21. Reunion
Main Scenario #3: Green Zone
Category: Main
Objective: Occupy the green zone in the station and survive the monster that emerges at midnight.
Duration: 7 Days
The moment our feet crossed into the station, as if a chime rang out, the system's cold declaration. We were officially part of the main scenario now.
The air shifted. It wasn't just the atmosphere—it was everything. Like stepping through an invisible curtain into another stage of the world. One that was more dangerous… but also more alive.
On the way here, we ran into a monster—but NaRi and I handled it with little trouble. Honestly, her growth was almost frightening. She wasn't quite at her sister's level, but she had always been athletic—or so she claimed.
But even so… no matter how confidently she spoke, this wasn't something that could be chalked up to "just being athletic."
That aside, this station was strange.
There were frequent announcements from the Star System, and an unusual number of dokkaebi and constellations seemed to be watching. Their presence hung in the air like an invisible spotlight. The whole place felt… staged—like we'd walked into a performance designed for someone else to observe.
And then came the strangest part of all…
"Welcome!"
"Welcome~!"
People. Smiling. Waving. Greeting us like we were old friends finally coming home.
In a world as warped, brutal, and unpredictable as this, that kind of cheerfulness felt more disturbing than any monster we'd encountered.
Even the kids were frozen, wide-eyed and unsure, as they took in the unnerving hospitality.
Something about this place… wasn't right.
I subtly stepped in front of the kids—just enough to shield them without making it obvious. My eyes scanned the station, watching the crowd of residents smile with an almost mechanical enthusiasm.
Were they truly happy?
Or just told to act like it?
"Chris Oppa…" NaRi's voice was low and uncertain. I could feel the tension in her posture. "This place feels strange."
"Yeah," I murmured.
"Saintess! We have another survivor!" one of the welcoming voices called out, full of excitement.
"Geez, I told you to stop calling me that. I'm not a saintess," came a voice from behind the crowd—a young woman's voice. She sounded like she was protesting, but there wasn't much weight behind her words. As if she was used to the title… and simply too tired to correct them anymore.
NaRi beside me tensed immediately, as if struck by lightning.
Then the crowd began to part—slowly, reverently—like Moses parting the sea. Some of them even began to kneel.
What… is this?
I was too stunned to react.
When humans fall into a bottomless abyss, they start to seek hope—
Even if that hope is nothing more than an illusion…
shaped in the form of a blessed one.
What appeared before us was a young woman, not much older than NaRi. Her long blonde hair cascaded in natural waves, styled with an elegance that radiated confidence—the kind of confidence that made her shine brighter than the others. It was overwhelming—the kind of beauty that could silence a room. A presence that was comparable to the one beside me, but in the opposite direction.
"NaRi! Jae Hee! Da Mi!!"
The girl dashed toward us at an unimaginable speed, throwing herself into the siblings' embrace.
"..."
Now it made sense. DNA, what a terrifying force.
The saintess's family had arrived!
Everyone in the station erupted into celebration, and it was hard to deny the warmth of their joy. The smiles, the excitement—it all seemed genuine. Almost too genuine. It was almost too strange to be real.
I could understand why the constellations were so interested in this. It was a spectacle—bizarre enough to be captivating. A scene like this felt almost like a performance, something that demanded an audience.
As I scanned the station, I couldn't help but notice how many people knew who I was. The ones who recognized me as the companion of the saintess's siblings were quick to express their gratitude, smiling in my direction, offering nods of appreciation.
It was bizarre as hell.
But something else stood out to me.
I noticed several green zones—the areas where we were supposed to take refuge when midnight came and the monsters emerged. But no one seemed to care about them. The residents walked past these zones without even a second glance, as though they didn't even notice the potential danger or the purpose they served.
It was almost as if they were immune to the looming threat. Or perhaps, they had already accepted it.
While I was looking around aimlessly, someone called out to me.
"Chris."
I turned and found myself facing a cute, black-haired girl standing alone. Her expression was curious, tinged with a hint of uncertainty.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing. I was just wondering what you're doing," she replied with a slight smile, her footsteps light as she began walking beside me—trying to match my pace without seeming too eager.
"Are the kids with your sister?" I asked, realizing I hadn't seen them with her.
She nodded, a softness in her gaze. "Yeah, they missed her so much. They're probably clinging to her like koalas by now."
I smiled faintly. It was good to see them reunited after everything they'd been through.
"Are you okay with not joining them? Weren't you also looking for her?" I asked, motioning toward a nearby green zone, which currently displayed a capacity of 0/1, prompting her to go inside.
"It's fine. I already saw that she's safe—that's enough for me." She paused, then looked at me with quiet curiosity. "But what about you? Aren't you looking for something… more?"
Without waiting for a reply, NaRi stepped into the green zone. The number above changed instantly to 1/1.
"Me? What about me?" I muttered as I followed her in.
To my surprise, even though the zone was marked full, it didn't reject my entry. The display jumped to 2/1, and the green zone flickered red.
The space inside was small—uncomfortably so. Just standing inside puts us within arm's reach of each other. I shifted slightly, careful not to intrude on her personal space, though there was barely any space to begin with.
As I glanced around, analyzing the red-lit zone,
NaRi took a deep breath before stepping back. The moment she exited, the red light vanished, and it turned green again.
"What are you going to do now?" she asked, her voice calm but cautious. "Are you planning to leave?"
"So it works like this," I murmured, eyes still fixed on the green zone, satisfying my curiosity piece by piece. "I'm not sure yet. It depends on how this thing behaves." I gestured toward the zone.
"You're already reunited with your sister. There's no need for you to keep moving around and risk getting pulled into another scenario."
Realizing I wouldn't learn anything more just by staring at it, I turned and began walking—quietly committing the location of each green zone to memory as I passed by.
"But what about you? Where are you going to go?" NaRi asked, quickly catching up to me.
"I'm not sure. I'm just wandering around, trying to find something… even if I don't quite know what it is," I replied. Though honestly, I already had a hint—my evaluation had jumped significantly. I just didn't know what exactly I'd done to trigger it… or what else I needed to do to push it further.
And then there's another thing I need to be careful about.
This place was truly peaceful—too peaceful, especially when compared to every other station we'd visited. That alone made it suspicious.
What made it even stranger was how the dokkaebi remained silent. They simply observed, like spectators at a play, detached and passive. Was it just a matter of taste? Maybe some constellations genuinely loved watching peaceful, heartwarming moments unfold.
But… is that really all?
"Are you seriously trying to look for something you don't even know?" NaRi looked at me, dumbfounded. To her, I must've sounded like some crazy person muttering nonsense. "How could you even start thinking you need to find something if you don't know what it is?"
"I don't know… It just suddenly showed up in front of me," I said — in the form of a system mission, I added silently.
"..."
NaRi let out a long sigh, clearly exasperated. She looked at him like she was trying to figure out someone who always seemed just a little too far away to grasp.
He's the one who's saved us all this time… but I still don't get him at all, she thought.
Besides, I'm not even sure if we can stay like this much longer. It's too calm. Like the calm before a storm.
She didn't think of it logically. It was just a feeling—deep, uneasy, and hard to ignore.