Yuna looked at Jin in shock and said angrily, "So this is what he always does? Throwing himself into danger to save others? Does he think his life is a game?"
Jin responded in a low, serious voice, "Don't tell anyone what I said — especially not Mi-van. He asked me not to say anything about this mission."
Yuna stood up quickly and walked away. From a distance, Mi-van, who was studying a map with Jay, noticed her sudden movement. He handed the map to Jay and followed her into the tent.
Inside, she stood, her face red with anger. He walked closer and asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong? Why do you look so upset?"
She screamed, "Do you really trust me so little that you couldn't tell me the real reason you're here?"
He gently held her arms, trying to calm her down. In a deep, calm voice, he said, "Calm down first. Who told you this?"
She pushed his hands away, pointed a finger at his face, and shouted, "Don't talk to me again. When your mission is over, I don't want to see you — not even in my dreams!"
She stormed out of the tent.
She walked up to Lima and said, "Lima, I want to talk to you."
Lima got up and stepped away from the group of girls she was sitting with. "Can I sleep in your tent tonight?" Yuna asked.
Lima raised an eyebrow. "Why? Did you and Mi-van fight?"
Yuna rubbed her forehead, "Umm..."
Lima smiled, took her hand, and said, "Let's go. You're welcome to stay in my tent."
The bed was too small for both of them, so Yuna decided to sleep on the floor.
Around 1 a.m., someone was calling softly, "Lima... Lima..."
Lima got up and opened the tent flap. Jin was standing there. She crossed her arms and said, "What do you want at this hour?"
Jin looked confused. "Mi-van sent me to give you this air mattress."
She looked at his hands — he was holding an inflatable mattress, deflated. She quickly grabbed it and began closing the tent. Before shutting the flap completely, she said, "If I told you what happened, your curiosity would only grow."
Yuna slowly opened her eyes to the sound of Lima waking her. "Come on, sleep up here with me," Lima whispered.
Yuna didn't fully understand what was happening, but she crawled up onto the bed.
The morning sun was soft, and the air smelled fresh. It was the perfect day for a walk.
Mi-van stood early and told the group, "We're not pretending to train anymore. They already know why we're here."
The team left camp with calmer expressions. Birds chirped. Trees swayed gently in the wind. For once, no one was giving loud orders.
Yuna walked beside Jin, smiling while he told a funny story about getting stuck in a tree while spying on a thief. "By the way, why did you sleep in Lima's tent last night?" he asked.
"We fought," she said, glaring at Mi-van from a distance.
Jin raised an eyebrow. "You know I got humiliated last night because of you, right?"
"What? How?"
"I went to Lima's tent in the middle of the night with a plastic bed and got yelled at. All because of you and Mi-van!"
Yuna pointed to herself in shock. "Wait... was I sleeping on Mi-van's bed?"
Nearby, Sora was walking with Mi-van, laughing softly. She gently touched his arm while talking.
Yuna's smile faded. She glanced toward Mi-van — he didn't pull his arm away. Her chest tightened, and her steps slowed.
"Why is she always next to him?" Yuna wondered. "Does he like her?"
She didn't realize she was staring until Jin waved his hand in front of her. "Yuna? Are you listening?"
"Go on, what happened?"
"I told you how I got humiliated by Lima."
Yuna smiled. "Ah, yes — now I remember."
Sora stepped closer to Mi-van. "Why didn't Yuna sleep in your tent last night? Did you two fight?"
He avoided the question. "Go tell Jay to double-check the map. I left it with him last night."
Mi-van turned slightly, watching Yuna from the corner of his eye. He didn't say anything, but slowed his steps so she could catch up.
When she got close, she walked faster, avoiding him. He matched her speed, then gently grabbed her wrist. "What's wrong?"
She pulled away and snapped, "Stay away from me. I told you, I don't want to see you again."
She rushed ahead. He stood still, staring after her with no expression.
They reached a quiet part of the forest. No birds. No wind. Just silence.
Suddenly, Hana stopped walking. She was pointing at a tree.
Everyone gathered around.
Carved into the bark, deep and rough, were the words: "GO BACK OR DIE."
Beneath the message was a strange red symbol — it looked like dried blood.
The group fell silent. Even Jin's usual smile faded. Mi-van stepped closer, his eyes dark. He touched the carved letters with his fingers.
Jay said quietly, "They're still trying to scare us."
Mi-van suddenly shouted, his voice filled with rage, "Ignore it. Keep moving!"
Yuna felt her legs freeze. The trees seemed to be watching. Or… something behind them.
That night, no one laughed. They all sat quietly by the fire, listening to the wind whistle through the trees.
Yuna entered her tent and found her dinner — hot soup, the mattress… both from Mi-van.
She picked them up in anger and marched straight to his tent. She threw the mattress at him and placed the soup harshly on the ground.
"What does this mean? I told you to stay away from me!"
Mi-van looked at her, calm and expressionless. He had been writing in a notebook.
Quietly, he stood up, picked up the soup, and walked over to her. "You didn't eat today. You'll get sick," he said in a soft, serious voice.
She pushed the soup away — it spilled over his hand, burning him.
She froze in shock. "Wait — are you okay? Let me see—"
He stepped back.
He whispered, regret heavy in his voice, "Mi—"
But he interrupted her gently, "Just go."
Yuna stepped back slowly and left the tent. She entered Lima's tent in tears. Her chest hurt with regret. She cried silently until she fell asleep.
The next morning, the mood was different.
No exercises. No chatter. Just silence and sharp, focused faces.
Yuna looked at Mi-van. His hand was red and slightly swollen from the burn.
He was walking as usual — calm and distant — beside Sora, Lima, Jin, and Jay. Yuna didn't dare approach him after what she had done.
Jay stopped in front of the group and announced, "HQ informed Mi-van the gang might arrive two days earlier than expected. If we're late… we could miss everything — or worse."
One of the team members said, "So… we need to hurry?"
Mi-van's voice was loud, deep, and commanding, "Move faster. We'll extend our walks into the night."
Everyone was shocked. But they obeyed.
Mi-van's eyes briefly met Yuna's… then he looked away, scanning the group again.
By the time they reached their new campsite, the sun had disappeared. Darkness surrounded them.
Everyone was exhausted.
Yuna found hot soup waiting for her again — he had cooked for her. She drank quietly, her tears on the edge of falling.
The tent flap opened. Mi-van stepped inside slowly. Yuna stood up quickly, ready to speak, but he spoke first, not looking at her.
"You should be asleep."
"I can't… I regret what I did to you," she whispered.
He still didn't look at her. "You can sleep here. I have work outside." He left before she could say another word.
She stared at him with teary eyes as he disappeared into the dark. Then she left too and walked to Lima's tent.
Lima was getting ready to sleep when she noticed Yuna's tears. "Yuna? Why are you crying?"
Yuna explained everything.
Lima listened, then said gently, "Did you fall in love with him?"
Yuna shook her head nervously, "No… no, that's impossible. I just couldn't stand treating him so badly after everything he's done for me."
Lima replied seriously, "Mi-van is a kind man… but he keeps everyone at a distance. Even Jin tries to bond with him, but Mi-van stays cold. He joined our team two years ago when he was 23. We were new, but he focused entirely on this mission. Rumor has it he comes from a wealthy family. His father owns a chain of companies, but he gave up everything — even let his older brother take all the power — just to become a police officer. This mission means a lot to him. If he kept it secret from you, don't be angry."
Yuna nodded slowly, finally understanding.
The next morning was cold.
Dark clouds filled the sky.
The wind howled.
Mi-van looked up and said in his deep, serious voice,
"A storm is coming. We must walk fast."
The team marched through the forest.
Mi-van walked silently, watching Yuna from a distance.
She was smiling and laughing with the others.
Her laugh made him smile — without meaning to.
But someone else was watching, too.
Sora.
She noticed how Yuna looked at Mi-van.
And how he looked back.
Sora muttered bitterly,
"He only helps her… Why does he always care about her?"
---
The trail became slippery as rain clouds grew darker.
Yuna was tired. Her bag was heavy. She started to fall behind.
Mi-van turned to check on her…
But didn't do anything.
She looked at him with regret.
---
They reached a small, steep hill. Everyone focused ahead.
But Sora looked back… at Yuna.
Yuna was behind her.
Sora sped up — then suddenly pushed her.
Yuna fell.
"Ahhh!"
A scream.
Then silence.