Boom!“Ugh!”The explosion wasn’t deafening, but the ground shook hard enough to feel it. Even within the illusion, Raon could sense the impact vibrate through his body.“Hyung, are you okay?”“Y-yeah, I’m fine.”Answering quickly, Raon’s eyes darted to the children. He knew this was all a ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) memory, already long gone—but he couldn’t stop himself from worrying. As expected, the children were panicking, crying and running in circles.“Hyung, w-what’s happening?”“I don’t know.”The young Siwoo tried to keep calm, but when the tremors returned—strong enough to feel like an earthquake—his face drained of color.“Hyung!”“We need to get out of here!”“But…”The room was far too cramped for so many children. With the explosion and now the shaking, it was dangerous to stay put.Why aren’t they moving?No one responded to the young Siwoo’s plea. Every child was frozen with fear.And come to think of it, there wasn’t a single adult around. Not one. It made Raon doubt whether this was ever a legitimate orphanage to begin with.His expression hardened—and then the door slammed open.“What are you kids doing? Get outside, now!”“Teacher!”A young woman, pale with fear, shouted into the room. The children brightened instantly, relief flickering across their faces.“Teacher, what’s happening?”“There’s no time—hurry! We need to leave!”Outside, a handful of adults were already in a frenzy, loading bags into a vehicle. Raon’s brow furrowed. They’d locked the children inside while they worked?“Damn it, they said remote areas were safer!”“At least we got the government subsidy, didn’t we?”“Enough! Grab the luggage!”A rough-looking man barked at the others—probably the director. In the courtyard sat a black van with tinted windows, and the staff were stuffing it with heavy duffel bags.The man smoked nervously, glancing at the distant sky where the Gate had opened.“Director, if we fill the van like this, what about the kids—?”“The kids? Teacher Jung, are you kidding me?”“What?”“Why the hell would I take those brats with me?”“B-but—”The teacher’s face went white. The man—the director—glared at her, annoyed.“You’ve gotten attached to them, huh? Then stay here and look after them yourself.”“I—”“Do whatever you want. Stay and die, or get in the damn car!”Snapping, the director shoved his briefcase into the van and climbed in. Teacher Jung swallowed hard.“Teacher…”The children were already realizing what was happening. Fear widened their eyes. One of them reached out for her hand.Slap!“I’m… I’m sorry, kids.”“Ah…”Her hand struck the child’s away, tears spilling down her cheeks. She didn’t even wipe them before turning her back and climbing into the van.“Teacher!”Several children ran to cling to the door, but she slammed it shut and started the engine. The vehicle lurched forward, speeding across the yard without so much as slowing for the small figures chasing after it.“Teacher! Teacher!”“Uwaaaah!”The cries of the children echoed after the van as it vanished down the dirt road. A few ran after it, stumbling, but they couldn’t keep up. Raon stared, numb with disbelief.“Those… bastards.”The words tore from his throat in fury. He couldn’t comprehend it—the orphanage abandoning them like that. No matter how much they wanted to live, leaving the kids to die? And they’d loaded the van with luggage instead of children.But anger did nothing. This illusion wasn’t his to change. He could only watch as the scene unfolded like a film.“Hyung, what do we do now?”“…!”He turned. The young Siwoo and another boy were staring at him with wide, frightened eyes. The realization of being abandoned had hit them too hard to even cry properly.“Damn it.”Raon cursed, reaching out instinctively—but his hand passed straight through the children. The helplessness made his teeth grind.“Come on, let’s get out of here.”“Hyung…”“Move!”“…!”Snapping out of it, the young Siwoo urged the other kids forward. They hesitated, then slowly followed him toward the exit.“Ha…”Raon exhaled shakily in relief. Maybe they’d make it to the main road, find help—anything.He was about to follow when someone caught his arm.“There’s no point, hyung.”“What?”Siwoo—the real Siwoo—stood beside him, watching silently. His face was unreadable, his tone quiet.“It’s over. It’s already happened. You don’t need to see the rest.”“But…”Raon’s chest tightened. He glanced toward the children. Their small figures were still within sight, struggling down the slope.His heart pounded. He had a terrible feeling this wasn’t the end. Even Siwoo’s calm expression flickered, uncertain.Rumble—“Kyaaah!”“Waaah!”The ground shook harder than before. The Gate was expanding.Back then, things had been unstable—no monitoring stations, no proper containment. The military barely managed to suppress the endless eruptions, and civilians simply ran for their lives. Uncontrolled Gates often swelled suddenly, swallowing everything nearby.“No!”Raon shouted, breaking free from Siwoo’s grasp. The earth was collapsing, and the children were stumbling. He sprinted toward them.“Hyung!”“Junwoo!”Blue light burst around the young Siwoo and another boy.A Blue-grade Gate—second in danger only to Red. The radiant glow enveloped the children in an instant.“Ugh.”“Hyung, are you okay?”Raon shut his eyes tight, unable to watch. The image of the children being consumed seared into his mind. The adults who had abandoned them—he couldn’t forgive them.When the tremors finally subsided, the world went still. Raon’s voice came out hollow.“What happened to you… after that?”Siwoo didn’t answer right away. The Gate before them pulsed faintly, quiet now.“I awakened inside that Gate. The army came later and rescued me.”“And the other kids?”While Raon’s voice shook, Siwoo’s remained even, almost detached.“They all died.”“...Goddamn it.”The words scraped out of Raon’s throat. It was horrific—beyond words.He staggered forward a few steps, his mind blank.“What are you doing? They’re already…”“How can I just stand here? I can’t.”“Hyung, it’s over.”“Urgh…”Bile rose in his throat. He covered his mouth with his hand.Scenes like this had happened countless times in those years, he knew—but not to him. Not to the Raon who’d entered this body only three years ago.And that it had happened to Siwoo—to his Siwoo—made it unbearable. Watching him stand there so calmly was worse than the memory itself.“Hyung, are you okay?”“No… I’m not.”“Let’s rest a bit. Then we’ll find a way out of here.”Siwoo spoke as if nothing had happened. Raon clenched his fists, nausea burning through him.“You really feel nothing?”“What do you mean?”“After seeing all that—how can you be fine?”“It’s in the past.”There wasn’t even bitterness in his tone. Just emptiness. That, more than anything, made Raon’s heart ache. His voice rose before he could stop it.“No, it’s not fine! Those kids—your friends—what happened to them was awful!”“Feeling sad won’t change anything.”Siwoo’s calmness felt unnatural, as if all emotion had been stripped from him long ago.Raon had always wondered why Siwoo seemed so cold, so mature for his age. He finally understood. It wasn’t inborn. It was survival. He’d had to kill every feeling just to keep living.“Do you… pity me, hyung?”“…”Raon couldn’t answer.

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