"Hello~ is anyone in the hole? What is it? Did a container fall?"
The sound of Hong Ye-seong shouting was heard. He couldn't climb the hill because he had injured his leg. Thanks to that, the sight of the two of them tangled up in the narrow hole was avoided. At least their basic human rights were preserved. Cha Eui-jae raised his voice to answer him.
"It's me."
"Huh? Did you dig this hole? What are you doing in there? Did you want to enjoy some alone time?"
"No… Lee Sa-young came too."
"Really? Should I get you out?"
"No, we can get out."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Could you go and prepare a spot for Lee Sa-young?"
"Alright!"
Hong Ye-seong's presence faded away. Cha Eui-jae felt a small sense of relief and an even smaller regret… regret? Regret my ass! He shook his head vigorously. Then, he patted the shoulder of Lee Sa-young, who was glaring at the hole above his head as if he wanted to kill someone.
"Don't even think about it, let's get out of here. Before he comes back."
"…"
Lee Sa-young slowly lowered his head. Clenching his teeth, he looked like a child who had just had their precious toy snatched away right before their eyes. Cha Eui-jae covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a laugh that was about to burst out. His violet eyes narrowed.
"Is it funny?"
"…No. Pfft!"
"Aha… Yeah. Looks like you're dying of laughter. Laugh it off."
Lee Sa-young sneered as he placed his hand on Cha Eui-jae's stomach. His eyes gleamed dangerously.
"I'll pay you back all at once later."
"Yeah, yeah."
As Cha Eui-jae brushed it off nonchalantly, his eyes narrowed even more. He let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair. A low voice muttered.
"Ha… What do you expect to do with someone like this…."
Lee Sa-young rustled as he took off his coat. Then, spreading the coat wide, he covered Cha Eui-jae. His vision was obscured by darkness. Cha Eui-jae's eyes widened in an instant. The sensation of the coat blocking his vision. This feeling. It was strangely familiar. What was this sense of déjà vu?
"…"
Cha Eui-jae clutched the coat tightly. His heart raced. A languid voice gave instructions from beyond the coat.
"Tuck it in neatly so nothing is visible outside the coat."
"What are you going to do?"
"Melt it."
"…Can't we just run up?"
"…"
Even though he couldn't see through the coat, he could tell that Lee Sa-young was staring at him with a look of disdain. Lee Sa-young asked in a voice that sounded as if he were dumbfounded.
"It's quite high, are you saying you're just going to climb up here?"
"Why can't you? Isn't it a height you can easily climb?"
"…"
As if he felt it wasn't worth saying any further, Lee Sa-young replied irritably.
"Ah, I suppose so. Why don't you start a hiking club or something with Bae Won-woo or Jung Bin?"
"Should I carry you up?"
"Quiet down."
Before he could say a word, strong arms supported his waist and hips and lifted him up. Cha Eui-jae stiffened. Being the one being carried rather than the one doing the carrying, it couldn't have been more awkward. His body, held in another's arms, froze stiff like a log. A low laugh came from above.
"What? Acting as if it's your first time being carried."
"Shut up. I'll just go up—"
"No."
Lee Sa-young held Cha Eui-jae up in one arm and placed his hand on the wall, which was clumped with junk. From where his black hand touched, it began to melt into a pitch-black mass. Hiss… A black liquid dripped down thickly. Soon, the pitch-black stain spread across the entire wall. The blackened wall melted away in an instant as Lee Sa-young snapped his finger.
"Alright, done."
The high hill vanished, leaving behind a round pool of poison. The only intact spot was the ground Lee Sa-young was standing on. He stepped into the pool of poison as if nothing had happened. Splash, black liquid splashed out.
"You can take off the coat. Just don't come down."
He took off the coat covering him. A terrible sweet scent wafted through the air. Cha Eui-jae stroked his leather coat, then looked up. Even though he knew it couldn't be true.
"Sa-young-ah, by any chance…"
"Yes?"
"Have you ever covered me with your coat?"
"The coat? Where?"
Lee Sa-young tilted his head. Cha Eui-jae stroked his coat, tracing his hazy memory. Something black that had covered his red vision. Lazy whispers, a hand clad in leather gloves, violet eyes beyond the gas mask lens. It was definitely him who covered him with a coat and spoke affectionately back then…
"…It was you."
Lee Sa-young, who had been tracing his memories along with him, let out a small exclamation of surprise. He tilted his head.
"The memorial dungeon? I covered you in it when you jumped in recklessly."
"No, not then."
Cha Eui-jae hesitated before uttering the name.
"In the West Sea… rift."
"Hmm…"
Lee Sa-young rolled his eyes in bewilderment, then shrugged his shoulders. He only let Cha Eui-jae down after crossing the poison and reaching the white floor. Then, speaking in a deliberately playful tone, he said,
"I wasn't in the West Sea rift back then. Did you miss me so much that you were hallucinating?"
Right, that couldn't be true. After all, Lee Sa-young must have been in the lab at that time. But what on earth was that memory? Cha Eui-jae rubbed his face. All sorts of memories jumbled together in confusion. Then, his eyes fell on the black liquid on the bottom of Lee Sa-young's boots. He turned his head to look at the black puddle.
The boy who had melted the entire lab and stood alone atop the pool of poison.
Did that place look like this too?
Cha Eui-jae looked at Lee Sa-young, who was standing on the white floor. Lee Sa-young was running his hand through his hair, gazing into the distance with an indifferent expression. Soon, he turned his eyes to him as if he had sensed a gaze.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"What are you thinking again… Your face looks suspicious."
Lee Sa-young lowered his head slightly and met his gaze persistently. Cha Eui-jae pushed his face away with his hand and replied.
"No, nothing in particular. You know, when you escaped from the lab."
"…"
"I thought it must have looked like this back then, too."
Lee Sa-young looked around with an expressionless face. He tapped his lips with his black fingers and muttered.
"It was bigger than this back then. Because the research institute was huge. And since it was right after my awakening, I didn't know how to control my power."
"…"
"Well, it's all in the past now. Don't be so self-conscious."
Lee Sa-young started walking ahead. However, Cha Eui-jae remembered. Lee Sa-young, who had flinched the moment he saw Ga-young. His body, which had reacted so vividly that it was hardly just a story from the past. Cha Eui-jae stood still and called out to him again.
"Lee Sa-young."
"What now? You're going to lose your voice waiting for Hong Ye-seong."
"Did you go into the glass tube too?"
Lee Sa-young's shoulders trembled at the mention of the word 'glass tube.' But that was only for a moment. With a serene expression and a slight smile, he turned around.
"…I don't know what you're talking about. What is it?"
"I saw it all. Ga-young, in that person's laboratory."
"…"
"You went in there too, didn't you?"
"Does saying I went in change anything? It's all in the past."
Lee Sa-young answered in a cold voice. He ran his hand through his hair irritably. Cha Eui-jae answered briefly.
"It does change."
"What exactly?"
"Whether or not I kill that woman with my own hands."
Silence fell. His expression was blank as he spoke of killing someone. A murderous aura emanated from him, as if to crush a person. Lee Sa-young saw the deep fatigue etched on his face. What stood before him was not the foolish and upright Cha Eui-jae. It was a sharply honed weapon, the J of the past unknown to Lee Sa-young.
He spoke in a flat voice.
"So tell me straight. Were you subjected to such experiments too? Inhumane human experimentation?"
"Hyung."
"Don't beat around the bush, just answer me."
"Hyung!"
"…So you're not denying it. Looks like you've been tricked. I suspected it."
Cha Eui-jae muttered softly. As the image of the test subject struggling in agony flashed through his mind, he clenched his fists. Had Lee Sa-young, who wasn't left with a single healthy spot, also undergone such an experiment? With a body so damaged that he couldn't even scream. Lee Sa-young snatched Cha Eui-jae's arm.
"I don't need it. She's not someone worth dirtying Hyung's hands for."
"…"
"If she has to be dealt with, I will. With my own hands, I will take revenge myself. So…"
Lee Sa-young carefully stroked Cha Eui-jae's cheek and rubbed the dark circles under his eyes.
"Relax."
"…"
At the gentle, soothing touch, Cha Eui-jae took a small, deep breath. His vision, which had been burning bright red with rage, calmed down a little. Yes, let's calm down. He roughly ran his palm across his face. It was strange. Was it always this hard to control his emotions? Cha Eui-jae paused as he lowered his hand.
Part of his palm had turned white. It wasn't ash. This was…
"Hyung?"
Lee Sa-young called out to him. Cha Eui-jae looked into his eyes without avoiding them. His own face reflected in those pupils was exactly the same. Cha Eui-jae clenched his fist nonchalantly and answered.
"…Yeah, I think I was too sensitive. Sorry."
"It's fine. You don't need to apologize."
"Hong Ye-seong's tent is over there. He put it together using whatever he could find."
Cha Eui-jae held out his undamaged hand to Lee Sa-young. Lee Sa-young quickly took it. A lukewarm warmth spread through their clasped hands. However, Cha Eui-jae's neck felt cold. Cold sweat trickled down his neck.
"…"
Anxiety suddenly reared its head. Cha Eui-jae bit his lip hard.
There was no time.