DI Ch 145

I bent my knees and pushed off lightly. The cutting wind felt like it would tear my skin, and the noticeably decreased strength compared to usual made my back feel chilled with unease. While concentrating and moving swiftly, I brought up only pleasant thoughts. For example, when he caressed my hair softly with his fingertips without anything applied.

The way my eyelids close slightly when he kisses my cheek. The pleasant feel of his cheek or the back of his head. His eyes scanned my every move quickly. The rough and coarse hands feeling my face. The thick forearms pulled me close by the waist. That chest, those thighs that were too hard to use as a pillow.

The smell of perfume that used to mix well with the scent of cigarettes. And Sand with fur that is pleasant to touch. My dog, whom I have not been able to pet a few times or even go for a proper walk with. My house, my house where I live with my hyung.

Judging by how it hurts less now, it seems to be having an effect, but the opposite effect has appeared.

I want to go home.

I’m dying to go back. Maybe it’s because I unintentionally thought of someone I tried not to think about. Every memory feels faint and beautiful. We haven’t broken up yet. It’s not over yet. It really isn’t. Feeling my vision blurred with tears, I gritted my teeth and strained my eyes.

As much as I want to see him, I’ll have to do it later. Let me miss him a little longer. The sweat running down my forehead drips onto my eyelashes. Did I apply the hot packs too much? Sweat was pouring down like rain. For a moment, I was glad I didn’t change clothes. I’ll need to change into fresh clothes once I get down.

I wish there was at least a stream on the way. I want to wipe my body with a towel. Thinking about what to do after escaping far away, I glanced at my trembling arms as if checking them. I can endure. It was fortunate that I did arm exercises whenever I felt depressed. I felt a bit proud that the muscles I worked hard to build were doing their job properly.

Instead of lying in a corner of the house and getting depressed, the effects of exercising from time to time are paying off. Feeling this simple joy, the ringing in my ears that had been bothering me since earlier kicks in. I wondered why it didn’t completely go away, but oh well.

There was no smoking room on each floor. With every window I encountered, I cautiously descended by giving myself a big push. There’s not much left now. Just one more floor. So far, I’m doing really well. I praised myself and took another step forward, and then, I locked eyes with the drug addict.

“Uh.”

Ah. I can see his pupils widening in slow motion and the cigarette falling from his lips. The moment my foot hit the wall, I bit my lip hard.

“Uhh? Uh! Hey!”

Shit. Not caring if there were sounds from above, I bounced down rapidly, almost throwing my body on the last part. Now, I really, really feel like every second is precious.

I jumped up and took off the rope. As the atmosphere became increasingly rough and noisy, the mood I had built up so high and the composure I had managed to maintain were suddenly crushed. First, I ran wildly in the direction I had marked. My knees were weak, so I braced my legs and got through it as best I could.

“Ugh, huh.”

I ran as hard as I could, ignoring the tree branches that caught my feet. Every time I took a breath, my chest puffed out loudly. I cursed with all kinds of curses as the sounds of pursuit echoed louder and louder. I clenched my teeth so hard that even if my teeth were damaged, I wouldn’t notice as long as it didn’t come out through my throat.

“Woof!”

“…!”

I almost fell because of the sound of the dog. Holding my breath, I turned my head to look behind me. The sun was in front, but the sunset was behind. Is that a dog or a wolf? A person or the grim reaper?

“If you get caught, I’ll break both your fucking legs!”

Was there a dog? No, dogs are cheating! The thought of my calves being viciously torn and shredded flashed through my mind. Hoping it wasn’t a hunting dog with a good sense of smell, I dashed madly. Rolling or falling, I threw my body forward, clambering down and up the mountain. I had no idea where I was going, I just ran blindly.

“Ah!”

The sky blended with deep blues and reds grows gradually darker. Dodging a branch that almost poked my eye, I hit my forehead instead. Goosebumps rose and my legs slowed to a cautious pace. I nearly went blind. My forehead probably got a scratch, but I didn’t bother checking.

To be exact, I couldn’t afford that. I hid behind a tree and searched my bag. I rummaged around like a crazy person and quickly put on the night vision goggles I found in my hand. I can still hear the chase. The sound of footsteps following me, pushing away leaves, felt like it was going to grab my hair at any moment.

My head hit the ground where rocks and tree roots were embedded, and it would probably be dragged along. If they catch me here, the next thing would be a lynching. I’ll be beaten to death so badly I won’t recover. I didn’t want that. I don’t want to be beaten, even if I die! That’s why I prepared everything meticulously, but if I get caught here, I’ll d1e first on my own terms.

No, that would be s**cide. No matter what I do, it feels like I’ll just move according to the predetermined course, which made me ache all over. Furthermore, my heart was pounding incessantly like exploding fireworks, feeling like my chest was about to burst open.

My vision swirled in a green haze. My dashing pace gradually slowed, my arms and legs flailing limply. Still, I kept walking endlessly. I just kept going without stopping. When I slipped on fallen leaves and tumbled down, I was so startled I thought my heart would jump out of my mouth.

Holding bottled water in one hand and beef jerky in the other, I went deep into the forest. Whenever I had a bit of strength, I ran and ran again. Is this what it feels like when your lungs hurt? I’m really going to die. The cold wind was as biting as the encroaching darkness. I must have underestimated the onset of an autumn night.

I climbed and climbed again, rubbing my cold cheeks. Where on earth is this? Because I was drugged I couldn’t tell how far the car was traveling, I couldn’t even take a rough picture of the area. I just hope it’s not a forest with wild boars. I took a deep breath of the burning air from my lungs and exhaled loudly.

Then, my eyes shot open like thunder. A tree had fallen. No, to be precise, it was leaning. I was the one who had fallen.

“…What, cough!”

The moment I opened my mouth, I let out a rasping dry cough. I muffled the noise and removed my night vision goggles first. I scanned my surroundings. Mountains, still woods. A deserted forest with no signs of human presence. Not the stuffy, dusty-smelling black room.l.

I relaxed and lay back down where I had fallen. It seemed I had passed out and rolled down, but thanks to the soft fallen leaves, I didn’t appear injured anywhere. Although a bit cold, the hot packs stuck all over my body were still warm, having saved me. If it was winter, my lips would have turned blue.

Taking off my bag, I spread my arms and legs wide, gazing up at the sky. It’s dawn. Who knew the sky seen from the mountains could be so beautiful…

“My hyung said that…”

With an exhausted voice, I exhaled ragged breaths into the fading dusk sky and sniffled. This is really not something a person should go through. An experience I never want to have again. The encroaching dusk hid the setting sun as countless footsteps thundered through the dark woods in pursuit. A ferocious dog chasing as if to kill. Even though it was over, my heart was still pounding rapidly, as if I had become mere prey.

I cried because I missed Tae Seong-je so much. Not for protection, not for rescue, not to be taken away, I just missed seeing him. If there is a reason for unhappiness, there must be only one answer. ‘Bad luck.’ If there’s a reason for unhappiness, there’s only one answer. ‘I had bad luck.’ That’s it. That’s all. From the beginning, I’ve been suffering because of bad luck, and then it’s because of the gods of this world who hate me. Then is Seo Seung-joon a god? No, it’s Gu Min-joo who wrote that novel.

“…Let me just try to get home.”

They’re all dead. Whether it was my brother’s friend or not it won’t end with just a punch. Anyway, let me go back. Squinting my puffy eyes, I looked for water first. Hastily gulping it down, I gently slapped my cheeks. Taking out a pad from my bag, I tried to locate my position.

But the signal wouldn’t come through. They say mobile reception works even in the mountains these days. What a lie. Breathing heavily, I unconsciously checked the crampons I had put on over my sneakers. They’re already worn out from so much use. I was going to replace it with a new one, but I thought I could use this more, so I brushed myself off and stood up.

Wiping my blurry eyes, I staggered forward. I tried to ignore the dizziness, ringing in my ears, and headaches to the point where they made my skull ache, but I couldn’t ignore the feeling of nausea. In the end, I fell over and started to gag.

“Ugh… ”

Is there a waterfall or something around? I want to wash up. Change clothes too. Since they could keep chasing me, I should go far away and hide for a bit. A week should be fine. If I do well, I may last a few more days. Then they’ll give up searching from their end first. No matter how important money is, it wasn’t easy to find people in the mountains.

“Ugh, uh.”

It’ll get boring in the meantime, so I should study. If I study more English and work through two more problem books, time will fly by. I deliberately had laid-back thoughts, but the retching didn’t stop. It even seemed worse than usual.

This was driving me crazy. I was really going crazy. My body was in so much pain, I didn’t know whether to clutch my stomach or head. Through my hazy vision, I saw a thick branch. Grabbing onto it, I forced myself up. As I walked forward, strangely, the sky seemed to spin wildly.

My body spun around, and my head abruptly tilted over. In an instant, I tumbled down a slope with a heavy fall. Not having lost consciousness, I tried to stop myself somehow, but my strength was literally drained. In the end, I desperately hoped for another stroke of luck, but it was too much to ask for, as the back of my head slammed hard into something.

Like a fuse being blown, my vision instantly went dark. That was the end.