“Why the hell am I the only one left here?”

He didn’t need an answer. He already knew the answer, after all.

“Lee Ki-Young, you bastard.”

Wasn’t it only natural that I[1] wanted to see the commander get annoyed?

‘This is actually kind of therapeutic.’

I could honestly say that I was bored, and this was the only amusement available. There wasn’t really anything else to do except look around this place. However, calling it "looking around" didn’t feel quite right either.

To be precise, it wasn’t seeing, but feeling.

I just knew the countless big and small things happening across the ruined continent of the first life.

‘Come to think of it... how long has it been?’

I couldn’t say for sure. I hadn’t even been aware of myself for that long, but judging by how the commander’s residence was filled with furniture that perfectly reflected his tastes, it had probably been at least years.

“You bastard!”

Watching him suddenly lose his temper and hurl his teacup made me burst out laughing, but no sound came out of me. It only took a moment to be reminded that my physical body had disappeared. Then, I found myself laughing again at the sight of him venting his frustration. Well, it made sense.

He was the type who absolutely hated wasting time, so I was sure being stuck here had to be unbearable for him.

Of course, he was probably making the most of the time in his own way, but the more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. The fact that he couldn’t even hide his emotions despite knowing I was watching him said it all.

‘No way I’m letting him enjoy this all by himself.’

Of course, he wasn’t the only one killing time here. First Life Ki-Young and Park Deok-Gu were here, too. They were settled within this collapsed, sunset-drenched world. The two of them had practically set up house. They were living in a small home tucked away somewhere quiet; I had no idea who it originally belonged to.

Compared to the commander, who simply sat around drinking tea and getting annoyed while being aware of my presence, their lives were far more dynamic. Every single day was chaos. There wasn’t a day that First Life Ki-Young didn’t end up shouting about something, but at the very least, there was always a grin on his face.

“You damn pig! Come on! Ha... damn it, how many times have I told you not to eat like that and get food all over your clothes?!” First Life Ki-Young complained.

“Well, I mean...” Park Deok-Gu mumbled.

“And if you do spill something, tell me right away! How am I supposed to clean it if you don’t say anything?! And why is it always red broth?! Why?! Why do you always spill red broth, making it so damn hard to clean?! Are you the one doing the laundry? Are you?!” First Life Ki-Young exclaimed.

“I told you, I’d do the laundry!” Park Deok-Gu shouted.

“You call that laundry?! Since when does dunking something in water and pulling it out count as washing?! Huh?! When you do it, the clothes still stink, so I end up having to throw them out entirely!” First Life Ki-Young scolded him.

“I-I mean! I don’t see why you have to get that angry about it...” Park Deok-Gu mumbled.

“What?!” First Life Ki-Young shouted.

“I mean... it’s not like anyone’s watching. So what if we get a little dirty? There’s no one here to care! And there are clothes everywhere, anyway, so can’t we just grab whatever and wear it?! No one’s going to see us! Can’t we just live however we want?!” Park Deok-Gu argued.

“I’m watching, you idiot! You want to live however you want, huh?! That all turns into habits! People should live like people! You want to live like an animal?! Huh?! Fine! Maybe that works here, but what about when we go back?!

"Those are all bad habits! You’ve gotta fix them now so you don’t get nagged by Hwang Jung-Yeon later! Deok-Gu... Park Deok-Gu, you frustrating bastard... this is all for your own good... This is the kind of stuff that sticks with you for life...” First Life Ki-Young explained.

“I-I know that, but...” Park Deok-Gu paused.

“Right now, Hwang Jung-Yeon’s chasing after you, sure. But that’s only because you somehow, by sheer miracle, landed right in her strike zone. You’ve gotta think about the future.

"There’s nothing more pathetic than a man who gets dumped after he’s gotten older. And from what I can see, that’s exactly where you’re headed. That’s how you end up with someone like Domiro,” First Life Ki-Young continued.

“I-I mean... about that... Domiro is...”

“This is exactly why I can’t just let this slide without fixing you first. What can you even do, honestly?! You keep running your mouth, saying you can do everything, but what can you actually do?!

"Laundry? All you do is dunk it in water and pull it back out! Cooking? That red meat stew you keep spilling everywhere?! If you can’t help around the house, then at least don’t make things worse, you idiot!” First Life Ki-Young scolded.

“I-I mean...”

“Damn it! Does this sound like too much to ask?! You’re unbelievable, you bastard. Let’s do an inspection today. Did you clean the bathroom? Huh?!” First Life Ki-Young asked.

“I-I did, but...” Park Deok-Gu answered.

“I don’t even need to check. You only wiped the parts you could see, didn’t you? Deok-Gu, I’m really not asking for much here. Just cleaning the bathroom and taking out the trash, that’s it.

"It’s just those two things, and you can’t even do that properly?! This is driving me insane! You can’t even handle the few things I ask you to do, and you’re talking about living however you want?! If you live however you want here, you think you won’t do the same when we get back?!” First Life Ki-Young complained.

‘Is he really happy?’

“Damn it... I forgot. I seriously forgot. Damn it... this bastard! Why didn’t I get rid of you sooner?! What the hell did I ever see in this pig—damn it! I’ve lost my mind... I’ve ruined my own life. Damn it!” First Life Ki-Young shouted.

It looked like reality had finally hit him. The kind of face that said he was wondering why he had reunited with this pig just to suffer like this in his later years. Park Deok-Gu stood there, completely cowed, while First Life Ki-Young only got louder and more aggressive, but there was no way he actually wanted the pig to leave.

He would never admit it, of course, but even though things like this happened several times a day, the glimpses I caught of him made him look... genuinely happy.

There were plenty of times I’d seen him quietly chuckling to himself before going to bed, or smiling faintly even while handling all the annoying housework. Right now, he was thumping his chest like he was about to explode, but he looked happier than ever.

I bet anything he wished this moment would last forever.

‘Or maybe not? Maybe he does want it to end?’

“Damn it! I can’t live with you anymore! Get out! Go next door right now!” First Life Ki-Young yelled at him.

“C-come on... I-I said I’m sorry...” Park Deok-Gu muttered.

‘O-okay, yeah. Maybe reality really did hit him a little.’

It seemed like he had finally realized just how reckless his dream of living with Park Deok-Gu was.

‘This is basically like raising a kid.’

“Okay, and the book I told you to read? Huh?! Did you read it?!” First Life Ki-Young asked.

At this point, it wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to say that he was actually raising a kid.

“I-I mean... the letters... they don’t really stick... and I... well... I’m more of a physical type... so training my body... and studying is just...” Park Deok-Gu answered.

“Did I... did I tell you to study?” First Life Ki-Young asked.

“N-no... that’s not what I meant...” Park Deok-Gu muttered.

“Is reading a book the same as studying?! You... keep this up, and people are going to look down on you. Sure, I know you’re doing well as a frontline fighter, but this isn’t a battlefield, is it?

You’ll be attending social gatherings, following your hyung around, meeting people... and when that happens, you want to stay as some empty-headed pig?” I asked.

“N-no...” Park Deok-Gu answered.

“Of course, no one’s going to say that kind of crap to your face. But, Deok-Gu... there’s a world of difference between being able to say a few words properly and not being able to say anything at all.

"Why do you think I’ve been trying so hard to teach you table manners?” I asked.

“So... so I can eat... better...?” Park Deok-Gu replied.

“I’m going insane. Seriously. W-who even says that, you idiot? Who’s going to complain about you tearing into meat and drinking at some random tavern? You might receive a title someday.

"You’re going to meet people in high positions. At the very least, don’t look like a fool. Got it? And let me say this again, I’m not telling you to study,” First Life Ki-Young told him.

The problem was that he wasn’t just acting like a parent. He was a full-blown, strict mom.

‘At least let Deok-Gu breathe a little.’

And honestly, you ought to breathe, too.

“I’m just telling you to cram at least a little bit of knowledge into that head of yours,” First Life Ki-Young added.

“O-okay, I got it,” Park Deok-Gu said.

“You say that, and then you’re just going to half-ass everything and go to sleep. Damn it. No, this won’t do. After dinner, we’re reading together. Got it?” First Life Ki-Young said.

“N-no... w-wait...”

Since I hadn’t been aware of myself for long, I hadn’t seen everything about how Park Deok-Gu and First Life Ki-Young had been living so far, but judging by how much weight that pig had lost, it looked like he had been put through some pretty brutal training to turn him into an actual human being.

Table manners and basic knowledge were forced into his head. I even saw him being taught social dancing.

‘I guarantee it. The moment we move on to the second life, that idiot’s going to forget all of it.’

First Life Ki-Young probably knew that, too. Even so, there was no way that strict mom would just sit still. He wanted that pig to succeed, be respected by others, and grow as a person.

There was no way he could just stop, and more importantly, he didn’t know when the second life would begin, or how much time he had left. This was what mattered.

He just wanted to make the most of each day he had. He had been going on about how he was exhausted and how this was driving him crazy, but I could say for certain that in his mind, there was still a mountain of things left to teach that pig.

I didn’t know exactly when the second life would begin either, but if it really was nigh...

‘No matter what happens... he’s definitely going to regret it.’

He was bound to think about the things he never got to say. The longer he spent without that pig, the more it would feel like no matter how much he gave, it still wouldn’t be enough.

Park Deok-Gu seemed to understand those feelings, too, which was why he was going along with that brutal training. Of course, not by normal standards, but by his standards.

“And tomorrow, we’re reviewing dancing again. Got it?” First Life Ki-Young said.

“Ugh...” Park Deok-Gu groaned.

There was one more person left behind in this collapsed first life.

“...”

A man whose identity I couldn’t remember at all.

“...”

If the commander’s side felt like something lighthearted, then Park Deok-Gu and First Life Ki-Young’s side was more like a sitcom. As for this one, it was something closer to a serious documentary. No, more like a movie than a documentary.

The guy even looked like a movie star.

‘Come on, he’s ridiculously good-looking. Back on Earth, was he some unknown actor or something? Seriously...’

Anyway, if I had to give this movie a title... it would probably be something like The Man Left Alone in a Ruined World. To be honest, it wasn’t the kind of story that had any major events or exciting parts, so it’d be hard to say it would do well, even as a joke, but with a face like that, it'd probably sell some tickets, anyway.

It could even create a niche fanbase and quietly pass its breakeven point. Needless to say, there wasn’t even a trace of a smile on my face. Watching him was enough to make anyone feel depressed.

“Hoo... haa...”

‘Look at him sighing...’

There was barely any change in his face, and yet, for some reason, I couldn’t look away from him. It wasn’t just because of his looks, and it wasn’t simply pity for a man stuck in such a miserable situation either. I couldn’t explain it, but my gaze would always return to him.

At some point, I even started watching him more than the commander. That alone said enough.

“Is anyone there?”

‘He’s gone pretty far out today. He’s really consistent, I’ll give him that.’

It was only natural. Humans were social creatures, so it wasn’t strange for him to look for other people. Right then, a hint of life appeared on his face. It seemed like he thought he had found traces of others.

He carefully examined the ground and his surroundings.

‘He smiled.’

He actually smiled. The guy who had shown almost no change in his face so far finally revealed a faint smile.

1. Lee Ki-Young’s POV ☜