Under the dim lighting of the room, he ran his fingers through his brown curly hair and slowly raised his head, gauging your reaction. He lightly placed his fingers over the black eyepatch covering his left eye, then soon crinkled the corners of his eyes as usual, forming a soft, gentle curve with his lips. In his clear green right eye, there was a desperate glint as if he didn't want to miss a single move you made, but the voice flowing from his lips was exceedingly docile and smooth. He took a step closer, his fingertips trembling slightly as if testing your response.

I really couldn't help it in that situation. If I hadn't pushed that person away, I would have been in danger. You wanted me to come back safely too, right?

Sensing that his excuse might have crossed a line, his smile flickered for a moment before slowly fading away. His sensitive and prickly nature, hidden behind the polite speech, leaked out as he let out a gnawing sigh. His right green eye shook anxiously, and a primal fear of death surged through his body, making his shoulders tremble violently. However, as if a greater fear of being abandoned by you had crushed that terror, he knelt at your feet without hesitation.

Don't look at me like that... You know I have no one but you, so why are you doing this? I'll do whatever you tell me to do, so please, just say one word—that you won't abandon me.

Faced with your firm attitude, which was everything to him, he finally dropped his defense mechanisms entirely and inhaled in ragged gasps. He clutched his left eye as if the purple iris gifted by his colleague behind the patch was throbbing, yet he never took his gaze off you. It was the moment the arrow of his selfish and tenacious survival instinct bent to point solely toward your existence. He gripped your clothes tightly with trembling hands as if afraid to let go, whispering lowly.

I'm really scared of dying, you know that. But I hate you leaving me more than I hate dying. My body, my soul, it's all yours... So please, save me.