By Zephyria ‘I’m really going crazy.’
His fingers twitched against his will. His rapidly rising heart rate wouldn’t calm down. Thump, thump, thump…. It was distinctly different from the trembling he felt before facing a Monster. Cha Eui-jae was clearly agitated. A languid voice kept circling in his ear.
‘Hyung, do you kiss your younger brother?’
Would I? Would you if you were me?
His old-fashioned ego, which had suddenly surfaced, pointed fingers. Eui-jae agreed with his old-fashioned ego.
Right. According to the mental fortitude he had built up until now, he couldn’t kiss his younger brother. But Cha Eui-jae had already, countless times….
‘Shit…….’
…engaged in amorous behavior with Lee Sa-young? No matter how irresistible it was, he was the one who first kissed him, and he was the one who hugged him just before, not avoiding the pouring kisses. He simply liked the warmth against his body. He even welcomed the lips descending on his face. Like an addict. Just a little more….
‘Ugh, snap out of it!’
Eui-jae banged the back of his head against a pillar. Thanks to the stinging pain, he was barely able to come to his senses.
‘Am I finally going crazy….’
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He still felt a large hand on his nape. The low laughter, the suggestive whispers. His fingers curled. Once the heat rose, it didn’t cool down easily. The same went for his flushed face.
Spring had arrived, but the evening breeze was still cold. A cool breeze tickled his hair. Chirp, chirp, a Pill Bug cried somewhere. Eui-jae turned his head and stared blankly at the sky. The Whitehole wasn’t visible inside the barrier.
‘Who I am, what I want from myself…. Yeah. Shouldn’t I think about it properly?’
What is Lee Sa-young? He would no longer be the brother or younger brother that Cha Eui-jae had wanted. He had already gone down the wrong path, and had come a long way.
Then what path are we on? What does Cha Eui-jae want from Lee Sa-young?
‘I….’
But as soon as he tried to think a little deeper, the black tongue that had rummaged through his mouth came to mind. Eui-jae, who had dry-washed his face and was tearing at his hair, finally jumped up from his seat. Moving his body was the best way to clear his mind. Of course, he couldn’t avoid Lee Sa-young’s gaze.
Sa-young, who was poking at Hong Ye-seong, who was becoming more and more round each time he was kicked, tilted his head.
“Where are you going?”
“…….”
I’m just going for a walk, why. Eui-jae pressed down on the words that were about to come out. In his unbalanced state, it was obvious that he would get caught up in Lee Sa-young no matter what he said. Sa-young, who had been staring at Eui-jae, slightly raised the corners of his lips.
“Your face is bright red.”
“…….”
Eui-jae didn’t answer and turned his head away.
“Why don’t you answer….”
“…….”
“Ah…. Are you not going to talk to me anymore? After doing everything we could?”
It was a sarcastic question, but his voice was laced with laughter. Eui-jae tried to ignore the questions and picked up the mask he had taken off. Hiding his face behind the mask, his rapidly beating heart calmed down a little. Only then was he able to answer normally.
“Shut up.”
Actually, it wasn’t that normal of an answer. But Sa-young, who would have clung to it until the end, seemed to be in a good mood for some reason, and let it go easily.
“Okay. Okay.”
At that moment, Hong Ye-seong, who had evolved from a bagworm to a Pill Bug because he couldn’t curl up his body enough, finally came to his senses and mumbled.
“Ugh… stop hitting me…. Crazy bastard….”
“Oh, you’re awake?”
“Huh? This… rude voice is….”
A brown head popped out from the gap in the round blanket. Hong Ye-seong alternately looked at Sa-young and Eui-jae with sleepy eyes, then his eyes widened.
“Heok, what! You’re awake? No, why is this body a blanket? Since when have I been sleeping?”
Among the three people and one Cluck in this place, Eui-jae was the only one who knew the cause of Hong Ye-seong’s acute sleep. Eui-jae rubbed the back of his neck and replied nonchalantly.
“You fell asleep after drinking Sweet Rice Drink.”
“This body? What is it? Blood sugar spike? Do Hunters get diabetes too? That’s right, I have to finish telling you about the two Lee Sa-youngs!”
Hong Ye-seong made a fuss and got up. Cluck also started flapping its wings and walking around at his feet. But Sa-young gestured briefly.
“It’s okay. I know what to do.”
“You know? How?”
“Well.”
It was a short and clear answer. Tears welled up in Hong Ye-seong’s clear eyes as he stared blankly at Lee Sa-young.
“Then… are you going to leave me behind again? After only using me like this? This body is bored?”
“Cluck…”
Cluck, who had already taken over the top of Hong Ye-seong’s head, also cried with a pathetic vibration. They were a pitiful sight as a pair. But the opponent was not easy to deal with. Sa-young stood sarcastically with a blank face and looked at Hong Ye-seong.
“I’m sorry, but I also woke up after three months, so I need to find out what’s going on.”
“I’ll tell you!”
“What would a guy who does nothing but bake scorched rice in the mountains know about the world…. Isn’t that right?”
It was a sharp remark. Hong Ye-seong trembled. Cluck also shook like a tumbler.
“Th, this body….”
“Well… I know what you want, though.”
Lee Sa-young, who leaned down leisurely, whispered.
“I’ll remove the jamming device.”
“Please go, Hyung!”
“Cluck!”
“Ack! I’m sorry, Cluck!”
Hong Ye-seong slammed his head on the floor with a thud. At the same time, Cluck, who had rolled off the floor, nimbly slapped him with its white wings. Hong Ye-seong’s screams echoed pathetically.
Sa-young grabbed Eui-jae’s arm and whispered.
“Let’s go quickly while they’re distracted by fighting.”
“Wait, what about saying goodbye? Don’t we have to say goodbye?”
“The moment you say goodbye, the time you stay here will increase by 5 minutes each time.”
That was a refusal. They nodded firmly at each other and quickly picked up their shoes and escaped Hong Ye-seong’s love house.
As soon as they came out of the barrier, the smell of rain greeted them first. Eui-jae reached out into the air. Light raindrops soaked his palm. The mountain was already shrouded in darkness. It was a dim evening inside the barrier, but it was pitch black around them because it was raining.
‘We’re in the middle of the mountain.’
It’s easy to get lost in the mountains at night. Eui-jae turned to look at Sa-young, who was standing next to him.
“Min-gi Seo will be waiting at the foot of the mountain. Let’s go down quickly.”
Sa-young nodded slightly. Eui-jae scanned his surroundings with his eyes, which had become accustomed to the darkness, and moved his feet. It was fortunate that he had remembered the way when he climbed the mountain. At the same time, he paid attention to the presence following him. He heard a voice from behind.
“Did you keep hanging out with Seo Min-gi? While I was sleeping.”
“Yeah.”
“What did you do for three months?”
“…Didn’t you look up all the articles earlier?”
“I wanted to hear it from Hyung.”
“Just, well… the same things I always do. Catching Monsters. Going to Dungeons.”
“And then kissing me?”
“Hey.”
Eui-jae, who was furious, turned around. In the darkness, Sa-young was covering his mouth with his fist and chuckling. The damp night air filled his lungs. Even in the darkness, his purple eyes shone clearly.
“Did you wait for me?”
“…….”
Eui-jae turned his back and started walking again. Had the hesitation been washed away by the rain, or was it because his heart had been burning with longing? The answer came out more easily than he thought.
“Yeah.”
“…….”
The presence that had been following him stopped. At the same time, Eui-jae also stopped. He waited for him to come closer as much as the distance that had opened up, but Lee Sa-young didn’t move as if he was nailed to the spot.
“…….”
Eui-jae turned his head. Lee Sa-young was standing still as if he was one with the surrounding darkness. He looked like someone who didn’t know where to go, or like a lost child. His cloudy purple eyes scanned his surroundings busily. Like someone looking at something unfamiliar.
“…Lee Sa-young?”
Eui-jae carefully called his name. The eyes that had been staring intently at some empty space reached Eui-jae.
Did ‘Lee Sa-young’ pop out? But the atmosphere didn’t change. Puzzled, he took a step closer.
“What’s wrong, all of a sudden?”
“…Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“Can you hold my hand?”
In an instant, the surroundings shone white. Rumble…. The sky cried. It looked like it was going to start raining in earnest. They had to go down the mountain quickly. But Eui-jae was mulling over Lee Sa-young’s face that he had seen in the light. What appeared on that face was….
Anxiety.
It was obvious that he wouldn’t get an answer even if he asked. There was no time to argue here. Eui-jae held out his hand.
“Just until we get down the mountain.”
“…Okay.”
A large hand that approached cautiously took his hand. The firm hand gripped his hand without hesitation. Warm warmth slowly spread from where skin touched skin. Eui-jae slowly moved his feet while holding hands.
Sa-young stared blankly at Eui-jae’s back as he went down ahead. What filled his nose and lungs was the smell of soil and grass wet with rain. What was wetting his head and body was raindrops. What was holding his hand was Cha Eui-jae’s hand. But what was reflected in his purple eyes was….
A pure white ruin.
“…….”
A black figure repeatedly appeared and disappeared over the ruins where everything had collapsed. Memories that were not his own were repeated. Cha Eui-jae was already dead.
But Lee Sa-young knew that Cha Eui-jae was alive. He also knew that his death was not his memory, but the memory of an uninvited guest. Sa-young clung to the warmth that touched his hand. Each time he put strength into his hand, greater warmth returned. That was the only clear evidence.
That Cha Eui-jae existed.