By Zephyria 264
Eui-jae slowly blinked. He saw an unfamiliar white ceiling. Where am I? He tried to raise his body, but a pain that felt like his waist was breaking came over him. He gasped, swallowing a scream. At that moment, a cautious hand landed on Eui-jae’s chest.
“Just lie still.”
“…What?”
Eui-jae blinked. Sa-young, wearing a Gas mask, was sitting crouched on a small chair. He sighed, then touched Eui-jae’s hair with a touch as soft as if he were handling a feather. Even with black leather gloves on.
“You fainted, Hyung.”
“…Me? I fainted? How?”
“In my arms.”
“Huh?”
“To be exact… you fainted because I put strength in my arms.”
Even while hugging? Eui-jae groped his waist. Just lying still made the aching pain torment his whole body, and even touching it made him gasp. He struggled to lift his top.
“…Crazy.”
Blue bruises had formed on his stomach and waist in the shape of Sa-young’s arms. His shoulders and neck, where Honeybee had hugged him tightly, also ached. Bruises on my body? How could this happen? While Eui-jae was in shock, Sa-young rested his chin on his hand and muttered weakly.
“…I’m reflecting.”
“Reflecting on what?”
“I didn’t think you’d faint from that…”
Yeah, me neither. Eui-jae looked at the back of his hand where the IV was inserted. No wonder. It hurt so much when Honeybee hugged me. Normally, even if Bae Won-woo bumped into him with all his might, he would have taken it without flinching.
Eui-jae looked around. On the drawer next to the bed were a vase with red roses and his mask, and a cool breeze came in through the slightly open window. The white curtains fluttered. It was a small but well-furnished hospital room. There was only one bed and one chair.
“Where is this? Seowon Guild?”
“That’s right.”
Sa-young smiled crookedly.
“They said it’s a special hospital room.”
“……”
“To be exact, it’s a hospital room just for J.”
“……”
“Here, Nam Woo-jin knew the face under the mask.”
Wheesh, the sound of air escaping from the Gas mask. It was a sound he hadn’t heard in a long time. When was the last time Sa-young stood in front of him with his Gas mask and gloves? It had been so long that it felt like a distant memory. From the moment Cha Eui-jae learned that he was immune to Poison, he had been his original self in front of him.
Sa-young asked in a low voice.
“There’s something wrong with your body, isn’t there?”
“…I think so.”
“What exactly is your condition?”
“It’s been a little strange since I entered the city. At first, I just thought my body was a little heavy. But gradually, I started to feel pain in my heart. I think it’s probably from the moment I… replaced J in this world.”
“And?”
“When Honeybee hugged me, it hurt like I’d been hit by a car.”
“……”
“Normally, I wouldn’t have even flinched, let alone felt pain…”
Eui-jae answered honestly. To faint from being hugged tightly. It was a more serious condition than he thought. Had his body weakened? His body’s reaction speed, his reaction speed, also seemed to have dulled. Sa-young, who had been watching Eui-jae clench and unclench his hand, muttered.
“Hyung in this world… died of an illness.”
“……”
“You inherited that illness, now.”
“Do you know what kind of illness it was? That… the other guy inside you.”
“I don’t know. He just said it felt like he was losing his life force…”
Sa-young’s clenched hand tightened. His breathing gradually became rough. Eui-jae beckoned him to come closer. Sa-young hesitated, then pulled up a chair and came closer. Eui-jae ruffled his disheveled hair. Sa-young’s hand, which had been about to snatch it away, stopped in mid-air. Instead, an annoyed voice pierced through.
“What are you doing…”
“Anyway, it’s temporary, right? Isn’t it?”
“……”
“This… Dungeon, should I call it? It’s just a temporary phenomenon that occurs here. Don’t worry too much.”
“…Don’t say that.”
“Huh?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Sa-young got up from his chair. He roughly swept back his disheveled hair, then looked down at Eui-jae. Strangely, he couldn’t read the eyes behind the lenses.
“I’ll go see Nam Woo-jin. Don’t do anything weird and stay still.”
“How can I do anything weird when I’m in so much pain?”
“I think you could if it’s you.”
“Don’t worry and go.”
“……”
Sa-young was looking at Eui-jae until just before he closed the door. Thud, the sliding door of the hospital room closed. He tried to focus on the receding sounds, but they didn’t feel as sharp as before.
‘He told me to stay still, but…’
At least I should know what my body condition is like. That way, I can move according to my body condition. This much wouldn’t even fall into the category of doing something weird. Eui-jae quickly finished rationalizing.
Ugh, Eui-jae struggled to raise his body. Even getting out of bed was difficult. Every muscle in his body screamed. Eui-jae held onto his body and endured the screams and pain. Only after the pain subsided a little did he turn his body out of the bed.
The moment he stood up barefoot on the floor, his body swayed violently.
“Ugh…!”
Thump! He fell straight down. His whole body throbbed from hitting the floor, and the floor against his cheek was cold. Blood oozed from the back of his hand where the IV had been removed. How could this be? He couldn’t even balance and stand up? Eui-jae gritted his teeth and rubbed the floor with his hands to raise his body when a pure white System Window suddenly appeared in front of him.
[Checking synchronization progress…]
[Synchronization 100% complete.]
[Welcome! This is a Memorial Dungeon created by ■■. Your role is J.]
[Caution! Individual J is ■■■ ■■■. The System imposes penalties on the body. Weakness, illness, short life…]
[Calculating time remaining until death…]
Several numbers were mixed up in a dizzying manner. Cough, a cough burst out. Bright red blood splattered on the floor. His vision was all red. Eui-jae blinked blankly.
‘What?’
His head wouldn’t work. Another cough burst out. Eui-jae covered his mouth. Cough, cough, cough… Each time he coughed, his hand became wet. Only after a long time did the coughing stop. When he took his hand away, he saw his palm, all red with blood.
The speed of the rapidly mixing numbers gradually decreased. And.
[168:00:00]
It stopped. Letters appeared on the System Window.
[Individual J has 168 hours left until death.]
168 hours. A week. Eui-jae stared blankly at the System Window with his upper body half raised. Soon, red letters appeared.
[Caution! Death in the Memorial Dungeon will result in the death of the synchronized Soul as well.]
Tap tap, he heard hurried footsteps, and then the sound of the sliding door bursting open. Eui-jae turned his head. Perhaps because his actions were always faster than his thoughts. This time, his thoughts were a beat late.
He shouldn’t show them this side of himself.
“…Hyung!”
A voice he had never heard before echoed in the hospital room. He wanted to say he was okay, but his mouth wouldn’t move. Instead,
[167:58:51]
The decreasing numbers were reflected in his vision, mocking him. A large hand that had approached him carefully grabbed Eui-jae’s body. Eui-jae grabbed that hand with his blood-soaked hand. And he opened his mouth with difficulty.
“Sa-young.”
“Don’t talk, this… Nam Woo-jin!”
“No… no. I have to talk now…”
A bitter taste of blood lingered in his mouth. Only at times like this did his superhuman strength return. Eui-jae barely swallowed his saliva, then said each word clearly and forcefully.
“We’re screwed.”
“What did you say?”
“I said we’re screwed…”
Darkness came again. Damn it, he should have told them why they were screwed. From now on, he should say the reason before the conclusion. Eui-jae, who had gained a new lesson today, closed his eyes, using the hands that were holding and shaking him as a lullaby.
When Eui-jae opened his eyes again, the 167 hours had been reduced to 164 hours. Why is time flowing so fast? Eui-jae glared and waved his hand to try to get rid of the hateful System Window. But his hand wouldn’t move. To be exact, something hard was binding his wrist.
“…Huh?”
Eui-jae raised his hand. His wrists were tied with a soft cloth. What is this? Eui-jae hurriedly looked around. And he found Lee Sa-young standing in the corner of the room, facing the wall. His back looked particularly gloomy. Eui-jae cleared his throat.
“Hey, Lee Sa-young. What is this?”
A gloomy voice answered.
“A rope.”
“I mean, why are you tying me up with this?”
“If I tie up your limbs, you won’t fall to the floor.”
“No, I didn’t fall earlier…”
“Nam Woo-jin has already recorded it as a fall accident.”
“I fell because I was trying to get up…”
“Isn’t that still falling as a result?”
“No, I was trying to check how bad my body was, I was!”
“You didn’t think of doing it when I was next to you.”
“I didn’t want to bother you with that…”
“Stop.”
He slowly turned around. Lee Sa-young, walking slowly…
“Stop there.”
Strangely, his body trembled. Could he be scared? Eui-jae blinked blankly. A hand wearing a black glove gently stroked Eui-jae’s cheek. This time, he could clearly see the eyes behind the lenses.
Purple eyes, bloodshot red.
“Because I’m holding back a lot.”