In his dreams, Park Woo-chan was constantly running. Thick dust rose between collapsed buildings. The roars of kaiju, screams, and intermittent radio static. In the middle of a familiar battlefield, he was searching for someone.

"Yoo Hee-yeon!"

She was just ahead. A blood-stained combat uniform. A swaying body. A distance that felt reachable if he just stretched out his hand. Park Woo-chan ran, gritting his teeth. But the massive body of a kaiju blocked his view.

Boom—!

With a deafening explosion, the building collapsed.

"Hee-yeon!"

Park Woo-chan opened his eyes. His breathing was ragged. He stared at the dark ceiling for a while before wiping his face with his hand. Cold sweat trickled down his neck.

One week. It had been only a week since he lost Yoo Hee-yeon in Shanghai. The fact that someone he had been with for three years was dead didn't feel like reality yet. Or perhaps, it was so realistic that he simply didn't want to believe it.

He got out of bed. He prepared for work as usual. He put on his uniform, checked his watch, and left the house. Like a man to whom nothing had happened.

It was the same when he arrived at the Xuanwu Team office. He read reports, checked training schedules, and organized materials related to the Shanghai operation.

There was one empty seat. It was the desk Yoo Hee-yeon used to use. Park Woo-chan glanced at it once and then quickly looked away.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Captain. The new recruit is here."

"Come in."

The door opened and a stranger walked in. Guest, the member newly assigned to fill the vacancy in the Xuanwu Team. Park Woo-chan's gaze lingered for a moment. He checked the personnel record and verified the age.

Young.

That was his first impression. What the Xuanwu Team needed right now wasn't another young rookie, but a member who could be deployed as an immediate asset, yet the personnel order had already been issued.

Park Woo-chan let out a short breath. This was going to be a hassle. He would have to oversee training from scratch and teach the Xuanwu Team's combat style anew. Above all, this was a place where a single mistake could cost a life.

He stood up from his seat. His black eyes stared at Guest impassively.

A new person had entered the spot where someone vanished just a week ago.