The dim glow of Seoul's city lights reflected on the floor-to-ceiling windows. The top floor of the prestigious Arx Group building was adorned with crystal chandeliers, black-gold interiors, and the soft laughter of a woman.
"I still can't believe you remembered my birthday," said the girl, cheeks flushed. Her maroon dress hugged her slender figure perfectly, and her half-updo gave her a mature yet natural look.
The man in front of her simply smiled. "How could I forget the birthday of the most special person?"
He touched the girl's hand—gentle, controlled.
She simply nodded slightly, then stood, gazing out the window.
"I'm happy to be with you, Daejin," she said sincerely. "I'm sorry... that person has been approaching me lately."
Her name was Yoon Seri, a student at a prestigious university in South Korea, now working as the personal secretary to the young CEO of Arx Group. The man was Jang Daejin, a handsome young man with an athletic build, serving as CEO of Arx Group—a tech and investment company that had skyrocketed to the top ranks in Asia and stood unrivaled in South Korea over the past five years.
Daejin smiled, his eyes narrowing slyly for a brief, unnoticed moment.
"Is he still bothering you?" he whispered. "Don't worry... as long as I'm by your side, no one will dare touch you."
Seri chuckled softly, kissed Daejin on the cheek, then excused herself. She was still in college. Still young. But with Daejin, she felt safe... even if everything felt a bit too fast.
As the elevator doors closed and silence returned to the room, Daejin sat on a long black sofa.
He stared at his half-full glass of wine.
"Quite the luck…" he muttered.
Then he opened the fingers of his right hand. An ancient incantation slipped softly from his lips.
The air around him cracked like glass.
Dozens of thin golden lines appeared—representing fate, or in ancient magical terms: Thread of Fortune.
The threads moved, sweeping across the city in search of their next target.
Most were dim. But a few...
Faint—yet growing. Like dangerous seeds germinating underground.
"I guess that kid still has a lot of luck," he said softly.
"Wait for me, Jinhyuk. I'll take everything from you, hehe."
A sinister grin spread across his face. Not out of threat—but because a new game had begun.
---
That night, the sky above Daehwa University was shrouded in mist. Streetlights glowed a pale yellow, veiled by spring dew.
Irregular footsteps echoed along a small path leading to the dorms.
A student in a worn hoodie, torn training pants, and breath reeking of soju walked alone.
His name was Ryu Jinhyuk, a 21-year-old senior majoring in Psychology at Daehwa University in Seoul.
"Damn it…" he muttered. "Yoon Seri... Why did you... I thought you liked me. What was the meaning behind all those sweet gestures and ambiguous words… Seri... hikss."
He cried and laughed, then cried again. Pitiful. His steps faltered.
"We've been together since we were kids. You once said I was the only guy you wanted by your side in this life… And now? You even rejected my confession outright. A woman's promise... hahaha... a woman's promise."
He lifted his empty soju bottle and tossed it at a trash bin—missed.
"Damn it. Love, fate, destiny… all garbage."
"Why is my life like this?!" he shouted at the sky.
"Wait!!! This is like those novels. A kind-hearted guy loses everything, and suddenly, a robotic voice appears, and a data panel shows up. Am I about to get a system?" he continued.
"Hahaha, no way something like that's gonna happen. I must be crazy. Hikss... yeah, I've gone crazy... Crazy from all this. Seri..." he whispered, head down, tears unceasing.
Suddenly, a strong wind surged around him.
He raised his hands to block the flying dust—only to be pushed back by an unknown force.
"Even the sky wants to torture me with strong winds now…"
But after the wind faded, the once-calm campus garden turned eerie. The sky cracked above like shattered glass.
A figure dressed in black appeared, hovering slightly above ground. Black flames wrapped around his hands. Before him stood a massive creature—a shadow with crimson eyes and a foggy body—roaring wildly.
A fierce aerial battle broke out. Or more accurately, the black-clad figure pummeled the creature with dark flame punches, like a boxer hammering a punching bag.
And… with one final strike, the flame pierced through the shadow—and it vanished without a trace.
"W-What was that…" Jinhyuk gasped.
The black-clad figure turned toward him. His face was hidden beneath a mask and a hood, his eyes youthful—yet too mature. Too... sharp.
He descended slowly toward Jinhyuk.
"You could see it?" the figure asked.
Jinhyuk remained silent, shaking his head weakly, unable to speak.
His mind couldn't process what he had just witnessed.
Suddenly, the figure's pocket glowed. From within, a faintly shining ring reacted—as if responding to something in its surroundings. And its direction… was Jinhyuk.
The figure stared at him for a moment, then knelt before Jinhyuk, who had collapsed on the garden floor. The figure grasped Jinhyuk's right hand and slipped the ring onto his middle finger.
"S-Sir… are you proposing to me? I… I may have just gotten rejected, but I… I don't like men—especially ones I've just met," Jinhyuk stammered in fear.
"Does that mean men you've known for a while have a chance of proposing to you?" the figure asked suddenly.
"N-No! I mean, I…"
"Enough," the man cut him off. "This ring doesn't suit me," he said. "I don't quite understand its function, but it seems… it has chosen you."
"It… chose me? What do you mean, sir?" Jinhyuk asked, his voice trembling.
The man gazed up at the sky. "I don't know. But you'll find out. Just be careful—either you'll control it… or it'll consume you."
He turned away.
"We'll meet again, Ryu Jinhyuk."
Instantly, the man was enveloped in black flames—and vanished.
Jinhyuk could only stare at his hand.
The ring… had fused with his middle finger.
"Ohoho... I've found you. I'll use you tonight."
A voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
Startled, Jinhyuk looked around—but his head grew heavy. His vision spun. The world crumbled.
And he passed out.
---
The next morning.
Alarm sounds. Snoring. The dorm was still half-asleep.
Jinhyuk woke up with a pounding headache.
"Ughh… Where am I?"
He looked around—he was back in his dorm.
"Damn... that was such a weird dream. What even was that…"
He sat up, looked at his hand—
And froze.
The ring was on his finger.
Glowing faintly. Warm. Real. Then it dimmed.
Jinhyuk's eyes widened. "That… wasn't a dream."
He ran to the bathroom, collapsed on the toilet seat, and held his head.
His mind replayed the events of the night before.
Fear crept in.
But he didn't know...
Something far greater was already waiting for him.
---