"It was nothing but a pathetic excuse. He should have followed Won Yoogyeol no matter what. He should have grabbed him, regardless of whether his brain turned to mush or his limbs were torn to shreds.
He failed to protect Won Yoogyeol. Even though he was right beside him, he couldn’t do anything. He was disgusted and loathed himself like this.
He felt nauseous, like he was about to throw up. He barely managed to suppress the rising nausea.
Suddenly, he heard a high-pitched warning sound that seemed to tear his ears apart. It seemed the numbers had risen again.
He fumbled through his pockets with trembling hands. His fingertips touched hard plastic.
Without even looking, he peeled off the case and plunged the syringe filled with the neutralizing drug into his neck. An intense burning sensation, as if it were burning his blood vessels, spread from his neck to his extremities.
His vision flickered. He closed his eyes and opened them, correcting his focus. The warning sound gradually subsided. He checked the numbers and saw that they had barely escaped the danger zone. At this rate, he seemed to be able to hold on for another day or so.
Looking up, he slowly exhaled.
You were the one who was afraid of the dark. What were you feeling when you threw yourself in there?
‘Come find me in the Atlantic.’
Won Yoogyeol’s last words echoed in his ears. The way he sank and disappeared into the darkness, oh…
At that moment, time seemed to slow down. Won Yoogyeol, who was slowly sinking into the darkness… had a more relieved face than ever before.
That fact struck him hard. Even though he must have been so scared, Won Yoogyeol even smiled at him. He must have done it because he was worried. Even in that situation, he was consistent.
He felt like he was going crazy. Neither the neutralizer nor Damin’s guiding worked. Regret relentlessly choked him, and he had to face despair as if he were breathing.
He covered his face with both hands. He seemed to hear Won Yoogyeol’s whisper. Even though he knew it was a hallucination, he desperately clung to those words.
‘I always wanted to live for you.’
Ah, there were no words that encapsulated Won Yoogyeol as a person more than these. It was a word that cut deeper into his heart because it was so desperate.
Won Yoogyeol said he wanted to live for Gye Joonmin. Turning those words around, it also meant that Won Yoogyeol wouldn’t live for himself. You, you never knew how to take care of yourself until the end.
Looking back, Won Yoogyeol had always lived that kind of life.
He willingly threw himself into everything for others, but when it came to his own matters, he easily gave up. That’s how Won Yoogyeol was, the one Gye Joonmin knew. That’s why he felt even more sorry for him.
He wanted to tell Won Yoogyeol. You are a person who deserves to be loved. I, too, will now live only for you. He wanted to shout it out with a voice full of conviction.
To do that, he had to find Won Yoogyeol. He had to meet him again. But how?
For the past two and a half months, Gye Joonmin had been frantically searching for the vanished Won Yoogyeol. He didn’t eat or sleep properly. Even that time felt wasted."
"It was nothing but a pathetic excuse. He should have followed Won Yoogyeol no matter what. He should have grabbed him, regardless of whether his brain turned to mush or his limbs were torn to shreds.
He failed to protect Won Yoogyeol. Even though he was right beside him, he couldn’t do anything. He was disgusted and loathed himself like this.
He felt nauseous, like he was about to throw up. He barely managed to suppress the rising nausea.
Suddenly, he heard a high-pitched warning sound that seemed to tear his ears apart. It seemed the numbers had risen again.
He fumbled through his pockets with trembling hands. His fingertips touched hard plastic.
Without even looking, he peeled off the case and plunged the syringe filled with the neutralizing drug into his neck. An intense burning sensation, as if it were burning his blood vessels, spread from his neck to his extremities.
His vision flickered. He closed his eyes and opened them, correcting his focus. The warning sound gradually subsided. He checked the numbers and saw that they had barely escaped the danger zone. At this rate, he seemed to be able to hold on for another day or so.
Looking up, he slowly exhaled.
You were the one who was afraid of the dark. What were you feeling when you threw yourself in there?
‘Come find me in the Atlantic.’
Won Yoogyeol’s last words echoed in his ears. The way he sank and disappeared into the darkness, oh…
At that moment, time seemed to slow down. Won Yoogyeol, who was slowly sinking into the darkness… had a more relieved face than ever before.
That fact struck him hard. Even though he must have been so scared, Won Yoogyeol even smiled at him. He must have done it because he was worried. Even in that situation, he was consistent.
He felt like he was going crazy. Neither the neutralizer nor Damin’s guiding worked. Regret relentlessly choked him, and he had to face despair as if he were breathing.
He covered his face with both hands. He seemed to hear Won Yoogyeol’s whisper. Even though he knew it was a hallucination, he desperately clung to those words.
‘I always wanted to live for you.’
Ah, there were no words that encapsulated Won Yoogyeol as a person more than these. It was a word that cut deeper into his heart because it was so desperate.
Won Yoogyeol said he wanted to live for Gye Joonmin. Turning those words around, it also meant that Won Yoogyeol wouldn’t live for himself. You, you never knew how to take care of yourself until the end.
Looking back, Won Yoogyeol had always lived that kind of life.
He willingly threw himself into everything for others, but when it came to his own matters, he easily gave up. That’s how Won Yoogyeol was, the one Gye Joonmin knew. That’s why he felt even more sorry for him.
He wanted to tell Won Yoogyeol. You are a person who deserves to be loved. I, too, will now live only for you. He wanted to shout it out with a voice full of conviction.
To do that, he had to find Won Yoogyeol. He had to meet him again. But how?
For the past two and a half months, Gye Joonmin had been frantically searching for the vanished Won Yoogyeol. He didn’t eat or sleep properly. Even that time felt wasted."
You can read the novel here: https://readhive.org/series/110441/0/