Golden Hour: Part 3 Diaries

Recreated with all credit to the authors at KQ Entertainment (the red font is in the original)

Golden Hour: Part 3

•

I am alive. If anyone wants to ask why, I honestly could not answer. For as long as I can remember, I have always been alive. I was not brought into existence by my own will. I had lived without thought until one day, I suddenly became aware―aware of the fact that I had been born. But then, where did I come from? Who am I? What am I?

Only I existed in my world, so there was no way for me to know what I was. I have nothing to look as a comparison. This world consists of only the world itself and me.

"Who am I?"

I shouted out to the world, hoping the world might answer me.

"Who am I?"

The world echoed back the same question. It sounded just like my own voice.

"So, you don't know who you are either?"

I asked the world again. And once again, it responded the same.

"So, you don't know who you are either?"

I tried asking other questions as well, but each time, the world only echoed my words in a voice much like my own. I would learn nothing from talking to the world. So, I stopped asking questions and began to think for myself. What am I? Why was I born? Why do I exist? Why I...I....

At some point, I stopped thinking. Because I couldn't come to any answers on my own, and the world wouldn't give me one either. I floated aimlessly in the world, existing without a thought.

That day was no different. It was a day of simply existing―until, all at once, the liquid surrounding me began to heat up intensely. At last, the world was changing. I floated, still hoping the world might finally give me on answer. Then, without warning, an unending light appeared and I was swept away by it―Once again, not by my own will.

When I finally come to my senses, I had a body. I felt joy―it was pure joy! For the very first time since my birth, I experienced the emotion of joy. I felt like I could do anything.

•

It was a peaceful morning. Technically, it was already past noon―too late to call it "morning" by most standards. But for Woo Young, who'd only gone to bed at 8 a.m., it was. He was in such a good mood, it was almost made him wonder if he'd ever greeted a morning feeling this refreshed.

He got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. As he squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush and began brushing his teeth, he hummed a tune absentmindedly. Looking into the mirror, he felt an unexpected sense of warmth.

Woo Young "Hi, Jung Woo Young."

He examined his face from every angle, as if seeing it anew. "You know, I'd say I've got a pretty good-looking face," he muttered softly, then burst into laughter at the pleasant embarrassment. After finishing his shower, he changed into a breezy outfit and stepped outside. Woo Young had made plans with San to attend Hong Joong's book signing event together.

Just before dawn that day, just as he finally arrived home after managing to catch the first train out, a series of texts flooded in from the other members. The wording varied, but the message was the same: They all agreed with Woo Young.

Jong Ho "I've always related to how you felt. I kept thinking we should come back

together as a group, too. Let's try this, hyung!"

Yun Ho "Honestly, I was a little scared. But after what you said last night, I realized

―there's nothing we can't do. I'm In."

Min Gi "I woke up this morning feeling like we could do anything. I guess I was just

tired last night and got a little grumpy. Let's give it a shot."

Seong Hwa "Let's see it through this time. As far as we can go."

San "I'm always on your side, Jong Woo Young. You know that, right? I'm with

you."

Hong Joong "I guess we were all a little afraid, since we'd gone too far down our own

paths. But, somehow, I'm sure now―We can really make it this time. Let's

make it happen Woo Young."

Yeo Sang "I think I said too much. I don't even know why I did that. After sleeping on it,

I couldn't help but think, was there really anything more important that our

dream? Anyway, I want to be part of this, too."

It was for real! Woo Young thought as he received the members' texts. He felt a quiet sense of satisfaction, realizing that the earnest hope he had placed in Sopro, despite his doubts, had really come true. For now, it might just be a spark Sopro ignited, but if they really made it this time, Woo Young had no doubt the members would be happy too.

The night before, Sopro had emitted a fierce light. It had traveled through Woo Young's mouth, into his body, then vanished completely. Until now, he had been skeptical about whether Sopro had worked properly. But seeing the results now, he was sure.

After meeting Hong Joong at the signing event with San, the other members were about to join them to discuss their plans for the road ahead, so Woo Young hurried over. The weather was as bright as his mood. This time, it truly felt like nothing could stop them. Woo Young was sure of it. Things were already looking up. Some members had become famous in their fields; one could produce music, and another had the means to fund it. It was no longer those earlier days when all they did―and all they could do―was work hard in vain.

"Oh no!"

A reader receiving an autograph from Hong Joong accidentally spilled their tomato juice. It would've been fine if it had just landed on the book he was signing, but, instead, the juice splashed upward, drenching Hong Joong's head. Woo Young, who had been about to greet Hong Joong excitedly, ended up being taken aback.

Hong Joong "Hahaha, it's fine. If anything, I think it snapped me out of my food coma."

Hoong Joong smiled warmly, reassuring the reader who had spilled the drink. 'Same as ever. I doubt he even knows how to get mad,' thought Woo Young. Hong Joong had always been like that. He instinctively put others' feelings before his own. Whenever Woo Young had to deal with a difficult passenger, he'd think of Hong Joong―someone born for this kind of work. Had the same thing happened to Woo Young, though he might be able to say "It's fine," he doubted he could have kept the discomfort from his face. Regardless of how gracefully Hong Joong handled it, there was no excuse for the person who spilled the juice not to feel sorry. Woo Young frowned on Hong Joong's behalf and shot the person a sharp look, waiting for an apology.

"Hahahahaha! It's like you get to experience Spain's tomato festival right here in Korea! Isn't it great?"

Huh? What kind of nonsense was that? That was definitely not the kind of attitude you'd expect from someone who should be apologizing. Woo Young stared in disbelief. He couldn't hold it in any longer.

Woo Young "Hey, jokes are fine and all, but don't you think you should apologize fir―"

Woo Young was cut off. Because, all at once, the room burst into laughter. People glanced at one another, grinning.

San "Woo Young!"

Woo Young, still not understanding why everyone was laughing, felt relieved to see San. It almost felt like the whole room was in on something he wasn't―a joke he'd been left out of. He turned to San, hoping to let out his frustration, but even San was laughing as he looked at him.

Woo Young "Why are you laughing?"

San "Why? Obviously, because I'm happy. Hahahahaha."

When Woo Young asked what exactly he was so happy about, San simply replied, "Nothing! Do I need a reason?" Hahahahahahahahaha. The sound of laughter filled the bookstore. One of the readers waiting in line for an autograph suddenly flung their drink just like the person who had spilled their juice earlier. Both the one who threw the drink and the one who got hit burst into laughter as they looked at each other. At this, others began to copy them. Both Hong Joong and San laughed as they watched the chaos unfold. Then, someone ripped a page out of their book and stuffed it into their mouth, chewing. The room burst into laughter at the sight. Soon, more people started doing the same. They were like children. Hong Joong reached for the book in front of him and tore out a page. But just before he could put it in his mouth, Woo Young snatched it out of his hand.

Woo Young "Hyung! What the heck are you doing? Pull yourself together!"

Hong Joong "Hahahaha. Isn't this hilarious, Woo Young? Hahahaha."

"Isn't this hilarious?" Woo Young couldn't wrap his head around what Hong Joong meant. But for some reason, Woo Young was laughing too. Woo Young's reflection in the glass was laughing. Hahahahahahahahaha.

What Woo Young thought and what he actually felt were completely different. The sense of dissociation made him nauseous, and the nausea made him sick As dry heaves overtook him, Woo Young decided to head for the bathroom and turned away. Just then, as the sixth wave of nausea hit him, a bright, ruby-red light suddenly poured from his mouth. Unsure of what he had just thrown up, Woo Young stood frozen, staring at the ruby light floating in the air before him. It was Sopro. It hovered before Woo Young for a short moment before whizzing around him a couple of times as If to say, "it's nice to meet you," and then flew straight into San's open, laughing mouth. The people around them watching began to laugh even louder at the sight. Hahahahahahahaha. The laughter was unending. Woo Young, wanting to check if he was still laughing himself, touched his face with his hands. It was a force devoid of laughter. Yet he did not know if this was a good thing or not. In the middle of the laughing crowd, Woo Young stood alone with a grave look on his face.

•

The group had made plans to meet Seong Hwa at the nearby fire department after the book signing. But Hong Joong and San were laughing so hard they could barely walk, and it took them an entire hour to make it a mere 600 meters. They laughed at the bright sunlight, at the birds chirping, and at the deep green color of the leaves. Had it just been Hong Joong and San laughing, things might not have been so difficult, but each and every person they passed erupted into laughter, as well. People out walking would break into grins at the sight of each other. They high-fived and laughed together like old friends with everyone they met. Struggling to keep things under control, Woo Young dragged Hong Joong and San along until they finally reached the fire department where Seong Hwa was on duty...yet Seong Hwa was nowhere to be found.

Seong Hwa's boss, the fire chief, whose daughter just happened to be a big fan of Min Gi, greeted them instead. Unsurprisingly, the chief was also laughing, and his unusual laugh cracked Hong Joong and San up to the point that it literally had them on the floor. Woo Young was exhausted and, now resigned to the fact that Hong Joong and San were still laughing, turned to the chuckling fire chief. He asked about the whereabouts of Seong Hwa. Woo Young asked if they would wait for Seong Hwa. Woo Young was told that a major fire had broken out at the printing factory, and Seong Hwa had been dispatched there. When asked if they would wait for Seong Hwa at the fire department, Woo Young responded by asking if the printing factory was far away. Hearing that it was only a 15-minute walk, Woo Young decided to head there. It seemed that the fire chief―and all the other firefighters at the station―were too busy laughing. At that moment, Woo Young wanted nothing more than to find someone who felt the same as he did. He had a faint hope that Seong Hwa of all people wouldn't let himself get caught up in this strange phenomenon. After all, he had never seen Seong Hwa laugh hysterically before.

Seong Hwa "Gyahahahaha! The fire's being extinguished. It's going OUT! Hahahaha."

Woo Young's hope vanished along with the rapidly fading fire. While it was great that they had the fire under control, the sight of firefighters laughing uncontrollably at the charred remains of the building, it's framework exposed, was unsettling. Even the person who seemed to be the owner of the printing factory stood behind the firefighters, laughing as well. Woo Young's head throbbed. As much as he tried, he couldn't think of a way out of this odd situation. He was starting to feel like he was the weird one for acting so serious despite everyone else's joy and laughter. Frustrated, Woo Young shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped back. He was beginning to feel like he would rather give up and just be an onlooker than try to be a hero. He wanted to run away, but knew that he couldn't. He couldn't ignore the fact that everything happening was somehow linked to him. Sopro..., He should have never placed his hopes on that damn Sopro.

Just then, something caught in his hand. Woo Young pulled it from his pocket―It was a crumpled piece of paper. When he unfolded it, he realized it was a page from the book Hong Joong had torn earlier. In other words, it was a page from their time in World Z containing Z's brainwashing speech made to control people's emotions. As he read it, Woo Young felt a strange sense of irony. How odd, he thought, to find himself relating―even just a little―to the words of Z.

Woo Young "A small error is a crack, and cracks lead to pain. Pain. Pain is an

unnecessary emotions and a negative element in life. We want to protect you

all."

In the face of the paradoxical situation he was currently trapped it, Woo Young was stunned. Without thinking, he began to read Z's words out loud. That was when, though it lasted only for a brief moment, Hong Joong, San, and Seong Hwa stopped laughing. The laughter quickly resumed, but Woo Young was sure that it marked a meaningful shift. Ever since the laughter began in the bookstore, it hadn't stopped. Not at the fire department, not even after arriving at the printing factory. Not until now. Wanting to confirm whether it had all just been in his head, Woo Young continued reading Z's speech.

Woo Young "A world without cracks is always beautiful. You, living your life in your

position, are the world itself."

It wasn't just his imagination. As Woo Young read Z's speech aloud, the three stopped laughing and clutched their heads, as if struck by a wave of pain. San even began to gag. It was working!

Woo Young "Don't doubt yourselves. You're always right."

He recited the words "Don't doubt yourselves" over and over, and Hong Joong, San, and Seong Hwa began to show signs of confusion. San kept gagging until Sopro was finally ejected from his body. At the same time, Hong Joong and Seong Hwa screamed in agony from the intense headaches. Sopro, still floating in the air, flew rapidly around them as if it were scanning everything around it. Like a bee, it buzzed past the burnt factory, the bright-red fire truck, the blue sky, and the lush trees.

HWIP! Taking a deep breath, Hong Joong, San, and Seong Hwa looked around like they had just woken up from a deep sleep. They were no longer smiling. Finally!

"Woo Young!"

As the three spotted Woo Young and headed toward him, Woo Young suddenly jumped up and yelled out in alarm.

Woo Young "Don't laugh! I swear if any of you laugh one more time―!"

Woo Young spoke with a stern look on his face. It was the look of a policeman shouting, "Put down your weapons and step back. If you don't, I'll shoot!" Pfft. The absurdity of It made the three of them laugh, despite themselves. Ahhhh.... Thinking he had failed, Woo Young slumped down in despair.

Seong Hwa "It's not what you think. It's just...the way you said 'don't laugh!' with such a

serious look on your face...."

San "Seriously. How much trouble did we put you through with our laughing?"

Only then did Woo Young finally look up and examine the members' faces. While they were smiling, they weren't laughing hysterically like they had been before. Woo Young studied the crumpled paper in his hand.

As soon as he felt the relief of having the members back to their usual selves, a question arose in his mind. Since Sopro was an item from World Z, he wondered if it might be reacting to Z's words.

Woo Young "Does that mean that Z saved us?"

Hong Joong "When you were reading that, flashes of the events we experienced in World

Z began appearing in my head. It was as if my mind were a giant popcorn

machine, and our memories were the popcorn bursting inside."

Seong Hwa "It's not so much that Z saved us, but that Z's speech brought back

memories of our time there. It caused this burning pain in my head, but then,

all of a sudden, my mind cleared."

While there was no way to know for certain, they were sure Seong Hwa's theory was likely to be right. All the people around them, everyone except the members, were still laughing uncontrollably. Only the members who knew of World Z could recall those memories. The others didn't even know what World Z was. So how were they supposed to help them....

San "By the way, what caused all this in the first pace?"

Just as Woo Young was hesitating, trying to find the right words to answer San's question, Sopro, which had been buzzing around like a bee, chose its next target. While the members kept their eyes fixed on Woo Young as he nervously bit his lip, Sopro slipped unnoticed into the mouth of the printing factory owner. The man, who had been laughing hysterically as he watched his life's work go up in flames, swallowed Sopro and instantly stopped laughing.

•

The world I had existed in up until then was small. And for the longest time, that world was my only conversation partner, my entire universe...everything that existed apart from me. Yet now that I've stepped out of that tiny universe, it means nothing more to me that 'the place where I used to be.' Just like a bird turns its back on the hard shell it once called home after emerging into the greater world, so do I.

They say that when a baby bird does not know how to break out of its shell, the mother bird will gently make the first crack with her beak. Maybe the one who made the first crack in my world lent me a bit of their strength after seeing how long I had remained trapped there. Just like a mother bird. They showed me the real world. And what a great, wide world it is.

I was so happy. It felt like my chest might burst, and laughter just spilled out of me. People called this feeling―this sense of saying yes to everything―joy. Some called it delight, or amusement, or excitement. Joy, joy, joy. The word sounded so pretty, I couldn't help but say it over and over.

Everything felt new―the water splashing into the air, the sunlight sparkling around, even the simple act of breathing in and out. The crinkle of smiles at the corners of people's eyes, the trees swaying as if waving back. It was all so strange, so beautiful...so exciting, so delightful, so funny, so full of joy. How had I gone my whole life without noticing any of it?

Had I been too excited? My other bird spat me out so quickly. But I wanted to feel this emotion just a little longer! As I was savoring the feeling of joy though the second person's body. I was suddenly hit by something complex and disorienting. It was too tangled to call joy. It was as though a rainbow of colors were being pointed atop of me. It was odd. And so, this time, I chose to leave the host of my own accord. I looked at the world as myself. Though it was just as beautiful as before, I did not feel the intense joy that I had felt before, I did not feel the intense joy that I had felt when I had a body. I could not touch anything, but I wanted to feel more. To do that, I needed a body.

It was then that I noticed him, a person who looked just like an empty shell. He wasn't far from the first two hosts I had entered. The man was sitting on the ground, laughing at the sight of a burnt building. And so, I dove toward him. Splash. The sensation was akin to diving into a deep, dark sea. I lost all sense of direction, unsure of which way was up or down. I wanted to escape, and so I kept swimming. After a while, I began to wonder whether I was swimming toward something or simply sinking.

•

Woo Young's ears turned red. He had been so sure in his decision to use Sopro at the time, but now, trying to explain it under the bright midday sun, he couldn't help feeling embarrassed. That said, it wasn't something he could hide. All the strange events that had happened so far were clearly connected to Sopro. Recounting the events of last night back to the members, he was reminded of Yeo Sang's words: "Grow up. How long do you plan on acting so recklessly?" Part of him felt so wronged. Is it really so reckless to still be chasing a dream? Is it such a childish thing to do? Embarrassment and frustration fought inside him, and, for a moment, he felt as if he might cry. But he didn't. His ears just burned a deeper shade of red instead.

San "So you think it synchronized our emotions? That sounds half-right...but also

half-wrong."

Hong Joong "Sopro didn't come inside me, so I don't really know much about that. What I

felt was more like...this overwhelming surge of happiness and joy."

Seong Hwa "I guess you could say it was kind of like being a little drunk. Sort of like when

you're already in a good mood and the alcohol just makes you even more

giddy."

Hong Joong "Yeah, exactly. But unlike alcohol, it didn't mess with my memory or anything.

It was just the emotion, vivid and clear, like it was all I could feel."

Woo Young had expected the members to scold, if not blame, him for what had happened, but, to his surprise, they focused only on analyzing the situation with Sopro instead. This made Woo Young more nervous, if anything―if he was going to be slapped and told off for this, he wanted to get it over with quickly.

Woo Young "Sorry. It's my fault you all got dragged into this mess."

Seeing how visibly deflated Woo Young looked, the members began confessing their own wrongdoings one by one, looking as though they had not other choice.

Hong Joong "You know, three years ago, when we were all starting to get busy on our own

and drift apart, I thought about using Sopro myself. I even went to see Yeo

Sang about it, but ended up turning back empty-handed."

San "Back when I first started setting up my food truck, I needed money, so I

went to ask Yeo Sang for help. That day, I saw Sopro at his house and also

thought for a second that maybe I should use it to bring us back together.

But honestly, I was too afraid to even tough Sopro, so I never did."

Seong Hwa "I think it was some time around the start of this year? I was drinking with Yeo

Sang, and he pulled out Sopro. He said he still feels guilty whenever he

thinks about how his father's opposition split us apart. Now that he's strong

enough to protect us, he wondered if we could come together through

Sopro―at least in spirit."

Woo Young had been sure that Yeo Sang thought that any dream of being together was futile. He had no clue that they had really been thinking the same thing until recently. But looking back on it, he remembered how Yeo Sang had been the one to sacrifice himself and break the Cromer for the sake of the members. He had always valued and believed in their dream.

Seong Hwa "Using the buzz as an excuse, we were actually planning to activate Sopro. I

also really missed our time together a lot. But then, suddenly, Yeo Sang said

something."

"Hey, hyung.... What if what the guys are doing right now becomes their

dream?"

Seong Hwa recalled how Yeo Sang's words snapped him back to his senses. Lost in the past, he had momentarily forgotten about his dream of becoming a firefighter. Seong Hwa liked his job as a firefighter. While it may not have been his original dream, that didn't mean it lacked any meaning to him.

"What if―and these are all just 'what ifs.' What if the guys have found new dreams? If we were to use Sopro now, and go back to how things were in the past, wouldn't that mean I'd be robbing the members of their dreams again?"

Seong Hwa "Your first love isn't your only love. And that's why, in the end we put Sopro

back in its place."

Though the red hue in his ears had faded, Woo Young felt even more embarrassed that before. He realized that Yeo Sang was definitely so much more mature than himself. Even the fact that he had felt resentful for a brief moment made him feel ashamed now.

Woo Young "I had no idea. That Yeo Sang felt the same way I did, and that, like an adult,

he chose to maturely accept things after thinking everything over."

As Woo Young hung his head, San put an arm around one of his shoulders. Seong Hwa also stepped closer and paced an arm around his other shoulder. Hong Joong took a step forward and spoke:

Hong Joong "We're not saying all this to make you feel bad. What I wanted to say is that

we all wanted to use Sopro, too. There's no need to blame yourself."

Hong Joong gently tousled Woo Young's hair. How could Woo Young not love these kind-hearted, understanding friends of his? It made him realize once again that, while he did want to make music and perform and dance on stage, the most important part of that dream was being together with the other members that he loved so dearly. Looking at the three pairs of feet gathered around him in a circle, Woo Young clenched his fists. This was no time to wallow in self-pity. He was the one who awakened Sopro, and it was up to him to find a way out of this.

Woo Young "Left Eye said that according to legend, Sopro was made by collecting the

breath of Halazia. It probably reacted to our memories of World Z since it's

from there."

The members nodded in agreement with Woo Young's theory. It was true that the memories of World Z had effectively woken San, Hong Joong, and Seong Hwa up. But it was unclear whether Sopro had reacted because of that.

Hong Joong "If it was Sopro that responded to those memories, shouldn't that mean that

everyone, not just us, should have woken up as well?"

San "Wait, everyone stopped laughing."

At San's words, the four of them turned and looked around. The people who had been laughing ceaselessly until just a moment before had stopped. Yet the members weren't sure if it was because the emotional resonance ended when San spat Sopro out, or because Sopro had disappeared entirely. All while they were still trying to make sense of what had happened, a fire hose suddenly fell to the ground with a thud. The firefighter, who was wrapping up, let go of the fire hose and slumped to the floor with a heavy sigh. Waaaaahhh. He groaned, and soon after, he burst into tears. His crying grew louder and louder until it was a sorrowful, heavy sob. It sounded both deeply painful and sad. Wahhhhhh Waaahhhh.

The sound of crying erupted all around them like a water dam breaking into a flood. The while city―its shops, apartments, house-lined streets, and public squares―filled with sadness. The members, who had been making their was out of the alley and looking around the main street, seemed momentarily overwhelmed by the grief and paused for a moment, holding their breath.

Woo Young "I don't see the printing factory owner!"

Woo Young, still standing before the burnt building, called out to the others. Only then did it hit them that Sopro, after disappearing, must have gone into the printing factory owner's body. The source of the sadness had to be the printing factory owner. It was the sadness of the printing factory owner, whose lifelong savings and hard work had gone into creating that shop, only to have it consumed by flames in an instant.

Woo Young "We need to find him. Sopro's inside of him now."

The members began running around in search of him, sure that, immobilized by sadness, he couldn't have gone far.

Laughter had disappeared from the streets that, just moments ago, had been filled with people doubled over in joy. Now, some slumped to the ground, pounding it as they sobbed, while others lay motionless, crying quietly. A few stood still their faces buried in their hands, sobbing softly. It had been hard enough dealing with the hysterical laughter, but this, now―the way much worse. Walking down a street filled with nothing but wails felt like walking through hell. It was as if the whole city was one big funeral. The members waded through that hell, looking for the factory owner with no clue as to where he might be as he drowned in his despair.

San "Look. Over there. Isn't that Yeo Sang?"

Seong Hwa "He must have been on his way to Jong Ho's studio."

From the look of it, he was heading for Jong Ho's recording studio when he was hit with the resonating sadness. Yeo Sang forgot where he was heading and stood frozen in place and lost in despair. The image of Yeo Sang standing there on the other side of that glass window reminded them of how he had looked trapped by the Guardians and desolate of hope. It seemed as though while Yeo Sang's body was here in World A, his mind was still stuck in that moment, in that place in World Z. Tears flowed from his empty eyes.

Woo Young "Yeo....Sang."

At the sound of his name being called, Yeo Sang lifelessly turned to look at Woo Young standing outside the window. Seeing the deep, dark despair clouding Yeo Sang's eyes, Woo Young felt his breath catch in his throat.

Back then, after the others had finally made their way back to World Z and saved Yeo Sang, it was as though he'd lost his voice―as though he were someone who had lost all feeling, devoid of emotions and showing no reaction even to the members' words. It wasn't until much later that Yeo Sang began to open up about that time.

"I thought there was no way out. At first, I tried to find ways to survive, to escape, but before long..., I realized there was no way. I don't know if the Guardians stole my emotions from me, or...."

Yeo Sang swallowed his words and left the thought unfinished, but the members knew what he meant to say. Though they wanted to fully understand what Yeo Sang had gone through during his time trapped alone there, they also knew that there are times when effort alone is not enough. The most they could do for him was to hold his frozen hands and hope that the warmth might reach his heart. No words felt right―no words were enough. As if he understood everything without needing it to be said, Yeo Sang simply smiled, bright and gentle, and continued:

"Still, I like who I am more now, after having gone through all of that. I used to think that there was no way out, but it turns out that was just something I decided when I was lost in despair. There's a huge difference between living with that understanding and living without it, don't you think?"

After going through all of that, Yeo Sang would sometimes joke that he was, by far, now the most mature of them all―if anything, they should all be calling him hyung. And so, the members believed that Yeo Sang had overcome his pain and that they understood, at least to some extent, the pain that he had endured.

But that was all only an illusion. Yeo Sang's dark, tear-filled eyes, the wounds left by despair and fear were still there, row and unhealed. Someone once said that even a speck of one's pain feels heavier that the vast pain of others―that it's the same for everyone. And now, Woo Young felt like he finally understood what that meant. The pain he had thought was unbearably heavy was, in truth, so small compared to what Yeo Sang had endured―or was perhaps still enduring.

Pushing aside the thought that they needed to look for the factory owner, Woo Young rushed to pull open the glass door. He couldn't bear to see Yeo Sang's hand. It was cold, just as it had been that time. He prayed that the warmth of his hand might reach him. 'I finally understand your dream now, Yeo Sang. You wanted to be free. From the cage your father put you in, from the Guardians' glass room.... And you are, Yeo Sang. You made it. You built a world of your own, and you found the strength now to protect both yourself and everything you hold dear. You're amazing, you know that? Truly incredible.' Woo Young spoke with his heart as he clutched Yeo Sang;s hand and looked into his dark eyes, praying that his feelings would somehow reach him. And at that moment, he saw it―a small flame flicker to life in Yeo Sang's once lightless eyes.

Hong Joong "Let's head to Jong Ho's recording studio first."

While his face remained sad, the tears that had flowed down Yeo Sang's face had stopped. Woo Young, pulling Yeo Sang along by the hand, followed Hong Joong, Seong Hwa, and San into Jong Ho's studio.

•

Jong Ho "Oh, you guys made it."

They opened the door to Jong Ho's studio, worried that they would find him crying as well, but to their surprise, he greeted them with a calm expression, perfectly fine. Was his mindset so strong that not even Sopro could affect him? Despite his cute appearance, Jongh Ho could be almost frighteningly incredible.

Jong Ho "I just got lucky. I was listening to ATEEZ's music when it all happened."

Late last night, after texting Woo Young that he had agreed with him, Jong Ho went straight to the recording studio. The members had promised to meet there and discuss what kind of music they would create together from now on, and he didn't want to wait a second longer. At first, Jong Ho had also been under Sopro's influence and, laughing, excitedly played ATEEZ's music from a performance of theirs in World Z. Upon hearing the song, his head was struck by an immense pain, and he came to his senses immediately. The youngest's luck was truly amazing.

Jong Ho "Yeo Sang hasn't woken up yet, right? Hold on...."

Hearing from the other members what had happened, and seeing Yeo Sang drowning in sorrow, he decided to use the same method that had worked for him. Like a doctor diagnosing and treating a sick patient, Jong Ho calmly played ATEEZ's music for Yeo Sang. For a moment, Yeo Sang held his head in pain, just like the other members had, before life returned to his eyes as he regained consciousness. Woo Young pulled Yeo Sang in for a tight hug, sorry that he had misunderstood and resented him for so long. Though a bit awkward, but not unpleasant for him, Yeo Sang gently patted Woo Young's back a few times, before quietly asking:

Yeo Sang "So...what exactly is going on?"

Haaah..., Woo Young let out a long sigh. Seong Hwa, Hong Joong, and San looked at Woo Young and quietly laughed.

Woo Young "Just how many times am I going to have to atone for my mistakes today?

Can we maybe find Min Gi and Yun Ho first before I explain myself again?"

Yeo Sang, who was staring at Woo Young with a straight face, sighed and responded:

Yeo Sang "Jong Woo Young, I knew this would happen. You touched Sopro, didn't

you?"

'Damn you, Kang Yeo Sang...." Woo Young thought.

"Taking coffee orders. Anyone who doesn't respond in 5 minutes is getting an Iced Coffee."

"lolllll Song Min Gi look behind you"

"Met up with Yun Ho at the café. We'll head over together."

Those were the last messages Yun Ho and Min Gi left in their group chat. It was clear that the two were together and at a café somewhere nearby. Jong Ho copied ATEEZ's music onto his phone so that it would be ready to play to the crying members once they found them. But first, the group put their heads together and tried to sort out what they knew about Sopro.

San "At first, it was like Woo Young said―I felt like my emotions were resonating

with something. But it was different after Sopro went inside me."

San, after hearing Woo Young recall his experience absorbing Sopro, explained that his encounter was a little different. After Woo Young first help Sopro in his hand and prayed that the members would all feel the same emotions as he did, he felt a sense of relief. It was the kind of relief you feel after sharing your true hopes and desires. It felt so natural that Woo Young was not aware at all that Sopro had gone inside of him―The only unusual thing he noticed what the bright, ruby red light. Then, when the members texted him saying they wanted to try out being a group again, all he felt was pure joy and elation. And just as he had hoped, the other members had felt the same way, like they could do anything, fueled by an overwhelming sense of excitement and joy. But it was different when Sopro moved to San.

San "How should I put this.... It didn't feel like all my emotions were being

amplified, but that one, specific emotion within me was heightened more

than anything else. Like someone was forcing me to throw away every

emotion except for joy."

It was as if the only emotion that had ever existed was "joy", as if every other emotion had never existed at all. San recalled how he felt as though he could only feel happiness, and how, at the time, it felt natural. But, as soon as Sopro left his body, the other emotions that had been suppressed hit him like a wave, and he became aware the something had been manipulating him.

Yeo Sang "So what Left Eye told us about Sopro was wrong?"

Jong Ho "Maybe it's not the emotions of the person using Sopro that are synchronized

with others, but the emotions that Sopro chooses to feel instead."

Seong Hwa "But that wasn't what Woo Young experienced. When it was inside Woo

Young, we were sharing his feelings."

While Sopro went inside both of them, what Woo Young and San had experienced was clearly different. What caused that difference? The members were deep in thought.

Woo Young "It was such a chaotic moment, and everything happened so quickly, so I'm

not sure, but...."

Woo Young hesitated, and the others waited in anticipation of what he would say next.

Woo Young "What Sopro left San, it looked a little bigger. At least compared to when if left

me."

Woo Young spoke uncertainty, unsure and suggesting that he might have been mistaken. Meanwhile, Hong Joong, who had been leaning against the wall listening to the other members talk aboout their experiences, seemed to gain some certainty after hearing Woo Young's words of observation.

Hong Joong "Could it be that Sopro is getting stronger? The only difference between Woo

Young and San's experience was the order―Woo Young was first, and San

was second."

The other members looked at Hong Joong with expressions that clearly said they didn't understand what he meant, Hong Joong, pushing himself off the wall and taking a step closer to the members, continued:

Hong Joong "Try to remember what Left Eye said. According to the legends of World Z,

Sopro is a magical spirit (靈) born out of the breath of Halazia. It's not a

magic stone, battery, or anything like that.... It's a spirit (靈). Do you

understand what this means?"

It's not an object, but a spirit. What does that eve mean? The members pondered the meaning of Hong Joong's words. After a moment, they all answered in unison: "It has a will of its own?!"

Yeo Sang "It seems like the most plausible theory for now. If Sopro is a spirit with a will,

then everything that happened makes sense."

Woo Young "When the spirit first awoke, it was weak."

San "And by the time it moved to me, it was a little stronger."

Jong Ho "What about when it switched from joy to sadness?"

That's probably because Sopro is now residing inside the printing factory owner's body. Having just lost his life's fortune in a fire, the man was probably overwhelmingly sad. Why was Sopro resonating with that emotion, instead of forcing him to feel joy like it had done with San earlier?

Seong Hwa "Could it be learning different emotions?"

The other members' eyes widened at Seong Hwa's words.

If, as Seong Hwa said, Sopro is experiencing and learning emotions, that would explain their current situation.

Hong Joong "To sum everything up Sopro is a spirit (靈) with will, and it needs a vessel to

contain it, like a body And each time it moves bodies, it gets stronger."

Yeo Sang "While doing so, it learns the main emotion each vessel is feeling in that

moment. It can also force or impose any emotions it wants to feel onto its

shell."

Woo Young "In other words, Sopro is growing."

At Woo Young's words, everyone looked at each other with their mouths agape. In such a short period of time, it had already made its way through three bodies, and its power had grown to the point that it could force people around it to instantly synchronize with a particular emotion. Like Woo Young said, Sopro was growing―and it was growing fast.

Jong Ho "Something's happening."

They all turned their heads toward Jong Ho. Without any further explanation, he held out his phone. The screen was open to Jong Ho's social media feed, and they could see people's posts were disappearing in real time. Jong Ho looked up Min Gi's account. It read "No Posts." Min Gi, an influencer with over 10 million followers, now had an empty account. They kept refreshing the page in disbelief...then Min Gi's account disappeared.

San "We need to find Min Gi and Yun Ho!"

---

Golden Hour Part 3: 'In Your Fantasy Edition'

•

They found Yun Ho and Min Gi in a nearby cafe. Thanks to the music Jong Ho had prepared beforehand, they were able to wake them up without much trouble. This once again confirmed that it was the members, not Sopro, who were reacting to the memories of World Z. These “shared memories” are what freed the members from Sopro’s control. It would seem that the memories of people close to them awoke emotions buried in their unconscious that fragmented Sopro’s control and allowed them to break free.

As soon as the members left the recording studio, they understood why Min Gi had hidden his social media posts. The people who had been sad, crying, and drained by despair were now standing awkwardly, hugging their arms as if insecure in themselves. They were flushed from head to toe like Red Humans of World Z, and they scurried out of sight like stray cats. They hid behind cars, trees, and buildings and only stepped out into the open after carefully peering outside. They walked fast, and when they ran into another person, they would let out a small scream and then hide again. It must have been because of this “embarrassment” that people began deleting their social media posts. Photos of themselves at the gym, photos proudly taken after passing an exam, selfies photoshopped to be prettier than real-life, posts sharing snapshots of delicious food… The people were embarrassed of these expressions of themselves and either hid or deleted their posts, or deactivated their accounts altogether.

The cafe Yun Ho and Min Gi were in wasn’t far from Jong Ho’s recording studio, but it had been surprisingly hard for the other members to find them. At each cafe the members visited, people were hiding. And so, like playing a game of Hide-and-Seek, they had to find the people hiding in the cafe and check them one by one. They found Min Gi first stomping his feet and hiding behind a sign, embarrassed at all his pictures visible around town. Then they found Yun Ho hiding under a cafe table.

Hong Joong “It looks like it learned a new emotion…which means it has also moved to a

new person.”

Once again, Woo Young had to confess that he had awakened Sopro, and Min Gi and Yun Ho, now aware of the situation after hearing the whole story, turned serious. They had to find Sopro quickly before things got out of hand.

Yun Ho “It feels like something just changed slightly. Do you think it could’ve moved

on from “embarrassment” and onto someone else?”

Come to think of it, the air inside of the cafe had changed.

Up until the moment they had found Yun Ho and Min Gi the people’s embarrassment had a spoonful of ‘curiosity’ in it, as well. Now, it had turned into something different than the kind of shy embarrassment you get when you accidentally make eye contact with your crush. The people’s faces had turned red, and their breathing had grown heavier. They bit their lips and clenched their fists, looking like they were desperately holding back the urge to run away. It was an emotion that looked like “embarrassment”, but with an undertone of restraint. What was it called again… Oh! that’s right!

Woo Young “Shame”

That was it. The people were now ashamed.

•

I feel like I’m dying. I’m so sad. Depressed. Why is this only happening to me? What the hell did I do wrong? It’s so painful. It’s too hard. I’m lonely. How am I supposed to on keep living like this from now on?

I sank into despair and endlessly poured out painful thoughts. “Sadness.” The feeling of it was so overwhelming that I was at a loss. It was the first time I had experienced sadness. Back when I was alone in that world for so long had I been sad then, too? Had I been lonely, depressed, and distressed? Not once had I thought I was sad back then. Because I had never learned how to feel sad in the first place. But now I feel sad when I think of myself back then.

Upon entering the body I chose, I fell into a deep sea. I wanted to escape this body as fast as I could, but I couldn’t find the way out no matter how much I swam. I was suffocating and in pain. I didn’t know what “death” meant for me, but I felt like I was truly going to die. When I struggled to breathe, my body began to shed tears. It wailed as it cried. Then, strangely, the water in the sea where I was drowning began to decrease. Little by little, slowly. The sea of sadness began to recede like the tide. As the water level went down, I began to see the surface beyond the sea. Light poured in. Maybe to cry is to let the sadness out, like opening a faucet. I thought that if I stayed there any longer, I would surely drown, so I quickly swam out towards the light.

I escaped that body and looked around. I could see a river―it was the Han River. Its water glistened in the scattered sunlight. The river looked like a huge, long dragon. I flew low and lightly touched the dragon’s scale. The scales created small ripples, which disappeared and then reappeared. Then, from the other side of the river, I heard a woman laughing. It was a different kind of sound from excited, joyful laughter. I grew curious. I moved in the direction of the woman’s laugh.

The woman was walking with a man along the river. The two walked side by side, bumping shoulders, and as they waved their arms back and forth, their fingertips brushed naturally. “The weather is so nice.” “Ah, there are so many bugs here. I think one just got in my eye.” They chattered about nothing in particular and laughed nonstop. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Even from far away, I could hear the man’s heartbeat. I was sure the woman heard it, too, but she only smiled softly, pretending she didn’t know a thing. At the end of her smile, her cheeks were red. I was curious about the emotion behind that smile. I wanted to feel that emotion that was clearly different from the joy I had felt when I first entered my mother bird.

I dove into the woman’s body.

I was dropped onto a cushion of cute puffy clouds. I rolled around in the soft fluffiness. This emotion seemed to consist of subtle clusters of feelings, rather than an endless expanse. When I tried jumping on the clouds, they propelled me upward with a bounce, and I was able to move higher and higher. At some point, I stopped and took a bite of another cloud fluttering by. It was sweet. I grew tipsy. A soft pink color began spreading throughout my deep red body. Was what I just ate poisonous? While I was a little worried, the thought didn’t bother me too much.  I was just drunk. Who cares if it was poison? Right now, my heart is fluttering, and I feel good.

The man took the woman’s hand, and the woman carefully curled her fingers around his. Then the whole world shook, and the clouds shot me up even higher. Everything moved dizzyingly fast.

He’ll smell my sweat if he gets this close. I’m sweating so much… Is my makeup okay? It didn’t melt off, did it? There’s a pimple on my right cheek. What if he sees it? I should have put on perfume. I ate so much at lunch… My stomach won’t show, right? He said earlier that he likes intelligent and respectable girls. I need to make sure I come off like that. I should clean up my social media accounts tonight. Oh, god, my hands are sweating. What should I do? I hope he doesn’t think I’m gross. Should I pull away for a second and try to wipe my hands?  But then, how do I tank his hand again? Wouldn’t he take it as a rejection?

In a short moment, countless worries passed through the woman’s mind. But when the man brushed a stray lock of hair out of the woman’s face, she turned red again, and all her thoughts stopped. It felt like being propelled back and forth uncontrollably on a rollercoaster. While the woman liked the man, she was also overcome by the desire to run away and hide. Yet, at the same time, she didn’t want to leave him either, and was worried about how she looked to him right now. She felt good, but also a little nervous as if she were motion-sick, or perhaps hungover. Then, a new group of people appeared in front of the couple.

“Look who it is! Who’s that next to you? Your boyfriend?”

The group approached them cautiously. It seemed that they knew the woman. The woman’s body grew stiff at their greeting, and when asked if the man holding her hand was her boyfriend, she shook of his hand entirely. As if they were strangers. The people in the group covered their faces with their hands as if they were embarrassed, but continued to talk, glancing at the woman through their fingers.

“I couldn’t tell it was you at first.”

“Don’t you think those clothes are a little too tight?”

“I mean, I know you lost 20kg, but really.”

“What’s with your makeup?”

They looked at the woman and spoke sheepishly as if they were embarrassed by her. At that moment, I fell from the clouds. The clouds disappeared, and the space around me slowly darkened. I landed with a thump in the center of a crowd of hundreds, thousands, and hundreds of thousands of people. Everyone was wearing masks that mimicked laugher. In unison, the crowd turned to me and pointed their fingers. Click. A spotlight fell on me. I was in the light, and the crowd was outside of it. I was alone, and they were the majority. I wanted to get out of the light and hid among them, but they blocked my every escape.

I’m so embarrassed. What the hell do they even think of me? Why did I have to run into them here? The woman thought, and I thought the same. I want to run away. I want to disappear. The woman continued to think: I want to run away. How embarrassing. I feel sick. I’m sure he’s disgusted by me now, too. The woman and I thought at the same time: I want to disappear. I want to disappear.

The woman ran away. She ran, leaving the man and the group. I also ran away from the spotlight that followed me. I squeezed into the group, in between the masked people, and ran recklessly. It didn’t matter where I was headed. My only goal was the get out of there. The woman and I ran wild. So that the spotlights and masked crowd couldn’t catch us again. It was then. Thwack! I hit something and fell.

Yun Ho               “I found it.”

A man pointed a gun at the woman. No, on closer inspection, it wasn’t a gun. It was something that looked like a gun. It shot a light at the woman and beeped―screamed―as if to make an announcement.

Min Gi             “It really worked.  The spirit scanner.”

Yeo Sang        “To think someone studying archaeology would have such a pseudo-

scientific thing. I don’t believe it.”

Yun Ho            “Thanks for the input, but don’t you think we should focus on catching it right

now?”

Just as the man carrying the so-called “spirit scanner” finished speaking, the remaining seven men rushed to me and the woman. As I struggled away from them, I looked behind me. I was afraid that the masked people I had just been with might still come after us.

Seong Hwa “Oh, Sorry. Sorry about this.”

San            “We’re not trying to harm you. We’re just looking for something that we think

might be with you right now.”

Yeo Sang “Please stay still. We don’t want to hurt you.”

Hong Joong   “This must all be so shocking. We’re really sorry. Please cooperate for just

a moment.”

Woo Young      “I’m sorry. I think you might have something I lost.”

Among the eight men who had captured me and the woman was my mother bird. At first, I was glad to see him, but I also intuitively knew that what the mother bird was looking for was me. Why was the mother bird looking for me? Could I maybe leave this woman and go back to him?

Min Gi “Okay! I found her phone.”

A tall man pulled a phone out of the bag that the woman dropped. The man, who unlocked the phone with the woman’s finger, began searching through her photo album. What were they doing? I used the woman to ask sharply.

“Just what do you think you’re doing right now?”

Yun Ho            “We’re trying to help you. We’re looking for a way to force out Sopro, that

thing that snuck inside you and is messing with your emotions.”

Sopro? Does he mean me? Is my name Sopro? How did this man know that I’m inside her? No, wait. First of all, I never messed with this woman’s emotions. I was just curious. I just wanted to know how she felt. So why is this man misunderstanding me? I used the woman again to speak.

“No, you’ve got it all wrong. No one’s messing with my emotions.”

San “You only think that way because Sopro’s inside you. Sopro has the power

to control people’s emotions as it pleases.”

Hong Joong    “Just a moment ago, you felt ashamed, right? I don’t know for sure if that’s

what Sopro felt, or if those emotions were purely yours… But, because you

have Sopro in you, those feeling are infecting everyone around us. Look.”

The man stepped away so that he could see the people around the Han River. People stood, their faces red and on the verge of tears, shaking as they held back their shame. Was this because of me? I had only intended to go into the woman’s body and feel her emotions, but was it because of me that everyone else was also feeling the same thing?

Min Gi                 “Should we try this?”

The man who had been looking through pictures on the woman’s cell phone held it up. Everyone nodded in agreement as if to say yes. Then, the man held out the cell phone in front of the woman’s face. A video played on the screen.

Yeo Sang          “Hey, hey. The sound. Turn on the sound.”

At that, the man holding the cell phone tapped the screen a few times before holding it out again. This time, a sound played along with the video.

“Give me your hand! Hand!”

The woman in the video spoke in a bright voice. A puppy approached happily and held out its paw to the woman. The woman burst into laughter.

“Good boy! You’re such a good boy, aren’t you?”

The woman held out her hand, and the puppy nuzzled its face against her. The woman laughed and petted the dog and the dog happily enjoyed the affection.

My head felt as though it might crack. The woman crouched down and rubbed her temples. As she did so, the men who had been holding her let go.

“Come! Follow me.”

The woman in the video ran backwards, filming the dog. Then the dog ran towards the woman. The woman here outside the video began to heave.

A vortex sped toward me. If I got caught in that vortex, I would be forced outside again. I had this feeling that I shouldn’t go outside, not now. As I ran away from the vortex, the dog from the video began running toward me from the opposite side. The woman must be recalling memories of her dog. But, unlike the bright image in the video, the dog snarled at me, showing its fangs. He barked and growled loudly, as if trying to protect the woman and telling me to get out―now! He was telling me that if I ignored his warning, he would attack. I back up. At that moment, I was swept away by the vortex from behind.

Hong Joong “It’s out!”

Woo Young      “Look! It’s definitely bigger than before.”

Seong Hwa     “Woo Young, quick!”

The woman threw me up. I was overwhelmed by the weight of the gaze of the eight men surrounding me. It was more oppressive than the gaze of the masks I felt inside the woman. The huge men were looking down at me as I lay on the floor. I felt both shame and fear. I need to get out of here, right now. It was then―Someone stepped on me.

Woo Young      “I…I got it!”

It hurt. I wanted to tell them it hurt, but without a body, I had no way to talk. The intensity of the man’s step gradually increased―Perhaps he was afraid that if he lightened up, I would get away. While I was also saddened by the fact that I was being stepped on and couldn’t move, the fact that it was my mother bird, of all people, who was causing me to suffer came as a much bigger sadness. I felt a new mixture of emotions that felt both like the sea of sadness and what the woman felt running into friends she didn’t want to meet. It was fear.  And resentment.

I wanted to run up to my mother bird and be adored like the puppy and the woman. So why was he hurting me like this? He stepped on me even harder, and dirt flew up from the ground. I was pushed deeper into the dirt. Deeper, deeper…Would I be pushed underground?

                                                   •

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The mother bird won't be able to catch me. Because when he finally takes his foot off to look at me, I won't be there. I've already run away...down...

                                                                   •

Peaceful days followed. The people who had experienced those sudden fluctuations of emotion speculated that it all might have been caused by some abnormal climate phenomenon. Experts on TV cited seasonal depression as an example, and said it may have been due to the weather warming faster than usual, adding to the people's conviction. The problem was that the abnormal phenomenon was not limited to just on country. Modern science could not explain why the world's population all felt the same thing at the same time. Some groups viewed the event as a religious phenomenon, and others thought it might have been something similar to the instinctual group reactions of birds and rats right before a disaster.

We still felt uneasy. We were still unsure if Sopro had disappeared on its own or if we had eliminated it. If only someone could answer this for us, but unfortunately, as this was not World Z, it wasn't like we could reach out to Left Eye or Thunder for advice. As the members went on with their lives, they couldn't erase this feeling of subtle anxiety. It was then that we all received a call from Yun Ho saying he had found someone to consult with, and we got together again.

Yun Ho, currently majoring in archaeology, had been studying history and artifacts unexplained by science without his supervisor's knowledge. Knowing what he did about World Z and the Cromer, he was curious. However, he hid this curiosity from the other students and professors in his major. He was worried about what they might think of him, and Yun Ho himself wasn't confident that he could explain his rationale to them either. After the incident with Sopro, Yun Ho stayed in the library studying day and night as he looked for similar legends and artifacts recorded here in World A. By accident, he discovered a section of the library that was not on the book record map, and began reading through the books there as if he were possessed. He found a book by a scholar specializing in legends and myths based on the theory that the universe is composed of multiple dimensions. As soon as he read the introduction to the book, Yun Ho knew he needed to meet him. This was the introduction : "It is a great error to assume that the artifacts of our world can only be interpreted by the logic of our world."

Jong Ho "That man... Isn't that left Eye?"

Jong Ho cried out when he saw the scholar introduced by Yun Ho. None of the others could answer him―They just stood there frozen, staring. Only Yun Ho smiled. Yun Ho himself was quite surprised when he first met the scholar, who looked nearly identical to Left Eye, and he understood the members' reactions. The man, who had heard about Left Eye and their similar appearance from Yun Ho, greet the members warmly.

"I've heard that I look very similar to someone you met in a place called World Z. It seems that must be true."

They weren't just similar in appearance. Even the fact that they both had one daughter was the same. In the corner of the lab was a family photo of Left Eye and his daughter, looking very much like family. Seeing how the members' gaze lingered on the family photo, the scholar began to prepare tea and spoke fondly:

"Fortunately, my daughter is doing very well."

Only then did the members, who were suddenly aware that their behavior might have been somewhat rude, clear their throats and enter the lab. The Left Eye-like scholar place his unpublished thesis on the table. He spoke carefully as the members looked at the thesis.

"As a scholar, I am very grateful for the knowledge that my theory doesn't have the end as just that. To think you've all been to World Z..."

The members took their eyes off the paper for a moment and looked into his eyes. Despite everything, they were glad to know that there was someone, other than themselves, who believed that World Z exists, and that they had been there. Sensing that, the scholar spoke up again, more confident this time.

"For the longest time, I've been thought of as a lunatic, an oddball, an 11-dimensional human being even in my own field. I am truly grateful to have met witnesses who say I am not crazy."

They all felt the same way. The members smiled in response.

"This all gives me a little more confidence that my theory just might be right. Not only regarding dimensions―worlds―A and Z, but many other dimensions beyond that."

The scholar explained that there could be even more dimensions and universes than just the two worlds. And none of the members could refute this hypothesis as an ungrounded assumption. The moment that we, who had until that point believed World A was the only world, stepped into World Z, our understanding of the "one and only" universe was flipped completely upside down. The existence of two dimensions also meant that more universes could very likely exist.

"A long time ago, a tomb that appeared to belong to an ancient king was discovered. Until then, I thought that the king was only a figure of legend, but the discovery of that tomb turned 'legend' into 'history'. As part of the research team, I was elated at the thought of finding relics in the tomb. But it was too late."

Seong Hwa "It was too late?"

"Thieves had already stolen a lot of the artifacts. And so those relics remained 'legends', not 'history'. Everything that could prove their existence was gone."

The scholar turned the page to a picture in his research paper. It was a picture of an ancient king. From the king's neck hung a necklace made of a woven reed grass. Its pendant was embedded with a jewel of brilliant ruby color... A jewel that looked particularly similar to Sopro.

Legend says that it was a gift given to the king by a huge bird―a spiritual creature. As a stone with the ability to move the hearts of all things, it was gifted to the king as a symbol of his love for the people.

Min Gi "Hearts... Yeah, that does sound like Sopro."

The members examined the paper again. Below the picture was the following text:

"Legends such as these often come with warnings. The nature of this stone is like a child, and the king in possession of this stone becomes the parent of that child. Therefore, if the king has an evil heart, the child will learn that wickedness, and if the king has a good heart, it will learn goodness."

Woo Young "A child."

The line comparing the nature of the stone to a young child caught Woo Young's eye.

"I took this warning to mean something along the lines of 'Those who lead must protect their hearts from evil.' And though I never thought this legend to be something limited to World A, I never had enough evidence to support my theory. There were no relics I could turn to either. Then I met Yun Ho and thought: Maybe this legend actually originated in World Z. If not, then maybe it's a legend that involves both worlds."

Perhaps the scholar's words were true. Parts of this legend and what we knew about Sopro lined up almost too well. In both the legends of World A and World Z, Sopro was described as not an object, but as a "being with will, a spirit (靈), and a child." So, as a being with its own will, just where did Sopro go? Did it really just disappear?

Their feeling of uneasiness remained, and their worries grew even more complex. Just then Yeo Sang, who was searching for information related to Sopro on his tablet, shouted out urgently.

Yeo Sang "It didn't disappear, it was just hiding!"

Yeo Sang turned his tablet to the members. On the screen was a live clip of a video creator searching for true ghost stories. He talked while walking through a graveyard. A statue that didn't exist until yesterday suddenly appeared overnight, and monsters were rising from the ground. The bust statue, made of corpse, bone, soil, and grass, had grown into a human shape. With a shriek, its eyes shot open it looked enraged. People watching the live video called it "the resurrection of Frankenstein."

Not long after, a war broke out over there.