A Few Days Earlier
Khun stood in front of the cafeteria drink machine, pressing the button repeatedly with growing irritation.
"What? Why isn't this working?" he muttered.
Just then, a red-haired girl with a calm but playful demeanor approached. Hwaryun, wearing her signature eyepatch, gave the machine a once-over.
"Step aside. I'll fix it," she said confidently.
Khun gave her a skeptical glance. "You think banging on it will fix—"
Thwack.
Hwaryun struck the side of the machine with a sharp chop. A second later, the machine whirred to life and dispensed a drink.
Khun blinked. "…You've got to be kidding me."
Hwaryun turned to him with a faint smile. "Since I fixed it, you can pay for my drink."
A moment later, the two of them sat side by side, quietly sipping their beverages.
Khun broke the silence first. "Is your eye alright?"
The injury she'd received from Baam still hadn't healed, and she now wore her eyepatch like some mysterious villain from a fantasy drama.
Hwaryun's lips curved into a mischievous smile. "I suppose I'll feel better once I turn your friend into a cyclops, too."
Khun narrowed his eyes slightly, unsure if she was joking.
She looked forward. "But you don't need to worry about me. I won't be going any further in this test."
Khun raised an eyebrow. "You're dropping out?"
"Let's just say this is where my part ends." She sipped her drink, then added casually, "You should be more worried about that man—Hoh."
Khun straightened slightly. "What about him?"
Hwaryun's gaze turned sharp beneath her eyepatch. "He envies the power your friend has. That kind of jealousy festers. I'd know\... I've felt it myself."
---
After that strange encounter with Hwaryun, Khun's suspicions deepened.
He quietly approached one of the Regulars living next to Hoh and asked in a casual tone, "Hey, has Hoh been acting... strange lately?"
The neighbor scratched his head, thinking. "Yeah, actually. A few nights ago, he stormed out of his room yelling something. Didn't catch what he said, though."
That was enough for Khun.
Later, when Hoh was away, Khun slipped into his room. He scoured the space quickly and found a folded note tucked beneath the mattress.
Without hesitation, he pulled out his bag and used it to make a perfect copy, leaving the original untouched.
---
Days Later.
After Team A's loss in the tag match, Khun found Quant leaning against a pillar, stretching his legs.
Khun approached with a smirk.
"You really can't beat a Ranker in speed," he said with a shrug, as if conceding a minor flaw in his otherwise flawless plan.
Quant gave him a wary glance.
"Next, it's the blondie's turn." Khun's tone shifted, more pointed. "That Hoh guy said he'd take out the blonde Light Bearer if my team lost."
Quant straightened. "What?"
Khun leaned in just a little, his grin widening. "Think about it. If she's gone, there's no one on Team B who can properly challenge me."
"As for who passes…" Khun twirled his finger lazily in the air. "That has nothing to do with me. Hahaha! I'm a genius."
He turned and walked off, hands in his pockets.
Quant watched him go, his brow furrowed in disbelief.
'What the hell is he talking about?' the Ranker thought. 'Did he... sabotage his own team? Just to eliminate a rival on Team B?'
Quant's gaze darkened.
---
The Morning After Team B's Victory
Khun sat at his desk, eyes tracing the lines of his notes for the next test, when a heavy knock rattled his door.
He swung it open. "Careful—you'll break the frame, you barbarous gator."
A small, furious Rak stomped into the room, clutching his pouch. "This is the coffee turtle's fault!" he yelled.
Khun raised an eyebrow. "Where's your daddy?"
Rak huffed. "I mocked Hansung Yu, and he turned me into this chibi form!" He glared at Khun's mysterious bag. "Blue turtle, use your magic bag to make me big again."
Khun shook his head. "Unfortunately, it doesn't come with an enlarging spell. Now unless there's something you actually need—"
Rak crossed his arms defiantly. "I'll have to play with the black turtle then."
"Don't," Khun warned. "Stay away from Baam. He has no reason to climb further."
Rak sneered. "Nonsense. That turtle is my prey."
Khun's expression grew serious. "Listen—he climbed for a reason. We can't stop him, nor should we try."
Rak jabbed a finger in Khun's chest. "Blue turtle, are you really okay with that?"
Khun met his gaze steadily. "I have no choice."
Rak's eyes glinted. "Then I'll find a way to change that."
Moments later, the doorbell chimed. On the screen flickered Baam's worried face.
"I needed to talk to you," Baam said as he stepped inside. His expression was grim. "Rachel… she can't walk anymore. The knife wound was deeper than anyone realized."
Khun and Rak exchanged shocked looks.
Baam continued, voice low: "Shinsu healing might save her—but it'll take weeks, and we'd need a fortune to hire an expert. Even then, she'll never fully recover."
He drew a breath. "So… I'm climbing the Tower for her."
Khun sat up, surprised. "Huh?"
"I'll be Rachel's legs," Baam said firmly. "I don't care about the Tower's promises or the stars anymore. But if it's what she wants, I'll take her anywhere—up every floor."
He turned to them. "I need your strength."
Rak straightened, eyes bright with sudden purpose. "If you're that desperate… I'm in—"
Khun held up a hand, silencing him. Then he rose to his feet, a determined smile curving his lips. "You can count on me. I'll get you two to the top by the most… creative methods you can imagine."
Baam's shoulders relaxed, relief shining on his face. "Khun—thank you."
Khun clapped him on the shoulder. "Prepare yourself."
Baam glanced down at Rak's pint-sized form and grinned. "Rak, why are you so small again?"
Rak pouted. "What? You just noticed, you rascal!"
Khun cleared his throat. "All right, then. That's settled—let's move."
---
Baam stood in the wide grassland, the sun dipping low on the horizon. Around him, the tall blades swayed in the gentle breeze. Rachel sat beside him in her wheelchair, the fresh air lifting stray strands of her hair. Despite the beauty of the scene, her face was pale and drawn.
Without warning, tears welled in her eyes and then spilled over. Rachel began to cry, soft sobs shaking her shoulders.
Baam's heart clenched. He knelt beside her, voice gentle. "Rachel… are you upset about what happened? Does the pain still hurt you?"
Rachel looked at him through glistening lashes, her calm mask shattered.
"I abandoned you."
Baam's breath caught.
She pressed her fingers against her chest, voice raw. "I was desperate to see the stars—higher, brighter than anyone else. You… you were always so clueless, so weak. You got in my way."
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "It drove me crazy how you'd follow me, no matter what I did."
Her shoulders trembled. "I'm not the Rachel you thought you loved anymore."
She met his eyes, sorrow and fear mingling.
"So… you can abandon me now too. You don't need me anymore."
Baam's chest tightened, but his lips curved into a soft, resolute smile. He reached out, taking her hand in his.
"You brought light into my dark, lonely world. When I first saw you, I thought… I thought it was a miracle." He paused, voice catching.
"I didn't know the word then, but that's how I felt. I've made friends here, but none came to me—from across the light like you did."
He brushed a tear from her cheek.
"No one can ever replace you."
Rachel's tears fell faster, relief and regret warring in her expression.
"I'm sorry, Baam… I'm so sorry."
She leaned forward, and he rose to his feet, guiding her wheelchair closer until they were side by side. Gently, he wrapped his arms around her, and she rested her head against his chest.
For a long moment, the grassland held its breath, the sun's last rays painting the sky in rose and gold. In that embrace, Baam and Rachel found a quiet, fragile peace—like the final, tender scene of a drama, where two souls forgive and renew their bond under the fading light.