The guy who never showed any change in his face was smiling for once, and it caught my eye.

‘That’s kind of... sad.’

I knew he was chasing after nothing. As I said before, in this ruined world, the only ones left were Commander Jin, First Life Ki-Young, and Park Deok-Gu. Watching him rummage through completely irrelevant places while full of anticipation made me feel sorry for him.

‘There’s nothing inside the gift box, anyway.’

I was already aware of the outcome, which made this scene extremely tragic.

“...”

“...”

After swallowing hard, he stepped into the abandoned building. Unlike before, there was a faint hint of unease on his face. Perhaps he had already expected that there wouldn’t be anyone inside, but he probably didn’t want to give up hope. Like people who buy lottery tickets and imagine what they would do if they end up winning the lottery, he was probably thinking about what he would do if there were people inside.

At the same time, he seemed worried about startling anyone who could be in the building, so he moved with extreme caution. In a world like this, it was only natural to be wary of others. Perhaps he thought the people inside could be afraid of him.

It wasn’t accurate to call his frame small. His shoulders were broad, and he was packed with muscle. Thick clothes could hide it somewhat, but once any part of him was revealed, one could instantly tell that his frame was dense with tightly packed muscles.

One could bet that even a well-carved statue wouldn’t be as solid as him.

His face softened the impression a little, but with his naturally expressionless look, he still came off as somewhat intimidating, and this was the continent, plus he was carrying a sword. Anyone timid would probably try to run the moment they saw Kim Hyun-Sung.

I felt like he knew how he appeared to others, which was why he was being so careful. Sure enough, he even tried not to make any sound with his footsteps. When a faint rustling sound came from inside, his face lit up.

“Ah...”

With a hopeful expression, he cautiously peeked into the room. What he saw was an open window and clothes hanging on it. Of course, there wasn’t a single trace of a person.

“Ha... haha...”

His eyes, staring blankly at the scene, filled with disappointment. Even though he had experienced this hundreds of times before, it seemed the situation still disappointed him just the same.

A hollow laugh escaped his lips. “Right... of course... haha...”

‘Yeah. Of course, that wouldn’t happen... so why are you still trying so hard to find someone?’

“Of course that won’t happen... haha... heuk... heuk... ngh...”

‘Ah... this idiot... he’s crying again.’

“Heuk... ugh... heuk... ugh...”

If I were actually watching this as a movie, I would probably think this scene was some cheap trick by the studio to squeeze out ticket sales.

“Gah... ugh... ugh...”

Well, it wasn't like that thought wouldn’t make sense.

‘He’s crying so damn pitifully.’

It just didn’t make sense that someone like him would cry like a child like this.

‘I can’t get a read on him at all.’

Even from my perspective, he was a character that was hard to read, and I had seen many people before. When I first saw him, I thought he gave off a somewhat cold impression.

‘No, he actually is cold.’

I felt like I had judged him too early, as I never had the chance to see him interact with others, but regardless, I came to that conclusion because he had the eyes of someone who had cut down tens of thousands of people. At a glance, he seemed normal, but in a corner of his gaze, there was something very dark and cold.

This could just be an exaggeration on my end, but he even seemed to have something similar to psychopathic killer Jung Jin-Ho. He definitely had the kind of eyes that showed no mercy toward his enemies and wouldn’t hesitate to kill.

It wasn’t strange at all to conclude that he was as cold as ice.

‘He looks like such a professional killer, so why’s he acting like a kid?’

He even had a look that stirred a bit of protective instinct in anyone. It was the kind of scene that made one think that even a cold-blooded killer bastard was innocent once.

It was like showing that there could still be something pure inside him. Of course, it was also the kind of scene that would get one cursed at for being absurd, but considering the setting of this place, it wasn’t entirely absurd either.

He was an outsider who came from Earth. Perhaps what he was showing right now was his true self. If he was someone who used to be clueless, foolish, and pure but had spent a long time on this continent, which had gradually eroded his humanity away, then his contradictory gaze made sense.

After all, he had done his best to survive until now. One didn’t even need to think hard to figure out what he had gone through or what he had done to survive this long.

Even that kindhearted pig still hesitated, but this was a world where he had to go out to the battlefield. The movie star in front of me could have committed countless crimes while living here. Of course, he had to have killed people before. He had to have also lost someone he loved, and there had to have been times when he was in danger.

He could have also made the wrong choices in moments where his humanity was being tested like some kind of social experiment, or even if not, he could have simply grown exhausted from everything and slowly lost his humanity.

Perhaps the only reason his true self had appeared was that there was no one else here.

‘He doesn’t have to worry about how others are seeing him, after all.’

He did not have to constantly stay tense, afraid that he'd look weak. He didn't have to force himself to act bigger than he was. Ironically, he was in a situation and environment where he could be the purest form of himself.

“Heuk... heuk... ngh...”

There was no need for him to be cold or composed. There was no one watching him, so the true self he had decided to hide was revealing itself.

‘I don’t know what he went through, but he really does look pitiful.’

It made me think about setting him up with First Life Ki-Young.

‘That combination might actually be pretty good.’

If it were really possible to convey my will, I'd tell First Life Ki-Young or Park Deok-Gu where he was, or tell him where they were instead. Of course, for First Life Ki-Young, who was already busy taking care of that pig, it would mean more baggage, but having one more capable errand runner was not such a bad deal.

I had no idea exactly what kind of personality he had, but he had a fairly pure sight, so they would probably get along. Eating together, laughing over stupid jokes, and going around gathering ingredients and daily necessities, it would be a way to spend whatever time they had left in a way that would make them a bit happier.

‘Yeah, it really does seem like that would work. At the very least, it would be better than sending him to Commander Jin.’

“...”

“...”

‘The chance of him finding them on his own is way too low, isn't it? If I could tell him, I really would... Is there no way I can signal him somehow, like with light?’

He was searching the continent so diligently, but how could he possibly find three people in a place this vast? To exaggerate a bit, it was no different from finding a needle in a haystack. It seemed like he finally realized that what he was doing was reckless.

‘Ah... he’s not about to break, is he?’

It looked like he was wondering if all of this meant anything, or if he ought to just let everything go at this point.

“...”

‘At least he’s not jumping from there... That’s something.’

I wanted to cheer him on and tell him not to give up, but of course, no voice came out. After standing there for a long time with tears steadily falling down his cheeks, he looked out the window. The world was dyed in the colors of the sunset.

‘Why am I watching him... I mean, what’s even interesting about this?’ I suddenly found myself thinking this way. Perhaps it was because I wanted to see how this story would end. I probably wanted to see how that man’s story would end.

I could hear him muttering, “The sky... is pretty...”

“...”

Just then, the sight of him standing there in the glow of the sunset felt familiar. I had the strange feeling that I had definitely seen this somewhere before.

“...”

“Yeah... just a little more... Let’s search just a little more.”

It was definitely a face and a scene I had seen somewhere before. A question I never thought about until now suddenly surfaced in my mind. It was nothing complicated, just something very basic.

‘Why is he still here?’

How the hell did this guy end up staying here? And how come he was unknown to me? Of course, it wasn’t like I knew everything about the first life, but I still understood how strange it was that I didn’t recognize the man in front of me.

Of course, it wasn’t because he was strong. After all, guys like Ryu Han and Sung Ji-Hoon were also people I first encountered in the first life. There were many hidden powerhouses across the continent, and it was impossible for me to know every single one of them.

What mattered wasn’t that he was strong, but the fact that he remained here until now. What mattered was that he was someone who stayed until the very end of the first life.

First Life Ki-Young was the only person from that life who was still around here, so was it really necessary for me to explain how out of place it was for him to be here?

‘Who the hell is he?’

Even his name... I was sure I had heard it before, so why couldn't I remember him?

‘Who are you, really?’

Once the question formed, more and more questions followed without end. I kept sinking deeper into thought, and my gaze stuck to him like glue.

Right then, I heard his voice.

“I-I’m Kim Hyun-Sung... Is there... anyone left here?”

'Yeah, Kim Hyun-Sung.'

“M-my name is Kim Hyun-Sung! Are there any survivors here?”

'Right. He said his name is Kim Hyun-Sung. I’m sure I heard it before, too.'

“I’m Kim Hyun-Sung!”

When I first saw him, he definitely introduced himself like that. He shouted, filling the sunset-colored space with his voice.

“I’m... Kim Hyun-Sung!”

I definitely remembered it back then, but somehow I had forgotten his name.

“I’m Kim Hyun-Sung... can you hear me?”

Yeah. Back then, I tried to answer. I tried to tell him that I could hear him.

“Is anyone there?”

I tried to say that I was here.

“I’m Kim Hyun-Sung! I’m... Kim Hyun-Sung of Lindel... of the Blue Guild!”

'Right, Kim Hyun-Sung of the Blue Guild. I know you.'

“Is anyone there?”

'Yeah. I know. I definitely know.'

“I’m Kim Hyun-Sung!”

'Yeah... I think I remember your name now.'

“I’m Kim Hyun-Sung of the Blue Guild!”

'Yeah, I... remember you, Hyun-Sung. I didn’t forget, Hyun-Sung. Hyun-Sung. Hyun-Sung!'

“Hyun-Sung!” I shouted.

“...”

“...”

My voice came back and then...

“Yes, Mr. Ki-Young.”

Kim Hyun-Sung was looking at me.

“..."

I was staring at the Kim Hyun-Sung I knew.