IPSTDS Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Lee Kangil looked impatient. As if he had been worrying about it all day. It was a restlessness he hadn’t shown in front of Kim Daon.

“I couldn’t concentrate at all today. I kept worrying—what if sly Daon seduced you into touching, what if you got swayed by that fox? I even thought about following you two, but… in the end I held back. I did well, right?”

“Yeah, you did.”

“I wanted to prove to you that I trust you. Following you around would’ve meant I didn’t.”

“Do you still trust me now?”

“Of course. But that question sounds a little suspicious. Don’t tell me something happened with that Daon kid?”

Nahyuk chuckled softly. Whenever Kangil, who usually treated people as mere amusements, spoke with even a hint of obsession, it made him smile somehow.

“Nothing happened. I told him exactly how I feel.”

“…Phew, that’s a relief. I got nervous for nothing.”

“Is it alright if I stay friends with Daon? Of course, I won’t give you any reason to worry. We probably won’t see each other for a while anyway.”

“I don’t really like it, but… I can’t tell you not to.”

“Why not?”

“Because that too would feel like a restriction born from not trusting you.”

Kangil gently pressed his lips to Nahyuk’s cheek before continuing.

“I think the most important thing between people—whether lovers or friends—is trust. The reason I’ve always treated others as playthings is because I couldn’t trust them. Because I didn’t trust them, I could never take anyone seriously.”

“Mm,” Nahyuk answered briefly.

“I don’t know exactly when it started. Maybe from when I kept being compared to Seo Dowoong and got a little twisted. That’s probably when my heart decided not to trust anyone. Seeking someone’s recognition is also, in the end, trying to win their trust.”

“And I’m the exception—you trust me?”

“Of course. Our wildcat may be weak to affection and sometimes act like a little monster, but I don’t think you’d ever betray the trust of someone you love.”

“I want to know why.”

Kangil replied immediately, as if there really was a reason behind his faith.

“Because you were sincere about love. I believe in that earnest wish of yours—that you wanted to experience love, even if only once, before you died.”

His analysis was right. Nahyuk, who had dreamed of a monumental love, never wanted to break the trust of the one he loved.

It had taken him so much to realize what love was. He didn’t want this relationship to end in vain.

“You’re right. I don’t want to break your trust. Because I love you so much.”

“Nahyuk, your confession skills have gotten better.”

Hearing his real name spoken so suddenly, Nahyuk flinched.

“You said it used to be like a nickname for you. And now, among the people by your side, I’m the only one who knows it. I told you I’d call you by it sometimes.”

“…Yeah, thank you.”

“If you’re thankful, then…”

Kangil’s unfinished words ended in a kiss. His lips landed on Nahyuk’s, continuing in a kiss that had now become familiar.

He even found himself enjoying the breathless sensation. Their bodies pressed close together, hot against each other.

The kisses went on endlessly. Kangil’s hands naturally wandered across Nahyuk’s body.

The touch excited him, yet at the same time, it made him strangely drowsy.

Maybe he had walked too much today. Maybe it was because he had closed his eyes for the kiss. Without realizing, Nahyuk began drifting to sleep.

If he fell asleep like this, Kangil would probably be disappointed… He thought that, but in the end, he completely lost consciousness.

That night, Nahyuk had a dream for the first time in a long while. A dream where the real Yoon Noah appeared. It was the first such dream since the one in the abandoned warehouse.

In the dream, Yoon Noah appeared as an adult.

He was no longer in a school uniform, but in the flashy clothes that now filled the wardrobe.

And Yoon Noah was standing in the well-kept garden in front of his house. It felt as though the sunlight shone only where he stood.

Nahyuk, as if entranced, walked toward him.

Soon, he reached the small shoulders that had once belonged to Yoon Noah—the body that was now his own.

When his fingertips lightly brushed those shoulders, Yoon Noah turned to face him.

A bright smile was on his face. He didn’t look sick at all, and Nahyuk felt secretly relieved.

Strangely, it felt like their eyes really met.

It was the first time he had ever locked eyes with Yoon Noah in a dream. No, it was unusual even to face him directly as Nahyuk.

“How is it? Is life worth living?”

Yoon Noah even spoke to him.

Nahyuk froze, startled. He had never imagined being able to converse with him, not even in a dream.

“Hurry up and answer.”

Pressed like that, Nahyuk mumbled a reply.

“…I’m happy.”

To answer a question about whether life was worth living with “I’m happy”—it felt cruel, inconsiderate to someone who had died only recently.

But because it was a dream, the words slipped out unfiltered. Only the truth came from his mouth.

“I’m so happy it feels unreal. Sometimes I worry that misfortune might be waiting just around the corner.”

It was certainly his true feelings, but not the response he had intended.

He thought Yoon Noah might take offense.

Not only had he taken over his body, but he had also stolen the happiness that should have been his. And Yoon Noah had been far from a kind person.

But instead, Noah only smiled. He even chuckled, looking genuinely pleased.

“So what if misfortune comes? You’ve found someone you love. Face it together. Who in this world is happy all the time?”

“…You’re right about that.”

“Be happier. Twice as much, for my share too. Don’t whine about being anxious just because you’re stupidly happy.”

And you? What will happen to you? Nahyuk wanted to ask, but this time no voice came out.

Only Yoon Noah’s voice continued to be heard.

“That body is yours now. In it, you can be loved enough, and you can wish to be loved.”

And you? What will happen to you? He wanted to ask again, but still no sound came. Yet Yoon Noah nodded, as if he understood everything.

“Just as a miracle happened to you and gave you a new life, something dreamlike will happen to me too.”

At last, Nahyuk was able to speak.

“Will you be able to be loved as well?”

“You idiot. You already love me. Wherever I am, whatever I do, as long as you remember me forever, that’s enough for me to be loved.”

Nahyuk nodded.

Even if it felt like merging into one, he had long since loved him. He could cry for Yoon Noah at any time, and he could smile for him at any time.

It was not a sensual love, but closer to a reverent affection. Surely, Yoon Noah had meant the same thing.

“From now on, don’t feel sorry for me. Just be as happy as you can.”

“Can I really?”

“Of course.”

“…”

“If you act like a fool, I won’t let it slide. Live selfishly for once. Put yourself first. Hm? Answer me.”

“I understand.”

Yoon Noah, who spoke so generously, stepped back a pace. As if signaling the end of their meeting.

He lifted his right hand slightly and waved.

“Then I’ll go.”

“W-wait!”

“Goodbye.”

His cold words faded completely. Soon, even his body began to blur.

Not yet… I don’t want to part just yet.

Nahyuk rushed toward him, but his form had already scattered like smoke. Nahyuk could only stand frozen in place.

It felt like this was the end of their meetings. That Yoon Noah would never appear again, not even in dreams.

Of course, that truth made him feel regret, but it wasn’t only sorrow that filled him.

Whether he reincarnated, experienced something as unreal as Nahyuk had, or some other unexpected fate… Nahyuk had a premonition that Yoon Noah would finally be at peace.

When he suddenly looked up, the sky in the dream shone so brightly it hurt his eyes. He thought he had never seen a sky so radiant and beautiful.