Wavelength

Cha Eui-jae clenched and unclenched his hand. The strength that had disappeared had fully returned. A strange door that suddenly appeared in 'Cha Eui-jae's' memory. A voice he had never heard in Cha Eui-jae's memory, yet felt familiar. Cha Eui-jae tried to recall. The voice growled like a beast…

"Cha Eui-jae."

It was similar to what he'd heard in the fragment Yoon Ga-eul had shown him. Lee Sa-young was still sitting there, unmoving, smiling. It was an eerily precise smile. Everything about him seemed inhuman.

Should he neutralize him first? Cha Eui-jae cracked his knuckles. And right after—

Bang!

Cha Eui-jae shot forward, kicked the chair, and grabbed Lee Sa-young's throat, climbing on top of him. Thud, Lee Sa-young's head hit the floor. Tap, tap, tap… The watch fell from his wrist and rolled away.

Despite being pinned to the floor and choked, Lee Sa-young didn't resist. His smile didn't falter. Cha Eui-jae felt the urge to cover that face.

Lee Sa-young parted his lips.

"Stop it… I didn't do this to fight."

The skin under his palms felt cold, yet there was a faint, light pulse. Cha Eui-jae glanced sideways. Should he break his legs first? Even if he did, Nam Woo-jin could fix them…

Lee Sa-young whispered.

"I have to… test everything. This is the last chance."

"…"

Lee Sa-young reached up and cautiously covered Cha Eui-jae's hand that was choking him. His touch was cold. Cha Eui-jae tightened his grip on Lee Sa-young's neck.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, what I want…?"

The muscles in his neck trembled slightly. Lee Sa-young was laughing. Soft coughs punctuated by a delicate laugh escaped. Once he started laughing, it went on for quite a while before it finally ceased. Lee Sa-young tickled the back of Cha Eui-jae's hand with his fingers.

"Let's sleep together."

"…What?"

Cha Eui-jae doubted his ears. Did he hear that right? But Lee Sa-young stared up at him, still smiling. His long eyelashes fluttered. A dizzying fragrance wafted through the air.

"You checked for yourself just now."

Lee Sa-young tapped his head with his fingers. It was a rough action, with no regard for his own body. Cha Eui-jae almost grabbed his hand but stopped. Lee Sa-young continued, unbothered, in a slow voice.

"Your dreams and my dreams are connected now. Thanks to the watch."

"…"

"Aren't you curious? About what only I know…"

A warden who had watched the end for a long time. What the end is, how it comes, and why they failed. No one would know better than Lee Sa-young. It was a tempting offer.

Cha Eui-jae stared into the violet eyes nestled between Lee Sa-young's disheveled hair. The eyes still reflected everything about him. No emotions, no opinions. Just reflecting. When Cha Eui-jae tightened his grip, a small groan escaped Lee Sa-young's lips.

After a moment, Cha Eui-jae loosened his grip slightly, allowing him to breathe. A fit of coughing followed. Cha Eui-jae felt the muscles tremble beneath his hand and asked in a low voice.

"This would all be over if you just told me. Why bother with the extra steps?"

"Oh, that's… no fun."

"What are you… You told me this is the last chance."

"I did…"

"If you miss this chance, we're all dead. You, me, everyone."

"I know…"

"And fun is still important to you?"

"What… isn't important?"

Lee Sa-young blinked slowly. His violet eyes had faded to a pale lilac. Deep in his soft-colored eyes, a white flame flickered. Cha Eui-jae, entranced, stared at the flame. Lee Sa-young muttered.

"I wandered alone for such a long time."

"…"

"And now… I finally feel alive…"

The black hands gripped the hands that choked him and squeezed. Cha Eui-jae snapped back to his senses and opened his eyes wide. Lee Sa-young barely whispered in a strained voice.

"Choke me harder. This feels good…"

A smile crept onto the face that had shown no emotion before.

A twisted smile. He was genuinely enjoying this.

A chill ran down Cha Eui-jae's spine. The sensation left him shivering as he yanked his hands away, shaking them furiously. Lee Sa-young clicked his tongue in disappointment. Cha Eui-jae was appalled.

'Is he really insane?'

The black fingers tapped against Cha Eui-jae's hand like the legs of a spider. He shuddered. Lee Sa-young burst into laughter.

"It's good for both of us, isn't it? Didn't you want to choke me?"

"Stop making me sound like a pervert!"

"Really? That's a shame…"

Lee Sa-young rubbed his neck, where Cha Eui-jae's handprint was still clearly visible. Cha Eui-jae swallowed hard.

Damn. Wasn't there supposed to be some meeting or something? Lee Sa-young shrugged.

"Weren't you digging through memories, trying to find something…"

"…"

"Think about it. I'm fine with whatever… Hyung."

And as soon as Eui-jae heard that word—

Smack!

He couldn't hold back and threw a punch.

Lee Sa-young's lilac eyes rolled back, and his body went limp. Cha Eui-jae, panting, unclenched his fist, his hand pressing against Lee Sa-young's chest. Luckily, his instincts had kicked in, and he had pulled his punch. His pulse was still beating normally.

Cha Eui-jae's hand trembled uncontrollably. He wiggled his fingers, the lingering sensation of Lee Sa-young's touch still vivid.

'What the hell? Is he a real pervert?'

What? Sleep together? Choke him? Is he seriously insane? Maybe he'd been wandering so long that he lost his mind.

Cha Eui-jae barely swallowed the scream rising in his throat. His heart pounded as if he'd run a marathon. Whether it was anger, shock, or excitement, he couldn't tell.

'Lee Sa-young is not in his right mind.'

Now, he missed the Lee Sa-young he knew. The bratty but somewhat endearing Lee Sa-young. Cha Eui-jae bowed his head, resting his forehead on Lee Sa-young's chest. His voice trembled.

"Hey, hey, wake up, Lee Sa-young…"

"…"

"Come on, don't just leave me hanging here…"

"…"

"You've slept enough!"

At Cha Eui-jae's shout, the body beneath him stirred. A small groan followed. Cha Eui-jae jerked his head up. Lee Sa-young, groaning as if in pain, held his head and blinked. His handsome face twisted in a grimace.

"What the hell…"

Lee Sa-young propped himself up on his elbows, bringing their faces closer.

"When did I… why are we like this… wait."

He narrowed his eyes and scanned Cha Eui-jae's face, tilting his head. His hand shot out, cupping Cha Eui-jae's chin and cheek. Lee Sa-young examined his face, frowning.

"Why is your face so red… do you have a fever?"

"My face?"

"Wait a minute…"

Lee Sa-young hesitated and clutched his head again, right where Cha Eui-jae had punched him. Cha Eui-jae averted his gaze. He looked like a dog who had done something wrong. Lee Sa-young blinked.

"Hyung."

"…Yeah."

"Did you hit me?"

"…No."

"Wait, then… why does my neck…"

Lee Sa-young rubbed his neck and cleared his throat. It was exactly where Cha Eui-jae had choked him. Cha Eui-jae turned his head further, almost looking over his shoulder now. Lee Sa-young tilted his head.

"Hyung."

"…"

"You know, don't you?"

Cha Eui-jae snapped his head back. Surprisingly, Lee Sa-young looked uneasy.

What did he mean, "know"? That there was another Lee Sa-young inside him? Or was there something else he had been hiding? Cha Eui-jae was just as confused, but he couldn't miss this opportunity.

Cha Eui-jae nodded. It was time to pull out the old skills from his part-time job at the hangover soup restaurant.

"Yeah."

Feign ignorance and agree. Most people spilled their secrets after being nudged a little. Lee Sa-young narrowed his eyes briefly before lowering his lashes, deep in thought.

"…Where did you hear it? You don't even have a phone…"

Cha Eui-jae folded his arms and stared intently at Lee Sa-young. Lee Sa-young, busy thinking, let out a short sigh.

"Oh…"

He ruffled his hair in frustration.

"Damn it. You saw it on the Hunter channel, didn't you?"

Normally, this guy wouldn't have given away any clues, but now he was just spilling everything on his own. Must be disoriented. Good thing I hit him on the head, thought Cha Eui-jae, letting out a scoff loud enough for him to hear. He hadn't opened the Hunter channel in a while, so he scrolled through the backlog of messages.

And what greeted him was…

.

.

.

[5] Gyu-Gyu: J, come to chat~

[5] Gyu-Gyu: If you don't show up, I'm gonna assume you two are dating for real~

[8] I Am An Artisan: Do we even need more words?

[8] I Am An Artisan: You saw the picture too.

[8] I Am An Artisan: He was carrying them like they were a sacred treasure.

[29] Marble Seller Boy: Uh, what's going on again?

[8] I Am An Artisan: Another latecomer.

[8] I Am An Artisan: Hurry up and read the article.

[8] I Am An Artisan: J and 240 are dating, it says.

What?

[11] Shield Guy: Ugh…

[11] Shield Guy: We don't know anything either.

[11] Shield Guy: The guild's phone line has been cut off.

[11] Shield Guy: Don't contact us.

[11] Shield Guy: I'm going into a dungeon too.

[6] Honeybee: Hey, aren't you gonna give a straight answer?

[6] Honeybee: What's the deal with those two, seriously?

[6] Honeybee: Are they dating?

[6] Honeybee: Or are they scheming something together?

[11] Shield Guy: Shield Guy is currently unavailable.

[6] Honeybee: "Currently unavailable"? Are you kidding me?

[6] Honeybee: Hey, Seo Min-gi, come out!

[34] A Small Miracle Seo Min-gi: A Small Miracle Seo Min-gi is currently unavailable.

[8] I Am An Artisan: This sneaky behavior is wild.

[6] Honeybee: Huh.

[5] Gyu-Gyu: Hahahahahaha.

[6] Honeybee: Why don't you all just say you're dating too?

[11] Shield Guy: Please refrain from saying "dating." I have PTSD from that.

[6] Honeybee: Ugh.

Cha Eui-jae grabbed Lee Sa-young by the collar as he fumbled around his throat. His eyes glowed bright blue.

"What did you do?"