The men stopped twenty steps away.
Not closer.
Not yet.
The river wind moved between us, carrying the distant hum of traffic from the bridge above. The peaceful riverside that had looked so calm a few minutes ago now felt like a stage waiting for something dangerous to begin.
Seo-yeon stood beside me, her hand still half-raised, staring at the gold ring like it might suddenly explode.
"…Ji-hoon," she whispered.
"Yeah."
"Why are they looking at you like that?"
I didn't answer.
Because I had noticed the same thing.
Every single one of the men approaching us had their eyes fixed on me.
Not Seo-yeon.
Not the ring.
Me.
Behind us, Min-jae leaned casually against the railing like he was watching a late-night drama.
"You know," he said lazily, "this situation feels very familiar."
Seo-yeon turned sharply.
"You're enjoying this?"
"A little."
"You're unbelievable."
Min-jae chuckled softly.
"Relax. If they wanted you dead, they would've shot already."
"That does not make me feel better!"
The footsteps grew closer.
The man leading the group stepped forward.
He wore a long dark coat, his posture straight like a trained officer.
When he stopped, he looked directly at me.
"Kang Ji-hoon."
His voice carried authority.
Cold and official.
I stepped forward slightly.
"That's my name."
He nodded once.
"Good."
Seo-yeon whispered behind me.
"That's it?"
"That's all you're going to say?"
The man ignored her.
Instead he reached into his coat.
Seo-yeon immediately grabbed my arm.
"Ji-hoon!"
But the man didn't pull out a weapon.
He pulled out a small tablet.
And tapped the screen.
The device lit up.
Then he turned it toward me.
"Confirm identity."
The screen displayed a military file.
A classified one.
Even from a distance I recognized the format.
Seo-yeon leaned closer to see.
Her eyes widened.
"…That's your file."
It was.
My name was written clearly across the top.
KANG JI HOON
But the title underneath it made my chest tighten.
PROJECT: GUARDIAN SEAL
Min-jae sighed behind us.
"Oh look."
"They brought the paperwork."
Seo-yeon whispered,
"Why is your name on something called Guardian Seal?"
The officer continued calmly.
"Subject located."
"Condition unknown."
"Memory suppression still active."
My jaw tightened.
"You're talking like I'm equipment."
The officer looked at me again.
"You were."
The sentence landed heavier than a punch.
Seo-yeon stared at him.
"…Excuse me?"
The officer lowered the tablet.
"Return with us."
"That's not happening," I said.
He tilted his head slightly.
"You misunderstand."
"This is not a request."
The gold ring suddenly pulsed.
Once.
Soft.
Seo-yeon felt it immediately.
"…Again."
The officer noticed.
His eyes moved toward her hand for the first time.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
He turned slightly toward his men.
"Secure the girl."
Seo-yeon stepped back.
"Hey!"
Min-jae pushed away from the railing.
"Ah."
"There it is."
"What?" Seo-yeon snapped.
"The part where things get messy."
Two soldiers stepped forward.
I moved instantly.
"Don't."
The word came out colder than I expected.
The soldiers paused.
The officer studied me carefully.
For a moment the wind moved across the river again.
Then he smiled faintly.
"…So it's true."
"What is?"
"You still react the same way."
My head throbbed suddenly.
A flash hit my mind.
A training field.
A voice shouting.
"Guardians protect the carriers first."
The memory vanished instantly.
Seo-yeon noticed my expression.
"Ji-hoon?"
"I'm fine."
But I wasn't.
Because that memory hadn't felt like imagination.
It had felt like something I used to know.
Behind us the river suddenly rippled.
Not from wind.
From something deeper.
Min-jae looked over the railing again.
"Well that's interesting."
Seo-yeon glanced at him.
"Can you stop saying that like we're watching a movie?"
Min-jae ignored her.
Instead he looked directly at the officer.
"You're making a mistake."
The officer's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Min-jae."
Seo-yeon blinked.
"You two know each other too?!"
Min-jae shrugged.
"It's a small world."
The officer sighed.
"You disappeared."
"I took a vacation."
"For eight years?"
"Very relaxing."
The officer's expression hardened.
"You should not be here tonight."
Min-jae smiled.
"And yet here I am."
The officer suddenly turned his attention back to me.
"You don't remember anything, do you?"
"No."
"Not even the training facility?"
"No."
"Not even the war?"
Seo-yeon froze.
"…War?"
I shook my head slowly.
The officer studied my face for a long moment.
Then he said something unexpected.
"Good."
My eyes narrowed.
"…What?"
He stepped back slightly.
"Because if you remembered everything…"
He glanced at Seo-yeon.
"…you would already know how dangerous she is."
Seo-yeon stared at him.
"I'm standing right here!"
Min-jae laughed quietly.
"Oh this is getting better."
The officer raised his hand slightly.
His men moved again.
Seo-yeon whispered urgently.
"Ji-hoon…"
"I know."
But something strange happened right then.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just subtle.
Seo-yeon's gold ring warmed again.
Then the streetlight above us flickered.
The river reflected a faint golden ripple.
Min-jae noticed immediately.
"Oh."
"Well that's definitely new."
The officer's eyes widened slightly.
"…Already?"
Seo-yeon looked down at her hand.
"I'm not doing anything!"
"I know," Min-jae said calmly.
"That's the problem."
The officer slowly stepped back.
Not out of fear.
Out of calculation.
His gaze moved between Seo-yeon… and me.
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
"The synchronization has started."
Seo-yeon blinked.
"The what?"
Min-jae muttered quietly,
"…That's sooner than expected."
I looked at both of them.
"What synchronization?"
No one answered immediately.
The officer simply gave a small nod to his men.
"We're leaving."
Seo-yeon blinked again.
"…What?"
"You're just leaving?"
"For now."
He looked directly at me again.
"But this will happen again, Kang Ji-hoon."
His voice grew colder.
"And next time…"
He glanced at Seo-yeon's ring.
"…you might remember why we were afraid of you."
The soldiers returned to their vehicles.
The engines started.
Within seconds the cars disappeared into the city night.
Seo-yeon turned slowly toward Min-jae.
"Okay."
"No more mysterious answers."
"What is synchronization?"
Min-jae rubbed the back of his neck.
"That's… complicated."
"Try me."
He looked at me.
Then at Seo-yeon.
Then finally at the river.
"…Let's just say something old has started moving again."
Seo-yeon crossed her arms.
"That's not helpful."
Min-jae sighed.
"You're right."
Then he said quietly—
"But the strange part isn't that the rings are waking up."
Seo-yeon frowned.
"What's strange then?"
Min-jae looked directly at me.
"The strange part…"
"…is that Ji-hoon's ring hasn't appeared yet."
The wind moved across the river again.
And deep inside my chest—
Something pulsed once.