TWLPOD 7

When he wiped the smile off his face, the man looked like a completely different person from just moments before. To think his impression could change so much with just the corner of his mouth.

“In the first place, he doesn’t need protecting, and given his personality, if he found out you guys died trying to protect him, he’d probably blame himself.”

“You talk like you know him so well.”

“People don’t usually come looking for someone they don’t know.”

“You guys just want to use him as a weapon.”

“That’s right. And if possible, I’d like him to step forward of his own free will.”

“Then there’s no way in hell I’m telling you anything about Kay.”

Aran knew that the person in front of him was not lying. That’s why he felt it was foolish, and the frustration made him angry.

“It would be nothing to kill you and hang up your corpse to find him.”

“Then do it.”

Aran’s short patience was stretched taut. As he took a large step forward.

“No!”

Steven stood blocking the way between the two.

“Kay is always outside the village.”

“Steven!”

“There are poles outside the village, and he usually sits on one of them, but on some days, he suddenly disappears and we don’t see him for months. So… even if we wanted to tell you, we don’t know where he is either.”

That was more than enough. Aran, having obtained the information he wanted, stealthily raised his hand, and the child flinched in fear, and a small weight was placed on his leg.

“You can’t kill him. Please don’t kill him. Okay?”

The hand that was tightly gripping his trousers was so desperate. The small head, which didn’t even reach Aran’s knee, buried its face and began to cry loudly.

“I- I’ll give you back the present my oppa gave me. So.”

Aran, who had frozen in bewilderment as the child who had started to cry buckets let out all his tears and snot, carefully patted his head.

“I was just kidding. There’s no way I would do that.”

He peeled the child off, crouched down, and wiped his tears. Anna, who had been sniffling sadly, burst into tears, waaaah, and hugged Aran’s neck. Aran lifted the child, who hadn’t cried even after being shot, and patted his back, asking if he was that scared and reassuring him by saying that there was no way he would do such a bad thing.

The words, whispered so gently with a beautiful face, were such that even Leah, who would never be fooled, would pretend to believe them, so it didn’t take long for the innocent Anna to fall asleep.

Having finished his business, Aran closed the orphanage door and started walking.

“Hey.”

Just as he was about to leave through the main gate after a few steps, Leah called him to a halt.

“There’s a lamp in front of the main gate. Take it.”

“Are you seeing me off?”

“I’m telling you to get lost quickly.”

“Haha. How scary. What about the children?”

“They’re asleep.”

“That’s a relief. I didn’t think you’d believe that.”

Despite Aran’s excuse-like tone, Leah remained cold.

“Don’t tell lies that won’t even work. You’re still serious, aren’t you.”

“I’m telling you I’m not. Why would I do such a thing? I’m fighting for humanity.”

His blond hair, which reflected the light and fluttered like white snow, and his eyes, which could only be described as having jewels embedded in them, smiled clearly. Just as the sirens’ voices charmed sailors, his smile was enough to make lies seem like the truth.

Reason, which told her not to be charmed, barely held Leah back.

“You, what’s your real purpose for looking for Kay?”

“Hmm… I wonder.”

Aran answered as he lifted the lamp.

“Because I miss him?”

Leah, who was about to yell that it was bullshit, noticed that Aran, who was quietly looking at the flame, was filled with some kind of emotion.

“I miss him. Sincerely.”

His flushed face sparkled, mixed with anticipation, joy, and even ecstasy.

“When he finds out he can get what he wants. What kind of expression will he make?”

And yet, it was a strangely ominous smile.

About a century ago.

Due to sudden climate change, the outbreak of viruses, and several nuclear wars, the land they had set foot on and lived on could no longer be a space for survival. Then, a genius, along with the most renowned scientists of the time, gathered to build an ark. A huge artificial island made of a dome.

That ark, which floated above the land carrying a small number of humans, exploited even the last remaining resources left on the abandoned land and enjoyed their own civilization. Thus, the original land was abandoned under the name of Willamere, and those who boarded the ark called Lympus called themselves Lympus natives and presented an eternal night, hidden by the dome, to those who were abandoned. The Lympus natives thought that Willamere would be destroyed like that.

While attaching various words like it was unavoidable or it was a sacrifice for the greater good.

But the abandoned ones also cultivated their own homes. Even if they might die tomorrow, they lived day by day according to their instinct to somehow live through today. A century passed like that, and today too, Kay was spending the eternal night on a pole.

‘Leah?’

Kay, who was keeping watch from the pole, cast his gaze towards the village.

‘Where is she going?’

Kay, who had attached a traceable fire to the lamp out of concern for her journey home, felt the lamp’s movement and his nerves became on edge. It was not only because it was unusual for her to go anywhere at this time, but also because the lamp’s location was gradually heading outside the village.

Finally, when the lamp’s location had completely passed the village wall, Kay finally moved. Kay, who found the lamp’s flame after breaking through the sandy desert that made his feet heavy and the freezing cold temperature, unknowingly moved his lips.

“L?”

It was a man who still had the same blond hair, opal-colored eyes, and identical features.

“Hello.”

It was only twice, but both times he met him, a surge of bad feelings welled up.

Something that couldn’t be explained by a simple feeling of dislike. Things like gladness and longing and disappointment and despair.

“At least say hello. Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Does time flow differently in Lympus for you guys as well?”

It was too short a period to be happy to see him. Kay did not avoid the approaching Aran and asked.

“Why did you come here?”

This is not a place for you to come. The omitted words naturally followed.

“Because I missed you.”

As if he had only realized the meaning after chewing on the words, Kay’s expression changed as emotions spread. From surprise to joy, and after a little sadness spread within the joy, a sharp reply came back.

“What reason do you have to miss me?”

“Do you need a reason to miss someone?”

“Stop with the obvious lies.”

“I’m of the mind that one shouldn’t tell useless lies.”

“A little longer and you’ll be saying you’ve fallen for me.”

“I wouldn’t have kissed you otherwise.”

Kiss?

Kay frowned at the unfamiliar word, but then a scene flashed in his mind.

“Don’t call it a kiss. It was just Guiding.”

“Was it?”

Aran reached out his hand.

Kay reflexively raised his arm to block the hand aiming for his neck, but he was grabbed by that arm and pulled along. In contrast to the rough sand that flowed between his shoes, their touching lips were soft. A tongue pushed its way between their soft and moist lips. It mercilessly split his row of teeth in one go, poked the mucous membrane, and their hot breaths tangled.

“Heuu-.”

A sensation Kay had never felt before swept through his entire body. It was so tingly it was almost painful, as if lightning was sweeping through all his blood vessels. Even as he thought he shouldn’t be swept away, his body calmly lost its strength, feeling as if his body and mind had been split in two.

A tongue that came in deeper and swept the roof of his mouth for a long time sent a chilling pleasure down his spine.

“Ugh!”

At that moment, Kay’s reason burned bright red, and he forced his now cozy body to move and pushed Aran away. Aran, who had retreated obediently for someone with the strength to pull Kay with one hand, smiled.

“This is a kiss, right?”

Kay glared at Aran with a look of disbelief. While rubbing his lips roughly with the back of his hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Kissing.”

“One more time…!”

“You want me to do it?”

“…If you say that word one more time, I’ll kill you.”

“Kiss?”