Splinters flew as the broken wood splintered with a sharp crack. Sa-young, now supporting the tilting wooden pillar with his hands, gawked in disbelief as Uijae slipped away from the scene. His voice brimd with outrage.
“What the hell… Are you insane? Completely out of your mind?”
Uijae casually rubbed the back of his head. No pain, no bumps, no dents. Good. Feeling smug, he replied nonchalantly.
“Well, I couldn’t kick you, so I broke the pillar. Didn’t have much choice, did I?”
“What kind of twisted brain cos up with that? I want to dissect it and see if it’s defective.”
“Perfectly functional, thank you very much.”
Like hell he’d let Honeybee or Hong Yesung see him caught in a compromising position like that. If he took off the mask, he wouldn’t be able to hide his eye movents, and Sa-young was far too observant. He’d have been exposed in no ti.
What kind of face was Sa-young making right now? Probably one of exasperation, eyebrows knit, eyes narrowed. Maybe even a “why am I stuck with this idiot” look. Oddly enough, Uijae felt a sudden urge to touch his face, to confirm what expression he was making.
Just then, rapid footsteps approached.
“What’s with the noise? Are you two fighting?”
“Cluck, cluck!”
The small fla, which appeared to be Kkokko, darted over and started pecking furiously at Sa-young. Amid the tapping sounds, Honeybee strode over to Uijae.
“What the hell happened? Why is the pillar like that? Did Sa-young break it?”
“…Sothing like that.”
After all, the root cause was Sa-young’s actions. Uijae shrugged, and Honeybee let out a dry laugh.
“Ha.”
Clicking her tongue, Honeybee added, “Honestly, the both of you… J, are you okay? Are you better now?”
“Yeah, I’m fine now.”
“That’s a relief, but take it easy, okay? Watching you collapse from a fever like that was unsettling. Leave the fighting to Sa-young and whenever possible.”
A firm hand patted his shoulder. Uijae, the sa person who had just broken a pillar with his head, smiled cheerfully.
“Sure.”
“How about giving so attention too? Don’t just worry about each other all the ti,” Sa-young interjected gruffly.
Honeybee snorted. “Jealous, are we? Keep holding that pillar steady. Romantic Opener’s inside, you know. If you drop it, he’ll get squashed.”
“Wouldn’t hurt him, though.”
“True.”
“Where’s Hong Yesung?”
“Hmm… Seems like he’s on his way here. Wonder where he’s been.”
The sound of dragging shoes on dirt echoed closer, accompanied by the clatter of plastic and tal containers. A bitter herbal scent wafted through the air as the footsteps stopped. A lively voice broke the silence.
“Hold up, hold up. What’s with these bandits? I open my door for you, and you’re breaking my house already?”
“Where were you?”
“Oh, Wasp? ? Dipping my feet in the stream. Regular mood refreshers are a must, you know.”
“Don’t call Wasp. Ugh… Look at you, all decked out in hiking gear and camping supplies. Did you camp by the stream for days? You ignored when I called for you.”
“How’d you guess? Had an aweso camping trip! You should join next ti!”
It was hard to believe this man’s upbeat attitude in the middle of an apocalypse. Honeybee let out a deep sigh, squeezing Uijae’s shoulder tightly. Her jaw clenched as she muttered through gritted teeth.
“Sorry, I can’t handle talking to him without getting a headache. Your turn, J.”
“What? Why ?”
“You’re calr than !”
Not likely. But before he could argue, Honeybee spun on her heel and walked away. Uijae turned his attention to the warm brown fla he presud to be Hong Yesung. What should he say?
*Hey, you know who I am, right?* No, too confrontational.
*Why are you holed up in this mountain?* Still sounded aggressive.
*Do you even know what’s happening with the apocalypse?* Also bad.
Uijae swallowed nervously.
*All I can think of are argunts.*
Facing Hong Yesung, even speaking felt difficult. Maybe he hadn’t sorted out his feelings yet. He still hadn’t said “thank you” or “sorry” to the man he once called a “friend.”
Fortunately, Hong Yesung spoke first.
“You looked pretty bad earlier, but you seem fine now. That’s good.”
“Thanks to you… Wait, were you watching earlier?”
“This entire mountain is my sweet ho. I see most things. Didn’t expect you to break a pillar with the back of your head, though.”
Humming a tune, Hong Yesung walked past him. Wait, he knew *exactly* how the pillar had been broken? Uijae’s blood ran cold. If he’d gone along with the montum and… kissed Sa-young, Hong Yesung would’ve witnessed it all.
*Thank god I broke the pillar instead.*
There was a knock on the wood. Hong Yesung must’ve been inspecting the damage. Cheerfully, he said, “Sa-young, good job. Keep holding that for a sec!”
“I’ve been holding it this whole ti.”
“Great! I’ll fix it now.”
The sound of sothing sticky being applied filled the air, along with the damp scent of wet clay. Hong Yesung had ntioned he worked with ceramics. Was this one of his materials? Uijae crossed his arms, trying to imagine what was happening.
*This is frustrating…*
The thought that Sa-young must have experienced this kind of helplessness at one point weighed on his mind. It must’ve been worse for him—he hadn’t been awakened then.
“All done! Let it dry, and it’ll harden. You can let go now!”
“Leaving it like this? Is that really okay?”
“Of course! This is my special mix.”
Rustling fabric and a faintly sweet scent approached Uijae. A chillingly low voice whispered near his ear.
“Later… you two should talk.”
“…”
Even blind, Uijae could feel the intensity of the gaze boring into him. His temples throbbed from the pressure. A large hand briefly ruffled the back of his head before pulling away. It seed Hong Yesung was curious if Uijae’s skull had survived intact.
With a rustle of hiking gear, Hong Yesung plopped down onto the wooden veranda.
“So, what brings you here? I don’t usually open my doors to people. You’re lucky it was you.”
“We ca to ask you sothing.”
In the distance, Kkokko let out a loud cry. A breeze swept through the still space, carrying the fragrant scent of pine.
“You’ve already started sothing, haven’t you?” Hong Yesung asked, his voice teasing.
Uijae blinked into the void. Hong Yesung sighed loudly, making sure everyone could hear, and continued.
“You’re wondering how to leave this place, right?”
“…”
“Don’t do anything. Just pass the ti, and you’ll naturally leave.”
In the pitch blackness, Uijae focused on the only thing he could see: the steadily decreasing red numbers counting down his remaining ti. Neither too fast nor too slow, they marched toward his death.
Slowly, he asked, “Are you… the ‘Hong Yesung’ I know?”
“No, I’m just Hong Yesung.”
“…”
“But I knew you’d co. You had to.”
Hong Yesung stood and shuffled across the dirt floor, his steps scattering sand and soft earth.
“This place… this space is a morial Dungeon, reconstructed from mories. Not just one person’s, but a collective of those who resisted until the end.”
Every person he’d t here felt vividly alive. Jeong Bin’s warm smile, Nam Woo-jin’s stern lectures, even the fleeting faces of passersby—all too real to be mories.
“If you’re wondering why traces of a ruined world were preserved instead of erased…”
After a pause, Hong Yesung added, “Soone once told you can learn from failure.”
“…”
His tone shifted, light and breezy as he clapped his hands.
“Of course, I wouldn’t know. I’m a genius potter—I believe in breaking failures and moving on!”
Of course, you do. Uijae relaxed slightly, tension lting from his shoulders. Standing close, Sa-young broke the silence.
“So we’re just supposed to sit around doing nothing? Watch people fail over and over?”
“Yep.”
“I might manage, but this guy?” Sa-young jabbed a finger at Uijae’s back. “He’s already started sothing.”
Uijae retaliated with a light kick to Sa-young’s shin. Hong Yesung chirped cheerfully.
“Well, then, he’ll just have to die!”
Uijae’s eyes widened.
“What?”
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