The Returner

“ ……. ”

How long has it been since you've spoken?

When he regained consciousness, Christopher felt that the world around him had stopped. That doesn't mean, of course, that everything has stopped. The monitor is still showing footage from cameras all over the place, and it's still ringing through the ears.

But there was a silence that seemed to have stopped the world in between.

Reports don't come back.

There were no misconceptions about the battle. The busy hands are now limping and have no movement.

Yeah, I'm just watching.

People who are just staring at the screen, like everything in the world is there. And Christopher was one of them.

Christopher didn't blame the others, even though he had regained consciousness. They were the ones who stood at the forefront of humanity, and were obliged to control and support the current battle to the fullest extent.

One, what the hell are we supposed to support?

At some point, they rushed down into the audience. They didn't move on their own. When I came to my senses, there was nothing I could do except just look at it.

‘It's not a human fight. ’

And now the results were coming out.

It's not just because you're nervous that your breath won't leak out. Everyone is intuitive, that this battle is taking place.

It can't be stopped.

I couldn't stop it.

Barbach stood on the earth mistakenly, as if a messenger had come to the world.

‘You must have felt like this. ’

If the god who had washed the world away by the flood had come to the world and looked at man, how would the human being feel? To see the will of an absolute man turn into anger that he can't stop at all.

feeling of helplessness.

The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming Christopher.

‘It shouldn't be like this.... ’

He is not a man who fights in blood.

While those on the front are bleeding and suffering, we should not feel helpless just watching the human fingers or teasing. If there is one of them who hasn't given up, we must do everything in our power to support him.

I know.

I know...

How can I challenge him?

Barbacee was not something humanity could afford. What should the author do to make fun of them as they say they are mistaken even after everything they can do?

Christopher had no choice but to feel the power flowing through his body.

‘Even if I did this... ’

They weren't the only ones.

I fought alongside them in this world. How long has it been since I thought I could catch this war by watching them bravely rush towards the enemy...? Are you saying I should feel this despair?

Lee Hyuk slowly bowed his head in his eyes.

‘You've done enough. ’

No one could deny what Lee Hyuk had done. From the moment the gate opened, it is no exaggeration to say that he alone brought all humanity here. Christopher closed his eyes to Lee Hyuk, who lowered his head.

The last hope of humanity was lost.

* * *

“Until the end……. ”

Tears were filling Song Jung-soo's lap. I couldn't stop crying because I wanted to see Lee Hyuk sitting down again after trying hard.

We must fight.

Of course we should fight.

But if he was in that position, would he be able to fight like that?

It's not hard to say that you have to fight. However, it is not uncommon for him to take the lead and fight for everyone.

Moreover, since the existence of humanity, one person has never been given as much responsibility and burden as I have. As Song Ji-hyuk, who knew that there was always something bothering her behind Lee Hyuk's face, I couldn't look at him boldly now.

These tears are not tears that grieve humanity's defeat. These tears are dedicated to Lee Hyuk.

“I think that's it. ”

Song Jung-soo quietly nodded, listening to Yoon Young-min's helpless voice. Now there was really no element of reversal.

“Let's raise our heads. ”

Yoon Young-min's voice was resolute.

“We were just watching. Compared to those who went out and fought, they were just filling their seats. We don't deserve to be discouraged. ”

“… of course. ”

Yoon Young-min nodded.

“Let's raise our heads. It won't be told... but if the end of humanity is nothing more than the mourning of desperate people, then it must be heartbreaking. ”

He was right in the verse.

Song Jung-soo stared at the screen with a slight frown and straightened his back.

‘We did our best. ’

I did everything I could and burned my soul and body mercilessly. Regrettably, no. I did everything I could.

Song Jung-soo wiped her tears around her eyes and looked at Lee Hyuk quietly.

‘I made you suffer. ’

It's hard...

If I had known it would come to this, I would have allowed me to live a little, a little more comfortably. I left him with too much to live for... under the pretext of keeping humanity alive.

He's just strong. He was not responsible for the salvation of mankind. He fought and fought and now there was not a drop left, so he was dying.

‘When you get old, you get emotional. ’

After stealing the tears that made Song Jung-soo shed his eyes again, he opened his mouth.

“Well done.”

* * *

“… Mom. ”

I couldn't understand what the scene on the screen meant. Lee Ye-won's body was shaken like a thunderbolt when she saw Lee Hyuk slowly crouching, and Park Seon-deok gripped Lee Ye-won's hand so tightly that his blood wouldn't go through.

“Brother!"

Lee Ye-won's voice became higher and higher.

“Brother! Brother! Big brother!”

Lee Ye-won, who lost his mind, rushed towards the TV like crazy. But Park Seon-Duk couldn't stop her like that.

How can I stop him?

How do we stop it?

I can't help but hold myself together and not collapse, how can she stop Lee Ye-won?

Others didn't say anything either.

Lee Ye-won mistakenly covered all the screens, but no one blamed her. As a human being, if you're wearing a human scarf, you can't help but feel her sadness.

But in the end, it was Mother who dried her up, not someone else.

“Stop it, Yewon. ”

“Hey, Mom! Go, go, go! ”

“Stop... stop it. ”

Park Seon-Duk hugged Lee Ye-won.

“Don't cry. You should see him go. You should see how hard he's worked. ”

“… Mom. ”

“We have to take care of it. ”

Park Seon-Duk grabbed Lee Ye-won's shoulder tightly.

“We'll make sure you don't get lonely on your way. I've been alone for a lifetime, but I can't imagine how hard it would be for Ji-hyuk if we cried until that moment. So don't cry. ”

Park said in a trembling voice. However, Lee Ye-won did not stop her fever, and Park Seon-Duk hugged her like that.

‘Don't cry. ’

Lee Hyuk was always the one who thought of her first, even though he was always ticklish. It was Lee Hyuk who had just treated everyone in the world, but I never disobeyed or was angry with her.

Such a son.

Such a son is on his way to the end, how can he show tears?

He fought so fiercely until the end, but he couldn't show any tears of praise.

Park Seon-Duk bit his lower lip.

I wish I could have been with you.

I wish I could pat her on the back, but all she could do was talk to her son on the screen.

"How magnificent, my son. ’

And with that thought....

Eventually, an unbearable drop of tears flowed down the edge of her eyes.

* * *

“ ……. ”

Choi Jung-hoon's face was fixed like a statue.

Seeing Lee Hyuk motionless, his heart stopped as well.

‘Funny thing. ’

We spent a lot of time together.

What a great friendship you've made.

Sometimes I had a fever because of him, and sometimes I spent the night thinking that I wanted to beat him to death if I had the strength.

But now his heart was shaking with ideals when his family died. I can't even open my mouth.

‘Of course not.'

No, it's not.

You can't die like that.

The last gamble of Lee Ji-hyuk should not end like that. Even if he had been a horse that transcended man and drove the world to destruction... this was not the way.

“... This isn't it, damn it. ”

At some point, I was insulted from Choi Jung-hoon's mouth, not saying anything harsh.

The death of the hero who led the war against the Mage was unfortunate.

Not like this, not like this.

Even if you lose, Lee Hyuk has to die splendidly. Even if they win, they will look back and think of his name, so glamorous that they will lose heart.

Well... Such a sentimental death did not suit him.

“Get up!”

He also knew that what he was saying was merely a grudge.

But what are we supposed to do if we don't give it a try in this situation?

Pride, humiliation... What's the point of all this shit?

Don't die ugly?

Bullshit!

It's so ugly and persistent that it's never seen in history again, it makes me feel so ashamed to see it.

“Get the fuck up! ”

His voice cried out rather than shouting.

At this moment, it was harder to accept that he was going to die than the destruction of the world. Isn't he the one who woke up and surprised people at a time when he thought it was always impossible?

I will.

It will happen again.

He's not dead!

“Lee Lee Hyuk……. ”

Seo Ah-young grabbed Choi Jung-hoon approaching Lee Hyuk.

“Let go.”

“You can't go. ”

“Let go of me. Let go of me, before I kill you. ”

“... If you go, you can't go. ”

Choi Jung-hoon laughed helplessly.

You can't go?

How so?

Are you afraid you'll die?

We're all gonna die anyway.

We can't let him die alone at the last moment.

We're partners. We're friends. And we…….

“Let go.”

Choi Jung-hoon smiled.

“If we can't live together, we have to die together. That's our last courtesy to him. ”

Seo Ah-young's hand is weak.

She knew it, too.

It's time to choose the end, not the war.

Choi Jung-hoon started walking towards Lee Hyuk without speaking.