"...."
The room was filled with furniture, but felt somewhat empty. It was Yoongi's room. Lying in the middle of the bed, he reached out and stirred, but of course, nothing caught his eye. No matter how many times he fumbled, he still couldn't find anything. By now, he'd probably be holding my hand, under the pretense of guiding me. Ah. A short sigh lingered on Yoongi's lips. He needed to forget, to erase, but the past kept leaking out. Even if he locked it deep inside his mind, it wouldn't be trapped. If it were a memory, it was a past called a memory.
iced coffee.
miss you.
Lady.
I miss you.
"...."
okay.
This is the last time.
I'm going there under the pretext of asking about the last thing I did.
Even though he knew it was a ridiculous excuse, he straightened up. Yoongi put the guiding bracelet on his wrist and looked as if he was going to go find his jacket, but then hesitated. What if he went there and got emotional and hurt that kid?
"...disgusting. You accepted my guidance so nonchalantly."
...but I already gave it to you.
What's the point of hesitating now? Yoongi remembers. The woman who stared at him for the first time in her life, her expression full of hurt. The image of her collapsing on the cold hallway floor after he'd left, swallowing her silent tears. Why did he act like that? Was he afraid she'd disobey him out of pity? Did he hope she'd trust him, even just a little? He suppressed the guiding feeling faintly swirling in his hand. If he'd believed you all this time, pretending to be fooled, wouldn't you have cried then, now, and in the future? Ah. Unable to finish his thoughts or words, Yoongi repeatedly ran his rough hands over his face and frowned.
After going around and around, I finally reached my destination.
Even if the tail bites its own tail, it was always her who ended up in the end.
Yun-gi left the dorm without a second thought, and countless emotions mingled with him, trying to slow him down. From trivial feelings to pent-up emotions, countless complex tangles constantly held him back, yet his footsteps continued unbroken until the prison gates.
"...."
On the sixth floor of the dungeon, at the very end, was Yeoju. Yoongi, frozen as stone as soon as he saw her, averted his gaze from the front. It was the first time he'd ever seen someone called Haejoo look so small. A sight he wasn't used to, and one he didn't want to become accustomed to. Creak. Yoongi's backsteps made a small noise. At the same time, his small back flinched. His already small back became even smaller. Yoongi unconsciously held his breath, and soon, his small back straightened, and Yeoju straightened her upper body.
"...It's Yoongi."
"...."
"...It's Min Yoongi."
My eyelids fluttered. The cracked voice felt unfamiliar. "Yeoju-ya." "Haeju." Those three words I'd sung countless times. It had been so long since I'd uttered them, but the words didn't come out easily. I considered approaching, but I'd already turned away without realizing it. Yoongi was afraid to face him. That very sight.
I wonder if it was something I created myself.
I'm afraid I've ruined the heroine.
"Yoongi."
His body stiffened. He continued to listen, and the tone of his voice was unusual. He could hear his breathing ragged, as if he hadn't had water for days. Slowly, trembling, he turned around to examine the woman's face closely. The shock had left his legs weak and he barely managed to hold on.
"Yoon, Ki-ya."
"My lady. You, your face."
"... ah."
Face. Right.
Their eyes met, but they stood far apart, each staring into space. Between them, a whirlpool swirled.
"Who. Who did it..?"
"...."
"Who said that!"
"... I am."
"... No. No."
"...."
"Just, just don't say it."
"...."
A center flashed through his mind. The center was likely to harm Yeo-ju. A traitor, he could kill without hesitation and without a sound. Nevertheless, Yoon-gi avoided it. He knew who it was, and he was certain of it. He changed the sentence into a question. "I see," instead of "Is that so?"
That's what the center was like.
Not.
Was that really the center?
Yoon-gi, who felt he couldn't stand being stuck here if the truth about the center was acknowledged, only left questions. But eventually, reaching his limit, he cruelly turned away from the sobbing Yeo-ju and walked toward the exit.
"don't go."
Yun-gi's footsteps did not stop.
"Please, Yoongi."
It's getting faster and faster.
"...if you go out now,"
You're abandoning me
Min Yoongi. You're leaving me here.
The heroine's last struggle made her footsteps stop for a moment.
"...."
It started moving again.
Yoongi quickly left the building. He ignored the woman who had been sobbing for three minutes, time and time again. He ran several times faster than he had come. Pain and guilt quickened his pace, and in a short time, he had settled into a distant distance. He ran forward without looking back, barely catching his breath before bending down. "You're selfish. Min Yoongi, you're so fucking selfish." Yoongi didn't easily stop the words comparing himself. He wanted to breathe. He turned away because he wanted to rest. Whenever he thought he was the cause of all the woman's misfortune, his breath would suffocate, and if he stopped for even a moment and saw her voice, her tears, her face, he really felt like he would fall off a cliff.
Kwaang_!
"...."
But did he really know?
Anti-government intrusion. Anti-government intrusion. All teams and leaders who are called out are requested to assemble immediately in Building C of the underground prison. Just a heads up...
... Team U. Leader Lee Seok-ha. Team GW. Leader Seon Ji-ah.
Are you standing on the edge of a cliff?
Team O. Be the leader.
"...."
I am.
What would it have been like for them?
A moment of happiness? Salvation?
or not.
A card to hold onto for a moment?
Yeo-ju had no intention of saying anything if Yoon-gi told her not to. If he told her not to mention her as the center, she wouldn't say anything. If he told her to curse, she would. However, she desperately wanted to avoid the sight of him turning his back on her.
I hated having to imagine what kind of face I would have when I turned my back.
And she knew all too well that that fantasy wasn't necessarily close to being positive. It was the same even then. I desperately wanted to portray him in a positive light, but...
"...."
..I closed my eyes tightly. It was the moment when I was about to curl up again and fall asleep.
BANG!!!
"!!!!"
With a loud explosion, her curled body was thrown to the right, slamming into a solid wall. The pain was fleeting. The heroine watched the ceiling slowly descend, straightening her knees and standing up.
"What is this, what is this."
Explosions are happening one after another. If it's the center, they'll be caught before the bombs arrive. It's the sentinel. The sentinel. The sentinel... Ah. The sentinel.
"...."
The heroine's gaze fell to the floor. It was you. You planned this to get rid of me. Explosion sentinels are common. But the only person capable of causing an explosion of this magnitude was... In the heroine's mind, there was only one.
"There is a limit to how much you can ignore."
"Well, I think it would be fine if you just avoid water or fire."
"explosion."
"... ah."
"You can't avoid the explosion. You'll either die instantly or be seriously injured."
"I see."
"Don't worry. It depends on the level. No one can cause instant death except me."
"Center Director, was it a bomb?"
"Yeah. Just snap your fingers."
"That prison will collapse too."
"...That prison will collapse too."
These were the words the center director spoke to the prison where Yeoju was currently imprisoned. The holographic wall snapped and snapped. And soon, the seemingly unbreakable wall vanished without a sound. Still, Yeoju didn't run away. She looked utterly dejected.
I am.
I want to stop everything now.
Mom. Dad.
I don't want to trust or care about anyone anymore.
At that moment, the iron plate above the heroine's head creaked and fell with a chilling noise. As a sentinel with keen senses, the heroine should have noticed and avoided it, but she remained motionless. She had become a traitor. She hated the world too much to live a life where she would die at the hands of someone she trusted.
The center executives hit me and said something to me.
Did you say he was an anti-government kid?
๊ฐ์๋ผ๋ผ๊ณ ํ๋๊ฐ.
thud_!
Whatever it was, it was still criticism directed at me.
"...."
It doesn't hurt.
"Are you fearless, or are you delusional and wanting to die?"
...is that the voice of the grim reaper?
"Open your eyes."
"...."
The iron plate that should have been laying the female lead was already floating in the air just above her head. She's alive. Why? Why? Why did she survive? Thud. Thud. Soon, tears flowed from the loss. With what feeling did I remain still? The desert, parched without a single drop of water, was now soaked in the rain of sorrow, transformed into a night sea. In that deep, dark sea,
"Why did you save me?"
"...."
"Why did you spare my life?"
"...."
"Just, just let him die..."
There is a person who is trying to drag himself down by waving his arms towards the ground instead of sleeping.
"Or you too."
"...."
"Do you want me to suffer more?"
"...."
"say it."
You're anti-government.
You guys made me like this.
Her eyes, wide open and gleaming, weren't creepy. Rather, they were so sorrowful that he couldn't bear to look at her face. The anti-government man lowered his gaze and waited for her tears to dry. "Speak. Speak!" However, as the heroine's frustration intensified, the sounds of the Center Sentinels' conversation could be heard from afar. Unexpectedly, time was running out.
"...."
But because he hadn't seen anyone writhing in pain like this, the anti-government man remained silent, even as the female protagonist repeatedly struck his shoulder. He continued to stare into her eyes. He hated those eyes. Such sorrowful eyes. There was only one reason he tried to comfort her. The more he looked into those eyes, the more his heart grew strange.
"... don't cry."
"...."
"We didn't do that. Now we just."
"...."
I came to save you.
I swear on my identity.
The white mask fell to the floor, revealing a face. Distinct features. For some unknown reason, he too looked at Yeoju with a pained gaze. For an anti-government figure to reveal his identity was tantamount to risking his life. It was only a matter of time before his identity was revealed to society and he was banished.
"I came to save you. Please."
"... Ugh."
"Put this mask on."
I'm staking my identity.
Look at my face carefully.
If I betray you.
You can betray me too.
It was just a moment.
The heroine's gesture of hugging the anti-government man's neck and forcing a calming breath meant she finally trusted him. The gap between them vanished due to the heroine's actions, and as he hurriedly put his mask back on and attempted to teleport, a bright light from between the collapsed buildings illuminated his eyes.
"Please do it!"
"...."
"So,"
"...."
"...."
Anyone could hear it was Jeongguk's voice, but the female protagonist tightened her arms around his neck. It was a signal that she didn't want to face him. The anti-government man, who had met Jeongguk's eyes, disappeared with a cold gaze.
He couldn't fully wear his mask, so only the anti-government eyes were visible to Jeong-guk, but he knew. He was my friend, and the friend I lost to the anti-government.
yet.
"... taehyoung kim."
A friend who may or may not be a friend.
"...was successful."
"The copy was successful."