Chapter 153: The Choice That Can’t Be Avoided

“‘X’ wasn’t missing because he was injured—he was gathering his forces….”

“We got completely blindsided.

This wasn’t the time to be sitting around doing nothing.”

“Don’t think of it that way, hyung.

Even if we’d known in advance, there wasn’t really anything we could’ve prepared.

At best, all we could’ve done was run.”

The advance of ‘X’’s army was extremely slow.

They crushed everything in their path without mercy as they moved forward.

As if intent on reducing the world to nothing, they trampled buildings, roads, and even people who hadn’t managed to escape in time, steadily closing in on the city center.

“Haa… I know I’m just venting.

But those numbers are insane….

There are way more monsters than surviving people.”

“No matter how many of those things there are, it doesn’t change much.

It’ll just take longer to deal with them.

And you can’t afford to be discouraged too, hyung.

That bastard could finish this in one go, but he’s advancing slowly on purpose just to make people tremble in fear.

What a sick freak.”

“Discouraged, my ass.

‘X’ has always been like that.

That bastard’s personality’s been twisted from the start.”

Curses fly freely.

Now this really feels like the ‘X’ I knew.

A cold-blooded monster who’d never weaken himself or spare humanity.

Of course.

After destroying one world and coming here, there’s no way he’d kindly let humans kill him quickly.

He’ll make them struggle in despair for as long as possible, shaking in fear until they die.

Bang, bang!

“We know you’re in there!”

Even as we watched ‘X’’s army approach on the TV screen, the noise outside the door grew louder.

People shouting, fists pounding harshly against the door.

“We’re really just going to leave them like that?

They’re never going to leave.”

“I don’t get why people are so dependent.

They should learn some independence.

How can you survive always relying on others?”

“…That would make sense if everyone had power like yours….”

Outside the door were people from all kinds of agencies, desperation breathing down their necks.

We knew exactly what they were here to say, which was why we didn’t open the door.

Eventually, they began pounding on it more violently, as if they’d lost all reason.

“I don’t care about anyone else.

Why don’t we just run away together and live somewhere quiet?”

“Seriously….”

I hadn’t noticed it much before, but now that I think about it, Jaeyul is really bad at lying.

Saying he doesn’t care about others, saying we should run away together—none of that was sincere.

There was no way he could say something so unrealistic with a straight face.

We still hadn’t resolved Poppy’s situation, and our friends’ lives were on the line too.

“Should we?

If we dig a cave in the Arctic snow, they probably won’t find us.”

“…Huh?”

“Oh, if you don’t like the cold, then maybe we dig an underground bunker in the middle of a desert.

‘X’ would never find us there.”

I played along a little because his lies were kind of cute, but Jaeyul’s face slowly stiffened.

This was just a joke.

I hate extreme cold and heat equally.

“Are you… really saying we should go?”

“Why?

You’re the one who suggested we leave together.”

“That was just… saying it was an option.

Do you really mean it?”

The reason we still hadn’t opened the door was tied to this conversation.

We hadn’t said it outright, but we needed to decide how we were going to act from here on.

I couldn’t bring myself to choose, so I kept dragging things out.

I don’t want Jaeyul to go fight ‘X’.

Even if he dealt a critical blow before, there’s no guarantee the same result would happen again.

Why should Jaeyul be the one risking his life alone for so many people?

One fool like that is more than enough—and that fool should be me.

But running away together wasn’t an option either.

We still had to retrieve that annoying brat Poppy, and protect the people who’d treated us with goodwill.

Maybe I’m just greedy, but I can’t give up on any of it.

“Be honest now.

You want to go fight ‘X’, don’t you?”

“……”

Silence is his answer.

Maybe all versions of Son Jaeyul like fighting.

‘X’, and this guy too.

I already knew the truth.

Even if we avoided the fight this time, we couldn’t live like that forever.

A life spent running until you’re the last human left on Earth would never be happy.

I know that—yet I still can’t tell Jaeyul to go fight.

It might sound cowardly, but if something happened to him, it’d feel like everything was my fault.

“Give me a reason why I have to let you go.”

But the answer was already decided.

Jaeyul would do what he wanted in the end.

Knowing that didn’t make it any easier to accept.

“I told you already.

We’re never running away again, and I’ll protect the world you live in with my own hands.

Don’t turn me into someone who can’t even keep his promise because he’s scared of some ‘X’.”

Why does he have to be so good with words?

Whose kid is this—he’s way too dependable.

“…You know we’re going to be really busy, right?”

“We are?

Busy?”

“Of course we are!

We’ve got to start dating properly, find a newlywed—no, a new house and all that.

…So hurry up, finish this, and come back.”

I didn’t want to burden the guy heading into battle.

I was just stating my hopes.

Finish quickly, come back safely, and let’s be busy doing things like that.

With that hope in mind, I pulled Jaeyul into an embrace first.

He’s always felt so big, but today, for some reason, he just looks unsettlingly fragile.

“If that’s the case, I’d better finish it like the wind and come back.

I’ll straighten that brat Poppy out properly and bring him with me too, so don’t worry.”

Holding Jaeyul close, I began guiding him.

That this is all I can do for him feels utterly miserable.

“Should we go with bright wallpaper, or dark?”

“If you like it, hyung, I like it.”

“Do we need a separate room for Poppy?”

“A room for him?

He’s a dog—just tie him up in the yard…

No, if you want, we should give Poppy his own room too.”

It’s strange.

Just imagining a future that hasn’t even arrived yet makes my heart flutter.

It almost feels like we don’t have any problems at all.

Maybe it’s because we’re picturing a future that’s the complete opposite of our current situation.

“You idiots are seriously something else.

You think there are even wallpaper shops open right now?

And who said Poppy’s living with you?

He’s having the time of his life destroying things next to ‘X’.”

…Letting Song Jihan join our team was a mistake.

I should’ve dumped him in Busan.

All he does is ruin the mood.

“How long are you two going to cling to each other?

You’re not planning to just f*ck and die together, are you?”

…Eden?

We’re just holding hands—how did it jump to that?

He really does have an extreme streak.

More importantly… what’s with that guy?

“Bomyung, what’s that on your back?”

Park Bomyung was carrying a massive pack.

It was bigger than his own body—no idea how he was even managing it.

“If the youngest loses, we run right away.

Don’t get greedy—there’s nothing for you.

It’s just food for me and our hyung.”

…What the hell.

He’s basically convinced Jaeyul’s going to lose?

With that pack, it looks like he’s planning to hide in a bunker for years.

And yet, we’re really going to fight to protect guys like this?

Why are they all so damn irritating?

“Hoo… guess it’s time to go…?”

I stopped joking around too.

‘X’ was already very close—we couldn’t afford to stall any longer.

They’d sent out advance teams several times earlier, but none had even managed to get close to ‘X’.

After that, they decided to stop any more meaningless sacrifices.

Which meant the only hope left was Jaeyul—the one who’d dealt ‘X’ a critical blow before.

No other esper could even approach him, so there was no alternative.

The pressure on him must be immense.

“I’ll go.

I’ll really finish it quickly and come back.”

All the hopes and prayers of the surviving people would be focused on Jaeyul.

He had to head into battle as the sole beacon of hope for countless lives.

A role he’d never wanted to shoulder.

“Don’t ever feel pressured.

No matter how this ends, none of it is your fault.

You have to keep your promise to me, okay?”

“Of course.

You know I’m good at listening to you.”

We promised that if the worst happened, he’d run without hesitation.

To me, Jaeyul is far more precious than every other life in the world combined.

Squeeze.

Without saying anything, Jaeyul tightly gripped my hand.

I couldn’t tell if the relaxed smile on his face was genuine, or something he forced for my sake.

I met his dark eyes and smiled back.

I wanted to hold him tight and say everything left unsaid—but I didn’t.

If I did, it would feel like this really was the end.

I want to send him off like this is just another ordinary battle.

That way, when he comes back, he’ll smile easily like he always does.

I’ll lock all my worry and fear deep inside my own heart.

“I’ll be back.”

Jaeyul moved away with the rest of the team.

All the espers except Jaeyul were to be deployed to deal with surrounding monsters.

Our team would escort Jaeyul close to ‘X’, then assist with monster suppression afterward.

Once again, I was left alone.

Only now did the anxiety I’d been holding in come pouring out.

The forced smile vanished.

I’m scared.

Scared that I’ll be left alone forever like this.

Scared I’ll never see Jaeyul or the team again.

Scared that his receding back might be the last thing I ever see….

Outside, cheers erupted for Jaeyul.

I don’t want to hear it.

Why don’t they worry about his safety like I do?

All people want is ‘X’’s death—not Jaeyul’s safe return.

I stood there until Jaeyul was completely out of sight, then headed back into the First Center building.

I should calm my mind quietly in the dorms.

Not that this anxiety will disappear.

“Why do your shoulders look so slumped?”

Am I hearing things?

Why does Jaeyul’s voice sound like that…?

As I climbed the stairs, my body turned on its own toward the voice behind me.

“You’d think the world already ended, looking at you.”

This time, I knew instantly.

That Son Jaeyul, smiling like he was having the time of his life, wasn’t Jaeyul.

It was ‘X’.

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