20XX Love Chapter 14.3 - 13. EXPLOSION

Overwhelmed by a sense of devastating resentment, Hwang Woohyun tightly embraced Seo Jungin. He held the slender body as if it might shatter.

“Why… why did you do that, you…!”

It was natural for the toxin levels to rise since he had become an Esper. He knew it, but because the alarm didn’t go off, he hadn’t realized. Rage boiled within him at the fact that he hadn’t even considered that Seo Jungin might have turned off his watch. Seo Jungin had clearly been amplifying the other kids until just before their transformations and intended to swallow a Detoxin capsule at the last moment.

“Jungin. Haa, Seo Jungin. Seo Jungin!”

Like a marionette with its strings cut, Seo Jungin swayed, held and shaken as Hwang Woohyun embraced him.

“Why did you do that? What were you trying to do? Were you trying to protect us until the very end and then die?!”

‘I was. I was… but what good is it now… Taeyong and Yikyung Hyung are dead too…’

Even while held in Hwang Woohyun’s embrace, Seo Jungin’s consciousness continued to plummet. Kim Yikyung, Jo Heechan, along with their bodies and minds tainted by Seo Jungin’s despair, were also sinking together.

However, this space-time wouldn’t even allow them the time to be consumed by despair. A pungent, bloody stench suddenly wafted through the air, and simultaneously, a familiar, dreadful roar filled the ward.

“Kuaaack! Kueek!”

As the Creepions, pouring out from the Bloodhole, sprinted down the hallway and swarmed, Choi Suhyuk, standing at the forefront, immediately laid down a flame field. The screams of the burning Creepions tore through the air. Kim Yikyung yelled that it wasn’t okay, but there was no other way besides Choi Suhyuk’s ability.

‘No. If the hallway is breached here…’

With everyone currently inside the hallway, if the Creepions surged in, K814 team would be trapped like rats in this place where every individual recovery room was filled with Creepions. To use a plasma attack, his toxin levels, which had reached their limit, needed the power of amplification, but Seo Jungin’s toxin levels were also high, and if he used his ability any further, he might transform.

“Quick! Kueeek!”

Before they knew it, Hwang Woohyun’s lightning field overlaid Choi Suhyuk’s flame field. But this alone wasn’t enough. Both of their powers had weakened without Kim Yikyung’s support, and at this rate, they wouldn’t be able to hold back the Creepions pouring from the hole. They would end up isolated and torn apart by the Creepions.

Just once.

If he could create just enough time for them to escape. If he could hit the hole with a plasma attack so they could flee to the rooftop.

Choi Suhyuk looked back at his team. Hwang Woohyun, his reliable friend who always protected his back, was still emitting dazzling lightning power behind him. He was a beautiful and strong figure, his blond hair fluttering, his blue eyes shining.

Jo Heechan, who had been shooting ice chains at the Creepions leaping over the field, was now firing ice spheres after being stopped by Kim Yikyung, who told him to conserve his ability. Jo Heechan, showering bright blue ice chunks that contrasted with his burning red hair, had always been the team’s cute youngest member, but when had he grown into such a wonderful man?

Kim Yikyung was firing the positron guns in both his hands while checking for injured members and looking around as if searching for an escape route. He was their eternal team leader, still trying to lead the team even though he was already dead and the countdown to his complete demise had begun.

‘And Jungin.’

Seo Jungin’s eyes, as he fired his gun, met Choi Suhyuk’s. Seo Jungin’s eyes widened when he saw Choi Suhyuk’s sadly downcast gaze.

“No…”

Seo Jungin realized in that moment what Choi Suhyuk was thinking. He was planning to gather his abilities for a plasma attack to subdue the hole. Since his toxin levels had already exceeded the critical point, he intended to make one final attack.

“Suhyuk, no!”

As Seo Jungin shouted and lunged towards Choi Suhyuk, a powerful force erupted from Choi Suhyuk’s hands. Overwhelmed by the terrifying power that seemed to crush the very space around them, the members were momentarily paralyzed.

Paaaat.

The central hall was completely enveloped in colorless, high-temperature energy, atomizing everything in its path. Even the roars were erased as the power spread beyond the Bloodhole and Obsidian Hole. The rainbow-colored halo emitted was Choi Suhyuk’s final burning ability. His last energy, his last life force.

“Choi Suhyuk, Ugh!”

Hwang Woohyun tried to grab Choi Suhyuk’s shoulder, but the powerful electromagnetic shock prevented him from even touching him.

“No, no.”

Seo Jungin also reached out, but the boundary of the insurmountable force prevented his hand from reaching Choi Suhyuk.

And when the oppressive force finally subsided, the Creepions that had filled the central hall were completely gone.

“Suhyuk Hyung, Hyuuuung…”

Simultaneously with Jo Heechan’s despondent murmur, Choi Suhyuk let his arms fall to his sides, coughed up a gush of red blood, and collapsed forward.

“Suhyuk!”

“Suhyuk!”

Kim Yikyung and Seo Jungin rushed to Choi Suhyuk and tried to turn over his crumpled body, but he wouldn’t budge.

“…Quickly…to the rooftop…”

A small voice escaped his lips, and Choi Suhyuk coughed up another mouthful of blood.

“Suhyuk! Are you okay? Hyung, heal him quickly!”

At Seo Jungin’s urgent cry, Kim Yikyung slipped his hand inside Choi Suhyuk’s uniform, only to be startled by his unbelievably high body temperature.

“Kgh, khhh, khhh…”

Choi Suhyuk trembled, letting out painful groans. Hearing those sounds, Kim Yikyung understood. Confusion and despair filled his eyes. This wasn’t a condition that could be healed. Choi Suhyuk’s body was burning with toxin power. The transformation had begun.

“Khhh… khhhh…”

Choi Suhyuk, still kneeling, clenched his fists, rubbed his forehead against the floor, then suddenly thrashed as if having a seizure, lying on his back and clutching his chest.

“Suhyuk. Ugh!”

Seo Jungin grabbed Choi Suhyuk’s hand, then flinched and recoiled, feeling as if he’d grasped a burning ember. Choi Suhyuk flung Seo Jungin’s hand away and writhed violently, scraping against the floor.

“Uh… uhh… khhh…”

The widget on his watch, painted black, flashed a silver light. A clearly marked number glowed brightly on it.

「100%」

“Hot… khhh…”

How long had he been feeling this pain? He must have been feeling this burning agony throughout his entire body for a while now. His blood must have been boiling. He must have been suppressing the pain, clenching his teeth, hiding his trembling hands.

Because they needed that power. Because he knew they couldn’t do without it.

And finally, he had poured out all his power. With the intention of dying. He had planned to die for the team.

“Uh, uhh, Uaaack!”

Choi Suhyuk began to scream. In agonizing pain that seemed to consume his entire being, Choi Suhyuk squeezed his eyes shut, clawing at himself and scratching at the floor.

“Sob, sob, Suhyuk, Su, Suhyuk.”

Seo Jungin’s tearful voice, choked with sobs, reached Choi Suhyuk, and his eyes snapped open. Flames seemed to erupt from his burning red eyes.

“Sob, sob, what, what do I do, Suhyuk, Su, Suhyuk.”

Seo Jungin couldn’t breathe. He instinctively knew that Choi Suhyuk’s burning eyes were different from before.

Those were the eyes of a transformed being. The eyes of a transformed being, filled with toxin power, ready to incinerate everything.

“Kgh! Go, go to the rooftop…”

“Sob!”

As Seo Jungin reached for Choi Suhyuk’s hand again, he violently shook it off and rolled over. He frantically searched his pocket and pulled out a capsule case.

“Suhyuk!”

But the capsule case failed to properly recognize the fingerprints on his heat-stricken fingers. As Choi Suhyuk mashed his thumb against the sensor, the capsule case ignited in his hand.

“Ah, no. Kgh!”

Seo Jungin’s heart tore apart as he watched Choi Suhyuk groan, holding the burning capsule case. He desperately rushed forward and grasped Choi Suhyuk’s burning hand. Thankfully, Seo Jungin’s body, imbued with flame ability, could withstand Choi Suhyuk’s scorching temperature.

“I’ll guide you. I can guide you!”

“Haa, khh, khhhh…”

Choi Suhyuk, his hand held by Seo Jungin, darted his fiery red eyes around wildly. His unfocused gaze finally landed on Kim Yikyung.

“Rooftop, quickly, khhh…”

“Alright. I understand, Suhyuk.”

“And, me, quickly, quickly…”

Kim Yikyung looked down at Choi Suhyuk with heavy eyes. He knew what Choi Suhyuk wanted without him saying it. Anyone could tell. He wanted to be killed before he transformed.

Seo Jungin, clutching Choi Suhyuk’s hand, squeezed his eyes shut and futilely focused on his guiding ability. Desperate, he tried to guide him. But it didn’t work. As if he didn’t know how to guide. As if the guiding ability had never existed in the first place. He couldn’t guide him at all, not even a little.

“Ah, no…ahh…”

“Khhh… khhh…”

Choi Suhyuk trembled and convulsed. Heat waves shimmered around his entire body. The flame-retardant uniform he wore began to wrinkle and melt.

Kim Yikyung signaled to Hwang Woohyun, who nodded and immediately slipped his hands under Seo Jungin’s armpits, pulling him away from Choi Suhyuk.

“Ah, l-let go of me. Let go of me!”

Seo Jungin tried to shake Hwang Woohyun off and lunge back towards Choi Suhyuk, but Hwang Woohyun held him tightly, preventing him from moving.

“Kgh, Kaaack! Quickly! Yikyung…”

Choi Suhyuk felt his last vestiges of sanity burning away. If he didn’t end his life now, he would transform. He would transform and burn his teammates, burn Seo Jungin, with his own hands.

Choi Suhyuk fumbled with his holster band. He intended to use his positron gun to end his own life. But whether he’d lost it during the fierce battle, he couldn’t find the gun no matter how much he searched.

Then, gasping, Choi Suhyuk immediately clutched at his chest, near his heart. He intended to burn his own heart. Everyone’s eyes widened in shock as flames erupted from Choi Suhyuk’s chest.

“Suhyuk!”

Simultaneously with Seo Jungin’s scream, Choi Suhyuk’s body was engulfed in flames.

“Kaaaaaaaa!”

Choi Suhyuk screamed a horrific, ear-splitting scream as he burned brightly within the flames. But even that didn’t end his life. It was too late. The transformation had already begun, and flames of the same nature couldn’t extinguish his life.

As intense heat radiated from Choi Suhyuk, Jo Heechan activated his chilling ability.

‘Hot… hot… hot… hot…’

Seo Jungin heard Choi Suhyuk’s voice. Even though Choi Suhyuk wasn’t speaking, he could hear his pained voice.

“Sob, no, let go. If I guide him, if I guide him…”

“Jungin, get a grip. Seo Jungin!”

‘Hot… hot… Seo Jungin…’

Seo Jungin’s heart began to pound wildly at Choi Suhyuk’s voice filling his mind. He struggled and thrashed, trying to break free from Hwang Woohyun’s hold.

‘Why is my body so hot… Jungin… I’m so hot I feel like I’m burning…’

“Suhyuk is, Suhyuk is calling me. He’s calling me right now!”

Watching Seo Jungin thrashing in panic and Choi Suhyuk convulsing, Kim Yikyung made a decision. He had to kill him now. He had to kill him before he fully transformed.

“Khhhh! Kaaaaaaaa!”

Choi Suhyuk’s hair melted and stuck to him grotesquely as his skin began to blacken and char. Crimson flames flickered within his gaping mouth. Wherever his fiery red gaze landed, flames ignited.

‘I’m so hot… I feel like I’m going to burn everything…’

“No. No, Suhyuk, Suhyuk! Let go!”

“Hyung! Hyung, the guiding isn’t working, sob, Hyung can’t guide him right now!”

Jo Heechan cried out, but Seo Jungin heard nothing. Only Choi Suhyuk’s voice reached him. Only Choi Suhyuk’s voice, groaning in lonely agony amidst the burning pain that filled his entire being, filled his mind.

“Let go, this, th-this… Ah, no! Yikyung Hyung, no!”

Seo Jungin’s eyes went wide as he saw Kim Yikyung draw his positron gun from his holster and approach Choi Suhyuk. Jo Heechan looked back and forth between Kim Yikyung and Choi Suhyuk, then squeezed his eyes shut.

Tears streamed down Jo Heechan’s cheeks. But he had to follow Kim Yikyung’s decision. He had no choice but to follow. It was the only way to ease Choi Suhyuk’s pain, the only way to end the suffering he would endure forever.

Jo Heechan reached out and enveloped Kim Yikyung in a shroud of cold air, helping him go and end Choi Suhyuk’s pain.

“No, I can guide him, no, absolutely not, don’t do it, don’t, don’t kill him!”

Seo Jungin thrashed and gasped, sobbing and struggling.

‘Please… please… kill me… quickly… otherwise…’

“Khhh… khhh… Kaaaaaaaa!”

A heart-wrenching scream, filled with agony, echoed through the air, then abruptly stopped as a particle beam fired from the gun in Kim Yikyung’s hand.

However, it wasn’t the end.

Choi Suhyuk’s eyes snapped open. The hellish flames that had engulfed him vanished instantly, replaced by waves of energy that made their hair stand on end. His crimson eyes, shimmering and boiling like a furnace, stared into space, then slowly turned towards Seo Jungin.

Kim Yikyung raised his positron gun again and fired a barrage of particle beams at Choi Suhyuk’s head. But the beams harmlessly dissipated as they approached Choi Suhyuk.

It was ionic bonding. A powerful electromagnetic field had formed around Choi Suhyuk, ionizing even the particle beams.

‘I’m going to burn everything.’

“Su… Suhyuk…”

Seo Jungin, his struggles ceasing, stared at Choi Suhyuk’s horrific form, stunned by the unbelievably gruesome sight.

Melted black remnants of Choi Suhyuk’s uniform clung to his body like the hide of some monstrous creature. Pus and blood oozed from his charred skin, and the stench of burning flesh filled the air.

‘I’m going to burn all of you to ashes.’

“Sob, Suhyuk…”

Seo Jungin felt as if he might go blind. Choi Suhyuk’s lips, which had kissed him so passionately, were mangled and melted, revealing his teeth in a terrifying grimace. The large, warm hands that had caressed and embraced him had become the blackened hands of a monster.

The gentle voice that had whispered, “I like you, I really like you.”

‘I’m going to burn you all to death and turn you into ashes.’

In that moment, Seo Jungin’s heart shattered. It broke into pieces, scattering like ashes in the wind. Choi Suhyuk had transformed. His body and mind… both.

He had become a monster.

Flames began to flicker around Choi Suhyuk. Kim Yikyung drew a dagger from his belt. He intended to stab Choi Suhyuk and inject him with poison before he could attack.

“Heechan!”

Protected by the chilling air that the quick-witted Jo Heechan had swiftly cast around him, Kim Yikyung lunged at Choi Suhyuk.

But Choi Suhyuk was faster. The moment Choi Suhyuk’s gaze shifted to Kim Yikyung, he instinctively threw himself to the ground and rolled. The flames that erupted where he had been standing a moment before demonstrated what would have happened if he hadn’t moved.

Kim Yikyung scrambled to his feet and shouted, “Everyone, to the emergency exit! Go to the rooftop!”

Choi Suhyuk’s gaze returned to Seo Jungin, focusing on the network of fiery nerve fibers spread throughout his body, invisible to others.

“Sob, sob, Su…”

“Jungin, we have to go, now!”

Seo Jungin’s feet seemed rooted to the spot, refusing to move. Hwang Woohyun scooped Seo Jungin into his arms and sprinted towards the emergency exit. Choi Suhyuk’s eyes followed them as they ran, circling to avoid the rift in spacetime in the central hall. Then, Choi Suhyuk’s hand slowly moved forward.

Just as a stream of fire was about to engulf their backs, Jo Heechan spun around and conjured an ice barrier.

Kwaang!

The ice barrier exploded upon contact with the flames, sending everyone tumbling to the ground. Without a moment’s respite, another torrent of fire erupted from Choi Suhyuk’s hand. Hwang Woohyun, with lightning speed, spun around, dropping to the ground as he activated his lightning ability to block the incoming flames.

As the intensely hot flames and the dazzling lightning clashed in midair, sparks flew in all directions, and the 5th-floor recovery room was instantly engulfed in flames.

“While I hold him off, everyone get out! Get to the rooftop!”

Hwang Woohyun, channeling his lightning power, slowly rose to his feet, using his knees for support against the force emanating from his fingertips. Beyond Hwang Woohyun’s broad back, which shielded them from the terrifying flames, sparks danced amidst the dazzling lightning.

Seo Jungin stared, transfixed, at Hwang Woohyun’s magnificent back, a sense of awe washing over him. He crawled towards him, reaching out a trembling hand towards his back. He intended to amplify him.

Kim Yikyung intercepted his hand.

“Don’t! Do you want to transform too?!”

“I’m still alright! I can still help! I can still help Woohyun.”

Hwang Woohyun, hearing Seo Jungin’s voice behind him, squeezed his eyes shut, his face contorting.

‘Jungin. You idiot. Please…’

Unable to look back, Hwang Woohyun tried to reason with Seo Jungin in a low voice.

“Jungin, conserve your ability. I’ll follow you, I’ll follow you out, so when I get up there, block the rooftop entrance. Use amplification on Heechan and block the entire emergency exit, understand? So go quickly. You have to go while I buy you time…!”

“No, I’ll stay by your side, I can help you, I can amplify your power.”

“Heechan, quickly, take Jungin and go. Go!”

“Ah, alright!”

Jo Heechan slipped his hands under Seo Jungin’s armpits and pulled him back, but Seo Jungin struggled violently, resisting.

“Wait! I have to help Woohyun, he can’t do it alone!”

Jo Heechan dragged Seo Jungin backwards, then simply scooped him up into his arms.

“Let go, Jo Heechan! Put me down!”

Kim Yikyung placed his hand on Hwang Woohyun’s back, which was crackling with electrical energy, and channeled his healing ability. As his hand made contact, he sensed the state of Hwang Woohyun’s body. Hwang Woohyun’s wristwatch, visible beneath his shadowed gaze, flashed as its widget edged towards black.

“…Come up. Stop with the useless thoughts.”

Kim Yikyung’s low voice from behind, clear even amidst the ear-splitting tinnitus and the throbbing headache, pierced Hwang Woohyun’s heart and lodged itself there. But Hwang Woohyun had no intention of doing so. They had just exchanged words of empty comfort.

“…Alright.”

Kim Yikyung’s warm hand left his back. Hwang Woohyun calmly gathered his remaining ability, weaving pulsations into the force of his lightning. The bolts of lightning intensified, reaching out further.

Now, he would be alone here. No, he would be with Choi Suhyuk. Yes. And with Nam Taeyong, drifting within this space.

“Put me down, Heechan, please…!”

Seo Jungin’s voice was growing fainter. He wanted to see Seo Jungin’s face one more time, but he couldn’t turn his head. The moment his focus wavered, he would be consumed by Choi Suhyuk’s flames.

He had to block him. He had to block him here until the very end. Choi Suhyuk’s transformed power was overwhelmingly stronger, and he, weakened by the toxins, wouldn’t be able to kill him. But he had to hold Choi Suhyuk back until the very last moment to buy everyone time to escape.

Hwang Woohyun felt the searing pain as every organ and nerve cell in his body was scorched and burned. The toxins were devouring him from the inside, like a ravenous monster.

“Cough… hack.”

Hwang Woohyun coughed, blood spilling from his lips. The explosive electrical power of his lightning began to surge uncontrollably.

Until the very end… before losing his mind…

Hwang Woohyun, barely maintaining the force of his outstretched lightning with one hand, pulled the case from his pocket and activated the fingerprint sensor. He was trying to retrieve a Detoxin capsule. As he took the capsule out and held it in his hand, glancing down at the case, he saw a neatly folded Polaroid picture of himself and Seo Jungin tucked inside the lid.

‘Ah. Jungin.’

Melancholy welled up in Hwang Woohyun’s eyes. He pulled out the photo and threw the case away. It instantly turned to ash and scattered amidst the swirling flames.

In the photograph, which he always kept close to his heart, Seo Jungin’s startled expression and his own soft smile remained, captured in the moment they faced the camera.

Jungin. There was so much I wanted to do with you after we got out of here. Seo Jungin’s startled expression and his own soft smile remained, captured in the moment they faced the camera.

I wanted to go to your house again for Christmas. You didn’t actually like wine, did you? You looked completely bewildered the whole time I was explaining it to you. So I was going to buy beer this Christmas. I still wanted to get you a little drunk, though.

Jungin. And you know, all the places you wanted to go. The mountains, the ocean, the fields, the lake shimmering under the starlight. I was going to take you to all of them.

But I can’t. I don’t think I can be with you anymore. Not from now on.

“Cough, hack.”

Amidst the agonizing headache, Hwang Woohyun coughed up more blood. As his lightning weakened, Choi Suhyuk’s flames surged, devouring the bolts of light. The scorching heat grew increasingly unbearable.

Hwang Woohyun brought the Detoxin capsule, clutched in his hand along with the photograph, to his lips. He felt his mind clouding over. He had to swallow the capsule before the toxins, consuming his rationality, caused him to crush it.

“Woohyun…!”

At the distant sound of Seo Jungin’s voice, Hwang Woohyun’s hand faltered. At that moment, a blast of Jo Heechan’s chilling air enveloped him. Particle beams from a positron gun flew towards them, dissipating near Choi Suhyuk’s body.

Unable to turn around, Hwang Woohyun gritted his teeth and shouted, “I told you to take Jungin and go!”

“Fuck, I was trying to…! He was punching and struggling so much, I even got a nosebleed! What was I supposed to do when he ran back while I was down?!”

Following Jo Heechan’s shout, Seo Jungin’s voice grew closer.

“I won’t leave you here alone. I won’t let you die like the others. I’ll fight with you!”

“Ha…”

Hwang Woohyun couldn’t bear it any longer. He couldn’t resist looking back at Seo Jungin. With an expression contorted by a mixture of anguish and heartbreak, Hwang Woohyun turned.

Seo Jungin was running towards him, tears streaming down his face. Seeing that face, overflowing with affection for him, Hwang Woohyun felt as if even the toxins flooding his body were being purified.

If only he could be embraced by him just once.

“Jungin…”

At that moment, an intensely hot force emitted by the transformed Choi Suhyuk engulfed Hwang Woohyun. A grey silhouette flashed momentarily, and then Hwang Woohyun’s body disintegrated into ash, scattering into the air.

A gust of wind from the flames blew the ashes onto Seo Jungin, covering him from head to toe.

“…!”

All Seo Jungin could see through his tear-filled eyes, veiled in white, was the transformed Choi Suhyuk, his body ablaze, flames flickering around him.

The beautiful man with blond hair and jewel-like blue eyes had become white ash, clinging to Seo Jungin’s body.

Something fluttered down from the air and landed in front of Seo Jungin.

What Seo Jungin saw, his soul shattered, was a Polaroid photograph, embers clinging to its edges.

It showed Hwang Woohyun, his face bearing a heartbreakingly gentle smile, slowly burning away.

💘

Seo Jungin regained consciousness hazily, draped over Kim Yikyung’s back. He could hear shouting, but he couldn’t understand the words.

He blinked, but his gritty, irritated eyes couldn’t focus. Realizing that it was because of Hwang Woohyun’s ashes, scattered everywhere, Seo Jungin stopped trying to open his eyes.

He wanted to close his eyes forever. He wanted to sleep eternally. He wanted to sink forever into unconsciousness.

He wanted to die.

Jo Heechan continuously created ice barriers to block the flames surging from behind, but every time Choi Suhyuk waved his hand, the barriers melted helplessly.

Kim Yikyung, crunching and stepping on shards of broken glass, reached the emergency exit door. Just as he was about to open it, a tremor-like shock knocked him and Seo Jungin to the ground.

Jo Heechan stumbled but managed to regain his balance and quickly helped Kim Yikyung and Seo Jungin to their feet.

“Are you okay?”

“Ha, my ankle… Heechan. Carry Jungin.”

There wasn’t even enough time for self-healing. He handed Seo Jungin over to Jo Heechan, immediately stood up, and threw open the emergency exit door. Kim Yikyung’s mind momentarily stopped, unable to process the scene before him. These were definitely the stairs they had run up before turning back for Hwang Woohyun…?

“Wh-what is this…?”

Kim Yikyung stared in disbelief at the pitch-black darkness that stretched before him.

“This… fuck.”

Jo Heechan cursed under his breath.

The 5th-floor ward had been isolated. The Separator had laid a spacetime trap. The entire 5th floor was trapped in spacetime, with no escape route.

He felt intense heat at his back. Turning around, he saw Choi Suhyuk, his eyes burning crimson, slowly approaching them from a distance. Kim Yikyung and Jo Heechan, frozen in place, stared back at Choi Suhyuk, unable to even step back. Finally, the moment had arrived.

The moment of annihilation.

“Ah, uh… uh, Hyung.”

“…Yeah. Heechan.”

“I don’t think I ever said it, so I’m saying it now… Hyung, you were truly the best team leader.”

“Yeah. I know.”

Jo Heechan chuckled and continued, “And Hyung, your dick is fucking huge.”

“Yeah. I can even duplicate it into two.”

“Crazy!”

“Jungin loves it to death.”

“Ha, fuck. I’m so jealous. Taeyong Hyung should have heard this.”

Both of them burst into laughter, their shoulders shaking.

“I wish I could have sucked Jungin Hyung’s dick at least once before I die.”

“That’s crossing the line.”

“I guess not?”

“Then you’re truly a bastard.”

They saw Choi Suhyuk slowly extending his hand. It seemed this was truly the end. Kim Yikyung thought it was bullshit that he had to die again after sending off four people, including himself. It felt like dying too many times.

“Even if we die, we should at least try until the very end, right?”

“Ha… I really hate the idea of burning to death, Hyung.”

“If you can bind Suhyuk with your ice, even for a moment, I’ll try to get close and inject him with the poison.”

“Is your ankle healed?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright… Fighting…”

What a depressing “fighting”.

Even as Kim Yikyung cautiously looked for an opportunity to move, he could feel Choi Suhyuk’s gaze fixed solely on Seo Jungin.

“That bastard, even in that state, only has eyes for Jungin.”

“What are we going to do about Jungin Hyung after we die? Ha… what do we do?”

If their final attack failed, only Seo Jungin would remain. Connected by their fire abilities, Choi Suhyuk wouldn’t try to kill Seo Jungin immediately. Instead, he would cling to him, attempting a painful union. They couldn’t allow that to happen.

What should they do? What could they do? Was there no way to survive? Was there nothing, anywhere? Was there truly no last chance for them to survive in this isolated space, severed from the spacetime continuum, with the Obsidian Hole and Bloodhole open in the central hall, the recovery rooms frozen solid?

“…”

Choi Suhyuk continued to stare at Seo Jungin. And Kim Yikyung stared at the emergency ladder. Jo Heechan, glancing at Kim Yikyung, who was looking elsewhere, asked curiously, “What are you looking at, Hyung?”

“Heechan.”

“Why?”

Why hadn’t he thought of it before? Why hadn’t he noticed?

“The emergency ladder…”

“Ladder? What about the ladder?”

“The emergency ladder to the rooftop.”

“Even if we open the ceiling hatch, we can’t get out, we’re isolated.”

“That’s not it…”

So natural that it blended into the background, unnoticed. Yet, once discovered, it sent chills down his spine with its incongruity.

The emergency ladder inside the 5th floor, seen but never used. Identical to the one at the rooftop entrance of the emergency exit, its presence inside the ward made no sense for patients in need of care.

“Heechan, that’s the nest, Heechan! That emergency ladder is the Separator’s nest!”

“Uh… uh… what?”

Jo Heechan stared blankly at Kim Yikyung. Kim Yikyung’s heart began to pound as if it would burst.

“Hey, they already installed a slide on the escape stairs, so logically, why would there be an emergency ladder inside the ward that elderly patients with limited mobility can’t even use? If that’s not an incongruity, what is? Run!”

At Kim Yikyung’s shout, Jo Heechan instinctively adjusted his grip on Seo Jungin and sprinted towards the emergency ladder. Choi Suhyuk slowly turned to follow them, flames flickering at his fingertips.

“Heechan! Ice barrier!”

Just as the heat reached their backs, Jo Heechan unleashed his ice ability towards Choi Suhyuk. At that moment, an exhilarating power surged from Seo Jungin on his back.

“Gasp…!”

The blast of cold air from Jo Heechan’s hands, scattering beautiful, snowflake-like fragments, formed a solid, strong ice barrier. Seo Jungin’s amplification had strengthened it. Jo Heechan continued to channel his chilling ability into the ice barrier, making it thicker and stronger.

Seo Jungin’s amplifying power, coursing through his entire being, sent a wave of pleasure through Jo Heechan from head to toe. He felt like he could cum right there.

“Holy shit, my dick is huge!”

“Jo Heechan…”

“Just wait until we get out of here, Hyung. I’m going to fuck you until you die!”

Seo Jungin’s arms, draped over Jo Heechan’s shoulders, tightened around his neck in a hug. Jo Heechan squeezed Seo Jungin’s ass. It was firm, even in this situation.

Hope surged within him, fueled by exhilaration. A true, genuine, final hope. The hope that they might actually escape from here.

Choi Suhyuk’s shadow loomed beyond the thick ice barrier. Meanwhile, Jo Heechan reached the emergency ladder and set Seo Jungin down. Kim Yikyung quickly caught him as he swayed unsteadily.

“Are you hurt? Are you in pain?”

“No, Hyung, I’m okay…”

Kim Yikyung slipped his hand inside Seo Jungin’s uniform and channeled his healing ability, checking his condition. His insides were a mess, ravaged by the toxins. Furthermore, the shock of witnessing his teammates die seemed to have worsened his condition.

“I’m okay. Hyung… I’m okay.”

“You really need to conserve your ability now. You’ll transform if you’re not careful.”

“I understand…”

Jo Heechan reached for the emergency ladder and asked, “Now what? Do we break it?”

“Wait!”

Just as Jo Heechan was about to touch the ladder, Kim Yikyung stopped him urgently.

“The ladder is a telepathic barrier. If you touch it, you’ll fall under an illusionary manipulation.”

“Ah, r-right…”

“Once you’re under a mental attack, you can’t distinguish between reality and illusion. You’ll be trapped in a horrifying illusion until you kill yourself.”

“…”

“Khhhh…”

A sinister groan echoed from behind the ice barrier. The heat radiating from Choi Suhyuk was rapidly melting it.

Seo Jungin stared at Choi Suhyuk for a moment, then quietly said, “I’ll do it… I’ll take the mental attack. I’ll try…”

It didn’t matter even if he didn’t wake up from the mental attack. Nam Taeyong, Kim Yikyung, and Hwang Woohyun were all dead. And Seungmin too. Seungmin died because of him.

“I think I can do it…”

Kim Yikyung knew exactly what Seo Jungin was thinking. He was doing this because he didn’t care if he died. Even now, Seo Jungin was on the verge of swallowing a capsule. If he suffered a mental attack, he would kill himself immediately within the illusion. That would be a meaningless death.

“I know what you’re thinking, Jungin. Seo Jungin. Don’t you see us? Can’t you see us?”

Seo Jungin stared blankly at Kim Yikyung. At Kim Yikyung, counting down his replicated 24 hours.

“Yes, I’ll disappear eventually anyway… but Jungin, Heechan is still alive.”

Seo Jungin’s gaze shifted to Jo Heechan.

Red, curly hair. Upturned eyes, like a cat’s, with dark circles underneath, turning soft and puppy-like with the slightest kindness. Jo Heechan, always making jokes, with sparkling black eyes.

“Hyung, I like you.”

Jo Heechan, constantly confessing out of the blue.

Seo Jungin stared blankly for a moment at Jo Heechan, his face now puppy-like, his eyes filled with a pleading look. Then, his apathetic expression crumbled.

“I’m the only one left. Everyone’s dead, and I’m the only one left. Hyung, you have to protect me. You have to protect me until the end.”

“Sob, sob, sob.”

“Are you going to lose me too? I’ll die without Hyung… Do I have to die here like this too?”

“Sob, sob, no, sob, no, no, no. Sob, sob.”

Jo Heechan threw his arms around Seo Jungin. Seo Jungin hugged him tightly, stroking his bright red hair.

He couldn’t lose Jo Heechan. His precious team. He had lost everyone, and only this one person remained. He absolutely couldn’t lose this last remaining member.

“Hyung, promise me you’ll protect me no matter what. Promise me you won’t have any useless thoughts.”

“I’ll protect you no matter what. I won’t have any useless thoughts… I promise.”

“Tell me you won’t give up on me.”

“Sob, sob, I won’t give up on you. I’ll never give up on you.”

“Tell me you like me.”

“I like you, Heechan… I like you.”

“Tell me we’ll have sex when we get out.”

“I’ll… sob, sob, sob…”

Seo Jungin wrapped his arms around Jo Heechan’s neck as he burrowed further into his embrace. Jo Heechan fumbled with Seo Jungin’s uniform zipper, subtly pulling it down, and whispered, “You’re not saying it. But we’ll still do it. Is it okay if we have bareback sex like we did before, even after we get out of here?”

“Sob, sob.”

“Is it okay if I keep cumming inside you?”

“…Sob.”

“I really want to suck your nipples right now. Can I suck them just once?”

“…Sob.”

“Just once. Okay?”

“Sob, sob, waaa…”

Kim Yikyung looked down at Jo Heechan, who was spouting nonsense that made it impossible to decide whether to laugh, cry, or smack him, then abruptly stood up. He had broken free from a mental attack before, so he could do it again. Besides, even if he didn’t wake up from the illusionary manipulation, he was merely a replica, a body that would dissipate after 24 hours anyway.

If Seo Jungin was to avoid collapsing, he needed Jo Heechan. To protect Jo Heechan, Seo Jungin would hold himself together until the very end. He was a responsible kid.

Seeing Kim Yikyung approach the ladder, both Jo Heechan and Seo Jungin’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Ah, wait…!”

“Uh, Hyung…!”

Kim Yikyung took a deep breath and reached for the emergency ladder.