The White Tiger S-rank started toward them, questions already forming on his lips.
S-rank: Who are you? Where did you come from? What—
Ara grabbed Ji-hu's arm and ran.
Not teleporting. Just running. Normal speed, fast but not superhuman.
Ji-hu moved with her effortlessly, his strides smooth and economical. No wasted motion. No unnecessary effort. A year of constant survival had stripped away everything extra.
They burst out of the Zone together, leaving the confused S-rank behind.
White Tiger hunters tried to follow. Ara didn't slow down. She pulled Ji-hu through the streets, through alleys, through the city, until the dojo finally came into view.
She stopped at the door. Turned to look at him.
Ara: Don't ever do that again.
Ji-hu looked at her. Said nothing. Just nodded once.
Ara: I don't care. Don't do it again.
Another nod. No smile. No reassurance. Just quiet acknowledgment.
---
She pushed open the door.
Yuna was behind the counter. Soojin sat nearby, organizing something. Minjun was still out somewhere, probably still running along the Zone perimeter.
They all looked up when the door opened.
Yuna dropped the box she was holding.
Soojin's eyes went wide.
Ji-hu stood in the doorway. Not speaking. Just looking at them like he was seeing something precious he'd almost lost.
Yuna: Ji-hu?
Soojin: You came back.
He nodded.
Soojin: My brother said you would. He's going to be insufferable about this.
A pause. Then, quietly:
Ji-hu: He usually is.
His voice was different. Lower. Rougher. Like he hadn't used it much.
Soojin smiled. Small but real.
Yuna walked over slowly, like she was afraid he'd disappear if she moved too fast. She stopped in front of him and just looked.
Yuna: A year.
Ji-hu: I know.
Yuna: We searched everywhere.
Ji-hu: I know.
Yuna: Don't ever do that again.
Ji-hu: I'll try.
She hugged him. Quick and tight, the way she hugged people she was afraid to lose. He stood still for a moment, then his arms came up carefully, gently, and held her back.
The door burst open. Minjun stumbled in, panting.
Minjun: I COULDN'T FIND A WAY IN AND THEN I GOT LOST AND THEN I— JI-HU!
He launched himself across the room and crashed into Ji-hu, hugging him so hard that Ji-hu stumbled back a step.
Minjun: YOU'RE BACK! YOU'RE ACTUALLY BACK! I KNEW IT! I TOLD EVERYONE! I TOLD SOOJIN! I TOLD YUNA! I TOLD THE CUSTOMERS! I TOLD—
Ji-hu let him talk. Didn't interrupt. Just stood there with Minjun wrapped around him.
Soojin: Oppa, let him breathe.
Minjun: HE CAN BREATHE LATER! THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT!
Soojin: He's not going anywhere.
Minjun: YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!
Soojin: I know he just got back. Give him a second.
Minjun finally loosened his grip but didn't let go completely.
Minjun: You're different.
Ji-hu didn't answer.
Minjun: I mean... you look different. Bigger. Stronger. And you're not talking much.
Ji-hu: Been alone.
Three words. That's all.
Minjun's face shifted. For once, he didn't have a quick response.
Soojin: Oppa, maybe we should sit down.
Minjun: Yeah. Okay. Sitting is good. We can do sitting.
---
They moved to the common room. Ji-hu sat slowly, carefully, like he was still getting used to chairs again. But his eyes never stopped moving. Scanning the room. The windows. The door. Every few seconds, checking.
Ara noticed. Said nothing.
Soojin brought tea. Handed a cup to Ji-hu.
Soojin: You probably haven't had tea in a while.
He looked at the cup. At her. Took it carefully.
Ji-hu: Thank you.
Soojin: You're welcome.
She sat beside her brother, watching Ji-hu with calm eyes.
The silence stretched. Not uncomfortable. Just... waiting.
Ara: Where were you?
Everyone tensed. But it had to be asked.
Ji-hu looked into his tea. Said nothing for a long moment.
Ji-hu: Another world.
Minjun: Another world?
Ji-hu: When the teleport broke. It sent me somewhere else. Not Earth. Not any Zone I know. Just... another world.
Yuna: What was it like?
Ji-hu: Monsters. Demons. Everything wanted to kill me.
He said it flat. Like he was describing the weather.
Minjun: Everything?
Ji-hu: Everything. First day, I almost died three times. Second day, four times. Lost count after that.
Soojin: How did you survive?
He looked at her. This quiet child asking the real question.
Ji-hu: I fought. Kept fighting. Didn't stop. After a while, fighting was all I knew. After a while, I stopped being afraid.
Ara: And then?
Ji-hu: Then I became the thing they were afraid of. Some monsters started avoiding me. They'd see me coming and turn around.
He said it without pride. Without satisfaction. Just fact.
Minjun: That's... that's insane.
Ji-hu: It was.
Yuna: Ji-hu...
Ji-hu: I don't want to talk about it more.
The words were quiet but final. Everyone felt it.
Ji-hu: Not now. Maybe later. Pieces. But not now.
Ara: Okay.
Minjun: But—
Soojin: Oppa. He said not now.
Minjun looked at his sister. At the calm certainty in her voice. He closed his mouth.
Minjun: Okay. Not now.
---
They sat together for a while longer. No more questions. Just presence.
Ji-hu drank his tea slowly. His movements were deliberate, controlled. Nothing wasted. Nothing careless. His eyes still scanned the room every few seconds. A habit too deep to break.
Yuna: The store got bigger.
Ji-hu: Saw.
Yuna: Customers ask about you. The ones who remember the tournament.
Ji-hu: Mm.
Minjun: I've been training so hard! You won't believe how strong I am now!
Soojin: You're still the same. Just louder.
Minjun: LOUD IS STRENGTH!
Soojin: That's not how it works.
Minjun: IT IS NOW!
A small sound. From Ji-hu. Not quite a laugh. But close.
Everyone noticed.
Minjun: DID YOU JUST ALMOST LAUGH?
Ji-hu: Maybe.
Minjun: THAT'S THE FIRST TIME IN A YEAR! PROGRESS!
Soojin: Oppa, it's been one day for him.
Minjun: DETAILS!
Ji-hu watched them bicker. Something warm moved behind his eyes. But his hands stayed still in his lap, ready.
Ara: You should rest.
Ji-hu: Soon.
Ara: You look like you haven't slept in a year.
Ji-hu: Close.
Ara: Then rest.
He looked at her. At the concern she tried to hide.
Ji-hu: Okay.
---
He stood. Moved toward the room that used to be his. Stopped at the door.
Ji-hu: Ara.
Ara: What?
Ji-hu: Thank you. For looking.
She didn't answer. Didn't need to.
He disappeared inside.
The others sat in silence for a moment.
Minjun: He's really back.
Soojin: He's really back.
Yuna: But he's different.
Ara: Of course he's different. A year in hell changes people.
Minjun: Will he... will he be okay?
Ara looked at the closed door.
Ara: I don't know. But he's here. That's a start.
---
In his room, Ji-hu lay on the mat.
Soft. Too soft. After a year of sleeping on stone and dirt and hard ground, the mattress felt wrong. He lay still, eyes open, listening.
Every sound registered. The creak of the dojo settling. Minjun's distant voice. Soojin's softer responses. Footsteps. Breathing. Wind outside.
He closed his eyes.
His body stayed tense. Muscles coiled. Hands ready.
In that other world, sleeping meant dying. Every time he closed his eyes, something came for him. He'd learned to sleep in fragments. Minutes at a time. Always alert. Always listening.
The habit wouldn't break in one night.
He lay there until dawn, never truly asleep, never truly awake. Just... waiting.
---
Morning came.
Ji-hu was already sitting at the table when the others stumbled in. Tea in front of him. Eyes clear. He hadn't slept, but no one needed to know that.
Minjun: MORNING! Did you sleep? How was it? Are you hungry? I'm hungry!
Soojin: Oppa, one question at a time.
Minjun: THAT'S THREE QUESTIONS! I DID THREE AT ONCE!
Soojin: That's my point.
Ji-hu watched them. Said nothing. But something in his posture had softened. Just a little.
Yuna: Breakfast?
Ji-hu: Okay.
They ate together. A family, complete again.
Whatever had happened in that other world, whatever monster he'd become, here he was still Ji-hu.
That was enough for now.
---
END OF CHAPTER 32