Chapter 114
I frowned at Yu Dohyun’s incomprehensible words. No matter how much happier a dream might be than reality, I knew that this situation couldn’t become real. I smiled and moved away from Yu Hyunjae’s embrace.
“That would have been really nice.”
“Why do you think this isn’t real?”
“Because… this place is definitely a dream…”
As I fumbled with my words, Yu Hyunjae knelt down like he was comforting a child and took my hand.
“This is actually your original reality.”
“What are you saying…”
“This is how we should have lived. This was our fate. Our future.”
“…”
“Everything changed because of Dohyun hyung. It all fell apart. Because he was jealous of our peaceful fate.”
“…”
“The future you should have experienced was this warm, so why did you have to live so unhappily?”
“…”
“It’s all because of him. Because of Yu Dohyun.”
Despite the sharp accusations, his tone remained gentle. I silently stared at him. It was natural for him to curse and hate Yu Dohyun. After all, he was the person who had taken his entire life away. I looked down at Yu Dohyun and answered.
“Then can I live my original life now?”
“Yes.”
“Here?”
“Yes.”
“In this space that was meant to be my future?”
“That’s right. Here, we can live according to the fate that was originally supposed to unfold.”
Feeling my thoughts finally clearing, I squatted down to match Yu Dohyun’s eye level. Yu Dohyun looked at me with a warm expression that seemed like it would never change. We gazed into each other’s eyes for a long time, caressing each other’s faces. The black hair scattering between our fingers, the soft skin—it was all so achingly familiar and wonderful.
“Hyunjae.”
“Yes?”
“This is not where I’m supposed to be.”
“…”
Yu Hyunjae’s eyes reddened as if he might cry at any moment. Still, he didn’t argue. I continued speaking, fighting the lump in my throat.
“There was never an ‘original future’ I was supposed to live.”
“…”
“I died and came back countless times to break that and be happy with you.”
“…”
“You take care of this place’s Chanhee. I’ll protect my Hyunjae.”
Yu Hyunjae smiled, lifting the corners of his mouth. At the same time, tears fell from his eyes. I couldn’t tell what those tears meant, but I didn’t try to comfort him anymore. Because he wasn’t my Hyunjae.
*
Opening my eyes was extremely difficult. It felt as if glue had been applied to my eyelids, stubbornly refusing to part. Despite this, I forced them open to see a ceiling that was both familiar and strange entering my field of vision. Though my neck felt like it might shatter with every turn, I endured the pain and searched for someone. I knew that whenever I opened my eyes, he would be there in my sight. As expected, Yu Hyunjae was sitting on the auxiliary bed, dozing off. When I tried to speak, a strange, scratchy sound came out, heavily hoarse. How long had I been lying here? A week? A month? Before I could even guess, Yu Hyunjae woke up. Our eyes met. He stared at me silently with an expression of disbelief.
“…Chanhee.”
“…Yes.”
Yu Hyunjae rose and approached me. Tears were already streaming endlessly from his eyes. It felt strange to see a face so similar to the one in my dream right before waking.
“Don’t cry, just call a doctor…”
Despite sniffling, Yu Hyunjae obediently followed my practical direction. The people who rushed in included the doctor and several other officials. Dr. Jeon Jeongwoo was among them. Dr. Jeon’s expression was complicated. His face was filled with dark circles, and his cheeks were hollowed out as if nothing remained but bone and skin.
“Doctor, it’s been a while.”
“…I’m glad you’ve regained consciousness.”
“By the way, how long have I been lying here?”
“Half a year.”
I widened my eyes in surprise at the words “half a year.” The dream I had was clearly short and concise, yet in real time, six months had passed—it seemed too absurd. Feeling dumbfounded, I asked for a phone to check the calendar myself, and Yu Hyunjae readily handed me his phone from his pocket.
“Holy shit…”
It’s true. No wonder my body wouldn’t move at all, as if I were a tin robot—there was a reason for it.
“This is really amazing…”
“Are there any painful areas or problems?”
“My body won’t move as I want it to.”
“That’s unavoidable. You’ll probably need some rehabilitation.”
I immediately underwent a detailed examination. The doctor said that although I had sustained internal injuries, the surgery had been relatively successful, and despite my physical recovery being fast, my consciousness hadn’t returned—a case of what seemed like a coma. Sitting in a wheelchair listening to this, I asked what I had been curious about.
“What happened after I collapsed?”
Dr. Jeon and Yu Hyunjae’s eyes met in mid-air.
“That… isn’t something to discuss now. Let’s talk about it separately after the examination.”
“Why so serious? Did something get fucked up?”
“I see your language hasn’t changed, even after nearly dying.”
Afterward, I had to listen to a long lecture about rehabilitation for an entire hour. The content was that if I didn’t properly rehabilitate my muscles and bones now, even though I was in my early twenties, I would suffer from aching joints for the rest of my life. Only after stamping my fingerprint, promising to do rehabilitation with the doctor for two hours every day, was I able to get away.
“First time stamping my fingerprint since elementary school…”
“I know. It just means they want you to take rehabilitation seriously.”
“I will.”
We returned to the hospital room. Six months in a private room—they must really have money to burn. Thinking this, I lay back on the bed.
“Now, please tell me.”
“Well, to explain what happened right after—after you collapsed and your pulse stopped, the professor destroyed the Gate and the puppet.”
“I guess she was able to do that since she made them herself.”
“From the beginning, she was the only one who could break them.”
“What about Han Jaemin?”
Yu Hyunjae frowned slightly and continued.
“The bead that Han Jaemin swallowed makes all summoned objects within a certain radius his own… but conversely, if he leaves the area before its effect ends, there’s a problem.”
“Okay. So did something happen?”
“He disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“Yes. Along with the Gate and the puppet as they vanished.”
“That’s crazy.”
“The professor tried to create another Gate, but… he didn’t appear. It seems like he might have been mistaken for the same type of material and eliminated together.”
“…Isn’t that too cruel?”
“It’s strange because he disappeared without leaving any trace. Since Han Jaemin was such a major figure in the country, and some of his actions were revealed… they’re still searching, but there’s been no progress at all.”
“I see.”
“You’re not feeling guilty or anything, are you?”
“…Hmm.”
I fell into thought. Considering the cause and effect, Han Jaemin had essentially died due to being involved in my situation. But, in conclusion…
“No.”
“That’s a relief.”
“And nothing major has changed.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. The commotion at Hansung Hospital was roughly concluded as an invasion by Black Rankers, and of course, people wouldn’t know about what happened underground.”
“Then I…”
“Officially, you’re known to have collapsed due to mana instability.”
“And?”
“…Well, as you can see, that’s how it will be reported.”
I opened and closed my hand. I couldn’t feel anything.
“All the mana has disappeared.”
“Yes. A small amount remains, but…”
“Not enough to use.”
“That’s right.”
“Well, that’s fine. It turned out how I wanted.”
Only then did I relax my body and properly lie down on the bed. The disappearance of mana was expected, and the fact that it hadn’t gone to someone else meant my goal was essentially successful. There were a few questions remaining, but since they were issues I couldn’t get answers to from these two, I refrained from asking further.
“I should just enroll in university and enjoy my youth. Play acoustic guitar on the lawn and have fun.”
“…Even when I was in college, there weren’t people playing acoustic guitars on the lawn.”
“Then what do college students do these days? Just drink and party?”
“In my case, I spent all four years studying to maintain my GPA, joined study clubs, employment preparation clubs, and so on.”
“…Do you really need to study that hard?”
“I suppose so. Non-Rankers live more fiercely than you might think. Including myself.”
“That’s a bit different from what I imagined.”
“Imagination and reality are always different. It’s similar to how non-Rankers think Rankers are freelancers with plenty of time.”
“It seems like you’ve thought that way for a while, Doctor.”
Dr. Jeon didn’t answer any further. It was reassuring to know that some things remained the same even after half a year.
“If it were me, instead of going to college, I’d help Hyunjae with his military work to repay his kindness. Coming to the hospital room every day to nurse Chanhee is something an ordinary person couldn’t do. Or maybe buy him an apartment in Banpo.”
“Your personality has changed a lot in the past six months… It’s not bad, but somehow it sounds very familiar.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“It wasn’t a compliment… Why did you come every day? You didn’t know when I would wake up.”
“Because I didn’t know when you would wake up…”
Yu Hyunjae mumbled, his face slightly flushed.
“…Come here.”
I beckoned Yu Hyunjae with a flick of my finger. Yu Hyunjae came closer. When I told him to lower his face, he did. His face, now right in front of me, was still flawlessly handsome. Without hesitation, I pressed my lips firmly against Yu Hyunjae’s.
“…Are you going to stay?”
When I asked playfully, Dr. Jeon sighed and left the room.
“Chanhee.”
“Yes?”
“You’ve been through a lot. It’s all over now.”
Instead of answering, I slowly nodded. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t really the end. Because I had found my Hyunjae again.
