The moment the metal door screeched and caved inward, Kim Namwoon's grip tightened around the blood-slicked pocket knife in his hands. He forced his smirk to stay in place—but his heartbeat betrayed him with a single, heavy thud.
Tch. What kind of monster kicks down a door like that?
[The Constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is giggling.]
Behind him, Lee Hyunsung's voice wavered with tense caution. "Namwoon-ah, careful. We don't know who he is."
Yoo Joonghyuk stepped through the jagged gap in the door. The edges of the metal bent around him, and shards of screeching metal clattered to the floor.
His gaze swept the dim interior, absorbing every detail he could—the flickering lights, the blood-streaked carriage, and the two figures standing rigid in the chaos.
A shocked and wary expression appeared on their faces. Suddenly, Kim Namwoon raised his small pocket knife towards Yoo Joonghyuk—ignoring Lee Hyunsung's tense warning to be careful.
"Hey! Who are you?" Kim Namwoon snapped, swinging his pocket knife in a rough arc.
Behing him, Lee Hyunsung lingered with a shadowy expression—sadness and regret etched plainly across his face. He let out a quiet breath and shook his head slightly at Kim Namwoon's reckless stance, especially after his warning. The weight of the life he'd taken still clinging to him as he watched the two square off in tense silence.
"Put the knife down, Kim Namwoon." Yoo Joonghyuk delivered the command with effortless confidence.
Kim Namwoon's expression tightened the moment he heard the man say his name. Who could he be? How did he know my name? The questions clawed at his mind, but he forced them down. Not fooled, he put on a wary expression once again and stepped back slightly. Lee Hyunsung, positioned just behind him, mirrored the movement with a cautious retreat of his own.
[Several Constellations are requesting clarification on whether Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk' is familiar with the person standing before him.]
"You... how do you know my name?" Kim Namwoon demanded, fully aware now that the man in front of him was anything but ordinary.
"That doesn't matter." Yoo Joonghyuk replied. "Follow me, and I'll guide you through the scenarios."
"How do we trust you? We don't even know you—"
Just before Kim Namwoon could finish, Yoo Joonghyuk cut him off. "My name is Yoo Joonghyuk, that's all you need to know."
Kim Namwoon flicked a look toward Lee Hyunsung—before snapping his attention back to the man confronting them.
[A Constellation who hasn't revealed their modifier yet are revealing their modifier.]
[The Constellation 'Master of Steel' urges Incarnation 'Lee Hyunsung' to ask whether Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk' is trustworthy.]
"Well... how do we know you're not lying? How do you prove you're trustworthy?" Lee Hyunsung's voice was steady, but there was a quiet strain beneath it—as if he was trying to hold the situation together with nothing than patience.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't hesitate. Not even for a heartbeat. "I never told you to trust me. I said, you should come with me if you want to survive in this world."
[The Constellation 'Scribe of Heaven' admires Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk's' commanding articulation.]
[Constellation have sponsored you 350 coins.]
Lee Hyunsung got mixed feelings about the person he's talking with right now.
"Then, can you guarantee our safety?" Kim Namwoon stepped forward sharply, blocking Hyunsung with one arm and pressing a hand over his mouth as if the older man's caution somehow might ruin everything. Kim Namwoon's grip on his pocket knife was tight, his eyes burning with a mix of defiance and fear he refused to acknowledged.
Yoo Joonghyuk let out a faint, controlled sigh—as he watched the two move in defensive sync. They looked like animals backed into a corner, too wary and too young to understand what stood in front of them.
"I can't promise that you'll be safe," he said, voice low an unadorned. "What I can do is guide you—and help you grow strong enough to survive on your own."
The words hung between them, heavy.
Lee Hyunsung's shoulders fell slightly as his eyes dropped to the floor. He wasn't yielding, not exactly—but he was thinking, shifting through everything he'd done and everything he feared might come next. The weight of his earlier actions pressed against him like a second shadow.
[The Constellation 'Master of Steel' is looking at his Incarnation with a heavy sigh.]
Kim Namwoon noticed immediately.
Confusion flickered across his face, followed fast by irritation. His jaw clenched—his fingers twitching around the knife. He looked like he might burst just from tension of not knowing what Lee Hyunsung was thinking.
"Hey, old man," he hisses under his breath, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Don't tell me you're actually considering this?"
Naturally, I heard every word.
"If you don't want to come, then don't."
Yoo Joonghyuk moved past them, decisively uninterested in their bickering. He stepped toward the subway door, bracing himself. His posture shifted—weight centered—as he lifted his leg and prepared to kick it open.
[The Constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' expects a very powerful kick!]
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't acknowledge the message—he never did—but his eyes narrowed slightly, as if even the constellations were an annoyance to him.
Before his foot could swing forward, a voice cracked through the tense air behind him. "Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi. I—I'll follow you."
Lee Hyunsung's words wobbled, but there was genuine resolve beneath the thin tremor. He stood straighter than before, even if fear and regrets still clung to him.
[Some Constellations are praising Incarnation 'Lee Hyunsung' for his bravery.]
[Constellations have sponsored Incarnation 'Lee Hyunsung' 150 coins.]
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't turn around. His face remained carved in stone. "Then open this door."
Lee Hyunsung froze mid-step, staring helplessly at the metal door. "E-eh? O-open it? But... how?" he stuttered, hands hovering awkwardly in front of him.
[The Constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is interested in Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk'.]
Seeing that, Kim Namwoon's disbelief exploded instantly. "Oi! Old man—you're really doing this? Seriously?" he shouted, swinging his knife in wild frustration.
Lee Hyunsung shot him a sharp look, his patience finally cracking. "You said it yourself. A new world requires new laws," he retorted, irritation leaking into his tone.
Whatever the two of them had gone through before I met them—it was still simmering under the surface. Their nerves were frayed, their tempers raw, and the tension between them hung thick in the stale subway air.
Kim Namwoon clicked his tongue hard, anger flaring again. "Then can you open the door yourself?! You bast—"
[The Constellations of the absolute good system is keeping an eye on Incarnation 'Kim Namwoon']
[The Constellation 'Scribe of Heaven' hates curse words.]
"Enough." Yoo Joonghyuk's voice sliced clean through the noise. "If you don't want to get out and would rather stand here arguing, then stay."
Both men fell silent immediately, as if the weight of his presence alone pinned their voice down.
Kim Namwoon's grip tightened around his knife, but he didn't speak again. Lee Hyunsung swallowed hard, straightening instinctively as though castised.
Yoo Joonghyuk's foot shot forward with a sharp, decisive motion.
The metal door shuddered under the blow before giving way, creaking open with a long, violent klaaang that echoed through the entire carriage. Dust shook loose from the ceiling. The floor vibrated beneath their feet.
"Y–Yoo Joonghyeok-ssi, I'm… I'm sorry," Lee Hyunsung stammered, bowing his head slightly. His voice was thin, almost swallowed by the ringing in the air.
[A Constellation who hasn't revealed their modifier are revealing their modifier!]
[The Constellation 'The Star of the Weeping Guardian' softly praises Incarnation 'Lee Hyunsung's' courage to admit fault.]
The door had only opened a fraction, but it was enough to see outside—enough to steal the breath from both men. Lee Hyunsung's breathing grew rough and heavy, each inhale uneven. Kim Namwoon's eyes dropped, the bravado drained from his face.
All they could see beyond the cracked subway door was pure devastation—an apocalypse laid bare. The city skyline was drowned in smoke and twisted metal, and far below the Dongho Bridge, enormous shadows churned in the dark water.
Grotesque sea monsters rose from the depths, their slick bodies glistening under the dim light, sending waves crashing against what remained of the riverfront.
It looked less like Seoul and more like the end of the world itself.
[The Constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' shows keen interest in Seoul's destruction.]
And beneath the Dongho Bridge, monstrous shapes writhed out of the water—massive, scaled bodies rising like nightmares made solid.
"What... had actually happened?" Lee Hyunsung whispered to himself, barely audible. His voice trembled with disbelief, as if the sight alone was to enormous to comprehend.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't spare the scene a moment of sympathy. His gaze turned to Lee Hyunsung, sharp and unyielding. "Then open the door," he said, tone flat yet intimidating enough to make Lee Hyunsung flinch.
"H-how am I supposed to do that?" Lee Hyunsung asked, panic creeping into his face. He looked from the mangled metal to Yoo Joonghyuk, confusion and fear tension every line of his body.
Hm... strange. By now, that dokkaebi should've shown up at least once.