Taming the Obsessive Attachment

Jae-jin moved at full speed before even assessing the situation. There was no time to freeze up.

He immediately sprinted to the dressing room, grabbed one of Seo Eui-woo’s rifles from the shelf, and expertly loaded the bullets. He focused intently, ensuring he didn’t fumble, preparing the rifle swiftly and precisely. It wasn’t his first time watching Seo Eui-woo handle his weapons up close.

Just in case, he strapped on a harness while keeping an eye on the doorway, equipping himself with a handgun and extra rounds.

No problem. Seo Eui-woo must have received the security system alert. He’ll be back soon.

Jae-jin pressed the rifle stock against his shoulder and listened carefully beyond the dressing room door. A chilling growl, deep and guttural, echoed through the hallway, growing closer.

The wolf β-creature dripped thick, black blood from its maw as it scanned its surroundings. Fortunately, it passed by the dressing room, heading toward the bedroom instead. A trail of inky droplets stained the floor where it had walked.

Jae-jin held his breath, making sure not to make the slightest sound, waiting anxiously for Seo Eui-woo to appear. Each second stretched endlessly.

Then, suddenly, a sharp realization struck him.

Wait—something’s off.

Why hadn’t the emergency alarm gone off?

If the security system was functioning properly, there should have been some kind of response—an announcement, an escape route opening, something.

Was the system here different from the one in the beachside estate…?

His gaze sharpened as he carefully examined his surroundings. In the corner of the dressing room, high up on a pillar where it wasn’t immediately noticeable, he saw cracks. The same went for the window frame.

Deep fissures snaked up to the ceiling like creeping ivy.

There had been cracks in the living room and bathroom too—now here.

The interior had been wrecked beyond repair.

No way… Did the estate’s system malfunction?

Seo Eui-woo had been unleashing his powers continuously for weeks. The sheer magnitude of that energy must have disrupted something—possibly severing crucial circuits.

This was bad.

Of course, Kwon Jae-jin wanted to believe that wasn’t the case. That Seo Eui-woo would arrive any moment and take down that creature in an instant.

But what if the system really had failed?

What if Seo Eui-woo never received an alert at all?

If Seo Eui-woo had no idea what was happening to Kwon Jae-jin?

“Fuck….”

There was no way to contact Seo Eui-woo right now.

Unlike regular residential zones, the communication system within special zones required a private line registered under an Awakened code. The moment one stepped inside a Gate, all standard means of communication—calls, texts, everything—were cut off. That was why Seo Eui-woo always wore those goggles; they were his means of staying connected.

As a fugitive mutant, Kwon Jae-jin had no private line. And he couldn’t think of any other way to summon Seo Eui-woo. Fixing the security system on the spot wasn’t an option either.

No choice. I’ll have to handle this myself.

Jae-jin tightened his grip on the rifle’s handle.

At least he had a weapon.

All he had to do was land a clean shot.

Two to the head. One to the chest.

He took a deep breath and lowered his stance. His plan was simple: stay hidden, wait for the creature to appear, and shoot the moment he had a clear shot.

Going after it recklessly would be suicidal for a civilian. But running blindly would only make him a moving target. For now, staying silent and out of sight was the best option.

Thud, thud. Heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway. The wolf was prowling closer. It hadn’t gone all the way into the bedroom—it was turning back. Jae-jin hooked his finger around the trigger.

Kwaduduk!

Bang! Bang!

The dressing room wall was ripped apart.

The wolf had sunk its fangs into the concrete, crushing it to dust. Thick clouds of cement powder billowed into the air. Jae-jin fired into the hazy cloud, aiming at the looming black silhouette as he backed toward the door.

A gun was a ranged weapon. Distance was his advantage.

Jae-jin moved quickly, firing warning shots as he darted out of the dressing room.

He prayed at least one of the bullets had hit the creature’s skull—but luck wasn’t on his side.

The wolf crouched low, coiling its powerful hind legs before springing forward in a single bound, closing the gap instantly. Its sickly yellow eyes burned like ghostly flames.

“Khk—!”

Was he really going to die here?

He was sure he had landed at least five shots, but he couldn’t bring it down. The pitch-black beast was bleeding profusely, yet it charged at him as if it felt no pain.

This wasn’t just some living creature. This was a monster.

Seo Eui-woo went out to fight these things like it was nothing? He had left earlier without a single hint of hesitation. How the hell does he do it?

Jae-jin sprinted into the living room, planting his feet firmly as he raised the barrel, aiming dead center.

Aligning the sights, he pulled the trigger repeatedly—just as the wolf lunged at him from mere feet away.

The creature’s jaws yawned open, revealing hundreds of grotesquely jagged teeth. From within, its tongue—long and tentacle-like—shot out, slithering forward.

The rope-like appendage wrapped around Jae-jin’s rifle, yanking it toward the beast’s maw. If he resisted, he’d be dragged straight into those gnashing fangs.

Jae-jin made a snap decision. He let go of the rifle and immediately reached for the handgun strapped to his harness. As the wolf-creature chomped down on the rifle, crunching it into pieces, he loaded a round and aimed straight for its eyes.

Pshuk!

The shot landed clean.

The wolf, which had been right in front of him, staggered and collapsed onto its knees.

For a moment, Jae-jin thought he had won—but he didn’t lower his guard.

Stepping backward, he emptied the remaining rounds into the creature’s head and chest, ensuring it was truly dead. The beast coughed up a final spray of black blood before going still.

Jae-jin stood at the far end of the living room, panting.

He looked down. His feet were covered in blood. In his frantic escape, he had stepped on shattered glass, slicing his soles open.

“Haa…”

He couldn’t even feel the pain. His brow furrowed deeply.

He bent down slightly to inspect his injuries—

Wham!

A massive paw struck him from outside the broken window, sending him flying.

“Kuugh…!”

His body was lifted off the ground and flung through the shattered glass. He plummeted down the steep mountainside, tumbling violently.

Thorny bushes and jagged rocks tore at his skin, leaving gashes all over his body.

He rolled. And rolled. And kept rolling.

Finally, he slammed into a massive boulder, the impact stopping him just short of falling into the ravine below.

A broken tree branch had pierced his side. His leg—he wasn’t sure if the bone was fractured or shattered, but it wouldn’t move.

Yet despite his battered state, his grip on the handgun never loosened.

“Uhk… Ahh! Fuck… Ahhuck…!”

His vision blurred.

The pain was unbearable, his body convulsing beyond control. If a creature appeared now, he wouldn’t be able to fight back. He’d die here.

Then—

From behind, past the greenery, a rustling sound.

Sasasak.

Something was moving. Fast.

Jae-jin clenched his teeth, barely keeping consciousness as he lifted the gun.

His arms refused to cooperate.

His fingers trembled as he reloaded with the extra bullets in his harness. He forced himself to aim toward the shifting bushes.

Could a handgun even kill a creature that had survived dozens of rifle rounds?

The rustling grew louder.

The presence was getting closer. Closer.

Too close.

***

A dark figure emerged in one swift motion.

Jae-jin’s vision was too blurred to make out who it was.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a deep male voice rang out.

If it had been Seo Eui-woo’s, he might have cried from sheer relief—but unfortunately, it wasn’t.

“Injured. Bring the healing factor.”

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel.”

“Bad luck, running into a creature while off duty. Wandering around the mountains alone, of all places.”

Boots, black as night, moved with practiced efficiency. A squad of soldiers, clad in pitch-black combat gear, armed and ready.

At that moment, Kwon Jae-jin felt an even deeper sense of despair than when he had faced the creature.

An Awakened soldier—one he didn’t recognize—pressed a syringe filled with a healing factor against his nape, injecting it. With precise, practiced hands, they removed the broken tree branch embedded in his side and set his fractured bones.

“Are you conscious? State your unit, rank, and code.”

“……”

“What’s your designation? Your number? Your assigned location?”

“……”

Jae-jin’s dark eyes lowered in quiet resignation. He had no answers to give.

A gloved hand suddenly gripped his neck, fingers searching around as if looking for something.

“Lieutenant Colonel. No identification tag found.”

“A disciplinary offense. Scan him and send a report to the center. The rest of you, continue the search up to the Gate’s entrance point.”

“Understood.”

At the command, the special operations soldiers dispersed. One remaining Awakened soldier stayed behind to deal with Jae-jin.

They pulled out a mysterious device, scanning him before activating the transceiver on their goggles to contact the center.

And then—

“…Wait.”

The officer, addressed as Lieutenant Colonel, dismissed the other soldiers and turned back alone.

Then, without warning, he grabbed Jae-jin’s left chest in a firm grip.

Beneath the skin, buried deep past his ribs, lay something that served as his identification.

A small, incomplete core.

“This one’s a mutant.”