Joshen slowly lifted his head, the dull ache in his body reminding him exactly where he was. Cold stone pressed against his back, iron chains resting loosely around his wrists.
"So… it's really been only four days for me," he said quietly. "Why? What happened?"
For a moment, Jake didn't answer. Then a low, uneasy chuckle echoed inside Joshen's mind.
"Buddy," Jake said, "I don't know about you… but in my case, it's been way longer than that. Weeks, at least. We didn't just stay in one place either—we traveled. Even went to another planet."
Joshen's brows furrowed.
"And we met Mr. Henry," Jake added.
The words hit Joshen like a sudden chill.
"…Wait," Jake muttered. "Why did your reaction just change?"
Joshen's eyes narrowed.
"You've already met Mr. Henry?"
Jake went silent for half a second.
"…You know him?"
"What about him?" Jake asked cautiously.
Joshen looked away, his jaw tightening as memories surfaced—fragments he hadn't allowed himself to think about.
"I don't think you want to hear that," he said.
The silence that followed felt heavier than the prison walls. Somewhere down the corridor, water dripped steadily, each sound stretching the moment further.
"So basically," Joshen said at last, forcing his thoughts into order, "you're saying time flows differently in our worlds."
"That's the only explanation that fits," Jake replied. "Otherwise none of this makes sense."
Joshen exhaled slowly.
"Then… I think it's time I open that letter."
"Letter?" Jake asked. "What letter?"
"Kame gave it to me," Joshen said. "Before everything went wrong. He told me to open it when something strange started happening with my body. At the time, I didn't understand what he meant."
Joshen glanced down at his hands. He clenched them slightly, feeling that faint, unfamiliar sensation beneath his skin—something subtle, yet undeniably wrong.
"I think," he continued, "this situation is exactly what he was warning me about."
His gaze shifted toward the iron bars separating him from freedom.
"But first," he said coldly, "I need to get out of this damn prison."
Jake laughed—openly this time, without restraint.
Joshen closed his eyes.
"Jake," he said, voice flat, "you do realize I can hear you, right?"
"Oh come on," Jake replied. "If you're going to be stuck here, I might as well enjoy it. Anyway, listen carefully. Say exactly what I tell you to the guard."
Joshen stood, chains clinking softly as he approached the bars. The guard glanced at him with mild annoyance.
Joshen straightened his posture.
"Excuse me, officer," he said evenly.
"I sincerely apologize for my earlier behavior. I was unaware that the man I offended was a minister. I assure you this mistake will never be repeated. So… could you please consider releasing me?"
Inside Joshen's head, Jake completely lost it.
The guard stared at him for a long moment, expression unreadable.
"That," the guard finally said, "is one thing I cannot do."
Joshen's shoulders stiffened.
"But," the guard continued, "I have orders for tomorrow morning. If the prisoner behaves properly until then… he will be released."
The guard turned away, his footsteps fading down the corridor.
"So you'll have to wait," his voice echoed back.
Joshen sat down slowly, leaning against the cold wall once more.
Tomorrow morning.
One more night.
He closed his eyes, fingers brushing against his chest where the letter was hidden.
Whatever Kame had written…
It was waiting for him..
Morning finally arrived.
Not that it brought any relief.
Neither of them had slept—not even for a moment. Joshen's eyes burned, his body stiff from the cold stone floor. The prison slowly came back to life: distant footsteps, metal doors creaking open, low voices echoing through the corridor. Time felt heavy, as if it were dragging itself forward instead of flowing naturally.
The guard stopped in front of Joshen's cell.
He studied him carefully, as though trying to decide whether Joshen was a threat—or something worse.
"Behave yourself outside," the guard warned. "You won't get another chance."
The lock turned.
The cell door opened.
Joshen stepped out.
Crossing the prison gates felt strange. The open air touched his skin, but it didn't feel freeing—only unfamiliar. The sky looked normal, yet his instincts told him something was off, as if the world was running a fraction behind him.
As he walked away, Joshen spoke under his breath.
"So," he said, "where exactly are you? My mind? My soul? Wherever it is… let's just go."Jake didn't joke. He didn't laugh.
They stopped at a place completely unfamiliar to Jake.
An abandoned construction site.
Broken concrete slabs lay scattered everywhere, rusted tools half-buried in dust. The unfinished structure rose awkwardly against the sky, as if the place itself had been forgotten midway through existence.
Jake scanned the area in confusion.
"…Why are we here?"
Joshen walked forward without hesitation.
"This," he said calmly, "is where I buried the letter."
Jake paused.
"You what?"
"First day," Joshen continued, picking up a shovel from a pile of discarded tools. "Right after I got dragged into this mess. I figured carrying something important around in a place like this was a bad idea."
He glanced back, a faint edge of sarcasm in his voice.
"Didn't really want some random stranger, guard, or self-proclaimed 'chosen one' stumbling upon it before I did."
Jake sighed.
"Of course you buried it."
Joshen smirked slightly.
"Hey, it worked. No one found it. Including me—for four days."
He drove the shovel into the ground.
Once.
Twice.
The soil gave way far too easily, as if it remembered being disturbed before. On the third strike, the shovel hit something solid.
Joshen dropped to his knees and brushed the dirt aside with his hands.
"There," he said quietly. "Told you."
A sealed envelope lay hidden beneath the soil, untouched.
Joshen picked it up.
"Let's see what's written on it."
Joshen opened it carefully.
**"Joshen… and you too, Jake.
I know you are reading this letter together.
The moment you read this, it is still not too late.
At least, that's what I believe.
You still have time.
Go and find a man named 'Han-seok.'"**
That was all.
Joshen folded the letter slowly.
"…Han-seok?" Jake repeated. "Who is that?"
Joshen stared at the abandoned structure ahead of them, the wind passing through exposed steel frames.
"And where do we even begin?" he asked quietly.
The letter didn't give them answers.
Only a name.
And the feeling that time was already moving against them.