look at the others and spoke with resignation. His body seemed to be slowly giving out, as though vanishing into the dark night.
"Just a little longer... We'll reach safety soon..." A young boy, around 12 years old, who had been running alongside him, spoke encouragingly to the old man.
"Leave me behind and run... Even if I escape this hellhound's grip, I won't survive..." The elderly man's voice trailed off, his resolve breaking, and he came to a stop in his tracks.
The others briefly looked back, seemingly struck by the grim situation, before reluctantly continuing their flight. Among them, a middle-aged man in his 40s remained silent, his expression hardened by years of survival in such situations.
"Argh..."
Suddenly, a terrifying roar rang out from behind, causing panic to surge through the fleeing group. From behind them came a massive, pitch-black hound with glowing red eyes.
The hound's red eyes shone eerily in the moonlight, and its form was monstrously large—far bigger than any ordinary dog. It was closing in on the fleeing group.
The hound quickly caught up with the elderly man, who had stopped.
"You dog... I won't be afraid of you..." The old man muttered, but before he could finish, the hound lunged and bit down on him, tearing into his body in a single, brutal strike. Afterward, the hound turned, glanced once at the fleeing group, and then retreated back into the darkness.
…
In the land of darkness...
"What is this ring...?" Jiho gazed in astonishment at the black ring on his finger. The cracks that had been visible when he first acquired it had significantly diminished. Surrounding him was an overwhelming, endless darkness. He had never encountered such an experience in his life.
Though he had read about such things in novels, those were merely stories, not reality. How had he come to find himself in this bizarre situation?
Could the black ring be the cause of all this?
Ever since he purchased it, strange occurrences had begun unfolding. Jiho was now certain the ring was linked to everything that had happened. He tried to remove it, hoping that somehow it would provide an answer.
But no matter how hard he tried... the ring wouldn't come off. It felt like it was becoming a part of his body, as though it had fused with him. To remove it, he would have to sever his own finger.
"Fuck... What the hell is this ring? How the hell do I get it off?" Jiho cursed in frustration.
His patience was wearing thin. Being trapped here, with no way to contact anyone and no sense of time or place, would break even the strongest spirits. Feeling utterly helpless, he tried to calm himself, telling himself this must be a dream, that he should try to gather his wits and wake up.
Unfortunately, that path didn't work either...
After exhausting all other options, he decided to walk on, hoping to find an end to this nightmare. He walked for what felt like 30 minutes, without stopping, until he noticed the darkness around him begin to lighten slightly. Ahead of him, the scene was becoming clearer.
However, everything was still shrouded in a haze of smoke, giving everything an unsettling, murky appearance.
Suddenly, within the thick smoke, Jiho caught sight of a small shadowy figure—a creature. His heart raced in alarm. He hadn't thought he was the only living being here, but where had this creature come from?
Unable to resist, he moved closer, following the creature's shadow. But it was far too fast, and no matter how hard Jiho tried, he couldn't catch up.
As he followed the creature, the smoke thinned out gradually, leading him to a clearing. It was then that Jiho looked ahead, and his breath caught in his throat.
Before Jiho's eyes stood a yellow cat and two doors. One door was red, and the other was black. Aside from that, there was nothing else in sight.
"Come here, come here… little yellow cat, come this way…" Jiho called out to the yellow cat, speaking as if he were familiar with it. The little cat seemed to understand and ran toward him.
"Ah… I thought you were a male cat... You're just a little girl, huh? Since you're a yellow one, what should I name you… How about 'Jiyoung'?"
"Meow…" The little yellow cat responded with a meow.
"Hmm… since you like it, I'll call you 'Jiyoung' then." Jiho smiled as he gently patted the cat's head. He, too, felt a strange sense of familiarity with the name.
"Ugh… What's going on with my head…"
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his head, causing Jiho to stumble and fall to his knees. He felt as though something important had slipped his mind, but he couldn't figure out what it was. The pain lasted nearly a minute before it subsided, and Jiho slowly recovered.
"Meow… Meow…"
Jiho looked around in worry, seeing that the little yellow cat was anxiously circling him. It seemed to be just as concerned as he was.
Once the pain in his head passed, Jiho stood up and, with the little cat in tow, walked toward the two doors. Despite the presence of two doors, he couldn't decide which one to open. The only difference was their color—one was red, and the other was black. Everything else about the doors was identical.
"I guess it's all down to luck, and we'll have to choose… Or should I open both doors and see what's behind them before making a choice?"
"That might not work… What if I open one and can't choose again afterward… Hmm… there's a lot to think about…" Jiho muttered to himself, feeling conflicted.
"The red door… Hmm… the red door, I remember, the fortune teller once told me not to go through a door like that. The one with the red light… but I can't recall exactly what he said…"
"Well then… whatever happens, I'll choose the black door…"
After some hesitation, Jiho made his decision and opened the black door. He pushed it open and led the little yellow cat into the dark space beyond the door.
...
Elsewhere in the world…
"Don't stop… keep running… the hellhounds could show up at any time… we can't afford to slow down… we're almost there…" The middle-aged leader of the group urged the others, casting a worried glance over his shoulder.
The others began to follow suit, alert and more cautious as they took in the surroundings. A 12-year-old boy, who had recently lost a close friend, wore a sorrowful expression, his face pale with grief.
"We need to be more careful next time… My Dark Energy is the strongest in our group, but against hellhounds, it's useless… John Woo's gone now… and there hasn't been a single encounter with spirits…"
The leader spoke quietly as he and the group drew closer to their destination. The others nodded solemnly.
Ahead of them was a large mansion, surrounded by rows of houses, laid out in a manner resembling a maze.
The middle-aged leader approached the mansion and prepared to open the door.
"We've made it to the shelter… let's regroup…"
"Click…"
At that moment, the door creaked open, and the sound of a crash reverberated from inside.
Out from the door emerged none other than Jiho. The one who had been tossed out was Jiho himself. The middle-aged leader, who had tried to enter, stood frozen in shock, his body as still as stone.
"How… How did you get out of our shelter? How did you enter?"
The others were equally stunned. Everyone gathered around, bewildered, staring in disbelief as Jiho, with the cat, seemed to have mysteriously emerged from within.
"Where… where am I?" Jiho asked, his gaze darting around at the people before him, his voice filled with confusion.
The yellow cat, no longer in Jiho's arms, leaped from his hands and darted toward a nearby crate, disappearing from sight.
End – 2