On the way home from work, Dongmin brought up that question again.
"...As for you. How did you know about the executive approval line? You still haven’t answered me."
It was a question that couldn’t be put off any longer.
He took one steadying breath and opened his mouth.
"...I’d been digging into it with Woonhak for a few weeks. Who’s above Manager Seongho."
Dongmin was silent for a moment.
"...And back then, how the two of us were stuck together in the archive room, too."
"Yeah. That was it."
"...Then I was jealous for nothing that day."
A bitter laugh was mixed in.
It wasn’t an unpleasant laugh.
"Sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner. Without evidence, I couldn’t ask you to doubt the person you trust, Dongmin."
"...I know that feeling. I hid it the same way to protect you."
"I know, too. That’s why I felt even more sorry. I was hiding it for the exact same reason, and still I was the only one feeling wronged."
What they had hidden for different reasons eventually met in the same place.
*
Dongmin walked for a moment, then opened his mouth again.
"...Then let’s look into it with Woonhak too. It’s better to stay coordinated than split into three separate tracks."
"That won’t work."
The answer came out too fast.
Dongmin looked surprised for a moment.
"Why not."
"...It’s just that the more people there are, the greater the risk."
"Don’t dodge it like that. You just said you were digging into it with Woonhak. If the problem is that more people means more danger, then I’m already one extra person."
He was right.
And yet, it still wasn’t easy to agree.
"...You don’t trust me?"
"It’s not that."
"Then what is it? Why do you especially not want to let me into this?"
There was hurt in Dongmin’s voice.
If he didn’t say why, this person would keep feeling hurt.
And that hurt was something he himself had created all three times.
"...Sit down. It’s a long story."
They sat side by side on a nearby bench.
The streetlight was far enough away that each other’s expressions were half-hidden in the dark.
That actually made it easier to speak.
"...This is actually my third time. It means I’m living the same life for the third time."
Dongmin didn’t react at all.
Thinking that people must all go blank when they hear something impossible, he went on.
"The first two times, both Dongmin and I died because of this case. The first time was on a bridge when the car brakes failed; the second was a hit-and-run on the settlement date. Both times, Dongmin died with me while trying to shield me."
He couldn’t hide the tremor in his voice.
"So this time, I tried to handle it alone. I showed you everything else about how I felt, but for this case, I wanted to keep you away from it. Bringing Woonhak in was a detour so I wouldn’t drag you into it too."
There was no sound for a long while.
Only the wind could be heard.
He hadn’t expected to be believed.
But what rose first on Dongmin’s face wasn’t suspicion, but the expression of something clicking into place.
"...Those scenes, that was it."
"...What?"
"The scenes that kept flashing through my head. The car, the brakes, the shattered glass. You’re saying those really happened, right? Right now."
Only now did they properly face each other and confirm that they had both been carrying the same moment.
"...Then why did you try to shoulder it all yourself? You said I’d already gone through it too."
"I did go through it, but I was the only one who remembered. You only knew it as a feeling. Since I’m the only one who truly knows, I thought I should bear the responsibility alone."
"...Why should that be your burden alone? I’m the one who died twice too."
It wasn’t wrong.
Even so, the answer wouldn’t come easily.
"...You don’t trust me?"
"It’s not that."
"Then what is it? You said I died first because of you twice, so why are you going to stand there alone again the third time?"
He was at a loss for words.
Dongmin came closer and took his hand.
"...You were carrying all that time by yourself. You sent me off first twice, and even then you kept holding out alone. Something I can’t even remember, all by yourself."
His voice was shaking.
Everything he’d been holding back collapsed all at once at that touch.
Tears fell first.
"...All this time, alone, how much..."
He couldn’t finish the sentence.
Dongmin pulled him in and held him tight.
Leaning against his chest, he cried out loud for the first time across three lives.
"...That must have been so hard."
That one line made the tears spill harder.
Dongmin gently rubbed his back and just held him without saying anything until the sobbing subsided.
Only after a long while did his breathing begin to settle little by little.
Dongmin touched his forehead to his.
"...I’m not leaving you alone anymore. No matter what you went through, or what you’ll go through again."
At the end of that sentence, he kissed his forehead first.
Then, slowly and carefully, their lips met.
It was a brief kiss, but even so it was the clearest moment across all three lives.
In the first two lives, they had never been able to stay together until the end like this, knowing everything.
Not hiding it, not avoiding it, and sharing each other’s burden was the first time.
"...Thank you."
"Don’t thank me. We’re going together now."
Only after hearing that did it really sink in that he wasn’t alone.
Finally, the misunderstanding was cleared up and feelings were confirmed!!!!!!
Is the story easy to follow???
If you have any questions, leave a comment anytime!!! 🩷
