Watching From the Gaps

As soon as he came to his senses, Lee Sa-young cursed under his breath and immediately grabbed his head, grimacing. His complexion was pale, as if he still had a headache.

"…Where is this? Why…"

"…That's what I'd like to know too."

Cha Eui-jae was about to speak, hesitating. Lee Sa-young pinched the apron he was wearing between his thumb and forefinger, lifting it slightly. A sky-blue toad was pitifully squashed.

"And what's with this apron?"

Cha Eui-jae had no idea what the apron was either, so he couldn't answer. He just clasped his hands behind his back and shifted his eyes nervously.

"…I have no idea either."

"…Hah."

Lee Sa-young leaned his arms and forehead on the sink and let out a long sigh. Cha Eui-jae cautiously approached and squatted beside him. A blunt voice slipped out.

"Go away."

"No."

"…You're annoying."

Cha Eui-jae leaned against the white bathtub and glanced at Lee Sa-young. Thankfully, after saying he was annoyed, he didn't respond further. Cha Eui-jae listened to his gradually calming breath, thinking to himself.

'When Ga-eul's soul transferred, they said she collapsed as if fainting.'

Did Lee Sa-young's body and Cha Eui-jae's body in the real world also collapse as if they fainted? His mouth went dry. What if, just before being pulled here, Lee Sa-young had entered a dungeon? That would be a disaster.

'This damn system, how can they just yank us out like this?'

Wiggling his toes, Cha Eui-jae asked carefully.

"What were you doing?"

"…What was I doing?"

Lee Sa-young slightly lifted his head and glanced at Cha Eui-jae. He twisted his lips.

"I was in a meeting with the guild members…"

'Damn it.'

"We were talking a lot about the eroded dungeon."

Cha Eui-jae bowed his head solemnly. In some ways, this was worse than being in a dungeon. No wonder he asked what the hell was going on as soon as he saw him! He had been in a large conference room with his guild members, and suddenly he was yanked into a small bathroom to face Cha Eui-jae. Of course, he would react like that.

Lee Sa-young, tilting his head back and covering his face with his hand, muttered.

"…Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"I asked if you're okay."

"Me? Yeah. I'm fine."

Maybe it was because the Cha Eui-jae in his memory had awakened. His body didn't seem much different from reality. But what about Lee Sa-young? He was still sweating coldly. Cha Eui-jae brushed Lee Sa-young's hair away.

"Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

"I have a headache, but… it'll go away soon."

Lee Sa-young slightly moved his fingers aside, narrowing his violet eyes.

"What is this place?"

"…"

"Why are you here, how did you get here, and why was I dragged here?"

"…"

"Explain, now."

The sweet, lazy atmosphere that had filled the house had long disappeared, replaced by a menacing tension. Cha Eui-jae had expected this. He squeezed his eyes shut. Ever since those eyes turned violet, he knew this was coming. But it was a story that couldn't be avoided.

"…It's a long story, so listen carefully."

This place is a Memorial Dungeon, which is a dungeon created from someone's memory, and we don't know how to clear it. It's also somewhere in a destroyed world, and our souls were dragged here.

I rushed to save Yoon Ga-eul, so my body is probably lying in the middle of the hangover soup restaurant wearing a J mask, and your body probably collapsed in the middle of the conference room too.

While Cha Eui-jae summarized, Lee Sa-young's expression remained unchanged. That expression, to be precise, was one of glaring at Cha Eui-jae as if he wanted to devour him.

Having completed his summary, Cha Eui-jae asked.

"Let's leave it at that for now, have any questions so far?"

"…You're asking if I have questions?"

Lee Sa-young scoffed and muttered coldly.

"Too many."

This was bad. Cha Eui-jae quickly drew a line.

"Let me just say, I don't know much either. I just came to my senses."

"Ah… Then let me ask you just one thing."

"…"

"Are you out of your mind?"

'Damn it.'

But he had no rebuttal, so instead of arguing, Cha Eui-jae just pouted his lips. Maybe he really had been bewitched by the light coming from that shard. Lee Sa-young, resting his temple against the sink, muttered.

"So you'd be lying in the hangover soup restaurant. Wearing a mask. And I'd have collapsed too."

"…Yeah."

"…Well, that's a relief. Seo Min-gi will handle it."

"What? How?"

"I told him to check on you first if anything happened to me."

"Me? Shouldn't he check on you first? What about you?"

"Who knows."

Lee Sa-young curled his lips and slowly stood up, leaning on the sink. The apron with the misplaced soju brand logo fluttered. Why did that apron get dragged here? It belonged on the wall of the hangover soup restaurant. He looked down at Cha Eui-jae, still squatting against the bathtub.

"Get up."

"Huh?"

"Weren't you preparing food?"

"Well, yeah, but… shouldn't we figure out how to clear the dungeon first?"

At that moment, a loud rumble echoed through the bathroom, coming from Cha Eui-jae's stomach. He grimaced.

'Damn it, since when did I start feeling hunger so regularly?'

Lee Sa-young smirked, slightly raising his chin as if to say, 'See?'

"Looks like someone's very hungry."

"…"

"Let's talk over a meal."

Lee Sa-young stepped aside, signaling him to go ahead. Cha Eui-jae sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and shuffled out into the hallway. It wasn't until he had taken a few steps that Lee Sa-young followed him.

But soon, the footsteps following him came to a stop. Curious, he turned around to see Lee Sa-young standing there, rooted to the spot, staring blankly at a picture of the sea hanging in the hallway. The sight was like a painting.

Not in a good way, but in a bad way. As if…

He was a person trapped in that very spot.

"…Sa-young."

Cha Eui-jae called him abruptly. Lee Sa-young slowly shifted his gaze to Cha Eui-jae. His face was as indifferent and languid as ever. He shrugged his shoulders.

"What are you doing? Let's go."

"…"

"Aren't you hungry?"

He motioned with his chin, urging him to go. Cha Eui-jae forced himself to move his heavy feet toward the kitchen.

The once neatly organized kitchen was a mess. The bread had popped out of the toaster, half-burnt, the rolled omelet was left half-cooked and cold, and there were just two empty plates sitting on the table. And the spatula Lee Sa-young had left behind…

"…It turned into a ladle?"

It had turned into a ladle. And not just any ladle, but a dented one. Lee Sa-young, who had been looking around the kitchen with his hands behind his back, tilted his head slightly.

"That looks like a set with this apron."

"…"

"Should I take it off for you?"

"No…"

Cha Eui-jae turned on the sink and washed his hands clean. He could toast new bread to replace the burnt ones, and he could resume rolling the half-cooked omelet. Anything that's interrupted can be continued.

Lee Sa-young, who had been looking around the house, turned on the radio placed next to the sofa in the living room. A scratchy noise came out, and it was questionable whether it would work properly, but then soft music began to flow from the speaker. It was a tune he had never heard before, but it was pleasant enough to listen to.

Cha Eui-jae took two slices of bread out of the bag and put them in the toaster. With his back turned, he called out to Lee Sa-young.

"Sa-young, come finish rolling the omelet."

"I don't know how to make an omelet."

Cha Eui-jae's eyes widened in surprise, then rolled. Right, the Lee Sa-young in this memory knew how to make omelets. And didn't the Cha Eui-jae in this memory also not know how to cook?

So, they just had to do what they could now. In their own way. Cha Eui-jae turned on the induction cooktop and picked up the frying pan. Hearing the sound, Lee Sa-young half-turned around.

"Then I'll handle this. When the toast is done, take it out for me."

"…There are no gloves."

"What?"

"Do you have tongs?"

"…"

"I can't let any poison get on it."

Cha Eui-jae stared at Lee Sa-young, slightly slack-jawed. Lee Sa-young still had his hands behind his back, as if his hands were weapons. Even in this peaceful and safe memory, everything about him was cautious.

Suddenly, a surge of emotion welled up in Cha Eui-jae's throat. He set down the frying pan with a thud and quickly walked toward him. Lee Sa-young's eyes widened as he tried to take a step back, but Cha Eui-jae was faster. He grabbed the hand Lee Sa-young had behind his back, and Lee Sa-young grimaced.

"What are you doing?"

"Stay still."

Lee Sa-young's hands, untouched by poison, were straight and large, and most importantly, they were clean without a single black stain. If Cha Eui-jae had stayed by Lee Sa-young's side, these were the hands he could have had. The hands he should have had.

Eight years had passed since their promise. He knew there was no point in regretting it now. He didn't regret going into the West Sea rift to save people. However,

"I'm not your responsibility."

When he thought about Lee Sa-young, who went through everything alone, keeping that promise…

Cha Eui-jae bit down hard on Lee Sa-young's clean, unblemished fingers, as if to prove a point. Lee Sa-young gasped, inhaling sharply. He tried to push away, his free hand hovering near his shoulder.

"What are you…!"

But Cha Eui-jae didn't care and bit down harder, with just enough force to leave a mark but not enough to sever the finger.

Eventually, with a crunch, the taste of blood filled his mouth. As he licked the blood from Lee Sa-young's fingers, Cha Eui-jae glared up at him.

"Don't talk nonsense."