Squish.

‘…Huh?’

Even before he was fully awake, Moonsu felt something soft beneath his hand.
The moment his eyes opened and met with the sight of pale, bare skin—he screamed silently inside.

‘AAAAAAAAAHHHH!’

“Hmm? Ah, you’re awake.”

The woman beside him, completely unbothered, spoke casually as she began dressing herself.

“W–Wait, why are you naked!?”

Unable to make sense of the situation, Moonsu mumbled with a flushed face.
Why had he woken up in the same bed as her?
And why—why was she sleeping nude?

He couldn’t comprehend any of it.

Seeing his panicked expression, Baekho gave him a look of utter disappointment.
“How disgracefully timid for a man. Should you not be able to embrace at least three or four women without faltering? Unless that thing below is purely decorative.”

“…I don’t know what century that thinking is from, but you’d get canceled instantly for saying that now. Seriously.”

In this day and age, a comment like that could destroy someone’s career.
Not that she would care.
He still wasn’t even sure she was human.

While he was silently despairing, Baekho—now dressed in a simple white robe—stretched gracefully and began eating breakfast.

‘Where did the food even come from?’

Cautiously sliding out of bed, Moonsu sat across from her and stared in awe at the perfectly set table.
It didn’t seem like she’d cooked it herself…

‘And the taste—this is incredible.’

He tried a bite. The doenjang soup was rich and clean, the seasoned greens and kimchi fresh and perfectly balanced. Everything was delicious—too delicious for her to have made it.

“The flavor is excellent as always,” Baekho remarked leisurely as she finished eating. “Still the same fine touch.”

“It’s an honor.”

“?!”

A new voice made Moonsu nearly choke.
When he looked up, a black-haired woman was standing nearby, bowing politely.

“She is one of my attendants,” Baekho explained as if it were nothing. “Now yours as well.”

The woman bowed again, voice calm and gentle.
“My name is Heug-woo. It is a pleasure to serve my new master.”

Her modest smile and gentle eyes radiated sincerity—so much so that she really did seem… cow-like.

“As you suspect,” Baekho said idly, chewing another bite of rice. “She is a cow.”

“N–No way, seriously?”

“Yes, sir. I am,” Heug-woo replied with a small tilt of her head. “If you dislike this form, shall I return to my original one?”

Her innocent eyes blinked, round and guileless. Moonsu frantically waved his hands.
“N–No, it’s fine! Really!”

The apartment was big—but not that big. Having a full-sized cow appear out of nowhere would be a nightmare.
Besides, well… she was much easier to look at in this form.

‘So “Heug-woo” literally means Black Cow, huh…’

When breakfast ended, Heug-woo immediately began clearing the dishes and went to wash them. Her movements were smooth and practiced.

“Where did she come from?” Moonsu asked quietly.

“You may summon my attendants freely once you learn how,” Baekho replied. “It is a duty you will bear soon as well.”

“…”

Right.
He was her representative now—the one meant to act in her stead.

As the realization sank in, Baekho stood and spoke.

“Enough talk. Get dressed. There is something I must show you.”

“Huh?”

Still confused, he followed her instructions anyway—washed up, shaved, changed clothes.

‘This outfit… it’s got to be insanely expensive.’

Even without knowing brands or fashion, he could tell by the feel of the fabric. The material practically screamed luxury.

“So… where are we going?” he asked once they stepped outside.

“You are impatient,” Baekho said serenely. “Patience, young man.”

She walked slowly, with unhurried grace. He followed beside her, wondering where she was leading him.

“The beings we hunt usually move at night,” she explained. “The same applies to spirits. Some appear in daylight, but they are rare. You needn’t concern yourself with them.”

“Um… what exactly are these beings? Spirits? Monsters?”

He wasn’t sure of the difference.
At that, she suddenly stepped closer—so close he could feel her breath—and clasped his hand.

Then she smiled faintly.
“You should be careful how you speak. Most people would think you’re insane if they overheard that. You still don’t know how to veil your words as I do.”

Right… that made sense.

Before he could say anything else, she pressed a talisman to his hand.

“This will do. No one else can hear us now. So—you wished to know about them?”

The seal glowed faintly. Moonsu blinked, nodding.

“Yes. I figured I should understand what I’m up against.”

“Good,” she said approvingly, exhaling a thin trail of smoke from her pipe. “Let me explain.”

“The term Other Being refers to those unlike any native life of this world—distorted creatures born of curses or those that crossed over from another realm. In essence, beings whose very existence differs from ours.”

“Spirits, on the other hand, are supernatural anomalies—ghosts, specters, yokai… entities born of twisted emotion or lingering will.”

“So… Others are like monsters, and Spirits are like ghosts?” he asked carefully.

Baekho blinked, then nodded.
“That is a crude but serviceable distinction. In any case, today you will learn to draw forth your Divine Relic.”

She stopped before a sleek, gray building.

A sign above the gate read:
National Institute of Anomalous Phenomena.

“…There’s a government lab for this?”

“You will grow accustomed to it soon,” she said simply. “This place will become quite familiar to you.”

Without hesitation, she entered. Moonsu hurried to follow.

Inside, the facility was immaculate and high-tech. Scientists in white coats glanced up as they passed, but not one tried to stop Baekho. She walked as though she owned the place.

They arrived at a large laboratory filled with equipment. At its center stood an elderly man in glasses, giving brisk orders to his subordinates.

When he turned and saw them, his eyes brightened.

“Oh-ho… so this is the young man!”

“Yes,” Baekho said. “The one I told you of—Yeou’s representative.”

The old man strode forward and extended his hand.
“I am Bae Gil-su, director of this institute. Thank you for coming.”

“I’m Park Moonsu. It’s an honor to meet you.”

They shook hands politely.

“Such fine manners,” the director chuckled.
“Ah, please, sir—you don’t have to speak so formally. You’re older than me.”

Bae Gil-su smiled warmly.
“As you wish, then. What do you think, Lady Baekho?”

“Do as you like,” she murmured, already sitting cross-legged on a chair, eyes closed.

“So, um… what exactly do you do here?” Moonsu asked.

“We study Others and Spirits,” the director replied. “Humanity cannot rely solely on the Four Gods forever. Our goal is to develop ways to counter these entities ourselves.”

He gestured toward a glass chamber beyond the lab—where something massive was chained to the floor.

“You know what that is?”

“Uh… no.”

The creature’s skin dripped with foul black ichor. Tumors bulged grotesquely across its form.

“That is a Wraithspawn,” the director said grimly. “Even making it visible to human eyes cost us dearly.”

He tapped his glasses.
“With these, even those who cannot sense qi can perceive it. The chains—Sealing Chains of Exorcism—were gifts from the Azure Dragon. Without them, research like this would be impossible.”

A Wraithspawn… the name alone made Moonsu tense.

“Why keep it alive?” he asked uneasily.

“Because you’re going in there,” the director said matter-of-factly.

“…I’m sorry, what?”

“You heard me. Lady Baekho said this is the fastest way to awaken your relic. Don’t worry—if you’re truly her representative, that thing won’t be enough to kill you.”

‘That’s not reassuring at all!’

But Baekho finally spoke from her chair, eyes still closed.
“Go. Trial tempers the steel.”

Reluctantly, Moonsu stepped toward the sealed chamber.

[Can you hear me? The chamber is reinforced with enchanted glass and isolation wards. You may fight freely, it won’t break.]

The director’s voice echoed from the speakers.

‘Fight freely? I don’t even know how!’

Still, he swallowed hard.
The chains began to rattle.

Clank… Clank…

One by one, they fell away.

[…Human?]

The voice slithered into his ears, cold and rasping.
That hideous noise—it could only be the Wraithspawn speaking.

‘Relic… I need to awaken it!’

But how?

[The method is simple,] Baekho’s voice echoed faintly in his mind. [Move the qi you felt before. Open the door. You already know where the relic lies.]

‘What door?! Where is it?!’

He wanted to cry.
How was he supposed to know any of this? They’d just dragged him here, thrown him into a room with a monster, and told him to “figure it out!”

[…Kill.]

The word oozed with murderous intent.
The Wraithspawn’s eyes gleamed with hunger.

Moonsu froze, his heart hammering.

In that instant, he knew—
If he couldn’t draw forth the Divine Relic here and now…
he was going to die.