Chapter 137: Chapter 137

“Sniff, sorry. Just a moment…. Wh-what is it?”

Gaeul rubbed her eyes roughly with her sleeve and then inspected the coat. Although her body trembled occasionally, as if she was trying to hold back tears, she seemed much calmer.

Uijae lightly tapped the surface of the coat with his fingertips. Their eyes met, and he silently mouthed a few words.

“Fragment, Lee Sayoung.”

“…Ah, gasp!”

Gaeul’s eyes widened in surprise. She hurriedly stood up and asked, somewhat flustered.

“Could you spread it out a little more?”

“Hold on a second.”

Uijae stood up, spread the coat wide open like laying out a blanket, and squatted down in front of it. Upon closer inspection, the coat was in even worse condition than it appeared at first glance. Scratches and tears were scattered all over it, and the left sleeve was more worn than the right.

But what he could be sure of…

Uijae glanced back. Lee Sayoung was standing behind him, narrowing his eyes as he stared down at the coat.

‘It looks like the coat Sayoung was wearing in the fragment…’

In the fragment, Lee Sayoung was wearing a black leather coat that reached his knees. The design and size were both similar. Uijae, who was taller than the average man, found the coat slightly loose on him, suggesting a close match.

Gaeul, who had been sitting close to the wall to avoid disturbing Uijae’s work, leaned in curiously.

“Hmm, J’s guess seems right… but.”

Gaeul looked at Uijae, then glanced over at Sayoung behind him. She mouthed the words:

‘But he’s right here.’

Uijae gave a small nod.

Yes, the Lee Sayoung he knew had been brought here by the system and was standing right next to them. But…

Uijae bit down on the inside of his cheek. The black coat Gaeul had been covering herself with was definitely the one Sayoung had worn in the fragment. And the owner of the Basilisk’s Fang, which Uijae had picked up in the West Sea Rift, might also be that version of Lee Sayoung.

The ruined world was eerily familiar. Just like the West Sea Rift.

Could it be that ‘he’ was here too? If the West Sea Rift and this world were connected…

Uijae asked quietly.

“Do you remember who gave you this?”

“Huh? I don’t remember getting anything like this…”

Gaeul answered with a puzzled look. Sayoung chimed in from beside her.

“You were wearing it, weren’t you?”

“Huh? Me?”

“You looked like a bug in a cocoon.”

“Sayoung…”

“What…?”

Sayoung shrugged. Gaeul fidgeted with the coat, tilting her head and murmured softly.

“Was I alone, by any chance?”

“Yes, you were lying down, wrapped in the coat by yourself.”

“…I didn’t receive it, but I think I might know who left it. Though I’m not sure.”

Who. Uijae frowned slightly. When Gaeul called for help…

“Gaeul, when you appeared in my dream, you said there was nothing here, right?”

“Yes, I wasn’t lying! There was really nothing here, I swear. But…”

“Then explain it properly.”

Sayoung’s cold voice cut through the air. He stood with his arms crossed, glaring at Gaeul.

“You probably know more than we do.”

Gaeul, who had been stumbling over her words, lowered her head deeply.

“…Right, I’m sorry.”

“Hey, Gaeul’s probably just as shaken up as we are. She was here alone…. Give her some time to calm down.”

“Oh, right…”

Sayoung smirked.

“It’s just that you two kept whispering about things only you understand…, it was kind of annoying. Sorry, okay?”

Uijae punched Sayoung lightly on the thigh, not hard enough to hurt. Sayoung leaned down and whispered in his ear.

“You sure have a lot of secrets, don’t you, hyung?”

“……”

“Well… I trust you’ll tell me everything soon.”

One long finger brushed lightly against the back of Uijae’s neck like pressing a piano key, then slid up to rub against the shell of his ear, hidden in his hair. The tickling warmth sent chills down his spine. Uijae grabbed his ear and clenched his teeth.

‘This guy… now that he knows his venom doesn’t affect me, he just goes for it.’

A low chuckle tickled his ear. Sayoung tilted his head toward Gaeul.

“Go ahead. Explain, in as much detail as you can. Including whatever you two were whispering about.”

“……”

“The person who dragged me here didn’t bother to explain much….”

The finger that had pulled away returned, teasing the back of Uijae’s neck. Uijae shuddered slightly.

“I really don’t know anything.”

Gaeul’s anxious eyes turned to Uijae. She seemed to be asking, ‘Did you bring me here?’ Uijae lowered his head. He hadn’t meant to, but that’s how it turned out. And…

‘Damn it.’

Uijae rubbed his lips with the back of his hand and responded.

“Yeah, we need to understand the situation. It’d help if you could tell us everything, from the moment you arrived. Slowly… bit by bit.”

As if to praise him, Sayoung’s finger lightly scratched the back of his neck again. The strange mix of warmth and discomfort made Uijae stumble over his words, but luckily, Gaeul seemed lost in thought as she lowered her gaze.

“When I came to, I was already here. I walked for what felt like forever, but there was nothing. It was so quiet… everything was ruined and broken, I felt like I was the only one alive. Not even monsters showed up, and it reminded me of the fragments I’d seen, which made me anxious. I missed my mom, my friends… it was like that.”

Gaeul sniffled and continued quickly.

“I didn’t know why I was here or how to get back. But I couldn’t just stay here forever. That’s when I thought about contacting J or Jung Bin. Since I can see fragments through dreams, I figured if I just found the right path…”

“So that’s why you came to my dream.”

“Yes. I didn’t actually think it would work. I couldn’t even find the path to Jung Bin’s dream…”

“……”

“After I found J’s dream… I just kept walking. I thought maybe I’d find something. Oh, I know you’re supposed to stay put when you’re lost, but…”

She fidgeted with her fingers and mumbled.

“If I didn’t keep moving, I felt like I’d lose my mind….”

I know.

Cha Uijae knew all too well the terror of absolute silence after all life had perished. No one knew it better than he did.

When your own heartbeat and breathing are the only sounds in your ears. When no matter how much you shout, there’s no response. When even your heightened senses fail to pick up any trace of life. That creeping sense of powerlessness. Loneliness.

Isolation.

“I know.”

“……”

“You did well.”

He could offer comfort sincerely because he understood. Sayoung’s hand, which had been on the back of his neck, moved through his hair, gently stroking.

Uijae didn’t push the hand away. He simply welcomed the warmth. Gaeul bit her lip, as if holding back tears again, but this time she didn’t break down completely. Instead, she wiped her eyes roughly and continued.

“I kept walking until my legs started to hurt. So, I looked for a place to sit.”

Crunch, crunch, crunch…. The sound of her footsteps slowed as she kicked at the ground beneath the ashes. Her breath became labored, although she wasn’t particularly hungry, her legs felt as if they were going to snap. Gaeul kicked at the ground in frustration, scattering ashes into the air.

“If I’d known it’d be like this, I would’ve worn sweatpants… seriously…”

She muttered aloud, speaking the thoughts she usually kept to herself, just to feel a little less alone.

I wish I could find something. Anything. Even a monster corpse would be better than this. But then, she shook her head violently. What a horrible thought! Finally, she stopped walking. Her legs hurt too much to take another step. Gaeul clenched her school uniform skirt tightly, her hands slick with cold sweat.

There were no sounds of rustling grass, no wind shaking the leaves, no murmurs of people.

The end of the world was silent.

Cold sweat trickled down her temples, and her face turned pale. Her body began trembling uncontrollably.

“I’m so scared… damn it….”

There was no answer. And that made it even more terrifying.

Then, suddenly.

Thump, thump…. Her sharp ears caught the sound of footsteps. Gaeul’s head shot up, and she whipped around to look for the source. But the presence disappeared just as quickly as it had come. Silence settled again. Had she finally gone mad? Was she hearing things? Gaeul scratched her ear nervously.

Thump, thump, thump….

The footsteps returned, growing closer. For real this time? Gaeul turned toward the sound, her body tensing.

“……”

“…Gasp.”

Gaeul held her breath. In the midst of the white ruins stood something tall and black. Normally, she would have run away immediately, but after wandering alone for so long, fear no longer had a hold on

her.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a person. Dressed in a black cloak, their figure was hard to discern. The black fabric fluttered. Gaeul asked cautiously.

“…Are… are you human?”

“……”

Beneath the deep hood, a pale, sharp chin emerged. Dry, cracked lips moved.

“Follow me.”

The voice was hoarse, as if they hadn’t spoken for a long time.