It was the kind of reaction soone might have when rembering their own na for the first ti in years.
Yohan instinctively felt sothing was wrong.
That doubt he’d had before fainting ca back in full force—was this really a human? Or just sothing pretending to be one?
He fumbled for balance on the floor, trying to crawl away, but before he could even stand, Lee Hyunmook grabbed him.
The crushing grip locked around his forearm like a press, and a scream burst out of Yohan’s throat.
“Aaagh! I-it hurts, it hurts! Mr. Lee Hyunmook!”
He thrashed, desperate to get away, but it was useless.
Hyunmook tossed him around like a ragdoll.
Wherever his hands gripped left deep, bruising pressure.
Yohan cried again—he’d always been the type to tear up easily, but since falling into the Abyss, he hadn’t had a mont without tears.
“P-please... please don’t kill ... please...”
His sobbing pleas didn’t seem to reach the madman’s ears.
He just kept poking and prodding, kneading Yohan’s body like a child manhandling a favorite toy.
A hand slipped under his clothes—groping his back and side. More bruises blood with every squeeze. His insides felt like they were going to burst, and all he could do was scream.
“Waaaarm...”
Hyunmook didn’t care that he was hurting soone. He just enjoyed it, like hugging a plush toy or holding a ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) hot pack against his chest.
Now he yanked Yohan into a crushing embrace, pushing his head against his chest so hard it ached, pressing his ear directly over Hyunmook’s pounding heartbeat.
“It’s... so loud...”
The muttered words slithered into Yohan’s ears like ice.
He trembled, but forced himself to think—to rember.
Three years ago. That’s when Lee Hyunmook went missing...
That ant Hyunmook had survived in this hell for three entire years.
Alone.
Wandering through this cursed place until he even forgot his own na.
The thought filled Yohan with overwhelming pity.
Soone like Lee Hyunmook should never have gone through sothing like this...
Even as his ribs creaked under the pressure, Yohan sohow managed to raise his arm. He wrapped it around Hyunmook’s head and pulled him in.
Hyunmook flinched.
Yohan stroked his back—half out of compassion, half out of sheer desperation to stop being crushed.
Every pat made Hyunmook jolt. Yohan flinched, too, reflexively—but he didn’t stop.
Gradually, the crushing pressure began to ease.
“Mr. Lee Hyunmook... you can’t kill , okay? I’m human...”
He whispered the words, afraid to provoke him.
Luckily, Hyunmook didn’t react violently.
“Human...”
“Yes. I’m human... and you’re human too, Mr. Lee Hyunmook.”
“Human... human...”
“That’s right. A person. You understand, right?”
Yohan kept whispering like he was soothing a scared child, gently patting Hyunmook’s back again and again.
Eventually, the strength in Hyunmook’s arms faded.
The suffocating pressure finally lifted.
* * *
Yohan must’ve passed out at so point, still holding the man who looked like Lee Hyunmook.
After two days of hiding in terror, without sleep or rest, the exhaustion had finally caught up with him.
He slept like a corpse until sothing deep and sharp in his belly—hunger—woke him.
“Mmgh...”
His body still ached and begged for more rest, but the hunger was too sharp to ignore.
He rubbed his eyes—and then bolted upright.
The lunatic—Hyunmook!
Just as the mory hit him, a voice spoke.
“You’re awake?”
“U-uh...”
Yohan stamred.
Now he realized why it had felt warm—there was a fire. A real campfire, crackling softly beside them.
And Lee Hyunmook... looked surprisingly normal.
He sat next to the fire with his hands stretched toward the warmth. His hair, once wild and tangled, had been combed neatly to one side.
“I borrowed your lighter from your pocket.
Thanks to you, I got to feel real heat again...”
He smiled faintly. That expression alone was worlds away from the madman Yohan had seen before.
Aside from the white hair, this was exactly the Lee Hyunmook Yohan had admired.
Yohan jumped to his feet, the sleeping bag he’d been wrapped in sliding off with a soft thud.
He fumbled, then asked hesitantly:
“Mr. Lee Hyunmook...?”
“It’s been a long ti since anyone’s called by that na...”
That slight smile on his face looked like a faded black-and-white photo—worn and ghostly.
His hair had been black once, before the Abyss turned it all white.
He glanced at Yohan briefly before returning his gaze to the fire. His eyes, dark and dull, didn’t even reflect the flas.
Yohan swallowed dryly.
“Are you... um... are you okay right now?”
“I’m sane. For now.
Heh... I wonder how many years it’s been since I’ve felt this clear.”
He stared into the fire, muttering absently.
The more Yohan watched him, the more nervous he got.
What if he went insane again, like before?
Yohan scrambled to keep the conversation going—anything to help Hyunmook stay lucid.
“Um! Are you hungry? Sh-should we eat?”
He rushed to his bag and pulled out a few precious ergency rations.
With the fire already burning, he set a small pot over the flas and poured in the last of his water.
While it boiled, Hyunmook simply watched him—silent, vacant.
Yohan tore open the ration packs, added the water, mixed in the seasoning, and stirred until the food was ready.
Then, with a nervous gulp, he handed one to Hyunmook.
“P-please enjoy.”
He even bowed slightly, stomach rumbling from hunger but still trying to be polite.
Only once he saw Hyunmook take a slow, chanical bite did he finally eat his own.
He wolfed his food down, but when he looked over, Hyunmook was still chewing his first bite—painfully slow, like a turtle.
...Is it that bad?
But as he watched, Yohan realized it wasn’t distaste—it was reverence.
Hyunmook was savoring the food.
For the first ti in who knew how long, he was eating like a person again.
Even his lifeless eyes seed to glimr faintly.
Yohan felt another wave of pity wash over him.
How long has it been since he had anything resembling a real al?
He waited patiently as Hyunmook slowly, thodically finished eating.
When he was done, Hyunmook finally spoke again.
“...What was your na again?”
“Yang Yohan!”
“Yohan, huh...”
The mont Hyunmook said his na, sothing inside Yohan trembled.
Of course—Yohan had been a fan of his for years.
Not in a hardcore way, just like everyone else—watching rift raid clips, interviews, and news features.
But still, Hyunmook had always been soone Yohan admired more than anyone.
Hyunmook had saved over a hundred people with his own hands—and countless more indirectly.
He was a true hero, admired by all.
“Thanks for the food.”
“I-it was nothing...”
Yohan replied sheepishly.
Hyunmook had saved his life.
Even if this was his last ration, it was the least he could offer.
...Though, in truth, part of him also desperately wanted to stay on Hyunmook’s good side—to stick with him in this terrifying world.
“I don’t know when I’ll lose my mind again.
So I’ll start by telling you the most important things.”
“Yes, Mr. Lee Hyunmook!”
Yohan responded brightly, and Hyunmook stared at him—like he was seeing sothing alien, sothing long forgotten.
Like a man who hadn’t seen another sentient being in centuries.
“The most important thing is...
when I’m not in my right mind, you need to stay close.
Very close.
The Abyss is... incredibly dangerous.
But I guess you already figured that out.”
“...I did.”
Yohan answered, his expression darkening.
He’d only seen one monster up close, but even the ones he glimpsed from afar were terrifying.
If Hyunmook hadn’t been there, he would’ve died long ago.
Hyunmook’s voice remained soft and low as he began explaining the Abyss in detail.
Yohan focused on every word, burning the information into his brain.
“I may be lucid now, but it won’t last. You understand why, right?”
Yohan swallowed hard and nodded.
Contamination.
“Even when I’m not myself...
I’ll still try to protect you.
So I need you to survive.
For as long as possible.
Months... maybe even years.
Just hold on.
Until I co back to my senses again.”
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