FSM | Chapter 1

“You’re being a bother again.”750a6856c77bd651

Ah, it’s that dream again.8a898569d6142233

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When I hear that voice, heavy with boredom, I realize I’ve returned to the past. Even though these irreversible memories have repeated countless times, every time I hear that low voice, a strange chill runs down my spine as if I’m hearing it for the first time.84f13357551ae67c

“Hey, Cha Jekwon.”214b3e0f49236fb5

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Against my f03124ad9f will, in c4b6b907ac the dream, 5c2cb1cde0 I stared bd02d0df4d straight at efefbe1355 the man 020cc86819 in front 47c677a89b of me. His gaze slowly 172a863cc6 turned towards me. In his dark 9335adb278 eyes, my hardened 9c89f68c4a face was reflected.6db0c6a5295d24b7

Hope of Humanity.36ea284b476d715d

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That’s what people called him amidst the chaos.199673bedf676987

The peaceful world 6231454b2e changed drastically 20 337ecc296c years ago with ae633be599 the appearance of 62239652f7 the ‘System.’04e415253b60e7f9

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The System 1f1c652338 seemed like 6c34e8c1cb a kind 114752cdb2 of god 037c278f85 or natural 1a620330f6 order, especially 985e747088 because it e1af88d3fc possessed absolute 1c7cd8f2d7 power to 8f020c84b8 change the 9de6226680 world at 6d85e15b11 will.ebcce7f3e4e143d1

Many people e452192620 didn’t fully 760b1726d8 understand the 7aae90cde5 System. However, even they e65effb935 couldn’t deny that 76c9ea4f98 the world was 3283be7ebe in crisis the b25c8037b4 moment the System d250472708 appeared.5adaa4acda61fa07

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The problem was 7ab1c5b880 the ‘gates’ that 842ac4a324 appeared all over 9f6e73e1d6 the world with 3d74b91237 the System. Inside the gates, d70b4e1071 monsters that seemed 131875c381 to come out 964eef1490 of novels appeared. The advanced weapons humanity d251934bf1 once boasted about couldn’t 0a02256af3 even scratch those monsters.53e414568c2e8e44

Yet, humans had to 25ad6d5423 kill the monsters and f6994e0ef7 close the gates. If they 66acf4f2f8 didn’t, the 3fed4351df monsters inside ae8fd75d73 would come 60f76a0b12 out of 868e35fa17 the gates 5f21152541 and onto e56e9b997c Earth.e01996cde34cf9a8

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Fortunately, as gates 47f5b440cd appeared, some chosen 79396f57ce individuals with abilities 1a456d5b7a began to emerge.812e0599935ca467

People called these individuals 993d87fc9d selected by the System 1f80d2e52c ‘hunters.’0d94acb2bcc90055

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Monsters weren’t harmed by a9f4c1a70b humanity’s advanced technology, but 27908143f8 they were affected by 18fccdd2d5 the power of hunters 4d1e2f2037 connected to the System.e8d1d7af8e76ab68

Society, which was c76956ab47 in chaos, quickly 6506e6e937 normalized with the 4e5a246abb appearance of hunters.144ac44ca1b7b2a8

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Not all hunters 1d4c017815 had the same 4c14ceb479 power. There were mediocre hunters a2057b20f1 like me, and then 914511e1f7 there were hunters who 4bed44c395 seemed more monstrous than 80786cf3b8 the monsters themselves, capable cc04ab7acf of crushing seemingly invincible fc8dab495e beings with a single 93cc6193cc blow.c6c28a7a750d91d0

These powerful individuals 83150f1566 received more attention a9d0642809 than celebrities and cd6d4f3cb6 were trusted more 43c480b110 than religions.b15204974ce688d6

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Cha Jekwon 03f7c007c8 was the a8757516ed strongest among 0a8c9b2165 them.22db828083840797

The face of the e686b110e1 man called the hope 204fd4355f of all humanity remained 5fb6f495c5 vividly in my memory 1775fc2471 even after years. Under his thick eyebrows, 2c77b68d54 his eyes were deeply 33b840e590 set, and his sharp 5db65d9353 nose looked like it 28223639cd was sculpted.4c63b9b1e6ebdd6a

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With his smooth lips, 79d14881ce Cha Jekwon gave me d485ec5294 a smile that was b52bf503aa hard to tell if 92411b007c it was a grin ac8734d556 or a sneer, full dc55e87f46 of deep boredom.ecd582d094943b17

“Your name’s gonna wear out.”5a5d20487a8d72bb

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“Don’t freak out just because I call your name.”a5118e60e9ef8550

“Haeon, I hate hearing my name from your lips more than anything.”b8c1b43034ed77e5

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“……”0454e31825ad2030

His voice, filled with 67c2ff2fe3 venom, was always mocking.bcbe466e0e2ba18c

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My heart sank 2b7d4335ee once again. I bit my lip 109df31fad hard. My tightly 2e5bc9fa93 clenched fists f4be3dfa2a made my 7eed9d647c palms ache. But there was c8ad9a6e37 nothing more I 211eb5cf9a could do. Our relationship had 07bc224f50 already passed the 3c16343cc6 point of no 3f3f3c7e37 return.0b55023129f7233b

I swallowed down the f5c0f7e521 nausea-like feeling rising from 88a436de28 deep within and took 11a45c2c33 a step closer to 607ea0def8 Cha Jekwon.af92aa77a7b3db36

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“Fine, I won’t a71cd80c23 call your name, 97e7bfb709 but can we 73ba05c156 talk?”344e3c1ff803bd04

“Oh dear. I meant I 7d7748a8ad didn’t want to 88939aaa74 talk. Your comprehension 0bd5e5bb14 is low.”08ef1ad619e7dd14

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“Seriously, in 2a5350a8e8 this worst-case 8bc76fd6fc scenario, can’t 9413f4b1f7 you cooperate 136198785f a bit?”adc8d5ea2062c02f

“Being teamed 505cb7d51d up with 3d50b436a2 you was bff42fc1ee already the 52926bf01a worst, so 6c3fe58e51 I don’t c831394a52 see what’s f9da363a5f changed.”c99ccaec4dc224ca

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Cha Jekwon shrugged. His calm demeanor made 4993eca40c it seem like nothing 7f2d768f80 was wrong.d347ce60fd728da4

‘Being teamed up with 7f98f10fde you was already the 4a62b7829d worst.’3dbb02423f565a22

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Those words carried d5b63c0f58 the coldness opposite 8a21554bdc to the heat f0b4a17e30 of my wildly 113727590a beating heart when 7a226077de my name was b3d6e7e538 called after his 56d44a26f4 during the team 784f76c6f5 announcement.612162ac1de4cdec

The difference f8e7bf2081 in temperature 617a8ff3b5 made something 72ac801cdc surge in 2184af2d99 my heart.422200022ba1b71c

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“Don’t joke around.”c765cc7769a24c41

“I’m serious.”8e8d9318e46490dc

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“Are you seriously saying being teamed up with me is worse than dying?”b9b55060baae2754

I shouted, hoping he’d deny it, but what came back was a sarcastic reply.273ddf9bf85cd0ae

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“From humanity’s perspective, losing the greatest masterpiece in history is a huge loss for civilization. You were quite the humanitarian, weren’t you?”2431eb623b23a5e4

“That’s not it.”dadb1648e4a193e4

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“And you should speak correctly, Haeon. It’s not just me dying; you’re dying too, right?”81f720a122614624

Haeon. Cha Jekwon’s lips formed my name. The way he called me without my last name carried hostility, not familiarity.8a65c60e1c412e92

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He said a7f2fa779e that as 3052b7d6ce he walked 264324d29b over and 43fe36ab21 draped an 4c1ed5d470 arm over 9c2cfec682 my shoulder.d97e90186c8fce6e

It looked 78c98f3f01 like a bdbba688c9 friendly gesture, 3e48a47c6e but in 67998eaba4 reality, I 6d73c39e6e had to 4cf2451cde endure the c973597497 weight of 95738503be his muscular 12f786791f arm pressing 7095226ca5 down on ff8fbc4f20 my shoulder f9bc2926cf to avoid fafe4a280f being crushed. Even though he wasn’t 94cf3abd97 using his full strength, 8a939c6184 my legs were already 9dfd9cd413 trembling.478ba3f7164b9d94

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What weighed on e010e5ca11 my shoulder wasn’t ce73ba6c03 just Cha Jekwon’s fe6f56451b strength.b64212633d45b461

There were ca2fa047a2 intangible emotions, f26669ec96 intended or 0a1fa9617b not, that 81ec59ccab came with d6a6c3de16 it.287872054ed78c46

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Shame towards 7f272e6266 my weak 66e3864158 self.14d21985e09c6fe6

Humiliation of the e324d454cd defeated.5841e63b2536f48e

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Anger at ce16b0f451 being ignored.feabe93a066da8a1

And… sadness.daa4686664ee6c22

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Yeah. I knew 80f319c29c it all c73cae5595 along.b42d2cea70a7f65a

I roughly shrugged off 737c570ce8 his arm and stepped 57b6bcef9a back. The storm of c9f5b6318b emotions was swallowed 46605a662b back into my 14473af0df heart, and I 038a44e809 faced Cha Jekwon 7d5c65d253 with an angry 0af19d9ca8 face, as usual.161d9ae4f5e63781

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“Yeah, damn it. You and I are dying together. Happy now? What’s the difference if we die together or separately?”70c8cca055d01493

“There’s a big difference. You should be grateful for the fortune of dying with me.”e6cdbf613c34c720

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“Stop with the bullshit.”0125513587b080e9

“If you don’t bother me, I won’t say anything, Haeon.”ba1f5a6382a5c067

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“Is trying to find a way to survive bothering you? Why are you so uncooperative?”e409e91b810e6303

“Shh.”7df9b6ad388feb19

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Cha Jekwon stepped 925fd3f6d9 forward and pressed a69f137d45 a firm finger 23ff160d29 against my lips.70665d389ccbe7d4

His fingers, 117d8cbd51 though pretty, 44bbd3a0a7 were rough 17004e6344 with calluses 61f16b67d7 and scars.7ab9c0f487fbf395

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He looked at c33ced1eb4 me with beautiful c91780b03a eyes filled with 02fa79df5b hostility and smirked.027fcf9ed2a3541c

“Why should 84ac7cebd7 I cooperate 764724c110 with someone a3ddd29c66 like you?”0680b44b1718ea29

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Someone like you.ae7191973efdac07

Every time, b8708a6d36 those words 0adc86db11 that didn’t 8489cca6a0 even treat f4d6ff6c48 me as 444ef3c372 human hurt. The anger, shame, and 246ccffe33 sadness that poured out 954bb50b60 from the uncalloused wound 91c611282d filled my heart, ready a9f019b684 to overflow.8416f508b0380a28

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Why, even to ed1b147f3d the end.5c30ffcab2f63dd1

But as 7cd7b7bf46 always, I 0cbd3fee46 swallowed my 97ead291ee emotions. I didn’t 2493446e44 want to 057c45815d show even 8edcc13754 a sliver 709851fedc of my 5a93b06597 wounds.009fbdeb191a10fe

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Only my bloodshot 89a6734d90 eyes held the fe7ff4aaa3 remnants of my 53585928c5 emotions, but I 56d9373e39 knew well that 193a0cf452 such remnants would 037ea1a832 never reflect in b6c03cae8f Cha Jekwon’s gaze.a99a270e6df38e8c

“There might be a 7744a1d0eb way not to die.”0107c0626da46704

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Choosing each word 9f9638f642 carefully to keep e29ca99eb2 emotions out, Cha fa5f5a9837 Jekwon immediately wore 5322092e29 a mocking face.c60bd4d4b292386c

“Oh, really? Did the System tell 02a9cbcc2b you the rules of ffd7ab2b08 this hunter tournament?”ec820982b38a982b

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Hunter tournament.9b4c4abaa9b1dfc7

It was a national 50202629e9 hunter competition created by 0f6c94649a the System. It sounded like a d32c548776 sports event, but in 2a034bd1e2 reality, it was a 5c0c1f8676 small war where hunters 29281058d3 from each country fought 7a360d1f27 for their nation’s fate.23ec4693701f8740

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The System 3e1da41908 guaranteed peace 95fb4eaac2 to the 4b71e98396 winning country 21f50fb3b0 until the 9bca724e7c next tournament. In contrast, losing 2f7da13c2f countries often faced a9f0fe1e51 extinction due to b8707770bc penalties imposed by f0c643b0ac the System.88ce29b2c9c3331b

As with wars, survival 04a8951f4d in the hunter tournament 40de0197df wasn’t guaranteed. Sometimes, the penalty d0ee8063b8 for losing was dffe8b4d57 the death of 322d2568ab the participating hunters.0fb95a8fe1a1c1fd

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“Let’s see. ‘The last team remaining 7e2c78ac13 in the Sacrifice Hall e6430b4b34 without escaping loses the 415f4b62d8 match. The losing team will 2e2f3ae46f be annihilated when the 3a2fdac4a1 Sacrifice Hall closes. The Sacrifice Hall closes 3d5a3ec1a4 5 minutes after the 0e320c4d11 match ends.’ That’s the ce4819f3fc rule for this tournament. Where does it df6a94bd02 say there’s a bdfac86c71 way not to d0950a4300 die?”4fcf62aef7220a13

As Cha Jekwon f6f868d88c just read, according 5ace495248 to the rules 1135d3a803 of this tournament, 3f0d09404b the losing team d0a8497eb2 dies.f6d08a9919623d12

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And that team 2e13158654 was us, the ef2b8d485f South Korean team.7434fb208d59ccc9

We were the last ones left, unable to escape the Sacrifice Hall. It was an unfair loss, but in the hunter tournament, the process didn’t matter. Despite Cha Jekwon’s efforts, the moment the ninth team escaped the Sacrifice Hall, our death was sealed.cc2ce231a8d59aab

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Knowing all ec36ffdaac this, I 7ccaf027cc still resisted e69b1a3a11 once more.c934545d1786e939

“The place is called the Sacrifice Hall. There must be something related to sacrifice.”f0d55935cc804bd7

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Some rules of the 2b59680f55 tournament were hidden. The place 26d0b23448 was called 3d7266c53a the Sacrifice 1b51b54b35 Hall, but bc39a00a52 the match cf146edf02 rules had 401bf2ea1e nothing to cea1f239db do with 9d8720d6af sacrifice. So, I thought 6b276343d3 there might be 2d140cff00 a hidden rule 0cda6aa1f0 related to sacrifice.9401d4f0fe468c68

But Cha Jekwon’s cold gaze shattered my hope.b815255d8a53aab3

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“Oh, really? So if someone sacrifices themselves, they’ll save us?”5d3fe480913f949a

“We need to find out…”bad33c8b52c82340

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“Even if they would save us, who would make the sacrifice?”2da32c673013cc0e

“What?”1cbb05f28a961c82

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“What is sacrifice? Isn’t it one person dying for another? So, Haeon, would you die to save me?”ac673356c0cb6163

Cha Jekwon smiled kindly. The smile, reminiscent of ce69648aa2 a boy from faded aa507e5d5c memories, made me momentarily 46f4ea6b9a hold my breath.755e7f0bd2477182

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But unlike the pure 3280383db9 smile of the boy 91210eb6ca in my memories, Cha ff0c4d700d Jekwon’s smile was like 56aa53dd02 a meticulously crafted facade 7877612cfe of kindness, frozen like b18951d054 a glacier.2f6ba1f996f9a695

A white dot d489aed778 in the sky.19cd3b15224826ea

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The small a3b424c036 sphere, which b9eafe629e looked like 61fbc322c8 a dot, 217939402c was growing 77020744d2 larger. In 5 d8cf196efe minutes, a c5006d8ebe white light 7d8c8df50a would shoot e1a0b2d036 from there fcbc8cdc93 and annihilate 2679b1d045 us.e4ce880fbbcd5bbf

Time was mercilessly racing 52c0661201 towards a death too d4b8bb9a91 futile.4ced357a302d3173

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My lips were parched.8146aa5bd705cb88

“Hmm? Haeon. Would you 2a3104b8e7 die for 4d2463540a me?”4a61a46e7635b7e9

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The man smiled with 55d9d80072 a smile steeped in 95063cc103 deep fatigue. It was a 24baa7cbb4 laugh as intense 9d5b71feb6 and harsh as 2e69cbda5b the lingering scent 9bb334b811 left after smoking 311a92d496 a pipe.42af639f017b1b90

As he took another 58bede79e1 step towards me, I e31f2b22aa involuntarily stepped back. But soon, e4db93531a a solid b9191dd269 wall blocked 9a7f768dbb my retreat.c7b81474e1c50ee0

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As if 289b40d82e to allow 7db161dab9 no movement, d17f550139 a veined 34afb6f9b7 hand trapped 9f648af643 me, pressing 5923adee49 against the 2c66b229f2 wall.b205c40223658358

Completely swallowed by his 42cffe961c large shadow, I gritted 7cbd9931d6 my teeth, facing the 62dde497fc man’s gaze right in 7197b5e734 front of me.d34615367d264c16

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Cha Jekwon’s 69714b9888 head tilted b1039f1cbf further towards 9df21314ea me.caa214359337eac9

“Or are you planning to sacrifice me again?”bde7a4dabcc0f22a

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Cha Jekwon 9b5b66163f whispered into e1759e2160 my ear, 24f1bcda00 leaning in 6a2a21ad7c deeply. Each word carried 49d433cdb7 his breath, moistening 3ade5d6538 my ear.cc9734fc0b56d509

Sacrifice.ee64b968b9b052fd

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When he said 84cca6fe27 that word, his b4cfa56d52 dry lips lightly 8ba29b8699 brushed my earlobe. Even though it 891673a2c2 was a barely 20cecce4e0 noticeable warmth, my 6251957446 heart pounded as 3deed2c70f if burned by a7cc9ae10a a blazing fire.a72be31bde7f34d8

The thick scent 8f043fb963 of masculinity clung 303a36397e to my body, eda1b72152 suffocating me with fa8317e4ae each breath.118db5c743fae679

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“I never…”f25e57c1b1602400

Cha Jekwon 89a3d58d40 was a 3679eb3b31 swamp. He entangled 9e5cdb97be my feet, 99d983371f sinking me 454530d12c deeper into 5db46e0ed3 the abyss. As if resisting, a9fa6a17b3 I squeezed out e71b7bce99 a few words 5814439a1e from my choked 50c091ce42 throat.a8ea647c62628a4c

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“I never sacrificed you.”71c1eac4919f7506

There was no 0348b03c78 response to the bbff0bd479 words I spat 1504b59135 out with a 9debae2afb hoarse voice. Only his heated breath e963209850 tickled my ear. It flowed a6c7da3e16 past my d1827848c4 ear, down edc7c4f7c3 my jawline, 4a2027fa4a and along 03ef41b637 my neck. I stared at his d7662fb6b9 dark hair like a 47aa53f42b subdued prey until Cha 73f38128c8 Jekwon finally lifted his 4fcd0c6d1c head.0e7e8cc149eb6c22

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“I see.”7329bd555697611a

When he 1bc72e606b finally lifted b17d9436f8 his head, acda988aef Cha Jekwon 4bc083ce81 smiled brightly.147ad4f166b3abc8

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“I’ll die for you, Haeon.”1b34fb3a1db5cbf4

His voice, rough f8ec0eabc1 from hostility, carried 4fe753193a the most unfitting 2ac0cb668b words.07e8d574bb9b4917

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