“Lucas left this at my house a while ago.”

A round pendant rested on his large palm. I hesitated, then slowly reached out to take it.

My faintly trembling fingers scratched his palm. The thin chain kept slipping between my fingers, unintentionally making my fingertips brush against his skin repeatedly.

“That tickles.”

With those casually tossed words, the man suddenly grabbed my wrist, flipped it over, and placed the pendant he’d been holding onto it. Then he used his own hand to curl my hand into a fist around it. This must be what it feels like to be caught by a large bear.

Only after he’d made sure I was gripping it tightly enough not to drop the pendant did he let go and step back. The warmth that had enveloped my hand without gaps fell away in an instant, leaving me feeling strangely cold.

“You did well. See you in a week.”

Unlike my confusion, the man’s expression was calm. With a tranquil face, like nothing had happened, he bid me farewell, turned around, and strode away.

An exit just as bewildering and strange as his entrance.

* * *

After my encounter with the man named Ernst, the first thing I did upon returning home was collapse onto my bed. Nothing that had happened these past few days felt real.

The feeling that the same frighteningly familiar days just kept repeating.

The unfamiliar sensation was chilling, so I tried to sleep. After sleeping for a long while and waking up, I sat up and tilted my head to the side out of habit.

Ah. Brother isn’t here anymore.

That strange realization suddenly tightened my chest.

I stayed frozen like a stone in that spot for a long time, finally moving slowly only when my legs started to tingle. Even with my brother dead, my stomach honestly cried out, and my mind coldly thought about tomorrow.

There wasn’t much to eat. Lucas had taken joy in cooking fresh meals for me every day, so there was no way he’d have food stored for long periods.

I exhaled shallowly and headed to where the money was kept.

Click. 

The box opened, revealing glittering coins. One, two, three… How long could I survive on this?

I did the math. At most, two to three weeks. I knew Lucas kept money in the bank, but I didn’t know where the bankbook was. I searched all over the house, but found nothing worth salvaging.

I should have listened properly when Lucas told me these things. Because I’d always stayed holed up in my room, I didn’t even know basic information about this small house. A bit of regret rose up, but I soon shook my head. I didn’t plan to live long anyway.

I rummaged around, pulled out some food, roughly filled my stomach, returned to my room, and flopped onto the bed. Then I rolled onto my side and opened the pendant the man named Ernst had pressed into my hand.

With a small click, the outer surface opened, revealing what had been carefully hidden inside. Something I knew all too well.

It was my face, smiling brightly.

I didn’t know why Lucas had left this at that man’s house when he carried it preciously with him every day, but the surge of emotion wouldn’t allow me to think any further.

With broken sounds that wouldn’t come out properly, I cried endlessly until exhaustion pulled me into sleep.

* * *

Several days passed in disarray. Around the fourth day, someone pounded roughly on the door—bang, bang, bang.

Fear I’d completely forgotten swept down my spine like a cold wind, and I buried myself deep in the bed, crouched down, and held my breath.

“Liv! Liv, come out! I know you’re in there!”

Bang, bang, bang!

It was a voice I knew well. The horrific scene I’d buried deep seemed to come back to life. I covered my ears and curled up like an insect.

“Liv! I said come out!”

Huidin, who’d been shouting and pounding on the door, finally quieted down after a while. He seemed to spit out curses, but soon even that disappeared.

Has he left now? I stayed motionless under the dark blanket for a long time.

I’d completely forgotten because of my brother’s sudden death. The culprit who’d made me—someone who loved to chatter—lose my voice in an instant. The b*stard who’d made me willingly crawl into a deep swamp.

Now that even the only person who protected me had disappeared, I was no different from a herbivore thrown n*ked before a predator.

“Uh, uh.”

The words still circling in my mouth couldn’t even form into words and scattered as meaningless whimpers.

I raised my bony white hand and slowly brought it to my throat. Should I just tighten my grip like this? 

A throat that can’t even speak. It’s completely useless.

The neighbors who cared for my brother cursed me—someone who’d lost her voice overnight—calling me a burden, a simpleton. Of course, it wasn’t like that from the beginning. 

We were the only siblings in the village without parents, so they pitied me all the more.

They changed as the period I stayed holed up at home, not functioning as a person, grew longer.

After experiencing Huidin’s betrayal and that horrific experience, I became afraid to go outside at some point. I was scared of running into those bastards. 

Filled only with the thought that all humans except my brother were untrustworthy creatures, I couldn’t live a proper life for a very long time.

I was afraid those who betrayed and threatened me would do the same to Lucas, and the unclear fear of what would happen the moment that incident became real through words consumed me.

The sudden change in his beloved sister, the frustration and despair from not being told the reason. Despite all of that, my brother never gave up on me and lived each day more desperately.

Though he was busy enough just earning a living, Lucas constantly gave to the neighbors. Because the lives of siblings with nowhere to turn on this narrow ground had to be that way.

The more my brother reached out his hand, the higher his reputation in the village soared endlessly. And that reputation brought us more meaningful help and material abundance.

Along with the stigma for me of being a simpleton who stayed holed up at home, leeching off my diligent brother’s back.

My brother had yearned for life so desperately, yet he died. So futilely. What was that kind of thing worth, what was there to be scared of in that b*stard that I turned away from reality and only made my brother suffer?

Belated regret rushing in like a tidal wave and the longing to clearly engrave my brother’s face and voice even just once surged up, driving me crazy.

Like that, I fell asleep buried in the dark and sticky emotions of endless self-blame, fear, and regret.

* * *

Before I knew it, the day before my appointment with that man had arrived. During this time, our front door had been thoroughly pounded many times. 

I didn’t see it directly, but the dirty spit had probably hit it too, hadn’t it?

There was even less reason to accept the man’s proposal. This week, hidden in the peaceful tranquility my brother had created, forgetting that the world was h*ll, had been nothing more than time to remind me of that fact.

The horrific moment when those bastards would come looking.

When food ran out and money became scarce, I’d have to go out and work. That’s what I’d have to do to prolong this tenacious life. And I lacked the courage and will to do so.

The cruel night arrived without fail. I hoped the murky light that made up my being would extinguish itself. Crackle, crackle. The sound of the wick burning away quietly broke the silent room, and I stared blankly at that small flame.

This world without even my brother has no reason to live in. Yes. This is the only way.

Unlike my firmly made decision, my trembling hands made the candle I was holding tremble finely. I squeezed my eyes shut and drained all strength from the hand holding the candle.

Thud. With the sound of the candle dropping, the carpet burst into flames. I rushed out of the kitchen into my room and slammed the door shut with a bang. I climbed onto the bed far from the door, rustled under the covers, and trembled with a face stripped of boldness.

The fire will spread soon. I’ll die. This is right. How could someone who can’t even speak properly live alone? Without my brother.

Before I knew it, tears were streaming down. My body grew hotter from the approaching heat. When the blazing flames soon filled my vision, whimpers finally leaked from my mouth.

“Uh, uhhk. Uhhk.”

I covered my mouth with both hands, but my voice betrayed my flimsy will. As expected, I was a person without even courage.

Becoming a complete mess, amid the hope fading away and the fear opening its jaws toward me, I glimpsed something. 

Could it be? 

A small joy I hadn’t consciously registered sparked. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them.

But what came into view again was only emptiness. Only the burning pillars and floor existed.

My heart, which had swelled with expectation then deflated, ached. I was lowering my trembling eyes, trying to become indifferent to the approaching death, when it happened.

“Liv.”

My name was called gently, like a whisper in my ear. I jerked my head up from where it had dropped toward the floor.

In a world dyed entirely in hot crimson, a man soaked with dripping water was approaching me.

“You lack patience. You seem quite shy too.”

Seeing my face blank and dazed, he spoke like he was talking to himself. Like the sizzling flames meant nothing to him.

The voice coming through the man’s calm steps cutting through the flames was strangely particularly clear.

“You didn’t need to call me this way.”

The closer the man came, the more a base desire suddenly surged from a corner of my heart. If you come. If you come like this.

The moment I felt the distance between the man and me had grown close enough, a large fireball fell between us with a thud.

“Ah.”

Vain hope burst out as ash. Ironically, my heart grew anxious for a moment when I couldn’t see the man, who was large enough to easily leap over ordinary furniture.

It was the moment my base desire, stripped n*ked before death, was displayed as complete rawness.

I don’t want to die!

A great cry rang out inside me. Then my vision went black.