The two miniatures sat on the edge of the enormous desk, swinging their little legs to and fro in the air, holding hands. They surveyed the printed manuscripts strewn on the floor with a melancholy fondness, reading the golden lettering one by one.

“The Benefactor, Those Who Are Dead Feel No Pain, Pawprints on Bedsheets, A Coffee Filter Crown, Dead Man’s Hand, The Benefactor II…” Jihoon looked up. “We’ve been on a lot of adventures, haven’t we?”

“We weren’t quite the focus of Dead Man’s Hand,” Seungcheol chuckled. “But yes, we’ve been on a lot of adventures together. With the others, too.”

The four-inch figure of Jihoon turned to look up at the human behind the writing desk. “What’s the next adventure going to be, Arthur?”

The author sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I don’t know, Jihoon. I don’t know if there’ll be another adventure.”

“What?”

Suddenly the two were joined by their eleven friends, each scurrying from their corner of the room, all jumping onto the desk in shock. “What do you mean, be another adventure?” Jeonghan asked sadly. “There’ll be more adventures, won’t there Arthur?”

“…I don’t think so, little one. Maybe… maybe someday I can take you all on another adventure. But for now… we’ll have to stop having so many adventures.”

“But why?” Chan pulled on his sleeve. “I want to be part of fun adventures too. I had a lot going for me.”

“I know, Channie. I’m sorry.” Arthur picked the boy up in his hand, no larger than his own palm. “I love you boys very dearly. It’s been fun, going on adventures. There’s still lots of them to be had – half-imagined adventures with no endings and plenty of action in them. It’s been fun, being Arthur and doing this with you all. But Arthur only ever came into existence so I could create The Benefactor. I never imagined it would stretch this long. It’s time for me to stop being Arthur and getting back to my real life.”

“Can.” Jihoon’s voice was very quiet. “Can we still have adventures there? In your real life?”

 “You boys will always be with me,” Arthur promised. “And we will always have adventures together, one way or another. But it’s time for me to leave now. Maybe I’ll come back someday. Maybe not. It’ll be a surprise. For us all. Until then… it’s time to finish up.”

Chan was let down gently.

“Your real account,” Minghao mumbled sadly. “Where you’re not Arthur… can we still have adventures there? We had a really fun adventure in the past there. Nobody even died. Much.”

“Maybe,” Arthur answered. “I hope so. I’m not sure. I’m not even sure why I don’t want to be Arthur anymore – not sure why I quit my personal account, not sure why I want to leave. I’m not even sure I can stop writing our adventures together. No matter what, we’ll always be having adventures in my mind together. But right now… I want to live my own life, not Arthur’s life.”

The group wasn’t happy, but they were placated.

Arthur’s mouse hovered over the log out button. “After all,” he whispered, clicking on it, “to live would be an awfully big adventure.”

To my readers, my sweet, sweet readers.

Nothing I ever do will be able to recompense for the love and encouragement you have given me. I will never forget your kind words, or the genuine love and adoration you have always afforded me. I hope I’ve left you all some great stories to remember me by. I would so dearly love it if you cherished the stories the way I have. The way I do.

I have enjoyed working for you all so much. In truth, I do not know why I feel like the time has come to leave, I just do – in a strange, unforgiving kind of way, because it honestly hurts me to go. I want to cry so badly, because such a large part of me doesn’t want to leave. It wants to stay and make more adventures, forever. But even I need a break. As many of you may have guessed, my health hasn’t been so good lately. I think I need time to recuperate.

You’ll forgive me, won’t you? If one day I come back to take you on another adventure, forgive this transgression.

Thank you so much.

Enjoy the comeback.

Love, Arthur me.

The End.