Into the Hidden Field

I had to send her away.

Whatever threats awaited that woman outside were none of his concern.

For now, she was an outsider.

Nothing more than a stranger who had not crossed into his line.

But then—

A voice slipped out, one that blurred that clearly drawn boundary.

<…Hyeon, Jaeyul…?

That person there, the one who collapsed… is that Jaeyul?>

Damn it.

Won-gyeong calmed the sharp spike of sensation that flared at her voice and thought.

It seemed the woman knew Hyeon Jaeyul.

They hadn’t called each other’s names after entering the bunker, so there was no way she could be pretending familiarity based on overheard conversation.

They had called his name outside, yes, but there was no way sound from outside could reach this deep into the bunker.

The woman, as if she had confirmed Hyeon Jaeyul’s face, tossed aside the knife she’d been clumsily threatening them with.

She moved desperately, guiding them into the bunker.

The closer he got to her, the stronger that strange scent became.

It didn’t feel like something touching his nose.

It felt like it was seeping directly into his body.

The inexplicable sense of fondness that followed made Won-gyeong uncomfortable instead.

She handed over her scarce medicine without hesitation.

With a face that looked like it couldn’t stand the sight of blood, she held a medical needle in those small, unreliable hands.

So why—

‘Why am I feeling drawn to her?’

He had never judged people by their looks.

If anything, a beautiful face made him more cautious.

That was why Won-gyeong doubted his own reaction.

And yet observation was, after all, the beginning of interest….

He needed to determine whether his observation of this woman lay closer to suspicion or to attraction.

Few things were as difficult as re-defining a relationship once it had skewed.

If the feeling he had toward the woman—Doya—leaned more toward fondness than suspicion, then he would need to choose a response that matched it.

A woman with a name as unusual as his own dislike for surnames.

Godot.

Go Doya.

A name that belonged to someone who was known never to come, no matter how long one waited.

Perhaps that was it.

Perhaps they had come here because she never came.

That thought briefly crossed his mind.

“Looks like he’s not coming today either.”

“Seems so.”

“Then today probably wasn’t
the promised day.”

“Right. We didn’t make a promise.”

“(Hesitantly) …Do you think there’ll be a promise tomorrow?”

“What about sending a messenger to ask?”

“That’s a good idea!”

“But is there a messenger who knows where Godot is?”

(Silence)

“Let’s just keep waiting.”

“Yeah.”

(Silence)

“We can’t keep waiting like this forever.”

“Then are you leaving?”

“…If we ever find out where Godot is.”

(Scoffing)

“So you’re not leaving.”

“Everything’s normal. That’s what’s strange.”

“He’s not the type to stay unconscious this long.”

“Then just wake him up.”

The men finally gathered around Hyeon Jaeyul and began examining him.

It took long enough.

The time I spent alone pretending to nurse him.

My plan to stay up all night acting as his caretaker and then escape quietly failed before it could even begin.

They hadn’t slept at all, roaming the bunker through the night.

Unlike me, who had grown weak and shaky from staying up all night pretending, they were still full of energy.

Unfair.

My already lacking stamina had completely bottomed out after one sleepless night.

He’s their companion—so why was I the one exhausted from caring for him?

“There might be a reason, right?”

“A reason?”

“You know. That thing we came here looking for.”

“Oh.”

As I nodded off, head drooping, they began talking again.

Jeong Iheon naturally sat down beside me and supported my face so I could lean against his arm.

‘What is this. Are we that close?’

I thought hazily as I rested my head against his arm.

The contact was so natural that, for a moment, I wondered if I’d actually been friends with Jeong Iheon for a long time instead of Hyeon Jaeyul.

His physical features and face were far too distinctive to forget.

And yet I had no memory of him at all, so it was hard to believe we had any past connection.

He was probably just like this with everyone.

The type who stepped close without hesitation.

This man’s social ease was dangerous.

His body was dangerous. His face too.

I needed to stay on guard.

‘The prettier something is, and the better it smells, the more dangerous it usually is.’

Half-asleep, comfortably leaning against his body, those thoughts drifted through my mind.

“It could be because of that.”

“Then what do we do? Without Jaeyul, we can’t find it.”

“Then we have to wake him up somehow.”

“That’s what we’ve been failing to do.”

Listening to their calm, pleasant voices, I couldn’t stop my eyelids from growing heavier.

‘Ah… I shouldn’t let my guard down and fall asleep like this….’

“Doya, sleepy?”

“…A… little….”

As Iheon spoke to me, a strange drowsiness washed over me.

I heard him chuckle low as he pulled me closer into his arms.

“If you’re sleepy, just sleep comfortably.”

Like I’d taken a sleeping pill, I couldn’t resist.

I was dragged down into a deep sleep.

And then—

[Entering Hidden Field ‘Azure Forest’.]

[Sub-Scenario ‘Hyeon Jaeyul 1 – Ashes’ has begun.]

[Find ‘Hyeon Jaeyul’, who is trapped in the field, and escape together.]

…the scenario began.

System, what did I ever do to you?!

***

A bizarre black forest stretched endlessly before my eyes.

Looking closer, every tree was covered in black ash.

Whenever the wind blew, black dust shimmered like heat haze.

After surveying my surroundings, I let out a hollow breath and muttered,

“The hidden field is… a dream?”

Not far from me, at what looked like the forest’s center, lay a strange black pond.

The water visible between the trees was pitch-black.

[You have entered a Hidden Field.]

[Azure Forest (When entering a Hidden Field, physical stats increase by 500% based on real-world training).]

What, it has features like this too?

I moved my body, now filled with strength, and marveled.

Unlike reality, where my body always felt heavy like soaked cotton, it felt as if I’d thrown off a weighted backpack.

I hopped in place a few times, smiling in relief.

‘With a body like this… maybe following the system’s instructions wouldn’t be so bad.’

Though calling this place the Azure Forest was a stretch.

It was completely black. There wasn’t a hint of blue anywhere.

[Hidden Field Exclusive: ‘Situation Terminal’ is available.]

[TIP! To use the ‘Situation Terminal’, check your pocket!]

Situation Terminal?

Following the system’s instructions, I rummaged through my pocket.

If this was really a dream, then there was no real risk of dying.

Doing what the system said for a bit didn’t seem like a bad idea.

If I stayed still, I didn’t know when I’d wake up.

And back in reality, I was surrounded by men I’d only met a day ago.

Sleeping defenselessly for too long wasn’t a good idea.

“This?”

What I pulled out was a rectangular device about the size of my palm.

They called it a Situation Terminal, but honestly, it was just a phone.

The only difference was that it had very few apps you could interact with.

“It looks like a phone, but there’s no contact function.”

[TIP! The ‘Contact’ function will unlock as the scenario progresses.]

“…I see.”

The system responded to my voice with a tip.

In reality, it had felt like it was reading my thoughts, but here it reacted to my voice instead.

Maybe because of that, I didn’t feel as much resistance toward it.

It felt like casually talking with someone.

When I touched the screen, a black circle appeared at the center.

It looked like a map of this field.

Near the center of the black circle, a small white light flickered—probably my position.

As I stared at the screen, a message appeared on the terminal, like a system notification.

[There is an ‘Owner’ within this Hidden Field.]

[Defeating the ‘Owner’ or completing the objective will allow you to exit the Hidden Field.]

[Azure Forest Exit Conditions: Eliminate the Field ‘Owner’ OR Remove the Field’s ‘Ashes’.]

[If the Field’s ‘Ashes’ are removed, you can awaken the mind of the Field’s Owner, ‘Hyeon Jaeyul’.]

[Ashes 100/100]

“Kill him, or complete the objective… and I can leave.”

I tapped the corner of the terminal with my index finger, thinking.

‘If the opponent’s weak, killing him would be easier.’

But the Hyeon Jaeyul I’d seen in reality was built like a literal door.

Judging by the wound on his head, he wasn’t the type to prioritize his own safety either….

Even with my improved condition, winning would be difficult.

“And if he remembers this in reality, that’d be a disaster.”

[TIP! Memories from the field are shared with reality. Act with caution.]]

For once, the system gave me genuinely helpful information.

Becoming enemies the moment we meet?
Killing him was absolutely not an option.

So I had to erase these ashes.

“How do I erase the ashes?”

I asked the empty air.

It was a question asked with certainty that the system would answer.

[TIP! Find ‘Memory Relics’ that contain hidden memories within the field and cleanse the ashes.
The ashes can be washed away using the pond’s water.]

…That black pond over there, right?

I stared at the ominous black pool that looked like something might crawl out of it and fell silent.

I like water. I can swim just fine.

But black water like that was a different story.

“It doesn’t even look safe to get close to.”

A pool I didn’t even want to dip a finger into.

It felt like touching it would cling something bad onto me.

[TIP! Hidden Fields reflect the ‘Owner’s’ subconscious. Purifying the subconscious will change the appearance of the field.]

…Alright.

First, I had to move.

Nothing would happen if I just stood still.