On a snowy morning in Asterum, Yejun and Hamin were resting in the hideout before their meeting. With a little time left before their scheduled meeting, they were leaning against the sofa or lying down, looking at their phones.
The relaxed atmosphere felt a bit out of place, contrary to the topic of the meeting today.
Soon the door opened and a third member came in.
"came?"
Bambi, who had trudged in, looked exhausted, as if he hadn't yet fully recovered from his fatigue. Yejun watched him with concern as he plopped down on the sofa and let out a small sigh.
"Bambi, what's wrong? Can't you rest?"
“I don’t know, I slept a lot, but I feel strange, like I stayed up all night.”
"Finish the meeting quickly and go get some more sleep."
"Sleep until Noah comes. I'll wake you up."
"I'll go to bed a little earlier later tonight."
Bambi yawned so hard that his mouth was torn, but he stubbornly refused Hamin's offer.
Fortunately, both Eunho and Noah arrived not too late.
As everyone gathered, the members of the Playb began a meeting to discuss how to stop Caligo and Caelum. Of course, this included Raea's threat to close the rift.
"Fighting and chasing away Caligo every time he comes is not a fundamental solution."
"If it becomes a long-term war, the physical and mental exhaustion will be severe."
"If there's no way to prevent Caligo from coming at all, how about persuading Caelum directly?"
"It's the same as saying there's no way to talk directly with Caelum."
Because it was full of new experiences, even the lengthy meeting failed to yield any plausible answers. The atmosphere wasn't overly serious, but it was still a bit frustrating and tiring.
In the end, Eunho, who had been observing everyone's mood, cheered them up with a bright voice.
"Then let's find a way to do both. We have to try anything!"
"Okay, let's do it."
"great."
As time passed, it was already lunchtime, and the meeting was slowly winding down. Eunho, who had grown hungry first, abruptly rose from his seat.
"Shall we all go have lunch together?"
"Okay, let's eat first."
Yejun and Noah followed suit, and Ha-min tried to follow, but Bambi seemed unwilling to leave. Ha-min, the first to notice, stood up and approached Bambi, who was sitting there blankly.
"Bonggu, aren't you going to have lunch?"
"Oh, uh... I just had lunch."
"yes?"
Hamin couldn't hide his bewilderment at Bambi's calm answer.
We've been together since morning, and you're already the only one eating lunch?
While Eunho and Yejun were choosing their lunch menu, Noah, who was listening from the side, also questioned Bambi's words.
"What are you talking about? We've been together all day."
"Did you eat some jjondae by yourself?"
"No, that's not it... You're right, you haven't eaten yet."
Bambi closed his dry, stiff eyes tightly several times and opened them again.
As everyone was delighted by the unexpected peek-a-boo, Bambi also laughed and got up.
It was a hollow laugh, wondering how anyone could mistake something like that.
There's nothing else to forget...
"I guess it's because I'm tired."
"Let's eat quickly and get some sleep."
"I guess so."
--------------------------
Ha Min's satellite.
Leah returned to investigate the rift. Things weren't looking good.
As the investigation progressed, one conclusion emerged.
The crack cannot be closed.
The rift, whose origin is unknown, was created long before the existence of Caelum or the space of life, so long ago that it is not even clear when it was created. Since the cause and method of its opening are unknown, no method can be found to close it.
The cracks were just there, naturally.
Like air or light.
"That's ridiculous... I don't have time..."
There was one important thing that Raea had not told Flav.
"If you don't want to be completely destroyed, then step back. If you leave now, I'll do you a favor. Developer, you know he can do it. Go and tell Caelum. Leave Asterum and Flayve alone."
On the day Caligo invaded Asterum, Leah threatened the Caligo leader to buy time, but it was all a bluff.
It was truly a stroke of luck that they would back down so easily from such a shallow trick.
But that didn't mean he could rest easy. If Caelum realized that Leah's words were a lie, he would send Caligo again.
Leah was anxious because she didn't know when it would catch on to the lie.
I didn't have the luxury of leisurely mourning the afterglow of the past.
It took approximately six months to a year for Caelum to be able to use the rift to send Caligo to Asterum.
This time it was sure to be faster than that.
I'm enough of a nervous wreck, wondering if it'll be next week or next month before Caligo destroys Asterum and takes control of the Plague.
I just hope we can find a solution before everyone knows the truth.
"under..."
Leah paused for a moment and closed her tired eyes tightly.
I think it would be best to rest for a bit.
-‐-------------------------
In Asterum, where I came down to catch my breath, snow was falling. The moderately falling snow piled up softly on the streets, crunching with every step.
The sky I looked up at was overcast and hazy, but the snow falling on my face made it feel quite romantic.
'This is snow. It's pretty.'
My lips and the tip of my nose were red from the cold, but I didn't mind at all.
That was understandable, because this was the first time Raea had seen snow since she was born.
I've seen it in pictures and heard stories about it, but seeing it in person is much more beautiful.
Aside from the cold, I felt somehow warm and cozy.
So much so that I could forget what happened just a moment ago.
Cold but warm.
The eyes that had sunk into my tightly closed eyelids reminded me of the time I spent in the cube space.
It was an extremely cold place, but on the other hand, it was also a place where I met someone, so it was a warm memory.
But the difference with snow is that we can never spend time like that again.
Never again...