hi it's me and another sahsol scenario that might not make sense logically.
what if baek saheon just never revealed his true character on the abyss transpo? the batch of newbies somehow got off the train without an eye missing, and saheon thanked soleum nonstop for it. 'teacher, you are magnificent! how did you manage to guess the rules so quickly?'
the constant glazing and chirping would not stop long after the employee orientation. rather, it intensified when they were assigned roommates. soleum would try to keep his distance initially. i mean, who the hell would voluntarily get chummy with a horror wiki named character notoriously known for being cruel?
but soleum would still be so, so lonely in this new world. and saheon would still trail after soleum calling him 'teacher!' and generally be the most self-sufficient, thoughtful roommate one could find in this greedy corporate. and so, for the same reason that he trusted braun despite witnessing first-hand his mercilessness, kim soleum unwittingly put his faith in saheon.
there were nights reality would still feel as unsafe and unreal as a darkness. they would sit on the couch together. saheon, returning from a lengthy task, dressed in a neat, pristine suit; soleum - hunched in on himself, in a crumpled, unwashed shirt. and some months into their cohabitation, soleum would tell him how afraid he'd always been. of the paranormal, of this unfamiliar world, of saheon himself.
perhaps the trust would begin from here.
the process would start gradually. soleum would let slip information about various darknesses during shared mealtimes. they were cryptic scraps that barely made sense. but then eventually they grew into useful tips, maybe even straight up cheats.
saheon wouldn't question. he would give him words of gratitude and a promise of free dinner and then they would move on from it.
team f's recruits and its collaborators would still frequently die. that fact, soleum was not privy to.
to soleum, maybe it was nice to have a conversation partner that adhered to human reasoning, full offense to braun. maybe it was nice to have someone whom he could cook with, eat with, watch ridiculous children's shows with and not be interrogated on his nonsensical mutterings. the dorm wasn't home, nowhere in this world could ever be. but saheon would make it safe and warm, like a shelter, at least. it would feel a bit like having a companion.
soleum pulls out a golden ticket over half a year later. baek saheon's sneer in the faraway distance stirred up in his withered mind an emotion not unlike acceptance. soleum forged bonds he shouldn't have, now he faces the consequences.
