In the quiet stillness, Uijae rubbed the sole of his shoe against the floor. *Screech, screech*... It was the only sound that could calm his mind. anwhile, he placed his hand over Lee Sa-young's heart through the fabric and checked Hong Yesung, who had collapsed, by placing his fingers under his nose. Nam Woojin, who had promised to bring tools, still hadn’t returned. There was no sign of life anywhere. Slowly, Uijae began to sink into a fear he thought he had forgotten.
Hong Yesung opened his eyes about 20 minutes later. A sharp, scraping noise filled the room as sothing dragged across the floor. Grasping his pounding head, Hong Yesung lifted his upper body. Sitting on a chair and dragging a long sword across the floor, J looked at him. Hong Yesung blinked blankly before suddenly speaking.
“…Murderer?”
He closed his eyes, anticipating an imdiate rebuttal. But instead of denying it, J tossed aside the sword and crouched down in front of Hong Yesung, staring at him intently.
“Are you… okay?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah, why?”
“Your chest... No.”
After all, J had stabbed him through the chest with that sword. J, now Uijae, glanced briefly at the sword he had thrown on the ground, swallowing his next words. Looking him over quickly, there were no visible marks on his white t-shirt or body. Hong Yesung blinked, then leaned back, supporting himself with both hands on the floor, as he responded.
“Oh, that? I’m fine. It was a consensual thing, after all.”
“Still, are you sure you’re alright?”
“There’s nothing wrong! Besides, that person knows more than I do. When I let them use my body, all sorts of knowledge ca into my head. It wasn’t so bad.”
“……”
“And…”
Hong Yesung rubbed his mouth as the faint outline of a pattern flickered in his eyes.
“Lee Sa-young won’t have to do that anymore. That side has beco the bait now.”
“……”
“They’ve been hiding longer than Lee Sa-young, so they’re a much more tempting prey.”
“Is that information you got from them too?”
“Seems like it. I think I’ve gotten smarter!”
No, that didn’t seem to be the case. Uijae shook his head. Hong Yesung still had that sa slightly vacant look, not exactly the face of soone smarter. Hong Yesung rubbed both his cheeks vigorously before suddenly saying:
“And you don’t need to look so concerned. It might sound strange, but…”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“I think I felt really relieved at the end. Like I was thinking, ‘Finally.’”
Well, he had every right to feel relieved. From the first apocalypse until now, he had hidden in the cracks of the world for so long, all for a single promise.
“Friend.”
Uijae had no mories of their ti together. Yet, Hong Yesung had consistently called him “friend.” The world Hong Yesung had loved disappeared when ti rewound. And still, he did everything he could to keep his promise. Perhaps he truly believed they were the sa person, or maybe it was a way to keep himself going. There was no way to know now.
Perhaps because Uijae understood the feelings of an outsider all too well, his nose tingled with emotion. He blinked his eyes, thankful for the mask that hid his expression. Hong Yesung stretched his body, letting out a sigh.
“Ah, but I do feel oddly empty. Like there’s a hollow space inside .”
“……”
“Coo-coo, comfort , please!”
“Coo-coo’s not here.”
“Right…”
As a substitute, Hong Yesung slyly extended his arms toward Uijae. Instead of letting himself be fully hugged, Uijae offered only one arm. Hong Yesung clung to his forearm like a koala. After a mont of silence, Uijae asked:
“That other version of you said I should go to the dungeon. What do you think that ans?”
“Huh? What else would it an? It ans go to the dungeon!”
“……”
Should I throw him off or not? Uijae tightened his arm slightly, making his muscles tense. Perhaps noticing the change, Hong Yesung quickly added:
“I an, sure, the other probably had so deeper aning… but…”
He rolled his eyes playfully before smiling brightly.
“I don’t know! Guess we’ll find out when you get there!”
“Hah…”
Uijae sighed deeply. At that mont, he heard a rustling sound. From beneath the black fabric, Sa-young slowly began to stir.
Uijae quickly shoved Hong Yesung aside and leapt to his feet. Hong Yesung spun around with a playful yelp. Uijae gently lifted the cloth covering Sa-young's face. His pale, delicate features had regained a bit of color. His eyelids fluttered before slowly lifting.
“…Hyung?”
“…Yeah.”
Uijae reached out and gently covered Sa-young’s eyes with his hand.
“I’m right here.”
“……”
His dry lips moved slightly, as if to say, “Okay.” Uijae’s heart, which had been racing, began to calm down. He felt Sa-young’s cold skin slowly warming up to match his own body temperature. Uijae closed his eyes and lowered his head in relief.
---
Jeongbin reached out into the empty air. White ash settled softly on his outstretched palm. Unlike snow, which lts over ti, ash does not disappear. It only continues to accumulate. One day, it would cover the entire world. A team mber standing nearby muttered anxiously.
“It’s been quiet for a while, but now the ash is back…”
It’s not a good on. Jeongbin swallowed his heavy thoughts. There was no need to spread unease unnecessarily. Everyone was already feeling it in their bones, even without words.
“Shall I get you an umbrella, Team Leader?”
“Oh, yes. Thank you.”
Jeongbin smiled gently instead of voicing his concerns. His team mber handed him a long umbrella, and Jeongbin opened the black umbrella over his head. The ash was falling steadily now, lightly covering the ground. *Cough*. A small cough sounded beside him. Jeongbin glanced at his team mber, who had given him the umbrella.
“Do you have a cold?”
The team mber scratched their neck and responded.
“Hmm, I don’t think it’s a cold… my throat’s just itchy.”
“You should take care of yourself. The Awakener Managent Bureau has a lot of work to do.”
“Yes, sir!”
“And…”
Jeongbin rolled up his left sleeve slightly and checked the ti on his wristwatch. Then, smiling warmly, he turned back to the team mber, who was still coughing lightly.
“Go ho and rest early today. I can handle the rest of this on my own.”
“But…”
“I told you, taking care of your health is essential.”
With that, Jeongbin patted the hesitant team mber on the shoulder and sent them back to the bureau building. Left alone, he looked up at the falling ash before stepping forward into the haze.
---
Seo-won Guild, Reception Room.
As tea poured into the cup, a fragrant aroma filled the air. The boy who served the tea moved gracefully before leaving the room. The ergency treatnt for Lee Sa-young would be completed by Marionette. Nam Woojin picked up his cup with an irritated expression.
“You show up without notice and steal my ti. Couldn’t you have made an appointnt first?”
“There was no other choice. The matter is urgent. But don’t worry, I already inford the Awakener Managent Bureau.”
“If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t even be sitting here. So, what is it?”
The scholar's calloused hand grasped the teacup’s handle, and his round glasses glead in the light. Ga-young, sitting across from him, smiled. She wore a brown coat instead of her usual white lab coat.
“I heard an old colleague of ours is here, and I have a proposal for you, too…”
After taking a sip of tea, Ga-young set her cup down elegantly and smiled brightly.
“I want to collaborate with you. To stop the apocalypse.”
“Hah, and who’s responsible for bringing it about in the first place? I barely have ti to sleep as it is, trying to clean up the ss you’ve caused. What makes you think I’d trust you?”
“Of course, I didn’t co empty-handed. I brought you the antidote… No, rather, the cure.”
“What?”
Nam Woojin frowned. Ga-young chuckled, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
“I know those test subjects were brought here. I also know you’ve been working hard to restore them to their original states. Honestly, I respect that.”
“……”
“But ti is limited for all of us, isn’t it? You’re soone who should be working on much bigger things. I’m here to save you ti so you can focus on more aningful work. Like, for example…”
Ga-young raised a finger.
“Stopping the apocalypse.”
Scoffing, Nam Woojin leaned on his chin.
“Do you even know what the next apocalypse will be? How can you talk about stopping sothing if you don’t know what’s coming?”
“Of course I know. That’s why I’m here. Yoon Gaeul and the Seer are both with us.”
“……”
Nam Woojin’s eyes narrowed. His calloused fingers tapped on the armrest of his chair. Ga-young leaned in slightly and whispered.
“The next apocalypse is a disease, a plague.”
“……”
“You know what that ans, right? In the
face of disease, no one—neither Awakeners nor civilians—is safe. It’s the great equalizer.”
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