Episode 281 Emotions (2)
Ryojo’s eyes were unfocused, as if his soul had left him. His irises were clouded and hazy.
“What what what, what- ah.”
She made a cute sound. Her jaw clenched so violently that she bit her tongue. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. But Ryojo kept his gaze fixed on me like a pin.
“…I came because I missed you.”
I muttered as I crawled through a hole, avoiding his gaze. Damn, this is so embarrassing.
“Are you really a gangster?!”
Even though I could keep my mouth shut when I’m sick, he keeps asking questions. He stares at me with his wide eyes to the point where it’s burdensome.
‘Oh, I shouldn’t laugh.’
But the body is honest. In the end, laughter burst out.
“… … !”
Not only did I visit unexpectedly, but I burst out laughing, so Ryojo looked at me like I was crazy.
Ryojo jumped up from his seat and approached me, who was sitting across the table. Then he roughly turned my chair to the side so that I was facing him. His actions were extremely tough.
Ryojo tried to turn my eyes over with his fingers, lightly tapped my cheek, and even opened my mouth forcibly to check my tongue. Then he took a step back and tilted his head.
“It looks like Byul is a very good person.”
Her face jerked forward.
Okay.
Our foreheads touched lightly. Our faces were close. Her breath completely permeated my face. The distance between me and her was about the size of a sheet of paper.
While I was just blinking absentmindedly, Ryojo kept his eyes tightly shut and his eyebrows knitted together. He seemed to be concentrating on something. With his forehead pressed together, she slowly opened her eyes that had been closed.
“I don’t think I have a fever… … or am I just so stressed out that I’m really losing my mind?”
Ryojo muttered. His pronunciation had returned to normal, but his swollen tongue was visible through his teeth.
She looked me straight in the eye. Our foreheads were pressed together, so it would be harder for our gazes to drift apart.
““… … .””
A dead silence flowed through the kitchen. The pot finally got tired, and the sound of kimchi stew boiling also died down.
We stared at each other for a long time in silence, our breaths hitting our cheeks rhythmically.
“… Are you serious?”
Ryojo asked me, looking at me intently. I nodded slightly. Our foreheads were rubbing together as we were pressed against each other.
“huh.”
“Why… now… what’s going on?”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a few days now. Who is the most precious person to me? And there’s only one person who comes to mind. Of course, the members of the travel club and the others are all precious to me, too… … .”
I paused for a moment to speak. It was better than before, but I still felt embarrassed.
but.
“… The person who thought of me the most was none other than Ryojou, you.”
“Is this a confession?”
“Something similar.”
“If it’s a confession, then it’s a confession. What else is similar?”
“I’ve never said this to anyone since I was born, so I don’t even know if it’s right.”
He scratched his cheek.
“By the way, I really am a loser. Saying something like that a week before the war.”
“That’s right. You’re a loser.”
As he said that, Ryojo took off the forehead mask he had been holding. He was breathing heavily as if he was upset about something.
“I… made it clear like that… Do you know that saying something like that right before going to war is incredibly cowardly?”
That’s right on the mark. So I listened silently to Ryojo’s continued harassment. His tone was sharp. But for some reason, a sad smile appeared on my lips.
“What did you do well to make me laugh! Don’t laugh, you idiot! If a great hero makes that kind of expression before going to war, I’ll be considered a bad girl!”
“Then should I bite it… … ?”
Ryojo glared at him with sharp eyes. The atmosphere seemed to be heating up, so he tried to make a joke, but it seems he ended up adding fuel to the fire. It’s not easy.
“You are bad.”
“know.”
“It’s really, really bad.”
“admit.”
“There is no man in the world as bad as you.”
“Depending on your perspective, you could see it that way.”
“In some ways, he’s worse than that human.”
“That’s a bit… … .”
“No, you’re worse. That person thought my life was terrible. You? You don’t think about the people around you and always throw yourself into danger. But you’re so damn fast that there’s no time to stop you. Are you going to be able to act like a man later on when you’re so fast?”
“What-”
Ryojo didn’t wait for an answer. She took a big step forward. Our faces came closer again. She grabbed my cheek as if pinching it.
“… This is the last time.”
She opened her quivering lips with difficulty.
“I’ll let you go just this once. But there won’t be a next time. Then I’ll be the one holding the bow and charging into battle instead of you. Just know that.”
I stared blankly at Ryojo, bewildered. She pressed for an answer.
“Okay, I didn’t know.”
He nodded while holding her cheek. Ryojo furrowed his brows, displeased with her strange reaction.
“I still haven’t come to my senses. I’ll stamp it and go while I’m here.”
“To the dojo… …!”
My pupils narrowed. Sky blue eyes filled my field of vision. Her lips and mine gently covered each other.
Squeak.
The chair tilted back as if it was going to fall over, but I managed to regain my balance. Ding ding ding, the bell rang three times in my head. My mind felt dizzy as if it would fly away at any moment.
“I already stamped it, so don’t say anything later.”
Ryojo gently pushed my cheek. Only when there was a gap of a span did I see her face at a glance. It looked like an active volcano about to erupt at any moment.
However, Ryojo pretended to be indifferent. There was something he wanted to say to Kang Geum-ma, who was leaving to find salvation.
“Don’t die.”
Ryojo said strongly.
“Cut it all down, like always.”
* * *
Apartment hallway.
Cynthia rested her elbows on the hallway railing and rested her chin on the back of her bent hand. In that position, she spent her time aimlessly watching the evening tide.
The sky was gloomy and overcast. Waves crashed hard against the sea off Busan in the distance. It was literally dark clouds.
“It’s winter, so it looks like it might rain. I hope it doesn’t snow.”
Cynthia muttered under her breath. While she was looking so indifferent, there was a squeak behind her. She turned around. Kanggeomma carefully opened the door and came out. Feeling embarrassed, he touched the back of his neck for no reason.
“I’m sorry you had to wait outside because of me.”
“What are you apologizing for? I’ve been feeling like I need to get some fresh air these past few days. That’s why I came out. Don’t worry about it.”
Cynthia drew a curve in her mouth and wiped Kanggeomma’s lips with her thumb. Her fingerprints were covered in red liquid. Kanggeomma was visibly embarrassed, and a playful expression spread across her face.
“How was the kimchi stew made by the lady? I heard that Mr. Kang is a good cook.”
“Oh, that’s it. Hmm.”
Kang Seo-bang. Now, he could not refute that title from the front. Perhaps that was why Kang Geom-ma respectfully folded his hands. It was time to demonstrate his excellent service spirit.
“It was just the right amount of sweetness, not spicy, and delicious. The kimchi was especially delicious.”
“It seems like Mr. Kang is good at eating spicy food. He said that a bunch of green chili peppers weren’t spicy. Oh, and the kimchi is from the supermarket.”
“ah…….”
Cynthia smiled strangely and shook his stiff shoulders.
“Thank you, Mr. Kang. For coming to see me. Before you came, that kid had a completely gravel-like expression. But when he saw your face, he suddenly bloomed. He never made that kind of expression to me.”
Cynthia sighed in relief. Kang Geum-ma didn’t know what to do. It was so much fun to tease a son-in-law. She wished that the boy would grow up quickly and become a family member. Then, she could tease him for a long time. The son-in-law’s clumsy behavior stimulated the mother-in-law’s sadism.
“You know what?”
Cynthia was knocked out by the swordsman.
“When I first saw you, Kang Seo-bang, you looked like a stone. Compared to then, your emotions have become much richer. Look at you now. You can see the longing flowing out of your eyes.”
Cynthia turned around. Her back was filled with loneliness and solitude.
“I don’t know if being swayed by emotions is a bad thing for a hero, but isn’t it a sign of growth as a human being?”
It was a question Cynthia asked herself. She thought back to the partner she had once loved passionately, now a stranger. After more than a dozen years, her memories of the palace were as dark and hazy as those dark clouds.
“… Not only you, but Kojima, that human, has changed too.”
Cynthia felt bitter in her mouth. What kind of wind is blowing that makes Jeolgung participate in the war? The world is truly at an end. At the same time, she was madly curious. Why, that person has changed. He was the one who didn’t even pay attention when she left. Her chest felt suffocated as if it was being suffocated.
‘Iron Heart, Alice Louise died in battle, and why did the gentleman who hated war so much end up like that?’
‘Why are you coming out instead of just being an old man in the back room like you usually do?’
‘Surely… he is in this war… … .’
Ominous thoughts were piling up. I wanted to ask Kanggeomma through his mouth. However, I couldn’t. I tried to say it indirectly, but even that was difficult. What kind of disgrace was that to a hero who shouldered the fate of humanity.
Todok, todok.
As if reflecting the mood, the dark clouds squeezed out water droplets. It was winter rain. The light rain that had begun to fall steadily soon became a powerful stream, pitter-patter, p …
Swish… … .
The old trees, preparing for hibernation, trembled faintly. The stumps clashed against each other, making an eerie sound. Whether their trembling was due to the unseasonable winter rain or an ominous sign of impending doom, only nature knows.
Damn it.
Kang Geum-ma stood next to Cynthia. He, like her, rested his elbows on the hallway railing. The indifferent sky poured cold winter rain on the two of them.
“There was an emergency meeting a while ago. Jeolgungdo was also present at the meeting, and I thought it was very unexpected, so I asked him separately after the meeting. I was also curious. Why did he decide to join the war?”
Kang Geum-ma swept his hair back. For some reason, his face, wet from the rain, felt refreshed.
“Jeolgung answered that he didn’t want to be remembered as a man who would be shameful to those around him. Actually, I don’t know what he meant by that. Since our relationship is so bad, he might have just been trying to gloss over it. But the important thing here is.”
Kang Geum-ma turned his head to the side.
“You said ‘people around you.’ Not just one person, but many. Your mother must be one of them.”
He smiled warmly, looking like a rain-soaked rat. Cynthia blinked. Raindrops glistened on her eyelashes like dew. Then, her dull face brightened.
“My daughter chose a good boy.”
Kang Geum-ma awkwardly raised one corner of his mouth at her words.
“Is it time to go now? Let’s go quickly. The last train to the terminal is almost gone… … . Okay?”
Cynthia trailed off. As she spoke, a strange sense of discomfort came over her.
“Kang Seo-bang, how did you get to Busan? Since it’s under wartime, buses and subspace warps should be out of operation. How are you going to get there?”
Kang Geum-ma hesitated to answer. He hesitated for a split second, wondering whether to tell the truth or not. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he exhaled. The shape of his breath was clear.
“What you see now, I will explain next time we meet.”
Before Cynthia could ask anything back, Kanggeomma snapped his fingers. Light exploded in Cynthia’s retinas. She reflexively crossed her arms and covered her eyes.
The last thing she saw was the afterimage of the sword breaking apart in an instant, followed by the sound of fierce thunder.
I opened my eyes with a start. My eyes were numb from being exposed to the strong light. Fortunately, my eyesight was slowly but surely returning.
Cynthia, who had regained her vision, relaxed her defensive posture. The next moment, her pupils contracted once and then relaxed awkwardly.
A dark, soot-covered hallway, with reddish melt marks here and there, and specks of light like finely ground sparks rolling across the floor and evaporating with a swish.
After the flash disappeared, only the above items remained, and the strong sword horse was no longer visible.
Gurrrrrr… … .
Cynthia steadied her staggering body. She immediately turned her gaze toward the sky. The rain had stopped as if it had never happened. The traces of the winter rain were dark blue ripples visible beyond the dark clouds.
