5:30 AM – The Mirror Reflection
Kyung-min stood in front of the mirror, his gaze unreadable.
The man looking back at him wasn't the same one who had first stepped through the doors of his family home a month and a half ago.
His body was leaner, his muscles more defined—not overly bulky, but honed like tempered steel. His skin was no longer pale from malnourishment, and his eyes...
His eyes were different.
Gone was the raw exhaustion, the haunted look of a survivor barely clinging to life. Instead, there was focus. Control.
He was still weaker than before. Far weaker.
But he was no longer powerless.
Kyung-min exhaled and turned away. He pulled on a fitted running shirt, laced up his sneakers, and left his room.
5:45 AM – The Run Begins
The morning air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of dew and distant city life.
Kyung-min started running.
The rhythmic thud of his footsteps against the pavement was steady, controlled. The Han estate was located in an affluent district, with wide streets lined by trees, secluded enough that few people were around at this hour.
He ran past the towering gates of the estate, down the familiar roads, his breathing even.
Fifteen miles. That was his goal.
His route took him past the edges of the commercial district, where early morning workers were just beginning their shifts.
And then—
The convenience store.
6:30 AM – The Place Where It All Began
Kyung-min slowed to a stop outside the small store. The neon lights flickered softly, the glass doors sliding open with a mechanical hum as a customer exited.
For a brief moment, he just stood there.
This place.
It was here.
The last normal night of his life.
The store was almost exactly as he remembered it. The layout hadn't changed—the shelves were stocked the same way, the refrigerators humming quietly in the back. The only real difference was the person standing behind the counter.
A new manager.
The old one, the one who had been there that night, was gone.
Kyung-min stepped inside.
6:31 AM – A Ghost of the Past
He walked past the shelves, grabbing a bottle of water and an instant ramen cup.
It was muscle memory.
The same things he had bought that night.
As he approached the register, the new manager barely glanced at him, scanning his items with a practiced, indifferent motion.
"That'll be 4,200 won," the man muttered.
Kyung-min handed over the cash without a word.
As he waited for the receipt, his gaze drifted to the store's front window.
That night, he had been sitting by the counter, eating ramen, staring at his phone.
That was the last time he had spoken to his friends.
The last time the world had been normal.
Then—
The sky cracked.
And everything ended.
6:35 AM – Memories That Won't Fade
Kyung-min took his purchases outside and sat on the bench in front of the store.
The streets were quiet. Peaceful.
His fingers hovered over the cup of ramen, but he wasn't hungry.
Instead, he let his gaze drift upward.
To the sky.
The same sky that had shattered before his eyes over a year ago.
He remembered staring at it in confusion. He remembered the messages appearing before him, system notifications filling his vision.
And he remembered her.
The silver-haired girl.
His fingers tightened around the bottle in his hand.
He still didn't know what she was. Who she was.
6:45 AM – Returning Home
Kyung-min tossed the untouched ramen into the trash and stood.
Enough reminiscing.
He had work to do.
With one last glance at the store, he turned and began the long run back home.
But even as he ran—
The past refused to let go.
5:30 AM – The Mirror Reflection
Kyung-min stood in front of the mirror, his gaze unreadable.
The man looking back at him wasn't the same one who had first stepped through the doors of his family home a month and a half ago.
His body was leaner, his muscles more defined—not overly bulky, but honed like tempered steel. His skin was no longer pale from malnourishment, and his eyes...
His eyes were different.
Gone was the raw exhaustion, the haunted look of a survivor barely clinging to life. Instead, there was focus. Control.
He was still weaker than before. Far weaker.
But he was no longer powerless.
Kyung-min exhaled and turned away. He pulled on a fitted running shirt, laced up his sneakers, and left his room.
5:45 AM – The Run Begins
The morning air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of dew and distant city life.
Kyung-min started running.
The rhythmic thud of his footsteps against the pavement was steady, controlled. The Han estate was located in an affluent district, with wide streets lined by trees, secluded enough that few people were around at this hour.
He ran past the towering gates of the estate, down the familiar roads, his breathing even.
Fifteen miles. That was his goal.
His route took him past the edges of the commercial district, where early morning workers were just beginning their shifts.
And then—
The convenience store.
6:30 AM – The Place Where It All Began
Kyung-min slowed to a stop outside the small store. The neon lights flickered softly, the glass doors sliding open with a mechanical hum as a customer exited.
For a brief moment, he just stood there.
This place.
It was here.
The last normal night of his life.
The store was almost exactly as he remembered it. The layout hadn't changed—the shelves were stocked the same way, the refrigerators humming quietly in the back. The only real difference was the person standing behind the counter.
A new manager.
The old one, the one who had been there that night, was gone.
Kyung-min stepped inside.
6:31 AM – A Ghost of the Past
He walked past the shelves, grabbing a bottle of water and an instant ramen cup.
It was muscle memory.
The same things he had bought that night.
As he approached the register, the new manager barely glanced at him, scanning his items with a practiced, indifferent motion.
"That'll be 4,200 won," the man muttered.
Kyung-min handed over the cash without a word.
As he waited for the receipt, his gaze drifted to the store's front window.
That night, he had been sitting by the counter, eating ramen, staring at his phone.
That was the last time he had spoken to his friends.
The last time the world had been normal.
Then—
The sky cracked.
And everything ended.
6:35 AM – Memories That Won't Fade
Kyung-min took his purchases outside and sat on the bench in front of the store.
The streets were quiet. Peaceful.
His fingers hovered over the cup of ramen, but he wasn't hungry.
Instead, he let his gaze drift upward.
To the sky.
The same sky that had shattered before his eyes over a year ago.
He remembered staring at it in confusion. He remembered the messages appearing before him, system notifications filling his vision.
And he remembered her.
The silver-haired girl.
His fingers tightened around the bottle in his hand.
He still didn't know what she was. Who she was.
6:45 AM – Returning Home
Kyung-min tossed the untouched ramen into the trash and stood.
Enough reminiscing.
He had work to do.
With one last glance at the store, he turned and began the long run back home.
But even as he ran—
The past refused to let go.
7:15 AM – A Decision Made
Returning home, Kyung-min heads straight to his room, his thoughts finally settling on what comes next.
He's wasted enough time.
He needs to get stronger.
Sitting still in this house—trapped in normalcy—has done nothing but remind him of what was taken from him.
The system had stripped him bare, reduced him to nothing.
He would take everything back.
And that meant going back into the dungeons.