Incheon Airport, before departure.
The Chiyoo Gym members had finished checking in as a group and were now sitting in the waiting area near the gate.
They were burly figures, each wearing tracksuits and carrying a single backpack.
Among them, two individuals were particularly restless.
"Hyung-nim… What if that thing breaks mid-air? Its wings look too thin…"
"How can a machine fly like that, comrade? It just feels unstable…"
It was the Twin Tigers duo, Young-ho and Young-beom.
Their faces were frozen with nervousness, facing their first airplane ride.
Do-yoon chuckled.
"Hyung-nims, with those expressions, even with passports, you'll be treated like terrorists. Lighten up a bit."
Park Sang-cheol snorted next to them.
"Big as mountains, these guys! Such an unfitting fear of heights."
Young-ho, oblivious to Sang-cheol's words, nervously fiddled with his ticket.
'If this thing falls, shouldn't I bring an umbrella to open…? Isn't that right?'
Min-chan, watching them from a distance, let out a small laugh.
In his hand was a Woo Hwang Chung Sim Hwan, given to him by Dam-bi.
"Seriously… should I really take this or not."
[Korean Air Flight 885, bound for Shenyang, is now boarding.]
Just then, the boarding announcement came on.
"Coach-nim… Can't we go by boat…?"
Young-ho's face turned pale.
Behind them, Kim Gap-su's eyes flashed.
"If you don't get on now, I'll send you by cargo ship in a container."
At Coach Gap-su's threat, the two finally sat in their seats, looking nervously around before spotting their seatbelts.
"This belt won't come undone, right…?"
"Uh-huh, buckle up tight. You'll float if we gain altitude."
Heo Do-yoon threw out a joke with a giggle, and beside him, Tae-geon added expressionlessly.
"If that belt comes undone… it's an automatic free fall."
Young-beom's face turned ashen.
Young-ho cinched his belt tight, then firmly grabbed Young-beom's hand.
"Young-beom… how about we hold hands?
It's been… a long time since I held your hand, comrade."
"Are you crazy…?"
Young-beom tried to pull his hand away, feigning disgust, but after glancing around, he firmly held Young-ho's hand back.
[To our customers using our airline…]
The pre-flight safety announcement played, and Kim Gap-su was about to quietly close his eyes when—
A hand shot up in the seat in front.
"Comrade! Isn't this belt broken?! It's loose, comrade!!"
"L… Look! Check mine too!"
As Young-ho called out to the flight attendant in a scream-like voice, several passengers in front and behind him glanced over.
The flight attendant approached with a calm smile, checked the belt, and spoke softly.
"Customer, seatbelts naturally have a little slack. They are designed to engage when pulled quickly, so you can rest assured."
After finishing her explanation with a bright smile, the flight attendant turned away, and Young-ho and Young-beom's faces simultaneously turned beet red.
The two bowed their heads to the left and right.
Coach Kim Gap-su, sitting in the back seat, closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
'How embarrassing, truly…'
---
And so, after a commotion—
The Chiyoo Gym members' first flight, thankfully, ended safely.
---
Arrival in Shenyang.
After clearing immigration and exiting the airport gate, a Chinese announcement blared from a loudspeaker.
[Yu Ding Ba Shi De Chiyou Ti Yu Guan!]
(Bus Reservation, Chiyoo Gym!)
Amidst the bustling crowd,
a man holding a loudspeaker and a paper sign looked around.
On the sign, crooked Korean characters spelled—
'Chiyoo Chaeyookgwan' (Chiyoo Gym)
"Oh! There it is."
Coach Kim Gap-su pointed with his finger.
Where he pointed,
a yellow bus with the words 'Changbai Mountain Tour Bus' written on it
was quietly parked by the roadside.
Next to the bus, a piece of paper with 'Chiyoo Gym' written in brushstrokes was taped over.
"It's us, right…?"
Do-yoon asked with a suspicious look.
At that moment—
A middle-aged man in black sunglasses opened the door and stepped out of the bus.
His expression was blank, with no hint of a smile.
"Tiyou Ti Yu Guan? Zai li!"
He said, gesturing.
Young-ho subtly whispered to Tae-geon.
"…Are we perhaps getting kidnapped, comrade?"
Then Tae-geon pointed to the words 'Changbai Mountain Tour Bus' written on the front of the bus.
"Weren't we going to see Baekdu Mountain?"
"Ah… We call it Baekdu Mountain, but half of it is Chinese territory, so in China, they call it Changbai Mountain."
Coach Gap-su said as he loaded the luggage.
At Gap-su's words, someone muttered.
"It's the same mountain, but the name is different…"
At that moment, Dam-bi spoke quietly.
"When those who remember disappear, names are stolen that way."
At her words, Min-chan unconsciously bit his lip tightly.
A stolen name. A forgotten land.
All of it—
As if he hadn't protected them,
pierced deep into his heart.
"Get in quickly. It's five hours to Baekdu Mountain.
Either sleep your ass off or enjoy the scenery."
Sang-cheol counted the passengers and said nonchalantly.
A 15-seater minivan.
Inside the cramped vehicle, seats showed a mix of excited and tired expressions.
On the road, now outside the city, the bus slowly picked up speed.
Song Dam-bi sat by the window, quietly gazing outside.
Passing mountain ridges, increasingly sparse streetlights,
and… an unknown sense of darkness.
"…Strange."
She murmured quietly.
"It feels like… someone's watching me constantly.
I can't see them…
but I can definitely feel it."
At her words, Min-chan subtly turned his head.
Dam-bi's face was fixed on the window.
There was no surprise, no fear.
Just… a calm voice, as if she had known that sensation for a long time.
"Dam-bi, what do you see?"
Coach Gap-su asked from behind in a tired voice.
His eyes were still half-closed, only his head slightly lifted.
Dam-bi replied without turning her head.
"Nothing. I'm just… enjoying the scenery."
She smiled, a slight curve of her lips, but her eyes weren't smiling.
At that moment, a tunnel entrance suddenly appeared.
Just as the bus entered the darkness—
Dam-bi's eyes swept across the window.
In her vision,
for a brief moment, a black SUV was stopped on the shoulder of the tunnel entrance.
Its engine was off, and
the person in the driver's seat had their head turned,
looking directly at this bus.
Their eyes, their expression,
even the aura of a living being was absent.
Dam-bi muttered to herself.
'…That's not a human.'
Her breath hitched.
Her pupils wavered, and a cold sensation crawled up her spine.
"…What was that, just now…"
But the moment she turned her head—
The bus had already entered deep into the tunnel,
and the black SUV was swallowed by the darkness, leaving no trace.
"..."
Her heart began to pound for no reason.
That sensation from earlier.
Like the day she first awakened as a shaman when she was little—
The presence of an unfamiliar being permeated to her very bones.
As if to herself, very softly.
Dam-bi reiterated internally.
'Right… That's not a human.
Those eyes… they belong to the one who summoned them.'
---
Eventually, the group arrived at their destination
and disembarked the bus at the foot of Baekdu Mountain.
Mountain ridges covered in thick, hazy fog.
Between forests draped in deep green,
strangely arrayed stone statues were visible.
"Coach, what are those? They look like people wearing crowns…"
Tae-geon pointed to one of the statues.
Its form wore an old Chinese-style golden helmet and armor.
Its eyes were narrowed, and the corners of its mouth were slightly turned up.
Looking down at something… arrogantly.
Park Sang-cheol turned his head.
"Some Confucius or Mencius,
or maybe… an old emperor. China likes that kind of thing."
Do-yoon took out his phone, searched, and said.
"Huh, it says here. Emperor Xuanyuan planted a divine tree on Baekdu Mountain…
A memorial temple? A monument… praising him as a sagely ruler who subjugated Chiyoo?"
The Twin Tigers simultaneously frowned.
"Subjugated… Chiyoo?"
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Young-beom grumbled, and Young-ho kicked the censer placed at the base of the statue, muttering.
"Those scoundrels only like to make baseless claims, comrade."
Do-yoon added with a laugh.
"Our gym is named Chiyoo… but in China, he's treated as an adversary? How ironic."
Kim Gap-su silently gazed out the window, then murmured softly.
"…Isn't it strange? In China, Xuanyuan is still revered,
but in Korea, Chiyoo is almost forgotten."
At his words, Dam-bi quietly said.
"When those who remember disappear,
the name, and the truth—are erased like that."
Min-chan looked at the statue.
The wind blew, and his eyes met the statue's.
Somewhere in his gaze… a sense of déjà vu passed through him.
A blood-stained battlefield, that face he looked up at as he finally collapsed—
[I wonder if your name will even remain. Hahaha!
History belongs to the victor!]
At that moment—
The unforgettable voice of that day, echoing in his head.
It was that face.
'…At that time, that bastard…'
Min-chan bit his lip tightly.
Deep within his chest.
A long-rusted blade—
slowly, sharpened its edge again.
A moment later,
the Chiyoo Gym members reluctantly left the tour course.
Despite the guide's suggestion for a commemorative photo,
no one smiled.
---
In front of a mountain cabin on the mountainside.
The gym team finished their simple stretches.
Kim Gap-su rested his chin on a makeshift table, looked around at the team, and spoke.
"Today is an acclimatization training.
Min-chan, Tae-geon. Move as if it's a real match."
"Yes."
Min-chan replied briefly. Tae-geon only nodded.
"Young-ho, Young-beom, Do-yoon.
Practice maintaining distance, focusing on basic striking and ground work."
"Heh heh… That scoundrel, for mocking me on the plane. I'll show him hell, comrade."
Young-ho glared at Do-yoon with vengeful eyes.
Do-yoon flinched and stepped back.
"Huh? Huh? Talk with words, talk with words!!"
Park Sang-cheol muttered, crossing his arms.
"We boxers speak with our fists, whoosh! whoosh!"
"Coach-nim, Jiu-Jitsu is the aesthetics of softness!
It doesn't suit violent, destructive styles like those twin brothers!
Please switch me to Tae-geon hyung-nim's side!"
"Oh, look at this, eh? You're going to attack me violently?"
"Muay Thai is art, comrade! The poetry of the knee, the dance of the elbow!"
Young-ho and Young-beom simultaneously puffed up and surrounded Do-yoon.
"Hey, Do-yoon. We have to make art together, right?"
"Would you prefer poetry? Or dancing?"
Do-yoon began to run, and the Twin Tigers followed with angry eyes.
Sang-cheol burst out laughing and shouted.
"Hey, that's training! Survive while maintaining distance!"
---
Gap-su checked on the gym members' training status, then approached Dam-bi and asked.
"I don't know much about shamanic work,
but is there anything I can help you with?"
"It's fine. I heard there's a shrine somewhere around here.
I'll follow the energy and perform a ritual.
It's almost forgotten now,
but it used to be a place where rituals were offered in this vicinity."
Dam-bi said quietly.
---
As the training was in full swing.
In a corner of the clearing, beneath a tree.
Dam-bi sat quietly, kneeling.
Pulled by an unknown energy,
she was immersed in silence.
Dam-bi closed her eyes.
As if to pray, or as if to sense someone's breath.
'This time… will I be able to protect them to the very end?'
Behind her eyelids, a light shimmered.
But that light—was familiar.
The red sky and blue lightning she had seen in a dream sometime before.
Children crying within it.
And, a white-haired shamaness standing, embracing those children.
Her hands stained with blood.
The woman turned around.
The same face. The same eyes.
'…Me?'
At that moment, Dam-bi felt a chill spread like electricity through her fingertips.
It was as if she was reliving someone else's death,
not her own memory.
It was neither a dream nor a vision.
"That woman… she knew me."
Words leaked out unconsciously.
Only the wind, hearing those words,
lightly brushed the snow from the branches above.
---
It was then.
[Thump.]
A single leaf from a branch above
crumbled and fell before Dam-bi.
Dam-bi opened her eyes.
A small sound. But a sharp resonance.
"…Someone was watching.
Not with eyes… but with another sense."
A faint tremor remained at her fingertips.
A very subtle trembling.
But it was a presence that permeated deep into her bones.
---
That night.
Moonlight gently settled over the clearing.
The wind had stilled, and somewhere in the air,
an unknown tremor lingered.
At a time when everyone was in deep sleep.
Dam-bi suddenly opened her eyes.
Someone—
Silently, yet clearly
was calling her.
Dam-bi quietly rose.
She put on her outer garment and opened the door soundlessly.
The scent of earth.
A cool breeze rustling through the leaves.
And… the smell of an old battlefield.
Her footsteps
without thought or will
headed into the mountain as if by instinct.
That figure was no longer 'Dam-bi.'
A shamaness walking in darkness.
No, she was Hwansa (幻師) herself.
---
The next morning.
The sky was clear, but
a faint mist settled at the foot of Baekdu Mountain,
creating a peculiar sense of mystique.
In front of the mountain cabin, busy with training preparations.
Dam-bi quietly approached Coach Kim Gap-su.
Her eyes were clearly different from yesterday.
A little clearer, a little… firmer.
"Coach-nim."
"Hm?"
"Min-chan and I… will be gone for a short while.
For a walk and a prayer. It won't take long."
Kim Gap-su looked at her for a while, then
slowly nodded his head.
"Alright. Just don't go too far.
Wild animals might appear."
"Yes."
It was a short conversation,
but an inexplicable trust resided within it.
Soon, Dam-bi approached Min-chan and spoke.
"Let's go together.
There's a place… you need to remember."
In her eyes,
there was no hesitation.
Min-chan narrowed his eyes and looked at her—
then silently nodded.
Chirp. Chirp. Chirp—]
The sun had already passed its zenith,
and as the fog lifted, the forest was filled with birdsong
and lush greenery.
Min-chan and Dam-bi walked silently side by side.
Underfoot, moist fallen leaves cushioned their steps,
and the scent of earth gently rose from them.
A dense forest.
Sunlight poured down through the leaves,
scattering fragmented patterns of light on the ground.
"Do you know the way?"
Min-chan asked.
His voice was low and monotonous,
but a strange mix of expectation and doubt was intertwined within it.
Dam-bi, instead of answering,
only let out a short laugh.
"My body remembers.
Yesterday… I apparently visited this place."
Min-chan glanced at her.
Her words were vague,
but her steps showed not an ounce of hesitation.
The direction they were heading
was a path not on any map, nor any sign.
Not a forest path, nor a trail,
but simply a path remaining only in someone's 'memory.'
"My body remembers a place I don't even remember?"
"Min-chan.
Memory… isn't just kept in the head."
Dam-bi slowly said.
"Some memories,
are etched into the flesh… into the bones.
Even if you forget, they remain."
At her words, Min-chan
unconsciously nodded.
He, too, at certain moments,
his body reacted first without reason.
As the forest deepened,
the surroundings grew quieter.
Voices ceased, and only the soft sound of footsteps continued.
"Dam-bi."
"Yes?"
"Are you… Hwansa right now?"
At that question, Dam-bi stopped walking.
And slowly turned her body.
For a moment, her eyes pierced Min-chan.
Then she smiled clearly and said.
"I am… who I am now, and also who I was long ago.
But… you always called me Dam-bi, didn't you?"
The warm sunlight fell on her cheek—
And following that light, beyond the forest,
a small, quiet shrine appeared.
---
A clearing opened among the bushes.
Faded roof tiles and crumbling stone walls,
wild grass swaying in the sunlight above them.
On the dusty altar,
a censer left by someone long ago was placed crookedly,
and beside it, a small bell swaying in the breeze.
Instead of a clear sound, silence echoed.
Dam-bi took a breath and
quietly gazed at the place.
"This is it…
The forgotten place, but not vanished."
Dust particles reflecting in the sunlight
floated in the air like shimmering curtains.
There was no sorrow or fear there.
Only a very old longing and
the lingering scent of time waiting silently for someone
remained gently.