"Eunho, it seems like the day you disappear won't be long."
‘This hyung is the one who’s with me until the end. How annoying.’
‘Who would say that?’
Things other than my memories began to unfold in my head.
The first place I opened my eyes in my memory was the cyberpunk city I'd seen in my dream. Like a framed image, I, too, held different memories within this new memory.
It was a story I experienced in a work. I'm not sure if this can be considered a memory, but it felt like reading a vivid novel and being deeply moved. I remembered it as Detective Chaebambi of the Malakaya Central Investigation Bureau in "Chroma Drift."
‘Which of us will be the last one standing?’
‘I have to stay until the end and take care of you, hyung. If not me, then who else?’
"You're kidding. I'm anxious about leaving you alone, so I have to stay and take care of you until the end."
There were only words of encouragement and concern exchanged, pretending everything was okay. We were the only two living things left in this eerily quiet city.
As Caelum's life forms fade from people's memories, they gradually crumble, and in the end, everything disappears. The same goes for me, the character.
"If I'm going to disappear like this, I'll dance and sing until the very end. Isn't that a little romantic?"
‘He’s acting cool again, hyung.’
‘You’re going to sing until the end, too.’
‘That’s true.’
So I wandered around Mecca City, dancing and singing. Unoppressed by anyone, I waited for the day of my demise, when "someone" greeted me.
‘HELLO’
The ‘developer’ and someone else who greeted us as we waited for the day of our demise, and took me out of this disappearing world.
'hi.'
… that someone.
The name Ha Min came to mind.
*
‘My soul can’t hold on any longer.’
When we escaped from the dimension of Caelum, like the Titanic, and settled in Asterum, we thought we would be able to live in peace, dreaming of happiness with those who loved us.
Until the souls of the ‘Playb’ members, excluding Ha Min, were cracked by the attack of the group that was hostile to us.
Restoring a broken soul is a difficult task. Right now, to prevent the fragments of the broken soul from disappearing, the missing fragments had to be reincarnated.
For the soul to become whole, the only way was to finish life safely after reincarnation.
"No matter what happens, I'll find you."
‘No matter what you look like, no matter who you are, I will definitely find you and protect you!! So…!’
… The words the child shouted when left alone were engraved in his memory like an imprint.
*
The world before my eyes became a pale pink. A soft color, completely different from before, enveloped me.
As soon as he finished speaking, my body suddenly felt light. It felt like my feet weren't touching the ground, but feathers were dancing in the wind. One step, two steps. With each step, my vision shifted, disorienting me.
My single step now felt like a leap through the air.
‘What the heck, it’s gotten so fast…!’
If I were to run, I'd be bewildered by the gravity-defying movements of my legs, enough to easily shatter the world record. It felt like my body wasn't my own.
Even though my head is moving my body, the unfamiliar feeling of riding and controlling something makes me want to check my physical condition right now.
‘But right now, something else is more urgent!’
After hastily destroying one pillar, I found myself standing before another in the blink of an eye. My strength seemed stronger than before, and the fire extinguisher I was swinging felt lighter.
Pink neon remained, like a painting painted across the air with a brush. As time passed, it gradually disappeared, its lines scattered by the wind born at high speed.
The feeling of running, of being the light, was exhilarating. The memory of my despair and the struggles I'd just endured vanished in an instant, and I moved faster and lighter than anyone else.
"last!!"
The fire extinguisher, gripped tightly with both hands, shattered as if this was the last blow. The contents of the extinguisher exploded, forcing me to close my eyes tightly. Fortunately, no one got into my eyes.
I opened my eyes slightly, and I saw the silhouette of someone across the crumbling pillar. It was so familiar, so close.
"Good job. Now hurry up and get up. There's no point in wasting time."
I looked at Ha-min, startled by the sound of the words ringing in my ears. The trap had suddenly broken, and I saw Ha-min, whose rope had become loose and who was examining his body with a surprised expression.
“Hamin! Let’s go quickly!”
I quickly threw down the crumpled fire extinguisher and ran towards Ha-min, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. I was a little worried that he wouldn't move, but Ha-min jumped up and started running with me, following my lead.
As we hurried up the stairs that were almost right in front of us, the night sky, with the sun already gone, greeted us.
It's the sky I've been wanting to see so much.
*
‘Get up there, you idiot.’
“…. Bambi hyung?”
"Don't act cool, okay?"
It was definitely Bambi.
As I welcomed the new summer for the sixth time, I felt like I was hearing my brother's voice, a voice I'd never heard before.
That affectionate voice that teases you but also worries about you.
*
“Huh… Huh… Ooh, did we survive? We made it out alive, right?”
Outside the subway station, people were milling about. It was a normal part of everyday life, as usual, but never had I felt more welcome than now.
“This underground passage isn’t a strange place anymore, is it?”
Just in case, I cautiously descended back down to the subway, only to find it teeming with people, a "normal" sight. I'd just left a mess, destroying things, but the subway, as if nothing had happened, filled my vision with the everyday, everyday life of the subway.
“Wow, wahahaha!! Hamin-ah! We survived!”
“Wait a minute, bro. Outside here—”
As I ran to Ha-min and hugged him, stroking his hair, I started hearing realistic sounds from next to me.
“Mom. That guy is weird.”
“Shh, you shouldn’t be looking at things like that.”
ah.
My face flushed with the sudden rush of people. That's right. I was right here, in the middle of the street.
Even earlier, the fire extinguisher had exploded, splattering my clothes with its contents. It was already too late, but I covered myself with my arms, trying to cover myself up, while keeping an eye on everyone around me.
It feels like everyone around me is staring at me! That's torture for an introvert!
“…. Hyung, let’s go to my house first.”
“Huh? Your house is near here… What is it?”
The figure wearing all black earlier had disappeared without a trace, and Ha-min was standing in front of me wearing ordinary everyday clothes such as a white t-shirt, cardigan, and jeans.
Ha Min took off the cardigan he was wearing and approached me. He came up to me, placed his cardigan over my shoulders, then stepped back, motioning for me to follow.
“Let’s go home.”
I nodded and gently pulled his cardigan over my shoulders, covering my body. Because Ha-min had adjusted his pace to mine, I was able to easily keep up with him as I weaved my way through the crowd.
“This is an alley.”
We soon arrived at a dark alleyway that seemed like a gathering place for delinquents, smoking cigarettes and chatting. A streetlight or two barely illuminated the dim space.
“Before you go… Hyung, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“Huh? Did I get really fast earlier?”
“….”
Ha Min rolled his eyes and nodded quietly.
Well, how should I explain this? I had nothing to hide, and I didn't have the confidence to make up a new story, so I just told the truth about everything I'd experienced.
As soon as I brought up the topic of the Maracayan kingdom, I saw his eyes start to waver.
Apparently, he was surprised that I knew about it, since he had told me the story of ‘Chroma Drift’ on the subway, but had never told me the name of the city it was set in.
“I saw a detective from Maracaya who looked exactly like my brother.”
“Yeah. He reached out to me, saying we could save each other. But….”
“….”
“That person…. He has the exact same face as me, so it’s not just me saying it, but I feel like he’s the same person as ‘me’.”
“!”
“I can’t explain why. It just feels that way.”
Because it's something I feel so instinctively, asking me to explain why feels incredibly difficult. It's like answering a question like, "How do you breathe? How do you inhale?"
“I remember everything from the time you reached out to rescue ‘me’ and ‘Eunho’ from the disappearing Maracaya nation of Caelum, to the time you reincarnated, leaving me behind.”
“….Tongue, bro….”
“Hamin. Our Hamin. The youngest.”
Although only fragmentary memories came back, one thing was certain.
‘We’ left Hamin alone and went away, and Hamin has been struggling to protect us who don’t remember anything.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Huh….”
“…. I’m sorry for leaving you alone.”
I approached him gently and hugged him tightly. Because of the huge height difference, it felt more like I was hugging him than giving him a hug.
As I slowly patted his back, I felt Ha-min's body begin to tremble slightly. I pretended not to hear his sobs and continued patting his back rhythmically, as if patting a baby's.
It took quite a while for Ha Min to calm down.
But I can wait.
He probably waited longer for me to come back.