# Chapter 195
During high school, Lee Hwan never participated in evening self-study sessions. Partly because he was his own guardian who could permit or refuse it, but also because he needed to work part-time jobs after school just to have some pocket money.
It was fortunate that relatives hadn’t taken much of the money, but the world wasn’t kind to a minor without a proper income.
He secured a lease deposit apartment with his parents’ inheritance and used the remaining money sparingly for living expenses.
Why did high school students have to buy so many workbooks besides textbooks? Every semester, his hard-earned money was drained in chunks.
All they had left behind were photos and savings.
Lee Hwan always felt like he was selling his deceased parents to study.
Fortunately at that time, Lee Hwan was able to work at a downtown café for a decent hourly wage.
The only problem was that it always got terribly busy when it was his shift, but he was already grateful that they employed a minor without prejudice.
After working from 7 PM to 11 PM and heading home, the world was immersed in a pale darkness.
It was certainly dark, but the flickering neon signs and streetlights here and there illuminated enough to find his way forward.
Lee Hwan lived like that, more or less.
The neighborhood where he had a place to rest had an unusually high number of runaway teenagers. After the Gate appeared, housing prices plummeted, attracting many people who rented cheap rooms.
Sometimes it was safer to sleep near school than to return home.
One day there, while passing through the park, he saw a man with his hat pulled low. He was sitting on a bench, blankly staring at the ground.
Lee Hwan immediately recognized that this man, despite being so tall even while seated, was actually a minor. Pure intuition. Though his face wasn’t visible at all, he somehow gave off a youthful impression.
If someone was spaced out in a park in this neighborhood at this hour, they were likely a homeless person, criminal, or a runaway teenager. And they were usually always hungry.
Lee Hwan hesitated briefly before rummaging through his bag and taking out the orange juice he had planned to drink for dinner. He placed it on the bench. Then, before the man could turn around, he fled without even saying hello.
He didn’t know what whim it was. He just acted as if drawn to do so. Not out of pity, but because he felt a sense of kinship.
People might laugh if they heard, but Lee Hwan considered himself a kind of runaway teenager. He had a legal guardian and a home on paper, but having been driven out of there to live alone, he often felt a bond with self-proclaimed runaways.
‘…Huh.’
The next day, at the same time, as Lee Hwan was passing in front of the convenience store after work, he received a slice of cake from the man with the pulled-down hat.
When he stared ahead with puzzled eyes, the man placed the box in Lee Hwan’s hand and then turned away and disappeared.
Being a café part-timer, Lee Hwan often ate discarded cakes. It was just ordinary food, like the orange juice.
So it was unusual, but also something that would soon be forgotten.
After that, Lee Hwan never saw him again. As life became more difficult with each passing day, from that point on, Lee Hwan cleared everything from his mind except for college entrance exam studies and survival information.
Blink. Lee Hwan opened his eyes. An unfamiliar ceiling came into view.
Blink, blink. After closing and opening his eyes a couple more times and organizing his foggy mind, he heard steady breathing from beside him.
Glancing sideways, he saw a head asleep, leaning against the wall. Black hair, long eyelashes, a well-sculpted face with scratches still visible.
‘Kang Taesung.’
The moment he murmured that name inwardly, Lee Hwan vividly recalled the fierce battle before he collapsed.
The underground laboratory, shattered everywhere with blood constantly splattering. A battle that showed nothing but despair. How they avoided disaster with the help of Jade, whom they thought had fallen, and how everyone survived thanks to the unexpected assistance from Kang Dongha.
That experience, which had nearly cost them all their lives, was so brutal and desperate that it felt just like a dream.
“Ugh…”
As he slowly raised his upper body, his abdomen ached dully. Staring blankly at the blanket covering his legs, Lee Hwan suddenly recalled being severely injured in one of the regressions.
When he couldn’t even move on his own…
Growing anxious, Lee Hwan tried wiggling his knees. He also tried to flex his calves, and finally, even wiggled his toes. Only after confirming that everything moved without issue could he turn his head with relief.
During this time, Taesung was still sleeping sitting up, apparently exhausted from something. The rustling sounds didn’t seem to disturb him.
Lee Hwan quietly admired his face before reaching out a finger to poke the tip of his nose. He still didn’t wake up.
Only the sound of regular breathing could be heard faintly. His complete stillness made him look like a statue carved by a master craftsman.
Lee Hwan’s heart beat unexpectedly at the sight of his well-formed features. The fact that he wouldn’t wake up also made him a bit nervous. Lee Hwan tried poking his cheek repeatedly, but not even an eyebrow moved.
Even when he placed his hand on his face and fiddled with it, he remained asleep in that precarious position.
“Kang Taesung.”
But when Lee Hwan called his name, his eyes twitched and…
Blink.
Like magic, his eyes opened slowly.
“Why are you sleeping here?”
Once awake, Taesung said nothing. He just stared at Lee Hwan with an uncharacteristically blank expression.
When Lee Hwan smiled faintly and moved his finger on his cheek gently, the corner of Taesung’s eyebrow drooped slightly.
“Isn’t your neck sore?”
There was no answer to the question. He seemed either half-asleep or completely unwilling to talk.
Then suddenly, his eyes reddened. Before Lee Hwan could speak again, moisture gathered in his narrowed eyes and dropped to the floor.
“Kang Taesung…?”
From that point on, Taesung sat quietly like someone in a trance, dropping tears. Lee Hwan’s hand, which was still on his face, quickly became wet.
“What’s wrong? Are you in pain somewhere?”
As Lee Hwan forced his aching body to sit up further, Taesung shook his head with effort. That seemed like both a denial and a rejection. It almost looked like he was trying to shake off Lee Hwan’s hand on his cheek.
Then, when he finally opened his mouth, what came out was not words, but a breath heavy with moisture.
“Hic, haaa… ha…”
At this unbelievable sight, Lee Hwan’s body froze completely.
Kang Taesung was crying. In front of him, and even making sounds.
“Kang Tae…”
Tears flowed ceaselessly down his reddened eyes, cheeks, and chin. Lee Hwan, wide-eyed and at a loss, continuously wiped his face.
The IV tube made a ticking sound, but he didn’t even notice. It wasn’t Kang Taesung crying, and what did it matter if there was a little blood on the back of his hand?
“Hey, you…”
Lee Hwan muttered, nibbling on his lip, then completely turned his body to embrace Taesung’s face. Taesung was always the type to internalize rather than show his emotions outwardly. Seeing him crying and sniffling like this was such an unfamiliar sight.
It was both pitiful and shocking.
The sobbing continued even after embracing him. With each tremor, Lee Hwan could feel tears dropping onto his chest.
“…Joo Lee Hwan.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“From now on, ugh… haaa, I won’t believe what you say.”
His resentful voice was drenched and dragging. The lingering attachment at the end of his words was so thick it was viscous.
Only then did Lee Hwan realize why he had been stubbornly keeping his mouth shut. Fear, resentment, sadness, frustration, relief—all were brimming up to his throat, making it impossible for him to speak.
Taesung kept his head buried in Lee Hwan’s embrace for a while, crying endlessly like a broken faucet.
“You weren’t waking up… you were like that the whole time, I was scared.”
Only after quite some time did his sobbing stop. Taesung, who had been tightly clamping his mouth like an angry clam, finally explained the situation. Lee Hwan, who had been eagerly wiping Taesung’s tear-soaked face with the hospital blanket, abruptly stopped upon hearing those words.
“…You said I wasn’t waking up?”
“For three days.”
His breath became rough again as he spoke. Taesung closed his eyes for a long time and slowly steadied his breathing. During this time, another tear left a long trail down his cheek, and Lee Hwan wiped his face again with the sleeve of his hospital gown.
After that, he seemed unwilling to show any more crying. Taesung was compulsively swallowing his emotions. His proficiency at this made Lee Hwan suddenly realize how long he had been facing despair.
And also the feelings of someone who had faced each regression, suppressing pain and trying to meet him with a forced smile.
“Um, I don’t feel any pain now though.”
Not knowing what to say, Lee Hwan just said anything. In reality, his stomach and waist had been hurting since earlier, but he wasn’t tactless enough to mention pain in this situation.
“Lie down.”
But somehow knowing, Taesung first laid Lee Hwan down and buried him in the blanket.
His eyes, which were arranging the pillow, were still red. For a moment, Lee Hwan felt like his chest hurt more than his stomach.
“Taesung. Kang Taesung.”
When called, the determined hand movements briefly paused. Lee Hwan, despite his body screaming in protest, wriggled a little to the side.
Then, firmly grabbing Taesung’s hand as he shook his head, he pulled and finally made him lie down beside him.
“Let go. I need to call the doctor first.”
“Just a bit. Let’s pretend I’m still sleeping for another 10 minutes or so.”
There was a faint smell of medicine. When Lee Hwan lifted Taesung’s clothes, bandages were wrapped tightly all over.
So that’s why he was wearing long-sleeved clothes. Although he wasn’t wearing hospital clothes, Taesung was apparently quite injured as well.
His fallen hair covered his forehead, so Lee Hwan absently rubbed it up. Despite his grumpiness just moments ago, Taesung quietly closed his eyes and felt the touch.
When Lee Hwan poked his flushing cheek again, Taesung half-opened his eyes and buried his face in Lee Hwan’s hand.
There was a quiet sound of him inhaling, as if smelling something. His stiff body gently relaxed and embraced Lee Hwan.
A satisfying sensation crushed through his mind, and the warm body temperature pleasantly enveloped him. Lee Hwan felt as if his pain had disappeared without any painkillers.
