By Zephyria Hae-jun flared up in anger. Tears fell with a sound like raindrops. He yelled, hitting Lee A-gon’s chest as he rambled on about how he was useless now without his legs, how he’d gotten even uglier from the burns, and how he’d understand if Hae-jun abandoned him.
“We promised to live together forever, you bastard!”
Lee A-gon, who had suffered full-body burns from the carnivorous plant’s digestive fluid while protecting Hae-jun, didn’t even have his eyes intact. He opened his burned eyes wide and stared at Hae-jun. Soon, a bright smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
Behind them, the giant, charred carnivorous plant collapsed and burst apart. The sound was like a celebratory cannon firing.
∞ ∞ ∞
The phenomenon of Aberrant Lifeforms pouring forth was a global one.
The first Aberrant Lifeforms appeared in Korea and Venezuela, and from the next day onward, similar phenomena were reported worldwide.
The Aberrant Lifeform that appeared in Israel took the form of a giant bat that sucked and fed on human blood.
The Aberrant Lifeform that appeared in North America, like in Korea, took a plant form, and they killed people by causing them to explode.
The Aberrant Lifeform that appeared in Japan was said to be insectoid. Centipedes with dozens of legs and cockroaches tore people apart and ate them.
It was a global emergency. To cope, various organizations were established, and finally, the Global Esper-Guide Alliance was hastily formed. They named the rifts from which Aberrant Lifeforms poured as Gates to another world and scrambled to gather information to exterminate them.
Three months after the appearance of the Otherworld Gates, the Esper-Guide Alliance had achieved many results.
Upon discovering that only the power of Espers could kill the Aberrant Lifeforms emerging from the Gates, they tried sending Espers directly into the Gates. As a result, they also learned that completely clearing out the Aberrant Lifeforms inside a Gate allowed it to be closed more quickly.
They categorized Espers into Power-Type and Psychic-Type, further subdividing them, and established a global standard for measuring Esper abilities.
While the whole world was in an uproar over this, Hae-jun had no interest. For three months, he had been holed up in Lee A-gon’s hospital room, not moving.
Lee A-gon, who had jumped from the carnivorous plant’s tendrils while holding Hae-jun, with half his shins melted away, suffered burns all over his body. Because he absorbed the full impact of the fall with his own body to protect Hae-jun, his ribs were also shattered.
In that condition, Lee A-gon had ultimately protected Hae-jun and fought the carnivorous plant. After that, he lost consciousness and had not woken up for three months.
Hae-jun cared for Lee A-gon devotedly. Though all he could do was turn Lee A-gon’s sleeping body and wipe him down, he refused to leave his loved one’s side.
“I don’t need anything else now. I just need you.”
Hae-jun held Lee A-gon’s hand and told him this countless times. He didn’t need movies or money. Hae-jun only wanted Lee A-gon to wake up. He only wished for him to open his eyes and look at him.
“I was wrong. I was a fool. All your anxiety was my fault…”
Lee A-gon’s life, which should have been smooth and uneventful, was completely ruined after meeting Hae-jun. Hae-jun made him focus only on him, made him exchange assistance only with him, and then left.
Lee A-gon called it a vow of love, but what Hae-jun had done was actually a curse. A curse that shattered one person’s life.
Cursed, Lee A-gon was driven to death. If he hadn’t been an unusually strong Esper, he surely would have died or gone into Rampage.
Even amidst pain akin to death, Lee A-gon survived. His wretched appearance was a medal earned for overcoming the curse.
Not knowing this, Hae-jun, upon meeting Lee A-gon again, berated him. He tore down his self-esteem, calling him stupid and ugly. Even though Hae-jun was the one who made Lee A-gon that way, knowing nothing, he blamed only Lee A-gon.
『Is it because I’m ugly and stupid… that you dislike me? So… it’s not possible?』
『That’s right. I dislike you because you’re ugly, stupid, and didn’t even finish middle school.』
Even while clearly seeing his words pierce Lee A-gon’s chest and lodge in his heart, Hae-jun had answered that way.
Now, Hae-jun reflected on that day’s conversation and bled from his own heart. Every time he recalled the words he said and Lee A-gon’s expression upon hearing them, it felt like his chest was being torn apart.
“I was wrong.”
Hae-jun pressed his cheek against Lee A-gon’s unopened eyes and whispered.
“You don’t have to forgive me, just please open your eyes.”
But his heartless lover did not open his closed eyes.
There were always flowers in Lee A-gon’s room. Hae-jun had brought them because he disliked the sterile bleakness unique to hospital rooms. He always replaced the flowers before they wilted, hoping that whenever Lee A-gon opened his eyes, he could see the most beautiful ones.
“Is that for Esper Lee A-gon?”
At Jeong Han-sol’s question, Hae-jun nodded, holding the bouquet in his arms.
“Taking care of him must be very difficult.”
“It is.”
“Guide, you’ve become so gaunt. It seems you’re not eating properly either.”
“Is that so?”
“Guide Heo Seon-woo is worried. He says he can’t get in touch with you, Guide Hae-jun.”
“I see.”
No matter what he said, he received no answer beyond ‘Is that so’ or ‘I see,’ so Jeong Han-sol closed his mouth.
Hae-jun, who had been standing blankly, soon passed by Jeong Han-sol as if he had forgotten he was there. It wasn’t intentional disregard; he had simply forgotten the fact that Jeong Han-sol was there at all.
Returning to the room, Hae-jun changed the flowers in the vase and opened the window. The brilliant late-May sunlight poured in. Even amidst a global crisis, spring had returned and flowers bloomed. Hae-jun tidied the slightly disorganized surroundings and spoke to Lee A-gon.
“Hello, A-gon? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
“……”
“The IV has been changed. The nurse must have come by while I was gone.”
“……”
“The patient who was hospitalized in the room next to us with you was discharged yesterday. You need to get discharged soon too, right?”
“……”
“Last night, I dreamed of us living together in the Safe House on Mars. Remember? You were really cute back then.”
“……”
“Oh, I found the Polaroid photo we took together back then. It was in my luggage. Do you want to see it too? Thinking about it, we don’t have a single other photo of just the two of us besides that one.”
“……”
“When you open your eyes, let’s take lots of photos then. Let’s definitely do that, A-gon.”
“……”
Hae-jun, who had been chattering alone, sat down on the small chair placed beside the bed and gazed at Lee A-gon’s face.
Three months since collapsing. Lee A-gon had withered away to a degree beyond description as merely ‘haggard.’ His face was frighteningly pale like blank paper, the area under his eyes was dark, and his lips were cracked and white.
If not for the lack of scabs on his face and his hair not being matted, he looked little different from his appearance during his homeless days.
Now, Hae-jun no longer found Lee A-gon’s face scary or ugly. This face was the result of Lee A-gon fighting desperately to survive, and the traces of him protecting Hae-jun.
The hand that had been stroking Lee A-gon’s cheek moved down, touching the hollowed collarbone and thinned chest. He stroked the pitifully emaciated waist, moved further down to touch the knees, and finally reached the feet.
Every time he saw Lee A-gon’s feet, Hae-jun couldn’t hold back his tears. Even while half his shins were melting away, Lee A-gon protected Hae-jun without letting out a single scream. In that condition, he jumped down holding Hae-jun and even used his Special Ability for him.
This was the result. The wounds had all healed, and the melted parts had completely regenerated, but Lee A-gon slept like a princess waiting for a prince, not waking up.
“I love you, A-gon.”
Hae-jun’s tears fell onto Lee A-gon’s feet. Tears plopped down onto the pale feet without a single callus.
“If you just wake up, I’ll do anything. I’ll grant anything you wish for.”
“……”
“Even marriage… let’s get married too.”
“……”
“If only you come back. If only you open your eyes. I…”
I can do anything.
Hae-jun couldn’t continue and quietly slumped forward.
He hadn’t known love could be this heart-wrenching. Only now did he understand why some people follow their loved ones in death.
Every time he confessed these feelings, Hae-jun felt the strength and life within him wearing away. The words ‘I love you’ carried his soul, so each time he said them, it felt like the person named Park Hae-jun was being whittled away.
Hae-jun, with his soul whittled down, was in pain. The only way to end this pain was for Lee A-gon to open his eyes, wake up, and tell him he loved him.
Then his soul would also be whittled down and gather within Hae-jun, and Hae-jun’s soul would gather within him, and they would become completely one, starting from their souls—this Hae-jun knew.
That night, Hae-jun dreamed. A dream where Lee A-gon opened his eyes and smiled at him. Even in the dream, Hae-jun knew he was dreaming, so he cried his eyes out. Knowing it was a dream made it all the more sorrowful.
“Why… are you crying?”
Lee A-gon asked. Hae-jun sniffled and answered.
“Because of you. It’s always because of you, A-gon.”
“Because of me…? Why…?”
“I hate you.”
I hate you for making me worry for so long. I’m angry at you for becoming so shattered for my sake. It hurts.
“You make me so miserable. It’s hard.”
“I’m… sorry.”
Lee A-gon answered in a dejected voice. Hae-jun buried his face in the pillow and didn’t answer anymore. After crying like that for a long while, he woke up, and it was morning again.
“Did you sleep well, A-gon?”