**Voice:** Run… run!
**Jin:** Why does this person look like me? And what the hell is this world?
Jin looked down at his dying double on the floor. Then the voice came again.
**Voice:** You're just an F-class guide in this world. Nobody likes you here—just like me.
Jin stared calmly at him.
Then he said, "If this really is a parallel world… then everyone should still be alive. And they'd be in the same places as in my world."
He woke up in his room—confused.
"Where am I?" Jin murmured.
An Esper messenger approached: "Man, you were totally out of it yesterday. And all Espers went wild too."
Jin remained puzzled. He remembered talking to someone who looked like him—but how did he end up here?
He asked a nearby doctor:
"May I ask something?"
"Go ahead," said the doctor flatly.
"How did I get back to my room?"
The doctor replied sharply: "You came back on your own." His voice turned colder as he added:
"But we found you first—our S-Class Esper brought you back."
"What?" Jin said calmly.
"That's right," said the doctor. "His name is Ming Ji."
Jin stared silently for a moment—then suddenly noticed something strange inside himself… A surge of energy unlike before—he felt stronger than ever.
As Jin prepared for an Esper gathering meeting later that day, his phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number:
> 'Don't go anywhere.'
"What? Who even are you?" Jin muttered under his breath—and another message popped up instantly:
> 'Don't go around cursing trouble—you're only a F-class guide now.'
"What?! Who's saying that?! How do they know what I'm thinking?!"
And another message arrived:
> 'And don't talk about me like that—I can hear you loud and clear.'
**Jin (stunned):** What?! You can hear my thoughts even when I'm not speaking?!
He waited—but no reply came this time…
Softly sighing, Jin whispered to himself:
"Well then… guess I'll stay put for now…"
---
Meanwhile…
Beyond distant walls—
Ming Ji stood still—as if sensing something through silence alone—the beat of one heart echoing across space… so loud… so close…
With quiet certainty*,* he whispered into darkness:
*"You're going to be mine... even if you don't know me yet."*
*"We'll meet very soon."*
---
At the Esper meeting hall—
Whispers swirled around about Jin Young.
Gossip flew fast—not just about him but also about *Ming Ji,* revered as their strongest warrior among Espers.*
Espers talked freely:
- "Damn! That F-class guide's still alive?"
- "Yeah—they say S-Class Ming Ji saved him."
- "He should've died already—or better yet,* maybe someone should've fucked him senseless till he broke."
They didn't realize *he was already there.*
Standing by entrance—one shadow darker than others...
Silent.
Unreadable eyes cutting through noise...
Suddenly—"What are all of *you* chattering about?"
The room froze.
Dead silence fell within seconds.
No one dared speak anymore.*
Back in his room,
Jin sat deep in thought—thinking only of Ming Ji…
Why did he save him?
Why does looking at that face stir memories—he can't place?
Every time,
someone else comes into mind…
But their face won't surface...
Can't remember...
Frustrated,
he decided—a walk might help clear things.
Before stepping out though—he pulled out his phone again,
about to send a new message…
Tap-tap-tap—
Then—a group blocked his path outside.*
"Need anything?" Jin asked softly—with calm eyes untouched by fear or anger.*
A smile danced faintly on lips—as always,
"We're done here," one sneered.* "Maybe after we take turns breaking this pretty little thing underneath us..."
Still smiling gently,
the air turned sharp cold...
and from nowhere—it echoed,
*"Touch him..."*
"...and die where you stand."*
That voice belonged only—to **Ming Ji**
Panic burst among them—all ran away screaming!
One shouted behind while fleeing:
"Dammit! This damn Ming-Ji ruined everything!"
Back near wall—in slight daze*
watched them scatter like frightened rats seeing death itself
***DING!***
New message popped—from **Ming-Ji**
> *"Didn't I tell YOU not to move?"*
>
> *"Why so stubborn all sudden?"*
Just before replying—the call rang
Pressed
He picked the call, hearing Ming Ji's sharp, almost calm tone.
"I knew you'd be heading out without permission..."
Silence on Jin's end as he listened, not sure what to say or do.
Ming Ji continued softly, "You really know how to test my patience, don't you?"
Jin's heart started racing faster—he felt an unfamiliar warmth building up inside him, like a storm was brewing.
He finally mustered a reply, still with a calm tone but much softer than Ming Ji's:
"And if I'm not allowed to move?"
There was a brief pause, then Ming Ji chuckled softly, the sound of it sending tingles down Jin's spine.
"If you're not 'allowed' to move," Ming Ji replied with an edge of amusement, "Then it seems I'll have to keep you... *secured*."
Jin couldn't help but shiver slightly at the words—the tone, the words themselves, all had an unusual effect on him. He found himself drawn in, inexplicably pulled towards the voice on the other end of the line.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his heartbeat. It was almost as if he'd forgotten how to breathe normally, every part of his body on edge.
"And... how exactly are you planning to 'secure' me?" Jin asked quietly.
"Oh," Ming Ji's voice dropped an octave, becoming even more alluring. "I can think of quite a few... methods."
Jin leaned against the wall, trying to hold himself together. Every word from Ming Ji seemed to have an intoxicating effect on him. His mind raced with a mix of curiosity and... anticipation? Fear? Excitement? He wasn't even sure himself.
"Y-you do?" he managed to ask, cursing inwardly as he stuttered. What was happening to him? Why was he so flustered?
Ming Ji chuckled again, noticing the slight slip in Jin's composure.
"You're stuttering," Ming Ji murmured—low, knowing. "Why? You weren't scared when those Espers threatened you… but now, just my voice makes you tremble?"
Jin clenched his jaw. He *hated* being read so easily.
"I'm not trembling," he whispered back, though his fingers had gone tight around the phone. "Just... wondering why an S-Class like you cares about some F-Class nobody."
A quiet pause.
Then—Ming Ji's voice shifted. Softer now. Almost... tender.
"Because when I touched you that night in the frost..."
"...you didn't flinch."
"You pulled me close."
"And kissed me first."
Jin's breath caught.
His fingers brushed his lips again—like they had earlier—but this time, it wasn't a whisper of memory.
Something deep inside him stirred… like a locked door cracking open after years of silence.
"But—" Jin finally choked out, "I don't even remember that..."
"No," Ming Ji agreed gently. "*The other Jin* did it—the one from your world."
A soft sigh echoed through the line. *"But your soul remembers.* That's how soul chains work… once formed… they never truly break."
"So we're…" Jin swallowed hard. "...connected?"
"Yes." No hesitation this time.* "**Forever,** whether we want to be or not."
Outside—the wind howled.
Inside—Jin stood frozen,* heart pounding,* skin burning with memories he'd never lived.*
And then came the question he'd been too afraid to ask...
"Can I see you?" His voice barely above a whisper.* "Not as my savior…"
***"But as... me?"***
Silence stretched for three long seconds.*
Then—
"I'm already outside your door."