I stepped back, the cold marble wall blocking my back. Ah, is this what it would feel like if all the blood drained from my body?
My fingertips became cold as I felt the blood that had been flowing and containing my body temperature suddenly freeze, and the blood that had escaped seemed to have blocked my throat, so I couldn't even let out a single breath.
I never wanted to know what it felt like to be a mouse facing a predator. I was so scared that I forgot to breathe and felt like I could collapse at any moment.
“Tell me, senior. How do you know me so well? Huh?”
“Uh…. Uh uh uh….”
Even as it got closer, its legs trembled and didn't move. Its breathing was irregular, to the point where it was hard to tell whether it was breathing through its mouth or nose.
It was so close to me, less than a few inches away, that it grabbed my chin and forced me to look at it.
Unlike Ha Min's black pupils, his loose gaze, containing a purple iris that flashed, was looking at me as if it would pierce me.
Yes, that was a look that could only be described as madness.
“Aren’t you going to answer? I’m asking you.”
"evil!!"
The hand that gripped my shoulder so tightly hurt so much that I almost screamed.
The hand pressed me hard against the wall, and my head hit the stone wall with a loud bang.
It hadn't been long since I recovered from my concussion, but this time, not only my head but my eyes were shut so tightly that I couldn't open them.
“I wonder how long the lifeline will last. Should I try an experiment?”
There are many pressure points in the human body, such as the navel, neck, temples, and crown of the head. A large hand dug into the pressure point of the neck without hesitation and squeezed it without mercy, and I was overcome by a pain I had never felt before.
As I held tightly to the part where my pulse was beating in my veins, tears fell reflexively from the pain I felt for the first time.
“Ugh…. Stop it….”
“How long can you last with your breathing so tight? I’m really curious, how about you?”
I raised my fingernails and scratched at the hand that was holding my neck, but it didn't budge.
As the airway continued to be blocked, my vision soon became pitch black. Even though I forced myself to open my eyes, I couldn't see an inch in front of me.
'I... am I going to die here?'
What I feel in this empty place is despair and the fear that comes as the hand of death slowly approaches.
The memories I had started to pour out as if I had overturned a bookshelf. Is this what a kaleidoscope is like? However, among the memories from my childhood to the present, a few pages of memories I had never seen before fell out.
'No matter what happens, I'll come find you.'
… . A voice shouting at the three other people who were with me passed by.
'No matter what you look like or who you are, I will definitely come find you and protect you!! So...!'
fat
ah
only
There is
uh
Give it to me
…
… …
… … …
A familiar voice was heard.
A very familiar voice.
The tears that fell were not the result of a longing to not die.
…what is this?
'bang!!'
My blocked airway was relieved with a very gruesome sound, and at the same time, the hand holding my throat disappeared, and I fell to the ground as if I was falling.
Suddenly, I heard a gasp as my lungs filled with breath.
“Cough! Cough!!”
The pressure on my neck was gone, but the pain was still there, so I covered my neck with my palm as if protecting it and tried to catch my breath. As I got used to the breaths that came and went, I slowly opened my eyes.
What filled my eyes was black. From my hair, to my clothes, to my shoes, it was pitch black.
“This dog is ....”
I shivered in surprise, never having imagined that the voice in my memory would come to my ears in such a murderous tone and full of profanity.
The angry gasp sounded like a warning growl from a predator, scratching its neck, and I felt very fortunate that I was not the target of its rage.
“Who dares to touch me now?”
I slowly sat up from where I was lying down and lifted my head. Only then did I notice the cold, frozen face.
The face that always seemed to smile softly or show signs of being upset was now filled with a murderous intent that seemed ready to kill someone at any moment.
The sharp cracking sound and the veins clearly visible on his neck showed how angry he was.
I turned my head slightly to the side, and the thing that had been strangling me just a moment ago was now pinned against the wall on the other side. Pebbles were falling down from the broken wall.
“What the…? I’m sure my feet are tied-”
Ha Min's doppelganger, who had been muttering in a panicked voice, could no longer continue speaking.
The real Ha Min-i, who moved so fast that I couldn't follow it with my eyes, was instantly moving to the wall where it was stuck.
With his body slightly twisted and his feet floating in the air, he flipped his body over and kicked with the recoil, hitting the doppelganger on the chest. To be exact, on the left chest.
"omg…!"
There was a sound like my ribs were going to shatter, and it shattered in an instant.
It wasn't just that the bones were broken. As if the assembled Lego had been shattered, the body's shape changed and small dark green cubes poured down where it had stood. The cubes that rolled on the ground turned to dust and disappeared.
As if it had never existed in the first place, there was nothing left. The broken walls and the pain that remained in my body were the only things that told me that what had happened was real.
When surreal things came to me not once or twice but several times, I gave up thinking about it. I should deal with the task at hand first. I took a deep breath. I slowly opened my mouth toward the black back of his head, which was still standing there without looking back even though the other person had disappeared.
“…. Is it Ha Min?”
'Shock'
Where was the sight of him swearing and attacking with a vicious spirit just a moment ago? Just looking at the back of his head flinching, you could tell he was startled. His young hair swayed along with his body as he flinched.
Even though he must have heard my voice, Ha Min still hasn't turned around. I couldn't see his face, but I felt like I could see his expression, so I squinted my eyes and stared at the back of his head.
I was wondering if there was a way to make that cat turn around without provoking him, and then a good idea came to me. A way to make it come this way while still being able to tell if it's fake or real.
"ouch…."
“!!”
He stroked the neck that had been drowsy earlier, making a voice that sounded like it was in pain and sobbing.
The effect was amazing. As soon as he heard this sound, Ha Min opened his eyes wide and ran towards me.
“Ah, are you okay? Hyung? Does it hurt a lot? Uh, what should I do….”
He was fidgeting and waving his hands in the air as if he couldn't bring himself to touch me.
He stared at my neck, which must have been bruised, and then grabbed Ha-min's cheeks with his palms, who had a shocked expression on her face as if she had been hurt herself, and made eye contact.
“Got it.”
“Huh…?”
“Don’t run away, Yu Ha-min.”
“….”
“Hey, you don’t have anything to say to me?”
As I spoke, chewing on each word, Ha Min-i seemed speechless and said nothing. I guess he was really Ha Min-i?
Only after a long silent staring contest did Ha Min start to move his lips. When he was tense because each second felt like an hour, he finally heard a small answer.
"…. that…."
What on earth would Yoo Ha-min, the supernatural being who erased his existence from people's minds and disappeared for a few days, say to me when I saw him after a long time? I felt nervous and almost broke out in a cold sweat... .
“Can’t you just call me Ha-min instead of Yoo?”
“….”
“…. Don’t say that….”
I'm out of breath.
I'm sure. That guy is 100% the Ha Min I know.
He came back with those words, rolling his eyes and kneeling down like a child who had an accident… I felt so dumbfounded that I couldn’t help but laugh.
Erai, 'This is a punishment for making me think about all sorts of things to the point where I couldn't sleep for days!' he thought as he grabbed Ha-min's cheeks and pulled them together.
“Huh-huh- ah-huh-huh”
“This is what I’m talking about. Me! Huh? How long! Huh? How many days! Huh!!? Thinking!! Huh!!!”
He stretched out his soft balls and let out all the accumulated resentment. However, the momentum with which he had thrown the person(?) into the wall a little while ago was gone. He was slowly becoming frustrated at the sight of Ha Min just being pulled without any resistance.
“Ugh, how much have I… Huh?”
… . Huh? I was so out of it that I didn’t notice it until now, but now that I’ve calmed down and looked again… . Ha-min didn’t look fine.
The red line on his neck… There was a wound that looked like a fishing line had been wrapped around his neck and pulled tight.
“Ugh…! You, you! What are you doing here!!”
With his mouth wide open in shock, he let go of the cheek he had been holding and slowly wrapped his arms around Ha-min's neck. Judging from the hard scab he could feel, it seemed like it had been a long time since he had been injured.
Even though I was touching his neck, Ha-min remained silent. My eyes were focused on the wound, so I didn't notice the child's expression, but then suddenly Ha-min hugged me tightly.
“Whoa! What, what-”
"brother."
When I was suddenly trapped in his arms and hugged tightly, I was flustered and tapped Ha-min on the shoulder. However, the hug became stronger, and when I was about to contemplate whether I should push him away…
“…. I’m glad you’re safe.”
My body froze at those words.
I wanted to take revenge, which had kept me up for days with countless fantasies, but those thoughts just disappeared.
It sounds so pitiful.