Chapter 1 -
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Manhwa: Chapter 1
He opened his eyes.
All he could see before his eyes was just darkness.
There he was, in that pitch-black darkness that spread like a tabernacle before his eyes, unable to make out any shape.
He thought there was something wrong with the eyes.
Even after closing his eyes a few times and opening them, all he could see was still thick darkness.
A black darkness took over him.
He was in a completely dark place with no light coming in.
He tried to move his limbs. But it felt like they were tied with chains
His body didn't move the way he wanted.
There was no strength in his hands and feet.
His entire body felt defenseless.
The only thing that can move are your eyelids. He couldn't control the other parts of his body.
It doesn't matter how much effort you put in.
"There's nothing wrong with my eyes."
He couldn't be sure because he couldn't even identify his own limbs immediately, but he instinctively realized that there was nothing wrong with his eyes.
If he had gone blind, he would have felt something like pain. But there was no abnormality in his senses.
So it meant that there was nothing wrong with his eyes, but that the space he was in was extraordinarily dark. A dark place with no light coming in.
"Underground?"
He thought about the possibility.
I had never heard of a building built with human technology that could block light so perfectly.
If so, then there was a high probability that the space he was lying in was a basement or a perfectly enclosed space where light could not reach him.
"Why did this happen?"
He slowly checked his memory.
"Who am I?"
"And why am I in this situation?"
His head throbbed as he tried to refresh his memories.
He couldn't think of anything, as if his brain had been hit.
It hurts.
Tears soon flowed from her eyes. It was as if someone had put a finger in his head and moved it.
He forcibly swallowed the scream.
It was painful, but he didn't stop thinking. Then, little by little, memories of him returned.
"My name is Pyo-wol. I am 14 years old."
An orphaned beggar who wanders aimlessly through the world.
Who has nothing, no goods or housing.
He, Pyo-wol, furrowed his eyebrows into a frown.
Once again, the pain washed over him like a tidal wave. However, she forced herself to think. As a result, she was able to completely remember who she was.
Now it's time to find out why and how it ended up here.
"That man."
Pyo-wol remembered the man who remained in his last memory. A middle-aged man whose features were a simple face and sharp eyes.
The man he had come across while begging had said, "You look good enough.
That was Pyo-wol's last memory.
At the end of these words, Pyo-wol lost consciousness and woke up in the dark.
The man in your memories must be related to why he was left alone in a space where no light enters.
Pyo-wol didn't know the man's name or identity.
He didn't even know why he was trapped like this.
It couldn't be because of a grudge.
There was no way he, an orphan who was wandering aimlessly, could be the target of such deep resentment that anyone would do that.
"There must be some kind of purpose, a goal."
If the kidnapper's goal was to kill him, then they would have killed him already. They wouldn't have gone through the trouble of arresting him without killing him. So obviously they must have some need or purpose for it.
His head hurt like it was going to break.
Trying to think deeply with his abnormal state had already consumed a lot of mental power.
Pyo-wol closed his eyes.
Whether he opened his eyes or closed them, there was no change. He wondered what it meant to close his eyes as his surroundings remained dark.
Still, closing your eyes was less painful than keeping them open.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
He was trying to stay sane, but he was also on the verge of mental breakdown.
His head was a mess.
Still, Pyo-wol struggled to find peace of mind.
After a while, his mind became clearer as if his efforts had paid off.
— Hu!
Pyo-wol was surprised by the involuntary sigh that escaped him.
The last time he woke up, he couldn't even breathe much.
All he could do was keep panting, and he couldn't even dare take a deep breath like that. 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝓬𝓸𝓶
Being able to feel breathing was clearly a sign that the body's functions were returning to normal.
Maybe it was an illusion, but he decided to think positively.
It was painful to be alone in the darkness without a single light. Darkness made a person think a lot.
Thoughts would flood in like a tidal wave, controlling the mind and body. The overflowing thoughts would be enough to drive a person crazy.
Even more so for Pyo-wol, who couldn't move.
The feeling of isolation, as if he were alone in the darkness at the beginning, ate away at his mind little by little.
If time continued to pass like this, it was clear that he would go crazy with his own thoughts.
Therefore, Pyo-wol tried to think positively and cleared his mind.
"My name is Pyo-wol, 14 years old, my father's name is Pyo-in-hak, and my mother's name is Lee Sun-hong."
In the midst of his countless thoughts, he tried to only think about things related to his identity.
The only way to keep your mind intact in the onslaught of thoughts was to solidify your identity.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
It could have been just a day, or it could have been weeks.
It was impossible to understand the flow of time in such profound darkness.
Furthermore, Pyo-wol's entire body was paralyzed.
All activity in the body had completely declined.
While he was barely holding his breath, most functions were paralyzed.
Because of this, he couldn't even feel hungry.
It was like being in a vegetative state.
This was the most terrifying moment of Pyo-wol's life.
To overcome his fear, Pyo-wol murmured over and over again.
— My name is Pyo-wol...
Time continued to pass like this.
* * *
His fingers moved slightly.
It was proof that strength was returning to his body.
Although he wasn't sure what kind of expression he was making because there was no light or mirror, his face must have been shining with joy.
Little by little, the sensation throughout my body was returning.
Strength appeared at his fingertips, and his sense of smell was revived.
The damp smell felt through the tip of his nose was telling him that this place was underground, as Pyo-wol had guessed.
However, the fact that this place was underground wasn't very important to Pyo-wol.
The most important thing for him was that his entire body's senses were returning.
His fingers moved, and he could feel a cold sensation on his fingers.
Pyo-wol felt like he was alive. And he was grateful.
It wasn't strange for him to feel grateful for just the slightest sensation, but just being able to feel the fact that he was alive somehow made him feel more breathless.