The city pretended everything was fine. That's what bothered Taehyun most. The world just kept spinning, cars inching forward in traffic, neon lights buzzing overhead. Somewhere close, people let themselves laugh, like monsters didn't walk these streets. Like Seo Kael was just another meaningless name, not something that could freeze the blood in your veins.
Taehyun moved through the crowd, but the rest of him was elsewhere. Always somewhere distant, always running calculations and old memories. Ever since he learned the truth, nothing had felt normal. Nothing stayed simple. His father's name echoed everywhere he went, but right now only one name clawed at the back of his mind.
"…Seo Kael."
Just thinking it felt heavy—as if the air thickened. Not only dangerous, but something solid and sharp. Something that cut.
Taehyun stopped at a crosswalk, red light glaring. People waited all around him, eyes on their phones, voices blending into background noise. They lived normal lives, no idea that a nightmare could stand right next to them. He couldn't shake the sense that even among all these strangers, he was being watched.
"You're out there," he muttered, voice swallowed by the city's buzz.
Somewhere tonight, Seo Kael was walking the same city blocks. The same sidewalks. The same universe. Taehyun pictured him moving through the world, cold and inhuman, like he belonged to some other order of reality. The man who murdered his father. The reason every step Taehyun took felt like half a step behind.
The light flashed green, and people surged forward. Taehyun drifted along with them, part of the shuffling mass. Until, right in the middle of the crosswalk, he stopped. He didn't know why—not at first. The feeling just dropped over him: sudden, silent, suffocating. That cold slide down the back of his neck. The shaking certainty that something was wrong.
Without turning his head, he let his eyes search the far side of the street. There, standing in the middle of it all, was a man. Tall. Ordinary-looking. He didn't try to blend in, but he didn't stand out either. Except for the fact that he wasn't moving. Not an inch. Everyone else streamed past, never touching him, water bending around a rock.
Taehyun locked eyes with him. The city's noise faded. Time might as well have frozen. The man inclined his head, then gave Taehyun a thin, knowing smile. Not friendly. Not kind. Just… enough. After a second, he turned away and vanished into the crowd, and the world's noise crashed back like a tide.
Taehyun didn't doubt for one moment who he'd just seen.
Seo Kael.
He forced himself into motion, pushing past people, earning angry glances that he barely noticed. Everything else—not important. Not now. He had to follow. Adrenaline sharpened his senses, more anticipation than fear. Someone like Kael didn't just step into daylight unless he wanted to be seen. Taehyun knew it was a risk, but he followed anyway.
The next street was empty. The city was still loud, but here it sounded muted, the rush of traffic cut off by distance and darkness. Taehyun stopped, his entire body tense. Of course it was empty. Of course a trap.
He moved forward step by step, ears straining for the tiniest sound. No footsteps. No whisper. But every instinct screamed at him.
"You followed."
The voice came from behind. Cold, calm. Inevitable.
Taehyun turned. Seo Kael stood mere paces away, utterly composed. The kind of presence that seemed to press down on the whole world, make every breath heavier.
"You knew I would," Taehyun said, throat raw.
Kael studied him—really studied him—in a way that stripped away any pretense between them. "Han Jisoo's son."
A muscle jumped along Taehyun's jaw. "Don't say his name."
Kael didn't blink. "You look more like him than I expected."
The distance between them filled with everything Taehyun wanted to say—and couldn't.
"You killed him." The words came out flat. Not a question.
Kael didn't deny it. "Yes."
No weight, no regret. If anything, he sounded bored.
Taehyun tasted blood, his fists clenched so tight his nails bit his skin. "Why?"
Kael's face stayed impassive, almost gentle. "Because he could kill me."
Simple. Brutal.
Taehyun stepped forward, not breaking eye contact. "And now you think you're safe?"
Kael's gaze flickered—faint, but sharp. "Do you have the sword?"
Taehyun refused to answer. It was enough.
Kael let out a soft breath. "Then no. I am not worried."
The words hurt, not because they were cruel, but because they were right. Taehyun could feel the gulf between them, the years of experience, the unreachable power. He could barely stand it.
"You will be," he said, voice barely audible.
Kael didn't even smile. "I've heard that before. He said something similar."
It hit Taehyun hard, that reminder. "Don't compare me to him."
"You should hope I don't." Kael's tone was more observation than threat.
The air charged itself. Taehyun's instincts screamed again—danger, closer now.
"You're here for the sword," Taehyun breathed.
Kael's reply was quick. "Yes."
"And you think I'll help you find it?"
"You already are." Kael stepped closer, each word heavier than the last. "People like you move toward things like that. You search. You dig. You lead others to it."
Taehyun heard it. Understood, even if he hated it. "So I'm bait."
"Something like that."
He exhaled, chest tight. "Then watch closely."
Kael paused. "For what?"
"Because the one who finds it…" Taehyun let the words hang between them, letting the anger settle into something cold and clear. "…won't be you."
For the first time, Kael's smile turned real—small, but enough. "We'll see."
He moved, faster than Taehyun could react, force slamming into Taehyun's chest. It wasn't a punch—not really. More like raw intent. Taehyun slid backwards, boots scraping until he caught himself, breath ragged. Everything in him wanted to fight back, but right now, he couldn't even breathe straight.
Kael didn't advance. Just watched, head tilted as if Taehyun was something interesting under glass. "That's the difference between us."
Taehyun forced himself upright, heat radiating off his skin. "I know."
Kael watched longer, then turned his back, steps measured and unhurried. "Grow stronger."
Taehyun's eyes snapped wide. "Why?"
Kael hesitated just for a flicker, not quite looking back. "Because if you don't... this will be boring."
And with that, he disappeared. No footsteps. No trace. Only a hollow where he'd been.
Taehyun stood alone. His heart pounded, fists trembling—not because he was afraid, but because suddenly, everything was clear. "Boring," Kael had said. Like this was entertainment, not war. Like Taehyun was just another challenger in a line stretching back years. That stung.
But it was the truth. That was the worst part.
He cracked open his fists, looked down at his shaking hands. "I'm not ready." The words came low, but he didn't lie to himself.
Not yet.
He lifted his eyes, still burning with cold resolve. "But I will be."
The city's lights glimmered in the distance, throwing shadows that meant nothing to anyone but him. Taehyun let his breath out slowly, push aside the helplessness. Now he knew what he was up against. Not just a killer, not just revenge but a gulf he had to cross, a race only one of them could win.
He turned his back on the empty street, every sense straining forward. The world outside hadn't changed at all. But for Taehyun, everything was new, deeper, charged. The game had started for real, and somewhere out there, the sword still waited to be found.