Chapter 88: A Familiar Stranger
The door creaked open, slow and deliberate, the dim light from inside casting a soft glow over the figure that stepped out.
Echo barely had time to process before instinct took over. His breath caught in his throat, his body moving before his mind could catch up. His steps were quick, desperate, his hands gripping onto the familiar form like she’d disappear if he didn’t hold on tight.
A laugh, breathless and relieved, escaped him. "You’re alive. Thank god."
Eunhe tensed slightly at the sudden contact, her body stiff in his grasp—but she didn’t push him away. She didn’t say anything.
Jin and Joon exchanged glances, eyes flickering between Echo and the woman in front of them. Neither spoke. Neither knew what to say.
For a moment, everything felt like it was falling into place—like something that had been lost had finally been found again.
Echo pulled back just enough to look at her, his expression open, a bit unguarded in a way that he usually wasn’t. He took in every detail—the same sharp yet tired gaze, the same posture, the same features down to the way her hair framed her face.
There was no doubt about it.
This was her.
He let out a shaky chuckle, rubbing a hand over his face before grinning. "I can’t believe it’s you—I never got to thank you." His voice was light, but there was something genuine in it, something raw.
"If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead back in that building."