(Re) Chapter 2: -End

One month have passed ever since that day. The day Su-ho show his superpower.

Ma-ru adjusted his glasses, squinting at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Same face. Same anxious eyes. Same unruly hair that refused to stay down no matter how much water he used.

He sighed.

Another day.

He finished tying his tie and stepped out of his bedroom, his footsteps soft on the wooden floor. The smell of breakfast still lingered in the air: grilled fish, rice, the faint saltiness of seaweed soup.

His eomma was already in the living room, dressed in her crisp business attire, her bag slung over one shoulder. But she wasn't heading for the door.

She was standing in front of the drawer.

The one with the photo.

Ma-ru's chest tightened.

He walked up beside her, his eyes drifting to the frame. His appa. Pilot uniform. That easy smile he remembered from when he was eight years old. Before the storm. Before the plane vanished. Before "no trace" became the only answer.

"Appa," Ma-ru murmured. "I'm going to school."

His eomma didn't look at him. Her fingers brushed the glass, a soft, practiced gesture. "Yeobo. I'm going to work."

Then she turned, her expression softening as she reached up to ruffle his hair.

"Be good at school, Ma-ru-ya."

"Mmm. You too, eomma."

They walked out together. Down the elevator. Out the apartment doors. Into the same routine they'd shared for years.

"I'm glad you have friends now, Ma-ru-ya," she said, her voice gentle. "I'm sorry we kept moving. Because of my job."

"It's okay." He adjusted his glasses. "It was my decision to follow you. You asked if I wanted to stay at my old school. I chose to come with you. So it's fine."

It had been his choice.

He just wished he didn't stutter every time he tried to explain it.

Always stuttered. Ever since he was a kid. Whenever he panicked. Whenever he was nervous. It made him a target. Made him stand out for all the wrong reasons.

At least now he had Seol.

At least now he had Su-ho.

He took a breath.

"F-fight, eomma!"

His mother smiled. The kind of smile that said I know you're trying.

"Fight, Ma-ru-ya."

They parted at the corner. She went left. He went right.

Ma-ru kept walking, his bag slung over one shoulder, his eyes fixed on the school gates ahead. The rift loomed above, a constant reminder that nothing was normal anymore.

He was almost at the gate when—

Two strong arms wrapped around him from behind. One hooked around his neck. The other locked around his torso. And then—

Lift.

"A-ack!?"

His feet left the ground. His glasses nearly flew off his face. He flailed uselessly, his bag swinging wildly as he was hoisted into the air like a sack of potatoes.

"Yoo! Marumaru!"

"S-su-ho-ya! Put me down! I can't—my glasses—!"

Su-ho spun him around once, laughing, his strength ridiculous for someone who looked like a pretty idol trainee. At 198 cm, he made Ma-ru's 160 cm frame look like a child's toy.

Ever since that day, Ma-ru had gotten used to calling both his new friends with close suffixes. Su-ho-ya. Seol-ah. It still felt strange on his tongue sometimes. Like he didn't quite deserve the familiarity.

But Su-ho had insisted. And Seol had nodded. And Ma-ru had stopped arguing.

He just wished Su-ho would stop treating him like a dumbbell.

Smack.

Su-ho froze.

Then he let go with a yelp, rubbing his head as he pouted at the perpetrator.

Yoo Seol lowered her hand, her expression perfectly neutral. She signed something sharp and quick, her movements precise and unimpressed.

Su-ho translated with a groan. "She says I shouldn't toss people before breakfast. And that I'm too loud. And that I almost broke his glasses."

Ma-ru gasped, catching his breath and grabbing his glasses before they could fall. "T-thank you... S-seol-ah."

She nodded, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips.

Su-ho yawned. Widely. Loudly.

Ma-ru blinked. That was... weird. Su-ho wasn't the type to yawn during the day. He was always bouncing with energy, always moving, always grinning. But lately—

Lately, he looked tired.

Dark circles. Slower movements. That yawn that seemed to come from somewhere deep.

Before Ma-ru could ask, Su-ho stretched his arms above his head, his usual grin sliding back into place like a mask.

"Come on, you two. Let's go to our school. Our homeroom teacher Ahn seonsaengnim awaits us."

Then he paused.

His grin sharpened. That familiar spark flickered in his eyes, the one that always preceded something chaotic.

"On second thought... you two are slowpokes. You know, I have the most brilliant idea ever exist."

Ma-ru felt his stomach drop.

Why does that make me scared?

"Considerin' that stuff from one month ago I showed you two..." Su-ho's voice dropped to a playful whisper. "I became stronger than before. So..."

Before Ma-ru could react, one arm hooked around his torso. With effortless strength, Su-ho yanked him up and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

"E-eh?!"

Ma-ru's bag almost dropped. His glasses nearly flew off, again. His world tilted upside down, the ceiling spinning as he dangled helplessly over Su-ho's back.

"Su-ho-ya! What are you—?!"

Then Su-ho turned to Yoo Seol.

Before she could sign a single protest, strong arms scooped her up—bridal carry—her feet leaving the ground.

Her mouth opened.

For the first time in Ma-ru's memory, Yoo Seol's perfect composure shattered. Her eyes were wide. Her lips parted in a silent gasp that might have been a scream if she could make sound.

Su-ho laughed, bright and loud, completely unbothered by the weight of both his friends in his arms.

"Hehe! I can carry my two favorite people—Marumaru and Seolseol—so easy now! You guys weigh nothin'!"

Ma-ru's face burned. "S-su-ho! Put us down!"

"Nope!" Su-ho's grin was insufferable. "Now hold tight, 'cause I'm gonna run!"

"Wha—Su-ho, wait—"

But his words were cut short as Su-ho bolted toward the school.

Ma-ru clung to his back, his glasses bouncing with every stride, his heart hammering in his chest. Students stared as they zoomed past. But Su-ho just laughed, weaving between bodies like he was born for it.

"AHHHHH—!"

Yoo Seol, cradled in Su-ho's arms, had given up on signing and simply covered her face with both hands.

She was going to die of embarrassment.

Ma-ru and Yoo Seol had finally been deposited at their seats, Ma-ru collapsed in his chair, breathless, his glasses askew, while Yoo Seol smoothed her uniform with pointed dignity, refusing to meet Su-ho's grinning face.

Su-ho just plopped down in his seat, completely unfazed.

"The sprint was totally worth it," he announced cheerfully. "You two are light as feathers now. I really am getting stronger!"

Ma-ru slumped forward, his head hitting the desk with a soft thud. "...I... I think my life had... b-been flashed before my eyes..."

Yoo Seol nodded vigorously, still refusing to look at Su-ho.

Ma-ru finally lifted his head from the desk, his glasses crooked, his face still flushed.

"Y-you..." He pointed a trembling finger at Su-ho. "That was... t-terrifying..."

Su-ho tilted his head, genuinely confused. "What? We got here fast, didn't we?"

"Fast?! You nearly killed us!"

"Eh." Su-ho waved a dismissive hand. "You're fine. See? Alive. Breathing. Mostly."

Yoo Seol finally turned, her expression cold as she signed something sharp.

Su-ho squinted, reading her hands.

Then he froze.

"...Wait. She says my grip on her ribs was too tight and she might have bruises."

Ma-ru blinked. "You might have—?"

Su-ho immediately spun toward her, his grin vanishing. "Seolseol! Why didn't you say something?! I'm sorry! Do you need to go to the nurse? Should I carry you there? I can carry you—"

Then she smirked.

Her fingers moved. Fast.

I lied. No pain. But you fell for it.

And then she pinched his nose.

"I Fall to... meegh! Fvis again?!"

Su-ho's voice came out all nasally, his nose pinched between her fingers. His arms flailed comically as he tried to escape, but Yoo Seol held firm, her expression utterly unimpressed.

Ma-ru stared.

Then a sound escaped him. Small at first. Then bigger.

He laughed.

It was a real laugh, warm and bright, bubbling up from somewhere he'd almost forgotten existed. His shoulders shook. His eyes crinkled. For a moment, the rift outside, the dread in his chest, it all faded.

They really are childhood friends, huh?

Su-ho finally escaped Yoo Seol's grip, rubbing his reddened nose with a pout. "You're so mean, Seolseol..."

Yoo Seol signed something smug.

Su-ho groaned. "She says I deserved it."

Ma-ru wiped his eyes, still chuckling. "Y-you kind of did..."

"Traitor!" Su-ho pointed at him. "I carried you here with my own two arms and this is the thanks I get?!"

"You nearly dropped me twice!"

"I caught you both times!"

"That's not the point!"

Yoo Seol was still looking at them, her expression soft now. A gentle smile pulling at her lips. She signed something slow and deliberate, knowing Ma-ru was still learning.

Both leaned in to read.

Then Su-ho burst out laughing.

Ma-ru blinked. "W-what did she say?"

Su-ho wheezed, clutching his stomach. "She said—" He took a breath, calming down just enough to translate. "—'You two are idiots. But you're my idiots.'"

Ma-ru felt his cheeks warm. He didn't know what to say to that.

So he just adjusted his glasses and muttered, "I... I guess that's... okay."

Then Ma-ru saw it.

Su-ho's hand pressed against his ribs, just for a second. His smile flickered. A tiny wince before it vanished.

It was so fast. So small. Anyone else would have missed it.

But Ma-ru was watching.

His stomach twisted. What was that?

He glanced at Yoo Seol. She was watching too, her eyes fixed on Su-ho's back, her expression unreadable.

She saw it. She always saw things.

Su-ho turned back to them, his grin firmly in place. "Hey, Marumaru. I got some... stuff to do after school. Can't hang out."

Ma-ru blinked. "O-oh. Okay. What stuff?"

"Trainee stuff. You know." Su-ho waved a hand dismissively.

But Ma-ru knew.

He'd accidentally run into Su-ho's hyungs last week. They said they were on break. No training. No schedules.

Su-ho was lying.

Ma-ru opened his mouth—to say what, he didn't know—but Yoo Seol's hand pressed gently on his arm. She shook her head once. Not now.

Not now.

Ma-ru closed his mouth.

Next week.

Valentine's Day arrived. And yet.

The classroom was quieter than it used to be.

Teachers didn't bother assigning homework anymore. Students whispered instead of laughed. Even the hallways, once filled with chatter, now echoed with muffled footsteps.

Everyone was pretending to be normal.

But no one believed it anymore.

In the classroom, students stared out windows more often than at textbooks. The weight of waiting pressed down on everyone.

One of the smaller rifts that had appeared in Seoul vanished without explanation. The news called it a miracle.

But those who knew—those who felt—knew better. It wasn't a miracle.

Su-ho was often absent now. His excuses were flimsy, the circles under his eyes darker. The top-ranked student still maintained his grades through sheer stubborn intelligence, but something had changed in him. When he was present, he was quieter. His gaze, when it drifted to the rift, held something ancient.

But currently... he looked happier. Humming to himself as he walked to his seat.

"Seolseol chocolate. Seolseol chocolate."

Yoo Seol watched him. She always watched. Her hands remained still more often now, as if she was saving her words for something that mattered.

Ma-ru watched them both.

What if it was Su-ho who closed that rift? What if his power is the key to entering them?

Not only that. Su-ho said he'd been training, that's why he was busy sometimes. But Ma-ru had accidentally run into his trainee hyungs. When he asked, they said they were currently on break.

Which meant Su-ho was lying.

Ma-ru's stomach twisted. His trainee hyungs wouldn't lie, they didn't even know Ma-ru existed. They had no reason to hide anything.

But Su-ho did.

Ma-ru thought about the small rift that had vanished. The timing. The exhaustion in Su-ho's face. The way he flinched sometimes when he thought no one was watching.

Su-ho had been fighting. Alone. Without telling anyone.

Why?

Did he not trust them? Or... did he think he had to protect them by keeping them in the dark?

Either way, the thought made Ma-ru's chest ache.

And... if he thought about it... the timing was almost the same as when that Seoul rift closed. Su-ho had been "busy" for one month. He was the only one Ma-ru knew who had power.

The realization sat in his stomach like a stone.

Then—

The world exploded.

A deep, otherworldly bell tolled, a sound that didn't come through the ears but vibrated deep within the soul. The entire school building shook violently, plaster dust raining from the ceiling. Students screamed. Teachers shouted. Chaos erupted in every classroom.

Through the window, beyond the rift, a colossal obsidian tower now pierced the heavens where nothing had been before.

And then, movement.

The rift shimmered, bulged, and broke.

They poured out. Not of flesh and blood, but of shadow and nightmare and jagged bone. A seething, screeching tide of monsters spilling into the streets below.

Through the window, Ma-ru watched in frozen horror as a bus flipped.

The silent dread, the weight in his chest, it had all been a prelude.

What he feared most had finally come true.

The world was ending.

And it had started right outside their window.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***