# Chapter 103
His mother, who had been preparing dinner while he waited for Heyon all day, handed him a coat and told him to go meet him.
“There’s a lot of snow falling, so it’ll be difficult for him to come up.”
“But today is a day I shouldn’t go out, isn’t it?”
Unlike his parents, he wasn’t skilled at avoiding dangers in this forest. That’s why his mother only allowed him to go out once a week. Since he knew it was for his own sake, he followed her instructions exactly.
“The footprints will disappear because of the snow, so today you can go out as much as you want.”
Normally there was a risk of their home being discovered due to footprints left on the ground. But today, thanks to the continuously falling snow, any footprints would quickly vanish after just a few minutes.
He nodded as his mother helped him put on clothes, assuring him it would be fine, not hiding his delight.
“I’ll be very careful.”
“You might miss each other, so if he’s not there, come back up right away.”
After smiling at his mother, who wrapped a scarf around his neck to prevent him from catching a cold, he stepped outside. With each step, his shoes became damp from the snow, but his excited mood wouldn’t easily fade.
The house was cozy, to put it kindly, or suffocating, to put it harshly. It was located in such a rugged place that they couldn’t even see passersby. They occasionally went out for necessities, but even that was forbidden to him.
Heyon was his only joy, but he hadn’t even been able to meet him lately, which was driving him crazy. Since they hadn’t met for so long, today he would play to his heart’s content. He made this promise to himself as he came down from the mountain with light steps.
Though his vision was blurred by the heavy snow and his hands and feet grew cold, it didn’t feel difficult because he was going to meet Heyon.
This time, Heyon had said he would come with his family. Although he had seen Heyon many times, he had only seen his family two or three times. The reason they were all coming together this time was because of Heyon’s younger sibling.
Heyon’s sibling was born a few months ago. No matter how careful they needed to be, the birth of a baby was something to celebrate.
That’s why his father had made a doll as a gift for the baby, and his mother had also prepared wholeheartedly to entertain Heyon’s family. He, having nothing to give, could only go to meet them like this.
What would the baby look like?
As he descended the middle of the mountain, he imagined the baby’s appearance in his mind. He had never seen a baby before. He had only read descriptions from books. Books often described them as angel-like.
An angel—he could feel his heart beating wildly. It must be a being that makes you smile just by looking at it. If it was Heyon’s sibling, it would be pretty too.
His cheeks, already red from the cold, grew even redder with excitement at wanting to see the baby quickly. Before he knew it, he had reached the entrance to the mountain. It seemed some time had passed, as the sky was already growing dark.
“Hyung!”
Mistaking something black in the distance for Heyon, he quickly ran there. But it was just a tree standing like a person; Heyon was nowhere to be seen.
“Did we miss each other?”
He unknowingly pouted and muttered. Since there were several ways to climb this mountain, they might not have encountered each other, but realizing this made him lose energy.
Unlike before, he began to climb back up the mountain with much heavier legs. He couldn’t hide his disappointment. Feeling somehow colder, he buried his face in his scarf.
With each exhalation, white breath lingered in the air. The surrounding silence felt newly ominous.
“…”
Gritting his teeth, he put strength in his legs and ran. Though his breath was becoming labored, he suddenly began to feel afraid of being alone in this situation. The thought of wanting to escape this place where no one else was naturally arose.
Running at a speed incomparable to just moments ago, he arrived near his house in one breath. Though his lungs felt like they would burst with pain, he finally began to see his house. The corners of his mouth lifted, creating a bright smile.
When he entered the house, his parents would warmly welcome him. Heyon would also greet him, saying it had been a long time, and he could see the baby said to be like an angel.
With these happy thoughts, he hurried toward the house. But as he got closer, he began to sense signs of people around the house. Though the footsteps made him wonder if it was Heyon, he instinctively hid behind a tree and looked around.
There shouldn’t be outsiders here, but his father had always said that if he sensed anyone while alone, he should hide immediately. That’s all he was doing this time.
He didn’t yet know that this action would be the decisive factor in saving his life. No sooner had he hidden behind the tree than someone appeared near him. Upon discovering this stranger, he could barely suppress the sound trying to escape his mouth and had to hold his breath.
He naturally thought they would be family or relatives, but somehow they were people in very unfamiliar attire. The group, consisting of four adult men, was carrying large black bags. One of them muttered while looking at the footprints he had left.
“Look at this. Seems like there’s someone else nearby?”
“Probably someone who went into the house. There was snow piled on their body.”
“Is that so? Anyway, this means the Revive family is definitely gone now, right?”
“Yeah, we got lucky. Who would have thought the next target would be there too.”
The muttering group gradually began to move away. His heart was pounding as if it would burst. The sounds were loud enough that they couldn’t have missed them, but he couldn’t understand what they were saying at all.
“To think that the Revive ability is completely gone now, he’ll be pleased about that.”
“We’ll get more money too.”
Only when they had completely disappeared from his sight, snickering, could he finally exhale. He hadn’t even realized he hadn’t been breathing until then.
His whole body began to tremble as anxiety overwhelmed him. It would be good if it ended with just anxiety, but his younger self vaguely recognized that wouldn’t be the case. He moved his trembling legs while holding his breath.
The stairs, which would normally be neatly cleaned, had countless footprints stamped on them. The door, which would normally be triple-locked, was half-destroyed. With a thud, the doorknob fell off. The rolling doorknob touched his feet.
Tightly closing his eyes, he slowly raised his hand. His mouth became parched, and he felt insanely anxious. He didn’t want to open this door. But he had to see. Wiping away the tears that had started to fall, he entered the house.
He hoped his expectations would be wrong. That it was just his imagination, and when he went inside, a happy scene would be waiting for him.
But the reality was tragic. As soon as he entered, the pungent smell of blood reverberated. The tableware that had been taken out to prepare dinner was shattered on the floor, and the sofa and table were broken, strewn about the living room.
A shock so intense that it made his vision go white washed over him. His breath became labored, and he wanted to refuse to accept this situation.
“Ah…”
He wanted to scream something, but there were no words he could say. His family, fallen and bleeding, clearly filled his vision. He barely walked to his mother, who had collapsed closest to him. Due to his legs giving out, it was closer to crawling in reality.
“W-wake… up.”
He carefully shook her, who was lying limply. But her body remained limp, refusing to move. His gaze moved to her heart. Blood was seeping out, centered on her chest. He couldn’t help but retch at the pungent smell that numbed his nose and the slimy texture.
“Please… Please wake up.”
Her heart had been pierced, and her breathing had stopped. Anyone would recognize it meant death. But he denied that she was dead and continued to shake her.
But there was no change. She, with closed eyes, did not open them again.
“The others… are…”
His gaze, which had been darting around, turned toward Heyon. After carefully laying her down, he hurriedly approached Heyon. It was close to confirming death with all hope lost.
“Hyung, please open your eyes.”
His voice trembled incessantly. Barely exhaling and speaking without even being able to compose his breathing that came like a tidal wave. He tried to stop the blood that was continuously flowing from the abdomen with his palm, but it wasn’t enough.
His mind began to grow faint at the sight of his family showing no response.
“You’re… alive.”
“H-hyung…?”
Just as he was about to remove his hand, recognizing there was no hope, Heyon’s finger moved slightly, and he let out his held breath. With a “cough,” blood spurted from his mouth.
“What happened… Why did this—”
“Listen carefully.”
Heyon spoke with difficulty. Seeing Heyon’s lifeless, blurry eyes, he nodded as if begging for him to just stay alive.
“First, leave this place immediately.”
His face instantly hardened at the unexpected words. He didn’t want to understand what Heyon was saying.
“What… are you saying? How can I do that alone!”
How could he do such a thing? Leaving everyone behind and fleeing by himself. Even if it was Heyon’s word, this time he couldn’t listen.
Facing him, who was adamant about not leaving, Heyon spoke as if coaxing him.
“It’s not safe here anymore.”
“Yes, but—”
This was his home. This was where he belonged. Besides, even if he left this place, a minor couldn’t survive alone. Especially someone like him, who had never met outsiders and had no knowledge of the world outside the forest.
But Heyon wasn’t someone who wouldn’t know this. The fact that he was saying this despite knowing meant there was no other way. However, he didn’t want to accept this fact. He wished someone would tell him there was another way.
“Then let’s go together, hyung.”
It shouldn’t be too late yet. He wiped his tears roughly and pulled on Heyon’s arm.
