> A mind may forget—but the body remembers. And sometimes... the scars burn louder than the memories.
---
[Dreamscape – Taerim's Mind]
Smoke.
Ash.
A child's scream.
Then silence.
Taerim stood alone in the burning hallway of the lab. Flames licked at the walls, the floor cracked beneath her bare feet, and every breath was agony.
She turned a corner.
And saw them.
Her brothers—Joonseok, Joonbyul, Joonhyuk—collapsed, bleeding. Their eyes wide in pain.
Behind them—
A white-coated figure. Smiling.
"You did this," he whispered.
"You killed them."
Taerim screamed—
---
[Present – Dormitory Room]
She bolted upright, gasping.
Sweat soaked her shirt. Her pulse thundered in her ears. She clutched her chest, trembling.
The dream again.
But this time, she remembered his face.
"Dr. Kwon..."
The name left her lips like poison.
---
[Shared Apartment – Kitchen Area]
The dorm bustled with noise.
Harin was arguing with Hajoon over burnt toast. Joonhyuk sleepily dropped cereal into his orange juice. Yulseung snored at the table.
"Morning," Juwon greeted her, sipping coffee. "You look like you fought a bear."
"Had a dream," Taerim muttered, grabbing a spoon. "The same one."
"You remembered something new?"
"Yeah. Dr. Kwon."
That silenced the table.
Joonseok stepped in from the hall, freshly dressed and unreadable. "We suspected he was alive."
"He was the lead scientist," Taerim said. "I remember... his laugh."
Joonbyul's jaw clenched. "Then we find him."
"We will," Joonseok promised. "But right now, we need to brief you all. There's movement in the northern district. A C-class mutation wiped out a surveillance unit."
Taerim stiffened. "Survivors?"
"None."
---
[Briefing Room – Underground Guild Wing]
The team gathered around a digital map. Red markers lit up one by one.
"These are the known locations of mutated anomalies," Juwon explained. "They follow no fixed pattern—until now."
He highlighted a perfect circle on the map.
"They're closing in," Siyoon said. "On Hanseong Academy."
"They want the students," Harin muttered. "Or... the experiments."
"Both," Taerim said.
Joonhyuk spoke up. "Explain the class system again. For Taerim's sake."
Juwon nodded. "After the experiments, we ranked mutations by threat level."
F-Class: Physical deformities. Minimal abilities.
D-Class: Mild enhancements. Aggression increase.
C-Class: Combat capable. Environmental manipulation.
B-Class: High-level mutations. Intelligence retained.
A-Class: Rare. Strategic. Potentially unstable.
S-Class: ...Unknown. Only a few exist. Or so we thought.
Everyone turned to Taerim.
She looked down at her hands. The glowing marks under her skin pulsed faintly.
"What class am I?"
Juwon hesitated. "S."
She bit her lip. "Right."
"But you're not a monster," Harin added gently. "You're the reason we're not monsters."
---
[Outside the Training Arena – That Afternoon]
"You need to train with us," Siyoon said. "You've been avoiding sparring."
"I'm not avoiding," Taerim lied.
Siyoon crossed her arms.
"You're scared."
Taerim flinched.
"I saw your face during the Raven fight. You held back."
"I didn't want to hurt anyone."
"You didn't want to lose control," Siyoon corrected. "But if you keep holding it in, you will lose control."
"...Fine."
They entered the arena.
---
[Training Arena – Combat Simulation]
Siyoon activated the projection grid. "Let's see what you remember."
The field morphed into a broken cityscape. Enemies appeared—faceless, digital, fast.
Taerim leapt forward. Her hands shimmered. Light whips danced from her palms.
She struck fast, clean, focused.
Then the simulation glitched.
The enemies turned into younger versions of her friends—screaming, burning.
Her power flared—
And exploded.
The training field cracked. Lights burst.
"End simulation!" Siyoon shouted.
Taerim collapsed.
Siyoon rushed forward. "Taerim—!"
"I'm sorry," she gasped. "I didn't mean to—!"
"I know," Siyoon said, kneeling. "I was testing your limit."
"You made them look like—"
"I needed to know what triggers you. Now we do."
Taerim trembled. "Then I'm useless."
"No," Siyoon said firmly. "Now we know what to fix."
---
[Nightfall – Rooftop Alone]
Taerim sat on the rooftop, knees drawn to her chest.
She stared at her hands.
So much blood. So many memories clawing back.
"You still cry like a ghost," said a soft voice.
She turned.
Joonhyuk.
He sat beside her, chewing gum.
"I remember the first time you protected me," he said. "You were eight. I got hurt in the lab, and you tried to fight off a guard twice your size."
Taerim chuckled weakly. "I got knocked out in two seconds."
"Yeah. But you screamed 'Don't touch my brother' loud enough to break glass."
He looked at her, serious now.
"You've always been the strongest. Even when you didn't know it."
"I'm scared, Hyuk."
"I know."
"I keep seeing them die. And it's always me who kills them."
"You didn't kill us, Taerim. You saved us. And you're going to save a lot more people."
She didn't answer.
But her hand reached out.
And he held it.
---
[Final Scene – Hidden Laboratory, Unknown Location]
The halls were cold.
Clean.
Inhuman.
Dr. Kwon adjusted his gloves, watching a monitor flicker.
A file labeled: S001 – Status: Active
"She woke up," said the assistant.
"She remembered," Kwon corrected. "The fire always brings the phoenix back."
The assistant hesitated. "She's too unstable. She'll never join you again."
Kwon smiled.
"She won't need to. The others will bring her."
On screen, a figure appeared.
Another experiment.
One they all believed dead.
"Send in S004."
---