"MISS! PLEASE DATE ME! I LOVE YOU!" I blurted out the most ridiculous thing I could think of, hoping to throw Chae Nayun off.

She clenched her fist, her knuckles cracking ominously. "Do you wanna die?" she hissed, looking like she was genuinely considering turning me into a pile of regret.

I laughed nervously, trying to calm my racing heart. We're in Cube, I reassured myself. Civilized society, right? No way she'd actually murder me in broad daylight. But then I caught the look in her eyes, that wild, dangerous glint, and suddenly, I wasn't so sure anymore.

"I don't remember any crazy kid…" she muttered, just loud enough for me to hear, as if she was testing me, watching how I'd react.

Oh, crap, I thought. She's really onto me. Her tactics, though obvious, were working. I could feel the cracks forming in my cool, composed facade. The threat she posed was primal—like a tiger deciding if you were worth the effort to chase down. If she thought for even a second that something was off about me, she'd probably kill me on the spot. And she'd do it with the same ease as swatting a fly.

This woman was a monster.

I tried to stay calm, but there was that animalistic instinct in her that I dare not provoke. Chae Nayun only needed the slightest hint of something suspicious, and she’d destroy me. Not the good kind of destroy me either.

I started to spiral, imagining the worst. What happens after you get beaten to a pulp? You go to the hospital, right? Right? Maybe it's not that bad. But what if… What if she actually figures out who I am? Or worse, thinks I’m something worse than what I am?

"Are you a Devil?" Chae Nayun asked, out of nowhere.

"No! No way!" I sputtered, my eyes wide. Are you crazy, woman? I’m not even a Djinn, let alone a Devil!

Devil? Seriously? Devils were like interdimensional nightmares, obsessed with conquering worlds. And Baal—the big bad Devil King himself—was the worst of them all. It kinda made sense why she might think that, given what she knew from her regression. But a Devil?

Wait... Devils haven't even appeared yet in this world…

Oh, no.

I blinked. "I… I fucked up…" I muttered to myself, feeling the full weight of my mistake.

Her eyes narrowed, gleaming with suspicion. "Devils are yet to appear in this world… How do you know the term 'Devils'?"

And before I could even try to backpedal, her fist shot forward with terrifying speed.

Oh, I'm so dead.

"I fucked up..."

Those words barely left my lips before Chae Nayun's fist rocketed towards me, too fast for most eyes to follow. My instincts flared, screaming at me to move—so I did, on pure reflex. I tilted my head to the side, hoping to shift my weight just enough to throw myself off balance and evade.

I am… [Always Here].

With that thought, I invoked my Gift, [Nobody Knows], slipping into the background like a shadow. It wasn't about disappearing; it was about blending so seamlessly with my surroundings that I became part of the scenery, unnoticed, unremarkable. A trick that in a situation like this might be just enough to throw off her aim.

I felt the rush of wind as her punch grazed past me, chilling my skin. The sheer force behind it made me gulp. If that had connected… Well, let’s just say my hospital theory would’ve been more than wishful thinking.

I hit the ground awkwardly, but on purpose, trying to look as pathetic as possible. Maybe if I seemed too pitiful, she wouldn’t try again. I clutched my side, gasping like I’d been hit, even though it was all for show. Better to seem weak and harmless, right?

Nayun paused, her fist still raised, her expression unreadable. For a second, I thought it worked—maybe she wouldn't kill me. But then her eyes narrowed again.

“You dodged,” she said flatly, her voice cold, as if that very fact was evidence enough that something was wrong. “You shouldn’t have been able to dodge.”

I let out a nervous laugh, still playing the fool. “D-Dodged? No, no… I tripped! Yeah, tripped! Pure luck!”

Her eyes were sharp, cutting through my pathetic excuse like a blade. “Luck?”

I nodded furiously. “Luck! Incredible, ridiculous luck! I’m just a clumsy guy, nothing special, really!”

For a moment, she just stared at me, clearly weighing whether or not to punch me into next week. I could feel sweat trickling down my back. My heart pounded in my chest, and I tried not to breathe too loudly, lest she take that as some kind of provocation.

Finally, she let out a long sigh, lowering her fist. “You’re weird.”

“Thank you?” I blurted, relief flooding through me.

She shook her head. “If I catch you lying again, I won’t miss next time.”

I gulped. “Noted.”

As she turned and walked away, I stayed crumpled on the floor for a good few seconds longer, making sure she was really gone before I let out the breath I’d been holding.

I survived.

I stood up slowly, watching Chae Nayun turn the corner and disappear from sight. The tension in my body began to ease as I let out a long, shaky sigh.

But just as I was about to collect myself, her voice cut through the silence.

“Your magic power is strange.”

I froze.

Before I could react, she was back, standing right behind me with that same terrifying smile on her face. I jumped, my heart leaping into my throat.

‘I swear this woman is a menace.’

With no warning, she crouched low and swept her leg at mine.

I felt my feet leave the ground as the world spun around me. My head was spinning, my back now facing the sky. I could see her shifting her stance again, ready to follow up with a punch. I was mid-air, completely vulnerable, and the fist was coming to finish the job.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

Not today.

I deactivated [Always Here], momentarily letting her lock on to me, then quickly activated it again, just as her punch sliced through the air where my head should’ve been.

Her knuckles grazed my cheek, a thin line of blood streaking across my skin. It was as if her fist had been sharpened into a blade. The sting of the cut was enough to remind me how truly screwed I was.

That was a punch, but it cut me like a knife… My brain barely registered the thought as I hit the ground, rolling to get as far from her as I could. I pushed myself up, trying to mask the panic bubbling inside.

Chae Nayun's eyes narrowed. “See, it isn't a coincidence at all.”

I had no idea how to respond to that. My mind raced. She’s starting to figure it out. If I used [Not Here] and just disappeared, she’d probably start swinging wildly at the surroundings... That wouldn’t just be bad for me, but for everyone nearby. Not to mention, it wouldn’t take long for her to figure out that something really was off.

Right now, the only reason I wasn’t dead was because I was giving her a moving target. If I vanished, she’d turn into a wrecking ball, and even I wouldn’t be able to avoid getting caught in the chaos.

I wobbled on shaky legs, barely managing to land as I fell from midair, thanks to gravity’s brief mercy. But gravity wasn't on my side for long—Chae Nayun grabbed me by the collar, yanking me up with terrifying ease.

There was no outrunning her either. Nayun wasn’t just strong—she was relentless. The more I thought about my options, the more I realized that playing dead wouldn’t save me.

Chae Nayun scoffed. “Well? What now?”

I took a deep breath, my hands trembling slightly. "Let's... call this a draw?" I offered with a nervous laugh, hoping to somehow de-escalate the situation.

Her smirk deepened. "Not a chance."

Of course. I braced myself, my mind scrambling for the next move as her fists clenched, ready for round two. And fuck I am so dead.

Her grip was firm, and I could feel the magic power coursing through her limbs as she prepared to toss me like a ragdoll.

With a violent motion, she threw me toward the ground, her hand clamped around the back of my neck as she launched my face downwards.

"Uhck..." I winced, eyes shut tight, bracing for the painful crunch that would surely accompany my demise. The thought of witnessing my own death was too much, so I kept my eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the inevitable.

But instead of a bone-shattering impact, I felt something far gentler—well, relatively speaking. My arms ached from the landing, but there was no sharp pain, no cracking bones. I blinked in surprise, registering the absence of a painful collision. I had somehow survived without breaking into a bloody mess.

And then I heard it: a soft yelp, not from me, but from Chae Nayun.

“Ah~ Suho, what are you doing here?” Her voice was suddenly different—no longer the predator ready to pounce.

At the last moment, she had held back. And my savior? None other than Kim Suho.

The Kim Suho. The protagonist of this world, shining like a beacon of hope.

“S-s-savior-nim! It’s me, the guy from the train station! Save me!” I cried out, clutching onto what little dignity I had left. If there was anyone in this world who could save me from a slow and painful death by Chae Nayun, it was him—the Returnee Hero himself.

Kim Suho stood between us, looking confused yet calm. He glanced between me and Nayun, probably wondering why on earth I was being tossed around like a volleyball.

"What's going on here?" Suho asked, his voice even and unbothered, as if witnessing an everyday schoolyard brawl.

"Nothing," Chae Nayun muttered, crossing her arms and looking away, clearly embarrassed by the whole situation. I swear, there was even a hint of red on her cheeks.

And no, it wasn’t something as childish as infatuation as she was sincerely embarrassed.

"Nothing?" I coughed. "She's trying to kill me, Suho!"

Suho raised an eyebrow, but before he could speak, Nayun snapped, "I wasn’t trying to kill you, idiot. You just got in my way."

Yeah, sure, just a misunderstanding. One that involved my imminent demise.

"Suho, please," I said, giving him my best 'I'm-innocent-and-also-terrified' look. "You saw her, right? She's—she's out for blood!"

Chae Nayun’s expression twisted with frustration, and she glared at me like she wanted to pummel me into the ground. “I swear he’s hiding something!” she snapped, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. “Just let me deal with him!”

I flinched at the fire in her voice, taking a cautious step back. I could practically feel the heat from her anger radiating in waves. Chae Nayun wasn’t just annoyed—she was determined to handle me personally. And by ‘handle,’ I was pretty sure she meant kill.

Before she could lunge at me again, Kim Suho grabbed her arm, his expression firm and uncompromising. “Nayun, calm down.” His voice was steady, but there was a hint of warning in his tone. “This isn’t how we deal with things.”

Chae Nayun whipped her head around to face him, her eyes wide in disbelief. “He’s not normal, Suho! You saw him! No regular person can dodge like that! I can’t just let this go!”

Suho didn’t back down. “We’re in Cube. There are rules. You can’t just beat someone up because you think they’re suspicious.” He gave her a level look, his grip still firm on her arm. “And even if he is hiding something, this isn’t the way to find out.”

I stood there awkwardly, caught in the middle of their back-and-forth, trying to look as harmless as possible. My heart was still racing, and I kept glancing at Chae Nayun, half-expecting her to break free from Suho’s hold and come at me again. Suho’s presence was the only thing standing between me and a premature death.

Chae Nayun huffed, yanking her arm away from Suho’s grip but staying put. “Fine,” she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. “But I’m not letting this go. I know he’s hiding something.”

I swallowed nervously, forcing a smile. “Hiding something? Me? No way. I’m an open book, really.”

She shot me a glare that could melt steel. “We’ll see about that.”

Suho sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked between the two of us. “Look, let’s just cool off for now. If there’s really something going on, we’ll figure it out. But without violence.”

“Yeah, no violence,” I echoed quickly, nodding like a bobblehead. “Totally on board with that plan.”

“I’ll kill you—”

"Please, no fighting… The two of you can get expelled," Kim Suho warned, his voice calm but firm as he looked between us.

"Fighting? I’m not even capable of fighting back!" I retorted, my voice tinged with frustration. This whole situation was spiraling out of control, and I didn’t need Chae Nayun fanning the flames with her wild accusations.

“Lies,” Nayun spat, glaring at me like I’d just insulted her ancestors. “You’ll see it, Suho. He’s lying. He dodged two of my punches simultaneously from awkward angles! Just try attacking him once, and you’ll see what I mean.”

I bit back the urge to scream. “As I said, I cannot fight back! Okay? I am weak!” My hands balled into fists, knuckles white as I fought the temptation to hurl a string of curses her way. If only she wasn’t gripping my collar like I was some ragdoll, I’d have darted behind Suho and used him as a human shield by now.

Nayun, undeterred by my protests, narrowed her eyes. “He might be a Djinn, disguising himself as a human. If he can dodge my attacks like that, it doesn’t make sense that he’s only Rank 1111. And he dodged punches that strong? It’s not adding up.”

I gritted my teeth, holding back the surge of irritation clawing at my throat. “Fuck you! If getting a Gift through enlightenment is a crime, then sure, just kill me now!” My voice rose as I glared at her, barely able to contain the venom in my words. “I dodged because I’m Gifted, you psycho!”

"QUIET!" Kim Suho suddenly roared, his voice carrying an authority that silenced both of us instantly. He wasn’t just angry—he was furious. I felt a pang of guilt; Suho was usually the level-headed one, and pushing him to this point was a rare achievement.

Both of us went still, the tension in the air so thick I could almost taste it. Suho’s stern gaze moved from Nayun to me, and I quickly averted my eyes, suddenly feeling like a child caught misbehaving. Nayun, too, looked taken aback, her aggressive stance softening just a fraction.

“After class, we’ll meet,” Suho said, his tone brooking no argument. “Nayun, you’re coming with me. And I’ll be watching you, so don’t go causing trouble.” His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer, making it clear that his patience was wearing thin.

Nayun huffed, but for once, she didn’t argue. She released her grip on my collar, pushing me away like I was something dirty. I staggered back, finally free, but the adrenaline still pulsed through my veins. I watched as she stalked off, muttering under her breath, though loud enough for me to catch the words “stupid liar” before she disappeared around the corner.

Suho turned to me, his expression softening slightly, but there was still a lingering annoyance. “You should be more careful,” he said, his voice low. “Whatever this is, you’re only going to make things worse if you keep antagonizing her.”

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “Yeah… easier said than done.” I gave him a sheepish smile. “Thanks for stepping in. I really thought I was dead for a second there.”

Suho shook his head, though there was a hint of a smile on his lips. “Just don’t make a habit of it. She’s not as bad as you think—she’s just… intense.”

"Intense? She's practically homicidal!" I exclaimed, but Suho only chuckled, turning to leave.

“After class,” he reminded me over his shoulder. “Don’t be late.”

I groaned, watching him walk away. This was far from over, and I had a sinking feeling that my troubles with Chae Nayun were just beginning.