180 – HGL 180

180

Lee Sa-young stared intently at Eui-jae while holding the phone to his ear. Then, as if to show off, he hung up and slightly raised his head. As soon as Eui-jae heard the beep, he jumped up and stumbled backward. The railing hit his waist.

Should I just jump? He glanced down. It seemed like a decent height to fall from. But Lee Sa-young reacted immediately.

“Where are you looking? Turn your eyes away.”

“……”

“Look at me.”

A quick-witted bastard. Eui-jae grabbed the railing, undeterred. He was ready to jump if necessary. Sa-young smiled, raising the corner of his mouth. But in contrast, there was no hint of a smile in his eyes.

“Ah…. Are you going to jump?”

“……”

“Should I jump with you? This time, instead of the stairs, should we run on the main street? Side by side. That would be even better for rumors….”

Who is doing this because of whom? Without knowing my heart. It was the moment when Eui-jae, enraged, was about to retort, “Okay, let’s die together.” A sulky voice cut in from behind Lee Sa-young.

“Guild Leader, don’t you know what pitiful is? You’re supposed to act pitiful. That’s just picking a fight.”

Beyond the black coat, a red head popped out from inside the door. It was Kang Ji-soo, whom he had glimpsed in the lobby earlier. Bae Won-woo, scratching his head with a miserable look, now came into view.

Sa-young shrugged.

“Ah…. I’ve never been pitiful, so I don’t really know? Sorry?”

Instead of answering, Eui-jae turned his head slightly away from Sa-young. Just enough to have only the black coat in his field of vision. Sa-young let out a hollow laugh. What came into Eui-jae’s view instead of Lee Sa-young was Min-gi Seo crawling on all fours towards the door.

“……”

“……”

Min-gi, as if sensing the gaze, turned around and bowed his head with a serious face.

“This matter seems to be something that the customer and the Guild Leader must resolve directly.”

And he started crawling again, inch by inch. What do you mean, resolve? I’m not in my right mind! But before Eui-jae could say anything, Min-gi arrived at the door.

He grabbed the doorknob, picked up the fallen Romantic Opener, and then,

“Fighting!”

“I hope you have a good conversation.”

He closed the door.

Bang!

The sound of the door closing was like the sound of a guillotine falling. The door soon disappeared into dust as if it had never been there. Only the two of them were left on the rooftop. Eui-jae deliberately turned his head to the side. White ash fell like snow, crunching softly.

Huff, a short breath escaped. Sa-young swept back his hair. His curly hair scattered softly.

Come to think of it, Lee Sa-young was holding a square shopping bag in his left hand. It had a Korean restaurant logo on it. The moment he saw it, his heart strangely fluttered. A low voice asked.

“Do you hate seeing me?”

No.

“Then why did you run away?”

…….

“Did I do something wrong?”

It was the same question as before, but the atmosphere and voice were different. It was funny that he liked the way he was questioning him. A brazen attitude suited Lee Sa-young. Eui-jae slowly turned his head. And he opened his mouth slightly.

The expression on Sa-young’s face in front of him was….

“If I did something wrong, you should tell me what I did wrong. You usually talk so well, but suddenly you’re keeping your mouth shut. What are you doing?”

It was a face he had never seen before.

“Answer me. Cha Eui-jae.”

His delicate face gradually distorted. His purple eyes shone intensely. But the corners of his eyes were gradually turning red. Like someone who was about to cry any minute.

His mind went blank. The hand holding the railing tightened. The iron railing twisted haphazardly. Sa-young said each word clearly.

“I can’t know everything. If Hyung doesn’t tell me, I won’t know, I….”

“……”

“Guessing and anticipating has its limits. How long do I have to wait?”

He was breathless. Thoughts began to emerge in his empty mind, and soon they began to tangle wildly. What should I say?

Thank you for waiting?

Isn’t that too cliché? And is it right to say that to someone who looks like they’re about to cry? Should I apologize first? But I already did. Can I say something I’ve already said?

He had so many thoughts whenever he stood in front of Lee Sa-young. Still, Cha Eui-jae was always faster to act than to speak. He reached out and grabbed Lee Sa-young’s arm. The firm arm felt through the leather felt new.

It was difficult to bring out the words inside. He wasn’t one to honestly reveal everything before, but from some point on, it was especially so. From some point on, his words were unnecessary. From the day his every word carried more weight than necessary. After that, action came first. That’s how he could save more people….

“It’s not your fault, it’s just that I….”

Eui-jae swallowed. His throat was swollen, and even swallowing was difficult. He stammered on.

“Just… you….”

Thump, thump, thump, his heart was beating wildly. It was always like this when he was in front of Lee Sa-young. A large hand covered Eui-jae’s hand. The warmth was comforting to him. Eui-jae grabbed the coat as if crumpling it.

“Waiting for me….”

That was too….

Gulp, he swallowed.

What is most needed for someone who is lost? What is needed for someone who doesn’t even trust himself? From the moment Cha Eui-jae entered the West Sea Rift, he was a kite with a broken string, a ship adrift on the vast sea.

He drifted aimlessly for a long time.

“……”

Until he was suddenly thrown out of the West Sea Rift for some reason. For a long time. Eui-jae stopped breathing for a moment and blinked. Fragments of memories flashed through his mind.

Poohk, a sharp sword pierced his skull forcefully, crushing his windpipe. Eui-jae grabbed the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands, bent over, and gasped for breath. Huff, huff, huff….

Before long, his rapid breathing subsided.

Even though he had killed the last remaining Monster, the Rift’s door did not open.

Instead,

silence came.

In this place, there is no sound of wind blowing, no sound of grass swaying, not even the sound of common insects. A world so eerily quiet. Thump, thump, thump, the sound of his heart beating is clearly heard. That was the only noise. It was funny that he became more anxious the more he heard his own heartbeat.

Cha Eui-jae looked up at the sky. White ash was still falling in the pure white sky. Even though he had killed the last remaining thing, nothing had changed. No, there was one thing.

He was completely alone.

His dry lips opened.

‘Why….’

He blinked his eyes with difficulty.

‘Why isn’t it opening.’

Eui-jae took his hand off the hilt. The blood slowly began to return to his hand, which had turned white from being held too tightly. It was proof that he was alive. He looked around.

Pure white and red things.

Things that had stopped.

Things that had died.

I’m the only one alive in this world.

The moment he realized that, what came was.

‘I want to go back.’

Cold sweat dripped down. He felt like he was going to throw up. Eui-jae raised his head. The pale white sky was terribly dazzling. He narrowed his eyes, unable to bear it. Before long, a single line appeared on his dry cheek.

‘I want to live….’

It was a terrible solitude.

A stinging pain woke him up. Eui-jae suddenly came to his senses. Black fingers were scratching the back of Cha Eui-jae’s hand. Thin, long, red scratches remained on the back of his hand. Eui-jae raised his head. Lee Sa-young was looking at him. His face was still distorted as if he was about to cry.

Their eyes met. His heart, which had been beating anxiously and messily, seemed to calm down, but then it started beating even faster.

Cha Eui-jae, who had fallen into an unfamiliar place, was able to find his way, and Cha Eui-jae, who had been fluttering like a kite with a broken string, did not get lost, and found a corner that suited him, even if only a little.

The hand covering his hand rubbed his fingers as if urging him. There were days when he longed for even this small warmth.

It’s like my life after the Rift is all made up of you. That was so….

“I was happy.”

“……”

“So don’t cry….”

As he uttered the heavy words, he felt as if the shackles had been released and his body felt lighter. Haa, Eui-jae took a small breath and rested his forehead on Sa-young’s shoulder.

Thud, the shopping bag fell to the floor.

As if waiting, a large hand wrapped around the back of his neck. His fingers rubbed his neck as if praising him. The other hand familiarly wrapped around his waist. At that moment, his shoulder twitched. Eui-jae quickly inhaled. Goosebumps rose and his head suddenly flushed with heat. Ah, wait a minute.

‘This isn’t it?’

I shouldn’t be doing this? Whether it was because of the heat or not, his mind was so tangled that he couldn’t think properly. The instinct to want to be closer and the reason that he shouldn’t be doing this conflicted. His hand twitched. His whole body was burning. Then, something wet touched his ear.

“I guess I need to listen to other advice….”

A stinging pain was felt in his ear.

“Hey, what are you doing…!”

Eui-jae shrank his neck, but he couldn’t move recklessly because of the hand wrapped around his neck. He felt trapped in the hot prison that was Lee Sa-young. A low laugh was heard. A lick, his tongue licked his ear. Eui-jae barely suppressed something like a scream.

“How was it?”

“What, what was.”

“My acting.”

“What?”

Eui-jae opened his eyes wide and pulled his body back quickly. Leaning back was easier than he thought. Only then did Lee Sa-young’s face come into view. The face that had been distorted as if he was about to cry was nowhere to be seen, and a wicked smile was on the corner of his mouth. The corners of his eyes, which had been red, were also fine.

Lee Sa-young stuck out his black tongue.

“Caught you.”

Ah, damn it.

Eui-jae gritted his teeth and pushed away the body that was wrapped around him.

“Get lost!”

“Why are you doing this, Hyung.”

The arm that had been pushed back a little wrapped around his waist again. A firm thigh dug between his legs. Sa-young, who naturally lifted Eui-jae’s body up a little, kissed the chin of the mask.

“After such a passionate confession.”