Daybreak End: LionHeart

Chapter 1: Daybreak –

Several days ago, a perfectly rectangular portal tore open the sky above Seoul. It hung there, silent and ominous, defying all known physics. The government swiftly launched an investigation, dubbing it the "Dimensional Rift." Strangely, it couldn't be entered, no matter how hard they tried to understand the phenomenon.

So far, nothing had happened. No disasters. No strange occurrences.

In the courtyard of a quiet high school, three students sat together during break. The unnatural rectangle loomed in the sky above them.

Han Ma-ru couldn't stop staring at it.

The rift filled him with a deep, primal unease-an invisible weight constantly pressing down on his chest. It was a conviction that something terrible was waiting in the silence, just beyond that shimmering rectangle.

A sudden gust of wind brushed past his right ear.

"Eeek!"

He jumped, shuddering, his heart slamming against his ribs. Whipping around, he glared at the culprit-only to see him standing there, grinning.

Baek Su-ho raised both hands in mock surrender, his bleached-pink hair catching the sunlight. "Hehe! Sorry, sorry! Didn't mean to startle ya, Marumaru. Ya just looked so deep in thought. Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?"

He was a paradox: a country boy with the effortless, dazzling confidence of a celebrity-which, Ma-ru supposed, he was training to become. Everything about him was designed to stand out: the shock of pink hair, the sharp jawline, that annoyingly photogenic smile. Even his slouching posture had a practiced ease to it, like he was always on camera. His uniform hung open to reveal a bright pink T-shirt underneath, a mere suggestion of dress code compliance.

Ma-ru sighed, trying to slow his racing heart. "D-don't scare me like that."

Behind Su-ho, Yoo Seol watched with her usual expression of mild, familiar exasperation. Her uniform was flawlessly pressed, her tie exact, without a single wrinkle to be found. Even her watch looked impossibly expensive. Her sleek black hair was tied back in a severe ponytail, not a strand out of place. She never spoke of her family, but her quiet, unshakable composure screamed old money.

Su-ho, completely unfazed by her judgmental stare, grinned. "C'mon, Seol-seol, it was just a lil' teasing."

The subtlest sigh escaped her lips as her fingers moved in a series of swift, sharp signs.

Su-ho translated without missing a beat. "In short, she says I'm impossible. Long version..." He pouted. "How rude!"

Ma-ru blinked. He still didn't understand most of what she signed but Su-ho had been translating for her since day one, as naturally as breathing.

Ma-ru adjusted his glasses, watching them banter with the ease of people who'd known each other since childhood. They had history. Inside jokes. A language-literally, in Yoo Seol's case-that he was still learning.

He had only transferred to this school in his second year. Before that, he was just another anonymous face in the crowd. No one special. No one memorable.

Why had they accepted him? Why did Su-ho, with his blinding charisma, keep dragging him along?

Maybe because Su-ho collected people the way others collected hobbies, and Ma-ru was just the latest stray he'd picked up. Or maybe because Ma-ru had once been assigned to sit next to him in class, and Su-ho had decided out of nowhere to make him a friend simply because he wasn't in the same class as Seol that year.

The thought stung more than he wanted to admit.

Su-ho turned back to Ma-ru, his eyes curious. "So? What's got you all spacey?"

Ma-ru hesitated, his eyes drifting back toward the window and the unnatural rectangle in the sky. "I-I was just wondering... w-what might come out of that D-dimensional rift." His voice wavered, betraying his fear.

Su-ho's grin faded slightly. "The rift?"

Yoo Seol's hands moved swiftly, her expression serious-too fast for Ma-ru to catch.

Su-ho translated without missing a beat. "She says it's trouble. Something bad."

Ma-ru nodded. A shiver ran down his spine. So he wasn't the only one.

Then-

"Skinny-dipping angel!" Su-ho blurted out, smirking, his serious mood vanishing as quickly as it had come.

Ma-ru's face went red. "W-what?!"

"Ha! You should've seen your face!" Su-ho burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the quiet courtyard.

Yoo Seol pinched the bridge of her nose. She signed something ending with a tiny, ironic finger-heart gesture-the kind an idol would throw to their fans.

Su-ho's smirk widened. "Nah, just with y'all. When I debut, I gotta act all proper-a cute lil' maknae with a funny accent. You two are gonna be my number one fans, got it?"

Ma-ru blinked, confused. "Su-ho, you're the tallest person here."

At 198 cm, Su-ho towered over Ma-ru's 160 cm and even Yoo Seol's 162 cm. He loomed over everyone, including the older members of his trainee group.

"But I'm still the youngest," Su-ho insisted, puffing out his chest.

They both just stared at him.

A bead of sweat practically formed on Su-ho's temple. "I mean... chronologically! I'm still a teenager!"

Yoo Seol's hands moved again.

What is that gesture? Ma-ru thought.

Su-ho noticed Ma-ru's confused look. He leaned in, squinting at Yoo Seol's rapid signs, then sighed dramatically.

"She says people always mistake me for an adult because of my height," he translated, pointing at his own face. "Come on, look at this baby face! But no... even my baby face can't stop people from misjudging me. Man, I wish I could shrink. I keep hitting my forehead on doorframes." He groaned. "And my eomma says I'm still growing."

Ma-ru let out a small, involuntary chuckle.

Su-ho's grin softened into something more thoughtful. He leaned back on his hands, looking up at the rift, then deliberately turned away as if refusing to let it ruin the moment.

"Hey. We're in third year now," he said casually. "We're gonna graduate soon."

Ma-ru blinked at the sudden shift. "Y-yeah?"

"After this, I'm gonna focus on my trainee stuff for real." Su-ho scratched the back of his head. "Don't wanna be stuck as a trainee forever, y'know? Gotta actually debut someday."

"But... you promised you'd debut," Ma-ru said slowly.

"Yep!" Su-ho grinned, but there was a flicker of something serious behind his eyes. "But there's nothin' wrong with havin' a contingency, right? My contingency is gettin' this high school diploma." He tapped his temple. "Smart idol. That's the brand."

Ma-ru couldn't help but smile. "That's... actually smart."

"'Course it is. I'm full of good ideas." Su-ho stretched, then reached over and patted Yoo Seol on the head. She swatted his hand away, though there was no real heat behind it.

"And Seol-seol here," Su-ho continued, ignoring her glare, "wants to be a vet."

Ma-ru turned to her, surprised. "A vet?"

Yoo Seol nodded, pulling out her sketchbook. She flipped to a page displaying a detailed drawing of a small clinic with animals in the windows and a smiling woman in a white coat. She pointed at herself, then at the drawing, and signed.

Su-ho translated. "She says she wants to help animals. She loves them because of how adorable they are."

Ma-ru felt something warm in his chest. "That's really cool, Seol."

She gave him a small smile. Su-ho smirked.

"Sadly, all pets are beneath me in terms of aegyo-gyah?! Seol?!"

Yoo Seol reached over and pinched his side.

Su-ho pouted, then turned back to Ma-ru. "What about you, Marumaru? What's your plan after graduation?"

Ma-ru froze.

What was his plan?

He'd never really thought about it. Not seriously. He just assumed he'd get a job, work, survive. Nothing special. Nothing worth saying out loud.

"Erm..." He fidgeted with his tie. "B-become an office worker, maybe?"

Su-ho stared at him. "...Wow."

Ma-ru winced. "W-what?"

"Mundane stuff," Su-ho said, but his voice wasn't mocking. It was almost... disappointed. "That's it? Office worker?"

Ma-ru's cheeks burned. "It's a stable job!"

"I'm not sayin' it's bad," Su-ho said quickly, raising his hands. "Just... I dunno. You could aim higher, y'know? You're smarter than you give yourself credit for."

No, I'm literally below the top ten, Ma-ru thought.

Before he could respond, Su-ho stood up and brushed off his uniform. He turned to face them both, his expression suddenly serious.

"Listen. If we reach our goals-when we reach them-don't forget." He looked at Ma-ru, then at Yoo Seol. "We're still friends. Even if we're apart. Even if I'm some big-shot idol and Seol-seol's a famous vet and you're-" he paused, smirking, "-the world's most amazing office worker."

Ma-ru snorted despite himself.

Su-ho's grin softened. "Let's have reunions. Like this. Just the three of us. No cameras, no fans, no nothin'. Just us."

Yoo Seol signed something.

Su-ho read her hands, then groaned. "Oh, come on. Seol-seol says idols have secret stuff-dating, outings, whatever. And she says I'm not allowed to bring any of that to our reunions."

Ma-ru blinked. "Wait, dating?"

"Not important!" Su-ho waved his hands frantically. "The point is: the three of us. Reunions. Promise?"

He held out his hand.

Yoo Seol placed hers on top.

Ma-ru hesitated, then placed his hand over theirs.

Su-ho grinned. "Promise."

Then-as if a switch had been flipped-the playful glint in Su-ho's eyes disappeared. His gaze turned serious, drifting back toward the rift.

"Anyway... speaking of angel stuff before I derailed our talk. I reckon that thing's got somethin' to do with monsters." His voice dropped, losing its playful twang. "Like in those fantasy web novels ya always read?"

Ma-ru stiffened. "Knights and dungeons?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah. And the thing about... empaths?"

"Espers?"

Su-ho scratched his head, then held his hand out between them, palm up. Without another word, he concentrated.

A tiny arc of blue-white lightning crackled to life at his fingertips.

Ma-ru froze.

Yoo Seol's eyes widened, her perfect composure finally cracking.

Su-ho hummed, watching the flickering energy dance across his skin, but his gaze was distant, locked onto something in the empty air in front of him. Something only he could see.

"I reckon it started before the rift even appeared," he muttered, his voice low. "A game-like screen just popped up in front of me... but y'all couldn't see it." He dismissed the lightning with a flick of his wrist and tapped at the empty space before his eyes. "Nothin', right? But for me... there's my name, my stats, my ability: Lightning Generator."

The lightning crackled again at his fingertips. Su-ho stared at it as the energy hardened, shaping itself into a bolt-like dagger. He grabbed it, then grinned. "Cool, right? Though based on those books, most of those stories happen because of monsters, right?"

A chilling realization settled over the three of them, cold and heavy.

If this was real... if this was really like a web novel...

That meant the rift wasn't just a strange phenomenon.

It was a door.

And doors open both ways.

Monsters would come. People would die. And others, like Su-ho, would awaken to fight them.

But the most terrifying question echoed in all their minds: How had Su-ho awakened before the door had even opened?

The bell rang.

RIIIIING!

Ma-ru flinched so hard he nearly stumbled. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird.

Is that the signal? Is it happening?! Are they coming out now?!

He shrank back, panic seizing his lungs, only to realize...

It was just the school bell. The break was over.

Still, his legs wouldn't stop trembling.

"Ya alright?" Su-ho asked, his voice soft with concern.

"N-nothing is alright! M-monsters will come from that thing if this is like web novels or manhwa! P-people will die and-"

Before Ma-ru could finish, he felt a warm, steady hand gently rubbing his back. Yoo Seol. She didn't look at him, but her presence was an anchor.

Deep breath. In. Out. In. Out.

Ma-ru finally calmed down, the world coming back into focus. He turned to Yoo Seol. "Thanks."

She gave him a firm, reassuring thumbs-up.

Then Su-ho spoke. "I will protect you two."

He wasn't looking at them. He was staring past them, through the window, at the silent, swirling rift. His expression was grim.

He turned back, and his eyes held a gravity none of them had ever seen in him before.

"If that happens," he said, his voice quiet and devoid of all teasing-just pure, unwavering determination. "I'll protect both of you."

He met each of their eyes.

"It's a promise."