On a black carriage trimmed with gold, drawn by two massive black horses—eyes dark as bottomless pits yet driven into a mad sprint forward—the world outside was changing at a terrifying pace.
Fog rolled in thick and suffocating, swallowing everything from sight. The wind screamed sharply, biting into the ears, and the speed they were moving at was nothing short of horrifying.
Yet inside the carriage, the atmosphere was strangely warm… and far more peaceful than it had any right to be.
Dali bent forward, tending to a small fire, reheating a long loaf of toasted bread. Flames licked upward, cooking fragrant slices of pork belly and sunny-side-up eggs. The smell alone was enough to make everyone's stomachs twist with hunger. Whatever chaos was happening outside, they seemed to have collectively chosen to ignore it.
In fact, the carriage felt bizarrely like a fully furnished travel wagon—far too comfortable to make any sense.
Dali pulled a hot tray of bread from the oven, sliced it neatly, and plated it with smoked meat and eggs. The sight alone made everyone restless with anticipation.
"Here you go," Dali said warmly, handing the plates over. "For my ladies."
Nayeon, and Dao exchanged uncertain glances. Accepting food from someone they had just met didn't exactly feel wise.
But Yu immediately started eating, unfazed. She even muttered a curt, emotionless "Thank you."
When Dali offered a plate to Mina, however, she turned away, feigning disinterest.
Dali didn't drop her smile. She kept nudging the plate toward Mina until Mina's irritation finally showed. Mina shot her a sideways glance and said flatly,
"I can't eat meat. I'm vegetarian."
The statement stunned everyone—Dao included. She doesn't eat meat? Since when?
Dali tilted her head, slowly scanning Mina from head to toe.
"Ah. That explains why you're so skinny. I don't know if you're trying to keep your figure or what, but…"
She paused, then smirked.
"You're planning to face that fox without a single gram of protein in your system?"
The moment Dali mentioned "the fox," Mina's eyes widened. Instinctively, she snapped her gaze back at Dali.
"You know about her?" Mina pressed urgently. "Tell me everything you know about her."
Dali only smiled, still holding out the plate. Mina couldn't read her intentions at all—but the rich scent of smoked meat and freshly toasted bread soaked in butter made her stomach growl against her will. Embarrassed, she turned her face away.
Only then did Dali sigh lightly.
"If you won't eat, that's fine. Then I won't say—"
She didn't get to finish. Mina suddenly snatched the plate from her hands and took a huge bite of bread. The bite was far too big, crumbs nearly falling as she chewed. Her eyes never left Dali—not for a second. She didn't care about the food. She wanted answers.
Dali burst out laughing.
"Make sure you clean the plate, alright? Oh dear, let's see…"
She struggled a little as she lowered herself into her seat, groaning like an old woman despite her youthful face and small frame.
"So," she said casually, "you want me to tell you about the Nine-Tailed Fire Fox, huh? Unfortunately, every place has its rules. And I can't exactly reveal too much to you. Do you even know where you are right now?"
They all looked at one another. Why was she asking something so obvious?
Nayeon frowned impatiently.
"Aren't we still in Hokkaido?"
Dali froze for just a fraction of a second, surprise flickering across her face—quickly masked.
"From the moment you entered this place," she said calmly, "whether by accident or on purpose, you stepped into the domain realm of Shigonami Shana. This is land where humans were never meant to tread." She laughed softly.
"Of course, there are exceptions. Look outside.
Dali pulled back the curtain, revealing the world beyond the glass. The sight made everyone gasp.
A massive landslide was unfolding outside. Snow poured down from the mountain peaks like a raging flood, surging straight toward the carriage in relentless waves.
"It's coming!" Nayeon screamed.
Yet miraculously, the snowstorm didn't affect the carriage at all. Not even a tremor. The carriage continued forward smoothly, calmly—as if gliding along a perfectly straight road.
What they had just witnessed should have made their hearts stop. Yu's eyes hardened. Her voice was cautious, though her face remained as emotionless as a machine's.
"Who… are you, really?"
Dali ignored the question. She drew the curtain closed and replied indifferently,
"As you've seen, without my carriage, you'd all be dead by now. I've been here for over a hundred years. I've watched countless people freeze beneath that snow."
She continued, tone casual.
"Mornings look peaceful enough. But once night falls, the blizzards come—violent and unrelenting—until dawn."
"Why does a place like this even exist?" Dao blurted out.
Dali shrugged.
"Go ask Shana. She's the one who created this system, not me."
The words left everyone stunned. Shana… could control weather this extreme?
They knew she was a Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit—but power on this level was monstrous.
It sounded less like a monster… and more like a god.
Mina, however, scoffed. She clearly wasn't impressed by the avalanche—or by Dali's story. Arms crossed, she stared at Dali with cold suspicion.
"Someone came here before us," Mina said. "And you didn't let them onto this carriage. You let them die. So what's the point of telling us this now? Trying to earn sympathy? Or are you just trying to scare us so you can glorify that bitch?"
Dali let out an impressed hum.
"Well… you really do hate Shigonami Shana. Haha. How interesting, Miss Kamakiri."
She paused. Then leaned in slightly.
Her voice dropped into a dangerous whisper.
"Of course I could have taken them with me. But they were better off freezing to death under the snow… rather than dying in that forest."
That finally caught Mina's interest. She lifted her gaze, eyes sharp. "Oh?"
No one liked the idea—not a single one of them—except Mina. So what was there in that forest anyway?
Dali glancing down at the old pocket watch hanging from a chain tucked inside her thick fur-lined leather coat. Then, without another word, she sprang up into the small upper bunk, pulled the heavy blankets over herself as if nothing had happened.
Her behavior was so unpredictable it left everyone staring in stunned silence. Dao jumped to her feet and pointed at her, shouting,
"Hey! We're in the middle of a conversation—why are you going to sleep?!"
But Dali didn't answer. From beneath the soft, velvet-thick blankets came the steady sound of her snoring, rhythmic and persistent like chirping crickets.
It was infuriating—enough to drive them all insane. That was when Nayeon suddenly realized something was wrong. She asked quietly,
"Wait… if she's asleep, then who's driving the horses?"
The carriage fell into dead silence. And of course, none of them could leave the carriage anyway—the weather outside was too strange, too dangerous.
Dao slumped back into her seat, clutching her head, all hope seemingly drained from her.
"Oh my god… why did we ever come to a place like this?"
No one answered. They were all exhausted after a long, confusing journey, and now, standing before them, was a forest just as incomprehensible.
Mina remained as cold and distant as ever. She didn't care much about the emotions of the other two. But Dao… when Mina looked at her expression, she felt a faint pang of guilt.
Mina felt separated from the other three—like she was the only one truly here for Duyen.
Why did this loneliness feel so overwhelming?
She remembered Dali's blunt, brutal words—that she had nothing left now.
What did she have to reclaim Duyen?
What could she possibly use to defeat someone like Shana?
The ring… whether she had it or not, it probably didn't matter anymore.
Overcome by prolonged exhaustion, they gradually drifted into a light sleep by the window. The carriage kept moving, rolling endlessly through thick fog all night long. It felt as though time itself had frozen—carrying them into an entirely different world.
By dawn, the storm slowly faded. Mina didn't even realize when she had fallen asleep. Her phone had died long ago, but she was the kind of person who always woke up before her alarm. Still, she must have been utterly drained to lose track of time like this.
From her strange nightmare—one where she saw Duyen again, back when they were still in college.
Tears streamed down Mina's face as she slept, seeing the Duyen of the past. The dream felt like a reminder of a regret buried deep within her subconscious.
Dali quietly stepped past them, moving on tiptoe so she wouldn't wake anyone—and then she noticed the tear tracks on Mina's cheeks.
A sharp knock echoed against the wooden carriage. That sound startled everyone awake. Nayeon and Dao, who had fallen asleep holding each other, slowly opened their eyes. Outside, they saw Dali and Yu standing in the cold, doing something.
Yu was watching intently as Dali sliced the frozen skin off a mackerel with a razor-sharp knife, shaving through its flesh as if she were carving wood. The scraps were tossed into the beak of a brown hawk perched nearby.
There was nothing particularly fascinating about it—but Yu couldn't look away. She had never seen anyone do this before. Meanwhile, Dali casually instructed her, even though it wasn't clear whether the lesson was necessary.
"After that, you do it like this. You remember how I taught you to fish through the ice earlier, right?"
Yu shook her head—then nodded. Dali sighed. Her breath was visible in the cold air.
"You're going to need that skill. Especially if you plan on staying alive."
She tossed chunks of frozen fish straight into a boiling pot with a bit of tomato, herbs, and a pinch of salt.
The aroma was rich and intoxicating—awakening every sense.
Mina woke up with slightly swollen eyes from crying and quickly realized everyone else was already awake. When she stepped outside, she saw them all waiting for her, hands shoved deep into their pockets to fight off the cold.
Not wanting anyone to notice she'd been crying, Mina put on her usual icy expression. Her face was slightly flushed—maybe from the cold, or maybe from the tears.
She was surprised to see Dali tying a rope around Yu, Nayeon, and Dao.
"What's going on?" Mina asked as she stepped closer.
"Oh—Mina, this…" Dao hesitated, clearly unsure.
"Dali said it's necessary for entering the forest. I don't really understand it either…"
"The forest?" Mina blurted out.
That was when she realized—they had arrived. The pine forest stretched before them, choked with dense, tangled fog that made it impossible to see inside. Despite the cold weather, the air carried an oppressive, nauseating presence that made Mina feel uneasy.
What was this place?
As Dali braided the rope, she explained,
"I waited until morning to let you go in. You could enter at night, but…"
Her face twisted unnaturally.
"…you really shouldn't."
"And what are you doing with all that rope?" Mina snapped.
"Oh, this?" Dali said casually. "I'll explain later. Mina, stand here."
Mina hesitated, but when Dao tugged at her sleeve, she stepped beside her. Dali looped the rope around her waist.
The four of them were now connected by a single rope, each spaced three meters apart.
What was the point of this?
Once finished, Dali planted her hands on her hips and surveyed them.
"Alright. Looks good. Now, a few rules before you step into this forest."
She raised one finger.
"Rule number one: never, under any circumstances, separate from each other. This rope binds you together. If it breaks—you're in serious danger."
Mina frowned impatiently.
"Why?"
But Dali continued without pause.
"Rule number two: if you see a blue flame, do not look at it. Close your eyes and keep walking straight. And if you're alone?" She smirked. "I wouldn't recommend trying that."
"Hey!" Mina snapped. "I asked you something, shorty. Why?"
Dali clearly didn't like the nickname. She stepped closer, adjusted Mina's holster, and said coldly,
"Listen, Kamakiri. Since you're carrying a loaded gun, here's some honest advice—don't end up using it to blow your own brains out."
Mina scoffed.
"Why would I ever do that?"
"Because this forest is also called the Forest of Regret. The moment you lose your clarity—even for a second—it will swallow you whole."
Dali smiled at her. It was an unsettling smile.
"That means, Kamakiri… if you see the girl you love in this forest—someone who is not one of the four of you—you shoot it."
A chill ran through them. Mina stared at Dali in horror. What kind of thing could be waiting for them inside?
"That's why you must stay together," Dali continued calmly.
"Remind each other that what you're seeing isn't real. Then run straight through the forest. You'll reach where you need to go."
Mina's heart pounded—she couldn't tell if it was fear or excitement. She knew the forest ahead was incredibly dangerous. But if she could get through it… she could finally see Duyen again.
Yu asked quietly, "Aren't you coming with us?"
"I can't, sweetheart."
Dali slid the sharp knife—the same one she'd used on the fish—into Yu's belt. She said nothing more, but Yu understood. It was a gift.
Then Dali turned to Mina.
"If you survive and come out of here with the person you love, I'll give you the ring back."
Mina's eyes flicked to the ring on Dali's thumb. Her gaze hardened. Her voice was hoarse with determination.
"…That's a promise."
Dali laughed.
"Then you're ready."
Mina, Dao, Nayeon, and Yu stood before the forest. Cold air rushed out from within, making them shiver.
Dao shouted as a leader, just like when she was the cheerleading captain.
"Everyone—hold hands!"
Yu tightly grasped Nayeon's hand. Dao held onto Mina. Together, the four of them stepped into the fog-shrouded forest—
Unaware that something cruel and twisted was waiting for them ahead.