Lee Sa-young knelt on one knee and gently laid Yoon Ga-eul down. Then, looking around, he began to walk, avoiding the fallen people. The hem of his black coat fluttered. Footprints were left wherever he stepped. The world, where the end had arrived, was silent. As he stopped walking, the fluttering hem of his coat also returned to its place.
"…"
Did Cha Eui-jae also stay in a place like this? In this silent space where the sound of the wind, insects, or birds, let alone human voices, couldn't be heard? In this place, where the only sound you could hear was your own breathing?
It must have been difficult for him. Because he liked people.
The world covered in white ash seemed like an endless snow field. Lee Sa-young walked as far as his feet could take him. The work here was done. There was a place to return to, someone to wait for, and someone to pick him up. But there was no rush.
Lee Sa-young put his hands in his coat pockets and looked at the white horizon.
He wanted to understand Cha Eui-jae a little better.
I want to know more about you.
More than what you have told me.
Even the deepest parts, the secrets you have kept hidden and never revealed.
From head to toe, I want to know everything, your eyes, nose, mouth, eyelids, and every single strand of hair.
Tell me your weakest point.
However, that lovable person absolutely refused to reveal their weaknesses. It was a terrible chronic condition. Only after coaxing and cajoling would he barely show a fingernail's worth. As such, Lee Sa-young did not miss this opportunity.
"It takes a lot of work…."
Purple eyes shone beneath the disheveled hair.
What he generously offered was not enough to satisfy him anymore. Lee Sa-young was no longer a child content with simply touching the cheek beneath the mask. His greed and desire had grown as much as the long wait.
The ash-covered boots moved again. Lee Sa-young began walking down a path where not a trace of the street could be found. He ruminated on the sensations that could only be felt in a world devoid of life.
He ruminated on the loneliness Cha Eui-jae must have felt.
He thought of Cha Eui-jae.
Only Cha Eui-jae came to mind.
Lee Sa-young let out a small sigh.
This, too, was a terrible fever.
***
"Just a little to the right!"
"…"
"You've gone too far! Just a little to the left again!"
"…"
"If you dig there, everything will collapse! Hey, you can't do delicate work, can you, my friend?"
"Shut up!"
Cha Eui-jae threw the shovel he was holding down and shouted.
"I caught you when you were about to fall, and instead of thanking me, you just bossed me around and nagged me! I'll handle it myself, so just be quiet!"
"Aish."
"If you say one more word, I'll gag you. Seriously, be quiet."
Hong Ye-seong immediately covered his mouth with one hand. Cha Eui-jae took a deep breath and picked up the shovel again. They were shoveling near the hill where Cha Eui-jae had fallen. According to Hong Ye-seong, whenever the apocalypse moved, various things fell here. Whether it was corpses or building debris.
"Has a living person ever fallen?"
"There's no way. It falls from the sky down here. Even if you were eaten alive, you'd just fall and die."
"…"
"We survived because we're awakened! Because we're sturdy!"
…Anyway, Hong Ye-seong had come to pick up something useful again and ran into Cha Eui-jae. Cha Eui-jae asked while digging through the debris.
"I heard you went missing. Why are you in a place like this?"
"Ah, I almost died at the hands of the apocalypse. Just before I was crushed to death, I managed to twist my body just right, and I got swallowed right away. When I opened my eyes, I was here. Hey, that! Tear off the car seat. Be careful not to tear the leather."
"Why? What about it?"
"There's no sofa. Those big mouth guys don't usually eat sofas."
"…"
"It's human instinct to want to sit on a soft surface."
Hong Ye-seong puffed out his chest like a chicken and squawked. Cha Eui-jae completely detached the rear seat of the sports car and glanced sideways at Hong Ye-seong down the hill. Then, pretending to be nonchalant, he asked.
"What's wrong with your eye? Did you get hurt?"
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I looked at that guy without my Eyes of Appraisal, and poof~ It just burst."
Hong Ye-seong grumbled while fiddling with his bandage.
"I guess it's a thing that can't be judged with the Eyes of Appraisal."
"…Can you see at all?"
"Yeah. I'm fine! My other eye is perfectly fine."
He couldn't tell if he was speaking lightly on purpose or if he was really okay. Instead of offering words of comfort, Cha Eui-jae glanced at the crutches.
"And what about your leg?"
"It's broken! But it's healed pretty well. I'll be able to walk without this soon."
"…"
"Well, as long as I'm alive, that's all that matters. Can you bring me the seat?"
"Sure."
Hong Ye-seong hopped along on one leg, leaning on his crutch. Cha Eui-jae followed, carrying two detached car seats on his back. The world, covered in pure white ash, resembled the West Sea rift. Or perhaps…
'The West Sea rift might be the one that resembles this place.'
"Ta-da! This is my home sweet home."
He pointed with the tip of his crutch to something resembling a tent. It was haphazardly constructed from building walls, fabric, and broken street trees. Cha Eui-jae observed the tent, which looked both flimsy and sturdy, and asked.
"Did you build this yourself?"
"Of course. I can't sleep on the ground every day."
"What about food?"
"I don't get hungry here. I don't get thirsty either. Isn't that amazing?"
"…"
A space where neither hunger nor thirst could be felt. Suddenly, his vision was tinged with red. Cha Eui-jae lowered the car seat and replied, feigning nonchalance.
"How long have you been here?"
"Hmm, I haven't counted, so I don't know. There's no night here, so it's hard to count the days."
"Were there no monsters or other threats?"
"It's very peaceful. Enough to be boring!"
Cha Eui-jae bit the inside of his mouth. Everything was completely different from what he had expected.
"…I came in thinking this was the source of the apocalypse."
"Oh! You're half right. The real source is deeper down."
He slid onto a white plastic chair and drew a circle in the air.
"This place… is like a space to swallow and observe worlds destined for destruction? Something like that. It's like a terrarium."
Hong Ye-seong roughly gathered and tied his shoulder-length hair with a yellow rubber band.
"Besides, you came at the perfect time! I mean, we've been keeping an eye on you all along."
"Keeping an eye?"
"Yeah, in the sky."
Cha Eui-jae looked up at the sky. The hazy sky was pristine clean, without a trace of a Black Hole or a White Hole.
"When it was looking at the other world, it took its eyes off this one. It seems to only have one eye."
"You're right."
"I am?"
"I got rid of one eye. My past self."
Cha Eui-jae rolled his eyes and added.
"…Probably."
"Oh."
Hong Ye-seong clapped his hands in quiet admiration.
"You were amazing."
"Shut up."
"So you came all the way here? To get rid of the other eye, too?"
"Yes."
Cha Eui-jae leaned against a broken tree trunk.
"The damage would be immense if that guy just opened its eye. If we drag this out, we'll end up like the first world. We'll be destroyed before we can even do anything."
"You plan to handle this swiftly?"
"That's right. Before it gets out of control."
"Mm-mm."
Hong Ye-seong nodded with his arms crossed, then suddenly snapped his head up.
"But where is Lee Sa-young? Why did you come alone?"
"He's still in the memorial dungeon. I went to pick him up, but he said he'll stay there until the vaccine is developed."
"What?"
His single eye widened in surprise. Cha Eui-jae scratched his head awkwardly.
"I was planning to wait until he came out too, but Prometheus woke up the apocalypse again, so I didn't have time to wait."
"This isn't good…"
Hong Ye-seong rubbed his chin while frowning. This guy, did he learn the smart Hong Ye-seong's way of speaking while he wasn't looking? He was muttering to himself exactly like the other guy. Hong Ye-seong tapped the plastic chair armrest with his fingertips and asked.
"What do you think was the reason for the two failures?"
"…Was it a lack of preparation? Or because the apocalypse came so suddenly?"
"No! It's because of you."
"It's because of me?"
As he asked in a bewildered voice, blamed by someone for the first time in his life, Hong Ye-seong waved his finger.
"It's because you're too diligent. Why do you even do this job as a hunter?"
"Well, I awakened, and it's my job…"
"Why do you work so hard?"
"Because I can do it."
"That's why everyone relies on you. Because you do everything for them. Why do you do the group project all by yourself? You never did a group project in college, did you?"
"You think I did?"
"You'd get criticized for doing group projects like this, too. Try trusting the others a little. And pass the work off to them."
"I actually did trusted them and left the work to them. Jung Bin-ssi, Honeybee, and…"
"What about Lee Sa-young?"
"…"
"See, see! You don't actually trust Lee Sa-young."
"It's not that I don't trust him, I…"
He was speechless. Did he not trust Lee Sa-young? He did. Even if he couldn't trust anyone in the world, he could trust Lee Sa-young. At least, that guy who had endured such an endless wait…
"…I want Lee Sa-young to live."
"…"
"I want him to live, no matter what I have to do. I… I…"
Cha Eui-jae swallowed his breath. Suddenly, a black coffin appeared before his eyes. Through the slightly open lid, he could see black curly hair and pale skin. Staring at the bloodless lips, Cha Eui-jae muttered.
"Lee Sa-young must not die."