We didn’t stop running until the screaming behind us completely disappeared, until there was nothing left except the sound of our shoes hitting the stairs and our breathing getting louder and more uneven the longer we went, and when we finally stopped, leaning against the wall like we’d collapse if we took even one more step, that was when I noticed my hands shaking so badly that I had to press them hard against my legs to make them calm down.
The building felt weird.
Not broken.
Not empty.
Just quiet in a way that made my chest feel tight, like the silence itself was watching us and waiting for one of us to mess up.
I hated it.
Choi Han stood a few steps away from me, one hand holding the railing as he tried to catch his breath, and for a moment, the strange light that had followed him earlier flickered weakly around him before fading away like it had never existed in the first place.
I noticed it.
Of course I did.
I always noticed things like that.
He didn’t look at me.
I didn’t thank him.
The silence between us felt awkward and heavy, stretching longer than it should have, like neither of us knew what to do next but didn’t want to admit it.
“You’re bleeding,” Choi Han said after a while, his voice quieter than before, like he didn’t want to scare me or make things worse.
I looked down at my arm and only then realized my sleeve was dark in one spot, the pain finally catching up to me now that I wasn’t running anymore, and I shrugged even though my fingers twitched toward the cut without me meaning to.
“It’s fine,” I said quickly, probably too quickly.
He stepped closer anyway.
Not close enough to touch me.
Just close enough that I could feel him there, and for some reason, that made my chest feel tight in a way I didn’t like.
“Sit down,” he said, pointing at the stairs below us.
I didn’t move.
Not because I couldn’t sit, but because something inside me didn’t want to listen to him so easily, didn’t want to get used to him telling me what to do and me just doing it without thinking.
“I said I’m fine,” I repeated, forcing my voice to stay calm.
Choi Han paused for a second, then nodded and stepped back without arguing, and for some reason, that hurt more than if he had pushed me.
Ding 一
The sound suddenly rang out between us, sharp and annoying.
[ MAIN SCENARIO UPDATED ]
Bright letters appeared in the air, impossible to ignore, and my stomach dropped when I read them.
[ Objective: Reach the Safe Zone ]
[ Reward: Growth ]
[ Failure: Death ]
It was simple.
Too simple.
Like the game didn’t care about anything else.
Choi Han read it too.
I could tell by the way his expression changed just a little, his jaw tightening like he already knew what he was supposed to do next.
“I should go first,” he said after a moment, not looking at me when he said it.
There it was.
The thing I’d been expecting since the beginning.
“Go,” I said before he could think too hard about it, before I could stop myself.
The word came out flat and emotionless, like I’d practiced saying it before, like this wasn’t the first time I’d been left behind.
Choi Han finally looked at me then, his eyes moving over me slowly, from my face to my arm and then back again.
“You won’t make it alone,” he said quietly.
He didn’t sound rude.
He sounded worried.
That made it worse.
“I’ll be fine,” I replied, even though we both knew that wasn’t guaranteed, and maybe that was the point, because if he left now, it would hurt less than if he stayed and left later.
Choi Han didn’t move.
Seconds passed.
The game didn’t say anything.
Then he shook his head.
“No,” he said, just one word, simple and firm.
Instead of walking forward like the scenario wanted him to, he turned and walked back toward me, crouching down in front of me as he tore a strip from his sleeve without asking, his fingers brushing against my wrist for just a second as he wrapped the cloth around my arm.
The touch was quick.
Careful.
Like he thought I might pull away.
“I’m not your problem,” I muttered, staring at the floor.
“I know,” he replied right away, too fast, like he’d already thought about it before.
“I’m still staying.”
My chest tightened painfully, and I hated how my shoulders relaxed just a little before I noticed and forced them stiff again, hating that a small part of me felt relieved even though I didn’t want to.
I didn’t look at him.
If I did, I might see something I wasn’t ready to deal with.
A loud crash echoed from above us, followed by voices shouting in panic, and Choi Han stood up instantly, moving half a step in front of me without even realizing it.
I noticed.
I always noticed.
“Stay behind me,” he said, his voice serious now.
I wanted to argue.
I didn’t.
We started moving again, climbing the stairs slowly this time, and even though the game clearly wanted Choi Han to go ahead and leave me behind, he stayed close enough that I could hear his footsteps matching mine.
It made me uncomfortable.
It made me feel safe.
I didn’t know which feeling I hated more.
Every time I stumbled, he slowed down.
Every time I fell behind, he stopped.
He never said anything about it.
That somehow made it worse.
I kept waiting for him to leave.
For him to decide I wasn’t worth slowing down for.
For him to realize that the game had already chosen him, and that dragging me along would only make things harder.
But he didn’t.
“We’ll move together,” he said after a while, not turning around.
Not a question.
Not an order.
Just a statement.
I hesitated, then nodded once, even though my chest felt tight, even though a part of me was already preparing for the moment he’d disappear.
Because people always did.
They always left.
But even then, as we kept climbing higher and higher, with danger waiting somewhere above us and the game watching our every move, Choi Han was still there beside me, close enough that if I reached out, our hands would touch.
I didn’t reach out.
I didn’t trust that kind of thing anymore.
But for the first time since this nightmare started, I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what it would feel like if he stayed.
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