Keep going, and you'll reach your destination

"I can't... continue... I need... to rest... a little," Julian's body was being pulled toward the ground, and his mouth was wide open, struggling to inhale oxygen.

"A little rest won't hurt," Hinako was more exhausted than him, but she kept pushing herself and motivating her mind by imagining a pristine lake ahead, with fish jumping here and there.

But now, she truly wanted to rest—the imaginary lake wasn't going anywhere.

They were about to sit down when they noticed familiar things on the ground.

"Hahaha, this... hahaha... hahaha!" Julian collapsed to the ground, laughing hysterically and uncontrollably.

"Impossible, how can this be?!" Hinako froze in her place, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Scattered across the ground were oranges, pomegranates, and apples. Two oranges were peeled, a pomegranate was smashed on the ground, and an apple had a bite taken out of it.

These scattered fruits on the ground were like a cold blade piercing their hearts.

Even Hinako, who had been encouraging herself moments ago, was utterly shattered at this sight.

'I'm finished,' she thought as she dropped to her knees, a dead expression on her face.

Julian stopped laughing and looked at the 'lifeless' Hinako with a strange expression.

"Since we're going to die, I'll do it as long as I have a little bit of energy left." He moved toward her with a lustful gaze.

There are many ways to feed. If I can't feed from above, I'll feed from below.

He placed his hand on the buttons of her shirt, about to tear it apart savagely. 

Hinako looked at him with regret; she had known this would happen. 

She would resist him a little, but for how long? He was a young man, and she was a girl.

He was 19, while she was 17. 

Her life would end in a pitiful way in this place.

And just as things were about to escalate, morning suddenly ignited—literally.

It was like a lamp in a dark room being switched on all at once.

The surrounding darkness vanished in an instant, replaced by daylight.

His hand was still on her shirt when he stopped pulling.

The sudden "ignition" of the morning like that was even stranger than the swift sheep.

"Can I help you with something?"

Julian immediately pulled his hand back and quickly turned toward the source of the voice.

A living, breathing human here—this was certainly something to celebrate.

Of course, they wouldn't rule out the possibility of a tree suddenly speaking to them. After all, anything seemed possible in this place.

But Julian no longer cared. Tree, rock, or even an animal—so long as it could speak, that would be a good thing.

Hinako, however, wasn't as thrilled. Hearing the voice of another man was definitely not something that put her at ease.

She also turned alongside Julian to see who was speaking to them.

"Oh, he's so handsome," Julian and Hinako were both startled the moment they saw the speaker.

They both felt a sense of reassurance in their hearts, and the fear, anxiety, and despair vanished.

Just by seeing him, their passion for life returned.

He was a young man with fair skin, dressed in black, with short, soft blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a gentle smile.

"Did I interrupt you? I'm sorry," the young man raised his hand apologetically and was about to turn and leave.

"Wait... wait... you didn't interrupt us! We weren't doing anything important," Julian spoke quickly, stopping this 'hope' from walking away.

"I see," the young man smiled, staying in place as he looked at them.

"Do you live here? Can you show us where to find water or some good food? Everything we've found so far has been terrible," Julian asked quickly, not wanting to waste a single second.

"You definitely can't eat that. Everything here is … … fake," the young man replied, pausing briefly while his gentle smile never left his face. He then added, "I saw you wandering around this place several times, and that's how I knew you were lost. That's why I came to help."

"So, is there a real place? Somewhere we can eat and drink?" Hinako asked, hoping for an encouraging answer.

"A place where you can eat and drink freely? … Of course, there is. It's right in front of you—just 777 steps, and you'll get there," he said, pointing in one direction.

"But..." Hinako felt a bit of worry and doubt, considering they had walked in that direction before.

"Remember, 777 steps forward, and you'll reach the place you're looking for," the young man said with a smile before walking in the opposite direction of the path he had pointed to.

"Wait... what if we get lost again?" Julian quickly stood up from the ground.

But the handsome young man ignored him, disappeared into the trees, and was gone.

"Let's go quickly before we die of hunger," Julian said as he moved in the direction the young man had pointed to.

He dismissed the idea that the kind-looking young man might deceive them, but even if he did, so what?

They were going to die anyway, so there was no harm in making one last attempt.

They moved straight in the direction indicated without wasting any time.

Along the way, they didn't speak to each other. An eerie silence hung in the air—they couldn't forget what might have happened if that young man hadn't appeared.

Hinako sank into deep thought, wondering what she would do from now on. If they truly found the 'saving' place, would they simply forget everything and continue their lives as if nothing had happened?

Or would she separate from him and move forward on her own? After all, Julian hadn't done anything noteworthy or good.

'I'll figure it out after I find this place,' she thought, keeping a safe distance between herself and Julian.

They continued walking among the beautiful green trees, with an unparalleled fragrant aroma seeping into their noses. It felt as though the trees were mocking Julian and Hinako—you can smell us, see us, but you can't taste us.

After tens of minutes of walking, they arrived at a familiar place. Scattered on the ground were a variety of fruits: a pomegranate, a half-eaten apple, and an orange with a few bites taken out of it.

"We're back to the same damn place!" Julian exploded in anger.

They had gotten lost again, even after being guided toward the supposed correct path.

"He said it was 777 steps from here," Hinako said, her voice tinged with confusion and doubt.

"We've walked thousands of steps, yet we always end up here," Julian said, his voice filled with despair. He had lost hope of survival once again.

But at the very least, he could finish what he had intended to do earlier.

'Remember, 777 steps forward,' Hinako recalled the words of the handsome young man.

'777 steps forward.'

'So that's it,' she thought.

Without saying a word, Hinako began walking again in the direction the young man had pointed.

"Where are you going? There's nothing there. You'll just end up back here again," Julian said with a hint of sarcasm, watching her.

Hinako ignored him and began counting her steps.

'6.'

'7.'

'8.'

Julian sighed as he watched her. Then, reluctantly, he followed her—after all, he couldn't afford to lose her, at least not before he 'devoured' her.

Hinako kept moving, counting every step she took. She felt a spark of inspiration from the young man's words.

'769 steps.'

'770 steps.'

They started to hear faint noises and movement. Their hearts began pounding with excitement.

'776 steps.'

'777 steps.'

They reached the edge where the trees end, and saw something they had never imagined could be this close to them—yet they had never sensed it before.