五月天激情片

I sat on a grassy hill overlooking the city. The once ghost-like city was now teeming with life. Children were running on the streets, the scent of grilled meat filled the air, and the chattering floating around was full of hope.

The city’s residents were enjoying their lives and thankful for everything.

“Yeah, don’t rush too much,” I replied.

The number of people successfully evacuated was exactly 7,517. That number was far greater than what I initially expected and the Jin Sahyuk from that world only took one year to grow up to twenty years old.

One year didn’t sound like a lot, but they had to survive an entire year in that desolate and ravaged world.

“What about Kim Chundong…?” I carefully asked after failing to suppress my curiosity.

The smile on Jin Sahyuk’s face disappeared as she looked at me and replied, “… He’s dead.”

“Dead? Who did you hear that from?”

“I met him three months ago through the mirror.”

Jin Sahyuk sighed and looked at the sky with teary eyes.

“I apologized… but he said there was no need… In fact, he even thanked me. He thanked me for giving him a reason to live his meaningless life.”

“…”

A reason to live his meaningless life… Those words struck me even though I had never met Kim Chundong nor was I familiar with who he was…

“Thanks,” Jin Sahyuk said out of the blue.

I doubted my ears for a moment. I never expected to hear those words from her.

I stood flabbergasted for a good minute before I finally muttered, “Huh…? Y-Y-Yeah… No, well, I should be the thankful one.”

“Okay, you should go down then. Your friends must be waiting for you.”

“Yeah…”

I stood up, but Jin Sahyuk remained seated as she continued to look at the city.

“I’m going now…”

“Sure.”

I descended the hill and the city appeared in front of me. The new city was glistening under the sun.

The Pharmacy Club members were interacting with the citizens. Yoo Yeonha was teaching the Korean alphabet to the children, Kim Suho was explaining modern contraptions and technologies to the adults, and Yi Yeonghan and Shin Jonghak were helping a bunch of youth with earthwork construction.

“Kim Hajin!”

I was ambushed from behind, but I easily carried her on my back.

“Hey, where were you? I was looking for you,” Chae Nayun asked while sticking her head over my shoulder.

“I was just taking a look around the city,” I replied.

“Taking a look? Well… I guess this place has quite the views.”

I smiled and nodded. Then I looked at the streets and appreciated this place teeming with life. The atmosphere was filled with warmth and made me feel warm to my deepest core.

“Hey, Hajin…” Chae Nayun said with a smile while looking at the same place I was. She asked, “What should we do from now on?”

Her realistic question dragged me back to earth. However, I didn’t have to think for long.

I gave a short, yet concise response, “What else? We need to graduate first.”

***

On top of a dead tree hidden behind overgrown branches.

“Boss, is it all good now?”

Boss didn’t respond to Jain’s question and continued to observe Kim Hajin and the children down in the city.

“Well, do you have anything else you want to say?” Jain asked.

Boss shook her head and finally replied, “No…”

She was currently thinking of the Chameleon Troupe’s unity.

“Don’t tell me you’re still thinking that you’re still indebted? Boss, we’re criminals. We’re not called the Righteous Troupe, right? You shouldn’t think of repaying your debts.”

“I know.”

Boss was resolved to live a life that was no different from hell on earth. That was why she was living such a life.

“Then what?”

“…”

Boss looked down without saying anything.

Jain shot lasers out of her eyes and glared at her.

“Alright… I’m fine now, so let’s go…” Boss shook her head after getting tired of those eyes.

“Yes, that’s how it should be. We still have a lot of stealing to do. Follow me,” Jain said.

Khalifa opened a portal.

“…”

Boss looked back one last time. She looked back at the child who was born among the corpses she piled up.

“If you’re a hero…”

‘I thought you would become someone like me if I spared you… Hell was what greeted you after you were born, so I thought you would become the same type of a person and I was creating another orphan like me.’

Ironically, her expectations were way off the mark.

“… It seems I was wrong,” Boss muttered before she disappeared into the darkness.

***

Kwaaachiiiik!

Chae Nayun swung her mana greatsword, which was much larger than a normal sword. It cut through everything in its path.

That single attack laid waste to everything a few hundred meters in front of her and hundreds of monsters were obliterated.

One was bound to leave their back exposed after delivering such an attack, but Chae Nayun wasn’t worried about her back.

A monster that sneaked behind her extended its claws, but it wasn’t able to lay a finger on her.

Shwaaa!

Only a splatter could be heard as a bullet shot from afar killed the monster behind Chae Nayun.

“Hey, where are you shooting from?” Chae Nayun asked into her earphone after pulling back her sword.

— Somewhere a bit far from where you are.

“Hmph…” she frowned and scoffed before suddenly talking about something entirely unrelated. “Hey, why did you watch a movie without me?”

— Is that important right now…? Also, you can’t stand horror movies, right?

“I can if I watch it with you!”

— Do you want to destroy the cinema?

“I won’t destroy it…” Chae Nayun grumbled in response.

Then someone shouted at her, “Nayun! I told you not to lower your guard!”

It was Chae Jinyoon.

“Hold your sword!” he shouted.

Chae Nayun flinched, but simply nodded and replied, “Yes. Yes, I will.”

They were now in their third year and taking their guild internship. Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin applied to Essence of the Straits.

Of course, both of them easily passed.

Chae Nayun had no problems entering as she was one of the top cadets, but Kim Hajin’s acceptance stirred quite a controversy as he wasn’t even in the top one hundred cadets.

There were a lot of rumors flying around that he only made it in because of Chae Nayun or that he was a gigolo etc.

Thanks to that, an Anti Kim Hajin Group was even created.

… Actually, the founder of the group was none other than Kim Hajin himself. He did it out of his stubbornness to earn a sliver bit more SP.

He did all that because he knew that he had to become stronger to stay with Chae Nayun.

“Haa… I’m so tired…”

The battle finally ended. It was an eighteen hour marathon and Chae Nayun was exhausted to the point that she fell on her butt.

“Are you alright?”

A familiar voice instantly washed her fatigue away. The tip of her mouth curled up, but she tried her best to pout and sulk instead.

“Yeah, but you won’t know since you’re just staying still and flicking your finger, right?”

“I can’t do anything about that.”

Kim Hajin sat in front of her and hugged her before she could even say anything. He infused his stigma into her and she was taken by surprise.

She could feel herself recovering dramatically. The recovery wasn’t because of the mana, but Kim Hajin himself.

“Are you better now?” he asked.

“… Yeah,” she covered her blushing face and replied.

She looked around and realized that they were at the foot of the mountain. She never realized where she was as they busily fought. Thanks to that, they were all alone now.

Chae Nayun licked her lips as sensual thoughts flooded her mind.

As she unbuttoned her outerwear, he suddenly pointed somewhere and said, “Look over there. The sun is coming up.”

“… Huh? Oh, you’re right.”

They mobilized in the morning, but it was now morning again.

Chae Nayun looked at the sunrise on the horizon. The morning sun was rising and illuminating their surroundings.

That light filled her heart.

“… Hey, Kim Hajin.”

Happiness welled up like a wave inside of her.

There were many things they could do together. They were happy together. They could dream the same dreams together and they could love each other.

All of this sent shivers throughout her body.

“Yeah…?”

“I love you.”

Her emotions made her blurt out a confession.

Kim Hajin tilted his head in confusion before he smiled and replied, “What an amazing coincidence. I love you too.”

Chae Nayun blushed, but then brazenly took off her outerwear.

“Let’s get up now.”

On the other hand, Kim Hajin pulled her hand and she was forced to her feet.

“Let’s go. They must be waiting for us,” he said.

“Huh…? Ah… Sure…” she mumbled in response.

She thought it was a bummer, but she could try again at a later date and decided to brush it off for now. However, she couldn’t help but sulk and pout.

They descended the mountain.

The scenery in front of them was brightly illuminated by the morning sun. They took their time to admire it as they walked slowly.

The world looked wonderful.

Chae Nayun stopped pouting and immediately regained her bright, beautiful smile.

“Ah! There they are! Hey, Chae Nayun! Kim Hajin! What were you guys doing?!”

They could see their friends in the distance waving at them. Both of them smiled as they walked towards them.

All of them enjoyed the scenery together. The sound of nature’s creatures crying in between the trees could be heard.

The world was no longer just a novel and embraced them.

***

The sunlight entering through the gap in the curtain woke me up. I squinted and saw Chae Nayun.

She was grinning while staring at me.

“Hehe. Kim Hajin is awake,” she said.

I nodded before I pinched her cheeks and asked, “When did you get up?”

“I sink avout thwo hors aghoo? You look sho acute slheeping, Kim Hajin.”

She couldn’t pronounce her words properly as I was pinching her cheeks. I found that extremely adorable.

I snickered while pinching her cheeks and got up. The blanket covering us flowed down the bed and the sun shining brightly on us made me cough in embarrassment.

“Ah, what was our intern schedule again?” Chae Nayun asked while rolling on the bed.

I dressed up first and checked my smartwatch.

“We have a theory review.”

“Ah… Theory again… that’s going to drive me crazy one day…” Chae Nayun covered her face.

I covered her with the blanket instead.

“Ah~ Ah~ Ah~”

“Just hurry up and get dressed.”

“You undressed me, so you should dress me up.”

“…”

I ignored her and went to the kitchen. I was preparing a simple breakfast when Chae Nayun walked into the kitchen wearing my dress shirt.

We ate together before preparing to go to work. We washed up, got dressed, and hopped into our car.

“Yawn…! Let’s go!”

It was quite bright outside and the road looked brighter than it usually did.

[Self-driving to Essence of the Straits will now commence.]

The car drove itself, so I removed my hands from the steering wheel and held Chae Nayun’s hand. We locked our fingers together as we enjoyed the scenery passing by us.

This world’s scenery and that world’s scenery started to blend. They had the same name, but they were two completely different Seoul.

I would remember that world from time to time. The world where I could spend time with my mother, father, and friends.

This longing and lingering regret would definitely last forever inside me.

Did I abandon them in the end? But this world was no longer just a novel. This world had become precious to me and this person was the most precious person to me who made it that way.

“Kim Hajin,” Chae Nayun called my name in a stiff voice.

“Hmm?” I muttered in response and looked at her. I was quite shocked.

She was looking at me with trembling eyes as I caressed her cheek and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Huh? No… Just that… your expression just now… are you alright?”

It seemed that I was too immersed in my thoughts and it showed in my expression. I simply smiled and started playing with her earlobe.

“I’m alright,” I said.

However, she still looked nervous.

“I’m extremely content,” I added. “You don’t have to worry about it. I’m already content with what I have now. No, if it was possible… I would like to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Tsk… You scared me… Why would you put on such a scary expression?”

“Scary? Who? Me?”

“Yeah, you did. Just now.”

“Oh, my bad.”

Just like you said last time, I can’t live without you anymore.

“Ah, forget about it. Hey, Kim Hajin. Help me out a bit with that theory thing later. You know, give me something that anyone can present simply by memorizing it. I don’t want to embarrass myself during theory review…”

I started my day with you, and I hope you’ll be by my side together, forevermore.