On a mountain path in Segwang Special City.
Ryu Jaekwan, breathing hard, looked at the person running ahead of him.
The person on the bicycle… no, the “agent,” was making astonishingly fast and precise judgments as he led him onward.
“Huff.”
They were literally crossing the mountain now.
More precisely, they were cutting through the residential district by taking a shortcut along a well-maintained mountain walking trail, avoiding the heavily populated areas.
[Mountain Trail & Rest Area]
It was just barely well-kept enough that they did not need mountain bikes.
The counselor was practically laid across the back of the leading agent’s bicycle, while Ryu Jaekwan stubbornly clung to the rear on a bicycle he was still not very used to.
The agent checked his own condition from time to time, yet never slowed down. It was clear he was determined to get away from danger even a little faster.
He was calm and resolute even in this chilling, urgent, unbelievable situation straight out of a disaster movie.
And yet….
“Student Jaekwan, careful!”
How in the world did he know him?
He was an orphan with no family connections.
Then why was he trying to rescue him?
Something that was neither quite hope nor quite fear stirred in his chest. Amid the terror of this abnormal, extreme situation in which he might die, there rose a strange thrill.
It was the yearning of a teenager.
The excitement of being entrusted with a special role.
But the situation was far too urgent for that feeling to come fully to the forefront.
Beeeep!
“…!”
“We’re turning!”
The instant the disaster alert alarm rang once more, the bicycle ahead swerved sharply.
Ryu Jaekwan hurried after it.
But for a brief instant, a chill ran through him at the realization that he had almost let go of the handlebars and grabbed his phone to check the alert.
That impulse was growing stronger and stronger….
And after riding for who knew how long—
“Over there—huff—let’s rest a moment.”
They stopped in front of a sign for…