Free Web Novel“Ah.”
Seo Yakrin let out a single sound. Her voice was hoarse, worn out from ages of nothing but screaming. Just as Yoon Seungryong once had, she stood unashamed in her bare body, staring endlessly at the sky. As if she had never hated Hyunmook for hindering her from dying, she suddenly murmured:
“It’s good... that I stayed alive.”
The dome of light that covered the vast space filtered not only the rain but even the ominous glow pouring from the blood-red sky, letting it through like sunlight. Though a faint, uneasy golden hue still lingered, there was no trace of anger left on her now beautiful face.
Next, the crawling mass solidified back into Yoon Seungryong. He spat out the clumps of dirt he had been chewing and broke into a smile. Not the manic grin he always wore when facing the Bumram, but a genuine smile of joy, sprawling flat on the ground. Yohan stared blankly at the three, then turned around.
Hyunmook’s face was still a void, nothing but a hollow blackness. A shadow so deep it erased his features, untouched even by sunlight. And yet, Yohan felt eyes gazing at him quietly.
A person who falls into the Bumram can never return to their former self.
And before him was someone who had thrown himself into the Bumram again and again for the sake of his teammates. Someone who fought to save them, who never gave up, who, even in this living hell, protected everyone with gentle, unwavering will.
So yes—he was human.
“Hyun... mook-hyung...”
Crying, Yohan called the name of the one he loved, and kissed him. Tears streamed as his lips pressed against the void—and lips appeared there. Then, as if washed clean by tears, a sharp nose and shadowed eyes took form. When Hyunmook’s usual face returned, Yohan only wept harder.
“Uwaaahhh, hhhuuuhhh, nghhhk, hhhuuuuhhh...”
He bawled so hard even Hyunmook’s face grew damp. Flustered, Hyunmook gathered the collapsing, sobbing boy into his arms to soothe him. Soon his own collar was wet.
“Yohan, just a moment. Calm down a little—”
But instead of calming, Yohan clung tighter, sobbing fit to burst. Gleaming beads rolled down his flushed cheeks.
“This time, hhhhnnngh, I, I really thought, hic, that it was the end...!”
The terror of being hunted by the Bumram—and worse, of watching his companions helplessly consumed by it—had been beyond words. Sweat streamed as Yohan sobbed, and the others, basking in the light and rain, turned to look. Among them, Seo Yakrin, finally back in her right mind, asked in bewilderment:
“...Who the hell is this crybaby?”
* * *
Amid the scattering light, faint sobs lingered.
“Hhhhk, hhh... hic, hic!”
“Yeah, alright. Drink some water. Eat something too.”
Seungryong fished out water, some fruit, and dried jerky, pressing them into Yohan’s hands. Even while crying, Yohan chewed what he was given. The air was filled with the fresh, green scent of new reed shoots sprouting.
“Seungryong-hyung...”
Munching down the jerky, Yohan called him with a quavering voice. Seungryong replied with gentle, big-brother warmth.
“Yeah, what is it? Need something?”
“Hic, please... put some clothes on...”
Only then did Seungryong scratch his head sheepishly and pull clothing from his “pocket” to put on. When he’d been crawling as a monster, his clothes had dissolved in an instant, leaving him completely naked. By contrast, the one in the most “normal” state—Hoyoung, who had never once fallen into the Bumram and hadn’t even been touched by it this time—was acting the strangest.
“It was good we listened to Yohan! He said we absolutely shouldn’t run, that he had a way to solve it, so we came here and tada, the shining umbrella came down, the rain fell, everything turned into rainbow sparkles, it was all so pretty and the Bumram just disappeared—!”
He bounced around, babbling so fast it was nearly impossible to understand. Overexcited now that everything had been resolved. Seo Yakrin, trying to get an explanation, sighed and crossed her arms.
“What’s with him? Can’t get a single straight answer.”
She strode over and glared at Seungryong. He, cutting fruit for Yohan, glared right back with equal hostility. Fearing a fight, Yohan quickly stopped crying and drew Seo Yakrin’s attention.
“Hello, I’m Yang Yohan. Snf, I came to the Abyss a few months ago. My ability is, as you can see, purification...” ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
But under Seo Yakrin’s blank, expressionless stare, Yohan’s voice dwindled into a nose-stopped mumble. His only refuge was Hyunmook, lying back peacefully, using Yohan’s lap as a pillow. Trembling, Yohan looked up—and Seo Yakrin suddenly beamed.
“Ohhh, so our baby’s ability is purification? Amazing! Incredible! In my life I’ve never seen the Bumram purified before! You did so well! Really, so well! Our baby’s ability is the very best in the whole world! You worked # Nоvеlight # so hard, didn’t you, trying so desperately to save your hyungs and noonas?”
The once-fearsome Seo Yakrin showered endless praise, leaving Yohan stunned. She shoved Seungryong aside with her foot despite plenty of room and leaned in, patting Yohan’s shoulder.
“Our baby cried and cried because his hyung and noona turned scary, huh.”
“I—I’m twenty-three. I’m not a minor...”
Yohan tried desperately to assert he wasn’t a “baby,” but Seo Yakrin’s attitude didn’t change one bit. In fact, it only grew worse. She was Seungryong’s peer, wasn’t she? Twenty-five years old....
“What? Twenty-three? That’s newborn! Doesn’t our youngest want to see the reed sea? Noona will show you around! When we first settled here it wasn’t even a reed sea, you know. That was, what, over a hundred and some—”
But before she could finish, Seo Yakrin screamed. Seungryong, brow furrowed, had bitten her shin.
“Yoon Seungryong, you bastard! Are you insane?!”
“Hey, old hag! How do you start nagging like some boomer the instant we meet? Nobody wants to hear your life story!”
“You punk! Sit there quietly instead of picking fights!”
Seo Yakrin grabbed his hair and kicked him. Seungryong screamed and lunged, and the two of them rolled, clawing, kicking, and punching across the sprouting reeds. Yohan opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. He didn’t have the strength to intervene. ƒrēewebnovel.com
His purification was utterly spent, drained to the bottom. The field he had unfolded with Hoyoung’s buff still shimmered, holding its place. By his guess, it would remain for days at least. Which meant—this place was safe for now.
Hoyoung was still giddy, Seo Yakrin and Seungryong would be fighting for a while yet. Maybe... he could rest a little. Yohan rubbed at his heavy eyelids.
When he blinked awake again, his posture had shifted.
“Sleep well?”
Hyunmook’s soft voice asked as he held Yohan, letting him rest against his broad chest. Yohan reached up, almost compulsively, and touched those sharp, distinct features. He remembered the void, the terrifying empty face. Hyunmook, in a gentle voice, tilted his head down.
“What is it? Are you afraid?”
“No... I’m not afraid at all.”
Though sulky, he lied, and touched Hyunmook’s lips once more. Soft. Human lips, in every way. The chest he leaned on, the arms encircling him—warm, almost hot. With a sigh of relief, Yohan checked his purification. It hadn’t even recovered a tenth.
‘It really has grown bigger...’
He knew his ability strengthened each time he used it, but only when forced past its limits did it grow by leaps and bounds. Compared to when he had first Awakened, he was many times stronger now. With Seo Yakrin added to their ranks, requiring more purification, it was a blessing.
