The rain had not stopped for three days.

It poured over the ancient shrine hidden deep within the mountains, where moss-covered stone lanterns stood as silent witnesses to the passing of time. The world beyond had changed countless times—kingdoms had fallen, cities had risen, and people had forgotten the legends carved into the shrine's weathered walls.

But one man remained.

Christopher Bang.

Most people simply called him Chris.

He stood beneath the shrine's crimson gate, dressed in a black coat that barely moved in the wind. At first glance, he looked no older than twenty-eight. His face had remained unchanged for a century, while everyone he had ever known had grown old and disappeared.

A hundred years.

A hundred birthdays he never celebrated.

A hundred springs without the person he loved.

Chris slowly opened his palm. Resting there was a jade pendant carved into the shape of a blooming plum blossom. Time had faded its color, but not the memories attached to it.

"This is for you," a gentle voice echoed in his mind.

"If we ever lose each other..."

"...find me again."

Chris closed his fingers around the pendant.

"I've been trying," he whispered into the rain.

"I never stopped."

A cold gust swept through the shrine. The five stone pillars surrounding the altar began to glow faintly, filling the air with an eerie blue light.

An old man emerged from the shadows.

His white robes dragged across the wet stone floor as though untouched by the rain.

"The curse grows stronger," the old guardian said quietly.

Chris didn't turn around.

"I know."

"You have one year remaining."

Silence.

"If you fail to reunite with the soul you seek before the final day..."

The guardian looked toward the dark sky.

"...your body, your soul, and every trace of your existence will disappear forever."

Chris gave a bitter smile.

"I remember the rules."

"The soul has finally returned."

For the first time in years, Chris's expression changed.

His heartbeat quickened.

"...Where?"

The guardian raised one trembling hand.

"In Seoul."

Chris's eyes widened.

"The child has grown into a young man."

"The name he carries now..."

The guardian paused.

"...is Kim Seungmin."

The rain suddenly felt lighter.

A century of searching.

Thousands of faces.

Countless disappointments.

And finally—

He had found him.

Chris clutched the pendant tightly against his chest.

"Min-ah..."

The name escaped his lips like a prayer.

"No," the guardian corrected gently.

"He no longer remembers that name."

"He has lived another life."

"He has another family."

"He has another future."

Chris lowered his gaze.

"I don't need him to remember."

"I only need one chance."

The guardian studied him for a long moment.

"Be careful."

"Love returned by fate is precious..."

"...but forcing forgotten memories to awaken may break the soul that carries them."

Chris nodded without another word.

As dawn slowly painted the mountains gold, he descended the stone steps of the shrine for the first time in months.

Waiting at the foot of the mountain was a sleek black car.

The driver bowed respectfully.

"Mr. Bang."

Chris slipped into the back seat.

"To Seoul."

The engine started.

As the car disappeared into the mist, Chris looked once more at the faded jade pendant resting in his hand.

After one hundred years...

His search had finally come to an end.

Or perhaps—

It was only just beginning.

Seoul was nothing like the city Chris remembered.

The quiet streets and tiled rooftops from a century ago had long disappeared, replaced by towering skyscrapers, glowing billboards, and crowds of people rushing through their daily lives. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry.

Everyone except him.

Chris stepped out of the black sedan and adjusted the cuff of his coat. His gaze wandered across the busy intersection while the morning sun reflected off the glass buildings.

"Mr. Bang."

His driver approached, holding a tablet.

"The information you requested."

Chris accepted it without a word.

On the screen was a student profile.

Kim Seungmin.

Age: 22.

A third-year music student.

Part-time café employee.

No criminal record.

No unusual medical history.

Chris stared at the small photograph attached to the file.

A bright smile.

Soft eyes.

Messy black hair that fell over his forehead.

It wasn't Min-ah's face.

Yet...

Those eyes.

Chris felt his chest tighten.

"...I found you."

Not far away, Seungmin sprinted toward a bus stop, clutching a backpack over one shoulder.

"I'm late!"

He glanced at his phone and groaned.

"No, no, no..."

Just as the bus began pulling away, Seungmin waved both arms.

"Wait! Please!"

The driver sighed and opened the doors again.

"Thank you!" Seungmin laughed as he climbed aboard, earning a few amused smiles from the passengers.

He scratched the back of his neck.

"That was close."

The cheerful grin on his face made strangers smile without realizing it.

Chris arrived at the university just before noon.

Students filled the campus, chatting with friends, carrying books, and laughing under the warm summer sky.

It felt...alive.

A place that reminded him of the future Min-ah had once dreamed of.

"I hope people can learn freely one day," Min-ah had said a century ago.

Chris had never forgotten those words.

Then—

Laughter.

Bright.

Warm.

Familiar.

He turned instinctively.

A young man stepped out of one of the campus buildings, laughing with three friends.

His smile lit up the courtyard.

Chris froze.

Time seemed to stop.

The sounds around him faded until all he could hear was the pounding of his own heartbeat.

"...Min-ah."

The young man looked in his direction for only a second.

Their eyes met.

Seungmin frowned slightly, tilting his head.

"Do I know him?"

One of his friends nudged his shoulder.

"What are you looking at?"

"Hm?"

Seungmin blinked before shaking his head.

"Nothing."

He smiled again and continued walking.

Chris remained rooted to the spot.

It was him.

The same gentle eyes.

The same habit of tilting his head when confused.

Even the way he laughed...

It was almost identical.

But there was no recognition.

Not even a flicker.

The guardian had been right.

Min-ah's soul had returned...

Yet the memories had not.

Chris quietly slipped the jade pendant back into his pocket.

"I won't force you to remember," he murmured.

"I promised I'd find you."

His expression softened into the faintest smile.

"And this lifetime..."

"I'll let you meet me on your own."

As Seungmin disappeared into the crowd, neither of them noticed the hooded figure watching from the rooftop of a nearby building.

A silver pendant shaped like a broken crescent moon hung around the stranger's neck.

"So..."

The figure smiled coldly.

"The immortal has found his beloved."

"Good."

"It will make taking the Fifth Stone much easier."

Chris couldn't bring himself to leave the university.

From a quiet bench beneath a maple tree, he watched students cross the campus with carefree laughter. It had been so long since he had seen people his own apparent age smiling without the weight of centuries on their shoulders.

Then his eyes found Seungmin again.

He was sitting on the grass with three friends, sharing snacks and teasing each other over something on a phone screen.

"You're definitely losing this game," one friend laughed.

"In your dreams," Seungmin shot back with a grin. "Winner buys iced coffee."

"You just don't want to pay."

"Exactly."

The group burst into laughter.

Chris couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face.

A hundred years ago, Min-ah had laughed like that too—bright enough to make even the darkest days feel warm.

For a moment, the memories blurred together.

"Chris!"

The voice from the past echoed in his mind.

He turned instinctively...

Only to find himself staring at empty air.

The memory vanished as quickly as it had come.

---

The afternoon passed slowly.

When Seungmin finally left campus, Chris followed from a distance.

Not to spy.

Only to make sure he was safe.

Seungmin stopped at a convenience store, bought a carton of chocolate milk and a triangle kimbap, then continued walking while humming a tune Chris didn't recognize.

Halfway down the street, Seungmin suddenly stopped.

He turned around.

Chris had already stepped behind the trunk of a nearby tree.

"...That's weird."

Seungmin looked around.

"I could've sworn someone was following me."

After a few seconds, he shrugged.

"I'm probably just imagining things."

He continued walking.

Chris let out a quiet sigh.

"I need to be more careful."

---

As evening settled over Seoul, Seungmin arrived at a cozy café tucked into a quiet side street.

He tied on a brown apron and greeted his coworkers with an energetic smile.

"I'm here!"

"Late again?" the café owner teased.

"Only by two minutes!"

"Still late."

Seungmin laughed sheepishly before getting to work.

Chris watched through the café window from across the street.

He had seen kings crowned.

He had watched cities burn.

Yet somehow...

Watching Seungmin carefully draw a heart in someone's latte felt more precious than any memory he possessed.

"He really has changed," Chris whispered.

"And yet..."

A customer accidentally bumped into Seungmin.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay!" Seungmin replied instantly, smiling. "No harm done."

That kindness.

That gentle smile.

Some things never changed.

---

The bell above the café door chimed.

Chris stepped inside.

A warm aroma of coffee and freshly baked pastries filled the room.

He chose a seat by the window.

A few moments later, Seungmin approached with a notebook in hand.

"Welcome!" he said cheerfully. "What would you like to order?"

Chris looked up.

For the first time in a hundred years...

They stood face to face.

Seungmin's smile faltered for just a heartbeat.

"...Have we met before?"

Chris felt his heart stop.

So he remembered?

But Seungmin quickly laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry. You just look... strangely familiar."

Chris's voice was calm, though his heart pounded.

"I don't think we've met."

"Huh."

Seungmin tilted his head.

"That's odd."

He smiled again.

"Well, what can I get for you?"

Chris glanced at the menu but barely saw the words.

"Whatever you recommend."

Seungmin's eyes lit up.

"Really? Then you have to try our honey latte. It's my favorite."

"I'll trust your recommendation."

"I'll be right back!"

As Seungmin walked away, Chris watched him carefully.

No memories.

No recognition.

And yet...

For the briefest moment, Seungmin had looked at him as though his soul remembered what his mind had forgotten.

Outside the café, across the street, the hooded figure from the university stood beneath a flickering streetlamp.

Hidden beneath a black glove, a silver ring began to glow.

"So the bond is already awakening..."

A faint smile curved beneath the hood.

"Then it's time to make the immortal suffer."