As Ji Hyun was walking to his place, a firetruck and a few police cars zoomed past him. As he approached his place, there was a strong burning smell. A nagging feeling in his brain made him start running back. 

He was greeted with the glow of orange-yellow flames raging from one of the windows of an apartment in his building. He started counting the level and flat it was at 'level 3..4...5.. no it's 4..!!' The flat on fire was the one directly under his. He could see the blazing flame affecting the adjacent flats and was rising upwards to his tacky blue curtains. 

"No..no no!!" His money, medication, wallet and handphone... and Sung Ho's scarf were inside!! Ji Hyun held back his growing panic attack and forced himself to run into the building, slipping past the firefighters and police, ignoring the screams from people. He rushed up the stairwell to his floor, hand shakily inserted the key to his flat, unlocking it successfully. However, when he touched the door handle he was instantly burned but managed to open the door and kick it wide open. 

Fire consumes fast, smoke has already filled the entire flat. The drawer near the window with his life's assets was already up in flames. Ji Hyun gagged when he inhaled the smoke. He knew exactly where he hung the scarf, and blindly went in to reach for it. He grabbed it and ran out of the flat. The scarf was burning from one side. Ji Hyun hurriedly used his bare hands and snack packets to pat the fire out. 

"Young man!! Are you stupid? Risking your life for a scarf!!!" A firefighter was outside just as he re-emerged from the flat. He dragged Ji Hyun down the stairs and bought him out. The firefighters were busy saving people, the ambulance staff gave Ji Hyun a blanket and asked him to wait while they attended to the other people who were in worse shape. There were too many people. Too many. 

Ji Hyun wanted to get away from everyone, from this. He went to the nearby bridge to catch a breather. But when the tension died down, the dam in his eyes broke, he howled and cried kneeling down while clutching the burnt scarf.

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Sung Ho's car stopped below the apartment building. The fire had spread to at least three adjacent flats and affected two floors above. He had just wanted to see where Ji Hyun lived but was greeted by the wrath of fire greedily extending its reach. 

His lit cigarette fell to the ground as his heartbeat raced. He couldn't tell at all where Ji Hyun stayed, the flats were all crammed together, but he had no doubt that Ji Hyun stayed here. 

"Ji... Ji Hyun..!!" It was like something possessed him and his legs was running towards the building. Due to the previous person slipping past them, the police were more vigilant this time and managed to stop Sung Ho from going past the boundary. "Let me go!!" Sung Ho roared as the veins on his temple bulged and his eyes became bloodshot. 

A firefighter heard the commotion and walked over "Let me tell you... there was this idiot who was like you that ran in.. for what? A stupid scarf. He even got burned!! I dragged him out of the building!! What's with youngsters these-" 

"What color was the scarf?!" Sung Ho barked 

"..W-What!!"

"Tell me now!" Sung Ho was on the verge of grabbing the man.

"Okay okay, let me think... if I'm not wrong.. it was like dark red? I mean, it caught on fire and that boy used his hands to put it out... I'm not very sure.. but we put him in the ambulance area there-" 

Sung Ho darted to the ambulances and asked around but they all said they did not see a man holding a red scarf. Until one of the medics said he saw someone resembling his description head towards a direction. 

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Ji Hyun cried till his eyes swelled and his tears soaked the scarf. He then suddenly stopped crying. Courage came to him, and he steeled his heart. He opened the two bottles of soju and chugged them. 

He was officially homeless, only had the clothes and slippers he was wearing, a few coins, a bag of snacks, and his half-burnt scarf. Life seemed like a cruel joke now, he tasted an hour of happiness after months of bitterness, and now he was even worse off. Having a job made no difference, was he supposed to show up to work with his sweatpants and slippers? Would they want a homeless person? 

Ji Hyun clumsily climbed over the railing of the bridge. He stood on the edge and held on tight to the railing. Staring down, he saw the pitch-black waters swaying, it looked like a four-story fall from where he was. 

In this situation, he started thinking about his life thus far. 

He silently apologized to his parents for being a failure of a son, to his friends for being unable to support them as they did for him in the past, to Sung Ho for ever hurting and leaving him. 

Life was painful, unbearable, sad.

He wanted to be selfish for the last time, even if he would be punished for being greedy, he asked God to let him be loved by Sung Ho again in his next life. 

Maybe then, he could make up for all the hurt he had inflicted onto Sung Ho's heart.

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Sung Ho ran and ran, he quickly spotted the person that was undoubtedly Ji Hyun standing at the other side of the railing, at the edge of the bridge. Blood drained from his face and he was almost rooted to the ground. Not again, he didn't want to lose Ji Hyun again. His stubbornness and pride were useless, if Ji Hyun died then his achievements would mean nothing. Although he didn't know how to categorize his emotions for Ji Hyun, he wasn’t heartless enough to be unmoved by the scene in front of him.

"Ji Hyun!!!!" Sung Ho roared as he ran towards him. 

'I'm at death's door yet I'm hallucinating huh?' Ji Hyun in his half-drunken state amusedly thought to himself. Staring at the waters, he swung himself the other way and let go of the railing, falling backward.

He saw a desperate-looking Sung Ho running towards him. Ji Hyun still believed he was hallucinating and flashed a painful smile while frowning. The gods were playing him even till the end, he closed his eyes to accept his fate.

Like a jolt back to reality, Ji Hyun's arm was violently jerked back. The momentum caused the red scarf to unravel from his neck, it slowly floated away into the waters on his behalf. Ji Hyun opened his eyes wide as he felt strong hands grab onto his person and hoist him back to safety. 

He was embraced and there was heavy panting coming from the person. That familiar cologne again...

"Who the hell allowed you to die?!" Sung Ho's hands held Ji Hyun's face to face him head-on. Ji Hyun looked googly-eyed with his wide eyes surrounded by swollen tissue. Ji Hyun was immediately woken up from his drunken stupor, his body's first reaction was to struggle, but Sung Ho's strong hands held him in place and pinned him to the ground.

"Answer me! Who allowed you to die!!" Sung Ho roared at Ji Hyun. This was the first time Ji Hyun saw Sung Ho so angry, he was scared and his desire to struggle free died. Ji Hyun started sobbing, "Wu... Wu... I-I'm... So-Sorry..." Ji Hyun's voice was breaking "Sung Ho.. is that really y-you?.." Ji Hyun meekly asked 

Although Sung Ho was angry, he relaxed a little when he saw Ji Hyun trembling under his force. The puffy eyes, cracked lips, burnt hands with newly formed blisters, thin wrists under his hold... Sung Ho softened. When they were together, he could never get seriously angry at Ji Hyun, maybe that's how Ji Hyun ended up becoming so spoilt. 

He hoisted Ji Hyun over his shoulders and carried him to his car. Ji Hyun didn't put up a fight and was like a floppy human-sized doll, only soft sobbing was heard on the way. Sung Ho threw Ji Hyun into his backseat and drove off.