The haze clouding my mind began to slowly lift. I froze, held captive by a thought that had never occurred to me before. What if I could tame every monster I encountered on the surface?
The ones that had tried to attack Lee Shin would raise a trembling claw but lower it again when they sensed how close I was to him. Maybe they were holding back, afraid they’d hurt me if they struck. Since my trait didn’t extend to others, their restraint must’ve been conscious.
If I could use that—exploit their half-forced hesitation—there might be a way to prevent monsters from attacking anyone in my vicinity.
–Krrrrrrr…
–……!
All throughout our walk, monsters continued to appear. But once they locked eyes with me, they circled around me and Lee Shin, trailing behind us. Even though their hunger was obviously fixated on Lee Shin, they didn’t seem frustrated about being unable to approach. They just followed us, stubbornly and relentlessly.
Before long, their numbers had grown beyond counting. I walked down the cracked road, practically fused to Lee Shin.
With his arms tightly wrapped around me, Lee Shin’s face began to stiffen as the crowd of monsters grew. He was clearly growing wary, no longer confident that the monsters wouldn’t suddenly turn on us.
I looked up at him, still holding me as if to shield me completely. Just as I opened my mouth to calm him down, it happened.
The monsters that had been letting out soft growls suddenly went silent. Thud, thud—the earth-shaking footsteps of the monsters stopped all at once.
Silence fell.
“……”
I halted instinctively and realized the monsters were all holding their breath, staring in the same direction.
What are they looking at?
Just as I frowned at the sudden shift—
“Suho.”
Lee Shin bent close and whispered in my ear. His eyes were fixed in the direction the monsters were watching.
I began to turn my head in confusion, when a clunky sound broke the quiet.
A toy-like clatter, the kind you’d expect from a child’s plaything, echoed through the air. And then, a small object rolled toward me, bumping gently against the tip of my shoe before coming to a stop.
I looked down at the thing resting on the ground, and my mind went blank.
…It was scuffed and scratched all over, stained with age. But its colorful pattern was still vividly familiar.
“This is…”
The words slipped out before I realized it. Was I hallucinating?
My lips trembled as I stared at the cube. Slowly, I bent down and picked it up.
Its surface was rough from wear and damage, but unmistakable. The very cube I once held in my hands— The one Min Yugeon had gifted me when we were kids.
It had vanished the same day I lost my family. So why was it here, now?
Thud.
The cube had gone silent again, and just as I stared down at it, I heard the sound of something heavy stepping forward.
I raised my head.
The other monsters were still frozen in place, unmoving and eerily quiet. They watched with the nervous reverence of creatures who’d just encountered something far above them.
And the one they—and Lee Shin—were fixated on…
“……!”
A massive figure entered my view.
A striking face, fierce and majestic, framed by a lush, flowing mane. Large golden eyes, glowing vividly.
“Ah…”
A dazed sound escaped me and vanished into the air.
The creature I had spent more than half my life with. The family I believed I’d never see again…
“Rai?”
He was right in front of me.
The sight of him filled my vision so fully that I couldn’t tell whether I was dreaming or awake. My body was frozen solid—I couldn’t move a single step.
My heart pounded wildly, and something hot welled up from deep within my throat.
I could still remember how lifeless he’d looked. That image was burned into my memory. No matter how hard I tried, I could never forget it.
…Then how?
“You…”
I stumbled forward like someone in a trance. My legs buckled, struggling to support me.
Lee Shin caught me from behind, steadying me as we moved together.
Finally, my fingers brushed against Rai.
Grumble.
He pressed his head into mine, rubbing his forehead affectionately against my face. His thick mane filled my vision in an instant. I could feel his warmth, the softness of his fur.
He kept purring, almost like a greeting. Maybe even satisfaction.
My hands trembled as I wrapped my arms around his head. Even stretching them as far as I could, I couldn’t hold all of him.
I parted my lips, but no sound came out.
“…Rai.”
–……
“Is it really you?”
A foolish question, but I had to ask. Even as I clung to him with everything I had, the whole thing felt too unreal. I was terrified it might be a delusion born from desperate longing.
I squeezed my eyes shut as they filled with tears. They spilled down in heavy drops, clearing my vision only to blur it again.
Rai remained perfectly still, letting me hold him even as my tears soaked into his mane.
That day, he must’ve hidden the cube in his fur.
And somehow—though it seemed impossible—he must have suppressed his bodily functions, playing dead. That’s the only way this situation could make any sense.
My shoulders shook as I gasped for air. My tears wouldn’t stop, as if something inside me had broken.
“Suho…”
Lee Shin called to me softly, worry lacing his voice. He didn’t know what to do as he watched me break down. He gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
“……”
That’s when I realized something I hadn’t noticed before— Rai wasn’t showing any hostility toward Lee Shin.
Even though he was practically pressed up against me. Even though he should’ve been annoyed.
–…Grrrk.
Rai, who could’ve easily snarled or gone into attack mode, merely cast a lazy glance at Lee Shin—then ignored him.
I pulled back slightly from Rai’s face and looked between the two of them.
When I met Lee Shin’s eyes, he instantly understood the question in my gaze.
“Friend.”
“…What?”
“Lee Shin. Friend.”
As if it were obvious, he pointed at himself and then at Rai.
So that friend was Rai?
My breathing tangled, and I almost hiccuped. I stared at Lee Shin silently, lips pressed tight.
Seeing the confusion and surprise in my eyes, he must’ve felt the need to explain. He opened his mouth to speak.
***
Sitting side by side between Rai’s outstretched legs as he lay on the ground, I listened to how he and Lee Shin had met on the surface—and how they’d formed the bond they now shared.
Lee Shin still wasn’t fluent, so his explanation was neither smooth nor detailed, but I had no trouble understanding him. I listened closely, picturing each event he recalled, one by one.
Rai, thrown ruthlessly from the ship. The deafening crash that drew Lee Shin to the scene. Rai not attacking him. And Lee Shin deciding to stay with him after seeing that.
I tried to guess why Rai hadn’t harmed Lee Shin. Was it because he’d been injured? No.
“Even if you end up out here one day, Rai, you can’t hurt people. That’s the only way we’ll get to stay together for a long time.”
“Stop—ugh, Rai…”
Memories flashed through my mind—of the times I had pleaded with him not to hurt anyone, and of how he’d retreated into that shattered cage with a subdued expression, mistakenly believing I was angry at him for hurting Ji Chanwoo.
I couldn’t find the words. It felt like something was lodged in my throat.
It was because of me. Because of me, Rai had come to believe he shouldn’t hurt humans.
That was why he hadn’t attacked the Reconnaissance Unit members who had tried to kill him aboard the ship.
I turned to meet Rai’s gaze. He was watching me intently.
“Thank you.”
Not just for keeping his promise.
“For surviving.”
For living. For waiting for me all this time.
To find someone you thought you’d lost forever… To realize all the time you spent mourning them had been unnecessary… That kind of revelation was overwhelming in the best possible way.
I’d never believed in miracles. But now that I’d experienced one firsthand, I knew: miracles were real.
Grumble…
Rai slowly closed and reopened his eyes in response, as if my words were a bit much. He made a nonchalant face, but his tail gently thumped against my side, brushing me with affection.
Same old Rai.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Nice.”
Lee Shin, who’d been watching us quietly, suddenly spoke.
“Suho, you look happy.”
“…Do I?”
“Yeah.”
He beamed, looking utterly satisfied. I stared back at his face and brushed a hand against my lips.
That’s when I noticed the warm, amber light had gradually painted the entire ground around us.
The same sunset that had greeted us when we’d escaped the ship together was here again.
I looked up at the sky. Among all the colors the sky could take on as time passed, this one felt the most beautiful.
Fiery, like burning flames—yet soft, like a blanket wrapping around everything. If it were possible, I wanted to bottle up this color and keep it forever.
My thoughts drifted to the watch. I lifted my wrist. The display was pitch black. It had shut down when we left the ship.
–……!
Suddenly, Rai whipped his head up to the sky.
GRRRRRR!
He sprang to his feet, baring his teeth and growling fiercely. His voice and gaze were thick with alarm.
Awooooo! Kiiaaaaak!
The other monsters who had been circling us without leaving suddenly erupted as well. Their howls, unlike their behavior when Rai first arrived, were filled with hostility and tension.
The snarling echoed from all directions. Some monsters began stomping, shaking the very air like the ground itself might tremble.
Startled by the shattering of our peace, I looked up at the sky alongside Lee Shin.
“…!”
The sky had been empty. But now—
Something was flying toward us.
