Once upon a time in God's playground-Chapter 101 - 100: SEO-YEON’S sos call

The ruins of Su-Bin’s underground kingdom echoed behind us as we clawed our way out of the broken metro tunnels. The air was thick with smoke, the stench of blood clinging to every breath. Rust and rot soaked the stone. My claws dragged shallow grooves into the floor with each step, tail swaying heavy like it carried the weight of the fight still hanging on me.

Every muscle screamed for rest. My ribs burned sharp with every inhale. My hoodie was half-shredded, blood dried and cracking against the fabric—some mine, most of it not. But I kept moving. Because moving forward was the only thing I knew how to do.

Han Ji-a trailed close, katana still in hand. Her face was blank, the perfect assassin mask, but her shadows told the truth. They slithered and twitched restlessly around her feet, whispering that she was still on edge, that her heart hadn’t slowed since the fight.

And then there was Lee Hyori.

She stumbled between us, arms hugging herself so tightly her knuckles were bone-white. Her clothes hung in tatters, skin pale, eyes hollow. It wasn’t just exhaustion. It was something deeper. A kind of emptiness you only saw when someone had hope beaten out of them over and over until they stopped bothering to look for it.

For a long while, none of us spoke. Only the crunch of boots, the scrape of claws, and the steady drip of water in the tunnel filled the silence.

Then Hyori’s voice broke through—soft, cracked, like glass about to shatter.

"...Where do I go now?"

I turned my head slightly, studying her. She wasn’t looking at me. Her gaze was on the ground, as though the weight of the question itself was pulling her down.

"You got family in Seoul?" I asked, my voice rougher than I meant it to be.

She shook her head once, hair falling into her face. "No. They were... gone. Before all this started."

Ji-a slowed, her usual cold mask faltering for just a breath. Her eyes softened, sympathy flickering before she buried it again. "...Then come with us."

Hyori blinked, startled. "With you? I’ll just... I’ll just drag you down. I can’t fight. I couldn’t even—" Her voice cracked. She hugged herself tighter. "...I’ll be a burden."

I couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at the corner of my mouth, even though it stung the bruises along my jaw. "Newsflash, Hyori—burdens are part of the package. Ji-a here? She’s a professional brooder. Roger’s basically a glorified alarm clock with wings. And me? I’m allergic to shutting up. You’ll blend right in."

Ji-a gave me a sharp side-eye, the corner of her mouth twitching like she wanted to argue but knew I wasn’t wrong.

Hyori’s lips trembled, then curved upward, the faintest ghost of a smile. "...You’re insane."

"Correct," I said without missing a beat. "But at least I’m upfront about it."

---

We broke through to the surface at last. The night air slapped me in the face, cool but carrying ash and smoke. Seoul stretched before us in jagged ruins. The skyline was broken, firelight licking the edges of shattered buildings. The city wasn’t dying quietly—it was screaming.

The cosmic train station rose in the distance, flickering neon signs half-dead but still glowing faintly. The hum of cosmic energy rippled through the air, undeniable.

The *Cosmic Train.* Our way out.

Hyori froze, staring, her breath hitching in her chest. "Is that...?"

"Yeah," I said, dragging my claws across the concrete as I walked toward it. "The only ride worth catching these days. Lucky you—we’re headed to Ulsan."

She hesitated, chewing her lip. "...You’re serious about taking me?"

I turned, met her hollow eyes with mine. "Dead serious. Unless you’d rather shack up with Su-Bin again. Pretty sure his throne’s still warm."

Her face paled instantly. She shook her head so fast her hair whipped across her cheeks. "...No. I’ll come."

Ji-a stepped forward, placing one gloved hand gently on Hyori’s arm. Her voice was softer than I’d heard in days. "Then it’s settled."

For the first time since the tunnels, the three of us almost felt like... people. Not survivors. Not warriors. Just people walking toward something instead of running from everything.

But fate doesn’t let me breathe that long.

The walkie at my hip buzzed and hissed alive.

I froze. Static bled into the night air.

Then a voice. Desperate. Panicked.

"—Ye-jun?!"

My heart stopped. Seo-yeon.

I yanked the walkie up, pressing it so close it nearly cracked in my claws. "Seo-yeon? Where the hell are you?"

Her voice rushed through the static, breathless and raw. "We—we found my mom, but—the district—it’s overrun—" Behind her words, screams and gunfire echoed, so loud it felt like they were right behind me.

Then another voice cut in, sharp and furious. In-ji. "We’re boxed in! There’s too many! We can’t hold them off!"

The claws of my free hand scraped against the concrete, tail lashing wildly. My blood ran cold. "...Shit."

Ji-a moved closer, her eyes hardening. "What’s happening?"

I forced my voice steady, though my chest burned with dread. "They’re trapped. Monsters everywhere. And they’ve got Seo-yeon’s mom with them."

Hyori’s hands flew to her mouth, face draining of all color. "We... we can’t leave them."

I pressed the walkie tighter to my lips. "Seo-yeon. Listen to me. Stay alive. Keep your mom breathing. I don’t care if you have to crawl into a sewer pipe or bury yourselves in trash—don’t die until I get there."

A pause. Then her voice returned, trembling but laced with steel. "Ye-jun... please. Hurry."

The words cut off. The walkie went dead.

I stared down at it, my reflection bent and warped in the scratched plastic. My jaw clenched so tight I thought my teeth would break.

Ji-a’s voice was quiet, but heavy with certainty. "...We’re not going to Ulsan tonight, are we?"

I smirked bitterly, tucking the walkie back into my belt. "...Guess the train can wait."

Hyori hugged herself tighter, eyes wide with fear, but she didn’t argue. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Then... what now?"

I looked out at the burning city, claws flexing, blood dripping fresh down my fingers.

"Now?" I muttered, the fire already building in my chest. "We go monster hunting."

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