Prologue

Gray clouds covered the sky. The dark clouds blocking the dim light made it confusing whether this moment was day or night.

No. In fact, what was confusing him wasn’t the dark clouds, but that damned woman in front of him.

Arcturus Cloen took out a cigarette pack from the inside pocket of his coat with trembling hands and put a cigarette in his mouth.

Click, click.

This damned weather and that damned woman.

And the damned lighter too.

Of all times, at this moment when he desperately needed a cigarette, the Zippo lighter wouldn’t light.

He tried to light the lighter desperately as if he would die right now if he didn’t inhale cigarette smoke, but the flame wouldn’t catch. Even until raindrops fell from those dark clouds.

As thick raindrops dyed his navy blue polo coat to a color similar to black, Arcturus finally threw away the cigarette he was holding and the lighter with a rough curse.

“Arcturus.”

Arcturus tried not to look at the woman. It felt like he shouldn’t look at that woman who was blocking his ears and obstructing his view, especially now when it was difficult to distinguish between day and night.

“Arctur.”

Running away is cowardly. It would be more honorable to die by being shot by the enemy.

Born as a soldier’s son, lived as a soldier, and currently making weapons for soldiers, Arcturus Cloen was raised and taught that way.

But at that gentle voice, he felt a terrible urge to run away.

Perhaps if she had been even a little bit, just 1 second later, Arcturus might have chosen to turn around and run away.

However, at Karen Chaner’s action of finally grabbing his collar, he lost his reason like a beast being tamed and dominated.

Before he even noticed, Arcturus, already soaked, turned his heavy head to look at Karen.

The damned Karen Chaner was, even at this moment, unbearably beautiful.

“Tell me it’s not true.”

Enough to willingly endure humiliation in this reality.

“It’s okay.”

“……”

“I told you I’d believe anything you say.”

It was a desperate plea, as if he was about to kneel down.

“You say it’s not true. That you’re wrongly accused.”

“……”

“Just that one word is enough.”

Karen’s silence made him want to kneel down.

“I……”

But it was Karen who actually knelt down.

As if she had been standing on two broken legs for a very long time, Karen collapsed with her legs giving out.

“I’m tired……”

Even in the heavy rain that seemed to beat her entire body, that voice exhaled like a breath was clear.
Arcturus tried to run away, but Karen didn’t run.

Maybe her legs were broken and she couldn’t run away…

It doesn’t matter anymore anyway.

Arcturus took out the gun he had hidden in his pocket. It was his personal gun that he had named ‘Karen’.

He aimed at her forehead with the gun he had made thinking of her.

“Dreams are just fleeting moments anyway.”

“……”

“Even knowing that……”

She didn’t tremble at all even when she felt the gun barrel pointed at her. Rather, she looked peaceful as if she had been waiting for this moment. It was Arcturus who gritted his teeth in agony.

“Such a dream, it would have been better not to dream at all.”

Karen closed her eyes feeling the chillingly cold gun barrel.

It was time to end everything now.

Arcturus said goodbye without taking his eyes off the rain-soaked woman’s face.

“Goodbye, Karen.”

Bang!

The gunshot that pierced through the loud sound of rain echoed through the streets.

It was the end of a moment that had been beautiful like a dream.