Short

"Yes, Hyung."

It was a soft, soothing voice. Even as he rubbed his cheek against Cha Eui-jae's hand, Lee Sa-young's eyes were fixed on him. In Lee Sa-young's dark pupils, J's black mask was reflected perfectly. Lee Sa-young, who had been gazing at Cha Eui-jae in silence, sealed the moment with a gentle voice.

"It's me."

"… Is it really you?"

Cha Eui-jae stuttered. For the first words he managed to get out, they were pitiful. Lee Sa-young blinked and then smiled.

"Yeah, I've grown up pretty well, haven't I? Are you surprised?"

Unlike himself, Lee Sa-young was being playful. Cha Eui-jae could only open and close his mouth soundlessly.

'How?'

'You were an experiment subject?'

'Why?'

'Why were you taken there?'

'Did you know I was J?'

'If you knew, since when?'

'Why didn't you tell me?'

Countless questions rose and fell. Though he'd often swallowed back words he wanted to say, it was the first time he had so many things to say that he couldn't get a word out. It was impossible to even choose the words.

Lee Sa-young stopped rubbing his cheek against Cha Eui-jae's palm and muttered.

"What, don't you believe it?"

"…"

Lee Sa-young twisted his lips.

"I'm your only success, aren't I?"

Only success.

"You…"

Thump, his heart pounded. Cha Eui-jae shivered as if struck by lightning.

He thought it was a word he'd never think of again. Moreover, he never imagined he would hear it in Lee Sa-young's voice.

It still didn't feel real. Instead, a baseless sense of unease surged up.

What if all this was a dream? What if all this was just a mere delusion? What if he was confused by the pervasive smell of blood? It felt like the ground would give way any moment, plunging him into a deep pit.

J doesn't believe in miracles. He's spent too long in the rift to believe in miracles. Seeing the remains of comrades scattered about makes it impossible to believe in miracles. Knowing that desolation, he couldn't hope for a miracle.

However, despite everything.

In the West Sea rift, J dreamt. He could say that J in his dreams was happier than anyone else. Waking up from a soft, cozy bed, greeting his parents, fussing over breakfast, chatting with his aunt, joking with Jung Bin, and ending the day by telling the boy about what happened that day. The ordinary life he longed for but never had.

When he opened his eyes, he was still surrounded by a sea of blood.

The hope for a miracle was whittled away day by day. Each time he pierced through a monster. Each time he couldn't even hear the cries for help. Each time he found traces of what used to be his comrades.

Yet J did not lose his last bit of hope. He comforted himself and the few remaining comrades, believing somehow they could make it out alive. He had promised. He couldn't become a liar to his only success. He endured with just that thought.

What finally broke the last bit of his spirit was…

Finding his aunt's hand.

"…"

Suddenly, he snapped back to reality. Cha Eui-jae stared blankly at the young man before him. It was hard to believe this clean face belonged to the boy whose skin was like bandages. The hand that had been cupping his cheek flinched as if burned.

As Cha Eui-jae hastily tried to pull his hand away, the black hand that had been covering it tightened. A gentle voice spoke.

"No, that's not it."

"What…"

"You have something else to say, don't you, Hyung?"

Another black hand reached for his face. Normally, he would have dodged as soon as the hand moved, but Cha Eui-jae stood still, unable to even think of avoiding it. Soon, the large hand covered his mask. Then, carefully, it was removed.

Cool air touched his skin. Lee Sa-young's eyes widened slightly before narrowing. The hand that had been covering Cha Eui-jae's face was removed. At the same time, Cha Eui-jae's hand fell limply.

Lee Sa-young murmured.

"…With a face like that."

"…"

"There's nothing I can say."

Clatter, the sound of the mask hitting the tiled floor was clear.

Simultaneously, two black hands reached out. They cupped Cha Eui-jae's cheeks, just as Cha Eui-jae had done. The unfamiliar warmth of the leather, heated by body temperature, felt strange. Gently, the thumbs stroked his eyes, as if handling something precious.

"Can't you be a bit happier, huh?"

"…"

The warmth on his cheeks felt comforting, and Cha Eui-jae buried his face in those large hands. It was an instinctive action. Lee Sa-young let out a small sigh.

"I didn't expect this reaction."

"…"

"Why do you look like you're about to cry…"

It was only then that Cha Eui-jae realized his face was a mess. Even biting the inside of his lip couldn't suppress the rising emotions.

Do miracles come only to those who do not seek them? After giving up all desires and surrendering everything, he finally saw what was left in his hand. In the emptiness…

His only had come to him.

Like a miracle.

Unable to hold back, Cha Eui-jae extended his arms. He pulled the solid body into an embrace. The body stiffened as they touched. Cha Eui-jae took a deep breath and exhaled. A sweet scent wafted over him. As he cupped the back of the head, soft hair tangled between his fingers.

He could hear the heartbeat from the chest against his and the quick breaths by his ear. Both hearts were beating faster than ever. It was the fact that their hearts were beating at a similar pace that made him happiest.

Cha Eui-jae whispered with a distorted face.

"I'm sorry."

J always wondered what he should say when he returned.

At first, the answer wasn't hard to find. "Hyung's back, you waited, I kept my promise." The usual words. Words he could say lightly without any weight. But the longer he wandered in the rift, the more those joyful words sank,

"Aunt!"

and eventually became unspeakable.

What remained in their place was…

"I'm sorry for being late."

"…"

Guilt and,

"I'm sorry for breaking my promise."

"…"

"I'm sorry for making you wait."

Endless apologies.

"I'm sorry…"

No tears came out. They had dried up long ago. He felt the stiffness slowly leave the body he was holding. Strong arms wrapped around his neck.

Lee Sa-young exhaled slowly and lowered his head. His soft cheek and hair touched Cha Eui-jae's neck. Though the weight pressed against him, Cha Eui-jae didn't waver. He stood firm, bearing the full weight. It was his rightful burden.

A voice, like a sigh, echoed in his ear.

"It's okay."

"…"

"Because I kept the promise."

The fingers tangled in Lee Sa-young's soft hair twitched. He remembered the scene in the dungeon. Lee Sa-young, with a pale face, smiling twistedly. The incomprehensible words.

"What if I said I've been waiting for you?"

The selfish request he had made.

"Will you wait for me?"

Once, when he was crouched among corpses and blood. Trying to think of something else to avoid going mad, the boy naturally came to mind. And the end of those thoughts was always regret. J regretted making such a promise. He wished he hadn't tied him with even a finger.

How futile it must be to wait for someone who would never return.

Ironically, that regret saved J. The regret was the only anchor that held him, wandering aimlessly without a destination. Without it, well, he might have become part of the sea long ago.

At that moment, lips moved against his neck.

"Why is it that those who should apologize don't, and those who shouldn't do?"

The voice, muttered like a curse, soon regained its gentle tone. Lee Sa-young rubbed his forehead against Jae's shoulder. The touch of the hair was ticklish.

"Well, you're late… but you came, didn't you?"

"…"

"You came to find me."

"…"

"That's enough."

It was an unexpected, kind remark. Cha Eui-jae didn't know how to handle such joy. All he could do was tighten his embrace around the solid body. Different from his memories, unfamiliar yet familiar, Lee Sa-young was, in the end, his boy.

Lee Sa-young was Cha Eui-jae's only.

They stood there, silently embracing each other, listening to their heartbeats, as if it was their natural state.

Cha Eui-jae patted Lee Sa-young's back and looked up at the ceiling. In place of the sinking guilt, anger surged. Lee Sa-young had been an experiment subject for Prometheus. But who dared to use his entrusted child as a test subject?

'Those bastards…'

At that moment, Lee Sa-young, who was nestled against him, muttered with a chuckle.

"It's better if you don't overthink it, Hyung."

"What?"

Cha Eui-jae responded sharply. Lee Sa-young giggled.

"Just be purely happy. Just think, 'he's alive.'"

The arm around his neck moved down to stroke Cha Eui-jae's back. The unfamiliar touch made Cha Eui-jae tense up. Lee Sa-young, who was rubbing his back and shoulder blades, whispered.

"The important thing is that I'm alive,"

"…"

"and that you came back. You came to find me."

"…"

"That's enough, isn't it? Don't you think so?"

Cha Eui-jae, who had been silent, nodded slightly in agreement. Lee Sa-young, who had buried his head against Cha Eui-jae's neck, lifted it a little. Through the disheveled hair, his violet eyes shone brightly. However, the person holding him didn't see this. Anchors always sink deep into the sea.

Lee Sa-young murmured.

"Yeah, that's enough."

Lee Sa-young carefully lifted his head and placed a kiss on Cha Eui-jae's temple. Before Cha Eui-jae could even notice, he withdrew. The gaze with which he looked down at the young man holding him was filled with gentle affection. But he couldn't hide the emotions flickering behind that affection.

Lee Sa-young silently mouthed,

"It's okay if you don't know anything else."