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I’ve worn a suit while commuting on a snowy day.

Typically, suits have almost no functionality, so when they get wet, they’re tough to dry out, and the clothes wear out quickly.

In other words,

“…Ugh!”

I gritted my teeth as I forced my sinking feet to move through the snow.

I had to run away when it snowed.

To be precise, I did run away when it snowed.

I was just a bit late about it.

Exhaling sharply in the cold, I looked around.

Before I knew it, we were in some place where we couldn’t see an inch ahead.

“…”

I should’ve run away back then.

*

“Why is it snowing in midsummer? Oh, Jae Heon. You look a bit unwell…”

“Team Leader.”

I glanced at the Team Leader, who was looking out the window with me.

“What?”

“Do you feel any danger?”

“Are you using your superior as a human alarm?”

“Ah, just tell me something.”

“I’ve raised a subordinate wrong. Totally wrong.”

While he let out deep sighs, the Team Leader closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

“…”

“…”

A suffocating silence filled the air.

“No.”

The Team Leader’s eyes shot open.

“I don’t feel anything at all.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Then why did you ask?”

“Can you expand the range a bit? What about ‘our’ danger, not just regarding the Team Leader?”

“Do you think that’s possible, Jae Heon?”

“…So, Team Leader, are you going home now?”

Finally, the Team Leader stared out the window intently.

“I guess I should. My kids and wife must be really worried.”

“Then can you come with us?”

When danger strikes, you take the Team Leader hostage.

“…”

And, as if reading my thoughts, the Team Leader looked straight at me.

“…Alright. Since I feel sorry for you, I’ll let you.”

“You heard that? Everyone, let’s get in the car.”

At my words, the three rushed over.

Three?

I looked at Park Ye Eun, who was staring at me intently.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“Oh, I got a house here.”

“…Here?”

The Management Agency?

At my words, Park Ye Eun nodded.

“The houses outside the Management Agency are dangerous, and the nursery is closed right now.”

“…That makes sense.”

“So, I’ve decided to stay inside the Management Agency for now.”

“…Hmm.”

Well, in a way, that might be better. Staying inside the Management Agency under some supervision is definitely safer than a minor staying home alone.

“Yeah. If anything happens…”

“What happens?”

“There’s a scary brown-haired unnie who doesn’t open her eyes.”

“Yeah.”

“You should find that person and beg for your life.”

“…Can that save me?”

“If that can’t save you, you would die anyway.”

“…”

After quietly nodding my head to Park Ye Eun, I looked at the other three.

“I’m going to ride with the Team Leader, but what will the rest of you do?”

“Where are we going?”

“Subway?”

“Sounds good!”

Yu Da On raised her hand.

“Yeah.”

Jang Chae Yeon nodded.

“…Fine, I guess I’ll go too. Ugh.”

And even Song Ah Rin sighed.

“Alright. Then follow me.”

As we prepared to leave the office behind the Team Leader,

<Management Agency Announcement>

The broadcast started ringing out.

It was the same voice I heard during the flood.

<Due to the snowfall, we kindly ask all employees to leave work. If you stay or wish to work overtime, please do not leave the office at any cost.>

<Once again, I repeat. Due to the snowfall, we kindly ask all employees to leave work. If you stay or wish to work overtime...>

“…Let’s hurry up.”

After hearing the announcement, the Team Leader quickened his pace.

“Did you feel something, Team Leader?”

“No. But my long experience is telling me I should head home quickly.”

Following the Team Leader, we headed to the underground parking lot.

A prepared six-seater car, just like any dad would have.

“Get in.”

As the door opened with a creak, the Team Leader looked at us. We all got in the car following him.

With a low engine rumble, the car started, and as we exited the parking lot, what caught our eyes was—

“…Wow.”

A world transformed into pure white.

The buildings, the roads, everything turned white with snow.

The only difference was—

“…Doesn’t it seem like nobody knows it’s snowing?”

No one was looking at the sky.

They just trudged along, buried in the snow.

“Probably the Gangseo Branch did something.”

As we observed, Song Ah Rin opened her mouth as if explaining.

“They probably brainwashed people not to feel the cold, making it seem like a clear day.”

“…”

“Not me.”

When I stared at Song Ah Rin, she shook her head.

“I don’t have the ability to cover such a wide area from the get-go. Probably some containment object or… well, someone pretty extraordinary is responsible.”

Song Ah Rin muttered with a somewhat bitter expression while gazing out the window.

“…Over there.”

Then, Jang Chae Yeon’s voice snapped us back to reality.

“Yes, Chae Yeon.”

“What is that?”

As Jang Chae Yeon pointed ahead, we shifted our gazes forward.

“…What is that?”

There was light.

Light so bright it felt like it would burn my eyes.

“Is it a bit bright?”

“Quite bright, actually.”

“Super bright… isn’t it?”

The reactions of Song Ah Rin, Jang Chae Yeon, and Yu Da On were all different.

“Guys, what are you talking about? I can’t see anything.”

The Team Leader looked at us, bewildered.

“…”

“…Can you see it too?”

Jang Chae Yeon poked my shoulder, and I nodded as I replied.

“It’s bright enough that I can’t see ahead.”

“…Not that bright.”

Jang Chae Yeon frowned, and—

-Whoosh!

“…Huh?”

We found ourselves inside a snowstorm on a snowy mountain.

*

“…”

Bright light.

Why was the light visible to different people so different?

“Song Ah Rin!”

“What?”

I ran over to Song Ah Rin, who was walking ahead.

“You said you saw the light earlier.”

“Is that important right now?”

“If we’re walking anyway, we should talk while we do it. We won’t stop walking, right?”

“You’re— Ugh, fine.”

With a sigh, Song Ah Rin nodded.

“Yeah, I saw it.”

“How bright was it back then?”

“How bright?”

At my question, Song Ah Rin scrunched her brows as she wiped the snow off her face.

“Just, about the brightness of a flashlight?”

“I saw it as incredibly bright.”

“Hmm…”

“Do you have any clue about it?”

Upon hearing my words, Song Ah Rin rested her chin on her hand in thought, then shook her head.

“No, not at all.”

“…Got it.”

“Right. Now, let’s talk about something more important.”

“Important?”

“What are we going to do?”

Song Ah Rin looked at me, trembling from the cold.

“I can’t see the mountain lodge. I can’t see the campfire. There’s no way out?”

“That’s true.”

“I wish there was some shelter…”

As I listened to Song Ah Rin muttering, something flashed in my mind.

“Oh, shelter.”

“Why?”

I quickly turned and walked toward Jang Chae Yeon, who was following closely.

“Chae Yeon!”

“Yeah.”

She nodded and approached.

Her face had turned red from the cold.

“Should we try making a shelter?”

“…”

For the first time, Jang Chae Yeon, who usually agreed with me, looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“How?”

“Do you remember what we did on the cruise?”

“Oh.”

Jang Chae Yeon nodded as she extended her hand to the ground.

-Thud!

The earth started to rise and sink as she waved her arms.

How long did she swing her arms?

Soon, a big hole was dug in the ground.

“…”

Song Ah Rin and Yu Da On gaped with their mouths wide open at the sight.

Jang Chae Yeon reached out her hand to me.

“Grab on.”

“Huh?”

“Hurry.”

“Oh, okay.”

Grabbing her hand, Jang Chae Yeon jumped straight down into the hole.

Just like back at the mountain lodge, we sank slowly as if swimming through the air.

Soon, we landed on the bottom.

“But Chae Yeon.”

“Yeah.”

“As far as I know, digging this deep into the ground isn’t the plan, was it?”

It was supposed to be a shallow hole covered by snow.

What she had dug was almost a pitfall level.

“You crazy girl! We wanted you to bring us down!”

“Should I jump down? I might just twist my ankle!”

“Could you let those two come down too?”

“…Sure.”

Looking a bit embarrassed, Jang Chae Yeon scratched her cheek and reached out.

The two of them came down much faster than before.

“Oh, hey! Aaaah!”

“Ouch!”

The two landed on their backsides.

“Such a brat…”

“Owie…”

Song Ah Rin glared at Jang Chae Yeon, while Yu Da On rubbed her backside and pouted.

“It hurts…”

“First, let’s rest here until the snow calms down a bit.”

Taking a deep breath, I brushed the snow off my clothes.

“…Brr, it’s cold.”

Song Ah Rin muttered as she fidgeted with her clothes.

“I’m soaked, and if I stay in these wet clothes, I might literally freeze to death.”

“…Right.”

As Song Ah Rin murmured, Jang Chae Yeon nodded as she looked at her outfit.

“Oh, at times like this!”

Then, Yu Da On clapped her hands, as if she had just thought of something.

“They said we can share body heat!”

“…I was afraid Da On would bring that up at some point.”

Upon hearing Yu Da On’s words, Song Ah Rin’s face turned bright red, while Jang Chae Yeon stared at me with eyes wide enough to poke a hole through my head.

“Wait, hold on. No matter what, that’s a bit…”

“I agree.”

“But, but… it might be necessary for survival…”

“Fortunately, I brought butane gas.”

Ever since the Mountain God incident, I’ve been carrying a gun and butane gas with me, and it’s proving to be quite useful now.

“Chae Yeon. Let’s expand this shelter more.”

“Okay.”

Together with Jang Chae Yeon, we meticulously worked on the interior until not long after—

“…Is this good enough?”

A hole had been created where the four of us could lie down comfortably.

“Then…”

I shook the butane gas and placed it on the ground, opening the cap.

-Whoosh!

Flames erupted and soared into the air, Illuminating our surroundings.

“…Is this right?”

While Song Ah Rin mumbled and sat next to the fire, I also took out the manual and placed it by the flames.

“Anyway, let me share what I heard.”

I recounted what Aileen told me about the ‘mountain’ at the Gangdong Branch to the three.

“…Wow…”

Song Ah Rin muttered, wide-eyed in disbelief.

“It’s a mountain.”

And Jang Chae Yeon nodded as if she understood.

Finally,

“Oh, then this time, just like Jae Heon and I saw the future, the others also…”

Silence followed.

“You saw the future?”

Jang Chae Yeon muttered, looking at me.

“What do you mean?”

“Um…”

“Oh, was that our little secret?”

Yu Da On covered her mouth, her eyes wide, and Jang Chae Yeon looked at her.

“Are you hiding something?”

“No, not really, but…”

“As long as Jae Heon doesn’t mind, I’m okay with keeping it a secret!”

Yu Da On smiled softly, and Jang Chae Yeon looked back and forth between her and me.

How do I even explain this?

Snow was still falling endlessly from the sky.