"Just one more, and your wish will be fulfilled."
A strange monster with long horns and a weird, twisted face held a glowing cage. Shadows flickered inside. Its sharp gaze fixed on her, cold and unblinking.
Suddenly, Rian's grandmother's eyes snapped open in panic. But soon, her expression twisted into something dark, almost satisfied, like her plan was nearly complete.
Meanwhile, back in Rian's secret hideout …
Before Yurim could say anything about the person who had been peeking, the landlady suddenly grabbed Rian's bag and shook out every coin. Rian just stood there, used to this kind of embarrassment.
She yanked him close and yelled in his ear again, "This is your last warning!"
Then she froze, nose wrinkling at a strong scent. Her eyes darted toward Yurim.
"Ugh… what is that smell? Haven't you bathed in ages? Who wears this much perfume?" she spat, waving her hand as if she might pass out.
Her little son ran in, tugging her sleeve.
"Mom, hurry! I'll be late for school!"
Round-cheeked and waddling, he looked like a little piglet in human clothes. But he pulled her along with surprising force, leaving her curses trailing behind.
The person who had been peeking earlier—Yunho—quietly opened the door once the landlady left. He stepped outside with a smile, tall and with a head of messy, curly hair that caught the light as he moved.
"Hi Rian, why didn't you—" He stopped mid-sentence, covering his nose at the strong perfume.
"Who… is she?"
Rian went inside without answering, and Yurim quickly followed. Yunho closed the door, looking puzzled. A long silence passed as no one replied to his questions. To pass the time, he turned on the TV.
The news was full of chaos—headlines about a scientist competition happening that evening flashed across the screen. Yurim froze. They actually compete like this?
Yunho muttered, "We should go watch it tonight."
Rian finally said, "She's human. She doesn't know how to get back to her world."
Yunho's eyes widened. "H-human? Go back… to her world? Are you… helping her?"
Rian looked at Yurim. "Do you know how you ended up here?"
Yurim grew uneasy under the sudden focus on her. She tried hard to remember how she ended up here, but nothing came. After struggling for a while, she let out an awkward laugh. "I can only remember the school where I first saw you. I was in a classroom… that's the last thing I recall," she murmured.
Rian's expression turned cold, his glare sharp. Noticing the tension—Rian's icy stare and Yurim's frightened face—Yunho quickly stepped in. "Ah… then let's go to school tomorrow. Maybe it'll help you remember how you came here," he stammered.
Yurim nodded.
After a while.....
The evening sun slanted through the window, soft and lazy. At some point, boredom had quietly won, and the three of them had dozed off without even noticing. Yurim leaned back awkwardly, her head tilted at an odd angle that looked anything but comfortable. Rian had his arms crossed, mouth slightly open, while Yunho, sprawled in the corner, looked as if he had lost a battle with gravity. The room was silent except for their uneven breaths.
But elsewhere, the long-awaited competition for the best scientist was about to begin. The grand lab hosting it buzzed with excitement, filled to the brim with eager faces.
The lab itself looked nothing like an ordinary place—it was vast and strange, almost alive. Giant glass tubes lined the walls, each one trapping bizarre creatures that twitched and floated in colored liquids. Tiny glowing beings fluttered through the air like fireflies, leaving trails of light behind them. Scattered across the hall were strange inventions—gleaming machines, strange gadgets, even something that looked like an advanced power bank sparking faintly with energy.
The human-looking monsters crowded every corner, their eyes shining with anticipation, their voices echoing in a restless hum.
Amid the chaos, a small monster boy wandered away, chasing after the glowing light-creatures. They darted toward a dark corner and slipped through the grills of a heavy door. Curious, the boy dragged a stool over and climbed up, pressing his face against the slits to peek inside.
What he saw made his breath catch.
Inside, a man sat in a cage—thin and fragile, every rib and joint visible. His head hung low, eyes blank and distant. He looked helpless, trapped in quiet despair.
The boy's heart pounded. He stumbled back, wide-eyed. Before he could speak, his mother grabbed him, scolding him for wandering too far. Terrified, he said nothing.