In the Name of God - vanish into fiction

“Are you handling a baby? Why are you being so careful?”

“You’re basically a baby. You can’t do anything without me right now.”

“That’s because you’re preventing me. If I put my mind to it, I could run wild as much as I want even now, you know?”

“Just try it. It won’t end with just your ankle.”

“…”

At Lee Sunho’s bleak words, Seong Do-yoon’s expression became disgruntled.

Having experienced the excruciating pain of his ankle feeling as if it were being crushed in Lee Sunho’s grip back in the dungeon of the Disaster Zone, Seong Do-yoon could not take his words lightly. He silently wiggled his left foot hidden under the blanket.

Feeling the cold sensation against his eyes, Seong Do-yoon asked.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking if you’re hurt anywhere.”

The words Lee Sunho always used to throw were now being offered by Seong Do-yoon.

“Even if it’s not something like a tear or bleeding, if you feel like you’re hurting somewhere or your condition isn’t good, don’t hold it in and tell me.”

Lee Sunho, who had paused, beamed with eyes that softened meltingly.

“It feels strange to hear the words I say every day being said back to me.”

“It’s unfair that I’m the only one hearing it until my ears are calloused.”

In those grumbling words, no trace of wariness or distance could be found.

Lee Sunho’s lips twitched pleasantly.

“Originally, those who look excessively fine are the ones bound to have festering spots. Whether it’s mentally or physically.”

It was a relief that Seong Do-yoon was wearing the eye patch.

Otherwise, even with those blurred eyes, he might have recognized the bizarre look in Lee Sunho’s gaze.

‘Sharp.’

Lee Sunho’s pupils, hidden behind his shadow mask, gleamed viscously.

At the same time, he refined his voice to be light so that his emotions wouldn’t bleed through.

“Is that from experience?”

Seong Do-yoon did not answer.

Instead, he lightly poked Lee Sunho’s body with a slightly clenched fist. Even without his sight, he could do that much since Lee Sunho was so close.

“Take it to heart. You never know when you’ll suddenly go under if you keep ignoring it.”

Various emotions surged at the fact that the person giving that advice was Seong Do-yoon, but Lee Sunho brushed it off skillfully as he always had.

“Yeah, I will.”

However, the two emotions leaking through the mask could not be completely controlled.

An uncontrollable joy.

And agony.

The God who looked down upon him from above was always full of worry.

Whether the apostle had been hurt even a little while He was unable to look down, whether there were any wounds in his heart, what he was thinking right now.

He wanted to know so much, and poured out just as much worry.

To the apostle, all of that was simply welcome. Although he had only received indirect messages where he couldn’t even hear a voice, even that made him happy.

There exists a being who wishes only for one’s well-being without any price.

From the high heavens, there was an absolute being who looked down only upon him, wishing for the remainder of his life to be peaceful.

You were always like that.

Shaving away even your precious lifespan to protect and worry about someone who was a mere apostle.

Because he loved that so much.

Because it was so sweet.

Because it was so sad.

Because it was so painful, he couldn’t bear it.

Lee Sunho’s hands gripped the sides of the pillow Seong Do-yoon was resting on. His body gradually leaned toward him.

Even with Lee Sunho’s face, stained with deep emotion, right in front of him, Seong Do-yoon saw nothing.

“…Don’t you think you’re a bit close?”

“…Testing to see if you can see or not.”

“What kind of test do you do while someone’s wearing an eye patch?”

Lee Sunho simply laughed and rested his forehead against Seong Do-yoon’s. It was close enough to swallow even his breath in an instant, but it was still too early to reveal his feelings.

“You’ve been putting cooling packs on your forehead behind my back, haven’t you?”

“Is it obvious?”

“Your temperature rose every time you used your body as severely as you did today. Should I go get some more cooling packs?”

“It’s fine. It’ll go down on its own if you leave it be.”

Seong Do-yoon, who replied nonchalantly, stayed still without pushing Lee Sunho away even though he kept his forehead pressed there. Lee Sunho, quite liking this distance permitted to him, closed his eyes with a smiling face.

“Once you get healthier than you are now, the fevers will disappear too, right?”

“I suppose so. Though this body isn’t the type to get healthy overnight.”

“I’ll help you diligently.”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it, so back off already. Your head is heavy.”

The gaze of Lee Sunho, who slowly pulled away with a small laugh, was still eerily frightening to a bizarre degree, but Seong Do-yoon did not notice this at all.

***

Three days have passed since Daejeon was designated as a new Disaster Zone following the collapse of the 99th Holy Land.

News followed that the 98th Holy Land, which had been surrounding Edinburgh, England, had collapsed into pieces.