Sacrifices
Pairing: Sung Jinwoo x Reader
Words: 2000+
Anime/Manga: Solo Leveling
hello! i know i’ve been a bit mia when it comes to writing. i’m having a tough time trying to finish anything tbh. most likely because i have the attention span of a squirrel. but, i wrote this fic today. it’s nothing like i normally post but i’ve been into this anime character for about four days now so- whoever reads it, i hope you like it xox <3
"Why couldn't we just leave?" You ask Jinwoo while kneeling beside him. You heal up some of the wounds from the beasts you just battled, keeping your eyes on the crimson liquid trailing down his leg. "Why did you agree to come in here?"
"I need the funds," he says quietly, and your gaze meets his. "You know that."
You swallow thickly and look around the dark room, seeing the bodies of your fellow squad members. "There are better ways to make money," you sigh, and the green light you're emitting disappears.
"No one knew what we were walking into. Can you blame me for that?"
"No, of course not."
The room becomes silent as no one knows what to do next, or how to survive this nightmare. The ground begins to rumble beneath you all and you glance up to see the giant statue now standing.
"Holy-" you mutter as Jinwoo helps you off the ground.
"What do we do?" Everyone asks the black-haired boy.
A look of panic comes to his face as he looks around the large room. "I-I'm not sure," Jinwoo stutters, keeping your hand in his.
It starts walking towards us with a creepy smirk on its lips. "What, uh, wh-what's the next commandment?" You ask your best friend, remembering that the first one was about worshiping God.
He repeats what I said to himself before looking towards the other squad members. "We need to praise him," he tells them, and they look at him like he's crazy. "The second commandment said, "thou shall praise God." That's the key!"
One of the other members takes a step forward, mentioning to the group that he'll try it. You can feel yourself beginning to shake as you all watch the man praise it.
The statue walks closer and closer as the guy spews out words of praise. Your breath hitches in your throat when his concrete foot squishes the man speaking.
Jinwoo tugs you with him as the group starts to run in the opposite direction. Screams of terror echo off of the dungeon walls, and you look back to see a giant statue continuing after you, crushing a couple of more people in its way.
The other statues that have weapons in their hands start attacking as well, the numbers dwindling quickly. You start to panic internally, squeezing Jinwoo's hand. I don't want to die here… You think to yourself as the two of you come to a stop.
"Musical instrument?" You hear him mumble, watching him look around at the other statues.
"Is that the key?" You ask him while breathing heavily.
"Everyone!" Jinwoo yells, capturing the attention of others. "Get in front of a statue with a musical instrument!"
The captain stands in front of one who looks to be holding a saxophone and it begins to play. "Statues with musical instruments don't attack! Find one!" Mr. Song informs you all.
"C'mon," Jinwoo mentions before tugging you towards one of the other statues. The two of you stand in front of one that's holding a drum, both of you confused as to why it's not playing.
One of your arms is wrapped around him, clutching his jacket in your hands. "Jinwoo," you whisper and glance up at him. "I think only one person can be at it."
He releases a huff of breath and releases your hand from his grasp. "Stay here," he mumbles and you swallow the lump in your throat before nodding your head.
"Be careful. I can't heal you from over here," you inform him, grabbing a hold of his hand for a few seconds.
Jinwoo sprints towards a statue and one of the raid members scream at him. "Not that one!" Your best friend skids to a stop and tumbles to the ground.
The statue in front of him isn't holding a musical instrument, it's a shield. Tears stream down your cheeks as the concrete figure raises the shield before slamming it down.
You fall to your knees, your hands coming into contact with the rough ground beneath you. "Jinwoo!" You scream at the top of your lungs, your chest clenching.
He crawls towards the woman with wings, the giant bastard behind him getting closer and closer. When the statue begins to sing, you release a breath of relief.
As soon as it's okay to move, you find yourself sprinting toward the injured boy. "Jinwoo," you cry and instantly sink to your knees when you make it over to him. "Oh my god!"
"What?" He mumbles and brings his gaze to where you're looking. "Oh…"
His right foot is missing and you instantly try to heal him. It takes more mana than what you have to fix him. You feel yourself growing weaker and your nose starts to bleed.
"Y/N, you need to stop," he mutters, reaching his hand out to you.
Before you're able to argue with him, the ground beneath you starts to shake. You find yourself shifting closer to your best friend, grabbing a hold of his arm as the group looks towards the giant.
An altar rises from underground and your breath hitches, knowing this isn't going to end well. "The third and last commandment-" Jinwoo mutters, gaining the attention of everyone.
"Thou shall prove thy faith," you remind the group while helping Jinwoo off of the ground.
His arm drapes over your shoulders and one of the other members of the raid helps you steady him. "Well, we all know what we have to do right," Mr. Kim says while pulling out a sword. "If we have to sacrifice someone, it should be the person who brought us here."
He points the sword at Mr. Song and it doesn't take much for the older man to agree. Your eyes widen as Mr. Song walks towards the altar by himself. When he makes it to the center, a single orange flame lights up behind him.
"What?! What's going on?" Mr. Kim asks.
Mr. Song glances in your direction, "Sung, is this wrong?"
"Help me get over there," Jinwoo asks you and the man holding him. You nod your head and the three of you make your way to the altar. More flames lit up as soon as you crossed the threshold. "Everyone, come to the altar. The number of flames and the number of people are the same."
The rest of the group reluctantly walks over to you all and the flames suddenly turn blue. Five seconds later the large doors you walked through open back up.
Everyone talks amongst themselves, trying to figure out what's going on. The four statues that attacked us, in the beginning, start to move closer to the altar.
They stop for a few seconds before they continue forward. You glance at the rest of the group, noticing one woman covering her eyes. "Keep your eyes on them!" You call out to her.
She shakes her head before sprinting towards the open doors. Your jaw drops when she makes it through. The entries close a smidge afterward.
The man holding Jinwoo with you apologizes to the both of you before racing out the doors as well. Both of you fall to the ground as you're not able to support his whole weight by yourself.
Mr. Kim leaves next, leaving you, Jinwoo, and Mr. Song left at the altar. The doors have closed about halfway, leaving a bit of a crack. "What do we do?" You ask Jinwoo.
"You two need to get out of here," Mr. Song mentions, causing you to glance back at him. "You two have your whole life ahead of you. I've lived the majority of mine."
"We're not just going to leave you here," you tell him with narrowed eyes. "We'll figure this out, right??"
Jinwoo leans against the altar before making eye contact with you. "You two need to go," he states.
A gasp leaves your lips and you shake your head. "I'm not leaving you here. Do you hear me?" You remind him angrily, not wanting to think about leaving him here to die.
The statues get closer and closer. "There's no time for this. Mr. Song, please get her out of here alive," he mentions while pushing you away.
Mr. Song grabs hold of your arm, pulling you to your feet. "No!" You scream, prying your arm from his grip. "I'm not leaving."
Jinwoo squeezes his eyes shut, a few tears slipping from his waterline. "Please."
You sink to your knees, taking his face in your hands. "I'd rather die with you than live on without you," you tell him honestly, feeling your lip quiver.
"Okay," Jinwoo whispers while glancing toward Mr. Song. Your thumbs stroke his cheeks while resting your forehead against his. "I'm sorry, Y/N…"
"I-It's ok-" your eyes roll back in your head as the exhaustion hits you like a truck.
Mr. Song catches your unconscious body before it hits the ground. "Anything you want me to tell her?" He asks the young man, carefully throwing you over his shoulder.
"Just tell her that I'd be dead without her," he says with a sad smile.
The older man nods his head and walks out of the dungeon. Jinwoo keeps his eyes on you until you're out of sight. The doors slam shut and he releases a deep breath.
"And that I love her."
-
"Jinwoo!" You scream, quickly sitting up. You breathe heavily and look around the white room, noticing that you're in the hospital.
You go to rip the IV from the back of your hand when a nurse walks into the room. "Miss L/N, please don't do that," she urges while holding one of her hands out.
You lean back on the bed and release a deep sigh. "How long have I been out?" You ask her, remembering the last time you ended up in the hospital due to using too much mana.
"A couple of days. I've got someone who's been waiting for you to wake up," she says with a smile.
You furrow your brows, wondering who she's talking about. The nurse helps you out of bed, making sure the IV is still intact before the two of you leave your room.
She leads you a couple of doors down and motions for you to walk inside. When you walk into the room, your eyes widen. "Jinwoo?" You call out to him in a whisper.
The black-haired boy slowly picks his head up, his eyes meeting yours. "Y/N, you're awake," he smiles.
"Y-You're alive…" you mumble, your vision blurring. You stumble forward while bringing one of your hands to your face.
Jinwoo lifts himself off of his bed, meeting you halfway. He throws his arms around your shoulders and you rest your head on his chest.
"I'm sorry to make you worry," he whispers into your ear.
You grip his t-shirt after wrapping your arms around his waist. "H-How is it possible-"
"I'll explain everything as soon as I can get out of this hospital," he explains.
You nod your head, nuzzling your face into his chest. Tears slip down your cheeks and breathe in Jinwoo's scent. "I'm so glad you're okay," you mumble into his shirt.
He chuckles and combs his slender fingers through your hair. "I'm glad you're okay. You haven't been out like this in a long time," he reminds you, causing you to chuckle with him.
"I was just thinking that earlier," you giggle while pulling away from him, wiping the tears from your face.
Jinwoo looks down at you with a smile. "Hey, d-do you want to go out for dinner with me?" He asks you, a blush dusting his palish cheeks.
Your breath hitches in your throat, your jaw dropping a smidge. "Wait, really?" You ask him in a whisper, lightly pinching your skin.
"Yeah, I-," he cuts himself off and clears his throat, "I, uhm, I love you."
Your heart throbs in your chest, resting one of your hands over it. "I'd love to go to dinner with you," you answer him with a warm smile. A blush covers your cheeks before leaning on your toes and planting a light kiss on his cheek.
Jinwoo's eyes flutter shut, glad to know you reciprocate his feelings. "Maybe you could take a break from hunting for a bit too," he suggests as the thought of losing you crosses his mind again.
"I'll stop as long as you don't get hurt anymore. I don't like seeing you injured," you counter, resting your hands on his chest.
With this new system, it shouldn't be a problem. He thinks to himself while smiling at you. "Deal."
-
Tagging: @thewxntersoldier @reddesert-healourblues @maddz-world @noisynightmarefest
