Chapter Text
Snow crunched under boots as the class stepped off the bus into the cold mountain air of Oostenrijk. Pine trees dusted with white stretched across the slopes, and the ski resort looked like something out of a postcard.
Students immediately started buzzing with excitement.
“Snowboarding!”
“Skiing!”
“Pictures first!”
Right in the middle of it all stood Yu Ijin, staring at the mountain like it was a battlefield he hadn’t studied yet.
He been in warzones.
Gunfights.
Knife fights.
Hostage rescues.
But this?
Two sticks attached to his feet.
He frowned slightly.
“…How do you walk with these?”
The First Attempt.
The instructor clapped his hands.
“Okay! First timers on the beginner slope!”
Yuna looked over at him.
“You’ve… never skied before, right?”
Ijin shook his head.
Seokju blinked.
“You’re joking.”
“I am not.”
The instructor helped Ijin clip into skis.
Step one.
Ijin stood.
Step two—
His legs slid apart instantly.
FWOOP.
He landed flat on his back.
Students burst into laughter.
Seokju doubled over.
“Ijin! The legendary bodyguard defeated by snow!”
Yuna tried to hold it in but failed.
“Sorry— I’m sorry—!”
Ijin sat up slowly, brushing snow from his jacket with the same calm expression he used after being shot at.
“…Understood.”
He stood again.
This time he adjusted his balance.
Weight forward.
Center gravity.
Friction.
Slope angle.
His eyes scanned the hill.
Like analyzing a combat zone.
One Hour Later
Most beginners were still sliding sideways or falling.
Meanwhile—
Ijin quietly glided down the slope.
Perfectly controlled.
The instructor stared.
“…Didn't he say he’s never skied before?”
Seokju watched in disbelief.
“No way.”
Yuna blinked.
“He’s learning too fast.”
...
End of Day One
The group was exhausted and heading back to the lodge when someone pointed.
“Wait… isn’t that the black slope?”
Everyone looked up.
That slope was the hardest on the mountain.
Steep.
Fast.
Dangerous.
And at the top—
A familiar figure stood there adjusting goggles.
Yu Ijin.
Next to him, Seokju’s jaw dropped as he reached for Ijin.
“NO.”
Yuna panicked.
“IJIN WAIT—!”
But Ijin had already pushed off.
The Descent
For a moment he stood still.
Then gravity took over.
The slope dropped sharply.
Wind roared past his ears.
Students below watched a lone figure shoot down the mountain like a missile.
No zig-zag.
No slowing down.
Just straight down.
Seokju screamed while chasing him on his snowboard.
“IJIN SLOW DOWN!!”
Yuna followed on skis.
“YOU’RE GOING TOO FAST!!”
But Ijin just leaned slightly forward, calm expression unchanged as snow sprayed behind him.
To him it felt familiar.
Just another high-risk maneuver.
Thirty seconds later—
He reached the bottom perfectly upright.
Not even breathing hard.
...
The Group Chat
That night.
In the hotel.
Ijin sent two things to the Numbers group chat.
1️⃣ A video of him rocketing down the black slope.
2️⃣ A photo at the bottom while Seokju and Yuna were still halfway down screaming.
Then he wrote one simple message.
001:
I learned skiing today.
The Numbers React
004:
WHAT THE HELL
ARE YOU TRYING TO DIE???
005 (Maya):
…That slope is rated expert.
006 (Liam):
HAHAHAHAHA
THEY'RE YELLING AT YOU IN THE VIDEO
008:
001 you will break bones doing that
016:
That is not how beginners ski.
018:
Tactical question: why go straight down?
Ijin replied calmly.
001:
It was faster.
Three seconds passed.
Then—
004:
OF COURSE YOU WOULD SAY THAT
Meanwhile...
Liam replayed the video.
Paused.
Zoomed in,
And burst out laughing.
006:
WAIT
THOSE TWO BEHIND YOU ARE CHASING YOU LIKE PANICKED PARENTS
Another message appeared.
005:
That girl yelling your name… is she the one you guard as a bodyguard?
Pause.
Ijin didn’t respond.
Instead he sent another photo.
Yuna at the bottom of the slope.
Hands on her knees.
Out of breath.
Clearly yelling at him.
Seokju lying face-down in the snow behind her.
002 finally wrote.
The chat went quiet instantly.
002:
001.
Everyone waited.
Then the next message appeared.
002:
Next time,
wear a helmet.
Several seconds later—
004:
THAT'S ALL YOU'RE SAYING?!
006:
awhh he cares!
Back at the Lodge
Meanwhile in Austria.
Yuna crossed her arms.
“Ijin!”
He looked up from his phone.
“Yes?”
“You cannot go down slopes like that!”
Seokju groaned from the couch.
“I almost died trying to catch you…”
Ijin tilted his head slightly.
“…You didn’t need to follow.”
Both of them shouted at the same time.
“OF COURSE WE DID!”
Ijin blinked once.
Then— very faintly—
The smallest smile appeared.
...
In the Group Chat
A final message popped up.
001:
Tomorrow I will try snowboarding.
Silence.
Then—
032:
OH GOD NO
006:
SOMEBODY STOP HIM
005:
The mountain will not survive.
002:
Wear a helmet.