Chapter 91
Chris instinctively reached out and grabbed Sena’s hand, as if it were his lifeline.
“Are you coming to your senses?”
“Uh…”
“Like I said earlier, I spent all my money saving you, okay?”
“So?”
“Pay me back.”
Chris had no money. He had even come empty-handed without any spoils.
‘She’ll probably scold me and kick me out.’
It had been a long time since he disappeared without a word. By now, they were probably less than strangers.
“I didn’t mean to disappear without a word….”
That day, a door Chris couldn’t find no matter how hard he searched suddenly appeared before him. He crossed over just to check, only to find the door back to the cocktail bar was gone.
There seemed to be some rule to the door. It didn’t appear just because Chris wanted it to.
“Does that matter right now? Why are you so injured? I thought you were a zombie again!”
“I’m…. just clumsy….”
Chris answered weakly, but he tightened his grip on the hand he was holding.
“You’re bleeding all over….”
“Don’t worry. Half of it isn’t even my blood.”
“What kind of commotion did you cause…”
Sena shook her head and helped Chris up.
“Can you walk? Let’s go inside. I’ll take a look at your wounds.”
Chris obediently let Sena pull him along. Something about the landscape seemed unfamiliar, and he looked around the entire way.
‘Is this a desert?’
It was definitely a forest last time.
Though bewildered, he was too dizzy to even muster the energy to ask questions.
Then his legs gave out again, and his body collapsed. This time, instead of the rough texture of sand, he was enveloped in a soft sensation. Sena had caught him.
“You’re so heavy….!”
“Sorry…”
Sena groaned while supporting Chris. With his stamina completely depleted, Chris was almost dragged along.
“Huff… Huff… we’ve arrived…”
As soon as they entered the sand-colored stone building, Sena laid Chris on the floor. A familiar scene entered his view.
The design had become more sophisticated, but the basic structure remained the same. Shelves filled with alcohol, the bar counter, and tables—all were intact.
“Looks like you’ve made some money. The place looks fancy now.”
“Even in your state, you’ve got the nerve to talk.”
Sena sat down in front of Chris after bringing a first aid kit. She took out various medicine bottles and checked the small-print instructions.
“I’m going to disinfect your wounds. Oh no, your clothes are stuck to the wound…”
“That wound’s old.”
“Can’t you be more careful?”
As Sena chided him and slightly pulled at his shirt, the wound suddenly burst open.
“Ah!”
Sena’s violet eyes darted around as she nervously glanced at Chris for his reaction. When he showed no sign of pain, she tilted her head in confusion.
“Hey, doesn’t it hurt?”
“What am I, a child? I’m not going to whine about this.”
“It looks like it would hurt a lot…”
The disinfectant stung when applied, but that was all. Sena sighed and carefully applied the medicine.
“Your whole body is covered in wounds.”
“Why. Sexy?”
“If you weren’t a patient, I would’ve beaten you up.”
Chris chuckled. He couldn’t help but laugh watching Sena checking him thoroughly while grumbling.
“Hey. Don’t you have something to say to me?”
Like demanding I pay you back.
In Chris’s mind, the image of Sena smiling brightly in front of customers, suppressing her lazy nature, was etched.
‘Collapsing on the bar floor right after the customer left.’
If Sena was so crazy about money, she would surely be nagging about those 3,000 coins. But instead…
“Ow! What’s this wound on your leg? It’s all festering. Why didn’t you go to the hospital?”
“What hospital?”
“Doctor! I’m calling a doctor right now!”
Sena covered her head with both hands and shouted. Is she…. really worried about me now? Surprised by this unexpected reaction, Chris stared at her blankly.
As Sena was about to run upstairs, she turned back to look at Chris. Their gazes met in midair.
“Have you eaten lunch?”
“No.”
“Tell me if you want to eat anything. Anything.”
“What’s with this sudden kindness?”
Chris narrowed his eyes at this suspicious response.
“You’re a patient.”
Chris was struck speechless by the response.
Having lived among people whose only purpose was to kill each other, he had forgotten.
This was a conversation between ordinary people.
Before he knew it, Sena had returned, holding a strange piece of paper in her hand and spinning around in circles.
“How do I call Doctor Unnie? Do I need this paper? Help me, Doctor Unnie!”
What on earth was she doing? Chris furrowed his brow. She had been talking nonsense since earlier.
“I don’t know how to use it. Is there maybe an instruction manual… Oh, Chris. So what do you want to eat?”
Sena, who had been grumbling, approached Chris and asked.
“…Forget about the meal. I’m sleepy.”
“What? But you should eat something! You need energy to live!”
“I haven’t even slept ten hours this week.”
Perhaps because the tension had eased, his vision kept blurring.
“Then sleep first.”
“Okay…”
“Not here! On a bed where you’ll be comfortable…!”
Although Sena shouted while shaking Chris’s shoulder, his consciousness had already drifted away.
“W-wait. You’re not dead, right? Oh, you’re breathing…”
Sena covered Chris with a blanket, feeling relieved. He fell asleep, enveloped in a cozy feeling.
🫧
‘Where am I?’
A maze garden with densely packed cypress trees appeared before Chris’s eyes. The scene seemed strangely familiar.
Chris reached out to touch the trees, running his fingers along the leaves, and realized where he was. It was the kingdom’s most famous labyrinth, renowned for its complexity.
Chris cautiously moved forward. To make matters worse, a thick fog clouded his vision.
No matter how much he walked, it felt like he was going in circles. He had definitely gotten lost.
“Christide!”
When a warm voice called out, Chris turned around. A man dressed in an elegant uniform was waving at him.
“Hyung?”
“Yes, it’s me. Come here. No matter how much you hate attending lessons, running away like this isn’t right.”
The man extended both hands toward Chris, beckoning him over. Chris hesitated for a moment. The man’s face was blurry, obscured by the dense fog.
“Hurry.”
But the next moment, as the fog cleared, the man’s face became clear. Overcome with nostalgia, Chris ran towards him without realizing it.
“Let’s go back.”
The man lifted Chris up effortlessly, slinging him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“You must listen to your lessons to become a great adult, kiddo.”
“…I’ll never become a great adult.”
“Why? Who said that?”
“Nothing.”
When Chris answered curtly, the man tilted his head thoughtfully, then suddenly exclaimed.
“I know! Was it because the etiquette teacher scolded you the other day? You’re still hung up on that?”
“Hyung. I wasn’t supposed to learn etiquette—I should’ve learned swordsmanship. If I had….”
….I could’ve protected everyone.
“A guy who’s scared of armored knights and can’t even go near the training ground—what swordsmanship are you talking about?”
The man burst into a cheerful laugh, as if he’d heard an amusing joke.
Hanging from him, Chris closed his eyes tightly.
“Hyung.”
“What? Little brother.”
“Wait for me at that time. I will definitely come to save you.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“You’ll understand later.”
A dream from before Chris’s world collapsed.
From the time when god was on Chris’s side.
‘The reason I’m fighting…’
Like embers reigniting, Chris’s will to survive blazed to life.
‘I’ll get that time back. No matter what.’
🫧
When Chris woke up, a stranger’s face was right in front of him.
Instinctively, Chris grabbed the person’s neck.
“Who are you?”
It wasn’t Sena—he would’ve recognized her immediately.
Chris exuded a warning aura, his hostility was evident. The woman he held by the neck was wearing a white coat, and though her eyes widened, she didn’t beg for her life.
Her lips were moving as if she had something to say, so Chris loosened his grip slightly.
“Wow, scary!”
“Don’t make me ask twice.”
Chris frowned at the woman’s exaggerated, playful tone.
Just then, the door burst open.
“Chris? Ah! What are you doing right now!”
Sena came running in shock and struck Chris’s hand hard, which was gripping the woman’s neck.
🥂
Thank you for reading! ♡
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