Short

Beep, beep, beep… The alarm blared loudly. J carefully embraced the boy, putting as little force as possible into his arms. The boy, nestled in his embrace, coughed intermittently.

The smell of blood lingered. J gently stroked the boy's protruding backbone. The boy's body, leaning powerlessly against him, felt unnaturally light, and his heartbeat, though faint, was rapid, as if proving he was still alive.

'He's alive.'

I saved him. This child.

J reaffirmed the startling truth. Only then did his tense body relax. He sighed. The boy's body, which had just begun to stop coughing, flinched. It seemed the boy knew he had done something wrong. However, J didn't feel like getting angry. Thanks to this boy, he had barely come to his senses.

'Why die? You have to live till the end…'

Only then could he continue living with this stubborn, self-assertive, and highly active child. J sighed once more, a much longer sigh this time. The boy's bloodstained hand cautiously released its grip on J's collar. J pressed his cheek to the boy's crown and muttered.

"Does it hurt?"

"…"

"It must hurt… Why did you suddenly do that?"

As always, no answer came back. But as time passed, J could find answers in the boy's small reactions.

Clearly labored breaths and a trembling body. A boy who had learned to endure instead of saying he was in pain. J patted the boy's back. The warmth against his body was comforting.

"You can do anything… but don't scare me like that. Got it?"

"…"

"The doctors will be here soon. Just hang on a little longer."

"…"

The boy, who had been quietly listening, suddenly shook his head. Then, as if trying to escape the embrace, he began to push against J's chest. Startled, J grabbed the boy's arm.

"What is it? Why?"

"…"

"Don't you want to see the doctors?"

The response was ambiguous. It didn't seem like he particularly liked or disliked them. At times like this, it was best to ask a new question. After rolling his eyes for a moment, J rubbed his cheek against the boy's crown and playfully asked.

"Or do you just want to stay with me?"

The head beneath his cheek began to nod vigorously. It was such a clear reaction that it took J by surprise. He stared at the boy with a dumbfounded expression. Then a smile bloomed behind his mask. And that smile turned into laughter in an instant.

"Haha! Oh… really."

The boy started to wriggle as if trying to escape his arms. J hurriedly hugged the boy tighter and soothed him.

"Wait, wait. I'm not laughing at you. Really."

"…"

"…Ahem, ahem. Hold on."

J pulled out a bottle of opaque sky-blue liquid from his inventory. The liquid crawled around inside the bottle as if it had a life of its own. It was a piece of slime he had picked up after seeing hunters play with it. He thought it would be a good toy for a child, but it seemed to have found a new use.

J tore off a piece and threw it towards the door crack. The slime piece hit the crack with a squelch and slowly expanded, sealing the small gap completely. With it sticking like that, it would be hard for anyone to open the door.

'While I'm at it…'

He tore off another small piece and threw it at the CCTV camera on the ceiling. The piece wiggled and wrapped around the entire camera. J clapped his hands.

"Alright… Now no one can come in. Satisfied?"

"…"

"Honestly, you're such a handful."

His voice, sounding like he was scolding, was full of undeniable affection. The boy leaned in closer. Their upper bodies pressed together. Now, even the boy could probably feel J's heartbeat. J patted the boy's back and, without thinking, blurted out something he hadn't intended to say.

"…I'm going away for a while."

"…"

"Well, it might take a long time this time. I don't even know how long it'll be…"

A hand that could barely grasp anything clutched desperately at his shirt. J stared at the hand for a moment before asking.

"…Are you telling me not to go?"

The boy slowly nodded. How great it would be if he could. Honestly, J didn't want to go into the fray either. In the past, he would have entered immediately upon receiving orders. Without any judgment, just doing as they said. Without considering his own life. But the reason he was still here was…

J lifted his mask, which covered his entire face, a little. Though he still had a youthful look, a sharp jawline that signified he was now a grown man was revealed.

"Give me your hand."

"…"

He guided the hand gripping his shirt to his face. As soon as the fingers touched his bare skin, they flinched as if burned. J chuckled softly.

"Touch it properly."

"…"

"We promised, remember? I said I'd let you touch. Well, this is my face, not a mask…"

"…"

"Weren't you curious?"

At his gentle urging, the fingers that had been frozen in place cautiously brushed his cheek. J closed his eyes and quietly offered his face. The hesitation in the fingers melted away as they continued to move. The fingers that had slid down from his cheek to his chin stopped at his lower lip. J's lips curved slightly upward. He deliberately opened his mouth and asked.

"Why stop?"

"…"

The fingers, startled, jumped away from his lips. The cautious movement amused J, making it hard to hold back his playful side. After all, the reactions were interesting. J said teasingly.

"You're the first person to touch my face like this."

The fingers, which had been touching his face, suddenly stopped. J gently pressed his cheek against the palm of the boy's hand. Warmth met warmth. The human body heat was reassuring. It was proof of life. J's lips moved slightly.

"…I'll be back."

He knew it. The chances of returning were extremely low. The possibility of finding survivors inside was also slim. But he had to go. Everyone wanted him to. They wanted J to enter the mysterious rift and get rid of it.

Just like heroes always have. Because a hero is supposed to.

J agreed with their wishes. He had to save whoever he could. No reason was needed to save people. Since he himself thought so, no one could stop him.

'…Except for you.'

J looked at his one and only. The boy's face was slightly distorted. It seemed he might cry soon. How selfish it was to ask someone to wait for a person who might never return.

But still.

He allowed himself this small selfishness. Carefully, he revealed his heart.

"Will you wait for me?"

There was no answer. The boy withdrew his hand from J's cheek. Of course. It was understandable. Just as J was about to close his eyes.

"…"

The boy held out his pinky finger.

***

In truth, what happened in the West Sea rift is a blur. Even when he tries to recall, only short, fragmented scenes come to mind.

He remembered thinking the sight of pure white ashes falling like snow was beautiful, but before he could even finish that thought, seeing blood splatter onto the white ashes.

Killing monsters, finding parts of the bodies of hunters who had entered before, watching fellow hunters get torn apart by monsters, hearing the screams for help, the cries, the inhuman sounds, his dying aunt's last words…

Digging through piles of bodies to at least retrieve a limb, jamming a fang into the head of a basilisk only to be met with deathly silence…

'And then I woke up in the garbage dump.'

Cha Eui-jae sneered and tossed the bags he was holding into the garbage pile. He took off his plastic gloves and ran a hand through his stifling hair.

'They say if you're under too much stress, you erase parts of your memory. I guess that's what happened to me. It's just my own speculation. That place was hell.'

Yes, that place was a cauldron of life and death.

Drawing in countless lives and locking them up, leaving only one survivor…

After realizing that place was a cauldron of life and death, Cha Eui-jae stopped trying to piece together his fragmented memories. He just repeated the names and faces of those he couldn't save.

Even though Cha Eui-jae's body was outside, J seemed to remain in the cauldron of life and death. Digging through the corpses of his comrades, wandering the void, hoping for survivors. Remembering those he couldn't save.

Holding onto the determination and promise to save everyone. Alone.

'And now…'

He had finally escaped. From that cauldron.

Cha Eui-jae walked without hesitation. Warm orange light flickered from a hangover soup restaurant. In front of the firmly closed iron door stood something shiny. It was a welcome guest. Cha Eui-jae smiled brightly.

"Kkokko!"

"Bawk?"

The ceramic chicken turned at the sound of his voice. Carrying a box as big as a human head on its back, Kkokko jumped up and down in place.

"Baaawk!"

At the same time, the phone in Cha Eui-jae's apron pocket rang. It was a message. The sender was…

010-XXXX-XXXXX: Your order has arrived. Please check the attached file.

A Small Miracle Seo Min-gi.