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Kim Mingyu, as everyone who knows him knows, is not the type of person to believe in such conceptual things like deities. He respects the idea, sure, as it's part of many traditions and cultures, but he can't see himself believing and worshipping one.
"Will you need any help?" Seokmin, his classmate — also his friend, asked him for the third time. "I appreciate your worries, but I think I can pretty much manage it," he told him as he gave him a reassuring smile which the older finally bought.
Mingyu is set to go to Jeju and visit a shrine there for this documentary he has to make for his final output.
He had searched about the shrine on the internet but only got two results and both are not any help at all. It was just about the location and its façade.
"How long will you stay there again?" Seok asked Mingyu, and if he's not wrong, it's his fifth time asking the same question ever since he found out about this project. "For only three days, Seok. My partner did the arrangements already, and we can interview the caretaker there, he said." Seokmin just nodded and decided to stop asking more questions.
"Well, this shrine here. This one is not really popular since it's built for a nameless deity, all we know is that he's associated with the ocean," Seungkwan, his partner for this project, told him.
Mingyu frowned as his words registered in his mind, "Why did you pick this shrine, then? How are we supposed to have as much information as we need to complete this documentary?"
"Well, first of all, this is the only shrine I know, and it's near my childhood home so I thought we wouldn't have to worry about the accommodation once we choose to do this one. Plus, even though this deity is not as popular as the others, this shrine here is famous for something about being close to the spirit world. Not my words, from the people who had gone here."
"You know I do not believe in such things."
"Why not?"
"Well, nothing really. I think, I just don't."
The shrine is located near the mountain's peak. And if you ask Mingyu for his opinion, he would say it's not the shrine's 'miraculous closeness to the spirit world' that makes it popular for tourists and locals, rather, the view from this area.
"Shall we get in there? The caretaker's inside I think, I already asked for permission to film and interview her, and she seemed nice."
As they walked up the eight level stair, a piece of paper landed on Mingyu's feet. He bent down to get it, while Seungkwan left him to greet the caretaker.
Mingyu kept the paper.
They were able to get a few shots of the shrine, and did a little interview too. They'll be back tomorrow for the final part of the interview and the old lady was more than glad to hear that they're coming back.
Mingyu is trying hard to understand the characters written on the small piece of paper. It was around four inches long and it was torn in half. The paper seemed old, it was brown, and some of the characters were already fading. He thinks it belonged to the shrine.
An hour passed and he was still trying to figure out what was written on it. It's not Chinese nor Japanese, not any characters nor symbols he can recognize.
Mingyu soon fell asleep after temporarily giving up. Although he's not much fascinated by the possibility that it belonged to the shrine and it could be something magical or anything, he's always curious.
ㅤ
Mingyu woke up, the sun rays hitting his face. He groaned as he felt the bed he slept on had gotten hard. How could a bed get hard?
As his vision adjusted to his surroundings, he found out that this was not Seungkwan's old room. Definitely not.
Must be a dream.
So, he went to lie down again and closed his eyes to bring himself to sleep. A few minutes later, everything still felt real. He can feel everything. The solid, hard ground. The wind coming from the west. The dancing leaves of the trees as the wind gusts. He was even hearing it. The birds chirping. The soft whistles of air. Everything, he can sense everything.
Everything but himself.
He touched his face but his hands couldn't sense it. It was as if he's numb, but he could sense his surroundings, couldn't he?
Mingyu looked around and realized he's on top of the mountain where the shrine of the nameless deity is located.
He decided to go there to the shrine, which must be somewhere down there.
"Hey!"
He turned to look around when he heard a voice calling for him. "Who's there?"
And nobody answered.
Mingyu started to feel scared.
This is just a dream, this is just a dream. Something realistic dream.
He repeated the same words in his mind as he closed his eyes, feeling a cold gust of wind went through his body.
He heard a giggle. And it was so near.
Though scared as shit, he forced his eyes to open, only to be welcomed by a man.
The man's face is so close to his, probably two inches away, a few moves and their noses would touch each other. His eyes were twinkling, reflecting the moon, Mingyu could even see his face. His skin is so white, so pale, but his lips were that of cherry red — they were formed into a smile. He has a cute button nose. They stayed like that for a moment before Mingyu felt his ears heating up.
Mingyu looked away and fixed his posture, clearing his throat.
"W-Who are you?" He asked the guy who also fixed his posture.
With that, Mingyu saw the man's frame.
The man's tall, but not taller than him, roughly 180, Mingyu thinks. He has a figure of a model, small waist, wide shoulders, small face, and slim. He must be around his age, or younger, but why is he wearing traditional clothes? He looked frozen in time.
Mingyu thinks he's majestic.
"I should be the one asking you that. You're not supposed to be here," the smile on his lips was long gone. He's staring at the sea below them, as Mingyu observes his back.
"What do you mean? I mean, sure, yes, I'm really not supposed to be here. I don't even know where this is! This is just a dream right?" The man chuckled at his last words.
"Dream , sure," he faced him. "This, this is not just a dream, mister. You've entered the spirit world, you're not supposed to be here! No one had ever come here for centuries, millennia even, no one ever came close to stepping in here. So? How did you get here? How did you reach me?"
Mingyu blinked, "I-I don't know, I opened my eyes and I'm here. I swear I don't know!"
The man was looking at him intently, as if judging Mingyu's soul.
"You must've taken something that belongs to the deity."
Deity?
"Well, there's this piece of paper, torn in half, with characters I can not recognize," Mingyu was rumbling, but then he heard the guy giggle. And it's music, Mingyu is not even exaggerating.
When he stopped giggling, he turned to look down on the sea again, "You found the key, then. Not really the whole key, just half of it."
Mingyu is so confused, he could feel his brain throbbing even when he's not supposed to feel himself.
"I'm Myungho," the man said.
His name is as beautiful as he is. He's so beautiful, Mingyu thinks.
"The piece of parchment you have, I'm afraid, belonged to Xu Minghao."
"Xu Minghao?"
"Yes, the shrine down there is built to worship him. Well, at least, that's the purpose of that shrine, but everyone thinks it's the gate to the spirit world, so they just forget about Xu. So as you can see, there's only the shrine here, aren't there supposed to be any other man-made buildings? None right?"
Myungho took a deep breath before continuing.
"Minghao is not a deity, though. He's the son of the ocean."
"What?"
"Son of the ocean. As it was told, Minghao is the bridge to the spirit and the physical world. Long ago, when the moon spirit was killed and the moon disappeared, the ocean spirit punished the world with his wrath. You know, they're like partners, yin and yang, they're not supposed to live without each other.
“The spirits are the key of the physical world to connect with the spirit world. So when the moon one died, and the ocean's angered, he closed the door to here."
"That's ridiculous, if the moon then disappeared, why is there one shining brightly tonight?" Mingyu interrupted, which he soon regretted.
"There's this princess, Princess Yue. She's blessed by the moon spirit when she was a newborn. She's sick when her mother gave birth to her, so her dad prayed to the moon spirit. The moon spirit gave her part of its soul, so she lived. When the moon disappeared, the princess gave back the last of its soul, which was the only thing that's keeping her alive. So she died, so she can save the moon spirit."
"And Xu Minghao? Where in the story did he appear?"
"During the wrath of the ocean spirit, he destroyed almost everything in the world. Many people died, innocent, and those who were at fault. It only calmed down after Princess Yue's sacrifice. When he closed the door to the spirit world, he offered Xu Minghao to the people of Princess Yue, the people of Yueliang, he became the bridge of the spirit and physical world. He's the ocean's apology to the people."
"And what happened next?"
"Centuries after, when people were much greedier and thirsty for power, the current king then of Yueliang tried to kill Xu Minghao thinking that he's the one that hinders the connection of him and the spirits. The king thought he'd gain power from the other side. A power that when he attains, nobody can stop him and he can finally conquer the whole world.
“For the second time, after centuries, the world tasted the ocean spirit's wrath again, and was joined by the moon. No one could harm his son. The moon didn't show up for three cycles, the ocean disappeared too. It was a catastrophe. After the three cycles, it was then that the ocean spirit decided that the people of the physical world could only connect to the spirit world once in every cycle, it is written on a piece of parchment, when the moon's shining brightly at its full phase, that's when the barrier between the two realms get thin. That's when Xu Minghao steps foot to the physical world."
"So I'm here, right now, because it's a full moon, so I get to connect here, and it's because of the paper? What?! "
"Yes. Because even if it's a full moon, no one has ever got to connect here, more so, step in here. But you have the paper, which I'm impressed you found since it's been lost for centuries."
"What's the paper about? I mean, I didn't hear much about it in your story, not yet."
Myungho sighed. He took a deep breath, sitting on the ground, feeling the breeze of air.
"Xu Minghao fell in love with a mortal man."
Kim Mingyu was caught off guard when he heard his voice. He said that in a very low voice, and if Mingyu's senses are not as strong as it is right now, he wouldn't catch that.
"How?"
"Almost a millennium ago. Xu Minghao, just like what he's supposed to, he came out of the spirit world to connect with people. Though the shrine that was built for him in Yueliang hasn't been visited for a long while, he still comes out. Much to his surprise, a man came to visit his shrine, at the same time of his awakening. Then, they got to know each other. The man was a prince, and he knew about Minghao, and that he's no ordinary.
“Ever since then, the prince would go to the shrine every month, when it's time for the full moon to spend his time with the ocean's son. Those times were when the currents were calm and the moon's on its full glory."
"Did the prince love him back?" Kim Mingyu, though doesn't really believe anything he said, was too absorbed in the story. It was ridiculous, but he's hooked.
"Xu Minghao loved to think that he did, too. I mean, the prince would travel the sea once a month just to meet him, so, I can't blame Xu if he assumed."
"Okay? But what happened? Why was the parchment torn to half? Is that why Xu Minghao can no longer come back to the physical world? And if he can't, then, Xu Minghao must be here?"
"The prince was betrothed to another."
The voice was shaky.
"The prince's fate was already written by his parents. He's set to marry the princess of the other kingdom. The marriage was set to become the symbol of the kingdoms' unification.
“Xu Minghao can't do anything about it, and he knows what he feels for him, and if ever, even if the prince felt the same, they can't be together. That's just... forbidden. The prince stopped coming to the shrine for two cycles, and in those two cycles, the moon wasn't shining as much as it did in the previous nine cycles. The ocean wasn't calm as well, the currents were wild, and there were storms.
“Waning gibbous, when the prince got married. He wanted to go to the shrine, but even if he did, he would not see Xu Minghao as it's not the time of the month. But he was desperate. In his palace, located on the other side of the sea, he prayed and begged the ocean to see him. He begged, and begged , and hoped that the ocean would grant his wish to see him, even for the last time. And the ocean granted his wish.
“Xu Minghao emerged from the spirit world."
It didn't go unnoticed by Mingyu that Myungho's voice was getting shaky, and his eyes were a bit teary, so he placed a hand on his back as he tried to console him.
"Somehow, the king, the prince's father found out that he ran away. To Minghao and the prince's surprise, the king was holding the parchment. That parchment is like the only thing that gets Minghao to go to the physical world, but he tore it in half.
“The son of the sea has fallen. And as the ocean's revenge, he took the life of the prince too shortly after."
There was a long silence after Myungho finished telling the story of Minghao.
And if the story was real, Mingyu felt bad for them.
Myungho stood up and faced Mingyu, "You should go now, the sun will start to rise in a few."
The guy started to walk away but Mingyu called for him and tried to get his hand to face him again, but he couldn't touch him. It was as if Myungho was fading.
"Maybe if you find the other part of the parchment, we'd meet again. For now, good bye! It's nice not to be alone for once after a long while." With that, Myungho gave him one last smile before fading away.
ㅤ
Mingyu held the parchment with his hand as he looked at the screen of his laptop to see their grade for their documentary. It got a 97%, according to their classmates the highest one attained.
Mingyu thanked the guy he met in his dreams because it helped him a lot. After that encounter, when they got back to interview the old lady, she confirmed the story was, in fact, right, and she's surprised that Mingyu knew, he joked about being able to connect with the shrine but the old lady only told him that he was lucky.
Will he ever see him again?
Mingyu doesn't really believe in conceptual things, he made that clear already. But that encounter changed his mind, 180 degrees.
Well, there's no way it didn't happen? Because if it was really just a dream, he's not supposed to recognize nor remember Myungho's face. He's not supposed to remember what his voice sounded like.
Maybe, next month, he'll come back to the shrine and try to connect with him. But will it work? What if it's a one time thing? And he faded away, right?
Does that mean he's gone forever? And he can only meet him again after he found the other half of the parchment?
The thought had been going around for a week already. Mingyu would spend sleepless nights as he recalled the man from the encounter. He's afraid that one morning he'd just forget how he looked and what his voice sounded like.
Wonwoo, also one of his classmates, noticed his distress once, and it just happened that he was holding the parchment. Wonwoo's eyes grew wide when he saw it. This guy is the complete opposite of Mingyu, he's so fond of the ideas of conceptual things, but Mingyu was surprised when he recognized the parchment as the ocean spirit's oath.
According to Wonwoo, the other part of the parchment is located in the countryside, some small town in Haenam. He drove there the next day in search of the prince's palace, he's not even sure if it truly existed.
On the way, as the sun started to set, he stopped by to watch the ocean. If it's Mingyu from a month ago, he'd say the present him is being ridiculous.
Mingyu prayed and asked the ocean for signs.
"Hey?" A voice from behind called. He turned around to see an old lady — the old lady from the shrine. He greeted her with a warm smile which she returned.
"What are you doing here this late?" The lady asked him. "Uhm, I-I'm in search of the prince's palace. It exists, right?" The lady chuckled at his words. "It did exist, kid. However, it had been ruined by the storms."
"Can you tell me where it is?"
"Why should I?"
"I-I just need to know, I think."
"Okay, follow me," he followed the lady to the forest. If this turns out to be a mistake then he'll regret it later, now, he's just desperate.
"You are not in search of the palace ruins aren't you?" They're halfway down the trail when the old lady asked him, she stopped to look at him, and he just nodded.
"You want the other half of the parchment." The lady concluded, which was right.
"Why would you want the other half?"
Mingyu didn't know why he's so afraid to answer but the only word that slipped off his mouth was: "Myungho."
The lady chuckled, "Ah. Myungho, of course."
"You know him?" They continued to walk before the lady finally answered, "I serve Myungho, kid, I have taken care of his shrine ever since I was thirteen!"
"What? Myungho, he's Xu Minghao?"
The lady didn't answer his question.
"The moment you told me all the information about Xu Minghao that Myungho told you, I knew for a fact that you're special. In my seventy years of serving in his shrine, I never get to connect to him — even if I have that piece of parchment. I got close to connecting to the spirit world, at least, twice in this lifetime. And I did many attempts, but you did it in your first. Ever wonder, kid?"
"No, I don't have any idea. But if you never get to connect to him, how did you know about his story? I mean there's no way it's written in any text book, he's literally labeled as a nameless deity."
"My great-grandfather reached him once, and that's about a century ago. Myungho whispered to him. It was when the parchment was completed for the first time after it was torn apart."
They walked more until they reached the beach. There was indeed a ruin there. This was once a palace, but everything's now crumbled to the ground.
"This is not the whole place, kid. But I should tell you, this is where the king tasted the wrath of the ocean. This is where Xu Minghao and the prince held each other for the last time before his soul got trapped in the spirit world."
"If you've completed the parchments long ago, why didn't you retrieve it? You could've set him free."
"It didn't work that way. My great-grandfather tried. He tried to fix it, but Xu Minghao kept fading away."
"Why would he?"
"Maybe because of the prince. I don't really know. But in your encounter with him, did he fade away too?"
"He did."
"I figured. But he's a spirit too, he's not supposed to fade, he's in his realm, and that's something I still don't get.
"You can go there kid, inside the cave. Some of the things from the old palace are hidden there. I'll wait for you here."
He walked to the cave and was welcomed by cold air. He brought up his phone to switch on the flashlight. And the lady was right, inside has ancient things. His eyes landed on the parchment settled on the table in the middle. He brought the other half and placed it beside the other half, and it fitted perfectly. Mingyu felt like crying.
His eyes darted on the shelf where more pieces of paper were placed.
He moved there to check — they were letters.
Letters from different timelines, different generations.
Mingyu read each one of them. As the final letter has been read, he knows why he's special.
To my beloved,
Xu Minghao
I am sure you have heard about the concept of reincarnation. I had a talk with a counselor the other day and he mentioned it to me. He said a soul has to complete nine cycles, a cycle equivalent to one lifetime. I do think that I am on my first life, and I am honored to meet you on my first.
I do hope to meet you in every lifetime, Myungho. And I hope when I finish the cycle, we'll be together in the spirit world, it's possible right? I'd beg the ocean spirit for it. I'll love you in every lifetime. My love for you will be engraved in my soul.
With all the love,
Kim Mingyu.
Xu Minghao,
To the son of the ocean, I am here, your prince, Kim Mingyu. I am on the second cycle now and it took me 25 years to remember you, I apologize if it took me a while. I'll be waiting for you. Please connect with me.
Waiting,
Kim Mingyu.
To my Myungho,
I do remember it all now. It must've been over a century already, and it hurts so bad that it's been so long since I held you, since I heard you, since I last saw you. Myungho, please do not let me forget you. Always visit me in my dreams so I will forever remember you.
This is my third life now. I miss you so much. Please connect to me.
Yours, in every lifetime and more than that,
Kim Mingyu.
To the son of the ocean,
Xu Minghao
I remember everything now and I am sorry that I'd be committing the same mistake as I did in my first life. If only I did remember sooner, I promise you none of this would've happened. I am sorry, I fell in love with another. But I'm happy and content right now. You do not have to connect with me, not like you had for the past three lifetimes. I am sorry, Myungho.
Mingyu.
To Xu Minghao,
My father asked me to go here in this cave and I wouldn't have done this if it wasn't his last wish. He said he's sorry for not remembering you any sooner in his fifth life. He's hoping that on the next, you'd meet again.
From Kim Minseo.
Myungho,
It has been five cycles, my sixth life. Five cycles and I had forgotten how you looked like, how you sounded like. I had forgotten almost everything about you. Unlike my other past lives, I remembered your name when I was seven, but I could barely remember your face. I had gone to your shrine which had been left abandoned. I hoped you'd connect with me by then. I can't even touch your realm.
None of this would've happened if I wasn't a coward back then. If I was brave enough, I could've stopped my father before he tore the oath. I'm sorry, Myungho. I should've been braver, if I did, we would've loved each other in my every lifetime. But I'd still love you even now. I don't want to wait for another three more cycles just to meet you there, I want this fast, but I can't. If I take my own life, the cycle might stop and I won't meet you in the end.
I miss you so much. I love you, and I will keep loving you. I'll wait for as long as I have to just to meet you again, I hope you're still waiting for me.
Love,
Mingyu.
Myungho,
This time, it took me 17 years to finally remember all my past lives, and you. I finally remember to drop by this cave to pray and hope to connect with you. I'm 23 now and every month, I would visit your shrine, when the moon's in its full glory, hoping that you'd finally connect with me.
It's my eighth life, and if you're wondering why there's no letter from my seventh, I died before I could remember you. I'm slowly losing hope, Myungho. But, I'm near the end. It's been centuries, a millennium even I think since our last encounter, and I long for you. I had forgotten what you look like, how you sounded like. All I have is your name now and the fact that my love for you is engraved to my soul. The only thing that kept me going is the thought that I'm near the end of my cycle, and if this wait turns out to be not worth it, I'd still be grateful that I met you. I love you, and I long for you, always. I love you, Xu Minghao.
Kim Mingyu.
Kim Mingyu woke up with an unfamiliar surrounding. As much as he can remember, he was in a cave discovering his past lives, and who Xu Minghao really is to him. Now that he remembers, he needs to go to the shrine in Jeju, today is the full moon, the perfect time to meet him.
"Oh, you're awake," the old lady smiled warmly at him. "Where am I?"
"In the shrine. My husband helped me take you here. I just saw you laying on the ground when I walked in. I somehow discovered what caused it. You discovered your identity, so it's just normal to be unconscious after."
"Who would've thought that I'm talking to Xu Minghao's prince though. I brought you here since I know you'd want to connect with him. I hope you'll be able to."
Mingyu thanked the old lady. He doesn't know how long he's been unconscious, but the sun is already setting, and there the moon, rising and in color blue.
He faced the setting sun whispering to himself, or rather, whispering to Xu Minghao. He closed his eyes, "Let me in."
ㅤ
Kim Mingyu opened his eyes and his heart flipped, realizing that he's entered the other realm. He was in the same position as before he entered the spirit world — in front of the shrine.
The sun had already set by then. And Mingyu waited, and waited until the moon was shining above his head.
But still — no signs of Myungho.
"Where are you, Myungho?" Mingyu asked himself.
It feels helpless just waiting there, he has to go up the mountain where he first encountered him in his ninth life.
Even with no assurance of meeting Xu Minghao there, he walked up the trail to the peak. This might be his only chance, and he's not letting it slip away.
He doesn't want to wait for this life to end just to meet him — and he's not even sure if it will work that way. He can't keep his soul longing for the man whose name is engraved on it.
Halfway the trail, he noticed the fog coming from the peak. He continued walking until he stumbled on the ground when someone pulled him.
Myungho.
"Don't let the fog consume you," the man said, staring deeply into his eyes.
Mingyu, as if all his past lives came to hit him, stared back into his beloved's eyes. It had been so long.
This is the closest they had been for so long. And he missed him so much. He's been longing for him for centuries. Mingyu felt like dying as he touched his beloved's face. Tucking the stray strand of his hair, he realized that Myungho was crying.
"I-I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm sorry."
Mingyu took his face with both his hands and wiped his tears away, "You have nothing to be sorry about, Myungho. If anything, I should be the one to apologize, I kept you waiting for so long. I had forgotten about you, and it took me a long while to finally remember you. I'm sorry, Myungho. But, I'm here now."
He sat up, embracing Minghao as the smaller one threw both his arms around him as he hugged him tighter.
"I'm sorry, Gyu. I had long stopped believing that you'll come back to me. When I saw you on the last full moon, that's when I only gained hope, and I was hopeless for so long. I-I'm sorry, I didn't trust you enough," Minghao's voice was small as he confessed.
They stayed like that for long, savoring each moment, and it felt like an eternity, and that's okay. They can stay like that — in each others' solace — for as long as forever.
"We should stand up now, before the fog could reach us," Minghao told Mingyu before freeing himself from him, but Mingyu was quick to pull him to his embrace again.
He crashed his lips into Minghao's, which the latter responded with the same intensity. When they broke the kiss, Mingyu rested his forehead on Myungho's, "I missed you, I love you."
They stood up and went to the shrine, hand in hand. They stayed there for hours, just feeling each other's presence and comfort. Fulfilling the longing. And telling each other countless I love you s .
The moon has started to set, Minghao held his lover tighter as he told him, "You should go now, Mingyu. The sun will rise soon."
Mingyu didn't want to go. He doesn't want this moment to be cut short, but he has to leave. He has life in the physical world.
He kissed Myungho's forehead, "Okay, I should go now then. I'll see you on the next cycle, I'll connect to you every now and then, that'd work right?" He looked at Minghao to have a confirmation but he just smiled at him. And Mingyu knew, there was something behind that smile — it didn't reach his eyes.
"Myungho?"
"I'm sorry, Gyu."
"Why? Tell me about it. What's bothering you, Myungho? Tell me, please?"
"This... this might be the last time you can enter this place, and I can't go to your world, Gyu."
"W-What? Why? I've completed the parchment, the oath?"
"It doesn't work that way, I'm afraid. That parchment, when it was torn, it's meant to keep me here, I can't connect with the other world anymore, and you're here, because of our past, and I'm not sure if it will still take you back."
"Then tell me, how? How can I be with you again? How do I get you back?"
"There’s no other way, Mingyu. You have to go back to your world now. I’m sorry for dragging you here. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have let you in your first lifetime, if I didn’t, your soul wouldn’t suffer for a thousand of years,” Minghao’s tears were pooling in his eyes.
“No, don’t say that. I would do everything to get close to you, even my past lives, I am sure of that,” Mingyu moved to console his beloved but his hand went through him when he tried to reach Minghao’s shoulders.
“Please, just leave, Mingyu.”
Minghao was disappearing.
As the moon slowly set behind him, his body was also beginning to fade.
“Mingyu, please. The fog will reach you soon, wake up!”
“Hao… Myungho, please tell me what’s happening,” Mingyu’s sight began to blur as his tears dropped.
“Promise me you’ll go when I tell you. I need you to promise me,” Minghao tried to reach for Mingyu’s hand but his was already fading. He looked at their hands as he continued to sob.
Mingyu knew he couldn't promise him, so he just held his beloved’s face to wipe away his tears. He was grateful that there’s still a part of him that he can touch.
“This realm will become a void soon. Everything that the fog touches will fade, disappear into the void, into the unknown. I-It started the moment your last life cycle began. I-I’m yet to figure out why it happened. W-Why would the spirits let it happen?” Minghao explained. “So, Mingyu, I need you to wake up now. I need you to go back to your realm, forget about me, about all these, and continue the life you have there.”
“I promised you, Myungho.”
“I know, Gyu. And I’m giving you my permission to break your promise.”
“N-No. I can’t do that. I won’t be able to forget about you. I-I will stay here. Let the void consume us both, I don’t care. I’ll feed my soul to it, I wouldn’t meet you in the end anyway.”
Minghao cried even more, he could no longer form any word as he tried to choke back every sob.
Minghao tried to reach for his hand, it didn't slip through this time. He looked at the fog that’s just about a meter away from them, he looked back at his beloved’s eyes, “I’m sorry” he managed to say as he tried to break away to finally let the void consume him, but Mingyu managed to hold him back.
Minghao turned to look at him only to find him smiling. Mingyu ran into the fog along with him.
— end.