FLIA 3

The way he reacted was like someone who had forgotten his own name for a very long time.

Yohan instinctively sensed something was wrong. The same question that had haunted him before he lost consciousness returned to his mind: Was this really a human being? Not just some thing pretending to be human?

He groped along the ground to support himself, but before he could even spring to his feet, Lee Hyunmook grabbed him. The crushing grip around his arm felt like a hydraulic press, and Yohan screamed without meaning to.

“Aagh! It hurts, it really hurts! Lee Hyunmook!”

He struggled desperately, trying to push him away, but it was useless. Hyunmook tossed him around like a rag doll. Wherever he gripped Yohan, deep bruises began to form. Overwhelmed by fear and pain, Yohan cried again. He’d always been on the tearful side, but ever since falling into the Abyss, he’d barely had a moment to stop.

“Please, don’t kill me, please… I’m begging you…”

Even as he sobbed and pleaded, it seemed to fall on deaf ears. The madman simply kept touching and handling his body however he liked, like a child fiddling with a beloved toy. His hand slipped under Yohan’s clothes and began roughly kneading his sides and lower back, leaving more bruises in their wake. It hurt so much Yohan gasped and choked on his screams.

“You’re… so warm.”

Whether Yohan suffered or not, Hyunmook seemed entirely satisfied, like he was enjoying a hot pack or a plush doll. Then he suddenly crushed Yohan into a suffocating embrace, pressing his head against his chest, ear right over his heart. He listened intently to the pounding beat.

“So noisy…”

The whisper slithered into Yohan’s ears, already frozen in terror. His mind raced to piece things together. When had Lee Hyunmook fallen into the Abyss?

Three years ago. That means…

He’d survived three years alone in this hell. Wandering endlessly, having lost his teammates, until he even forgot his own name. That realization sent a wave of overwhelming pity crashing through Yohan.

Someone as good as Lee Hyunmook shouldn’t have had to endure something like this.

Even under the crushing pressure of a high-level awakener, Yohan somehow managed to move his arms. He reached up and wrapped them around Hyunmook’s head, the one pressing him down.

The madman flinched. Encouraged, Yohan gently patted and stroked his back, half out of compassion, and half in the hope that it might make Hyunmook loosen his grip and stop squeezing him to death.

Each pat made Hyunmook flinch again. And though Yohan twitched in fear each time, he didn’t stop. The suffocating strength that had been squeezing the life from him began to slowly ease.

“Mr. Lee Hyunmook, please don’t kill me. You understand, right? I’m a human being…”

He whispered as gently as he could, afraid of setting the man off again. Thankfully, Hyunmook didn’t react violently.

“Human…”

“That’s right. I’m a human… and you are too, Mr. Lee Hyunmook.”

“Human… human…”

“You’re human, too… You understand, don’t you?”

Yohan repeated himself like a lullaby, desperately clinging to the man and calling his name, like soothing a frightened child. Slowly, gradually, Hyunmook’s strength faded, until he no longer crushed Yohan with his grip.

After a long while spent patting and soothing the man who looked like Lee Hyunmook, Yohan eventually fell asleep. The exhaustion from two days of hiding, trembling in fear without proper rest, finally caught up with him. He slept like he’d passed out.

He woke up not long after, driven by gnawing hunger.

“Mmm…”

His body still craved sleep, but the pain of an empty stomach left him no choice. As he rubbed his eyes, memories from just before he’d fallen asleep came rushing back.

The madman, Hyunmook!

Startled, he sat up quickly, but before he could do anything; someone spoke.

“You’re awake?”

“Uh… yeah…”

Yohan’s lips parted in surprise. No wonder he’d felt a warm presence. A campfire was crackling nearby. Hyunmook sat close to it, warming himself.

Surprisingly, he looked almost normal. The wild hair had been brushed and neatly tucked back. His entire demeanor seemed calm.

“Borrowed the lighter in your pocket. Haven’t felt fire in ages.”

He said it with a faint smile, so different from the raving maniac Yohan had seen before.

Aside from the white hair, he truly looked like the Lee Hyunmook Yohan remembered.

As Yohan scrambled up, the sleeping bag covering him slipped off. He hesitated, then asked:

“Mr. Lee Hyunmook…?”

“It’s been a long time since someone’s called me that…”

That faint smile on his handsome face looked like it belonged in a faded black-and-white photograph. His once-dark hair had turned completely white. And when he turned his gaze back to the fire, it didn’t reflect any light, just deep, hollow blackness.

Yohan swallowed hard and asked cautiously:

“Um… are you… in your right mind now?”

“I am, for now. It’s been years since I’ve felt this sane.”

He stared blankly into the flames as he murmured. Something about it unnerved Yohan. What if Hyunmook slipped back into madness at any moment?

Desperate to keep him talking, Yohan quickly said:

“Would you… like something to eat? Let’s, um, eat together?”

He fumbled for his nearby backpack, pulling out the few emergency rations he had left.

With the fire going, he set a small pot over it and poured in the last of his water.

As the water boiled, Hyunmook simply sat there and watched.

Yohan poured the hot water into the food packets, mixed in the sauce, and handed one to Hyunmook with trembling hands.

“H-here. Please enjoy.”

His stomach growled as he said it, but he waited politely until Hyunmook took the food and began to eat. Only then did Yohan pick up his own spoon.

He scarfed down his meal quickly. When he looked up again, Hyunmook was still chewing slowly, like a turtle.

Does he not like it…?

But as he watched more closely, Yohan realized, Hyunmook wasn’t displeased. He was savoring it. Even the dullness in his eyes seemed to lift a little.

A surge of pity welled up again. How long had it been since Hyunmook had eaten a real meal?

He waited in silence until the man finished.

Then, at last, Hyunmook spoke again.

“…What was your name?”

“Yang Yohan!”

“Right, Yohan.”

The moment Hyunmook said his name so warmly, Yohan’s heart skipped a beat.

After all, he had always been a fan.

Nothing obsessive, just someone who watched raid videos and interviews like everyone else.

But even so, Lee Hyunmook had always been the one he admired most.

He’d saved hundreds directly and countless more indirectly by stopping major rifts.

He was a hero, undeniably.

“Thanks for the food.”

“I-it’s nothing, really!”

Yohan responded sheepishly. Hyunmook had saved his life. Emergency rations were a small price to pay.

Still, apart from gratitude, Yohan had a desperate wish: to stay by the side of someone strong in this terrifying place.

“I don’t know when I’ll lose my mind again, so I’ll tell you the most important things first.”

“Yes, Mr. Lee Hyunmook!”

Yohan replied eagerly.

Hyunmook looked at him, his eyes lingering on Yohan’s shining expression, as if seeing something new, something long forgotten.

Like a man starving for companionship, finally meeting another intelligent being after centuries.

“The most important thing… is that even when I’m not sane, you have to stay close to me. That’s how dangerous the Abyss is. I’m sure you’ve already realized that.”

“…Yes. I know.”

Yohan’s face clouded. He’d only seen one eyeball monster up close, but the creatures he glimpsed from afar had been just as terrifying. Still, it was a relief to know Hyunmook would stay with him. Without him, Yohan would already be dead.

In a soft, low voice, Hyunmook began to explain the Abyss.

Yohan listened intently, absorbing every detail.

“Even if I seem sane now, I won’t be for long. You understand why, right?”

Yohan swallowed and nodded.

It must be the corruption.

“Even if I’m not myself… I’ll try to protect you. So I need you to survive here. For as long as possible… maybe months, maybe years. Until I come back to my senses again.”