Fated Beyond Chrono

She quickly turned around and blocked the man's fist. He was holding a knife. Judging by the shape and color of the knife, it certainly didn't seem to be of Earthly origin. But another knife appeared out of nowhere. It was thrown by a man who looked similar to the one in black. Aria sharply turned her body to avoid the knife heading toward her scar, but it grazed her pectoralis major muscle next to it.

The man who threw the knife was dressed in white, and the two of them punched Aria simultaneously. Unable to avoid the attack, she was sent flying more than 10 meters.

How could a person who was easily overpowered by Cheonwoong and his friends be like this in such a short time? However, Aria noticed a star-shaped tattoo on their arm. They definitely didn't have this tattoo earlier. Could they be different people? But their physiques were too similar to be certain. They pulled out the knife again. Just as they were about to deliver a fatal blow...

A familiar whisper cast a spell: "Cerasatto." Aria suddenly collapsed into an alley, turning into a handful of ashes. The alley was located between the center and Cheonwoong's house. Aria glanced at the clock in a nearby restaurant. It was 2:50 a.m. She had come back after closing time, but somehow, her wound wasn't healing. She stood up painfully, pressing her hand against the wound to stop the bleeding. Soon, she fainted under the streetlamp with a pale face.

While unconscious, Aria found herself on some distant planet. What she saw was an endless desert of sand, with a child standing before her. The child walked up to Aria, who was bleeding heavily. But as the child approached, a tall woman appeared behind it and, with a tentacle emerging from her hand, stabbed the child. When the child collapsed, Aria woke up in a cold sweat.

Aria woke up in someone's house. It was dark, and she was lying on a sofa. As she tried to get up, someone grabbed her shoulder.

She was startled but soon realized that the person was Cheonwoong, recognizing his warmth and distinctive touch. Cheonwoong smiled and said,

"You're in trouble again, Ms. Aria."

"Sleep here tonight," he added. "I'll take you back to the center in the morning."

Aria, still holding his hand on her shoulder, responded, "No, stay with me."

Cheonwoong couldn't refuse for some reason.

"Uh... um... okay," he said.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Aria then asked,

"How did you find me?"

Cheonwoong explained, "I had a nightmare. I don't remember what it was about, but when I woke up, I heard something like tinnitus. Because of my experience with nightmares, I thought it was tinnitus, so I went outside to get some fresh air to stop it. But it only got louder. Then I thought, 'Is it not tinnitus?' So I looked around and found you lying under the streetlamp. I lifted you up and brought you to my home. And... you were actually kind of heavy."

Aria smiled and replied, "Are you kidding me in this situation? I'm very light!"

As Aria sulked, puffing out her cheeks like a squirrel, Cheonwoong pressed her cheek and playfully said, "Pop!" Then, he went back to sleep.

Aria had a lot of questions for Cheonwoong, but she grew tired as the air on her cheek faded. After the day she'd had, it was normal to feel exhausted. On Earth, it was only natural. But Aria's mind remained troubled. Eventually, she couldn't fall asleep until she had a cup of tea in the kitchen.

The next morning, Aria was still peacefully sleeping when Cheonwoong woke up early at 7 o'clock. He finished his part-time job at a convenience store, did some morning jogging, came home, and started preparing brunch.

Aria woke up to the smell and noise coming from the kitchen. It was already 11:30 a.m. Her hair was sticking out in all directions like a mad scientist's. Cheonwoong set the table skillfully and smiled, saying, "Aria! Come eat!"

Aria slowly headed to the table. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten a warm meal with someone at a table. She almost wanted to cry, but as the main character... No! A female warrior must hold back her tears, just like a shaken can of soda. But as she took her first bite, she felt the warmth of the food. With each bite, the food melted in her mouth, just like Aria's heart did. In fact, there was only a single stew, but Cheonwoong was so happy to see Aria enjoying it.

After 30 minutes, which felt like only 3 minutes, Aria lay on the sofa, almost melting into it. The warm noon sunlight reflected on her hair. Just as she was about to fall asleep, Cheonwoong said while zipping up his jacket,

"You'll have to pay for my meal!"

In this situation, waking someone up to go out felt like "half a crime," but Aria coughed, got up, and went out with Cheonwoong. When Aria asked what they were going to do today, Cheonwoong said they would work part-time at a Chinese restaurant, then go buy her clothes, school supplies, and other things.

Aria replied, "Even if I work part-time with you, don't you think you're giving me things that are worth more than the brunch?"

Cheonwoong looked up at the sky and said, "The center teacher said this: 'It's not a shame to accept help, but it's a shame to leave someone in need.' Don't you think that's right?"

Aria looked at Cheonwoong, impressed. Then, Cheonwoong proudly added, "I think you have muscle pain in your leg. Can I help you with that?"

Aria tilted her head and asked, "How?"

Cheonwoong smiled and pointed at a Chinese restaurant right in front of them. "Do you see that Chinese restaurant? That's where we'll be working."

Aria said, "Okay?"

Cheonwoong grinned. "If we race there, won't it loosen up your legs?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheonwoong started running. Aria quickly followed and shouted, "Hey, you're so cheap!"

After a while, the results were shocking. Despite his 186-centimeter height and starting first, Cheonwoong lost. Even though they were on "our" Earth and she had an injury, a normal person couldn't beat a warrior. Aria looked at Cheonwoong with a proud expression, and Cheonwoong was so furious that he hit the ground.

Thus, they arrived at the Chinese restaurant where they would work. The restaurant was painted entirely in gold, and its aura was different from other buildings. The two of them nervously swallowed and went inside. The boss welcomed them, and they changed into their uniforms in the changing room, realizing they had just five minutes until opening time. Cheonwoong instructed Aria step by step, and he started preparing skillfully. With one minute left until opening, the clock ticked down... when it reached 12:00, the door opened!

The scene outside was like soldiers preparing for battle—there were an uncountable number of guests. A male part-timer, about their age, and several veteran employees were already tired. Everyone wore expensive clothes that seemed like they'd require bankruptcy protection just to touch, and among the crowd were both Chinese and foreign customers.

As they worked, Cheonwoong saw Aria struggling. A Chinese couple approached, and the part-time worker from earlier noticed Aria was having trouble communicating. He spoke in Chinese on her behalf, saying, "BlahBlahBlahBlahBlah?" (How can I help you, sir?)

The Chinese man replied, "BlahBlahBlahBlahBlah?" (Can I get a refill on my water?)

The worker served the glass of water, and the situation was resolved. Cheonwoong then asked Aria what had happened, and she explained that the Chinese man had just asked for a water refill.

Later, Cheonwoong approached the part-timer who had helped Aria. He wanted to thank him, so he asked for his name and phone number.

The part-timer introduced himself as Ji Shihoon, and they exchanged phone numbers.

By the end of the day, both Cheonwoong and Aria were exhausted. They had earned a total of $120. With this, Aria seemed to have paid more than enough for her meal—actually, overpaid.

At that moment, Shihoon looked at the two of them with an arrogant posture.