Chapter 103
Yugyeom’s heart sank. For a moment, he wondered if he had unknowingly died, trapped in a dreamlike reality.
But it wasn’t a dream, a vision, or the afterlife.
It was his world.
There was no escaping the intertwining lips and the intense gaze that locked him in place. In that moment, he realized they still existed together in this world.
The mere touch of lips felt searingly hot, as if melting his very breath.
Neither of them closed their eyes. They were so close, their faces impossibly near, that all Yugyeom could see were her dark eyes reflected in his own.
This moment felt eternal.
Yeonbyeol’s hands gripping Yugyeom’s collar trembled uncontrollably. That trembling was passed onto Yugyeom, who stood rigid, unable to resist.
It was an inevitability. Yugyeom opened his lips in response to her advancing touch.
Their breaths blended deeply. The heat of her breath was more intense than the fiery heat that surrounded them.
Their thoughts dissolved into the presence of one another, their minds consumed by the sheer intensity.
For what felt like only moments, Yugyeom felt his breath stolen entirely.
Yet, with it, a new wave of life surged, overwhelming and unfamiliar.
Just when the sensation became unbearable, when his head felt like it might spin out of control, their lips parted.
Yeonbyeol, still holding onto him, whispered, “…Don’t die.”
Her breath remained so close that Yugyeom could feel it on his lips every time she spoke.
Yeonbyeol let go of the grip she had on his collar. Her fingers slipped through his, intertwining with his.
“Now half of your breath belongs to me.”
Tears streamed down Yeonbyeol’s pale cheeks as the flames flickered around them.
Yugyeom grasped her trembling fingers between his, lowering his long lashes over his eyes. With a gentle touch, he cupped her cheek, wiping away her tears with trembling fingers.
“Yes.”
Yugyeom whispered softly, bowing his head toward her. Even with his eyes closed, he knew he would always find her. In any circumstance, in any situation, she would remain with him.
“My breath, my life, has long been yours.”
Yugyeom drew in another breath, surrendering entirely to her.
* * *
Tilting his head slightly, their closed eyes met, and their lips met again.
Yugyeom, slightly anxious yet gentle, captured my lips in a tender, careful kiss.
The sensation was overwhelming—his heart thundering wildly, as if it sought to anchor itself to mine. My fingers clutched his hand tightly, gripping desperately.
Suddenly, his lips parted. Yugyeom pulled away slightly.
“…Yugyeom?”
The hand I was entwined with loosened, and his body leaned forward again. I struggled to catch him, holding him upright.
“Yugyeom… what’s wrong?”
I called out to him, but his face buried into my shoulder, motionless.
I clung tightly to his slipping hand, feeling the icy coldness despite the consuming heat of the flames surrounding us.
My back chilled as fear gripped me, and my heart pounded uncontrollably.
“Yugyeom. Gyeom-ah.”
I couldn’t bring myself to push him away. I called his name over and over, my voice shaking with dread.
“Gyeom-ah, are you awake?”
My voice trembled terribly. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my quivering hands and wavering emotions.
As I tried to pull him away to check on him, my hand felt damp—a dark red soaking through his jacket.
Looking down, I saw his waist, now a fiery crimson against the backdrop of flames.
“…No.”
I clenched my teeth, determination hardening my resolve.
“It’s not too late.”
We had only just found each other again. There were so many words, so much to share—too much to lose now.
“It’s not too late, so snap out of it, Cha Yeonbyeol.”
This inferno couldn’t be our end. Even if fate declared otherwise, we would break it—this twisted destiny was meant to be shattered.
Our beginning was never meant to follow its design.
I struggled to twist out of Yugyeom’s arms, carefully laying him down flat.
His waist was bleeding profusely, and the blood wouldn’t stop.
“We need to stop the bleeding…” I whispered, pulling off his jacket and tearing my dress down the shoulder. It wasn’t ideal, but I had no choice.
I pressed his handkerchief tightly onto the wound, securing it with strips of the torn fabric from my dress around his waist.
“Please hold on.”
With every ounce of hope, I clung to his ice-cold hand.
His shallow breath escaped in a whisper. It was faint, almost mistaken as a phantom.
But then, the faint murmur reached my ears.
“…Go on your own.”
Yugyeom spoke in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper, barely reaching my ears. His breath was weak against my skin.
“If you go through the gate leading to the restricted zone, it won’t collapse even if everything else does.”
After finishing his words, Yugyeom let out a shallow breath, his strength visibly draining away.
The weight pulling me down to the ground made me clench my teeth and barely hold on.
“I’ll never leave you behind…”
I tightened my grip on Yugyeom’s hand as we resumed walking.
“We’ll die together if we have to. So… snap out of it.”
The gate Yugyeom pointed towards drew closer with each step. His heartbeat, now faint, could be felt through every touch.
Even if our ending is a sad one, not today. I refuse to let that be the case. I won’t stand by and let the end be your death.
I pushed forward, almost frantically.
Behind us, the sound of crumbling concrete echoed loudly. Suddenly, my foot slipped.
Together with Yugyeom, we fell to the ground.
The gate was so close, yet we had no time to get up again.
In that moment, when the world seemed to be collapsing at an unbearably slow pace, I moved without hesitation.
From the start, my resolve had been the same.
I can’t let you die.
Your life is my breath.
The sound of concrete crashing down filled my ears. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around Yugyeom.
Crash!
The world shattered, and blinding light flooded in. I shut my eyes against the brightness.
* * *
‘…Why?’
Young Yugyeom asked, his voice small and uncertain.
We sat on a high ledge under the warm sunlight, overlooking a maze of alleyways below. The sun was gentle, and the breeze was soft.
I tilted my head towards the sky, closing my eyes against the bright rays.
‘Why do you keep coming to see me?’
He asked again, and I opened my eyes to meet his gaze. His eyes were fixed on me, unguarded and sincere.
Young Yugyeom blinked slowly, waiting for my answer.
Pale cheeks flushed with color, his face glowed beautifully in the sunlight.
Terrified that he might vanish in a fleeting moment, I couldn’t take my eyes off him, entranced by his presence.
‘…Because I like you.’
***
The sensation of falling from a great height jolted me awake. Returning to reality after such a deep dream always left me cold and uneasy.
For the first time since arriving in this world, I had a happy dream. Yet, that made it even more unsettling.
Blinding sunlight poured through my heavy eyelids, casting the same dazzling brightness I saw in my dream.
Slowly, I turned my head towards the window where the light streamed in.
“…Baek Cheon.”
Beyond the massive glass, an endless blue sea spread out before me. This had to be Baek Cheon’s island.
But how?
“Ugh!”
I winced sharply as I tried to move, my body wracked with sharp pain from head to toe.
Taking deep breaths, I tried to piece together what was happening, but the boundary between reality and the dream-world was too blurred for clarity.
Determined to uncover the truth, I carefully descended from the bed. Though my legs felt weak, I could walk.
The vast space I stood in wasn’t my usual bedroom. No, it seemed far too large—more like a hall or auditorium.
Walking toward the center of the room, I noticed a domed ceiling adorned with a stained-glass square at its center. Colors bled through in vibrant hues, casting patches of rainbow light across the floor.
“Welcome back.”
The voice echoed softly, filling the entire space. I turned toward the sound, heart racing with anticipation.
For a brief moment, hope flickered inside me.
The person I longed to see, the one who should be by my side. The one I needed most in this moment.
That fleeting hope shattered as I spotted the unfamiliar figure standing near the distant door.
“Angel?”
The unfamiliar Angel, different from the one I knew, stood there.
