The line to buy tickets was not long. After waiting just 2 or 3 minutes, it was their turn.
“If you miss your number, you’ll have to get a new ticket. Please stay nearby,” said a boy who appeared to be a novice cleric, handing them a ticket along with a number. Looking ahead, they saw someone holding a sign with numbers written on it at the tunnel entrance. It seemed they were to come forward when their number was called. It was remarkably modern, despite the lack of machinery.
Satin and Cain followed the example of others while waiting for their turn. They bought snacks of questionable hygiene and a souvenir of unknown purpose. By then, the number on the sign was getting close to theirs.
While waiting in line, Satin checked the souvenir to make sure it wasn’t defective. Cain clicked his tongue beside him.
“Why did you buy that? It’s useless,” Cain said.
“I thought I might hang it on my door,” Satin replied.
“Your door? Whose door?”
“My door.”
“Won’t it be annoying every time you open it?”
“I thought you might like it,” Satin said with a grin.
Cain, puzzled at first, soon covered his mouth as if to cough.
The souvenir Satin had bought was a decorative item with several small beads attached to a short string. It didn’t seem intended for hanging on a door, but its use was up to the owner.
If hung on the door, it would make a clattering sound every time the door was opened or closed. While it wouldn’t provide the soothing sound of wind chimes, it would certainly alert anyone to someone entering or leaving. This way, Cain wouldn’t need to stand awkwardly in front of the door every night.
“Don’t you like it?” Satin asked, smiling, but Cain didn’t answer. Instead, he snatched the decoration from Satin’s hand and tucked it into his own pocket.
Just then, the person with the sign shouted, “Number 76! Please enter! Number 76!”
Cain checked the number on the ticket he had received earlier. It was 76.
***
The tunnel was wide enough for three or four people to stand side by side with their arms outstretched. The arched ceiling was also quite high. The surroundings were very dark, with dim lamps hanging at regular intervals to guide the way. Up close, they noticed that half of the glass surface was painted over, preventing the lamps from serving any purpose other than guidance.
They couldn’t tell how much distance was maintained between visitors, but they couldn’t sense anyone ahead of them. The tunnel, which should have echoed, was eerily silent, as if some magic had been cast.
“It’s a bit scary,” Satin muttered. Cain suddenly grabbed his hand. The dim lamp light didn’t fully illuminate Cain’s figure, casting deep shadows on his face.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m right here with you,” Cain said boldly, unaffected by the quiet darkness. Satin, however, felt embarrassed.
‘Why is it so hot?’ he thought.
It had been cool outside the tunnel, but suddenly his neck felt flushed. He wasn’t sure if it was the weather or his emotions.
Either way, there was no turning back until they reached the exit. Satin kept walking, holding Cain’s hand even though there was no risk of getting lost on the straight path.
As the presence of the entrance faded completely, Cain slowed his pace.
“Here, no one can hear us,” he said.
Satin instinctively looked around. No one was in sight except for Cain, dimly lit by the lamps. Cain continued, his gaze fixed ahead.
“So, tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“What you’re hiding.”
“Do you really need to know?”
“There’s no reason not to tell me.”
“There is.”
Satin replied quickly, but in truth, he wasn’t sure. Why did he need to hide something? Because Cain might be shocked?
If God had staged a grand play with humans, it would indeed be shocking. But if that god was also a product of someone’s imagination, it would be even more so.
‘Do I need to reveal all that?’ Satin wondered, truly considering for the first time what he wanted to keep hidden.
There were several things he was hiding: the fact that this world originated from a fantasy novel written by his sister, that Cain was the protagonist of that novel, and that, according to the predetermined fate, Cain and Satin could never have been in this kind of relationship, let alone friends.
Was that the secret Cain wanted to know?
‘That’s not my secret; it’s the secret of this world,’ Satin thought. It was something he couldn’t tell Cain, or anyone else for that matter.
Perhaps what Cain wanted to know was something more personal, something intimate about the person standing beside him.
Satin grasped at the story Cain wanted to hear, as slippery as a fish in his thoughts. He had to focus to keep it from escaping.
“I’m not who you think I am,” Satin confessed.
“Since when?” Cain asked, unsurprised, as if confirming something he already knew. Satin replied as calmly as he could.
“Since I first told you I lost my memory.”
“I thought so. And?”
“And… I never actually lost my memory. Not even when I claimed to.”
Again, Cain showed no sign of shock. He paused briefly, then nodded.
“Go on.”
“I… I once dreamed your dream.”
Cain’s grip tightened. Satin tried to pull his hand away, but Cain held on, though he loosened his grip.
“It was when we left the Demon King’s castle. When Rita and Edward had that dream where they switched places.”
Cain remained silent, so Satin continued, his nerves making him talk faster.
“You asked me what I dreamed about. I lied. I said I dreamed of just lying on the floor, but actually, I was trapped in darkness, surrounded by flames. It must have been a memory from when I escaped from school. This was your memory, wasn’t it?”
“Back then, I—”
“You said you dreamed of being the son of a murderer,” Satin interrupted.
Cain stopped and looked at Satin, who glanced at him sideways before quickly continuing.
“That murderer was my father.”
Satin wondered what Cain had seen in his dream. Whatever it was, it must have been enough to convince him that Satin’s father was a murderer. But what about the son? Did he seem pathetic? Or just as terrifying? Did Cain think the apple didn’t fall far from the tree?
Satin stared at the dark ground, trying to explain.
“I was scared of my father. I couldn’t stand up to him. I wanted to save them, but I—”
“It’s not your fault. You didn’t kill anyone,” Cain reassured him.
“But… my father… I killed him.”
Satin’s voice was barely a whisper, but Cain must have heard. Satin couldn’t bring himself to look at Cain’s face. He didn’t even notice when Cain let go of his hand. What was Cain thinking?
The silence stretched on, feeling like an eternity to Satin. He couldn’t rush Cain, so he waited, like a prisoner awaiting sentencing.
Finally, Cain spoke.
“He was a bad person.”
The same words his sister had said. Cain had never even met her. Satin looked up, and Cain repeated himself.
“A bad person died. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Of course.”
Satin hesitated, then confessed one more thing.
“Actually, I killed someone else too…”
Cain tilted his head, his expression curious. Satin quickly added, “It was an accident. And this person was also bad.”
Cain’s expression grew even more puzzled, and then he suddenly laughed.
“Are you talking about that old man?”
“Oh, you figured it out? I accidentally put poisonous herbs in the teacher’s food. I really thought they were medicinal herbs.”
Cain listened to Satin’s rushed explanation and said just one thing.
“You look ridiculous.”
“Huh?”
“You really look ridiculous now.”
“I… I guess so…”
Satin also cautiously mimicked a smile. Cain seemed genuinely amused.
‘He’s only twenty, and he’s acting like this. Shouldn’t he have some moral education?’ Satin thought, somewhat concerned. However, for now, he was relieved. If Cain had been disgusted, Satin would have fallen into deep despair. Moral education could come later.
Cain took Satin’s hand again, and they continued walking. They passed one lamp, then another, and another. As they walked, Cain asked, “Where did you originally live?”
“Uh, well, somewhere you can’t go from here,” Satin replied.
“A foreign country?”
“Further than a foreign country, a different world, so to speak…”
In reality, it wasn’t just a place like a different world; it was an entirely different world. Satin deliberately drew out his words to make it seem less strange to Cain, though he couldn’t be sure if it actually helped.
Cain nodded, showing no sign of doubt, and asked another question. “How did you end up here?”
This was a truly difficult question to answer. Satin needed time to organize his thoughts.
An angel sent me here. The angel granted a wish. The wish came from virtue. The virtuous person was my sister. My sister died. She was the only one. So…
After thinking it through, Satin answered, “I wished to go to a world where I would be loved.”
Satin had received a lot of kindness here. Rita thought of him as a real friend, and Edward respected him. Many people considered him a hero, even if it was based on a misunderstanding. And Cain loved him, probably.
This place was undoubtedly the world his sister had imagined. However, Satin didn’t believe that all the affection he had received was his sister’s intention. There was only one thing here that had gone according to his sister’s plan.
Satin had become a good person. The teacher who died from eating poisonous herbs might feel wronged, but Satin had saved Cain. He had become someone Cain could love.
A faint commotion could be heard, indicating that the end of the tunnel was near. Satin cautiously asked, “Did I come to the right place?”
Even when he was sure of something, there were times when he wanted reassurance, like right now.
Cain immediately dispelled Satin’s anxiety. “Of course.”
“How much do you like me?”
“I thought the world could end if you weren’t in it.”
Now, they could find their way even without the light. Cain held Satin’s hand, and Satin held Cain’s as they stepped forward together, crossing the boundary.
At the end of their trials and tribulations, the Peace Night Festival was in full swing, and countless lovers were sharing kisses.
They’re so cute