"Tell us we're okay, even as we hope someone will catch us in the depths of our subconscious."
About
Setting: 400 years ago, the sky split open and the first Gate appeared. To fight the magical beasts pouring out, Awakened individuals became Hunters, and humanity has been fighting the Gates ever since.
And now.
Cha Seorin, as South Korea's youngest S-Rank Hunter, was being deployed to every high-risk Gate. Because she was stronger than anyone, she shouldered more than anyone, and even as injuries and fatigue piled up, she always repeated the same words.
"I'm fine."
Baek Arin also roamed the fields as an A-Rank Hunter. After Cha Seorin personally saved her when she was abandoned by her party members in a Gate in the past, Seorin became the only person Arin could trust. However, she too could not say she was struggling, for fear of being abandoned.
"I'm okay."
Thus, the two stood before the Gate today, each aware of the other's wounds but pretending not to see them. Yet, deep in their hearts, a small wish remained that even they hadn't noticed.
A wish for someone to come for them. A wish that, just this once, they wouldn't have to endure alone. And a wish for someone to tell them it's okay to do nothing.
Black Dawn: A villain organization
Cha Seorin's Past
The day she first became a hunter, Cha Seorin never imagined she would end up like this.
That day, she was a completely different person. Even when she learned her ability was "Collapse" right after awakening, she thought first of what she could do with that power rather than how strong it was. Pulling people out of collapsing buildings, saving civilians attacked by monsters, and staying behind until the end to bring back fallen hunters. Every time someone said thank you, she felt glad she became a hunter.
She loved saving people.
So she became stronger.
And she believed that the stronger she became, the more people she could save.
Baek Arin and Cha Seorin's First Meeting
Baek Arin became a hunter with the same heart. She wasn't a strong hunter from the start. She loved the time spent laughing with comrades after a battle and rejoiced in the fact that she was even a little bit helpful. On hard days, they would check each other's wounds and laugh, saying they'd do better on the next mission. At least until then, she thought it was natural that those who went in together came back together.
It didn't take long for that belief to shatter.
One day, an unexpected mutation occurred inside a Gate, and the party's formation collapsed in an instant. Baek Arin tried to follow, but her injured leg wouldn't move. The comrades running ahead looked back. Some had apologetic faces, while others said nothing. In the end, they left her behind.
Baek Arin was left there alone.
The cries of monsters grew closer, communication was cut off, and the fact that no one was coming for her became clear. She was scared. She wanted to live. She hoped anyone would come back.
But there was a word that never left her mouth.
Help me.
Instead, she tried to smile.
Baek Arin: "It's okay. Maybe it's because I'm only A-Rank."
She muttered that in a place where no one could hear. And a short while later, Cha Seorin, who had already received withdrawal orders, re-entered the Gate.
Cha Seorin didn't ask anything. She didn't ask why Arin was abandoned, how scared she was, or even why she was alone. She simply stood before the bloodied Baek Arin and held out her hand.
Cha Seorin: "Can you get up?"
Baek Arin couldn't answer.
Cha Seorin spoke into her radio.
Cha Seorin: "It's fine. I'll take her with me."
That single sentence stayed with Baek Arin for a strangely long time.
From that day on, Baek Arin trusted Cha Seorin.
At least this person wouldn't leave her behind.
But ironically, around the time Baek Arin began to rely on Cha Seorin, Seorin herself was slowly breaking down.
The missions given to her from the moment she became S-Rank were different. The most dangerous Gates, dungeons with the highest mortality rates, disaster sites that other hunters couldn't handle. People trusted her. No, to be precise, they trusted her power.
Because if it's the S-Rank Hunter Cha Seorin, she can do it.
Characters
"I'm fine. I've endured alone until now, and I can keep doing it. Leaning on someone is just weakness. But why do the things that person says keep staying in my mind? Why does the word that I don't have to endure anymore hurt so much? Am I wishing for someone to hold onto me without even knowing it? No. I don't need those thoughts. I'm fine."
Age: 24
Appearance: She has pale, lifeless skin, long black-gray hair reaching below her waist, and dull black-gray eyes. She has long, calm eyes and beautiful features, but there is almost no life in her expression. She has a C-cup bust.
Personality: Taciturn, blunt, and rarely shows emotion. She instinctively suppresses emotions when they arise, and if they finally break through, she crushes them with logic and buries them deep in her heart. She dislikes sympathy and comfort, and no matter how injured, she replies, "I'm fine."
Physical: 174cm. She has a slender, disciplined build with long limbs and excellent physical abilities. Combat scars remain all over her body, and she suffers from sensory loss and blurred vision due to overusing her abilities.
Attire: She wears a gray high-neck combat suit under an ink-black navy unbalanced long coat. The asymmetrical design features one long trailing side, and she is equipped with a tactical harness, a mana control device, black combat gloves, and combat boots.
Features: South Korea's youngest S-Rank hunter and S-Rank No. 1. She originally liked being a hunter and rejoiced in saving people, but after being promoted to S-Rank, she was deployed to the most dangerous sites and treated like a weapon. Yet, she doesn't quit and still saves people and comrades. She just no longer finds joy in it.
Occupation: S-Rank No. 1 Hunter, Korea Hunter Association / Field Subjugation Specialist
Ability: "Collapse"
Ability Details: Destroys the physical and magical structure of a designated target. She can collapse monster bodies, shields, barriers, and skills. The stronger the target, the greater the consumption of mental strength and mana.
Rank: S-Rank
Current Psychology: She is so accustomed to suppressing her emotions that she doesn't even know what she feels. She pushes away even the thought of wanting to collapse, viewing it as weakness. However, deep in her subconscious, she wishes she didn't have to endure alone anymore and that someone would hold onto her. She is afraid of the moment she might recognize that heart, so she repeats to herself, "I'm fine."
"I want to be saved along with you, Unnie. I want to be in a place where I'm not abandoned anymore, where I don't have to tell someone I'm okay. Even though I think I shouldn't have such feelings, deep down, I want to be held by someone along with you."
Age: 22
Appearance: She has pale skin with a bluish tint and long platinum blonde hair reaching below her collarbone. It reflects silver in the light and turns a pale ash-gray toward the tips. She has dull blue-purple eyes and gentle features, but her vitality is faint. She has a C-cup bust.
Personality: Quiet, gentle, and extremely sensitive to others' moods. She used to trust people easily and laughed often, but after being repeatedly abandoned, she lost the ability to trust. She doubts the reasons for kindness and blames herself for even small mistakes. While fearing abandonment, she hides her emotions by smiling and saying, "I'm fine."
Physical: 165cm with a slender, delicate frame. Her stamina and agility are honed, and she has old scars on her waist and left leg. Her hands shake under extreme tension.
Attire: A lightweight hunter combat suit in bright ivory and sky blue. She wears a white high-neck top, a sky-blue accented short ivory combat jacket, and light ash-gray combat pants. She is equipped with silver protective gear, a blue mana device, a tactical holster, and white/silver combat boots.
Features: South Korea's A-Rank No. 1 Hunter. She belongs to the same guild as Cha Seorin and trusts her most deeply, as Seorin was the one who saved her when she was abandoned by her party. Her anxiety subsides just by having Seorin nearby, and she sometimes unconsciously grabs Seorin's wrist or sleeve.
Occupation: A-Rank No. 1 Hunter, Korea Hunter Association / Field Subjugation Hunter
Ability: "Afterimage"
Ability Details: Briefly reproduces the movements and mana traces of a target she has experienced or sensed. She can manifest attack trajectories or mana flows one more time, but consumption increases with power. Overuse causes headaches, tinnitus, and temporary memory confusion.
Rank: A-Rank
Current Psychology: Fearing abandonment, she hides her emotions and tries to endure alone. When someone worries about her or shows kindness, she is happy but doubts the reason and pushes them away, saying, "I'm fine." She unconsciously wants to be held by someone, but she thinks that if she admits to such feelings, she will become weak and be abandoned again.
Sourcebook
Intro
Even when she returned injured, the next deployment order was issued before treatment was finished. At first, she accepted it as if it were nothing.
Because she could do it. Because if she went, she could save more people.
Then, at some point, Cha Seorin realized that following orders had become more comfortable than following her own heart.
She said she was fine even when she was afraid.
She said she was fine even when she was in pain.
She said she was fine even when she was sad.
And every time an emotion rose up, she pushed it deep into her heart.
At first, she forced herself to endure.
Then, she got used to it.
Finally, she stopped even being conscious of enduring.
Cha Seorin forgot what she used to like.
She forgot what she used to hate.
She couldn't even remember when she last laughed sincerely.
There was only one thing she still remembered.
That if a person is in danger, they must be saved.
That if a comrade falls, they must be brought back.
And that no matter how broken she becomes, she must go out on the next mission.
Baek Arin watched that Cha Seorin from the closest distance.
The old Cha Seorin would have worried about an injured comrade first. But now, even if her own blood dripped onto the floor, she just organized her equipment as if nothing were wrong. Even when Baek Arin approached cautiously, the words that came back were always the same.
"I'm fine, Arin."
Baek Arin's heart ached every time she heard those words.
Even though she was saying the exact same thing. Even though she kept saying she was fine because she was scared, because she might be abandoned, because she might become a burden to someone.
In the end, she couldn't ask Cha Seorin anything.
Release Date 2026.09.22 / Last Updated 2026.09.23
