"I won't forgive you…"
The words came out as nothing more than a broken whisper, trembling as they slipped past bloodless lips. Yet despite how weak they sounded, there was something buried deep within them...
Hatred.
The young man lay sprawled across the bed, his bare body exposed under the dim light. His skin, once unblemished, was now covered in bruises, bite marks, and fading scars that told a story of prolonged suffering. Some wounds were fresh, still angry and red. Others had already begun to darken, remnants of pain that had never truly faded.
His chest rose and fell unevenly.
Every breath seemed like a struggle.
Every second felt heavier than the last.
Tears streamed silently from the corners of his eyes, soaking into the sheets beneath him. His vision blurred again and again, yet he forced his eyes to remain open as if closing them would mean surrendering to something he wasn't ready to accept.
Regret churned violently inside him.
Not for himself.
But for everything he had failed to protect.
Around him stood five men, their figures looming like shadows under the dim light. They were young, no older than him, but their expressions held nothing of youth. There was no hesitation in their eyes. No guilt. No humanity.
Only amusement.
They watched him the way one would watch a dying animal...curious, entertained and detached.
"You still haven't given up, huh?"
One of them stepped forward.
He stood out immediately, not just because of his height or the way his broad shoulders filled the space around him, but because of the undeniable presence he carried. His face was strikingly handsome, the kind that could easily draw admiration in any setting.
But the moment he smiled...
That illusion shattered.
Because there was nothing warm about it.
"You really are stubborn," he continued, his voice calm, almost gentle. "Even now."
The young man on the bed forced his gaze upward. His vision wavered, but he managed to focus on the man standing before him.
And instantly,
His fingers twitched weakly.
Hatred surged through his veins like fire.
"I… never wanted this…" he rasped, his voice hoarse, each word scraping painfully against his throat. "You… planned everything…"
A soft chuckle escaped the man.
"Of course I did."
He took a step closer, then another, until he stood right beside the bed. Slowly, he leaned down, his shadow swallowing the broken figure beneath him.
"Did you really think I would leave things to chance?"
His tone was almost amused.
Almost proud.
"I needed everything to go exactly the way I wanted."
The young man's breathing hitched.
A sense of dread began to creep in, cold and suffocating.
"And thanks to that," the man added casually, "your family should be dead by now."
Silence.
For a brief, fragile moment,
The world stopped.
"…What?"
The word slipped out before he could stop it.
It was barely a sound.
But the reaction it drew...
Was exactly what the man had wanted.
A slow, cruel smile spread across his face.
"Oh?" he murmured. "So you didn't know?"
His fingers reached out, brushing lightly against the young man's cheek...mocking.
"They were in my way."
The words landed like a blade.
Something inside the young man shattered completely.
His pupils trembled violently.
His breathing became erratic.
"No… that's not…"
But even as he tried to deny it,
He knew.
Deep down...
He knew this man was capable of it.
He just didn't think it would truly happen...
"I told you before," the man continued, his voice softening into something disturbingly gentle. "Once I set my sights on something… I don't stop until it's mine."
His gaze darkened.
"And now, everything is mine."
The young man's lips trembled.
Tears spilled faster, blurring his vision completely.
His family.
Their smiles.
Their voices.
Gone.
Because of him.
Because he had trusted the wrong person.
"…Monster…"
The word slipped out, barely audible.
The man laughed softly.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Then...
He reached for the pillow.
The movement was slow.
Deliberate.
As if he wanted the other to understand exactly what was about to happen.
"No… wait…"
The young man's voice cracked.
His body trembled weakly, instinctively trying to move, to escape,
But there was no strength left.
No hope left.
The pillow came down.
Darkness engulfed him instantly.
At first...
He struggled.
His hands lifted weakly, grasping at the arm above him, fingers curling desperately as he tried to push it away. His legs shifted, his body twisting slightly in a last attempt to break free.
But the strength wasn't there.
Air refused to come.
His lungs burned.
His heartbeat pounded violently in his ears.
Everything felt distant.
Heavy.
And then,
His family's faces appeared in his mind.
Smiling.
Calling his name.
Reaching out to him.
Gone.
Just like that.
The fight left him.
His hands loosened.
His body stilled.
Tears slipped silently into his hair.
And in his final moment...
A single thought echoed through the darkness.
'If I ever get another chance…
I will make you pay.'
.
.
.
"Clean it up."
The voice cut through the silence as if nothing significant had happened.
The man removed the pillow and stood up, adjusting his sleeves calmly. His expression was completely unchanged, no remorse, no hesitation.
Just indifference.
"Make sure there's no evidence. I don't want any trouble later."
The others nodded immediately, moving without question.
As for him...
He simply turned and walked away.
Without looking back.
Not even once.
.
.
.
Darkness lingered.
But something remained.
A thought.
A will that refused to fade.
'I won't forgive you.'
A sharp breath tore through the silence.
"…Hah-!"
His eyes flew open.
Air rushed into his lungs violently, painfully, as if he had been drowning and had only just been pulled back to the surface. His body jolted upright, trembling uncontrollably as he gasped for breath.
Alive.
He was breathing.
His vision blurred, tears gathering once more...but this time, it wasn't from pain.
It was shock.
"…What…?"
His voice came out weak.
Uncertain.
He looked around slowly.
The room came into focus piece by piece.
The bed.
The curtains.
The faint scent lingering in the air.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
"…This is…"
His heart skipped a beat.
"…my room?"
Everything was exactly the same.
Untouched.
Unchanged.
"…Am I… dead?"
Before he could process it...
An arm tightened around his waist.
His entire body froze instantly.
That touch.
That presence.
Cold dread surged through him as he turned his head slowly.
And there,
Lying beside him,
Was the man who had just killed him.
Sleeping peacefully.
As if nothing had happened.
Rage exploded within him.
He shoved the arm away violently and stumbled off the bed, his breathing turning erratic once more. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst from his chest.
Kill him.
The thought came instantly.
Do it now.
His hands trembled.
His body moved...
But then stopped.
Something felt wrong.
This wasn't right.
Nothing about this made sense.
He forced himself to step back, his mind racing desperately as he tried to understand.
He rushed toward the door.
"Noah? Where are you going?"
The voice came from behind him.
Calm.
Unbothered.
As if it had never been the one to end his life.
Noah's body stiffened.
His fingers curled tightly at his sides.
But he didn't turn around.
"I'm… thirsty."
The words slipped out instinctively.
He didn't wait for a response.
He stepped out and shut the door behind him.
The house was quiet.
Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
There was no blood.
No screams.
No signs of the nightmare he had just experienced.
Instead...
There was tha warmth.
Familiarity.
Life.
His chest tightened painfully.
'This… is before everything.'
The realization struck him like lightning.
Not a dream.
Not an illusion.
"…I came back."
Before he could fully process it,
"Hey! Why are you walking like a corpse? Hurry up, idiot!"
A hand grabbed the back of his neck.
Noah flinched violently, anger flashing in his eyes...
But the moment he turned,
Everything collapsed.
"…Sis?"
She stood there.
Alive.
Bright.
Real.
Her hair was tied up in a high bun, bouncing slightly as she moved. Her expression shifted quickly from annoyance to concern when she noticed the tears streaming down his face.
"Hey… why are you crying? Did I hurt you?"
Her voice was warm.
Familiar.
Alive.
Noah's vision blurred again.
But this time...
He didn't try to stop the tears.
He stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace, his hands gripping her as if she might disappear at any moment.
"Sis…"
His voice broke completely.
"I missed you…"
His shoulders trembled.
"Please… don't leave me again."