By Zephyria This reaction was like someone who had forgotten their own name for a very long time. Yohan instinctively sensed something ominous. The question he had before passing out resurfaced. Was this truly a person? Or ‘something’ imitating a person?
Yohan fumbled around on the floor. Before he could even spring up and flee, Lee Hyun-muk grabbed Yohan. As a grip like a vice tightened around his forearm, a scream escaped him involuntarily.
“Aargh! Ah, it hurts, it hurts…! Lee Hyun-muk-ssi!”
He struggled desperately, trying to push the other person away, but it was no use. Lee Hyun-muk swung Yohan around as if he were a doll. Wherever he gripped, heavy bruises formed. Yohan cried again, from pain and fear. He had always been prone to tears, but ever since falling into the Abyss, they seemed to have no end.
“P-please, save me, save me…, please….”
Yohan pleaded and wept, but it seemed the Madman’s ears were deafened. He merely fondled the living person’s body wherever he pleased. It was an attitude similar to handling a favorite toy. His hand suddenly slipped under Yohan’s clothes. Each time he massaged Yohan’s lower back and sides, more bruises appeared. It felt like his insides would burst, and involuntary cries of “Ack, aack!” escaped him.
“Sooo warm.”
Regardless of the other’s suffering, the Madman was utterly satisfied, as if playing with a hot pack or a doll, savoring the body heat. This time, he pulled Yohan into an embrace, as if to crush him. He pressed Yohan’s head against his chest until it hurt and leaned his ear close. Then, he listened to the thumping heartbeat that had been pounding since earlier.
“Such a loud sound….”
The low murmur reached Yohan’s terrified ears. He managed to shake off his fear and searched his memory. Come to think of it, when had Lee Hyun-muk fallen into the Abyss?
‘It was 3 years ago. If so….’
This meant Lee Hyun-muk had survived in this terrifying hell for a full 3 years. Had he wandered here endlessly, having lost all his team members? Forgetting even his own name. Thinking this, an indescribable, deep pity and sympathy surged within Yohan’s heart.
‘Someone as good as Lee Hyun-muk shouldn’t have had to go through this.’
Despite the physical pressure that felt like he would be flattened by the strength of a High-level Awakener, Yohan managed to move his arm. He then embraced Lee Hyun-muk’s head, which was pressing down on his chest. The Madman flinched. Then, with half pity and half a plea to ease the crushing force because he felt like he was dying, Yohan stroked his back.
Each time Yohan stroked and patted his back, the Madman flinched. Each time, Yohan flinched reflexively but didn’t stop his hand. Still, the merciless strength that had threatened to crush him was slowly receding.
“Lee Hyun-muk-ssi, you mustn’t kill me, you know? I’m a person….”
Fearing he might provoke the other person, Yohan spoke in a whisper. Fortunately, Lee Hyun-muk showed no aggression.
“Person….”
“Yes, I’m a person…. And Lee Hyun-muk-ssi is also a person.”
“Person, person….”
“You are a person, ah, you understand?”
Yohan desperately murmured, patting the Madman’s name as if he were a child. Finally, the strength gradually drained from Lee Hyun-muk’s body until he was no longer squeezing painfully.
After stroking and patting the Madman who looked like Lee Hyun-muk for a long time, Yohan eventually fell into a deep sleep. It was due to the accumulated fatigue from crouching in a corner of the building for two days, trembling with tension and unable to sleep properly. Yohan, who had been sleeping like he was unconscious, woke up due to severe hunger.
“Mmm….”
He still felt tired and wanted to sleep more, but his stomach ached so much from hunger that he couldn’t. Rubbing his eyes, Yohan’s eyes suddenly snapped open. The Madman! Lee Hyun-muk! Recalling the memories from before he fell asleep, he tried to spring up, but someone spoke to him.
“Awake?”
“Uh, uh….”
Yohan’s lips trembled in surprise. He had felt a warm heat radiating from somewhere since earlier, and now a bonfire crackled and flickered nearby. Lee Hyun-muk was sitting near Yohan, basking in the bonfire’s warmth, and surprisingly, he looked quite normal. His disheveled hair had been neatly tidied and combed.
“I borrowed a lighter from your pocket for a moment. Thanks to that, I can enjoy the fire for the first time in a while….”
As he said this, his faintly smiling face was a far cry from the Madman Yohan had been watching until he fell asleep. Apart from his hair color, he truly looked like the Lee Hyun-muk Yohan knew. As Yohan quickly got up, the Sleeping Bag covering his body fell to the floor with a thud. Yohan fumbled and asked,
“Lee Hyun-muk-ssi…?”
“It’s been a long time since someone called my name too….”
The faint smile on his handsome face was like a faded, worn-out black and white photograph. It was even more so because his hair, which had been black before falling into the Abyss, was now completely white. He glanced at Yohan briefly before turning his eyes back to the bonfire, which strangely reflected no light, only darkness. Yohan swallowed dryly and asked very cautiously,
“Um, are you… alright… now?”
“I’m sane now. Yes, how many years has it been in this state….”
Watching him stare blankly at the bonfire, muttering to himself, Yohan suddenly felt uneasy. He feared Lee Hyun-muk might go mad again, like before he fell asleep. Wanting to keep him in a rational state by starting a conversation, Yohan quickly said,
“Hey! Aren’t you hungry? Shall we have a meal?”
He hastily rummaged through a backpack nearby. Inside were a few emergency rations that Yohan had carefully kept.
Since a bonfire was already lit, he placed a small pot over the flames. While the water boiled, he poured in the little remaining purified water. Lee Hyun-muk just stared blankly at Yohan’s actions the entire time. Yohan poured the boiled water into each emergency ration packet. Then, he squeezed sauce onto the finished food, mixed it well, and offered it to Lee Hyun-muk with trembling hands.
“P-please enjoy.”
This time, Yohan, his mouth watering from hunger, spoke politely. Only after seeing Lee Hyun-muk slowly take a bite and eat did Yohan move his own spoon. After wolfing down his food as if a hungry wolf, he noticed Lee Hyun-muk chewing his food as slowly as a turtle.
‘…Is it perhaps not tasty?’
However, as Yohan continued to watch Lee Hyun-muk, he realized it wasn’t that the food was bad, but that he was simply savoring it immensely. A faint light seemed to return to his vacant eyes.
Deep pity welled up again. How difficult must it have been to eat actual food here? He waited patiently for the other person to finish his meal. After the long meal was finally over, Lee Hyun-muk spoke again.
“…What did you say your name was?”
“Yang Yohan!”
“Right, Yohan.”
Yohan’s heart fluttered the moment Lee Hyun-muk called his name so familiarly. It was understandable, as Yohan had been a fan of Lee Hyun-muk for a long time.
Of course, even as a fan, it was merely watching Rift clearing videos or interview clips like everyone else, but nonetheless, he was the person Yohan had always admired most. The number of people Lee Hyun-muk had directly saved already exceeded three digits, and the number of citizens indirectly saved by blocking Great Rifts was countless. He was an undeniable hero.
“Thanks for the meal.”
“I-it was nothing.”
Yohan replied shyly. Wasn’t Lee Hyun-muk the benefactor who had saved his life? No matter how precious the emergency rations, he could easily give this much. Of course, separate from his gratitude, there was also a desperate desire to impress this powerful individual he had encountered in this terrifying place and ask to accompany him.
“Since I don’t know when I’ll lose my sanity again, I’ll tell you the important information first.”
“Yes, Lee Hyun-muk-ssi!”
As Yohan replied spiritedly, Lee Hyun-muk gazed at the other’s sparkling eyes as if seeing something new, or something he had forgotten. His reaction was like someone who, having suffered from extreme loneliness, had encountered an intelligent being after hundreds of years.
“First, the most important thing is… you must stay right by my side even when I’m not sane. This Abyss is a very dangerous place. Of course, you already know that.”
“…I know very well.”
Yohan replied with a darkened face. While he had witnessed Eyeball Monsters up close, the monsters he had seen from afar were no less formidable. Still, it was a great relief that Lee Hyun-muk seemed likely to stay by his side. If not for him, Yohan would have been a dead man by now.
Lee Hyun-muk spoke in a low, soft voice, calmly explaining about the Abyss. Yohan listened intently, absorbing the important information.
“Even if I’m like this now, I will soon become insane. You understand why, right?”
Yohan swallowed dryly and nodded. It was probably because of the ‘Corruption’.
“Even when I’m not sane, I will protect you as much as possible. So, I hope you can endure here for as long as possible… for a very long time. It might take months, or even years, until I regain my sanity.”