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The day that their (Galina’s) friends found out that they weren’t dating, a seed was planted. It grows into a simple, fruitless tree until the day it starts getting nurtured, albeit unwillingly.
It’s true that Ilya and Galina are close, but he doesn’t really understand how the misunderstanding happened. It started with one of Galina’s friends asking how long they’ve been dating, only to be told that they were never dating in the first place. And then the questions about his nonexistent love life came with disappointing results.
Ilya has never fallen in love before. It’s not anything important to him, and he doesn’t really care that he’s never dated or liked anyone. But thinking about it, after Galina’s friends questioned their relationship, he doesn’t know why he doesn’t feel anything for girls in general. Not even for the pretty girl who confessed to him in high school. Or for the coffee shop barista who wrote her number on his cup. There is just something missing, not that he knows what.
“Now everybody knows how lonely you are,” Galina teases. “Am I going to be the only person you’ll actually talk to regularly?”
Ilya rolls his eyes, “You’re the lonely one, you don’t even have a boyfriend!” He throws a pillow at her from the couch, but she catches it before it hits her. “And I do talk to people besides you, don’t act like you’re the only one.”
She sticks her tongue out before throwing the pillow back at him. He catches it, expecting that he won, but a second pillow hits him right at the face. She laughs, hitting him with the fallen pillow several more times. Ilya just lets her have her fun, he’s learned to give up after so many times.
“You know, ordering food and talking to your parents don’t count,” she wipes the tears of laughter from her eyes. This time, she gets hit with a pillow. “What? It’s true!”
“Oh really?”
She grabs the pillow that hits her from the floor, “Yes! If you want to be a teacher, you have to learn to actually talk to people, Ilya!”
He quit his studies when he learned that Galina was possessed by a devil. None of the exorcists that they called in were able to get rid of it, as low-ranked as it is. She’s suffering and there’s not a single thing he could do about it.
But doesn’t the Vatican have all sorts of methods?
So, with no other choice, he decides to become a priest for the Vatican. There’s a chance that they are able to do something about the devil. It’s fortunate that his uncle works for the Vatican, so he has an easier way in. However, when Galina somehow finds out about his plan, she storms into his room with complete outrage. They haven’t had a major fight in years, back when they were younger and immature children fighting over the last cookie.
“If you’re becoming a priest just for me, stop it. Live your own life, Ilya!” She has never felt so desperate before. This is her friend, her brother, and he shouldn’t be dragged away from his dreams just because of some unfortunate events that happened to her. He’s always wanted to be a teacher, she’s known that for all the years that they’ve known each other.
What she doesn’t know is how desperate Ilya is as well
Ilya sighs, putting his pen down next to his application for the Vatican. He stands up from his chair, “What do you mean?” He crosses his arms and tries his best to keep up a stoic face. “I’m not doing this for you. Why would I go through the trouble of becoming a priest and living a strict life just for you?” Lies.
“Ilya. . .”
The pain on her face is agonizing, but he continues, “Besides, my uncle has already asked me to be a priest before, so it’s nothing new. And they make a lot of money as well, so why shouldn’t I become a priest? Leave it, Galina.”
She knows none of it is true, Ilya’s not the type of person to care more about material wealth and power over his dreams and family. But she has to pretend that she believes it’s true. He’s a stubborn bastard, yet so selfless. So, she bites her tongue, “I hope you get cursed if you become a priest just for the wealth!” She leaves his room with tearful eyes, and a devil tearing her apart.
Looking at her, Ilya becomes filled with guilt, wishing that he didn’t have to do this.
The tree starts bearing fruit a couple months later, after he becomes a priest for the Vatican. It didn’t take too long for him to become promoted to an exorcism priest when his skills managed to catch the eye of a bishop. So, with significant power, he’s able to get some of the higher-ups to take a look at Galina. Soon, they’ll have a date for the exorcism to happen. Everything’s going smoothly.
Until that guy shows up.
What sort of idiot tries to steal from the Vatican?
The idiot that’s currently living in his house, demanding outrageous requests from him, that’s who. Seo Joo-Heon, a man who decided to come all the way to Vatican City to steal their divine-grade relic only to fail miserably.
Seriously, Ilya thinks he’ll go bald from tearing his hair out. Asking for shelter, food, and a whole bed? How shameless can one be? At least he has the salary of a priest to deal with the guy’s requests—or maybe these requests are because he has the salary of a priest. . .
Either way, he wants out of being the provider for a jobless squatter. The only reason that he’s doing it in the first place is for Galina, he can’t have Joo-Heon potentially hurting her or lying to Pandora about her involvement with the thief. He’d rather suffer than let anything like that happen. But now he has a mooch living in his house and with his money. What a pain.
And really, “It would really help if you actually helped me around the house!” Ilya yells. His voice echoes through the house, but he doesn’t get a response. He curses, walking over to the couch with a dustpan in hand. “Seriously, the least you can do is-“ he shuts his mouth upon seeing a sleeping Joo-Heon. No wonder.
Ilya decides to stare at him for absolutely no reason. For once, Joo-Heon isn’t being an irritating bastard. He’s quiet when he sleeps, which is probably his only redeeming quality. Ilya tries to ignore how soft Joo-Heon’s face is when he’s asleep, and how long his eyelashes are. How come he looks so pretty with such a shitty personality? Wait- what?
He dumps the contents of the dustpan into the trash instead of Joo-Heon, simply because he wouldn’t want to clean it off his couch. No other reason.
The forbidden fruit starts growing that day.
“Mister Joo-Heon!”
Every so often, Galina comes to visit them. Whenever she visits, Ilya has to keep a watchful eye on Joo-Heon to make sure that nothing happens. He doesn’t know why and how two, three weeks have passed with a squatter living in his house, but it happened.
It would really help if Galina doesn’t come in unannounced every single time. One or twice he was away at the church when she came in, and he made sure that nothing happened while he was gone. Nothing happened. . yet, but he still has to be cautious.
Either way, Galina’s presence is always a welcome one, despite her tendency to get into trouble. And soon, she’ll be free from her pain. He sent a request to the Vatican to set a date for exorcising the devil in Galina’s body. As one of their priests, his request should be one of importance, and they’ll follow up with him sooner than later.
It’s only a shame that he can’t exorcise the little rat living inside his home. Currently, the rat is squeaking at Galina on the couch.
“Honestly, I think he’s going to die first,” Joo-Heon refers to a character in the movie he and Galina are watching. She nods in agreement.
“There’s a lot of death flags. It wouldn’t be surprising at all.”
They’re sitting too close together for comfort. Ilya leans over the couch, separating the two. “Don’t try anything funny,” he tells Joo-Heon, who becomes offended by the implication.
“I don’t plan on doing anything, geez,” Joo-Heon clicks his tongue. He and Galina continue talking about the movie, trying to see if in fact the character will die first. They’ve gotten friendly over the past weeks despite the fact that Joo-Heon tried to steal from the Vatican and threatened to frame Galina as an accomplice.
“Look. He left the knife out in the open,” Joo-Heon points at the screen. “Maybe the killer will take it and frame him with the fingerprints or something.”
“Oh yeah,” Galina hums. “That’s a classic. I wonder if—“ She grabs at her mouth and stomach, her face turning white. Both Ilya and Joo-Heon get up before she raises a hand, “I’m fine. I just. . I think it has to do with the burnt omelet I made yesterday!” She smiles and runs off to the bathroom.
Ilya looks at her with guilt filling him. He has to help her soon. Even while being possessed, she still manages to be bright and joyful. It’s infuriating how little he can help until the exorcism is able to be carried out.
“Did you become a Vatican priest for her?” Joo-Heon’s voice is low and quiet, directing a question towards Ilya who doesn’t know how to respond. This had to come up someday.
It’s odd that he doesn’t feel any hesitation to share the information, just how to say it.
“Yes, she’s. . possessed by a devil. You can see how it’s affecting her.” Sickness. Nausea. Abdominal pain. Despite everything, she fights on. “She’s stronger than I will ever be.”
Joo-Heon shakes his head, “You’ve done more than you think.”
“I wish that were true,” is Ilya’s only response.
When Galina finally comes back, they put on a smile matching hers. “Ilya, come join us!”
Ilya notices how pale her face is and how dull her eyes are, but she’ll brush it off if he asks. So, he sits next to her on the couch. In between her and Joo-Heon, as he has to continue separating the two.
During the entirety of the movie, Ilya tries to ignore the movements of the man next to him. Every breath, every laugh, and every comment. The story in the movie flies over his head as he remains stiff the entire time. Galina keeps stuffing popcorn in her mouth while pretending she doesn’t notice his flustered state.
Near the end of the movie, Ilya feels something heavy land on his shoulder. He looks to his left, expecting to see Galina, only to remember that she’s sitting to his right.
Fuck.
From this angle, Joo-Heon’s face looks even softer and completely defenseless. Ilya doesn’t risk moving and waking him up. If he wasn’t already stiff before, he’s completely frozen now.
He doesn’t notice when the movie ends and when Galina excuses herself with a grin. He stares at Joo-Heon, memorizing every feature of his face. And then, he finds himself drifting off in that position.
The fruit is ripe. It’s inviting him to take a bite. He pulls his hand back, refusing to give in.
They don’t speak of that day. Not even Joo-Heon, who loves to tease Ilya for every little thing. When they woke up, Joo-Heon immediately hid in the bathroom, leaving Ilya alone with his thoughts on the couch. They don’t share another word until the next day.
It doesn’t mean anything to either of them. That event happened only once, and is just something that happens between friends. Ilya tries to convince himself it was nothing to repress his thoughts. He clasps his hands together and prays. The devil is trying to tempt him into a sin, and he cannot let that happen. He is a priest, and he must ward the devil away. He has to stay faithful and help Galina. Just a little longer.
“How much longer?” Ilya asks.
“Until what?” Joo-Heon doesn’t get what he’s being asked, but judging from the look on Ilya’s face, it’s nothing good.
“Until you’re done with whatever business you have and leave.”
A month and half has passed. Ilya refuses to admit it, but he’s starting to get used to the presence of another person in his home. The month didn’t feel long or short, but any more time and he doesn’t know if he can lie to himself anymore. Joo-Heon has to go.
On the couch, the one they feel asleep on, Joo-Heon fiddles with his fingers, “I don’t think I can do that yet. If I cause trouble now, won’t it take longer for Galina to have an exorcism?”
Ilya grimaces at the mention of the exorcism. He still has no news on anything about his request, so it doesn’t make any sense. But if the higher-ups are about to sign it soon, the relic being stolen would set the date back. And here is the thief who planned on stealing the relic, holding off his plans so Galina can be healed.
“Why do you need it so badly?”
Joo-Heon looks away, discomfort on his face. He opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out.
“You say that you’re stuck here with no money, but you’ve been leaving the house at night for whatever reason. I hope you’re not getting into anything illegal, because I can’t overlook such things.”
Ilya regrets mentioning it. The look of horror on Joo-Heon’s face when he was caught burns. “You- you. .”
“Of course I know, I’m not actually a light sleeper.”
“No wonder. . .” Joo-Heon hides his face with his hands. Reluctantly, he shares his motives. “My hyung is dying.”
Oh.
Ilya fucked up.
“He. .” Joo-Heon fiddles with his fingers, hoping that Ilya’s reaction is light. “There was a tomb. Nobody could’ve expected it. So, so many innocent people got caught up with it. Hyung saved them, even as his leg bled out.” He doesn’t cry. He only curses, “And of course the fucking government decided to ‘reward’ him with a useless piece of paper. His organs are failing because of relic syndrome, he’s dying and I can’t do a thing about it.”
For once, Ilya finds that they’re not too different after all.
“And your reason for going out at night?”
“To try and find tombs. They show up randomly, and I don’t want one showing up under my nose while I am asleep. Isn’t it funny?” he laughs. “Trying to find the very thing that caused this, just because relics can help me get the medicine he needs.”
No.
“I’m sorry,” Ilya blurts out. “I didn’t mean to—fuck, I’m an asshole.”
“It’s my fault for bothering you all this time. I’ll just. . try to find another relic,” He doesn’t meet Ilya’s eyes, only going to the door and putting his shoes on.
Is he leaving? He doesn’t have anything but the clothes on his back. Why is he going?
“How much longer?”
“Wait, don’t go!” Ilya grabs ahold of Joo-Heon’s sleeve. Ah, what is he going to say now? Why did he have to go and do that?
But Joo-Heon doesn’t go. He lowers his hand from the door knob, and they stay in front of the door. It remains shut for the rest of the day.
They don’t talk about that day either.
Ilya starts to ignore the fact that his door opens and closes at late hours. He ignores their lingering touches. He knows he can’t ignore the future, though. He hasn’t taken a bite of the fruit, but it’s resting in his hands, waiting for his first bite.
Galina throws up during one of her visits. Why haven’t they approved of the exorcism yet? He sent that request over a month ago, somebody should’ve gotten around to seeing it.
Ilya senses that there’s something wrong, but he can’t tell what. The other priests act weird around him and Galina won’t tell him anything.
He doesn’t find out until he visits Galina only to learn that Joo-Heon was already there. Before he could burst the door open to scream at Joo-Heon, he overhears his
name.
“Please don’t tell Ilya. He’ll. . he’ll blame himself for this. He just wanted to help me,” her cries are heartbreaking, she shouldn’t be crying. But blame him for what? He waits by the door to listen in to the conversation.
“The. . thing inside of me is no messiah. It’s a parasite. I don’t know if I can hide it much longer, my stomach is growing and I’ve been having symptoms of pregnancy—please kill me before Ilya finds out.”
. . What?
“Is there nothing we can do?” Joo-Heon sounds depleted. “I wouldn’t want to-“
“There’s a suicide note on my desk. Just contract with the relic and I can die in peace. Besides, I don’t think you have another opportunity to get a divine-grade relic.”
Ilya hears rustling and sees red. He thinks- he knows he understands what’s happening. He slams the door open to see Galina clutching her stomach and Joo-Heon reaching out for the divine-grade relic. “What are you doing?!”
“I-Ilya!” Galina winces in pain.
Ilya tackles Joo-Heon onto the ground, taking the relic along with him. Anger and rage fills him, towards Joo-Heon and towards himself. “Galina,” he turns to her. She looks regretful. “Was all of it true?”
She bites her lips, “. . None of it is your fault.”
But it is. He was the one who joined the Vatican and sent her to them when they’re the ones who are causing her all this pain.
Before he can say anything, Joo-Heon reaches for the relic.
“What’s wrong with you?” Ilya dodges, screaming at him. “You’re going to kill her just for the relic?!”
Joo-Heon has that hurt look on his face that Ilya hates. That burning look. “Ilya, please, I’m trying to save her! Let me destroy the relic!”
Ah. Once again, he misunderstood Joo-Heon’s intentions.
He’s a major asshole, isn’t he?
Ilya lets go of the relic, and Joo-Heon grabs it. He uses an overwhelming amount of Dominance, but it only sends him flying across the room. “Joo-Heon!” Ilya yells, and he gasps at the burns on Joo-Heon’s hand. Nonetheless, Joo-Heon gets up with determination.
Galina starts sobbing, “They’re here.”
And as if on cue, the door opens to reveal the priests that Ilya sent the exorcism request to. The smiles on their faces only cause Ilya to feel furious. “You fucking bastards!” He has never screamed so loud in his life. His throat stings, but he continues, “You knew all along!”
They don’t deny it, nor do they look guilty. One of them even laughs, “What? You just found out because you’re stupid.”
“Yeah. Besides, she’s one of the only people who meets the conditions to be impregnated with the relic. Isn’t that just God’s will?”
He let the Vatican get their hands on her. He let her get impregnated by the parasite that is a relic. He. . he betrayed her trust in him.
“Ilya, snap out of it!” Joo-Heon hisses in pain. “They’re just trying to rile you up!”
Those words barely get him to focus on the situation at hand. All three of them are in danger if they don’t go. The Vatican are a powerful group, and they surely won’t stop at hurting people for their benefit. If he wants to actually do something right, now’s the time.
“Are you going to listen to someone like him? An outsider who tried to steal the relic?”
Joo-Heon’s not an outsider. He’s not a simple thief either.
For once, Ilya lets his instincts take over him. He carries Galina on his back and grabs Joo-Heon with his hand, protecting them with his body. Only until he believes that they are safe, he calms down. As long as the other two are safe, it doesn’t matter that his organs are falling out of his body.
“Is everybody in the Vatican insane?” Joo-Heon pushes the organs back into Ilya’s body. A gory process that almost causes a horrified Galina to throw up. It’s not that Ilya doesn’t feel pain, but the adrenaline is still flowing through his body. A couple minutes in, the pain kicks in and he bites down on his arm to stop the screams from leaving his throat. They can’t get caught now.
“I’m going to find a healing relic,” Joo-Heon stands up. “Or a doctor.”
“What? That’s far too dangerous!” Ilya yells at him. There can’t be any way that Joo-Heon is actually planning on doing that when the Vatican is trying to kill him. “Are you insane?!”
“You can either die right here or I can go get something or someone and save you,” Joo-Heon points at Ilya’s stomach, where his organs are sticking out. “My skills may be rusty, but I won’t get caught by anyone. Stay here.”
“Then I’ll die, just take Galina with you!” Both Galina and Joo-Heon feel immense guilt at that. “I know some people. This guy can help smuggle you two out. Take the relic with you two so-“
“Ilya. Shut your mouth before I do it for you,” Joo-Heon threatens him. “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Stay safe.”
When he leaves, Galina’s tears start flowing again. She couldn’t stop crying even with Ilya patting her back and trying to comfort her. “This is all my fault,” Ilya says. “I took you to them, and it only caused you more pain.”
“No, Ilya. It isn’t your fault.”
“It is.”
She’s incredibly selfless and bright, with a huge future ahead of her. He stopped that. Galina could’ve been fine, they could’ve found an exorcist who could deal with the devil.
“We’ll be fine, so don’t worry,” she tries to smile, but the pain in her stomach overwhelms her. “Mister Joo-Heon will come and heal you.”
“Galina, please just go with him. You guys can go see the Monarch of Healing, I’m as good as dead anyways.” His arm is bleeding from how hard he’s been biting at it. He’s surprised he’s not dead already with his organs out of his body. There isn’t any value in surviving, even if he does. He’ll just drag them down, and Galina should be their first priority.
“Ilya, I would slap you for saying that,” Galina glares. The only reason she doesn’t is because of the pain and discomfort in her stomach. She fears it’s growing bigger and bigger—and she screams in pain.
It’s not a Messiah.
It’s a disgusting creature that could only be called a devil.
He shivers at the cold temperature when Joo-Heon tries his best to heal them with the relic he stole. Ilya thinks he can make out some words being said, such as “idiot” and “fool”. He can’t tell, he’s too tired for this. Ilya closes his eyes, taking in the warmth of Joo-Heon’s touches.
He regains full consciousness when he sees a gun pointed at Joo-Heon’s head and Galina being carried out.
No. He cannot let the people he cares about get hurt. But what can any of them do against a gun?
Something, anything! Lord, please help us!
Even though he prays, what hears his prayer is not a holy figure but a demonic relic. Its voice echoes through his head, and he feels dizzy.
“ You are a desperate human. If you insist, then I shall listen to your pleas. Just let me take over your body. ”
His body? Ilya would’ve given up his life if it asked.
Suddenly, he feels power flowing through his body. The wound in his stomach completely heals in seconds and his organs are back as if they were never misplaced. The devil, not the Lord, listened to him. Ilya reaches for the legs of one of the priests with a tight grip almost causing the man to fall over. “Let them go.”
The bullets that shoot at him don’t do a thing, they only bounce off his body like they’re rubber. With anger, he crushes the priest's leg and feet.
The horror on everybody’s face is understandable. To think that he did it with the power of the relic that used Galina as its host. It’s laughable.
It’s not like he’ll ever be normal again after this. Relics never help humans without ill intentions. For all he knows, it’ll take over his body. But as long as those two are safe, he’s fine with it.
He lets the relic consume his mind, with only one request : Kill them all.
Ilya only wishes he were more specific when finds himself attacking Joo-Heon and—“Galina?”
Her legs are distorted and metallic. There is no part of her legs that could be described as that of a ‘human’.
“She’s transforming into Saint Mary’s relic after giving birth to the ‘Messiah’,” Joo-Heon explains the best he could. She didn’t actually give birth, but the requirements for relics are usually as vague as they are cruel. He used her to subdue the relic in Ilya’s body. It’s horrible, but that’s how it is.
Galina is barely human anymore. She has the power of a relic, as that is what she has become. Ilya takes her from Joo-Heon, holding her stiff body. She reaches out to wipe the tears trailing down his cheeks. Then, she wraps her arms around him. He could feel her waist change from flesh to metal.
“Ilya, you’re too kind. This is just my destined fate,” her voice is weak. She lets go of Ilya only to hand him a gun belonging to one of the priests. His eye widens upon recognizing the object and he does not take it. “Please kill me. Before I hurt you any more.”
“. . I can’t.”
“We can’t save her,” Joo-Heon looks down at his feet. “At least listen to her last request.”
Galina turns to Joo-Heon. “Mister Joo-Heon, Ilya is a very nice man,” she tries to smile through the pain. “Please make him happy.”
She knew. She knew these cowardly feelings of his. He couldn’t acknowledge them, but she already figured it out long before he did.
“I’ll promise to do my best.”
Upon hearing that, Ilya takes the gun. He has to do this. He puts his finger at the trigger and aims for her head. Even while facing death, she’s a selfless person.
Galina closes her eyes, the smile never disappearing from her lips, “Please live a long life together.”
“I’m sorry.”
A loud bang echoes through the room. Her body limps on his arms. Soon, her body transforms completely into a relic, with not a single trace of her original self. What he has is the remaining Saint Mary’s relic.
Ilya gets up, holding the relic in his hands, and tries to give it to Joo-Heon.
“What are you—?”
“It’s divine-grade, right? You need it to be a relic user.”
“Don’t even think of giving me Galina’s body,” he pushes Ilya’s hand away. The relic feels off, and even if it didn’t, he couldn’t just take the body of someone’s dead friend. “I’ll get another relic, so give her a proper burial.”
She’s dead.
That knowledge finally sinks into Ilya’s head. Galina, his sister, a person he’s spent over thirty years with, and the person he’s closest to. She’s dead, he killed her, and she’s never coming back. The weight of the relic in his hands becomes heavier, until he wants to scream and cry. Ilya could only silently sob into his hands. Joo-Heon doesn’t know how to comfort him, but he wraps his arms around Ilya.
Soon, they hear sirens that only become louder as seconds pass. Pandora.
“You should go,” Ilya tells Joo-Heon. “Pandora will be coming.”
“What? What about you?”
Ilya chuckles, “I killed the priests that I’ve worked with. No matter how you look at it, I’m a murderer.” He looks up at the ceiling. “They’ll execute me.”
He’ll finally die.
Joo-Heon looks at him with bleak eyes, “Kiss me. Please.”
Ilya doesn’t think about why he held it off for so long. He listens to the temptation of the fruit and finally takes a bite. The fruit is sweet and soft, yet it tastes of regret and sadness. He wants more, but he can’t risk the person he loves getting caught. Finally, he can admit it, “I love you, Joo-Heon.”
“It took you long enough,” Joo-Heon’s lips quiver. “I love you too.” Ilya kisses him again.
“You should go now,” Ilya starts to activate his relic. “Hurry.”
Joo-Heon doesn’t look back, for fear that he’ll turn into an inconsolable crying mess.
Joo-Heon sighs, thinking about their new assignment. There’s always a new mission right after they complete a previous one, no matter how exhausted they are. His team follows behind him as they walk over to the meeting spot to get acquainted with an aftermath cleanup crew. It’s not their first time working with this type of crew, but this is one that’s managed by Chairman Kwon’s brother, so they have to make a good first impression. That means he’ll be on edge the whole time, he doesn’t want to risk anything happening to them.
They stop in front of the room that they’ll be meeting in. “Remember, get along with them. Chairman Kwon’s orders.” His team nods, and he opens the door.
. .
No. There can’t be any way.
Joo-Heon freezes by the entrance, to the confusion of his team. He hears Jae-Ha groan, “What now?” but he ignores him.
Inside the room, there’s a man who’s terrifyingly familiar to him. It can’t be.
But that face, it’s unmistakable. Even though the color of his hair is different now, those vert eyes cannot be mistaken for anybody else’s.
“Ilya? Is that you?”
They meet each other’s eyes, and never has he felt this much emotion in his life. It’s a mixture of happiness that Ilya is alive, and sorrow at the implication as to why.
But there he is, alive and in front of him.
Ilya stares at him, mouth agape. They don’t move or talk for a while, leading to murmurs around the room. It’s Joo-Heon who makes the first move, grabbing Ilya’s hand and it’s so warm. “You’re real.”
Suddenly, arms envelop his body and he melts in the embrace. “I thought- they told me that they killed you,” Ilya tightens his hold, still not believing that he’s in reality.
“You told me that they’ll kill you !” The incident with the Vatican was huge, with articles published about the deaths of many priests and the appearance of a devil relic. However, there was no mention of any executions or sentencing for the user of said devil relic. As such, there was no mention of an Ilya Volgof anywhere. There was a chance that he is alive, and another that he isn’t.
The coin flipped in his favor.
“C-Captain,” Seol-Ah brings them back to reality. Joo-Heon coughs, stepping back from Ilya to their mutual disappointment. He almost forgot for a moment that this is supposed to be their first time meeting.
“I apologize for my outburst,” he turns towards the aftermath cleanup crew, “it’s nice to meet you all.”
As he lays at the very bottom of the hole, Ilya thinks he can hear the anguished screams of his Captain. He tries to raise his arm only to find that he’s completely paralyzed.
Ah. Right.
He fell. How many metres did he fall? He can’t move his head to look up, and even if he could, his vision is blurred. Liquid surrounds him. It’s cold. He feels so cold. His ears are ringing, his head and body hurts, and he thinks he’s dying. He’s actually dying this time.
He wants to say one last thing to Joo-Heon before he dies. His first and only love.
Ilya tries to get his voice to work, but his throat is—he can’t. Please , he begs. He knows he’s sinned, but just one last time. He promises this is finally the last time he’ll let himself sin.
The first word gets out of his throat. Then, the second. It’s a struggle to get his tongue to work, but he manages. He manages to get the second word out, but then his lips refuse to work with him. Please let me say goodbye , he knows that he’s not going into heaven. He’s killed too much, he manipulated the sminds of the people who should have free will. And yet, he’s willing to burn. He’ll go to hell if it means that his beloved gets to hear these last few words of his.
Please.
It took all of his will to not jump in with Ilya, as well as his subordinates pulling him away from the hole. Joo-Heon screams Ilya’s name until his throat can't support him anymore. His voice is gone, hoarse, so he silently sobs into the shoulders of his teammates.
They can’t stay there. It’s too dangerous, and if one member of their team dies, what will happen to the others? He has to be a sensible captain for the safety of his team. “Let’s go,” he finally orders, after ‘accepting’ Ilya as dead—but he doesn’t, he wishes Ilya is still alive and wrapped around him—, until he hears a cherished voice echoing from the bottom of the hole.
“I. . love. . . you. . Joo-Heon.”
Joo-Heon doesn’t know how he still has tears left in his body.
“ Thank you. ”
And then, Ilya went silent.
He’s dead.
“Come on Ilya! It’s the New Year, you’re supposed to stay awake at night!” Galina’s voice stabs at his ears.
Ilya groans, rubbing his temples. For some reason, he feels. . like he wants to cry. Did he have a bad dream or something? Or maybe it’s just Galina’s presence that caused him to have a nightmare, he stares at her. “It’s a new year and you’re still acting like a child,” he sighs, closing his eyes and trying to remember the dream he had. He doesn’t get a chance before Galina raises her voice again.
“Come on, there’s fireworks!” she tugs at his sleeve. “Let’s go!”
He complies, getting off the couch to go along with her. Well, if he forgot about the dream, it must not be anything special.
He clenches at his heart upon seeing a certain blue-eyed man several months later.
Indulging in the sinful fruit isn’t so hard the second time.