1.

A disaster struck Gwanghwamun¹.

Seong Ji-ha leaned his head out the car window. The epicenterwas Gwanghwamun Samgeori², right in front of Gwanghwamun, but barricades had been set up from Sejong-daero³ to restrict access. Because of that, the already congested area around Gwanghwamun Station was now packed with cars and people. There was no way the main road would work like this.

Turning the steering wheel, Seong Ji-ha veered into an alley. Shops had pulled down their shutters to avoid the disaster, and the few remaining people were busy rushing to shelters. In contrast, Seong Ji-ha carefully drove closer to the scene. But he didn’t get far before the alley got blocked too.

He rolled down the window and stuck his head out. A car had been left parked in the middle of the alley, and the driver had vanished. He must have panicked and abandoned the vehicle in a hurry. There was no helping it. Seong Ji-ha parked in front of a beef bone soup restaurant.

After getting out of the car, Seong Ji-ha zipped up his blue work suit to the neck, opened the back door, and pulled out a purifier. It had been a while since the report came in, so it was a good time to start the purification process.

If he dragged his feet and ended up facing people, he’d only hear complaints. Sometimes, the people were harder to deal with than the disaster itself in this line of purification work.

“Hey! You can’t just park here like that!”

Just as he was hurrying to get ready, a loud voice rang out from behind him.

Seong Ji-ha quickly turned around. A middle-aged woman who had just come out to lower the shutter was glaring and pointing angrily at his car. Every time she waved her hand fiercely, a dark reddish clump stuck like mud on the right side of her face twitched and quivered.

Of all times—why now…

As he swallowed a groan, the thick hairs sprouting from the lump all leaned to one side and suddenly, a flash of an eye appeared between the strands. A chill ran down his spine. Seong Ji-ha immediately lowered his head, hoping the red mass wouldn’t notice him.

Work was already busy enough—he couldn’t afford to get tangled up with something this foul. The ones attached to people were especially persistent.

“I’m sorry. The area’s too congested to get through. As soon as I’m done, I’ll move the car right away. Please wait just a moment…”

“Oh, this smell—! Who parks a filthy car in front of someone’s restaurant?! What if I get sick? Are you going to take responsibility?!”

“I’m sorry. I’ll take care of it right away.”

Seong Ji-ha bowed deeper than he had earlier.

“As if the disaster wasn’t enough—ugh! What are we supposed to do about this rotten stench?!”

Clamping her nose shut, the woman gave him one last disapproving glance before turning away. Seong Ji-ha only lifted his head after watching her go back inside.

Across the street, a man peeked out from another shop, seemingly entertained by the commotion. Draped over the man’s shoulder was something with an unnaturally wide mouth stretched open.

Avoiding the sight of the man’s shoulder, Seong Ji-ha quietly gathered his purifier. Even then, people with scowls on their faces passed by both him and the purification service vehicle. Seong Ji-ha pulled his cap low to avoid their gazes.

There had always been a certain bias against purification workers—many believed they spread disease. But ever since one of them secretly took home a corpse of a disaster out of curiosity, leading to several innocent deaths, the public’s glares had turned much colder.

In any case, today wasn’t as bad. Two days ago, he’d gotten a bin of food waste dumped on him. His job already reeked enough, and after that, the stench was so overwhelming he lost count of how many times he had to scrub himself with soap. Before that, he’d taken a punch from someone and walked around with a black eye for days. Verbal abuse and cold stares were so common now, they barely fazed him.

Adjusting the purifier digging into his shoulder, Seong Ji-ha headed toward the main road. Up close, the disaster zone was more tightly guarded than usual. Worried that the damage might spread to Gyeongbokgung⁴behind Gwanghwamun, they had barricaded that side in multiple layers.

Agents from the Disaster Management Bureau, called “disaster hunters,” were still patrolling Gwanghwamun Samgeori. The alarm had gone off some time ago—why wasn’t the situation under control yet? As he studied the agents, Seong Ji-ha’s gaze wandered beyond them. Above Gwanghwamun, the sickly yellow Mount Bugak⁵ tilted unnaturally.

Seong Ji-ha furrowed his brows as he looked at it. It was already April, but Bugaksan⁶still looked like the middle of winter. The earth was stripped bare, desolate to the core, and the trees rooted on its slopes were all withered, not a single healthy branch in sight. With every gust of wind, clouds of dust blew up, casting a murky shadow over the area. That shadow added to the grim, bleak atmosphere hovering around Gwanghwamun where the disaster had surfaced.

A few days ago, there had even been news reports about a drought delaying the bloom on Mount Bugak and drying out its trees. The news anchor’s voice had been utterly emotionless, but could a drought really strike just one mountain?

His narrowed eyes shifted beyond Bugaksan to Bohyeon Peak⁷on Bukhansan⁸. In stark contrast to the barren Bugaksan, Bukhansan was bright with blooming spring flowers.

“…This isn’t the time for this.”

Shaking his head, Seong Ji-ha stepped over the barricade. The purifier strapped to his back clattered. Approaching a nearby hunter, he gave a short, respectful bow.

“I’m from the Purification Bureau. I came to purify the designated zone—”

“What’s that stench? Ugh, it’s the janitor loitering around. Stay out of the way unless you’re needed.”

Before Seong Ji-ha could finish, the agent waved him off with a sneer. A silver stripe ran across the front of the sharply pressed black uniform. That meant he was A-rank. An A-rank agent had come to the scene personally—this must be a big one. Glancing at the man’s face, Seong Ji-ha bowed again.

“I’m sorry. I thought it had already been taken care of.”

But still—“janitor”?

They had a perfectly official title: disaster purifier, assigned to the Disaster Purification Bureau.

Then again, what did names matter? Unlike the revered hunters, purifiers were just lowly contract workers who handled the dirty, unwanted jobs.

Seong Ji-ha pulled his cap lower and stepped back. Just as the agent turned away with a click of his tongue, a sudden wave of dark energy surged up behind his shoulder. Seong Ji-ha froze, hand still tugging at the brim of his hat.

“Hey! Don’t let it slip by—look again! It disappeared around here! Check if there’s any spot under a disaster curse!”

The black mist-like energy swept through the air before seeping into the ground. A dark mark was left on the surface. Soon, the mark began to slither, wriggling like a coiled snake. Seong Ji-ha’s gaze was fixed to the ground where the trace remained.

The curse of the disaster hadn’t manifested, but its energy was on the move.

A hidden one, then.

Damn it. That thing must be at least a hundred meters long. With something that massive, it made sense for an A-rank agent to be on the scene. Whatever kind of disaster it was, they must’ve deemed it beyond the scope of lower-tier agents. Seong Ji-ha slowly stepped backward, eyes still on the twisting trace.

Meanwhile, the agents continued searching random spots, even with the black trail running straight across Gwanghwamun Samgeori right in front of them. One of them kept sniffing the air and muttered complaints about how the precursor signs were present but no curse had appeared. They could smell the fishy stench that signaled a disaster’s approach, yet their eyes failed to see the glaring evidence.

So it really was one of those that could hide its form.

Seong Ji-ha glanced at the writhing mark with stiff eyes before quickly averting his gaze, pretending not to have seen it. His heart pounded like a drum.

He could see and feel things that others couldn’t. It was the same with energies. While the energy of green mountains and clean waters filled one’s chest with a refreshing breeze, the energy of a disaster squeezed the lungs and made every hair stand on end. Even without seeing the black, sticky curse of the disaster, he already knew. This was the energy of a hidden disaster. But that was all. It wasn’t his concern.

Disasters were taken down by disaster hunters. As a lowly purifier, his job was simply to show up after the mission was over and pick up the remains of the monster’s corpse. That was enough. If he got involved unnecessarily, things would only get more complicated.

Shrinking his shoulders, Seong Ji-ha adjusted the heavy purifier on his back and quickly turned away. But his steps halted when a man appeared right in front of him. With his cap pulled low, Seong Ji-ha could only see the man’s chest.

Yoo Sung-woo, Disaster Hunter of the Disaster Safety Bureau.

Below the agency’s emblem was a clear gold stripe.

S-rank agent. He looked again at the uniform to be sure. The stripe was definitely gold. Seong Ji-ha instinctively wiped his sweaty palms on his blue work suit. It was his first time seeing an S-rank in person.

But why would even an S-rank show up?

Was this site really that dangerous?

“Raise your head.”

“…?”

“What did you see?”

“Huh?”

Startled, Seong Ji-ha finally looked up.

Cold eyes, just like the frigid voice, stared down at him. Flinching and stepping back, Seong Ji-ha narrowed his own gaze.

That face… Where had he seen it before?

The thought caught him off guard, but he quickly made a sour face. Right—he’d seen him on TV.

Last night, while drinking beer, he’d watched a movie, and the male lead had this exact face. He couldn’t remember the plot thanks to the buzz, but the face had weirdly stuck in his mind. A famous actor from some vampire drama series, maybe…

Handsome, sleek, and looked like not a single drop of blood would come out even if you stabbed him. A chillingly refined face. Yoo Sung-woo. The name was different, but—he looked exactly like him. Uncannily so.

“What did you see?”

Still distracted by the movie-star-level face in front of him, Seong Ji-ha quickly looked down again. Everything about this situation screamed trouble. Especially those unsettlingly sharp eyes—people with three-sclera eyes like that were always bad news. The higher the agent’s rank, the nastier their personality, or so people said.

“I’m from the Purification Bureau. I got the report that a disaster appeared and came thinking it was over. I was here to clean up the remains, but—”

“I can tell from your uniform. What did you see?”

Do these people get trained to speak in curt fragments or something? God, what an ass. Did you trade away your personality for your powers? Just because you’re some high-and-mighty S-rank, does that mean you can treat people like trash? Sure, purifiers were treated like plague carriers, but in the end, weren’t they both dealing with disasters? Of course, with S-rank abilities came money and fame too…

Seong Ji-ha pulled his cap lower and shrugged.

“Nothing. If the situation’s not resolved yet, I’ll just come back later—”

“I’m not done talking.”

Yoo Sung-woo grabbed his arm. The sudden force jerked his body. Shit. An S-rank’s perception wouldn’t be normal. Did he figure something out?

“What are you doing? I’m just a low-level purifier.”

“Tell me exactly what you saw.”

Yoo Sung-woo started pulling him toward where Seong Ji-ha had glanced before—but then stopped.

“Damn it—”

At the curse, Seong Ji-ha instinctively looked up.

Where the squirming mark had been, a shallow pool of water had formed. The murky puddle spread rapidly in all directions. The black, slimy liquid foamed and expanded in seconds.

A curse had fallen.

A disaster was about to manifest.

Seong Ji-ha’s eyes flew wide open.

“A… a disaster curse—!”

“Get back, now!”

Yoo Sung-woo stepped in front of the onrushing black puddle and shoved Seong Ji-ha aside. Like you needed to tell him that—! There was no time to shout back. Hugging the heavy purifier he wanted nothing more than to toss away, Seong Ji-ha dashed toward the nearest building with all his strength.

Yoo Sung-woo drew the sword at his hip.

From the squelching puddle, a monstrous serpent shot up. Sword at the ready, Yoo Sung-woo launched himself at the rising beast.

The serpent raised its head higher, jaws wide open. Its thrashing tail struck a car, crushing it like paper and sending it flying.

Unable to break through to the Gyeongbokgung side, the “Serpent Disaster” surged downhill instead, scaling the top of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in an instant. It opened its massive mouth.

A flood of black water poured out with a roar.

A scream pierced Seong Ji-ha’s eardrums.

“What are you all doing?! Set up the barrier, now! We can’t let it escape—!”

Yoo Sung-woo shouted.

That was the last thing Seong Ji-ha remembered.

“Ugh…”

Seong Ji-ha staggered as he sat up. He barely managed to open his tightly clenched eyes. The ground under his palm was pitch black. He recoiled instinctively.

Thankfully, his hands were intact. But his whole body trembled uncontrollably from the cold. The air was so poisoned it could’ve frozen his breath on contact. Hunched over, panting, Seong Ji-ha turned his head.

A heavy silence had settled over the area.

It looked like the barrier had failed in the end.

Had the agent who cast it died?

Still clutching the purifier to his chest, Seong Ji-ha crawled out from the wreckage. The poison spread by the disaster had left the surroundings hazy. Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, he started walking. He needed to get out. If he lingered, he’d be consumed by the toxic miasma.

Suppressing the nausea that rose in his throat, he hurried forward. But chunks of collapsed rubble kept catching his feet. With his vision blurred by the poisoned air, he stumbled, barely managing to step over the debris.

“Ugh—”

He pitched forward, barely catching himself against a wall. His head grew heavier by the second. If he wasn’t careful, he’d collapse right here. The contamination was far beyond what a single purifier could handle. This site was worse than any he’d seen since becoming a purifier.

It had to be a serious disaster.

Suddenly, he remembered the “Serpent Disaster” that had appeared right before he blacked out. That slick, black, grotesque body crushed down on his mind like a weight. Shivering, he rounded the corner of the ruined building. His anxious eyes scanned the surroundings—then froze.

A massive, black form twisted across the ground between the shattered buildings. Its body, densely covered in scales, was so large it filled the entire Gwanghwamun intersection. And at the end of that body, the disaster’s head had a sword buried in it—with Yoo Sung-woo collapsed beside it.

The man had apparently taken down a disaster that could’ve swallowed dozens of people whole—on his own. Seong Ji-ha had been awestruck, but now he noticed the black stain of the disaster’s energy spreading over Yoo Sung-woo’s body.

No way…

Swallowing hard, Seong Ji-ha rushed over. Kneeling beside Yoo Sung-woo, he gripped the sword hilt sticking from the beast’s head and checked the agent’s face. Thankfully, he was still breathing—but it was faint. He wouldn’t last much longer like this.

Looking around urgently, Seong Ji-ha tried to find any accompanying “Stabilizer Unit” agents. An agent of Yoo Sung-woo’s caliber should’ve had at least three or four stabilizers with him. Disaster hunters never went into the field without them—it was how they kept from going berserk.

But there was no one.

No—there were bodies, but none alive.

The ground was littered with the corpses of severed stabilizer agents, their limbs torn away, their bodies lifeless. The only thing lingering in the air was the dreadful energy the disaster had left behind. Seong Ji-ha recoiled from the gruesome sight.

Damn it. They’re all dead?

His anxious eyes turned back to Yoo Sung-woo.

What terrible luck—to be taken down by a “hidden-form disaster.” Even a high-rank agent couldn’t handle one of those without someone with sharp eyes. And this one… was a massive, venomous “serpent-type.”

Seong Ji-ha hesitated, then clicked his tongue and stepped back. He couldn’t stay here long. He had to leave before he was affected. Tightening his coat around him, he turned away. His eyes lingered on the collapsed man for just a moment longer before tearing themselves away.

That S-rank was as good as done. With his stabilizers dead, what could anyone do now? If Seong Ji-ha got involved, he’d only drag himself into a bigger mess.

He was just a purifier.

He should let this go.

Delete the call log. Forget this ever happened.

“Phew…”

Fleeing the scene, Seong Ji-ha ran down the alley at full speed. After the chaos, not even a rat was in sight. Not looking back or ahead, he rushed to the purification truck and climbed inside. Curling his shoulders against the cold clinging to the back of his neck, he gasped for air.

Even after several deep breaths, his hands were shaking too much to start the engine. The horror of the site still clung to him like a second skin. Gritting his teeth, he shook his head.

Just as he finally managed to shake off the image of that gaping black serpent, another one returned—Yoo Sung-woo, standing in front of the disaster with sword drawn.

If that S-rank hunter hadn’t been there, that damned serpent would’ve devoured him without hesitation.

Seong Ji-ha’s clenched fist slammed down on the steering wheel.

A bad feeling clung to his spine, refusing to let go. At this rate, that damnably handsome S-rank hunter was going to haunt his dreams every night, flashing those eerie eyes at him. And he owed him his life, no less. Life debts… they’re the worst kind. They always linger.

…Of all debts, a life debt is the one he hated most.

“Damn it…”

His hand reached again for the ignition—but stopped halfway.

Grinding his teeth, Seong Ji-ha let out a long breath and jumped out of the truck.

“This is insane—!”

Clutching his coat tighter, he sprinted back down the desolate alley.

Helping a complete stranger—an S-rank agent, no less—and running straight into a poison-soaked disaster zone of his own volition? He must’ve lost his mind. He should be laying low, staying quiet, not doing something like this!

Cursing under his breath, Seong Ji-ha returned to the scene.

This wasn’t something he did.

Actually… this was the first time.

Approaching the barely breathing Yoo Sung-woo, he gripped the man’s shoulder. In that short time, the “shadow of disaster” coiling around his face had grown darker.

“Damn it—”

His teeth clacked together as old memories surfaced without warning, making noise all on their own. Seong Ji-ha forcibly erased the lingering image of someone occupying his mind.

Of all things, it had to be a serpent. Serpent venom was a nightmare to deal with. Gritting his teeth, Seong Ji-ha pulled the man’s body back. The limp weight wouldn’t move as he wanted.

“Damn it, he won’t budge.”

Clenching his jaw, Seong Ji-ha used all his strength to drag him by the shoulders. After a long struggle, he finally managed to lay Yoo Sung-woo flat. His face was ghostly pale, like a vampire whose heart had been pierced by a silver bullet.

“Ugh… He really does look like a vampire up close.”

Clicking his tongue, Seong Ji-ha pressed his cap down tight and reached for the man’s chest.

Light gathered at his fingertips, then left his hand and seeped into Yoo Sung-woo’s body.

As the light fully sank in, the dark shadow coiled around Yoo Sung-woo gradually began to fade. Watching it disappear, Seong Ji-ha stood once the shadow had lessened enough.

“This should do.”

Debt of life paid—let’s never meet again.