DPGR 147

Before he knew it, Dojin’s hands had clenched tightly into fists. His knuckles trembled. His short nails dug into his palms, but he felt no pain.

Only heartache. He looked at Jiho with reddening eyes, gritting his teeth.

“……”

As if sensing Dojin’s gaze, Jiho turned to him with the same smiling face.

“…Hyung!”

A brighter smile bloomed over his clear features. Jiho asked the people around him for a moment and ran straight over to Dojin.

He rushed right up to him and threw himself into Dojin’s arms.

Thump

Dojin’s heart sank. Jiho’s radiant smile, his laughter, his chirping voice, his warmth, his scent, everything was burned deeply into Dojin’s heart.

***

Late into the night, when everyone else was asleep.

Dojin stepped out of the tent and slowly walked along the lake. His mind was a tangled mess, his heart unsettled, he couldn’t sleep.

Though everything around him was calm and still, Dojin alone was caught in turmoil.

‘For the sake of staying in top shape, I should try to force myself to sleep.’

He rubbed his dry eyes with a rough hand. That’s when he heard someone stir inside the tent.

“…?”

He turned to see Jiho approaching, his hair tousled and bouncing lightly with each step. Maybe he’d just woken up, his face was puffy like a round bun.

“Guide Jiho.”

“Hyung…”

Jiho rubbed his eyes and fought to stay awake. Dojin took off his coat and draped it over Jiho’s shoulders.

“Why are you out here? You should be sleeping.”

“You were gone… haaahm…”

Jiho let out a big yawn, then snuggled up against Dojin’s side and rubbed his face into him.

“Why are you out here, hyung? Did you have another nightmare?”

His voice grew clearer as the drowsiness faded. Dojin, grateful that Jiho was worried about him even now, gently stroked his hair.

“…Shall we take a walk?”

“Sure.”

Jiho nodded at Dojin’s suggestion. He adjusted the coat on his shoulders and took Dojin’s hand with one of his own.

They walked slowly along the lake, the two of them wrapped in a comfortable silence.

It was Dojin who broke it.

“…Aren’t you afraid?”

At the sudden question, Jiho looked up at him. When Dojin stopped walking, Jiho stopped too.

“Are you… scared, hyung?”

Dojin parted his lips to answer. He almost said yes without thinking.

But he pressed his lips together and sighed. Even something as simple as saying he was afraid might leave a scar on Jiho if things went wrong.

So even if he was scared, Dojin couldn’t say so. Yet somehow, Jiho seemed to take his sigh as ayes.

“Don’t be scared. Hyung’s gotten super, suuuper strong.”

Jiho gestured with both hands, drawing a huge circle in the air in an exaggerated effort to cheer him up.

That thoughtful gesture was so sweet and lovely that Dojin nodded slowly.

“And also,” Jiho continued,

“I’ll be fine.”

How could he say that so confidently? How was he always so brave, so resilient?

“And hyung will be fine too. No matter what, I’ll protect you.”

He declared it boldly, as if telling Dojin to trust him. But this time, Dojin shook his head.

“Don’t do anything reckless to save me. If a sacrifice is needed, it should be mine.”

Jiho’s eyes widened. He looked like he wanted to object, his lips twitching as he searched for words.

Dojin thought of all the rebuttals Jiho might say, and then counterarguments to each of those, already preparing in his head.

It would be a pointless debate before a battle, but he couldn’t help it.

Yet again, Jiho showed himself to be the more mature one. He seemed to understand there was no meaning in arguing.

“Okay. Then hyung can be the one to sacrifice himself.”

He said it like it didn’t bother him. But the words that followed held a different meaning.

“But if…”

Jiho walked a few steps ahead of Dojin. Dojin quietly watched his back.

His fingers twitched, wanting to pull him back immediately. But Jiho’s silhouette under the moonlight looked like a mirage, and he couldn’t summon the courage to reach out.

While Dojin hesitated, Jiho spoke in that soft, calm, and lovely voice.

“Even if things go wrong, and we… get separated…”

Jiho turned around with a gentle smile. Dojin drew in a sharp breath at the words that followed.

“It’ll be okay. We’ll definitely… meet again.”

His eyes curved into half-moons, filled with starlight. A line that had long been etched into Dojin’s mind surfaced again.

[We’ll meet again.]

Dojin’s expression changed. A realization, a sudden flash of insight, hit him like lightning.

He rushed over to Jiho and wrapped him in a tight embrace.

“Jiho…”

“Hyung?”

“Jiho… my guide.”

His throat bobbed. He looked at Jiho with tearful eyes.

“Yes. Let’s meet again. You have to come find me, Jiho. I can wait patiently, for years if I have to…”

Jiho raised his eyebrows, clearly confused by what Dojin was saying. But Dojin didn’t care. He was speaking to a future Jiho, not the present one.

“I’ll be fine. Even if I’m left alone, I’ll be okay. So don’t cling to me. Don’t pity me. Just come back here.”

“…Um, hyung, I’m not really sure what you’re saying.”

“I don’t know either. But someday, we’ll both understand. You and I.”

With that, Dojin leaned in and kissed Jiho’s lips.

He parted them softly, gently sucking the tender flesh inside.

Breath and saliva mingled. Jiho’s arms, which had hovered uncertainly, wrapped around Dojin’s neck.

Above them, countless shooting stars rained down.

***

The next morning, all the strike teams from every nation finally gathered in one place.

The espers checked their weapons, while the guides went over their guns and ammunition.

The disturbance at the quiet lakeside came shortly after noon. As the searing sun reached its zenith, chaos stirred.

“Over the lake! Everyone, get ready!”

The calm surface of the lake rippled violently. A dungeon formed above it, sending a spray of water upward, soaking the surrounding area.

The Final Dungeon.

Unlike the others they’d only heard about, this one radiated overwhelming energy even at its entrance.

Crackle–snap

Blue energy burst like electricity, roaring ominously.

But it quickly settled down. Once stable, the espers moved in perfect coordination, forming their raid formation.

The guides did the same.

…It’ll be fine.

Jiho joined the guide team and stood in his designated spot. His mouth was dry from nerves.

Hyung…

He looked at Dojin’s back in the far front. Just as expected, Dojin stood at the head of the formation, leading the group.

“…Let’s go.”

Dojin’s voice was firm. He stepped into the dungeon.

“Everyone, goggles on and keep alert!”

As expected, the inside of the dungeon was a snowfield swept by a raging blizzard.

Snow reached up to their knees, making movement difficult, and the winds made it hard to even keep their eyes open.

Thankfully, they’d brought gear for this. Goggles were one of them.

“We’ll set up the safe zone first!”

Led by Dojin, the group advanced.

Normally, a safe zone would be built near the entrance, but they had agreed in advance to go deeper this time.

That decision was based on Jiho’s testimony from his past life, when a safe zone near the entrance had been overrun by monsters.

“This spot should work. The terrain’s fairly even.”

“Alright. Let’s build here.”

They didn’t have to go far before they found a good spot.

At Dojin’s signal, Yulchan stepped forward.

“Will this be enough? Still, we should cloak the area for safety…”

“No. This won’t be over in a day or two. We need to conserve mana.”

Constructing such a large safe zone was a burden even for S-rank Yulchan, so mana had to be used wisely.

Instead of cloaking the space, they had to leave it exposed.

“The blizzard limits visibility, so this should be enough.”

Besides, top defensive espers from various nations layered shields around the perimeter to buy time in emergencies.

The gate was massive, so they would have to move locations eventually, but they still built the safe zone as solidly as possible.

“Guides and the escort team, remain here!”

Once the safe zone was ready, the teams split as planned, escorts composed mostly of defense-types, and the exploration squad of attack-types.

Dojin, an attack-type esper, was naturally placed in the exploration squad.

“Guide Jiho.”

While the first exploration team prepared, Dojin quickly approached Jiho.

Jiho greeted him, his face flushed from the cold.

“Hyung!”

Dojin hugged him lightly and gave a firm reminder.

“Don’t go outside the safe zone, no matter what. If something happens and you have to go, don’t go alone. Be careful. Got it?”

“Yes. You too, hyung.”

“…I will.”

They embraced one more time before separating.

Jiho stood among the guide team, watching as Dojin, leading the first exploration team, disappeared into the snow.