Cain was walking. He couldn’t stop walking, even though he didn’t know why.
He walked for what felt like an eternity until a dark corridor appeared. The transition was so seamless that Cain didn’t notice the change.
In the corridor, a figure stood alone.
‘Why is that crazy old man still alive?’ Cain thought. He was supposed to be dead. Cain didn’t dwell on it; he would just have to kill him again.
As Cain approached the old man from behind, the old man spoke.
“Satin.”
Hearing that name, Cain realized where he was—the school basement, where the Confession Room used to be.
‘A dream?’
“Satin, why don’t you answer?” the old man asked again.
Cain looked to where the old man was gazing. Through a small opening in the closed door, he saw Satin’s eyes. They gleamed in the darkness but didn’t seem to notice Cain.
“You’re calling me Satin. Is that my name?” Cain asked, confused.
What was happening?
Time seemed to accelerate, and before he knew it, Cain was following the old man and Satin down the corridor. Satin looked around nervously, like a child in an unfamiliar place.
‘This must be when Satin first lost his memory,’ Cain realized.
He didn’t recognize this version of Satin. Why was he seeing this moment now?
There was no time to ponder. Mouse appeared, oblivious to the danger the old man posed. It scurried ahead, leading Satin through the school as instructed.
“The teacher is a magician,” Mouse explained. “Magicians need labs to discover new magic. It’s their dream.”
“Discover, not invent?” Satin asked.
“Magic can’t be invented,” Mouse replied.
“Are you a magician too?”
“No, but I know that much.”
Satin seemed so innocent, so unaware. Cain felt a pang of guilt. When Satin had first lost his memory, Cain had dismissed him, still seeing him as the cold, snake-eyed person he remembered. Cain trusted no one, guarding himself with suspicion and doubt.
Looking back, it seemed foolish. He had been as blind as Mouse, trusting the wrong person.
Satin and Mouse climbed to the second floor. Cain followed, barely recognizing the place he had once called home. He saw himself walking towards them—shorter, younger, with a sullen expression. He passed Satin without a glance.
‘This is embarrassing,’ Cain thought, rubbing his face in frustration.
Time sped up again. Cain found himself standing behind Satin, listening to his past self speak.
“Why are you staring at me like that? It’s creepy,” young Cain snapped.
‘Why did I say that?’ Cain thought, regret washing over him. But it was too late to change the past.
Time flowed on. Satin descended into the basement. It was the darkest hour of the night. Cain knew this moment well—the night Mouse disappeared.
The basement was filled with a faint, acrid smoke. Satin’s hands trembled, and his eyes darted around nervously.
“Tim?” he called out, his voice echoing in the empty Confession Room. He found the old man’s secret chamber and sank to the floor, his gaze unfocused.
He didn’t cry or show anger. His thoughts were unreadable, but one thing was clear: this was the moment Satin became the person Cain had missed.
Satin reached out his hand, and Cain took it. Together, they searched for a way out of their predicament, though neither expected things to go as planned.
“If things get dangerous, shouldn’t we abandon our plan to save you?”
Cain didn’t believe this promise was sincere.
“Don’t worry about it. There’s no need to think there’s anything between us,” Cain had said.
Though they shared the same goal, their bond was fragile, ready to break at any moment.
Now, Cain regretted it.
‘Maybe it was just me,’ he thought.
Satin had thrown himself down the stairs for that shallow bond. Cain couldn’t understand why Satin had smiled afterward.
“I thought you’d be okay,” Satin said.
“I don’t understand,” Cain replied.
He still didn’t. What had he done to deserve such loyalty? They hadn’t known each other long, nor were they particularly close.
In the end, Satin remade Cain. Cain trusted Satin and believed in the hope he offered. When he felt betrayed, he turned that betrayal into guilt.
The fire was immense, consuming the entire school. The old man had fled, and the children had escaped. Cain was alone in the smoke-filled lab, struggling on the floor.
He realized now what his expression must have been—not calm, but terrified. When he heard a familiar voice, he felt relief, his face relaxing like a child’s.
“Are you out of your mind? Why did you come here?” Cain asked.
Satin replied gently, “I said I’d be right back.”
There was no fear or great sacrifice in his eyes, just the determination to keep a promise. Satin wrapped his wet shirt around Cain’s face and helped him up.
“You can close your eyes if you’re scared,” Satin said, rushing into the flames without hesitation. Even as the stairs collapsed and the ceiling groaned, he didn’t falter.
“It’s okay. I have a plan,” Satin assured him.
Cain wasn’t sure if he really did, but he followed anyway. They found a boy, unconscious on the floor.
‘Useless,’ Cain thought, but Satin pressed on, his steps sure and swift.
They reached the kitchen, hoping to escape through a side door, but it was blocked by bodies. Coin scattered around them told the story.
‘Useless, every one of them,’ Cain thought.
Satin collapsed, but Cain reached out, his hand brushing Satin’s as he found the entrance to an underground sewer. They tumbled down the stairs into darkness, where they encountered the old man again.
‘I should have killed him,’ Cain thought, but his mind was already drifting. He knew he was in a memory now.
‘This is the end,’ he thought.
Had Satin remembered all this? Would he see Satin again when he woke? Everything would be different now.
As his consciousness faded, he heard Satin’s voice.
“Maybe someone will find you in the darkness and save you,” Satin had said.
Cain had scoffed then, but now he believed it.
***
The moments and scenes blurred together like a photo album, then sped up into a film. Satin finally understood Cain’s words. It was natural for Cain to be by his side, and Satin couldn’t let him go. They belonged together.
Had he ever been someone’s salvation? Had he ever been a glimmer of hope?
Satin remembered the moments leading up to finding Cain in the fire—opening the police station door and running away in fear, getting caught sneaking into the basement, and facing the monstrous creature that had turned him into a servant.
The fire didn’t scare him. What truly terrified him was the thought of running away again.
He could have saved Cain. They could have escaped together.
Won-oh had survived after killing the giant. Satin wanted to be a better person than that, and Cain had helped him achieve it.
Now, it was time to open his eyes.
The room was blindingly white. Cain was looking down at Satin.
“Satin?” Cain called out.
Satin didn’t answer. Instead, he reached up and touched Cain’s cheek. The shadow cast by Cain’s lowered head couldn’t hide the warmth of his skin. Satin’s heart swelled; this was the warmth of a living person.
The boy Satin had saved was now a grown man standing before him, never having forgotten Satin.
“Satin, are you okay?” Cain asked, his voice filled with concern.
Satin smiled and replied, “I said I’d be fine, didn’t I?”
Satin had become a good person, just as his sister had wished. He had saved the hero in her world—a remarkable achievement, even if he could never tell anyone.
Here, Satin had finally become a true person.
Oh damn. This hurts 😭.