Chapter 436: Goodbye and Promise - The Story of Three People (5)

I furrowed my brow in frustration as the weight of the situation etched deeper lines into my face. I couldn’t believe the blue text window and strange phenomena had been visible not only to the members of Elated, but to Yoon-Chan as well. And not just to Elated's Yoon-Chan, but to Chronos’ Yoon-Chan, who was the least involved in this entire situation.

Why him, of all people?

No, was Yoon-Chan even supposed to know about this, when the Chronos members were all unrelated to my regression?

‘

Well, he already found out, but still...'

Was I supposed to let him delve deeper into this? That was the question I needed to answer.

Because of my stern expression, or perhaps because I had been silent for quite some time, Yoon-Chan hesitantly dropped his grave look and watched my reactions. “Um... I’m not forcing you, hyung. If you don't want to talk, you don't have to..."

Compared to his initial assertiveness, his confidence seemed to falter given my lackluster response.

“No no, just wait."

I pressed my hand to my forehead and lowered my head. It was natural not wanting to talk, but what if I just brushed everything off? Since Yoon-Chan approached me with such conviction to ask about something he witnessed, then he was probably certain that something unusual was happening. Simply denying it without valid reason would only raise more suspicions.

What about the alienation Yoon-Chan might feel?

“Just a moment, Yoon-Chan."

“Yes, I’m sorry."

“Don’t be sorry..." I needed time to think in detail. Talking to Yoon-Chan about it wouldn't just end things. I thought I could escape the thoughts of having regressed or come back from the past, but now there was one more person I had to worry about. This was hardly good news for me.

And what wrong had Yoon-Chan done? Why should I burden an innocent person with a secret I couldn’t share? But Yoon-Chan had already seen too much. Even if he saw the window, would he really believe me if I told him that I actually died once and came back to the past?

...But Yoon-Chan, forever timid and cautious, must have had many thoughts and a certain resolve to come here. He probably intended to truly understand what was going on with me.

After much contemplation, I finally decided to just throw a small stone into the swirling pond.

“Something strange has indeed happened to me."

I only confirmed that the anomalies he saw were real and Yoon-Chan's pupils shook. The moment his suspicions were confirmed, he seemed quite perplexed despite being prepared for the truth. I pretended not to notice his shock and continued.

“Part of the reason my health has been bad recently is this."

“How can that be..."

Fear of heights, panic attacks happening out of nowhere, or any other strange behaviors... If there had been any changes from when I was a trainee, it was all because of this.

Yet Yoon-Chan's puzzled expression quickly turned into one of concern. Seeing him worry more about my health instead of focusing on the source of his curiosity truly showed his kind nature.

“This isn't something you need to worry about, and it's all been dealt with now."

“You dealt with it?"

“All the weird events you saw are over." Yoon-Chan looked puzzled, but I did not want to explain any further. “There won't be any more troubles or strange phenomena because of this."

“Uh, okay..."

“The other members were involved because of me, but now that it's over, they don't remember anything."

Yoon-Chan tried his best to understand and asked about my perspective on this whole situation. “...So, when you say they don't remember, does that mean they don't know anything about this anymore?"

I nodded. Although I hadn't talked much with the members, it felt like they had forgotten the memories from when they were with Elated. Nevertheless, it was a bit odd how they didn’t consider having a gap in their memories strange, but anyway.

“I’m not entirely sure, but it seems like they don't remember. So it's probably best for you to try to forget as quickly as possible too."

Talking about the long and arduous times we had faced might be too much for both me and Yoon-Chan, so perhaps it was best to quickly move past and forget the events of today. After all, strange occurrences tended to fade and blur with time, just like how I occasionally forgot about the events of the past and my regression.

Yoon-Chan was silent for a moment. Was he pondering my suggestion to forget? Or was he unable to accept the incomprehensible situation? Well, there was nothing I could do even though he couldn’t understand what was going on.

He hesitated and asked, “So, hyung. Were you collapsing on stage or struggling at the airport because of this?"

“What?" I hadn't expected him to ask about that. He was referring to the times when I had struggled with my trauma. It had been quite a while, and I hadn't thought his questions would reach back to those days.

Yoon-Chan was not curious, but was genuinely worried about me. It just occurred to me now, but his face looked just like it did back when I used to collapse frequently and he would worry about me taking my medication.

“Back then, you suddenly started having a hard time. Since it was so sudden, was it because of this? Was it?"

It seemed that Yoon-Chan's question was more about his concern for me rather than his curiosity about the blue window or whatever had been going on. I wasn't imagining it. Yoon-Chan truly seemed to not care about that phenomena anymore.

“Is your fear of loud noises and lights also a result of this incident?"

“Hmm? Yes..." I hastily responded.

Yoon-Chan seriously nodded. “It started happening so suddenly without a clear reason. I can see why it's hard for you to talk about these things."

It seemed he still remembered incidents that even I had forgotten about.

“Why do the other members not remember? If this is related to you being sick, it would have been better if everyone knew. Why didn't I know about this at all?"

Yoon-Chan began to ponder why he was the only one excluded even though all the members were involved. The obvious reason was that Yoon-Chan from Elated hadn’t been close enough with me to want to sacrifice and choose for my sake back then. But how could I say such a thing?

“You must have been unlucky. Maybe that’s why you weren’t involved."

“Unlucky?" Yoon-Chan frowned slightly at the notion of luck being brought up, but it was indeed just that.

I was starting to calm the waters now. Yoon-Chan appeared to have asked everything he wanted, and continuing the conversation would just be burdensome for both of us. I wanted to shake off the gloom now that the Chronos members were back.

“Anyway, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but it's too complicated to explain."

“Oh, that's okay."

“I’m sorry you had to see that weird thing because of me."

“No, seriously. I’m actually glad." Yoon-Chan’s expression relaxed into his usual gentle smile before saying softly, “Since you want me to pretend that nothing happened, I will do just that."

“Really? Thanks."

“But if something strange happens to you again, can I act like I know then?"

I was at a loss for words again, not because I was upset, but... What was I supposed to say? I was very grateful that he was willing to share this surreal truth with me without further probing.

I was caught off guard by Yoon-Chan's earnest look, so I inadvertently nodded. “...You’ve changed a lot."

“Me? What do you mean?"

My words slipped out unexpectedly. Yoon-Chan was very different from the one I knew in the past. I knew he had become much closer to me than Yoon-Chan from Elated, but perhaps he valued me more than I realized.

“Thank you, Yoon-Chan."

“Nah. We’re in the same group after all. You’ve helped me out a lot too."

He was such an angelic guy. His kindness and thoughtfulness gave me a deep sense of relief. The loneliness that tightened around my heart as the Elated members returned to their original world was fading. It felt like Yoon-Chan was speaking on behalf of everyone that there was still someone in this world who could understand me.

“Uh, sorry for eavesdropping on your guys’ conversation."

“No, I’m sorry for making you feel left out."

I had been speaking to him at my comfort level. Even though I hadn't told him the whole truth, having him as a strong supporter felt reassuring.

‘Yes, everything will be okay eventually.’

Just like the Elated members said, I would definitely find happiness for those who chose to sacrifice themselves to revive me, for the Chronos members by my side, and for myself.

***

Morning came, and the usual noisiness filled the living room and showed the typical morning scene in Chronos’ dorm.

Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung were joking around, Joo-Han was working on his laptop, and Tae-Seong was stocking the fridge with Yoon-Chan’s help.

“Good morning." Yoon-Chan greeted me first, and then the other members followed suit in turn.

“Hyung! Can you give Yoo-Joon hyung a smack? He just pinched my belly fat, ugh!”

“Why are you pinching his belly?"

“I was just curious since I saw some fat on Jin-Sung’s belly! It’s strange to see fat there since he is always super fit."

It was extremely noisy in the morning as always. I shook my head and joined Yoon-Chan in organizing the fridge. It seemed he wouldn't bring up that topic unless something came up again.

Nothing much had changed otherwise. Of course, I’d have to check after today’s schedule how the other members' memories had been altered.