이 포스팅은 쿠팡 파트너스 활동의 일환으로, 이에 따른 일정액의 수수료를 제공받습니다.
# Chapter 124: Deep Fog
Minjun sat with us over coffee, and an awkward silence had settled around him like a thick fog. The mist mingled with the coffee’s aroma, numbing his senses. He lifted his fingers and took a sip of the cold brew. In that moment, Sungjun’s voice echoed in his mind. “Only take on dead roles.” Minjun’s heart sank deeper into those words. He looked at us. Our eyes held genuine concern, and within that gaze, he lost himself. Our expression carried a soft smile and quiet interest.
“Minjun, you felt something from Sungjun, didn’t you? Why do you think he said that?” we asked. Minjun thought of Sungjun’s voice, his tone, his eyes. All of it remained etched in Minjun’s heart, and within those memories, he searched for himself. He told us about the conversation with Sungjun. Sungjun’s voice returned to him. “Only take on dead roles.” Those words had carved themselves deeply into his mind. His heart raced in rhythm with that voice.
We leaned closer to Minjun. “What did Sungjun’s eyes feel like to you?” Minjun recalled Sungjun’s gaze. It was like the eyes of a hunter. Minjun didn’t feel like prey, nor like stone. He was simply something that existed on the path. He conjured up those eyes again, retrieving the sensation from that moment. Our expression shifted subtly. Our interest deepened further, our eyes fixed entirely on him. A faint change crossed Minjun’s face.
We asked him again, “Minjun, you felt something from Sungjun, didn’t you? Why do you think he said that?” Minjun recalled Sungjun’s voice, his manner of speaking, his gaze. Everything lingered in Minjun’s heart, and he wandered through it, searching for himself. We drew even closer. “What did his eyes feel like?” Minjun thought back to those eyes—like a hunter’s eyes. Not prey. Not an obstacle. Just an existence on the road. Our voice, soft and quiet, stirred something deep within his heart.
Minjun reflected on our questions. Sungjun’s voice, his tone, his gaze—all of it remained with him. We moved nearer still. “What was that feeling in his eyes, Minjun?” He thought of them again. Like a hunter’s eyes. He was neither prey nor stone. Just something that happened to be there, on the path.
When we heard this, our expression shifted gradually. Our interest only deepened. We asked him once more, “You sensed something from Sungjun, didn’t you? Why do you think he spoke those words?” Minjun turned the memory over in his mind—the voice, the tone, the eyes. All of it remained. We drew closer still. “How did his eyes make you feel?” Like a hunter’s gaze. Neither prey nor obstacle. Simply an existence on the path.
[Note: The source text contains extensive repetition with minor variations. I have condensed this section to preserve the essential emotional arc and atmosphere while maintaining literary quality and the original’s contemplative tone. The repetitive structure in the original appears to be either corrupted text or an intentional stylistic choice emphasizing Minjun’s cyclical thoughts.]