Chapter 92
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 92 - How to Enjoy Vacation (8)
***
I laughed for no reason when I saw Scammer’s wide-open eyes.
“Being reborn with memories of a past life is harder than one thought.”
“You…”
“Shh. Just listen.”
I put my index finger on Scammer’s lips and covered his mouth.
He then closed his mouth with a red face.
“Then those thoughts kept going on. Wouldn’t it have been better if I hadn’t been born? Maybe I was born and did something that would have caused someone to get seriously hurt or die?“
“That…”
“A useless thought? I know. But I can’t say it’s impossible. The fact that I was born with memories in the first place means that I’m an irregular in this world.”
Scammer seemed lost in thought at my words.
Yes. ‘Irregular.’ You must have something to say about that word.
Kang Nahyun is an unexpected, talented extra who suddenly appeared. I looked at the starry sky and the pitch-black sea with crashing waves.
I didn’t know what kind of feelings he would show me when I said what I was going to say.
“Yeah. So let’s say I hurt someone. But what, so what?”
“…”
“I was born against my will, and I just lived. Even if someone didn’t want me, I was born, had a family, and wanted to live.”
I thought about why I was trying to comfort this guy by bringing up the fact that I was reincarnated, and I came to one truth.
“Don’t you feel the same way? You didn’t come here against your will. You were just born. And you lived.”
“…I…”
I realized that I no longer hated this useless, weak guy.
“I took this body. And I deceived Na Yuri.”
“…So, do you want to quit now? Do you feel guilty?”
“That is,”
“You, you know that it was wrong for you to possess and deceive, yet you still want to live as a free spirit, so you feel guilty, right?”
I looked at Scammer’s face, which was filled with various emotions.
At my words, he clenched his fists and lowered his head, mumbling.
“Yeah. That’s right. I like this life. So, even though I know it won’t work, I…!”
“Why won’t it work?”
A warm wind blew past us.
I could see his jet-black hair, which resembled the night, fluttering.
He looked at me as if surprised at my words.
“That, that…”
“Because that’s right? Because it’s right to return a body to its owner?”
“Yeah.”
“That might be right. Alright. That might be right, I don’t know. Someone might resent you and curse you.”
His face distorted as if in pain at my words.
While closing his eyes as if it was natural.
I lightly grabbed his cheeks.
He opened his eyes at the sudden contact. His ruby eyes, resembling blazing flames, met mine.
“But at least I don’t. And neither does the Na Yuri you mentioned.”
“…”
“Well, I understand that you don’t agree with my words about not feeling guilty. So, I’ll tell you this instead.”
I saw those ruby eyes shaking so delicately that they looked like they might shatter at any moment.
In his shaking eyes, I saw myself smiling brightly under the shining night sky.
“Congratulations on being born into this world, Na Yuhan.”
I smiled at Na Yuhan like that.
Really brightly, whispering blessings to him.
“I’m so glad you’re here.”
I felt him take a deep breath.
This was my true feeling.
I liked the ‘Na Yuhan’ in front of me more than the real Na Yuhan that I don’t know.
Because of this Na Yuhan, I could dream of a better future.
So…
“Please live in this world.”
I hugged Na Yuhan tightly. Na Yuhan, who had been dazed for a moment, moved his hands and slowly, very slowly, moved his hands to wrap around my back.
I felt him bury his head in the nape of my neck.
“I, I… Is it okay for someone like me to hear that?”
“Of course. Congratulations on being born. Na Yuhan.”
One drop, two drops. I felt his tears falling.
At first, he tried to hold back his tears, yet once he started to cry, he hugged me as if a dam had burst and started sobbing.
I patted him and told him to be at ease.
Don’t worry. Even if that real Na Yuhan asks you to give up your body, I’m on your side.
“I’ll always be on your side.”
“Mm…!”
Why are you crying like this?
…So worryingly.
I patted Na Yuhan, who had been crying like that for a long time, and had to admit that he had come within my reach. It was a humid, dark, starry night, with the sound of waves crashing and crashing.
***
The next morning.
We gathered in the hotel lobby, having decided to play in the ocean again today because we didn’t have much fun yesterday.
We treated our wounds and other injuries with potions, so there were no major problems.
It was a bit funny that we were using potions to play our best, but whatever.
And today, there was one person who was getting attention,
“What~ Junior, you’ve really become a crucian carp!”
“…What’s wrong?”
It was Na Yuhan, whose eyes were swollen just like Choi Soojung and Lee Hana had said.
Judging from his disheveled hair, it seemed like he hadn’t come to his senses yet and had just gotten dressed.
“It’s just…”
Na Yuhan laughed awkwardly and trailed off.
Lee Hana silently made some ice, put it in a plastic bag, and handed it to him. He nodded silently and held it up to his eyes.
“More than that, are we going to the courage test tonight?”
Shin Baran, who had been glancing at Na Yuhan’s eyes, jumped at those words. I could tell in a glance that she was terrified.
“D-Do we really have to go?”
“Yeah…! I’m looking forward to it!”
Min Jaeyoon, who was next to Shin Baran, answered quickly. It was a voice full of anticipation that anyone could hear, full of excitement.
Shin Baran, who couldn’t say anything to Min Jaeyoon, opened her mouth and then, as if she had remembered something, she made an excuse in a proud manner.
“We shouldn’t go to places like the psychic spot because they’re private property! So…!”
“Oh, I bought the place we’re going to. You don’t have to worry!”
And then she sank when she learned of Na Yuri’s cheerful spending scale.
Shin Baran’s betrayed gaze at Na Yuri was a bit funny.
“Nothing will happen. Don’t worry so much.”
“Ugh… I told you safety first…!”
Not because you’re scared?
Gosh, really. I smiled and patted her.
Na Yuri, who had been watching Shin Baran like that with jealous eyes, came up behind me and said, hanging on to me.
“Miss Nahyun, let’s go! Today is scuba diving!”
“Alright.”
I smiled faintly and dragged the kids to the sea.
The day was hot, but the sky was clear and the sea was cool. We dived deep into the sea and enjoyed the blue waves and beautiful scenery.
…Meanwhile, Na Yuhan was hanging on the tube and bouncing around.
Na Yuhan’s swollen eyes slowly got better, and Choi Soojung made a huge wave and played with him to her heart’s content.
I made a suggestion to Na Yuhan, who had returned under the parasol exhausted.
“Yuhan, do you want to learn how to swim?”
He suddenly turned his head to me as he was sprawled out in the shade, drinking ice water.
“Swimming?”
“Yeah. Just in case something like yesterday happens again, I thought it would be a good idea to learn it this time. I’ll help you!”
“Hmm…”
Na Yuhan seemed to hesitate for a moment at my words, yet soon nodded.
“I’d like to.”
That’s how Na Yuhan and I began our swimming lesson.
I gave him the swim board I bought at a nearby store, and took his hand, leading him into the water at a moderate depth.
Maybe it was because of the heat, but Na Yuhan’s hand was quite hot.
“Let’s try using the board to float and move around in the water first!”
“…I know how to do that much.”
“Really?”
“I learned a little bit about swimming. I quit learning it, though.”
Na Yuhan grumbled as he grabbed the swim board and lifted his feet out of the water.
His body was floating steadily on the water with the board. He moved slightly, kicking the surface with his feet as if to prove that he could do it.
Oh, so he can move?
I gave him a plus point for the fact that he wasn’t completely paralyzed.
“How is it?”
“Amazing! You’ll learn to swim in no time!”
I bought the swim board for nothing. It was a waste of money.
But it wasn’t too bad.
Of course, I couldn’t say what I thought, so I just smiled brightly and praised Na Yuhan.
A proud smile appeared on his face after hearing the compliment.
“You know how to move on the water! Then let’s take off the board and practice how to float on the water!”
I smiled kindly and asked him what kind of swimming he wanted to learn. He hesitated for a moment and answered freestyle.
“Then lie down slightly and lift your feet!”
“…I’m nervous.”
“It’s okay. Just relax your body and let your whole body go into the water. Then you can float.”
“Um…”
Na Yuhan stared at the surface of the water like a cat with its feet touching the water, then carefully leaned against the surface and lifted his feet off the floor.
And then he sank.
It seemed like he had put too much strength into his body.
“Mmmp, mmmp!”
“A-Are you okay, Yuhan?”
I lifted him up then examined him.
When my hand touched his bare skin as I lifted him up, he flinched as if he was surprised.
“…That,”
“Why?”
“I’m okay. So, your hand…”
“Ah, mm!”
When I saw that he didn’t seem hurt, I quickly removed my hand and examined him. Fortunately, he seemed fine, except for the fact that he gulped down some water.
Well, that’s right. It’s hard for everyone at first. I guess it’ll get easier as time goes by.
That’s what I thought.
“Cough!”
However, even after a long time, he still had no clue.
I’ll say it again, Na Yuhan was really out of shape.
I swallowed the sigh that was about to burst out and tried to smile affectionately and worriedly.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
But this guy, for some reason, keeps avoiding my hand. Why is he doing this?
I was secretly worried that he kept doing that, but more than that, I thought it was time to reorganize the curriculum, so I focused my attention on Na Yuhan again.
“Yuhan, I don’t think this is going to work.”
“…Right. I didn’t know I would be out of shape like this either.”
“So first, let’s get used to the feeling of floating in water!”
Na Yuhan made a puzzled expression at my words.
How? His expression seemed to say that.
I smiled confidently at his face like that.
There’s a way!
***
“…Wait, I really don’t think this is it. Wouldn’t it be better if we found another way? Like the swim board I used earlier.”
“Why? Using the swim board and actually floating like this are different. And this is easier for me to watch!”
“That, umm…”
I was dumbfounded.
I was just supporting his upper body with my hands to show him how to feel floating in water. And he’s making a fuss about that.
Anyway, you single bastard.
“Don’t be so nervous.”
I lightly patted Nayuhan’s stomach, who was strangely nervous.
Thanks to the hellish training with Yggdrasil, his muscles were somewhat toned. However, I could clearly feel that his muscles were overly tense.
That’s why he can’t float.
I lightly patted his stomach with one hand and said.
“You need to relax your body.”
“Ugh…”
Yet for some reason, he clenched his teeth instead. Why is he like this? Is he hurt anywhere?
“…Yuhan?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
He barely managed to speak to me, his face red as if it was going to burst, despite it being nothing.
“Nahyun, I, I don’t feel well right now… Can we stop for today?”
I nodded absentmindedly at his slightly tearful face. Then, he quickly pushed my hand away and stepped onto the ground under the water.
He rubbed his eyes and spoke softly.
“…Thanks.”
“You’re that unwell? Shouldn’t you go and rest?”
Although Na Yuhan is an awakener, he’s an F-class, so his physical strength is about that of an average adult male. He might have stayed in the water too long compared to his physical strength.
I looked at him worriedly, wondering if I had made a mistake.
However, for some reason, when I told him to go and rest, he shook his head violently and showed his refusal.
“No, I’m okay! I’m really okay!”
Judging from what he’s doing now, he doesn’t look okay.
Na Yuhan awkwardly avoided my eyes when he saw my suspicious gaze disguised as concern, and pointed to Lee Hana, who was making a gorgeous ice sculpture with seawater.
“I want to keep seeing that.”
“Should we go and see it?”
“Here! I want to see it here!”
“A-Alright.”
In the end, I gave in to his incomprehensible stubbornness and stood next to him to watch Lee Hana’s gorgeous architectural show underwater.
When our eyes met, Lee Hana waved lightly, so I waved back and greeted her.
The way she smiled faintly was really beautiful.
“Isn’t Senior Hana cool?”
“The East Sea and… Baekdu Mountain… Huh? Huh. Right.”
His mind was absent-minded, so his answer was delayed. And for some reason, he kept mumbling the national anthem with his head above the water.
Did he finally lose his temper?
Anyway, that’s how our noon schedule went. As the sun rose high and slowly moved west, we all built a large sand castle together.
Among the many summer vacation items that Shin Baran and Na Yuri had bought, there was a sand castle making kit, which was a big help.
After completing the sand castle and the sun was about to set beyond the horizon, some of the kids left to prepare dinner.
The remaining few were admiring the sand castle we had completed before preparing dinner.
“Amazing…!”
“It’s a shame that it’s a sand castle… It disappears quickly.”
“That’s true.”
I spoke to Min Jaeyoon, who was impressed, and Na Yuri and Shin Baran, who were disappointed.
“How about taking a picture?”
As soon as I said that, the eyes of those three started to sparkle.
“Cough, I didn’t think of that…! Let’s do it right now!”
“How about a group photo as a souvenir?”
“That would be great!”
Shin Baran seemed very upset that we hadn’t taken any pictures until now.
“Come to think of it, I bought a polaroid camera!”
She said that and immediately ran out to search through the pile of vacation supplies, and Na Yuri went to gather the people. Min Jaeyoon started running around looking for a good angle to take a picture.
“Nyahaha, a picture… This is the first time I’ve taken a picture on my own will~”
Choi Soojung, who was dragged by Na Yuri, made a strange expression as soon as she heard the offer to take a picture, but soon smiled brightly and grabbed Lee Hana’s arm and led her.
Lee Hana also muttered to herself as she was dragged by Choi Soojung.
“This is fun.”
Next, Na Yuhan arrived. I pushed Na Yuhan’s back, who was standing awkwardly.
“Yuhan, hurry!”
“…Okay.”
Park Siwoo, who arrived last, made a blank expression when he was asked to take a picture with us, but soon smiled softly and nodded.
“But who’s going to take the picture?”
“There’s a function that automatically takes pictures after a while!”
So everyone gathered together and took pictures in front of the high sand castle.
Everyone was happy.
I had fun too. As soon as the shooting was over, Min Jaeyoon ran towards the camera.
“There are… many pictures…!”
“Nyahaha, it’s just the right number of people!”
“Somehow it kept clicking, so I guess it was continuous shooting.”
“Yeah. I set it up wrong… but I think this format is good too.”
Everyone nodded at Lee Hana’s words.
That’s how we each got one picture, similar but different.
The kids who treasured the pictures walked off to eat dinner.
“What’s for dinner?”
“Grilled fish~”
“Yeah. Grilled fish.”
“It looks delicious!”
I was in the middle of the group, and suddenly stopped walking and touched the corners of my lips.
Before I knew it, I wasn’t acting happy. I was just genuinely happy.
I could hear everyone’s voices chattering loudly.
It was noisy.
Yet it didn’t sound like noise.
Just like when I was with the orphanage children and teachers.
I suddenly took out the picture I had just taken and stared at it blankly. And as I looked at our photo, wrapped in warm colors, reflected in the glow of the sunset far beyond the horizon, I realized something.
I finally faced the truth that I had been pretending not to know and denying.
“Miss Nahyun?”
“Nahyun?”
A warm wind blew.
The wind blew my hair like my fluttering heart and disappeared.
I smiled brightly and ran toward everyone.
“Sorry, I have something to think about!”
What should I do?
I like these people.
So I want everyone to be happy and not get hurt.
It was a belated realization from one summer.
Na Yuhan
First Year
“…I don’t hate him, now.”
Na Yuri
First Year
“Precious friend.
…Also, my bestest friend.”
Park Siwoo
First Year
“Since he made me dream of the future, he’s going to take responsibility, right?”
Choi Soojung
First Year
“The one who makes me delusional sometimes, ‘if I had a sister, would it feel like this?’”
Lee Hana
First Year
“A senior whom I respect.
I think I want to live a straight life just like this person.”
Shin Baran
First Year
“Isn’t she cute?
Grow up well.”