The red, high-end four-seater sedan cut through an eerily deserted national highway. Snow fell heavier with every passing minute, blurring their vision until the world ahead dissolved into a pale, shapeless void. One thing, however, was certain—there was no longer any sign of human presence around them.
Mina had been driving nonstop for eight hours straight, and exhaustion had settled deep into everyone's bones. Nayeon had already fallen asleep in the back seat, curled up with her head resting on Dao's lap, while Dao leaned her own head against the frosted window. Only Yu and Mina remained awake in the front seats.
Despite their fatigue, neither of them dared to let their guard down for even a second. Christmas music hummed softly from the radio, its cheerful melody sounding almost mocking—as if trying to lull them all to sleep.
Yu cast a sideways glance at Mina, her expression unreadable. Mina's hands gripping the steering wheel had turned pale, almost bruised from holding on for too long. Yet her face was taut like a drawn bowstring, her eyes rimmed with red.
Seeing this, Yu finally spoke.
"You've been driving for eight hours straight. Let me take over—"
"No need."
Mina cut her off sharply, not even waiting for Yu to finish the sentence.
She shook her head slightly, forcing herself to stay awake, though it was painfully obvious how exhausted she was.
Yu wasn't the type to keep insisting when dealing with stubborn people, so she let Mina do as she pleased. Still, she had to admit—Mina's willpower was terrifyingly impressive, however twisted it might be. They were on the same side. At least for now.
Yet Yu still couldn't fully understand how Mina could push herself this far. She asked quietly, almost without thinking,
"...Are you really going this far just because of her? Du Dinh Duyen?"
Mina remained silent for a long moment, lips pressed tightly together. Yu knew—she was drowning in memories of Duyen all over again.
Mina finally shook her head and countered,
"Aren't you doing the same thing for Nayeon?"
At the mention of Nayeon, Yu stiffened slightly.
"That's…" she muttered, deliberately turning her head to stare out at the snow-bleached window.
Her thoughts drifted back to Nayeon's bright, cheerful face from years ago—the first time Yu had seen her on a livestream.
At some point, without realizing when, Yu had grown deeply attached to her. Almost addicted. Nayeon had become the rare void-filler in Yu's life eight years ago.
People always said Yu was emotionless. Cold-blooded. That she would never know how to love or empathize with anyone. And so, they found it natural to toss her from one person to another—as if she somehow deserved to be treated that way.
Yu's gaze shifted to the rearview mirror, watching Nayeon sleeping peacefully. A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Mina noticed.
"She probably won't ever remember me…" Yu whispered.
"But she's my savior. The things she said… they pushed me to keep hoping—hoping that life might still have something for me."
"Well…"
Even Mina couldn't help but sound impressed. It was hard to believe that someone known for being heartless could say something so sentimental. Yet, in a way, Mina understood her.
Yu continued,
"But I'm not like you, Mina. I can't sacrifice everything for the person I love. That brutality… that devotion of yours—"
Mina cleared her throat, unsure whether it was irritation or embarrassment. Hearing those words made her feel unexpectedly ashamed.
Devotion?
The truth was, Mina had been too cowardly to ever confess her genuine feelings to Duyen. And by the time she was finally ready to give her heart fully, she was already trapped in another marriage.
How stupid.
She had told herself that countless times.
And yet—she had blamed Duyen for it all. The guilt from the things she had said to Duyen weighed heavily on her chest.
But if it meant achieving something greater—if it meant making Duyen belong to her forever—Then no matter how cruel she had to be, it would all be necessary.
She couldn't lose Duyen to Shana again.
As time dragged on, Mina's impatience grew unbearable. What was Duyen doing with Shana right now? Were they holding each other? Whispering words Duyen had never once said to her?
That jealousy was what had driven Mina down this path.
Suddenly, the car slowed abruptly. Both Yu and Mina stared ahead in shock—a Japanese warning sign loomed directly in front of them, one they had nearly crashed into.
The sudden stop jolted both Nayeon and Dao awake.
"Huh? What happened?" Dao asked groggily, lifting her head. "Are we there already?"
Mina and Yu stepped out of the car and approached the warning sign.
"Road closed ahead. Please turn back."
Mina tilted her head slightly, a triumphant smile playing on her lips.
"Looks like we're in the right place."
Yu raised her binoculars, scanning the distance.
"About one kilometer ahead… there really is a mountain tunnel."
"What's going on?"
Dao followed them out, unease creeping into her voice.
The moment she saw the sign, a chill ran straight down her spine. Mina turned to her, smiling brightly—clearly in high spirits.
"Good news. We're on the right path. My Duyen will be saved soon."
"Are you insane, Mina?!" Dao snapped, pointing at the sign.
"Do you even see what this says?! There has to be a reason they blocked this road!"
She glanced around defensively.
"There's not a single soul here! Who knows what'll happen if we go in there?!"
Mina merely rolled her eyes, utterly unconcerned. Yu spoke calmly, her voice as emotionless as ever.
"We've driven eight hours to get here. Turning back now would be even more difficult."
"At least it's better than driving straight into our own deaths!" Dao shot back. "You don't even know where you're going anymore!"
Without warning, Mina grabbed Dao by the collar and yanked her closer, staring straight into her eyes.
"Don't tell me you're planning to abandon Duyen. Have you forgotten why we're here?!"
Dao didn't flinch. She met Mina's gaze head-on.
"Mina… you don't understand what you're doing."
"I understand perfectly." Mina said coldly. "And I don't want to leave you behind. So stop being stubborn and get back in the car, Dao."
"Mina—!" Dao clenched her teeth.
"Get in the car!" Mina shouted.
Dao tore herself free, stormed back to the vehicle, and slammed the door shut.
Nayeon startled at the noise. Seeing Dao's furious expression, she felt awkward and avoided eye contact. She could sense the tension and knew better than to speak.
Suddenly, the medallion around Nayeon's neck flickered faintly. She instinctively grabbed it, hiding it from view.
Why was it reacting now? Were they really that close to the place?
It felt less like a sign of hope—and more like a warning.
Even Yu felt uncertain about this road.
An unexplainable dread crawled beneath her skin.
Mina and Yu returned to the driver's cabin.
The engine roared back to life, and Christmas music filled the car once again, as if desperately trying to soothe the anxiety suffocating the space inside.
Mina glanced at the rear window. All she saw was Dao sitting there with her arms crossed, her face turned away, refusing to look at her anymore.
Mina was angry too—but she didn't want to argue with Dao, nor treat her badly. She genuinely cherished Dao as a friend, and that was precisely why the conflict inside her felt so unbearable.
The car ignored the warning sign and continued pressing forward.
Snow fell thicker and thicker, and darkness crept in. The vehicle groped its way through the night with nothing but its headlights, while the shrill, horrifying howl of the wind screamed past the windows, unsettling everyone inside.
At last, they reached the entrance to the mountain tunnel. It was pitch-black, clearly abandoned for a very long time. Yet Mina drove straight into it without the slightest hint of fear or hesitation.
The old tunnel swallowed them in darkness, filled with a low, roaring wind that sounded eerily like the inside of an airplane. The air felt thinner here—almost suffocating—as if this road led straight into hell itself.
Nayeon and Dao couldn't hide their fear. Though they had only met recently, they had grown astonishingly close through actions alone. Dao reached out and grasped Nayeon's trembling hand, even as her own shook. She turned to her gently and whispered,
"It's okay. Everything will be fine."
Nayeon looked at her. Dao's thoughtfulness and quiet care eased some of her fear. She nodded.
"Thank you."
Mina glanced at them through the rearview mirror. She clearly wasn't pleased by their closeness—but she forced herself to push that feeling aside and focus on what mattered.
Yu frowned slightly as she scanned the tunnel. She felt as if unseen eyes were watching them from the darkness, though she couldn't explain why.
"This doesn't feel right," Yu said quietly. "A tunnel can't be this long… right?"
Mina shot her a cold glance, then calmly returned her eyes to the road—eerily composed.
"Have you never driven through the North–South mountain passes? There are tunnels that take two or three hours to cross. It's completely normal."
Yu nodded slowly, impressed despite her stoic expression.
"That's surprising. You have experience with long-distance driving?"
Mina smirked, a flicker of arrogance flashing across her face.
"There's a lot about me you still don't know."
Suddenly, something went terribly wrong. The radio, which had been playing cheerful Christmas music, erupted into violent static. The sound twisted and warped into something horrific—like the screams of countless people overlapping in agony.
"Huh? What's happening?" Dao cried out in panic.
At the same time, the car's touchscreen began flickering violently, displaying grotesque images that changed rapidly—distorted numbers and incomprehensible symbols flashing chaotically. The radio signal surged and dropped erratically, plunging the atmosphere into sheer chaos. Then a distorted message appeared on the screen:
[Go… Back…]
Mina suddenly felt the steering wheel rebel against her grip, wrenching itself sideways without her control. The car swerved dangerously.
"What's going on, Mina?!"
The vehicle shook violently, throwing all four of them back and forth as Mina clenched her teeth, desperately fighting to regain control.
"Grrrr—You bastard! I'm not giving up!"
She poured every ounce of strength she had into holding the wheel steady, forcing the car forward. Yu lunged in to help, grabbing the wheel alongside Mina.
But no matter how hard they fought, the car continued to skid uncontrollably. The wet, slippery road only made the situation even more deadly.
In the back seat, Nayeon and Dao struggled just to keep themselves upright.
Suddenly, Nayeon's eyes went wide as she pointed ahead.
"LOOK! WATCH OUT!"
Mina snarled and lifted her gaze—A figure stood before them. A woman with pale lavender hair floating eerily in the air. But her face—
There was no skin.
Before Mina could react, it was too late.
The car slammed straight into the woman as Nayeon let out a piercing scream.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
All four of them screamed as the car spun violently and burst out of the tunnel entrance—No.
It didn't burst out. It plunged.
The car was falling through open air. Only then did they understand why the warning sign had been there. Because on the other side of the tunnel—
Was a bottomless abyss.
No. This wasn't right. This couldn't be happening.
But no matter how desperately Mina tried to think, it was useless. Their car hurtled downward into the endless darkness below.
Above them, the pale moon peeked faintly through the cold, drifting clouds.
A brown falcon took flight from the site of the free fall and landed gently on the outstretched hand of a strange figure. She was small in stature, wearing a black beanie and bundled tightly in a thick fur coat.
The bird chirped softly near her ear, as if trying to convey a message.
"All right. I understand," she replied.
The girl sat atop her horse-drawn carriage beneath a dim streetlight below, heavy snow is falling. Waiting—for something.