Red Dot - 156

Chapter 156

Junseong went to find Ki-hyuk again in the new cycle that started.

He did not ask questions or pry from the beginning.

He simply started the same way, but decided to observe Ki-hyuk more closely over several encounters. He pretended not to know anything, acted as if meeting for the first time, and watched him secretly without seeming to spy.

There was a specific reason he did not go to Ki-hyuk directly and ask questions but instead had several more meetings.

It was to understand Ki-hyuk’s character and to resolve doubts about whether Ki-hyuk was devoted enough to save him in other cycles as well.

The ending of each cycle was always the same.

Ki-hyuk died saving Junseong every time.

After Ki-hyuk died, Junseong, left alone, chose to take his own life or got bitten by zombies and died, and when the dream started again, he went to find Ki-hyuk on the second day.

Junseong accumulated five such experiences before he finally spoke to Ki-hyuk.

“Do you know me, by any chance?”

On the second day, he blurted out the question as soon as he climbed to the rooftop of the officetel.

Ki-hyuk only tilted his head and showed no strange reaction.

“Why? Do I seem familiar?”

“Yes.”

“I know you, of course. I watched you since you entered that hospital over there.”

“Before that?”

“Well.”

Ki-hyuk’s response was not very satisfying. Even when Junseong asked again, Ki-hyuk only smiled faintly and gave vague answers.

Even if Ki-hyuk said he had known Junseong before, it would not have resolved Junseong’s doubts.

For Junseong, he saw Ki-hyuk for the first time in the previous cycle. That meant there was no significant interaction between them, so what kind of relationship would make someone sacrifice their life to protect and save him?

“I… don’t want to see you die ‘again’…”

Moreover, Ki-hyuk said “again.”

Countless questions piled up within Ki-hyuk’s actions and the word “again” he spoke. Those questions burst out directly through Junseong’s mouth.

“Have you ever seen me die?”

“……”

The smile disappeared from Ki-hyuk’s relaxed face.

“Have you seen me die?”

Junseong felt, for a moment, as if he touched a landmine in Ki-hyuk. The relaxed face hardened, and the bright eyes darkened instantly.

That made him more certain.

This man knew him.

He knew the “dying Junseong.”

‘No way.’

In reality, Junseong lived perfectly fine. The only people who could see him die were those he met in dreams. Even they forgot all the relationships built as comrades when the world reset to the first day.

In the end, Junseong was the only one who could remember everyone in this world.

It had always been that way, and he thought it would stay that way.

But…

“Yeah.”

He realized there was a slight crack in that absolute fact.

“I saw it too many times.”

Ki-hyuk approached Junseong, caressed his face, and showed a wistful expression.

“Surrounded and bitten to death by zombies, falling from a building while saving someone else, dying as bait, some bastard stabbing a knife into your stomach for not giving in to threats, people beating you to death calling you crazy without believing you…”

Various scenes from Ki-hyuk’s mouth flashed through Junseong’s mind one by one.

They were some of the endings Junseong faced in the dreams.

All of them happened.

‘How?’

Ki-hyuk sighed deeply as he looked at Junseong, who widened his eyes in shock.

“Do I seem crazy? I know, me too.”

With a bitter expression, Ki-hyuk confessed words he never dared to say in other cycles.

“I saw you die countless times in my ‘dreams.’”

“What… did you say?”

Ki-hyuk looked at Junseong’s half-dazed face and spoke as if he expected that reaction.

“I understand if you don’t believe me. But it’s true.”

Ki-hyuk turned his head and looked far away. At the end of his gaze was Inhan Hospital.

“For about a month, I had nightmares every day. A man I didn’t know died in my dreams, as if I watched a movie from outside the screen.”

Ki-hyuk’s eyes, which looked wistfully at Inhan Hospital, met Junseong’s trembling eyes.

“I couldn’t do anything. I could only wish this person wouldn’t die anymore. I couldn’t stop the nightmares as I pleased.”

It was the same as Junseong.

Junseong also had to dream this nightmare filled with zombies even if he didn’t want to, and no matter how much he hated it, he had to watch and move forward in this world.

Ki-hyuk’s arms tightly embraced Junseong, who fell into a confusion he never experienced before.

“So I thought, if I ever met that person, I’d protect him so he wouldn’t die anymore.”

Junseong trembled in Ki-hyuk’s broad embrace.

“Maybe I’m brainwashed by nightmares. Seeing new ‘deaths’ every day might have driven me neurotic. But so what? I’m sure I don’t want to let you die.”

He spoke lightly, but the weight in his words reached Junseong fully.

“I had a dream yesterday too. Do you know what it was?”

“…What was it?”

Ki-hyuk’s arms tightened with strength. He hugged Junseong so tightly that a groan escaped.

Ki-hyuk’s lips, close to Junseong’s ear, made a low, scraping sound.

“After I became bait to save you, you died on your own.”

A chill ran through Junseong with a shiver.

It was exactly the same as the previous cycle’s ending.

In the previous cycle, when Ki-hyuk and Junseong were surrounded by zombies, Ki-hyuk became bait himself and drew them outside the building. As Ki-hyuk’s voice, shouting to act as bait, grew fainter and stopped, Junseong chose death without hesitation.

Ki-hyuk knew that scene, which he shouldn’t have known.

He knew the ending of the previous cycle, which only Junseong should know.

Junseong couldn’t understand how it happened.

He knew Ki-hyuk didn’t repeat cycles like he did.

When a person repeats situations with full memory, differences appear even if they say and do the same things.

Differences show in tone, voice pitch, and the emotions within. Actions also reveal differences in gestures, movements, and body language during speech, even if one tries to hide them.

Junseong didn’t find a single difference in five past cycles.

That meant Ki-hyuk didn’t move with full memory of every cycle like Junseong.

For Ki-hyuk, the events of this world were all “happening for the first time now.”

At least, for the Ki-hyuk of this moment.

But even that was a huge shock to Junseong.

“Junseong…?”

He knew Junseong’s name even though Junseong hadn’t told him in this cycle.

That became one piece of evidence.

“Junseong, are you okay?”

Ki-hyuk, who pulled Junseong from his embrace, paused. His fingers slowly rose and wiped Junseong’s eyes.

“Why are you crying?”

“Ah…”

Junseong realized only then that he was crying.

As if that triggered something, tears fell uncontrollably. Panicked, Ki-hyuk reached out and hurriedly wiped Junseong’s eyes.

Junseong didn’t mean to cry.

He simply felt relieved.

In this world… in this dream, someone who understood him appeared.

He felt relieved by that one thing.

The relief pressed on Junseong’s eyes and endlessly produced tears. It felt as if all the unspoken burdens and darkness piled up were washed away by those tears.

This person would believe whatever Junseong said.

This person would surely help because he didn’t want Junseong to die.

This person would… understand him.

Before he knew it, Junseong buried his face in Ki-hyuk’s chest and cried aloud. The emotions he couldn’t properly express until now finally poured out.

From that day, Junseong didn’t hesitate to rely on Ki-hyuk. Ki-hyuk also always prioritized Junseong and moved as he wished.

To anyone, they were the best partners. No one seemed able to interfere with the two, bound tightly by deep trust and their shared secret.

Junseong, who lost his smile day by day since the nightmares began, could now smile at Ki-hyuk anytime.

A person he could share his secret with.

A person who could understand him.

The most trustworthy person in the world.

His only support.

To Junseong, Ki-hyuk was that person.

He was that precious.

But Junseong fell into a deep, dark abyss because of Ki-hyuk, the one he trusted and relied on so much.