After Honeybee and the family left, only Matthew, Cha Eui-jae, and the burning monsters remained. Cha Eui-jae bit the inside of his mouth hard. He should have continued on. Right now. But his legs wouldn't move. He didn't know if it was because of Honeybee's request or some inexplicable intuition.
Matthew stood with his back turned, his fire burning the monsters. With each movement of his hand, the flames rippled like waves. It was graceful, like an orchestra conductor, yet sharp and precise like a sword's.
The towering flames swallowed up the monsters' screams. Even as the flames blazed as if to devour the world, the air was deathly still. All that could be heard was the crackling of something burning.
It was uncomfortable.
Matthew spoke.
"You're not leaving."
"…No."
"There must be places that need your help. Just like the family you just met."
"…"
"If it weren't for you, they would be wandering the streets, dying. Or…"
A cold voice gave another conclusion.
"Actually, they might be in more danger because you found them. These monsters are struggling to reach you."
He was right. Even with their limbs burned and a deep valley separating them, the monsters were still crawling toward Cha Eui-jae.
Was the family in danger after meeting him?
'…Maybe.'
A stinging gust of wind blew past. Sweat began to drip down his forehead. Matthew slowly turned halfway and looked at Cha Eui-jae.
"Your breathing sounds different. Is that the right answer?"
Hiding something from someone who could read your body language wasn't a good idea. Besides, everything will be revealed in time anyway. Cha Eui-jae replied curtly.
"I won't deny it."
"Thank you. For answering honestly."
A monster, engulfed in flames, charged toward Cha Eui-jae. However—
Snap!
With a snap of fingers, the monster was reduced to ashes before even a single claw could touch him. Cha Eui-jae watched as the flames spread into the air.
"Actually, it doesn't matter. This is a good opportunity for me, too. I wanted to chat with you at least once. Even in this situation."
"…"
"If you feel uncomfortable, you can go somewhere else."
"I'm fine for now."
Besides, Honeybee asked Cha Eui-jae to keep an eye on him anyway. Matthew chuckled softly.
"You have a strong sense of responsibility. It will become toxic. Or perhaps, it already is."
His way of speaking evoked a strange discomfort. He coolly points out facts that had been ignored. He presents aspects that had not been considered. He offers food for thought, allowing one to reflect on oneself.
"Excessive responsibility can consume many people."
"That's true."
Cha Eui-jae meekly agreed. Behind the flames, Matthew clenched his fists. The crawling monsters exploded in the distance.
"I have a question. May I ask?"
"Yes."
"What if someone you care about dies because of you?"
"…"
"Are you capable of forgiving yourself?"
The first thing that came to mind when he heard that question was a black coffin. Cha Eui-jae lay sprawled on top of said coffin, and inside, Lee Sa-young slept. Cha Eui-jae shed dry tears. He felt regret.
If only he had been a little stronger, he wouldn't have let him go so meaninglessly.
Pure white ash scattered behind Lee Sa-young's coffin. His aunt walked through the ashes. Cha Eui-jae hurriedly followed her retreating figure. The ash blazed like a blizzard, and his vision blurred. Before he knew it, Cha Eui-jae was standing on a barren, white wasteland. The muddy ground was streaked with white blood, his comrades were tearing monsters apart and devouring its flesh.
If only he had stopped his aunt. If only he had gone in before her.
If only he had gone in alone. If only he had been able to stop his comrades. If only he had been a little stronger…
Countless regrets piled up. Cha Eui-jae looked back, reflecting on the regrets he had stepped on.
Had Cha Eui-jae forgiven himself?
"No."
Countless failures and regrets had shaped Cha Eui-jae. He lived on top of them, pretending to be fine.
"I can't."
Before he realized it, Matthew had turned around completely to look at Cha Eui-jae. The obvious burn scars on his arms glowed bright red. As if alive, or… as if they had just appeared.
"Still…"
However, the reason Cha Eui-jae could live on… the reason he could pretend to be okay…
The destroyed world, where white ash scattered, vanished. Before he knew it, Cha Eui-jae was sitting in a hangover soup restaurant. A bowl of thick, simmering beef bone soup sat on a green table. Grandmother was peeling garlic while watching an old CRT TV. At the next table, Park Ha-eun doodled in her textbook with a frown.
The sliding doors of the hangover soup restaurant opened. Familiar faces entered one by one, and the empty tables began to fill. Bae Won-woo and Kang Ji-soo, Yang Hye-jin and the rookie hunter, the hunter who always hid his soju, the Russian bear-like hunter, Honeybee and Team Leader Han, Jung Bin and Seo Min-gi, and many others who frequented the hangover soup restaurant…
Before he knew it, someone had taken a seat across from Cha Eui-jae. His violet eyes, which had been casually gazing around with his chin propped up in his hand, turned to Cha Eui-jae. His plump lips lifted into a soft smile, and his dull violet eyes curved with affection.
Cha Eui-jae blinked. The scene of the hangover soup restaurant disappeared in an instant. All he could see before his eyes was the red flames burning around him, and Matthew, waiting for his answer.
"Even so… I can live."
"Even if you can't forgive yourself?"
"Yes."
There were many good people in this world. Fortunately, Cha Eui-jae was able to meet many of them. By being by their side, Cha Eui-jae could become a good person. He was able to show kindness, fill in the losses with new experiences, and build success from failure.
Matthew pushed up his glasses with his middle and index fingers.
"I see. Thank you for your answer."
"Do you have a different opinion, Matthew-ssi?"
"…"
Matthew adjusted his glasses again.
"The Bible teaches us to forgive sins. I, too, received such teachings and was raised practicing forgiveness."
"…"
"But…"
In an instant, the flames flickered violently. The bright red flames voraciously encircled Matthew.
"No matter how much I forgive… no matter how hard I try."
"…"
"I couldn't find a way to forgive myself."
Sharp flames soared upward. Their intensity was starkly different from the flickering flames moments before. These were not flames meant to subdue and obliterate the enemy. These were flames that burned everything without purpose.
This was getting dangerous. Cha Eui-jae gripped the spear embedded in the ground.
Matthew disappeared and reappeared repeatedly amidst the flickering flames. The surroundings seemed distorted by the heat. If this continued, it would be a disaster. Desperate, Cha Eui-jae blurted out whatever came to mind.
"That burn on your arm isn't a side effect from the drug, is it? Prometheus' drug."
"That's right. The Doctor thoroughly handled the side effects of the drug."
"Then…"
Behind the flames, Matthew rubbed the burn scar.
"This is a scar I left on purpose. Because I must always remember."
"Remember? What…"
"The fact that humans are flammable."
Behind the flames, Matthew smiled. His smile looked strange and distorted by the heat haze rising from the flames.
"I killed my sister."
"…"
"When I awakened, I was at my sister's house. It was her birthday. My sister, her husband, and her child were there."
"…"
"You should know this. That abilities are extremely unstable immediately after awakening. It goes without saying that a dangerous ability like this… requires constant control."
Cha Eui-jae bit his lip. In the second world, Lee Sa-young had immediately locked himself in the hospital bathroom after awakening. His abilities were too dangerous. Matthew must have felt the same way too.
Unfortunately, there was no one by his side to help him control his powers.
Cha Eui-jae could easily imagine the scene. The fire raged relentlessly despite his best efforts to control it, Matthew locked in the bathroom, and his sister and family outside knocking on the door, asking what was happening.
And the fire must have been too strong to be extinguished with just a weak stream of water.
"…"
"You can live without forgiving yourself, huh…"
Matthew muttered. The fire surrounding him grew larger. Now, even his figure was barely visible. The monsters burned as soon as it touched the blaze. Cold sweat broke out from Cha Eui-jae's face as the flames murmured—
"I wish I had met you sooner."
Whoosh!
The flames shot skyward.
"Matthew-ssi!"
At the same time, Cha Eui-jae swung his spear and split the wall of flames. Shortly after, the hand holding the spear slackened and pointed downward.
There was no one behind the flames.
Nothing.