[So, until that is fixed, I can’t contact that friend. Because it’s such an abnormal state.]

“What is that…?”

Rude asked in bewilderment, but Sion Belfast shook his head.

It seemed he was saying that it was information difficult to tell Rude, who was an outsider.

Sion seemed to know that he himself was different from others, but Rude couldn’t figure it out.

Even searching through all the memories of living as Binnari, he couldn’t figure it out.

“No, but what does that have to do with getting rid of the gate? That’s not an abnormal state caused by the gate.”

At Rude’s words, Sion fiddled with the back of his neck. After a moment’s hesitation, he entered text into the terminal again.

[I only found out after getting a detailed examination at Gunshin, so I’m only now receiving treatment internally at Gunshin.]

When Sion explained that all abnormalities had to be removed for quick treatment of pre-existing conditions, Rude continued in a slightly trembling voice.

“When you’re all better, you’ll go back? Next to that friend? You’ll explain then? If that friend sees you again, will they really be happy?”

Rude spoke while hiding his slightly trembling hands behind his back. It was because of him.

It was because of what he said at the end that Sion could never return.

Even though he knew well that friend’s pure personality of believing everything he said. Even though he knew it was difficult not only for him, but also for Sion who had been with Binnari’s family.

‘What on earth did I say…?’

Rude hung his head low and tightly closed his eyes behind the sunglasses.

All sorts of emotions like regret, sadness, and self-blame rushed into him. The anger towards Sion had long since subsided.

He knew that Binnari was young at the time and not in her right mind.

But even so, the fact remained that they had hurt someone.

Even the fact that he had completely forgotten about it and thought of himself as a completely flawless victim.

It could be heard as ‘Will they really be happy to see you when they hated you so much?’, but the meaning of Rude’s words was different.

The very emotion that Binnari was feeling now.

It meant ‘Will they want to see you again even though you made such a mistake? They’ll be wracked with guilt?’

After a long silence, he turned his gaze to the void beyond the barbed wire.

[Even if I go back down, it will be difficult to improve my relationship with that friend.]

“Then why go back at all? You heard those words at the end. There’s no reason to return to someone who treated you like that. Isn’t it better to just live your own life? To someone who treated you like that.”

He had always been like that.

Pretending to be hurt by others, pretending the world was out to get him, pretending to be completely pure, but the fundamental part was always an unknown sense of guilt.

As if accepting that it was his fault that friends around him left and there was nothing he could do about it. As if preparing to accept that Kang Ihyeon might leave and there was nothing he could do about it.

Rude slightly raised his head and looked ahead.

Sion was looking at the terminal with a slight smile. From his terminal echoed the words Rude had always said to Kang Ihyeon.

[I know well that I’m a difficult person to handle. I now know that friend must have had a really hard time looking after me.]

“……”

[So for now, I’m going to try to handle myself first. And only after I’ve truly fixed all my faults will I go find them again. And if I apologize, maybe, just maybe, they’ll understand. We were 17 then, and now we’re 25.]

“…Why are you so kind? If it were me, I would never go back. I’d make them live forever not knowing what they did wrong. And I’d flaunt living well in front of them. Continuously, to make them suffer. You could choose an easier path, so why…?”

Rude, who just a few hours ago had thought ‘I’m going to forget that bastard Sion!’, was now telling Sion to forget him and live his life.

No, it was almost a plea.

He didn’t want to look back at what he had done to someone so good and kind.

He didn’t want to see his mistakes again, and he didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that the main culprit of this whole mess was actually Shin Binnari.

And he hated even himself for being so selfish until the end. Sound continued from Sion’s terminal.

[Because the one who misses the other more always loses. And I’m too used to losing now.]

“……”

Rude, hiding his irritated feelings, sighed heavily and just pressed his forehead.

He was so stubbornly upright that it was sickening. It was a headache that these fundamental parts didn’t change.

Whether it was because he himself was a person full of mistakes, he was lenient and understanding of others’ mistakes, that kind of…

[You seem to suddenly be in a bad mood, was my story a burden? I’m sorry.]

“No, that’s not it. Just. I don’t really understand why you’re telling me this, so don’t mind it.”

Sion blinked at the sudden excuse.

Come to think of it, that could be it. As if thinking that, Sion propped his chin once.

Then, as if embarrassed or even ashamed, he hurriedly entered text into the terminal.

[No. It’s just that listening to what you were saying reminded me of old times. What you’re saying is similar to that friend. So that’s why. I’m sorry.]

“No, no. It’s okay. I’m going to go to sleep, so you should sleep soon too. You said you’re leaving tomorrow right away.”

Hearing that, Rude waved his hand and left his seat. Sion opened his eyes wide and looked at him, then soon smiled awkwardly.

[Yes, thank you for today. Good night.]

Rude waved his hand a couple times and left the rooftop.

He felt sick to his stomach, like he was really going to vomit. The moment he opened the rooftop door and went inside, he found Kang Ihyeon sitting on the stairs.

Looking a bit tired, he was dozing off against the hallway wall in a loose t-shirt and cardigan.

“Hey, hey! What if you sleep here!”

“…Ah.”

When Rude shook him awake in surprise, Kang Ihyeon staggered and opened his eyes. He smiled and looked at Rude.

“I’m sorry. I fell asleep here…”

“Why were you here?”

“No, I couldn’t sleep at night so I thought I’d go to the rooftop, but it seemed like you and Sion were having a serious conversation. So I waited a bit thinking we could go down together, but… I’m sorry. Did I startle you?”

Suddenly, goosebumps rose on Rude’s back.

‘How much did he hear?’

If he found out that he had hurled abusive language at Sion and made him leave, how would Kang Ihyeon think of him?

A thought that came momentarily dominated his mind.

Maybe he would leave, saying he wasn’t as good a person as he thought and was disappointed to find out he wasn’t someone strong enough to admire and follow.

“I, it was quite noisy, huh.”

But since he couldn’t ask about it, he could only try to slip it in.

Kang Ihyeon shook his head and replied with his usual face.

“No. I didn’t listen for that long. I’m the one who startled you, like a stalker.”

“Ah, no! Um. Let’s go down for now. It’s cold here.”

“Yes, you go down first. I’ll button up my cardigan and finish coming down in a bit.”

“Ah yeah, it’s cold.”

Relieved that he hadn’t heard much, Rude nodded and went down the stairs.

When he had gone down about one floor, Kang Ihyeon’s gentle expression turned chilly. He saw the indirect message from his constellation.

“I know. I have to suppress bad emotions. But…”

He looked up. Beyond the closed iron door, Sion would be there. Kang Ihyeon clenched his fists tightly.

His nails dug into his palm, drawing blood, but the golden constellatory power soon healed it. He made a small sound through gritted teeth.

“What do I do when it’s annoying. Then.”

[This is the timeline separator]

In the crack of dawn, after barely falling asleep and waking up, Rude and Kang Ihyeon came down from the main building.

Having been unable to sleep for a few hours due to troubled thoughts, Rude yawned widely with an openly tired face and spoke in a hoarse voice.

“Why call people at the crack of dawn…”

“Did you stay up late last night? This is almost a ritual here, so participate.”

Lee Jisung and Sion Belfast were placing dried pollack or rice cakes that Kang Ihyeon had brought one by one on plastic plates in the school playground.

It looked like they were setting up a memorial service table, making Rude raise an eyebrow.

“What are you doing?”

“A rite, a rite. We always do this before handling a big gate. For a safe return.”

Still, Lee Jisung, who said Kang Ihyeon had tactfully brought various precious foods this time, finally poured alcohol into a paper cup and placed a pad with a picture of a pig’s head in front of it.

“What superstition. Of course it’ll go well.”

“Arthur, this is unexpectedly important. Failing to suppress a gate here is a big deal.”

Since the events taking place here receive relatively less attention than in the south, muttering that they have to believe in these superstitions, Lee Jisung spread out a straw mat.

Rude and Kang Ihyeon took off their shoes and stepped on it. Sion, who followed, explained.

[And there are really many people who passed away here when the gates first appeared. No one will remember them if not for us. They just think it’s a land with a lot of energy sources.]

“Yeah yeah, we’re praying for their souls. We’re sorry for using your land this way~ But we’ll do our best to make people at peace~ Please forgive us this once~ Something like that.”

Even if it wasn’t their fault, wouldn’t it be Korean sentiment to pray for the souls of those who died here, Lee Jisung muttered as he finally got on the mat.

After bowing twice on the spot, they did a final half-bow.

Rude and Hyeon placed the 10,000 won bills that Lee Jisung had crumpled and handed them in front of the pad.

Lee Jisung finally placed a 50,000 won bill in front of the pad and said,

“Please just let our kids come back safely this time, without getting hurt anywhere. We’re not asking for anything else. Please.”

Pouring alcohol around and finishing the simple rite, Sion, who saw that, tapped on the terminal.

[Then I’ll go get the real jeep now.]

“Ah Suho-ya, your medicine. Ah look at that expression, you forgot again, didn’t you.”

Sion’s eyes went wide as he said ah.

Lee Jisung clicked his tongue and shook his head, then took out white prescription medicines from his inventory and handed them to him.

“It’s 3 days’ worth. Come back before you run out.”

Sion just nodded, put the medicine in his inventory, and headed to the parking lot behind the school.

Lee Jisung stared intently at Rude, who was watching, and said,

“He has to take it once a day in the morning, so if the subjugation takes long, you guys take good care of it.”

“What medicine is it?”

“You don’t need to know that, got it? Just watch out for him because he keeps forgetting.”

Curious and concerned, but with no real excuse to pry further, Kang Ihyeon, who had been unusually quiet since yesterday, smiled and looked at the terminal.

“Ah, Suho says he’s ready. Let’s go now, Rude.”

“Ah, yeah…”

Rude and Kang Ihyeon headed to the back of the school, each holding their troubled hearts.

Believing that somehow, if only the gate was subjugated and they went down, this irritation would be resolved.