Chapter 135.1

Chapter 135.1

Kim Hyun, surrounded by a bright light, appeared faint, almost as if he were a dream.

‘Am I really seeing things?’

A part of Seoryeong’s mind felt numb, like someone entranced by a ghost. Even with the flash shining so brightly it hurt her eyes, shestill stared intently.

His face… the lines she had drawn hundreds of times… her eyes ached.

‘Should I call out to him? Is it really okay to call out? What if he disappears again?’

Just then, the fishing boat that Kim Hyun had arrived on turned toward the cargo ship. Only then did Seoryeong realized that this was indeed the ship sent urgently by the Chinese Public Security.

If that’s the case, then it means her plan has been figured out.

‘It’s too fast, too fast.’

But could this really be Kim Hyun? A doubt lingered, unsure if it was truly him or someone wearing his skin.

What exactly was real about her husband? His face? Or the essence of him? Even with her eyes open, she felt blind again—her vision blurry, overtaken by a suffocating illusion. Terror clung to the back of her neck.

Then, Kim Hyun’s gaze shifted toward her. His swollen hand, disheveled clothes, pale cheeks, and messy hair. His eyes followed her like someone scaling an icy wall.

Seoryeong involuntarily swallowed dryly. When her eyes met his living, moving gaze, something in her chest sank.

She couldn’t not know. She couldn’t…

‘The person who can lift me from blindness like this—’

“Ugh!”

A strange sound finally escaped her lips. All the words and expressions she had planned to say when meeting Kim Hyun were completely wiped from her mind, leaving it entirely blank.

Seoryeong tried to stand quickly, but stumbled. The flash that had been shining on her body and face shook violently.

“Your hand…”

Ah! it was him. That voice was his.

But the man, who seemed to want to say something, pressed his lips tightly together. His unwavering gaze was fixed on her bloodstained hand. Her husband, still as kind as ever. Seoryeong felt an urge to cry.

“Seeing you like this… Hyun, you’re really good at acting.”

“….”

Kim Hyun only clenched his jaw, not responding further.

“Tell me. Is that face really fake?”

He seemed uncomfortable as he nodded. Though he looked as though he wanted to escape, he remained firmly in place. His gentle gaze, which Seoryeong had only felt vaguely before, was startlingly unchanged.

You can wear a fake face, but can you fake your aura? Just by being here, it felt like his thoughts were transparently flowing into her.

Even in this unwelcome reunion, his expression still vividly showed that he wanted to clean her hands, head, and clothes. That anxious, enduring gaze was a signal she had long known from her husband. It wasn’t the false facade of a well-dressed fake, nor was it the corpse of Kim Hyun.

It was the real Kim Hyun, the one she had shared warmth with, the real living Kim Hyun.

“It’s fake.”

With the honest reply, Seoryeong nodded. It no longer surprised her.

“Then, all this time we lived together, was it always a fake face?”

“….”

He avoided her gaze, not answering. Seoryeong narrowed her eyes and quietly stared at his body.

“Yet, it seems bigger than before. Your body… it’s as if…”

“….!”

At that moment, the flash was abruptly turned off. With the intense light gone, her vision flickered before her. Seoryeong, overwhelmed by dizziness, closed her eyes.

“Just hurry up and take me away.”

She quickly extended her arms, as if urging him to arrest her.

“You came here for that anyway, didn’t you? There’s no way you came because you missed me.”

“…”

“I tried defecting to the North, I kidnapped your superior, and still, you never showed up. You didn’t even appear in my dreams. Not even a single strand of your hair.”

“…”

“And it was you, of all people, who did that to me.”

“I–”

“If you had a reason for what you did, don’t bother making excuses now.”

“…”

“I don’t want to understand anymore. The empty house terrified me, the vacant picture frame pained me, and sometimes, I wanted to die. The least you could do is respect that. Just put the handcuffs on.”

She shook her outstretched arms. Silence filled the boat once more.

There was no point in screaming and demanding why he had done this to her. Seoryeong had long suspected that something about her existence was inherently flawed.

She had started this out of betrayal and anger, but now she understood that venting her resentment wasn’t the only answer.

Yet, Kim Hyun remained still, swallowed by the darkness. Their reunion was nothing like the countless times she had imagined it. It was heavy, rigid, and cold. The heat had long dissipated, leaving only a dried-out shell, and the bitterness filled her mouth.

Still, she wanted to ask him to turn the flashlight back on. She wanted to see him until she was sick of it. Tonight might be their last.

She didn’t know how long the tense standoff lasted. A strong gust of sea wind made her sneeze, and at that moment, he finally reached for the handcuffs on his belt, moving slowly.

Walking toward her with his head lowered, Kim Hyun looked like a man crushed beneath the weight of the black sea.

Seoryeong studied his steps carefully before speaking.

“I was truly happy.”