Prologue 1 : Normal Day

Several days ago, a perfectly rectangular portal tore open the sky above Seoul. It hung there, silent and ominous, defying all known physics. The government swiftly launched an investigation, dubbing it the "Dimensional Rift."

So far, nothing had happened. No disasters. No strange occurrences. The world held its breath, and then slowly began to exhale, mistaking silence for safety.

And yet...

That ominous gate never stopped filling me with a deep, primal unease—an invisible weight constantly pressing down on my chest. It was a conviction that something terrible was waiting in the silence, just beyond that shimmering rectangle.

Then—

A sudden gust of wind brushed past my right ear.

"Eeek!"

I jumped, shuddering, my heart slamming against my ribs. Whipping around, I glared at the culprit—

Only to see him standing there, grinning.

A boy with messy, bleached-pink hair and a signature teasing smile playing on his lips. He raised both hands in mock surrender.

"Hehe! Sorry, sorry! Didn't mean to startle ya, Marumaru. Ya just looked so deep in thought. Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?"

Baek Suho.

My best friend since I'd transferred here at year 2 of high school. He was a paradox—a country boy with the effortless, dazzling confidence of a celebrity. Which, I supposed, he was training to become.

Everything about him was designed to stand out. The shock of pink hair, the sharp jawline, that annoyingly photogenic smile. Even his slouching posture had a practiced ease to it, like he was always on camera. And despite his idol trainee schedule, he somehow maintained a spot in the school's top five. It wasn't fair.

His uniform, of course, was a mere suggestion, worn open to reveal a bright pink T-shirt underneath.

I sighed, trying to slow my racing heart. "Don't scare me like that."

Behind him, I felt another intense gaze.

Yoo Seol.

Unlike Suho, she was the picture of perfection. Her uniform was flawlessly pressed, her tie exact, not a single wrinkle to be found. Even her watch looked impossibly expensive. Her sleek black hair was tied back in a severe ponytail, not a strand out of place. She stood with her arms crossed, already watching us with an expression of mild, familiar exasperation.

She never spoke of her family, but her quiet, unshakable composure screamed old money.

Suho, completely unfazed by her judgmental stare, grinned. "Pout, pout. C'mon, Seolseol, it was just a lil' teasing."

I was pretty sure I saw the subtlest sigh escape her lips.

"So?" Suho turned back to me, his eyes curious. "What's got you all spacey?"

I hesitated, my eyes drifting back to the window and the unnatural rectangle in the sky.

"I-I was just wondering... w-what might come out of that D-dimensional rift." My voice wavered, betraying my fear.

Suho's grin faded slightly. "The rift?"

Yoo Seol's hands moved swiftly, signing in Korean Sign Language—too fast for me to catch, as usual.

Suho, who understood her perfectly, translated without missing a beat. "She says it's trouble. Something bad."

I nodded. A shiver ran down my spine. So I wasn't the only one.

Then—

"Nude angel!"

"Bwuh?!"

I spun around to see Suho smirking, his serious mood vanishing as quickly as it came.

"Ha! Ya shoulda seen your face!" He burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the quiet courtyard.

Heat rushed to my cheeks. This is so embarrassing.

Yoo Seol simply pinched the bridge of her nose.

She signed something sharp, ending with a tiny, ironic finger-heart gesture—the kind an idol would throw to their fans.

Suho's smirk widened. "Nah, just with y'all. When I debut, I gotta act all proper—a cute lil' maknae with a funny accent. You two are gonna be my number one fans, got it?"

"Wee?" I blinked, confused. "Suho, you're the tallest person here."

At 198 cm, he towered over my 160 cm and even Yoo Seol's 162 cm. He loomed over everyone, even the older members of his trainee group.

"But I'm still the youngest," he insisted, puffing out his chest.

We both just stared at him.

Suho sweatdropped. "I mean... chronologically! I'm still a teenager!"

Yoo Seol's hands moved again, a quick series of gestures.

"Heh, she says people always mistake me for a teacher because of my height," he translated, his shoulders slumping. "Man, I wish I could shrink myself. I keep hitting my forehead on doorframes." He groaned dramatically. "And my mom says I'm still growing."

I let out a small, involuntary chuckle. This was the rhythm of our strange trio. Even though I'd only known them for a few months, their dynamic was a language I was still learning. Sometimes, I still felt like an outsider looking in.

Maybe it was because I was... well, just normal. Light brown hair, brown eyes, glasses. Nothing special. I wasn't dazzling like Suho or immovably composed like Yoo Seol. I just existed.

Then—as if a switch had been flipped—the playful glint in Suho's eyes disappeared.

His gaze turned serious, drifting back towards the rift.

"D'you reckon that thing's got somethin' to do with monsters?" His voice dropped, losing its playful Saturi twang. "Like in those fantasy web novels ya always read?"

I stiffened.

"Knights and Dungeons?" I asked slowly.

"Yeah. And the thing about... empaths?"

Empaths? Wait—did he mean... "Espers?"

Suho scratched his head, then held his hand out between us, palm up. Without another word, he concentrated.

A tiny arc of blue-white lightning crackled to life at his fingertips.

I froze.

Yoo Seol's eyes widened, her perfect composure finally cracking.

"S-suho... what? When? How?!"

He hummed, watching the flickering energy dance across his skin—but his gaze was distant, locked onto something in the empty air in front of him. Something only he could see.

"I reckon it started 'fore the rift even appeared," he muttered, his voice low. "A game-like screen just popped up in front of me... but y'all couldn't see it." He dismissed the lightning with a flick of his wrist and tapped at the empty space before his eyes. "Nothin', right? But for me... there's my name, my stats, my ability... which is lightning."

A chilling realization settled over me, cold and heavy.

If this was real... if this was really like a web novel...

That meant the rift wasn't just a strange phenomenon.

It was a door.

And doors open both ways.

Monsters would come. People would die. And others, like Suho, would awaken to fight them.

But the most terrifying question echoed in my mind: How had Suho awakened before the door had even opened?

The bell rang.

RIIIIING!

I flinched so hard I nearly stumbled. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.

No—was that the signal? Is it happening?! Are they coming out now?!

I shrank back, panic seizing my lungs—only to realize...

It was just the school bell.

The break was over.

But my legs wouldn't stop trembling.

"Ya alright?" Suho asked, his voice soft with concern.

"I-it's just... i-if that rift is like a w-web novel, then m-monsters will come from it!" I couldn't stop the panic from flooding my voice, sharp and shrill.

I felt a warm, steady hand gently rubbing my back. Yoo Seol. She didn't look at me, but her presence was an anchor.

Deep breath.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

I finally calmed down, the world coming back into focus.

I turned to Yoo Seol. "Thanks."

She gave me a firm, reassuring thumbs-up.

Then, I looked at Suho.

He wasn't looking at me. He was staring past me, through the window, at the silent, swirling rift. His expression was grim.

Then, he turned back to us, and his eyes held a gravity I'd never seen in them before.

"If that happens," he said, his voice quiet and devoid of all teasing. No mixed accent. Just pure, unwavering determination. "I'll protect both of you."

He met each of our eyes.

"It's a promise."

...****************...

One Month Later

Nothing had changed.

The rift remained, a silent scar in the sky. The government's attempts to probe it failed; it rejected everything they sent in, a door with a lock no one could pick.

But my fear never faded. It festered.

I stared out the classroom window, my textbook forgotten. Two of the smaller rifts that had appeared in rural Korea had vanished without explanation. The news called it a miracle.

But it didn't feel like one. It felt like a score.

If no one could enter, how were they being closed?

My gaze shifted to Suho.

He was absorbed in his textbook, flipping through the pages with a focused intensity. The top-ranked student, as always. But the circles under his eyes were darker lately. He was often absent, his excuses flimsy.

Was it him?

Had he been the one closing the rifts?

Then—

The world exploded.

A deep, otherworldly bell tolled, a sound that didn't come through the ears but vibrated deep within the soul. The entire school building shook violently, plaster dust raining from the ceiling.

I snapped my head toward the window.

Beyond the rift, a colossal, obsidian tower now pierced the heavens, where nothing had been before.

And then—movement.

The rift shimmered, bulged, and broke.

They poured out. Not of flesh and blood, but of shadow and nightmare and jagged bone. A seething, screeching tide of monsters spilling into the streets below.

The pandemonium on the news screens, the silent dread, the weight in my chest—it had all been a prelude.

What I feared most had finally come true.

The world was ending. And it had started right outside our window.

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