IPSTDS Chapter 82

Chapter 82

But Kim Daon spoke firmly.

“I can’t see anything.”

“Nothing… at all?”

“Yeah. Just a blank white screen. Is it a glitch?”

“Must be.”

So it really couldn’t be seen by anyone else. The novel was visible only to Nahyuk, and at this rate, he might be able to read it all the way to the end.

The end…

What would happen if, right before the story’s conclusion, Yoon Noah died? If the body of the original Yoon Noah perished, would Nahyuk still remain alive?

It was the same fear he’d had the day before. But at the time, he hadn’t taken it too seriously.

Yet now, the content of chapter 77 lingered in his mind.

In that chapter, Yoon Noah was clearly dying. Unlike Nahyuk, who felt his condition improving little by little, the novel’s Yoon Noah was growing weaker by the day.

If things went on like this and Noah died soon… could it mean he would die as well?

Sweat beaded on Nahyuk’s forehead without him realizing. It felt as if all the blood was draining from his body.

“…Noah hyung?”

When he came back to his senses, Daon’s hand was gently brushing his damp forehead. That tender touch finally grounded him.

“Look at this sweat. Are you sick? Is it because of the illness? Should I wake Lee Kangil?”

“N-no, it’s not that. Maybe I just felt hot… that’s why I’m sweating.”

“Really?”

“…”

“Answer me.”

Daon’s voice took on an uncharacteristically stern edge. He tilted his head closer, so close their faces nearly touched, leaving Nahyuk no room to escape.

Nahyuk’s gaze was locked with Daon’s. He couldn’t look away.

It was a gaze that seemed to pierce straight into his mind. Under such intensity, Nahyuk almost wanted to confess everything.

I’m not really Yoon Noah. You’re a character in a novel. And I can see that novel being updated.

The real Yoon Noah in the story is going to die. If that happens, what will become of me?

But the words never left his lips.

It was too surreal to admit. Not even to someone like Daon, who seemed like he could accept all his flaws.

“Sorry. I must’ve been pushing you too hard. Want to go back inside and rest?”

Daon’s voice was heavy with concern. He seemed to think Nahyuk’s troubled face was because of his own nagging.

At last, Nahyuk managed to mutter a few words.

He didn’t want to blame Daon for his shaken state. It was his own anxiety, nothing else.

“…Everything feels so unreal…”

“What do you mean?”

“I was worried about how long this would last—getting along with you, who never used to be close to me. Worried this happy life might break apart so suddenly… I mean, I have a disease that could kill me any day.”

He tried to put it indirectly, but every word was sincere.

Nahyuk was afraid of death.

Just as he had inexplicably fallen into this novel, he felt he might just as inexplicably die one day. Suddenly, pointlessly, without even saying a last goodbye to those left behind.

Truthfully, before entering the novel, he hadn’t feared death this much. There had been many days when he had wanted to end his life as Lee Nahyuk, but lacking the courage, he never went through with it.

Yet now, death terrified him far more than it ever had. A mere possibility was enough to make him sweat and tremble all over.

He knew why he had turned into such a coward.

It was because, unlike before, he now had things worth living for.

A spacious, sunlit house where he could rest. Wealth that left nothing to envy. Kind attendants. And most of all…

Lee Kangil and Kim Daon, who genuinely worried for him.

More than anything, he was glad to have grown closer to them. He didn’t want to die young now that he had precious people in his life.

He truly wanted to live.

When he blinked, hot tears spilled down his cheeks. Startled, Nahyuk wiped them away.

“Daon… I really want to live long.”

“….”

Without a word, Daon pulled him into a hug. He patted Nahyuk’s back gently, holding him until his sobs faded.

“You will live long.”

Daon’s quiet voice carried certainty, like a lullaby. He was telling him he would live.

“You’ll live a long life and keep me company.”

“…Yeah.”

“I thought you were doing well lately, that maybe the illness was getting better. I had no idea you were worrying this much. I should’ve realized sooner.”

“….”

“Promise me something.”

Thanks to Daon’s comfort, his crying had nearly stopped. Maybe it had never been meant to turn into loud sobs anyway.

But when he spoke, his voice still rasped with iron.

“What promise?”

Daon loosened the embrace just enough to meet his eyes.

“If you feel even a little pain, tell me right away.”

“….”

“Even if it’s just feeling unwell, tell me.”

“….”

“I may not be able to cure your illness, but I want to share your burdens. If you tell me your fears and pain, maybe I can take some of them away.”

It was so moving his tears nearly returned. Nahyuk bit his lip to hold them back.

“Promise me. It’s not hard for me to do.”

When Daon spoke again, Nahyuk finally forced himself to answer.

“Do I… deserve that kind of care from you?”

“Of course. I want to do this.”

“….”

“Hyung, you can’t get sick.”

“…Mm.”

The tears he’d held back threatened to overflow again. His vision blurred as he looked at Daon.

“Thank you.”

It was heartfelt. Nahyuk was grateful that Daon cared for him more than even his own family.

“If you’re thankful, then…”

Daon’s voice trailed off as his face seemed to draw closer. Their lips might touch any second. Maybe his blurred vision was playing tricks on him.

The astonishing moment came in a blink.

Nahyuk felt something soft and warm brush his cheek. The touch of lips.

“…! D-Daon?”

Daon had lightly kissed him on the cheek.

Without caring about Nahyuk’s shock, Daon hugged him again, gently stroking his back without explanation.

So startled, Nahyuk’s tears stopped instantly. His lips moved wordlessly, like he had forgotten how to speak.

What just happened? Did Daon really kiss him as thanks?

What had Daon felt when he kissed him?

Did he do this with all close friends? Or… did he harbor special feelings for him?

Nahyuk wanted to ask, but in the end, he couldn’t. He simply stayed in Daon’s arms for a long time, until he drifted off to sleep without realizing—lulled by Daon’s tender touch.

* * *

The dark night sky began to brighten. He wondered if he had woken from sleep, but the sight before his eyes, though clear, felt out of place with reality.

…It was a familiar schoolyard.

This was a dream showing Yoon Noah’s past.

As always, Yoon Noah was gazing faintly out the window. At the end of his line of sight was Seo Dowoong.

Sitting on a bench at the edge of the field, Seo Dowoong was not alone. Beside him was Kim Daon, looking as though they had grown close.

The last time he had dreamt of them, they had been wearing summer uniforms.

But in today’s dream, time had clearly passed; both Seo Dowoong and Kim Daon wore their winter uniforms.

Seo Dowoong, with a cardigan layered over his winter uniform, looked striking. Even beneath the bare, scrawny tree, he stood out.

Yoon Noah silently watched him for a long while.

How much time had passed when suddenly someone called out to him.

“Hey, Yoon Noah. Watching the traitor again?”

It was Park Sangcheol, his teeth even more yellowed from smoking than before. He plopped down beside Noah with a sly grin.

“Don’t talk nonsense. And when did I ever watch him?”

“If you miss the old days, just get on your knees and beg Seo Dowoong. Ask to be friends again. If you stick to him, I’ll make sure to mess with him all over again, ruin his life, and go out with a bang.”

“Hey, you crazy bastard, get a grip. I seriously wonder how someone like you hasn’t been expelled yet.”

“I’m perfectly sane, you know? And I haven’t done anything wrong—so why would I get expelled?”

As always, Nahyuk could naturally hear the flow of Yoon Noah’s thoughts.

Park Sangcheol looked like the type to commit every sort of vile act, yet just as he claimed, he had never done anything that stood out as overtly punishable. Instead, he cleverly played the victim, slipping past discipline time and again.