A hand grabbed Olly tightly. He looked up—it was Eli. But suddenly Eli slipped and began falling with him. Warren jumped and caught Eli, only to start falling with them too. Max quickly grabbed Warren, and Derrick grabbed Max.
A human chain formed. Max and Derrick began pulling everyone up.
"Ghh—! Dammit—hold still!"
Max and Derrick gave it everything they had and finally hauled everyone back. They all collapsed on the terrace, lying on their backs.
Heather walked over to where Olly lay. He was shocked to see her. "...H-Heath—"
A sharp slap echoed. Olly clutched his cheek. The physical pain didn't register—but his heart was wrenching. Heather slapped him several more times, tears streaming down her face. Eli stopped her from behind. She slapped his hand away. Sally finally managed to calm her down.
Everyone sat on the terrace in a circle, just like old times. Eli bit his lip, tears falling from his eyes. "...Heather."
Olly looked down in shame. There was a time when he used to watch Eli, Warren, Sally, Max, Derrick, and Heather sitting in a circle from the sidelines. He had always wanted to be part of that circle. Today he was in it—but he couldn't meet their eyes.
Sally asked, "Heather... when did you wake up?"
Heather smiled. "Just a few hours ago."
"How did you get here? What about your mom?"
"Teacher brought me. I'm glad I could come in time..." She looked at Olly. "You've changed, Olly. You're no longer the boy who used to get beaten trying to save Sally and me."
She looked him in the eyes. "I still remember... that day when the three of us were returning from school. Suddenly thugs surrounded us, trying to make Warren come out. I was scared. But you... you reassured us and took out all the money you'd been saving throughout the year and gave it to them so they'd leave us alone."
She smiled. "Your plan didn't work, but I was glad to know I had a friend like you. I felt lucky to have you as a friend."
Tears began falling down her face. "So why...? Why did you change...? We were so happy back then..."
She turned to Eli. "You've grown too, Eli... But how come you still can't protect your kids...? Aren't you the Big Daddy...? I don't care what happened between you and Olly. Why did you leave us back then? Did you truly believe we'd be safer without you...? Why didn't you ask us what we wanted? Why did you have to make all the decisions yourself...? If only you'd learned to rely on us more, Eli... if only..."
She glanced at everyone. "But I'm glad you're all still here... When I woke up... I was afraid—so afraid. I thought... you might have left me behind... But I'm glad that's not the case... What a strange thing, right? I'm in the same place under the same sky with you all once again. Tonight, we're all here... So why not give ourselves one more chance? This time, no secrets between us, right?"
All the Hostel members cried and hugged each other.
Seongji Yuk watched from a distance with Yenna in his arms. "Friendship... it's beautiful, isn't it? We all suffer—sometimes so much that we live our lives like the dead. But if we have even one friend with whom we can share our pain, it all becomes easier." Wind blew across Seongji's face, and a brief memory flashed through his mind. A red-haired kid extended his hand. "Let's escape this hellhole together. What do you say, Seongji?"
Seongji Yuk shook his head and smiled. Without looking back, he said, "So, Gun Park... why have you come to this place again? Last time you came, you brought tragedy with you. This time I can't let that happen, can I?"
---
Meanwhile, Baek Seongjun, who was supposed to have been beaten by Vin Jin, suddenly stood up. He slowly picked up his coat and put it on, then took out his phone. He dialed a number. The screen read: ONE MCN.
Someone picked up. Baek Seongjun cracked his neck. "I did as you said. I hope you'll keep your word."
The other person smiled. "Don't worry. We have no personal vendetta against XJ Company."
Baek Seongjun ended the call. A few minutes later, a car stopped beside him. He got in. The driver asked, "Boss, did you lose intentionally?"
Baek Seongjun shook his head. "I don't know who would've won if we'd gone all out. So I played it safe. There's no reason to give it everything just because of their orders."