W. Lechel
I took a deep breath, my lungs puffing out, pressing hard against my ribs. My body didn't seem to like the cold November air. The acrid taste of iron lingering in my mouth was proof of that.
I took a deep breath, my lungs puffing out, pressing hard against my ribs. My body didn't seem to like the cold November air. The acrid taste of iron lingering in my mouth was proof of that.
rattle, rattle
Every time I adjusted my posture, the worn, worn handcuffs constricting my wrists made a chilling noise.
Have you ever thought about death?
If someone were to ask me, I would gladly answer, 'yes.'
The thought almost made me laugh. Ah, yes. To quote him, death wasn't something I could think of as distinct from me. I was "death itself."
I slowly closed and opened my eyes repeatedly. My vision was still blurry. He had performed a ritual to block my vision. However, something had changed from the night a few days ago. My eyes were stinging, and even my once-dark world was slowly beginning to see light. I could only rely on the sounds I could hear, but the only sounds in this room were the chains, handcuffs, and the clock entangled with me. I had long since forgotten even the sound of breathing.
A small bell rang, signaling midnight. The most anticipated moment of the day was approaching.
When will it be?
now?
No, not yet.
Instead of the breath I had forgotten, a laugh that scratched my throat burst out.
Now. It is now.
I forced myself to suppress a burst of laughter and glared at the door as if I was going to rip it open at any moment. Soon, I felt a rustle coming from the door and it swung open hard. The light streaming in stung my eyes, but I strained my eyes even harder.
“How many times do I have to say that this is meaningless?
I clenched my teeth as soon as I recognized the voice. Tsk, my senses are dead. It wasn't him I was waiting for. Even though I couldn't see him, I could tell where he was looking at me. It was definitely the wound on my wrist where the handcuffs had rubbed against the bars all night.
“Why you?”
“Because you refused to eat breakfast.”
bang-,
“Does this really seem like a pointless thing to do?”
He laughed out loud and slammed the handcuffs against the bars. This was going to be a problem.
“If you’re curious, tell them to come and see you. Are you listening?”
Well, there was one thing I regret not being able to see. I couldn't see the expression on his face.
“···. I'll think about it if you eat first.
That wasn't even funny. I raised a small eyebrow. If you weren't trying to provoke me, you should have kept that comment to yourself. I liked everything about him, even though I'd never even seen his face properly.
“If you want to see me biting my tongue and turning around.”
As the suffocating silence continued, I let out a deep sigh and heard the door close.
There was only one reason I had to see him.
First, there were a few facts he overlooked. I was an infinite being, and in fact, far from death. Or, perhaps, the exact opposite would be more accurate. Second, I was a lifelong performer, fooling the doctors who checked my condition every morning, and even that guy from earlier—you.···. It was really funny.
I could have turned your imagination upside down. You should still be afraid of me, even after nearly a year of being stranded here. This is your first mistake in what's to come.
Even as I say this, as you come towards me, my vision is becoming clearer.
Yeah, the reason I had to see him was to say goodbye.
The first thing I saw just before the door opened was that there was nothing special about this place.
Ah, Taehyung. This will probably be the last time I call your name.
“······.”
But still, you are too precious.