Chapter 37: Not quite friends
Rhys sometimes had nightmares.
They were horrible. He found himself in total darkness, where dozens of hands emerged and began to touch him, tearing at his clothes and skin until they penetrated deep into his being, where they tore out his heart and soul, finally draining his life.
When Rhys had nothing left, those hands would move away, he would simply remain still, like an empty vessel.
He felt the hollow where something must be beating.
He had lived that way for years. No matter what he did, the unrest never ceased. He defied Blackwood, had loyal friends, and, although he wasn’t the face of the rebellion, he was active among those fighting to transform society from the shadows.
He had to feel good, right?
Yet the emptiness never went away. Every day it grew worse. Rhys felt like he was falling into a deep abyss. It wasn’t a quick fall, it was slow, drawn out, and agonizing. He had nothing to hold on to, and that hurt. He could only let himself fall until he hit rock bottom. Go as far as his body would take him.
Then, Eun-woo appeared. Someone who could see the abyss, someone who knew the hostility in his eyes and the harshness of his words, and yet, he reached out to him.
Rhys just needed to take his hand.
For the first time, he was afraid of dying. He didn’t want to. Not at that moment. Not when he still had a long way to go to reciprocate Eun-woo’s genuine feelings.
For the first time, he longed to live.