By Zephyria What… what did he just say? Sung Se-han is now….
I heard it clearly with both ears, but I couldn’t believe it.
This was truly absurd, something that couldn’t be established.
The fact that I gave medicine to Sung Se-han, who was trapped that day, was clearly not reality.
It was just a clumsy self-consolation, nothing more than an act of comforting the suffering young Sung Se-han.
If that had been reality, my body, which had been assaulted that day, wouldn’t have been safe either.
But why… does Sung Se-han remember that day as if it were reality…? This also cannot be established, it makes no sense at all.
In front of me, with my mind all messed up, Sung Se-han was looking for someone. He kept looking around the living room and staring at the floor.
‘Right?’
His confident brown eyes began to search the living room again. I couldn’t hold back any longer and reached out my hand.
“Se-han….”
I wanted to run to Sung Se-han. But before I could move my feet, dark darkness covered me.
“Wait! Wait a minute…!”
I couldn’t help but shout as Sung Se-han’s back, as he walked into the living room, was swallowed by the darkness.
“I said wait a minute! I have something to say to Se-han!”
The cry trapped in the dark darkness echoed hollowly as if there was no one but me to hear it.
“No, it’ll only take a minute…!”
I frantically waved my arms and legs, and when I felt the ground suddenly sink, I hurriedly grabbed anything.
“……!”
I opened my eyes and found myself collapsed on the bed, clutching the sheets. I had been forcibly returned. Without even seeing Sung Se-han’s back properly.
“Ah, that’s really too much…!”
I rubbed my head against the sheets in frustration when a gentle voice echoed in my ear.
[What are you going to do even if you have something to say? Se-han can’t hear it anyway.]
I was so surprised that I jumped up, and a red Status Window appeared in front of my eyes.
[Inferiority Score has decreased by -1.]
[Here is Lee Tae-kyung’s current Inferiority Score.]
[Congratulations! 1 point!]
[Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations on the decrease in Lee Tae-kyung’s inferiority!]
I blankly watched the Status Window set off red fireworks and celebrate on its own.
“Suddenly…? I didn’t do anything, so why is the score going down….”
[You didn’t do anything? Really?]
My shoulders twitched at the playful voice.
[Sung Se-han’s most painful and lonely moment.]
Sung Se-han’s most painful and lonely moment…?
[What if Lee Tae-kyung healed the wound that Sung Se-han wanted to cut out?]
[Twice.]
Twice…? I busily organized my thoughts.
[I said that you can pay the price with your heart or will, right?]
[Today, we were able to lower the Inferiority Score by 1 point thanks to Lee Tae-kyung’s sincerity in wanting to take Sung Se-han’s pain.]
If the Inferiority Score went down by 2 points thanks to healing Sung Se-han’s wounds….
[Tae-kyung.]
I stopped all thoughts at the gentle voice calling my name.
[If it weren’t for you, Se-han would have gone outside as he was.]
[And he would have kept walking all day, until he was exhausted. In that hot Summer.]
Ah. As if a light bulb had turned on in my head, the sound of footsteps walking endlessly came to mind.
That day, Sung Se-han had been wandering outside until he was exhausted, not knowing where he was going.
During that time when I thought he had taken a vacation from work and gone on a trip with Auntie, Sung Se-han had been enduring it alone like that. I only realized that now.
“So you sent me. To Se-han from that day….”
[Yes, that’s right. Because it’s something I can’t do.]
“So.”
I narrowed my eyes and looked around the room, trying to find an invisible object.
“Has Sung Se-han’s most painful and lonely moment changed? Really?”
[You heard that directly from Se-han, didn’t you?]
“How, how can that be? How can a past that already existed be changed?”
I didn’t mean to ask in such a demanding way, but I didn’t have any room to spare. I was experiencing things that were so unacceptable in a row that I felt like I was going to faint.
[Tae-kyung, what are you doing right now?]
Ah…! I couldn’t answer and just opened my mouth blankly.
I am here to change the past that existed.
To save Sung Se-han.
[The past is not a time that has disappeared. The Lee Tae-kyung of the present is made up of the Lee Tae-kyung of the past, the Lee Tae-kyung of the present, and the Lee Tae-kyung of the future. Is it difficult to understand if I say that everything exists together in one circle?]
“I… I don’t know…!”
Suddenly, my legs gave way and I slumped down on the edge of the bed.
“Then, that means Se-han remembers everything. What should I do in the future….”
[That is not within the realm of the Status Window. If you attempt to have a conversation with the Status Window with small talk that is not related to Inferiority Score….No, Status Window…!”
I was so dumbfounded that I jumped up from the bed again.
“Status Window says everything he wants to say, but when I’m curious, he always does that….””
[Please remember that the Status Window is not omnipotent.]
[Then see you again with a better event!]
“No, wait a minute! Please listen to me….”
I hurriedly grabbed it, but the Status Window had already disappeared cleanly.
“Ha…! What the hell is this….”
As I was looking up at the ceiling in vain, the door burst open.
“Tae-kyung Hyung, what are you doing?”
Jeong-min, who came into the room, began to change his clothes busily. Then he glanced at me, who was standing there blankly.
“Hyung, Doo-hyun Hyung has already arrived in the parking lot. We have to get ready quickly.”
“Ah… okay.”
I went to the closet and took out a newly bought shirt and slacks instead of a tracksuit. And I organized the things I had to do first in my head.
“Guys! Are you all ready?”
Doo-hyun Hyung’s loud urging was heard from the living room. I didn’t delay any longer and quickly changed my clothes and went out to the living room.
“Doo-hyun Hyung.”
“Oh?”
Doo-hyun Hyung, who was drinking milk, looked at me with wide eyes.
“Tae-kyung is wearing a shirt for once? He’s a complete celebrity?”
“Haha….”
An awkward smile appeared at Doo-hyun Hyung’s pleasant joke.
“Tae-kyung has a beautiful body line, so these shirts suit him much better than hoodies.”
I felt a prick of conscience because Gun-woo Hyung, who came out of the room, was also looking at me with a satisfied expression. Today’s Lee Tae-kyung, who is telling these innocent Hyung a sly lie… is a really bad person.
“Doo-hyun Hyung, Gun-woo Hyung, would it be alright if I go see Se-han for a bit?”
“Huh?”
Seeing Gun-woo Hyung’s expression harden, I quickly added,
“I’m a bit concerned about me changing Se-han’s rap. I want to get Se-han’s understanding about that part first.”
“Do you need permission for that? Isn’t that a bit uptight between close friends?”
Doo-hyun Hyung frowned, so I hurriedly waved my hands.
“No, Se-han would understand, of course, but… I’m not comfortable. And there are a few things I want to discuss…”
The lies were piling up… A part of me wondered if this was okay, but there was nothing else I could do for now.
“I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
“Okay, Tae-kyung.”
Gun-woo Hyung took out his phone from his pocket.
“Can I take a picture?”
“A picture?”
“Yeah, your style looks so good right now, I want to send it to my friend.”
Before I could refuse, Gun-woo Hyung’s phone started snapping pictures of me in rapid succession. I couldn’t smile at Gun-woo Hyung anymore.
“Gun-woo Hyung, you can’t do this without my permission…”
“Tae-kyung, go and talk to Se-han slowly. Oh, and I’ll only send the best one to my friend.”
Gun-woo Hyung was making a deal with me. He’d give me the morning in exchange for sending my picture to Liv Sunbae.
“…Alright.”
There was no choice for now. The only thing on my mind was meeting Sung Se-han right away. I didn’t have the leeway to consider other situations.
“Okay. You seem to be in a hurry, so go quickly.”
As soon as I got the Hyungs’ permission, I hurried out of the dorm. And while waiting for the taxi to arrive, I sent a KakaoTalk message to Sung Se-han.
[Se-han, are you at the company now?]
I definitely didn’t seem to be in a normal state right now. Just because Sung Se-han hadn’t seen my message, I suddenly became anxious and my heart started pounding.
“Why isn’t he checking his messages…”
Even after getting in the taxi and driving for a while, the phone I was holding remained silent. Sung Se-han would never sleep in, and he wouldn’t have lost his phone.
What was the problem? Even though I was so anxious, I couldn’t bring myself to call him easily. If Sung Se-han didn’t answer, I felt like I would become too scared, and I couldn’t do anything.
I didn’t want to be like this… Suddenly, everything was terrifying. What if it was all a dream? What if Sung Se-han didn’t exist…?