By Zephyria 
The sound of frantic eating was loud. But this time, it wasn’t caused by Yoon Seung-ryong’s endless gluttony.
“Eat plenty! There’s food everywhere!”
Yang Yohan shouted proudly. Piled high were foods and bottles of water plundered from nearby convenience stores and supermarkets. The team members’ eyes went wild at the sight of edible food and water after a month. They rushed to eat without even offering thanks. Ramen simmered to perfection, canned goods filled with meat and sweet fruits, snacks, candy, drinks…
It was a lavish feast for team members who had been subsisting on rotten meat or, at best, foraging for weeds. As Lee Hyun-mook merely watched his team members fill their bellies, Yang Yohan asked cautiously.
“Aren’t you eating?”
“I am eating. …Yohan-ssi, you should eat too.”
At those words, he smiled sweetly and took a chocolate bar from the abundance of food. He unwrapped one and offered it to Lee Hyun-mook, then popped one into his own mouth and chewed it diligently. Lee Hyun-mook also put the chocolate bar in his mouth. It was sweet and nutty. After finishing their meal, Yang Yohan told everyone, now happy, how to leave.
“To get out of here, you need to go to the Salt Lake. There’s a core of the Abyss there, and you can only leave this place by destroying that core.”
“The Salt Lake? Where… where is that?”
Seo Yakrin asked in a calm voice. No one asked where or how Yang Yohan had appeared. They were being cautious, as if this moment felt like a dream, one they didn’t want to shatter.
“Ah…! I see. You don’t know. The Salt Lake is to the northeast of here. But before we go, can we gather some supplies?”
“What is it? Whatever you need, please tell us.”
Lee Chan-ha said, looking at Yohan with eyes like an ardent devotee. Lee Hyun-mook found these scenes somehow familiar.
First, they thoroughly scoured the nearby convenience stores and supermarkets. Everyone happily shouldered their bundles of food and set off with light hearts. It was fortunate they were Awakened, possessing great strength. Yang Yohan led them, who had never left the Ruined City, to the swamp.
Upon arriving at the swamp, they plundered the supermarkets again for rice, seasonings, and side dishes. He proposed a samgyeopsal party after killing a giant corrupted pig and gathering monster weeds from the fields, then purifying them. Naturally, no one refused.
After eating their fill of samgyeopsal, Yoon Seung-ryong had completely regained his usual cheerfulness. Seo Yakrin also smiled. Joo Ho-young brightened, and Lee Chan-ha regained her usual composure. Seeing his team members, Lee Hyun-mook felt something… heavy in his heart begin to melt.
Next, Yohan led them to the Japanese sector. There, they raided a building with a desolate atmosphere and found entertainment for the team members. Joo Ho-young was the most delighted upon obtaining a Game Console.
“I’d like to visit the Reed Sea too, but it’s too far. Let’s go straight to the Jungle sector.”
The team members still had no complaints. With a Purifier accompanying them, their contamination levels didn’t rise, and food was abundant. Their lodgings were pleasant and comfortable, and even the monsters became docile or easier to handle after undergoing purification. Moving into the Jungle sector, they gathered plenty of fruit. Strange pineapples, mangoes, and bananas were novel and delicious. It felt like they were simply on a fun adventure… Yang Yohan suggested again.
“The Salt Lake is quite far. So, we’ll cross through Black Mountain!”
They knew well what Black Mountain was. Wasn’t it a place that moved and constantly sucked in monsters? However, surprisingly, Black Mountain, after Yang Yohan’s purification, had transformed into an astonishingly beautiful place.
The mountain, filled with shimmering pastel colors, was a magnificent sight that could never be seen on Earth. The Purification Field Yang Yohan spread was the same. Within the Purification Field, Lee Chan-ha found true peace. Yoon Seung-ryong and Joo Ho-young ran around excitedly, while Seo Yakrin, who could handle Eternal Stones, lay on one, enjoying the tranquility. She murmured.
“I never thought I’d see such a beautiful sight in this dreadful place.”
They rested leisurely as if on a picnic before moving on. Crossing Black Mountain made the journey surprisingly easy. They didn’t have to be wary of monsters and could lie down anywhere to admire the shimmering radiance. Thus, they arrived at the Salt Lake, feeling as if they were on a sightseeing tour.
At the misty Salt Lake, Yohan unfurled his Purification Field once more. The lake, which had exuded a fishy stench, instantly became clear and clean. They swam in the transparent water, so clear they could see the bottom. They picked up large clams, and Seo Yakrin happily went fishing. They ate plenty of delicious grilled seafood and seafood stew.
“I feel alive…”
Someone murmured happily. Soon after, gentle snores followed. Everyone fell into a deep sleep beside the sparkling blue lake, free from worries. As Lee Hyun-mook watched the peaceful scene, someone rose from their spot without a rustle. It was Yang Yohan.
After carefully covering the sleeping team members with blankets, Yang Yohan walked towards the Black Mountain, which was no longer dark. Lee Hyun-mook also got up and silently followed him.
Where Yang Yohan arrived, there was surprisingly a cave. He soon entered the cave, which resembled a beautiful crystal mine. Lee Hyun-mook followed him into the cave. The team members’ drowsy breaths slowly faded away.
The cave leading to the core of the Abyss went endlessly down, down, down. It was just wide enough for one person to pass comfortably. Although he could have turned back to check if Lee Hyun-mook was following, Yohan walked on in silence. And finally, the cave ended.
Beyond the cave was something vast and round. But as Yohan had said, it was not the core of the Abyss. Yohan stood still, silently gazing at the completed black and white Eternal Stone. Then, for the first time, he looked back. In the quiet silence, Lee Hyun-mook murmured.
“…As expected, it was a dream.”
He was someone who knew better than anyone how vast the Abyss was. Yet, this journey felt both long and short. Even though they had walked and wandered for months, it felt short. It was truly a fleeting dream. Yohan, who had only smiled brightly throughout their journey together, asked for the first time with a trembling voice.
“Was it a good dream?”
“Yes, truly… it was a very good dream. So good that I wish it had been real.”
They didn’t have to eat spoiled, rotten flesh, nor drink the bodily fluid of repulsive monsters instead of water. Food was abundant, and monsters posed no threat. Their bodies weren’t deformed, they didn’t suffer excruciating pain, and there were no mental disorders that made it difficult to maintain sanity.
Most importantly, there were no terrible hardships that tore their bodies and minds apart, dissolved them, and turned them into a pulp. They never encountered the Flood.
Everything was merely a vain dream, but it was not without meaning. This dream left a deep impression in Lee Hyun-mook’s heart…
As Lee Hyun-mook savored the dream, Yohan slowly approached and hugged him tightly. His hot breath poured onto his chest in gasps. His lovely lover was trying his best not to cry. The mountain scenery, purified into a brilliant form, gradually blurred. The peacefully sleeping team members also slowly drifted away…
“I, I thought hard about the first time I met Hyung.”
Despite his gasps, Yohan tried hard to speak clearly. In the familiar silence, Lee Hyun-mook listened intently to his lover’s voice, which was exceptionally clear.
“I still remember clearly that you were in human form. It was very scary, but you were still in human form. And, and… I heard it from Chan-ha Hyung too.”
“Yes, you heard it from Chan-ha?”
“Yes, sob, Hyung helped everyone take on human form.”
Tears eventually flowed quietly, warming his chest, but Lee Hyun-mook pretended not to notice and simply stroked his back. Hearing from Yohan about how he had forcibly molded the team members, who were suffering and begging to be killed, into unwanted forms, sounded so different. As if he had bestowed some great kindness.
“That was because you wanted to be human.”
Lee Hyun-mook’s chest grew warmer and warmer. His original body temperature was similar to a stone lying by the roadside. Yet, when he was with Yohan, he used to warm himself up to feel no sense of alienation, but now, it felt like his temperature was rising even without effort.
“And Hyung, Hyung… you’re someone who never gives up…”
Never giving up.
The eternal, desperate, and noble will of a certain being.
“Don’t give up… Don’t be afraid, I will save you. Always… No matter what happens… hic. Even if I fall into the Abyss again, I will come to save you, just like in the dream. So…”
Lee Hyun-mook recalled how Yohan had always claimed to be human, despite fearing the team members and himself. Ah, he let out a low groan. His sweet and peaceful dream was completely scattering. But for some reason, instead of the familiar darkness, what was revealed was a dazzling sun.
In his core, worn out and completely empty from enduring the Abyss, shone the sun cast by Yohan’s light. It was what he had steadily poured into him whenever he was with Lee Hyun-mook. The light, scattered in the shape of stars even in places the sunlight couldn’t reach, glowed faintly. Lee Hyun-mook suddenly felt a little unfamiliar with himself…
He wasn’t the only unfamiliar thing. He also sensed the blood and flesh scattered by the team members who bravely fought against the absurd monsters he had created. What he had once given out was returning in this way, filling in some of what he had lost.
“I…”
He wished for the same tragedy to never happen again. Just as his team members suffered from trauma even after escaping the Abyss, Lee Hyun-mook had constantly felt intense and obsessive emotions.
He knew now that he would not fall into the Abyss again. Nevertheless, threats as insignificant as ants bothered him. His memory of concluding that he would do anything, no matter the cost, to prevent them from doing such things again, was hazy and distant.
“I…”
He breathed in slowly. He exhaled a human breath for the first time. After taking several deep breaths, he blinked slowly, squinting as if the light was dazzling, even though he knew Yohan’s light was not blinding. Then, a belated realization dawned.
…Not giving up on being human also means that one is still human.
“Yes. …This is enough.”
Did his savior have any idea how deeply comforting this long yet short spring dream had been?
“As you said, my Negative Reinforcement is about not giving up. Yes, Yohan-ah. I promise I will not give up on being human from now on…”
The moment he declared this, the darkness like the night sky instantly cleared.
Yohan looked around, his head tilted in disbelief. It had been evening when they entered, but time had passed, and a blue sky was visible. The team members who had entered with them lay scattered on the ground, exactly as they had been sleeping in the dream-like Salt Lake. Their drowsy breaths were peaceful once more. Yohan had successfully persuaded Lee Hyun-mook.
“Sob, sob*… Really, really, I was so scared…!”
The tears he had held back finally burst forth. Greatly relieved, Yohan poured out his sorrow.
“How scared I was…!”
Crying uncontrollably, shedding tears like shining pearls as he had done countless times in the Abyss, Yohan wailed. At Yohan’s crying, the team members woke up one by one with bewildered faces. Still lying lazily after waking up, Yoon Seung-ryong scratched the back of his head and mumbled.
“What is it? I feel like I had a really good dream… A dream where I ate a lot of delicious food…”
Lee Hyun-mook, holding the sobbing Yohan in his arms, smiled at the sight of his team members, unharmed. It felt as if water that had been stagnant for a long time was finally flowing again. With a slightly relieved expression, Lee Hyun-mook murmured affectionately.
“…My crybaby Lamb.”
173 – (Complete)
#173 (Completed)
〈Epilogue〉
Kim Hyun-woo wandered the streets, gasping for breath. No matter which direction he walked, east, west, north, or south, he encountered the same scenery. Yet, he kept walking and walking, searching through buildings for a reason. Doing this sometimes yielded food and drink. Moreover, places he had already searched could yield something again if searched again, so he had to continue searching the same scenery endlessly, to the point of losing his mind.
“Haaack…!”
Today, he was lucky. It was bread he had found after three days. It smelled a bit spoiled, but he was grateful for anything. The moment he was about to frantically tear into it and eat it, a kick came out of nowhere. It was Go Jae-won.
“Fucking bastard, I knew it. You’re eating it all by yourself!”
“Aaaah! No! No! I haven’t eaten! Me, me too! Me too…! Give me some too! I’m hungry!”
Regardless of Kim Hyun-woo’s protests, Go Jae-won frantically devoured the spoiled bread. A stench worse than the bread emanated from him. His eyes were glazed over, half out of his mind, and at some point, ears, noses, lips, and the like had grown on the back of his head and various parts of his body. Kim Hyun-woo pleaded for just one bite while sobbing, but he was only stomped on until his bones felt like they would break, accompanied by curses.
Kim Hyun-woo cursed reality. Where did this devil-like bastard come from? It was better when Go Jae-won wasn’t around. Back then, he could have at least kept the food all to himself. His teammates were nothing but useless idiots and offered no help. In times like these, shouldn’t he fight back against Go Jae-won! But now, they had lost both speech and reason, reduced to crawling on the floor like insects, eating monsters, so it was a futile lament.
Go Jae-won, having ravenously devoured the bread, glared with wide eyes. He had noticed a gaze watching them from the rooftop. Someone was there, chuckling and observing them. The person who came to watch changed each time, but today it was Joo Ho-young and Yoon Seung-ryong. They took pleasure in watching them grovel.
“Aaaah! Please! Please get me out of here! I was wrong! I was wrong!”
Kim Hyun-woo ran towards the two, wailing. But no matter how much he ran, for some reason, he couldn’t get closer to the building. Joo Ho-young scowled.
“Ugh, why are you completely naked? You’re ruining our eyes.”
Only then did Kim Hyun-woo realize he was naked. And with his muddled mind, he vaguely recalled that he had taken off his clothes because he was too hot. Regardless, he sobbed and begged without any sense of shame.
“I, I, I want to go to prison. I was wrong! Pleeeease, please…. Send me to prison!”
For some time now, the heat had turned into a burning sensation, tormenting him severely. He couldn’t sleep properly, making the pain even more excruciating. Furthermore, realizing his body was slowly twisting due to Corruption was truly painful and terrifying. Even then, Go Jae-won glared at Joo Ho-young with wide eyes. Then, he collapsed to his knees. Without hesitation, he repeatedly slammed his head on the ground, pleading.
“Ho, Ho-young! Seung-ryong…! I’ll beg like this. Please…. For the sake of our past bond, forgive me. I’ll do anything…. I’ll be your slave forever….”
“Are they speaking human words?”
Go Jae-won snapped his head up. By then, Seo Yakrin had also arrived, arms crossed, watching with a displeased expression. Kim Hyun-woo quickly prostrated himself and barked like a dog. Go Jae-won, not to be outdone, made animal noises. He couldn’t even recall his dignity. He just wanted to escape this trap and the plight of a trapped insect. Sometimes, when they were shown mercy, there were rewards. Otherwise, he wished they would just kill him. He didn’t want to live.
There was another stinging gaze. It belonged to Lee Chan-ha. However, Go Jae-won couldn’t even lift his head in Lee Chan-ha’s direction. He knew well that if he displeased her even slightly, this place would become an even more wicked realm according to her will.
For example, it was like this: a useful item he had painstakingly acquired would suddenly rot, or perfectly good food would be infested with maggots. Or, while fighting monsters, he would suddenly find himself punching a building when he came to his senses. He would hear verbally abusive insults all day long….
Those were relatively mild. If he managed to escape from here and return home, only to open his front door and find this same scenery again, he would truly want to die then and there. But he couldn’t even die as he pleased. No matter how he tried to end his life, he would wake up the next day. And each time he attempted to die, a more terrible ordeal would follow.
“Excuse me, excuse meee….”
A faint voice was heard. Park Seung-min appeared from a corner, his appearance disheveled. He was gasping for breath, unable to even take a sip of water. His body was covered in bite marks, with flesh torn away. Despite being a Low-grade Purifier, he was the only one not affected by Corruption. And he was also a Purifier who was mercilessly exploited daily by Go Jae-won and Kim Hyun-woo, respectively.
“To, Yohan-ssi, I have something to say. Please call Yohan-ssi…. I really have something to say. It’s important. I haven’t, even paid, back all my, money, yet.”
In despair, Park Seung-min begged and begged. But the response he received was cold. Lee Hyun-mook, who had appeared out of nowhere, said,
“That won’t be possible. Our Yohan-ssi said he never wants to see you again.”
Besides them, other individuals had also fallen into this hell. Hwang Young-chul and Kim Jong-seok. They wandered the streets, unable to die, but as civilians, the Corruption progressed too quickly, and they were now unrecognizable from their original selves.
“Aaaah! Please! I’m begging you! I want to die! Kill me! Kill me instead!”
Park Seung-min wailed in despair. Every time he slept, he dreamt of his happiest moments. A life where he had Awakened as a High-rank Purifier, receiving everyone’s praise and living lavishly. It wasn’t just a dream; he had actually experienced it, making it even more vivid. And each time he woke up from that short, sweet dream, he fell into terrible despair. His reality was too pathetic compared to his dream.
In front of those wailing from their own unique kinds of terrible despair, Lee Hyun-mook pulled something out. It was a bag containing several syringes. The cries of those less than beasts ceased.
“When I first obtained these, I hoped the situation to use them wouldn’t arise…. Perhaps Yohan brought them knowing they would be used in times like these. Do you know what this is?”
Lee Hyun-mook, speaking in a gentle voice, seemed a bit more human than before. But that wasn’t important to them. As everyone focused, Lee Hyun-mook, with narrowed eyes, kindly informed them.
“It’s morphine.”
Morphine…! At the name of the powerful opioid analgesic, a greedy glint appeared on their dirty, stained faces. It was the only thing that could momentarily alleviate this pain. Lee Hyun-mook tossed the syringes in front of them.
“Aaaah! That’s mine! It’s mine!”
“You bastards! Get lost, you motherfuckers!”
Everyone enjoyed watching them fight like beasts, biting and tearing at each other. Among them, Go Jae-won won.
“Ah, ahh….”
Go Jae-won quickly inserted the syringe and injected himself, his body slumping. He swayed, experiencing a peace he hadn’t felt in a long time. He ignored Kim Hyun-woo, who was screaming and beating him, trying to snatch the painkillers away.
“Now, you want more of this, right?”
In front of those with bloodshot eyes, the morphine syringes were thrown one by one. Not close by, like before. They were scattered far apart, to places unseen. Seeing this, they screamed and rushed towards where the syringes had landed.
“Haha!”
Watching them, Lee Hyun-mook laughed for the first time, like someone taking revenge. After all, the morphine had only been in the first syringe; the rest were filled with water. And did they know? That this moment was actually less hellish than what was to come….
They would be trapped in the Rift forever until the day they were consumed by the Abyss. If that happened, they would never be able to return here. Since even Yohan, a High-rank Purifier, had struggled here, a Low-grade Purifier like Park Seung-min would have his limits.
If even Lee Hyun-mook, with his strong will, and colleagues with whom he had forged deep bonds, had fought here, could these people endure until the end?
“Let’s go. Our maknae must be waiting.”
Seo Yakrin, having lost interest in the worm-like traitors, grumbled. Lee Hyun-mook agreed that his lover was waiting, so he didn’t look back. Even if he had spread his shadows, he didn’t want to leave Yohan alone.
Yohan was waiting patiently inside the van parked nearby, cleaning his weapon. On his spear, the Eternal Stone that Seo Yakrin had painstakingly acquired and prepared was gleaming. Lee Hyun-mook felt a slight disappointment that it wasn’t a black and white Eternal Stone. But he thought that his own Eternal Stone, which he had split and given away, might have contributed to the previous disaster, so he suppressed his greed.
“Welcome back, everyone?”
Knowing that they had just returned from a brutal act of revenge, Yohan didn’t explicitly ask but greeted them warmly. They each patted Yohan’s head and took their seats. Yohan, accustomed to this, obediently put down his weapon after their touch.
“Let’s go get samgyeopsal today!”
“Aren’t you tired of that damn samgyeopsal?”
Seo Yakrin, in the driver’s seat, chided Yoon Seung-ryong’s suggestion. Although she tended to get angry easily and might drive recklessly, she was surprisingly a model driver. Yohan subtly sided with Yoon Seung-ryong.
“I like samgyeopsal too.”
“If Yohan-gun likes it, I’m fine with it too.”
“I don’t care what we eat~.”
Joo Ho-young, engrossed in his game console as if unaffected by motion sickness, chimed in his agreement. However, they ultimately couldn’t eat samgyeopsal. A high-grade monster appearance alert had come in. The van, heading towards the city, immediately changed direction.
This time, the high-grade monster had appeared in northern Seoul. Since the north was successfully reclaimed with Yohan’s cooperation recently, Team Sun had become busier than ever. Unlike when the Han River was the boundary, monsters kept descending from the north. As they headed towards the helicopter landing site, Seo Yakrin grumbled in annoyance.
“Can’t we just go in and wipe them all out?”
“It’s mostly ruined, but it’s not completely destroyed yet, so we can’t help it,” Lee Chan-ha replied indifferently. After the first Great Rift, several countries had collapsed without being able to hold on. North Korea was one of them; the dictator’s family had fled abroad after that day.
Nevertheless, with monsters constantly descending from the north, Korea, now troubled, wanted to subjugate North Korean territory, but they were met with strong opposition, and negotiations were ongoing. Even though the land was already ruined, the government was trying its best to avoid any controversy, but for Team Sun, it was merely an annoyance.
Soon, the van arrived at the location where the Special Unit’s helicopter was waiting. As Yohan boarded the helicopter, he fearlessly looked out the window. While admiring the peaceful scenery of southern Seoul, he recalled a recent event.
That day, the mess Lee Hyun-mook had created was somehow cleaned up. It was an incident so immense that it was unbelievable for a single individual to have caused it. Moreover, the government had caused all the drones to crash at the time, so no one knew the truth of the incident properly. Thus, the public was informed that Team Sun had pacified a Great Rift that appeared in an unusual form.
However, those at higher levels seemed to have grasped the truth to some extent. According to Lee Chan-ha, the machinations targeting Team Sun had completely disappeared afterward.
It was understandable, considering that Lee Hyun-mook’s ever-expanding shadow had even covered Yeouido. The team members did not precisely reveal what those who had safely stayed in their residences near the Rift Management Agency and in the air-raid shelters of Yeouido, and were then sucked into the shadows, had heard, seen, and experienced, nor what measures Team Sun had taken after that day. Yohan also didn’t particularly want to know….
In any case, after that, everything went smoothly. In addition to the video that Park Seung-min had desperately pleaded not to be released, various other videos became public. Criticism poured down on the government, and several officials resigned or went to prison. Following that, Go Jae-won, Park Seung-min, and others disappeared. Only Team Sun knew where they had ‘escaped’ to.
There was more good news. Director Jeong Si-young had been promoted. Although she had vehemently refused to become a minister, she was now serving as the head of the Rift Management Agency, making her activities much smoother than before. With many Purifiers successively Awakening, people no longer feared Rift phenomena as they once did. Awakened individuals could act without being intimidated, and the restoration of lost territory became active. People’s lives became a little better.
The Awakened Association also began its full-scale operations. While the Rift Management Agency, the National Land Safety Department, and various high-ranking officials had been replaced, bringing peace for now, it wouldn’t last long. They couldn’t allow the various corrupt practices of the past to continue. Nor could they let the Awakened run wild as they pleased. The Awakened Association would find a middle ground and mediate…. As Yohan fell into such thoughts, the helicopter had reached its destination.
“Ah, there it is!”
Seo Yakrin exclaimed excitedly and looked back, seeking permission. Lee Hyun-mook nodded, and without hesitation, she leaped down. A giant golden net unfurled, constricting a long monster crawling up the building. Then, the team members landed one by one on the building’s rooftop with a thud.
“The entire team didn’t need to come, did they?”
Yoon Seung-ryong yawned lazily, even as the building made a ghastly tearing sound and crumbled. Meanwhile, Joo Ho-young burst a water tank on the building. The water that poured down like a torrent froze instantly, supporting the weight of the collapsing building. Lee Chan-ha, who had descended below the building, protected a civilian who had been hiding nearby in fear.
The monster clinging to the building couldn’t move, only its disgusting cilia flailing. It exuded a potent toxic miasma, deadly enough to kill a civilian just by touching it.
Before further damage could occur, Lee Hyun-mook’s lightning struck. The first strike caused the monster to convulse and stiffen; the second strike scorched it and made it hang limply. With a heavy thud, the colossal body crashed to the ground. The surroundings were filled with a foul Corruption and toxic miasma. Now, it was Yohan’s turn to act.
A radiant swarm of light poured from Yohan’s body. It flowed down the building like a waterfall, consuming the dense toxic miasma. The acrid air and contaminated bodily fluid disappeared, becoming clean. In an instant, where the swarm of light had swept, even down to where the monster had been, something disgusting remained. The original might have been a caterpillar….
Even after purification, Yohan, who still shuddered at the sight of insects, felt a gentle hand embrace him. A kind voice praised him.
“Well done, Yohan-ah.”
He looked up and met his lover’s gaze. Lee Hyun-mook was smiling serenely. Feeling proud, Yohan looked down at the building again. What was once a Rift zone was now clean, as if freshly scrubbed. Even now, Rift zones, and Corrupted beings, were gradually being purified.
Although it might take a long time, someday the Abyss would cease to appear. That alone would be a great comfort and strength to these people who had barely survived this living hell. Thinking that the Abyss was slowly wearing away and disappearing from hunger, Yohan felt good every time he purified.
“I have a thought.”
Lee Hyun-mook suddenly murmured, looking at his precious lover, who literally shone brightly at all times. Yohan, who had been smiling triumphantly, tilted his head.
“What thought?”
Lee Hyun-mook’s gaze as he looked down at Yohan was deep. Though his face was shadowed, it wasn’t a backlight obscuring his features. It was simply ordinary. The eyes of an incomparably wonderful and beautiful person.
“That I was truly right to follow you….”
Whether in the Abyss, or in a dream like a fleeting illusion. Yohan, like a lighthouse, always shone his light, guiding and leading Lee Hyun-mook. And at the end, he invariably saved him. My precious and dear one, who appeared before me as I wandered the Abyss….
“Yangyang.”
“…Yes?”
“You are my Lamb.”
Instead of explaining why he suddenly called him by a pet name, Lee Hyun-muk kissed his lover. And he smiled.
He was simply happy, like a human.
〈END〉
Synopsis
Yang Yo-han, who fell into the worst dungeon called the Abyss due to a friend’s betrayal.
In the dungeon filled with monsters, Yo-han meets Lee Hyun-muk, the Awakener once considered the strongest in Korea, who disappeared into the Abyss years ago.
“Mr. Lee Hyun-muk, you mustn’t kill me, you know? Because I’m human…”
“Human…”
“That’s right, I’m human… And you, Mr. Lee Hyun-muk, are human too.”
However, Lee Hyun-muk was half-mad, influenced by the Abyss, and Yo-han tries to survive in the Abyss with Lee Hyun-muk, who occasionally regains his sanity, tending to his wounds and searching for food.
“An event occurs here about once every few decades. And I call it the ‘Flood’.”
“The Flood?”
“The closer the Flood approaches, the worse the corruption and madness become… just as I was moments ago.”
But due to the sudden Flood, Lee Hyun-muk completely loses his mind…
“Why isn’t the sheep crying?”
“I’m not a sheep, I’m Yang Yo-han…”
“My little sheep.”
The harsh environment of the Abyss, the festering wound on one leg, not to mention the terrifying monsters attacking with roars, and the erratic behavior of the mad Lee Hyun-muk…
Thanks to all this, Yo-han’s escape from the other world, where tears are shed every single day!