A white wind blew through.
The peaceful city began to crumble from the edges. The once colorful world gradually lost its hue. Buildings collapsed. The asphalt cracked and split apart. The atmosphere shook with ominous vibrations. The world was falling apart— all because of one person's death.
In the midst of this collapsing world, Lee Sa-young carefully held the limp body in his arms. The lifeless form swayed helplessly with his movents. He wanted to pull out the sword that had pierced the body, but he didn't want to cause any unnecessary pain. Even though he knew this wasn't reality.
Lee Sa-young sat Cha Eui-jae on his lap, supporting the body. Cha Eui-jae's head, now devoid of strength, slumped down onto his shoulder. His hands were soaked with bright red blood. The wet sensation was unsettling.
"..."
Lee Sa-young rested his cheek against Cha Eui-jae's gray hair. White ash rained down. He muttered to the person who could no longer hear him.
"Do you know what's really annoying?"
"..."
"Why did you do this? What were you thinking when you did it..."
The ideal world that another version of himself had carefully crafted was collapsing, revealing the real one. The towering skyscrapers had turned into ruins, and the neat streets paved with asphalt and tiles were now covered in dirt, dust, and white ash. There was no trace of intact buildings— only ruins remained. A desolate wind blew but soon stopped. A perfect silence settled.
How had Lee Sa-young endured in this ruined world, left all alone without Cha Eui-jae? He had probably thought it over and over again. Dreaming endlessly of a happy world where the apocalypse never ca, a world where Cha Eui-jae didn't have to die, a world where he didn't have to save the world. A peaceful world where no one knew Cha Eui-jae. He must have thought about it for so long that the imagined world beca more vivid than reality.
He must have dreamt of the possibility.
"Being able to understand everything..."
But Lee Sa-young knew that was arrogance. He knew well that Cha Eui-jae was the kind of person who would break free of any chains placed on him. That no matter how much you tried to hide him, he was soone who shined on his own. Lee Sa-young closed his eyes and muttered quietly.
"It's unpleasant."
But still... I wish you would have stayed by my side.
Lee Sa-young whispered into the empty air.
"Hurry back, Hyung."
"..."
"It's a little..."
"..."
"Lonely here."
The white wind blew again. The air trembled. Hidden beneath the white ash, things slowly began to reveal themselves.
***
Flap...
A low voice resonated in the emptiness.
J.
The unshaken number one, the hero who saved the country, the great figure who saved countless people... Although all sorts of glamorous titles followed behind his black mask, he always recoiled whenever he heard them. He'd grumble about how people were so obsessed with impressive titles and tell them to stop calling him that.
...
A person who did good deeds without expecting anything in return. Soone who said he liked saving people. After every major battle, he would collapse for a while, but if he was needed, he would still rush out without hesitation. As long as he was there, it felt like everything would be okay.
Cha Eui-jae was soone who gave that kind of hope.
...
Flap... the sound of a page turning could be heard.
...
He had carefully gathered poison to save the life of a young boy who was a complete stranger to him, administered the antidote, and stayed by his side. One day, 'I' awakened— while Cha Eui-jae was away.
Unable to control my powers, I lted my beloved cup, various objects, and even the machines connected to my body. Black poison filled the hospital room. In the end, I locked myself in the bathroom.
Cha Eui-jae rushed over as soon as he heard the news. He said he ca right after dealing with a dungeon. I didn't open the door. I didn't want him to see in such a miserable state. But Cha Eui-jae kicked down the door without hesitation. He grabbed my hand without a second thought. Even though his skin lted where we touched, he didn't even grimace. His lting skin felt hot.
...
Ever since Cha Eui-jae saved once more, 'I' lived with him.
We were always together.
Until the day he died.
...
It took a long ti, but finally, the page turned again.
...
Cha Eui-jae wasn't in good health.
He said he had been like that ever since his awakening. Even when he was fild slaying a massive monster shortly after his awakening, he collapsed soon after. His aunt had to co and take care of him. Cha Eui-jae was sheepish about it. He said he had been quite healthy before his awakening.
Sotis he would tell stories about how he used to play soccer every lunch break at his middle school, which no longer exists. He claid he was quite a good striker and that everyone wanted to be on his team because he always won bets. He said eating ice cream after the gas was the best part. Whenever I listened, I tried to picture a younger Cha Eui-jae, healthy and running around on the field.
...But I couldn't really imagine it.
The Cha Eui-jae I knew was brave but also soone with a frail body.
After using his powers, he always fell ill. But very few people knew that. He said if people found out he was sick, it would cause more anxiety, so he locked himself away in a dark room. Since he was always a bit of a mysterious figure, no one thought much of it if he disappeared for a few days. They just assud it was part of the hero's eccentricity. No one knew he was dying.
...Was it the backlash from his powers? I didn't know. Speculation, guesses, endless days of uncertainty. Nam Woo-jin and even healers from overseas were consulted, but no one knew.
Nam Woo-jin worked tirelessly to research the issue, but in the end, even he gave up. He said there seed to be so unknown force at play behind Cha Eui-jae's pain. That was all.
We didn't know the cause, and he was slowly dying. The intervals between his pain grew shorter. He used to only fall ill after major battles, but now he grew weaker even after using half his strength. Sotis he would bleed. I would feel the empty space beside in the middle of the night, and when I went to check, I'd find him clutching the sink, coughing up blood. It was dark red. Even after washing it away, the red stain in my mind wouldn't fade.
The most frustrating thing was that he had co to terms with his own death. At so point, he started saying things like, "This is inevitable, so don't worry too much... Don't get hurt over it."
Who gave him the right?
I scraped together every bit of information I could. I worked with Nam Woo-jin and gathered people. Before the apocalypse and even after it arrived.
He always shone brilliantly, but his light felt precarious. Like a candle burning its life away. Just before the fla goes out, it shines its brightest. He glowed like that.
I didn't want him to shine. I just wanted him to live a long, quiet life with a gentle glow.
...
The apocalypse ca.
The battles increased. The endless stream of monsters drained his life. His condition worsened. Though I ran around just as much to keep him off the battlefield, I couldn't fill his absence. And people were already conditioned to expect it.
J will save us again.
If it's J, he can do it.
J will solve everything.
The world flashed red.
Nonsense.
Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense.
...
Silence. The sound of a page turning.
Cha Eui-jae lived up to their expectations.
He died.
And left behind.
...
Are you satisfied?
The sound of pages turning stopped. The world stopped. A white wind began to blow. Slowly, the darkness cleared, revealing a world of pure white ruins. Cha Eui-jae began to walk. Crunch, crunch... The ash piled like snow crunched underfoot.
Dust rose from the collapsed buildings. Sothing seed to push him forward, as if guiding him sowhere. He walked aimlessly along the path.
How long had he walked?
"..."
The sound of soone breathing could be heard. It was rough, like that of a beast. Cha Eui-jae held his breath and approached quietly. Amid the white world, there was sothing black. A worn-out leather coat that had lost its sheen, black boots dirtied with dust and ash. ssy black hair. A familiar figure.
He was holding soone in his arms. Through the coat, a limp leg could be seen. Without realizing it, Cha Eui-jae lowered his gaze. The boots were the sa as his.
"..."
After taking a deep breath, he took in the scene.
And then...
He saw Lee Sa-young's face.
'It's the sa.'
It was exactly the sa.
The face he had faintly seen before closing his eyes.
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