Strange voices drifted in.

When I opened my eyes, the blurred silhouettes of people moving quickly came into view. I blinked blankly. Shadows fell across my face. Urgent shouting voices. Figures running busily to and fro.

My senses weren’t all awake yet, and my mind was a mess. I closed my heavy eyelids, then opened them again—dust and the smell of gunpowder tickled my nose.

And then I saw a gun muzzle thrust at me.

What the hell?

The thought barely formed before a sharp voice snapped me awake.

“Who the hell are you?!”

That’s what I want to ask.

“Where the hell did you pop out from?”

I lifted my upper body.

My vision widened. Several muzzles were aimed at me. ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Above the blurred silhouettes, a piercing white light fell.

What is happening?

I stared vacantly, taking in the five people aiming guns at me, the vast hall with its high ceiling, and the man standing in front of me.

The voice belonged to the man pressing a gun muzzle between my eyes.

He had curly hair and striking hazel eyes.

“Where did you come in from?”

“Where is this?”

I muttered, staring at the man’s clear eyes. My head wasn’t working right.

Was I drinking before I fell asleep?

“What was I doing?”

“Hey, don’t spout nonsense!”

The curly-haired man scowled.

“When and how did you get in here?”

He seemed like someone with a temper. But I had no grasp of what was going on. I looked at the man leaning toward me.

He was dressed like the others—pitch-black combat gear that seemed to swallow light. Black gloves. A huge, sturdy-looking gun in his hands.

The cold muzzle pressed hard against my throat.

This seems... pretty dangerous.

“You gonna keep babbling like an idiot? You screwing with me?”

“Ro.”

A voice spoke up from behind.

“Looks like there was a problem with the portal. Lower your gun.”

A girl with round eyes stepped forward. Her black hair was tied back, and she carried a gun almost as big as her torso. Maybe it was because she was the only East Asian here, but she immediately caught the eye.

Why’s a high schooler—college freshman at most—holding a gun like that?

The curly-haired man—Ro—snapped his head toward her.

“Hey, you don’t even know what this bastard is, and you’re telling me to lower my gun?”

“I’m saying something went wrong with the portal.”

The girl strode toward me without hesitation.

“Maybe it got linked to another portal for a moment or something.”

Lower your gun, Ro. She scolded him casually.

With both hands pressed to the ground, I stared at the approaching girl and those standing behind her.

All of them in black. Clearly not ordinary civilians. Their gazes, fixed on me, were sharp enough to cut.

And even though she’d told him to lower the gun, it was clear—if I so much as twitched suspiciously, they’d shoot me on the spot. The air carried the scent of gunpowder and soil.

Where is this? What was I doing before I ended up here?

The high, pale-ceilinged space didn’t feel familiar. Judging by their reactions and my own gut, this wasn’t a place I’d been before. But why had I woken up here?

And who was I?

As I panicked over the blank past, the girl stopped in front of me.

She looked down at me sitting there with her wide eyes.

“Hello!”

With a bright voice, she greeted me and stretched out her right hand.

“I’m Choi Ami! Call me Ami.”

“...Hildebert Taleb.”

I reflexively took Ami’s hand.

“Please, just call me Hilde.”

But I couldn’t remember when or who had ever called me Hilde. My memory was wiped clean.

Since when had it been like this?

Staring blankly ahead, I panicked over my empty memories. My chest sank with a thud, and I silently spiraled into panic.

At the same time, the hand I’d extended was cuffed.

***

Cuffed, I was taken somewhere.

They didn’t drag me roughly. I just numbly followed Ami’s lead, too shocked by the loss of my memories to resist.

The others surrounded me—Ro on my left, a tall man with long, gentle eyes on my right. Behind me, a small two-toned-haired girl and a man masked up to his nose followed.

It looked like I was being escorted like some VIP.

In reality, it was surveillance.

We walked down a wide corridor and reached a room.

A white desk and several chairs were set inside. The kind of place that might be used as a meeting room—or not used at all.

Ami pulled a chair out at the desk in the center.

I sat quietly, cuffs on my wrists.

“Hilde?”

“Yes?”

“I’ll just make a call.”

Her sudden remark left me blinking in surprise.

I looked at her stupidly, then answered awkwardly.

“Ah, yes. Yes. Don’t mind me, please take your time.”

The East Asian girl’s eyes curved as she grinned.

She opened the front door and stepped into the corridor. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

At once, silence filled the spotless room. Everyone took seats, closed their mouths. Waiting for something, it seemed. The situation wasn’t going to change anytime soon.

Might as well take the chance to think.

I tried desperately to recall what kind of person I was.

Damn it. Why can’t I remember anything but my name?

So many things were gone. No—nearly everything. As if someone had washed my memory clean with water. Ever since the cuffs were slapped on, I’d strained to recall where I came from, who I was. No success.

Only fragments, useless snippets. Riding shotgun, staring out the window. Playing on a game console just bigger than my palm.

I frowned and straightened up in my chair.

“Need to use the bathroom~?”

The man beside Ro smiled faintly, breaking the silence.

“If you want to, go~...”

I blinked.

“No. I’m fine.”

I straightened my back and met his eyes.

“Thank you for your concern.”

“If you need to, just say it anytime~.”

His eyes curved into crescents, his sharp green irises narrowing.

Ah. Nasty temperament.

I decided then and there—it was best not to cross him.

He might wear that lazy smile, but he was clearly sharp, sensitive.

The green-eyed man lounged in a chair by the whiteboard, leaning back lazily with his legs crossed and both hands in his pockets. Even so, I couldn’t spot an opening in him.

He was the kind of person you didn’t dare cross.

I added respectfully, meeting his long eyes, black hair, and composed features.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it...”

“Hey.”

Ro, tapping on his phone beside the green-eyed man, lifted his head.

“Yes?”

“Where the hell did you come from?”

Ro leaned back in his chair, shaking one foot.

“You said you don’t remember?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. I’ve been trying, but only useless scraps come to mind.”

“What kind of scraps?”

“...Like... playing on a handheld game console...”

I furrowed my brow, straining for something more useful.

But again, I failed miserably. Only trivial images—an immaculate room with two apples on the table, a coffee milk with a straw stuck in it, a half-eaten scone. Useless scenes flashing by.

I let out a small sigh.

“...I’m sorry. Nothing worth telling comes to mind. Strangely, I only remember my name, but no other personal details.”

“Maybe your memories got wiped when you crossed the portal...”

The green-eyed man muttered to himself.

“They say something similar happened once in a while before, but whether that’s solid info or not, who knows...”

“Goddamn, what the hell is this? We went through the portal, and suddenly some stranger shows up? No matter how dumb I am, I at least know if five people go in, five people should come out. But shit, six people came out this time. Does that make sense?”

“It doesn’t make sense—that’s exactly why we’re sitting here dealing with this now~. I was planning to wash up and smoke a cigarette as soon as we got back, though...”

The green-eyed man tilted his head lazily as he spoke.

“I wanna go home...”

“I’m sorry.”

When the smile slipped off his face, I reflexively blurted out a reply.

“You can smoke here if you want. I don’t mind.”

Ro and the green-eyed man both shifted their gaze onto me. Even the people behind me—though silent—I could feel their eyes burning into the back of my head.

Like an animal on display at the zoo.

I gave a wry smile and endured their stares.

But before I could open my mouth again, the door flew open.

“He doesn’t exist!”

Ami burst in with wide eyes.

“No one with Hilde’s face, and no one named Hildebert Taleb, exists in Center Core or in any other Core.”

“What the hell are you really?”

Ro’s thick brows drew together as he glared at me.

“Where the fuck did you come crawling out from?”

“...I’m sorry. But I’m just as confused as you are...”

“For now, Ska said they’ll contact us.”

Let’s just wait until then. Ami waved her palms like she was calming both me and Ro down.

I quietly observed her as she closed the door and walked toward me. The big gun she’d been carrying was nowhere in sight.

I tried to absorb every detail, cramming information into my head. With all my memories wiped clean, I felt like a newborn, relearning everything from scratch. Who was Ska? What was Center Core, and these “Cores” they kept mentioning?

And where the hell had I come from? I racked my brain, trying to recall my country of origin. It wasn’t that I’d forgotten the names of countries. I remembered the United States, Britain, Australia. But the crucial fact—my homeland—slipped away completely.

As I watched Ami place a paper envelope down on the desk, I asked,

“Where am I, exactly?”

Ami, Ro, and the green-eyed man all looked up at me.

“I mean, the country. Which country am I in right now? Is this America?”

Their expressions turned strange.

Silence fell. A peculiar atmosphere spread across the sterile room.

Caught off guard by the shift, I blinked rapidly. Why? Sitting there in the heavy silence, I grew more and more flustered.

Why that kind of reaction...?

It was Ro who broke the silence, snapping at me.

“What the hell are you talking about now?”

“There’s no such country as America anymore~.”

The green-eyed man cut him off, his sharp gaze piercing into me.

“It’s been a while since I’ve heard that proper noun...”

His words didn’t make sense. I blinked.

“Excuse me?”

“What I mean is—borders don’t exist anymore~. These days, most students don’t even understand the concept of a nation. Do you at least remember how old you are~?”

“Uh? No... I’m sorry, I don’t remember that either... huh? What?”

I was so rattled I kept stammering out “Huh?” over and over. The green-eyed man’s explanation just wouldn’t stick.

He repeated it again: there are no borders anymore, and everyone lives within Cores. I tried to mesh this with the fragments in my head, but nothing fit.

In my memories, multiple countries clearly existed. The United States, Britain, China, India—those I remembered clearly.

I must have been wandering in confusion for a long while.

At last, I forced myself to steady my thoughts, focusing on my senses to shake free of the chaos. The room was still and motionless. The glow of white lights, the faint scent of polished wood from the desk. The three of them stared straight at me, waiting for me to open my mouth.

Feeling the chill in the air, I finally managed to speak.

“Then... where are you three from? Which countries... Or should I say, you’re not from any countries anymore? What exactly does it mean that borders no longer exist?”

“Ah.”

The green-eyed man, still seated with legs crossed, smiled faintly.

“That’s a tough question~. But it just so happens the three of us are a little older. I used to be Italian~. Now I’m just a Center Core man...”

“Sicily.”

Ro cut in roughly.

“The two rookies behind you were born in Center Core. That kid’s Chinese.”

“I told you, I’m Korean!”

Ami, who’d been observing me with wide eyes, jumped up indignantly. Her sudden outburst startled me.

I stared at her, wide-eyed. The green-eyed man chuckled quietly at the sight. Ami, oblivious—or maybe indifferent—to the reaction around her, slapped the desk and glared at Ro.

“I’ve told you dozens of times, Yun oppa and I are Korean! The Chinese one is the Personnel Director, Ju!”

“Oh, that so? Well, whatever.”

“It’s not ‘whatever’! We’ve been comrades for forty years—how can you still mix up my nationality?”

“Speaking of, where’s the Personnel Director? Some stranger popped up out of thin air—shouldn’t he be here?”

“Ju said he’s not coming.”

Suddenly calm again, Ami blinked her round eyes.

I saw Ro and the green-eyed man both blink as well.

Ami added casually,

“He said it doesn’t seem urgent, and there’s nothing pressing to do right now anyway.”

“Bullshit. If a human popping out of nowhere isn’t urgent, then what the hell is?”

“Don’t know.”

“You reported to the Commander, right~?”

The green-eyed man asked lazily.

“What did he say...?”

“He said he’ll come as soon as possible. For now, Assistant Ska will handle it. John and Yun oppa are checking the portal system. Samuel already has Hilde’s medical exam set up. Personnel is ready for a polygraph.”

“Um...”

I carefully spoke up. Again, all eyes turned to me. Their stares weren’t welcoming, but I couldn’t hold back the question rolling on my tongue.

I was trying to fit together the puzzle pieces from their conversation: I’d apparently popped out of a portal, borders no longer existed, nations like America and China were gone, and people now lived in something called the Center Core.

The silent pair behind me probably had the lowest rank...

But there was one thing I couldn’t wrap my head around.

“How old are the three of you, exactly?”

Smiles tugged at Ami’s lips and the green-eyed man’s mouth. Even Ro’s face curled into a mischievous grin.

I stared at them, dazed, as they all beamed at me.

Waiting for someone to give me an answer.

It was Ami who answered, looking at me brightly.

Then, cheerfully, she declared:

“Seventy!”