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Chapter 40 - Chapter 39: Her Arrival

Suwon – Afternoon at the Bus Terminal

It was an ordinary day.

Buses came and went, packed with students and office workers. Vendors sold fish cakes and tteokbokki near the sidewalk. People hurried about their lives.

No one noticed the girl stepping off the intercity bus.

She moved quietly.

Her hair was silver-white—uncommon even among dyed trends. Her coat was long, simple, and travel-worn. She carried no luggage.

But her eyes…

They didn't wander.

They searched.

And when they locked onto the skyline of Suwon, she whispered something faint enough for the wind to carry away—

> "He's here."

---

Suwon High – Class 2-B

Ha-Joon sat in the second row, scribbling absent-mindedly in the margin of his notebook.

History class droned on in the background, the teacher going over ancient conflicts and trade routes.

He wasn't listening.

He could feel something strange pressing against the edge of his perception—a presence.

Not violent.

Not dangerous.

But familiar… in a way that unsettled him.

Like an old scent buried in forgotten time.

> "Someone's watching me," he thought.

He turned slightly, just enough to glance out the classroom window.

And though the street below was full of ordinary people—

One figure stood still.

She wasn't even looking up.

But he could feel her eyes on his soul.

---

Meanwhile – Jung Family Shop

Ha-Rin rearranged snacks on the shelf when the doorbell chimed.

> "Welcome—"

She paused.

The girl who walked in looked too elegant for their little shop. She wore no makeup, no smile, no aura of customer warmth.

Just calm observation.

> "Can I help you?" Ha-Rin asked.

The girl tilted her head slightly.

> "Does Jung Ha-Joon live here?"

Ha-Rin blinked. "I'm sorry, but—"

> "I'm not here to hurt him," the girl interrupted, voice soft.

> "I just want to see him."

---

After School – Front Gate

The day ended like any other.

Students filed out lazily. Some rushed to cram school. Others chatted under the trees. Baek Seo-Yeon waited near the side gate for Ha-Joon, her usual spot.

He came out calmly, bag over his shoulder.

> "You feel it too?" he asked before she spoke.

> "Someone… not human?"

> "No," he replied. "Not quite that."

They walked together down the quiet street, past flower shops and noodle stalls.

And then he stopped.

She followed his gaze—

The silver-haired girl stood at the corner, waiting.

---

Face-to-Face

Ha-Joon walked toward her.

Seo-Yeon stayed behind.

The silver-haired girl didn't speak immediately.

She looked at him closely—without fear, without awe.

Just certainty.

> "So it's really you," she finally said.

He looked calm. Blank.

> "Have we met?"

She smiled faintly.

> "Not yet. But you knew me… a long time ago."

Ha-Joon narrowed his eyes slightly.

> "From the Gate?"

> "From before the Gate," she said quietly.

He froze.

That… shouldn't be possible.

Even he couldn't remember anything before the Gate.

> "Who are you?" he asked, voice low.

> "Just someone who waited," she replied.

"You may not remember… but I do."

---

Elsewhere – Sahara Desert

The tower pulsed again.

The ground cracked in spirals.

Something beneath it had noticed the girl's arrival on Earth.

And it began to change shape.

---

Back in Suwon – Rooftop That Night

Ha-Joon sat on the ledge, the silver-haired girl standing beside him now.

She didn't talk much.

Neither did he.

But there was no need for words yet.

> "Your name?" he asked.

> "Ji-Yun," she said simply.

> "Are you human?"

> "That's complicated."

> "Why me?"

> "Because you ended everything once before," she said.

> "And you may have to do it again."

He looked at her for a long time.

Then back at the moon.

> "I don't want to destroy anything anymore," he said.

> "I know."

> "Then why come?"

Ji-Yun's gaze softened.

> "Because whether you want it or not… something is coming for you."

---

Final Scene – Baek Seo-Yeon's Apartment

Seo-Yeon tossed her bag onto the couch, irritated.

> "Who was that girl?"

She stared at the sky through her window.

Something about this felt wrong.

Like the story was changing direction.

And she was being left behind.

But she clenched her fists.

> "If you're hiding something, Ha-Joon…"

"I'm going to find out what it is."

And her eyes, too—

for just a moment—

reflected a glimmer of something not entirely normal.

---

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