"What now? Cat got your tongue?" The woman growled, gripping Jae Hyuk's hair with such force that pain radiated through his scalp. She slammed him to the ground, pouring all her anger into every move.
'What the hell?' Jae Hyuk questioned, agony and helplessness coursing through him as she kicked him viciously in the gut. "You love hospitals, don't you? How about I help you stay there?" She grabbed him by the collar, tossing him around like a ragdoll, her rage relentless.
He coughed up blood, the splatter staining her pristine sandals. Enraged, she kicked him repeatedly until he stopped responding. One of her guards intervened, "Ma'am, he's not responding."
She momentarily calmed, fear flickering in her eyes. "What are you staring at? GO AND CHECK HIM, YOU IDIOT!!" she commanded, trembling. The guard checked Jae Hyuk's breath—it was shallow, but he was still alive. As the lady picked up her purse and instructed her guard to bring the car, she left the room swiftly, as if fleeing a crime scene.
The battered guard, face streaked with tears of humiliation and a deep sense of helplessness, struggled to lift the injured Ji Hoon into his arms. With every labored step he took toward the bed, his heart ached, filled with an overwhelming mix of guilt and sorrow. Each tear streaming down his cheeks reflected the pain of realizing he had failed in his duty. As he gently laid Ji Hoon down on the bed, the guard choked back sobs and called out his name in desperation, his voice trembling with emotion, desperate for any sign that Ji Hoon was still with him.
Suddenly, Jae Hyuk awoke to find himself lying in the middle of a bright grassland, with a warm breeze gently dancing around him. The sky above was a brilliant blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds that lazily drifted by. As he pushed himself up from the soft ground, he heard a genuinely concerned voice behind him.
"You okay? That must have hurt a lot," Ji Hoon said gently, his voice laced with concern as he clutched the delicate flower crown in his hands. His warm eyes roamed over Jae Hyuk's face, searching for any indication of pain or distress that might linger beneath the surface.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, his tone innocent and sincere. The question struck Jae Hyuk like a sudden blow, igniting a spark of fury within him. With a swift motion, he swung his fist, sending Ji Hoon staggering backward.
Grabbing Ji Hoon's collar, Jae Hyuk pulled him close. "You want to know how I'm feeling!?" He was about to punch Ji Hoon when a strange, strong wind threw him back. "Seriously?" Jae Hyuk groaned in pain.
"You were about to hurt me, and I did that to protect you," Ji Hoon explained.
Jae Hyuk scoffed at the ridiculousness of it all. "Protect? How? By coughing up blood? By getting kicked until I can't breathe? By getting hospitalized again?" With each word and step, Jae Hyuk's anger transformed the beautiful grassland into a barren wasteland.
Terrified by the change, Ji Hoon tried to explain himself. "But if I hadn't done that, it could have been worse. I did it for you."
"Worse? For me? If you really want to help me, how about you push me out of this body?" Jae Hyuk's tone shifted to desperation. "Then neither of us has to protect or do anything. Everything can go back to the way it was, and you can desperately cling to your miserable life."
"But you're already dead, and even your body is destroyed. Where will you go if not here? And above all, you promised me you'd protect me."
Jae Hyuk's steps faltered. "What? What the hell are you talking about?"
"You told me you'd protect me and do anything to keep me happy."
"Hey! Have you finally lost it? Why would I say something that cringe and ridiculous to the likes of you?"
A heavy silence enveloped the room, pressing down on everyone in its grip. The air felt thick and tense, as if waiting for something to break the stillness. Jae Hyuk let out a deep, weary sigh, shattering the quiet that had settled all around. He ran a hand through his hair, frustration flickering in his eyes.
"Let's just assume for a moment that I did, I did promise you," he began, his voice laced with a mix of resignation and defiance. "Do you really think someone like me—someone who can barely recall their own words and thoughts—would be of any help to you? The truth is, I don't even trust myself to provide the answers you seek. So no, I would never assist you."
His gaze shifted away, as if he were trying to escape the weight of the moment, the disappointment hanging in the air palpable.
Jae Hyuk tried to reason with him, but Ji Hoon's determination blocked all his arguments. "You are already dead, Cha Jae Hyuk has left this world. If not here, where exactly will you go? You won't exist. You have to leave this world."
"I'd be more than happy to embrace that idea. The thought of leaving this world behind—or perhaps being reincarnated in a multitude of forms—fills me with a sense of longing. I yearn to venture far beyond this place, anywhere but here. And do you understand why? The truth is, I'd prefer to fade into nothingness rather than remain under the thumb of humans like you. You drift through life without ever truly challenging it; you merely accept your fate, however dismal it may be. In stark contrast, I am a fighter, fiercely pursuing my own happiness against all odds. I'd rather die than exist like a coward, just flowing through the world."
Ji Hoon's mind raced, trying to process the barrage of accusations and truths Jae Hyuk had hurled at him. Each word felt like a dagger, piercing through the facade he had built around himself. The realization that he had never truly fought for his happiness, that he had always taken the path of least resistance, hit him like a ton of bricks.
Jae Hyuk's voice cut through the silence, dripping with frustration. "You think you can just stand there and pretend everything's fine? That you can keep me here, trapped in this hellhole, while you hide behind me? You think I don't know what are you trying to do?"
Ji Hoon's eyes filled with tears, his voice trembling. "I... I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was protecting you."
"Protecting me?" Jae Hyuk's laughter was bitter and hollow. "You call this protection? You call this living? You're nothing but a coward, hiding behind your own fears and insecurities."
Ji Hoon's knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, sobbing. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Jae Hyuk's anger flared again, his voice rising. "Sorry? You think I am losing my mind in anger to hear your sorry? No that's not what i want Ji Hoon and you know that very well. Just let me out!"
Ji Hoon's sobs grew louder, his body shaking with the force of his emotions. "No....I can't do that... I can't do this without you..."
Jae Hyuk perplexed by his reasoning try to get hid words to him straight, "I can't be your crutch forever."
Ji Hoon looked up, clinging to Jae Hyuk's arm, "But I need you... I need you to survive..."
Jae Hyuk sighed, his frustration giving way to a weary resignation. "You-"
"I will stop interfering." Ji Hoon's voice was steady, but there was an undercurrent of mischief that made Jae Hyuk pause, his brow furrowing in confusion. Just as Jae Hyuk was about to voice his frustration, Ji Hoon threw out a remark that left him momentarily speechless, questioning whether he had really heard it right. The words hung in the air, heavy with implication, as Jae Hyuk's mind raced to process the unexpected turn in their conversation.