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The Disaster of Sekwang City. The only reason Baek Saheon was here was because Director Ho had made him come here for whatever reason.
What he hadn’t expected was to run into this guy.
“It’s fine if I die.” Agent Choi said listlessly.
“It’s not!” Baek Saheon screamed, enraged.
The corner of Agent Choi’s lip curled up.
“You’re too late anyways.” He said, deceptively soft.
Baek Saheon saw the glow of the Dokkaebi flame, and he instinctively understood that the ritual was nearly complete.
The civilians of Sekwang City would be free; and in return, Agent Choi was doomed to repeat an endless cycle of million deaths.
No. Not doomed.
Baek Saheon slowly reached into his pocket, and Agent Choi’s eyes widened at what appeared from it.
“You can’t.” Agent Choi said, more as a statement than anything else.
“Yes I fucking can.” Baek Saheon grit out.
The wish potion gleamed between his hands. He had to word the potion correctly. He had to.
Agent Choi laughed, but it didn’t have the usual undertones to it.
“Hey, Goat–” He took a step forward, and didn’t take a single step more.
He had to stay there within the circle until it vanished naturally.
Something like ‘grant me the power to save him’ was too vague. So, instead, Baek Saheon opened his mouth and made his wish like–
“I wish for the power to remember even if time reverses.”
“You’re really wasting it? You’re really wasting it all on me?”
It was uncharacteristic of Baek Saheon. Both of them knew that.
But in the face of his savior, in the face of the person he saved–
“Haven’t I told you yet? Till death do we part, asshole, so you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
Baek Saheon couldn’t help but grin, a sense of vicious possessiveness surging through him.
Sure! If he’s doomed, just doom yourself as well! Baek Saheon thought sarcastically.
Faint regret surges through him, but he stamps it down immediately. What should he regret? Baek Saheon had always prioritized his survival above all else for his end goal of escaping Jisan, but now–
Now–
“You,” Baek Saheon grits out, “have the unique fucking talent of torturing yourself and calling it selfless when you’re nothing but selfish!”
The circle around Agent Choi’s feet fades, as does the bright blue glow.
“Civilian– Baek Saheon,” Agent Choi whispered, “go back. You can still escape now.”
“Fuck you!” Baek Saheon screams in reply, and then he reaches out to grab Agent Choi’s wrist. “People like you piss me off the most! You always frame it as for the greater good, always, when the reality is just that you’re selfish assholes with an inflated ego!”
Rain began to fall upwards.
“Just go.” Agent Choi said weakly.
“If you’re going to hell, I’m going with you.” Baek Saheon promises, with a conviction that surprises even himself.”
Agent Choi looks at him, the barest hint of a smile on his stupidly handsome face.
He was beautiful like that, Baek Saheon thinks. An absolute fucking moron, sure, but also handsome.
“I’m sorry,” Agent Choi said.
“Stop lying.” Baek Saheon gripped Agent Choi’s wrist tighter, probably enough for it to bruise. “You never regret what you do.”
Even if Baek Saheon would wallow in regret and choose to make the same decision again, it was truly Agent Choi who was the more coldhearted one between the both of them.
Because as long as it was framed for the greater good– no, as long as he was able to save everyone but himself, Agent Choi would do whatever he had to do and not regret it.
He probably never regretted that scar on his neck either, Baek Saheon thinks.
The world crumbles apart.
It goes like this:
Agent Choi dies. Every single one of them that Baek Saheon meets dies.
And they all try to keep saving him.
Millions of him dying every day in exchange for the citizens of Sekwang City.
It’s greedy, it’s selfish– it’s not his duty to dictate that sacrifice must be resolved with sacrifice. Baek Saheon fucking thought that the Disaster Management Bureau’s job was to save everyone.
Everyone except their own agents, apparently.
Baek Saheon dies. It hurts, and he’s beginning to forget things, but it’s nothing compared to what that stupid idiot is doing each day so he pulls through.
He needs to.
He has to.
Baek Saheon saved that idiot once, and he’ll do it again, because who the fuck does he think he is to die on him? After everything? After everything they’ve done together?
After everything they’ve done for each other?
Baek Saheon remembers dying. Baek Saheon remembers everything. Baek Saheon remembers Agent Choi, and that by itself is enough for him to keep going despite the burden of all his memories.
It’s been hundreds of days at this point.
Agent Choi forgets. He always does. Every version of him will forget what they were doing, and every one of them would accuse Baek Saheon, would distrust him and then try to save him anyways.
Even if Baek Saheon himself was a massive hypocrite, wasn’t Agent Choi a bigger one? Always the savior, and never the one saved.
Sometime after two hundred days, Baek Saheon finally discovers the source of the Sekwang City Disaster.
There is an empty machine on the rooftop.
…
But is it supposed to be empty?
No, something was supposed to be in there, something within Baek Saheon’s mind screamed. Because otherwise, this Darkness was simply impossible, in every way conceivable. It was impossible it was impossible had Baek Saheon been doing everything for nothing all along had there not been any hope at all had there not been–
[AN]: This appears to be a paradox which is unsolvable. <DER> needs to be rewritten in this case. Start changing things from the earlier records.
Baek Saheon wakes up. There is a wish potion within his hands, and two hundred days of memories he should not have. Or he should have. Or he should not have.
The circle around Agent Choi’s feet shatters, as does the illusion of Sekwang City. The both of them look around in shock as everything supernatural simply… vanishes. As though it never existed in the first place.
“The ritual wasn’t supposed to do this.” Agent Choi whispers, but there’s a note of hope within his voice that Baek Saheon can’t help but appreciate.
The disaster.
It’s over.
All the deaths Baek Saheon had, all the misery and contamination and the pain and the fear and the anger and the regret and the–
Baek Saheon faints.
But even as he closes his eyes, he can’t help but register the sturdiness of the arms that catch him, and the warmth in the voice that asks him if he’s alright.
I’m glad we’re out of there, Baek Saheon thinks, even with his collapsing brain. You should say you love me back sometime, Baek Saheon also thinks, knowing that he would never accept it.
Baek Saheon wakes up, immediately sitting upright. The surrounds are familiar; it’s–
“Baek Saheon-ssi, you’re finally awake.”
The Fox Counseling Office.
Baek Saheon warily watches Director Ho Yuwon, knowing there won’t be any way out of a conversation. Surprisingly, the Director himself seems like he doesn’t quite know what to say.
Weird.
The Director eventually just… lets him go after giving him a sign so that he can visit the Fox Counseling Office on his own time to discuss his reward for clearing the Sekwang City Disaster.
Which is still wild, by the way.
The dream essence he collected was S class.
Perhaps, once upon a time, Baek Saheon would have given anything to trade it for a wish potion. But there is already one within his closet, locked away securely. What is Baek Saheon even working for, at this point? Money? There’s more zeros in his bank account than he knows to do with, and the dorm is paid for by the company.
Baek Saheon returns to his empty dorm room, reaching a hand out to turn on the lights.
His fingers hit the switch. Nothing changes. Baek Saheon hits the switch again, before realizing the lights were already on.
There’s also the smell of something really tasty coming from the kitchen.
“Who the fuck–” Baek Saheon was already too loud earlier, so he’s given up entirely on subtlety. The moment that fucker walks out from his kitchen he’s going to blow their head open–
“Welcome home~” Agent Choi says, in a fucking pink apron, and Baek Saheon guffaws, bending his knees to catch his breath as he laughs.
“What the fuck are you,” Baek Saheon manages to say before he breaks down into laughter again, “how the fuck, did, you– hahaha– get here, the door was locked–”
“I climbed through the window.” Agent Choi said with all seriousness as he set the table.
That sobers Baek Saheon right up.
“We’re on the twentieth fucking floor.” Baek Saheon points out.
“Yeeeeees?” Agent Choi asks, like it’s entirely normal to come in through the window on the twentieth floor.
And because, rationally, Baek Saheon knows Agent Choi wouldn’t respond like any normal person would because he’s insane like that, he instead says:
“If this is your latest way to be passively suicidal I want nothing to do with it.”
Agent Choi fell to his feet and began wailing like a wronged husband.
“It has nothing to do with iiiiiiiit!” He sobbed, trying to reach for Baek Saheon’s leg.
Baek Saheon kicked him away in response.
Even with all the remaining memories in his head that blur and burn when he thinks about them too much–
–At least this guy is still here.
Baek Saheon is greedy, but he knows his limits. As such, he’s content.
…That guy needs to stop smiling when Baek Saheon gives him a kiss. Fuck him, what was his deal? Huh? Huh????