Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: I Don't Understand You Either
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***
“Glacia!”
My heart felt like it would burst, but I somehow managed to shout and stop Glacia as she was about to leave the park.
What would I do if Glacia wasn't in the park? As I ran, all sorts of thoughts flooded my mind, fearing I was too late.
"..."
Seeing Glacia slowly turn around, I felt a profound sense of relief.
And yet, as I tried to approach her, my body…
It refused to listen to me anymore. My legs felt not just heavy, but completely frozen.
"Hah... hah..."
My vision blurred as I stood still, gasping for breath. It was as if my body was warning me, protesting that it hadn't fully recovered yet.
The time Kalli had told me as soon as I woke up. The promise. I had rushed here without a moment to even collect myself.
It seemed my already pushed body had been strained once more.
*Thud.*
Still, I managed to take a single step forward.
I forced my body to move, trying to get closer to Glacia. Just then, she started walking toward me as well.
*Click.*
She was walking faster than I was. Was it because I was so exhausted? Her pace seemed incredibly fast right now.
*Thump.*
*Thump.*
As my heart continued to pound wildly and I gasped for breath, I thought about what I needed to say.
‘How should I apologize?’
What could I say to make her feel even a little better?
Even now, my heart felt ready to explode, and my body wouldn't move as I wanted.
But more importantly, I had to offer a proper apology to Glacia, who had been waiting for me. That was my first thought.
*Thud.*
*Click.*
As our footsteps brought us face to face, I immediately offered my apology.
“I’m so sorry... for being late.”
There was nothing else to say but to apologize, without any embellishments.
I was late, and that was that. My circumstances were just my own personal problems.
It was a mistake I had made by getting too absorbed in my dueling.
"......"
Glacia remained silent at my apology, looking just like her usual self.
Her translucent blue eyes gazed at me, her sealed lips not easily parting.
And that, for some reason, made me even more anxious.
‘She must be really angry.’
“Han Cheon-seong. Why are you... panting so heavily?”
*Thump.*
Glacia's voice, when she finally spoke, was unexpectedly calm.
Contrary to my expectation of her being angry or scolding me, she asked the question calmly.
“Ah, this... I was in a hurry, sorry... I must look a mess right now, right?”
I tried to fix my crooked clothes and messy hair, laughing awkwardly.
Honestly, I felt strained just opening my mouth to speak.
“I thought you had simply forgotten your promise to me.”
“Glacia. How could I ever forget a promise I made to you?”
“Then why were you late?”
Slightly surprised by her calm, emotionless question, I quickly began to explain.
“I mentioned I had a prior engagement with Instructor Kalli today. You remember that, right?”
“I remember.”
“And just as I said, I went with Instructor Kalli and was engrossed in training. But I think... I might have overdone it. I lost consciousness while training.”
I told her only the truth, without adding a single lie.
“...”
Glacia met my gaze with her transparent eyes... and showed no signs of anger, which was strange.
Seeing her like that, the thought of adding any lies didn't even cross my mind.
If I tried to sugarcoat the situation with a lie now, I felt like I would be betraying that clear gaze fixed on me.
“You lost consciousness...?”
“Yeah. I pushed myself too hard in training... and by the time I woke up, it was already well past six o'clock. It might sound like an excuse to you, but it’s the absolute truth. I’m truly sorry for being so late to our meeting.”
My words were choppy, interrupted by ragged breaths.
...My face was probably flushed and I looked a mess, but I didn't even have the presence of mind to fix my appearance.
"......"
Glacia listened to my explanation without a word.
She just stared at me blankly.
Her transparent gaze made it impossible to read her thoughts.
I felt that saying anything more would just make me look pathetic, so I waited for Glacia to speak. Soon, she gave a slight nod.
“First, Han Cheon-seong. Let’s sit down.”
“Huh...?”
“You look like you need to rest. Let’s just sit.”
*Click.*
After replying in a calm voice, Glacia started walking. I dazedly followed beside her.
*Thud.*
As I matched her pace, I felt like this whole situation was continually defying my expectations.
I should have been glad that Glacia wasn't angry and was treating me so calmly... but I couldn't be sure if I could truly relax.
*Tremble.*
My legs were shaking as I walked.
Was it because the tension had momentarily eased, or because my body had reached its limit? I still felt exhausted.
*Rustle.*
As Glacia sat on a bench, a small sigh escaped my lips as I sat down beside her.
My heart, which had been pounding like crazy, had finally started to calm down a little.
But the aftermath was no joke.
"..."
Even now, the trees in the park looked somewhat blurry.
“First of all, Han Cheon-seong. I understand what you’re saying.”
“Really? You’re not mad that I was late?”
I asked cautiously, and Glacia nodded serenely.
“I was angry, but I’m fine now. I can understand why you were late after hearing your explanation. And looking at you now, it doesn’t seem like you’re lying.”
“Of course not. Why would I lie about something like this?”
It felt like a weight had finally been lifted off my chest.
I was relieved that Glacia had spoken so calmly.
She wasn't hiding her feelings or saying she wasn't angry, but rather that she had been, but could now understand.
That she was fine now...
Glacia's unique way of speaking felt incredibly comforting at this moment.
‘So much better than people who beat around the bush.’
The exhaustion one often feels when dealing with women was, in a slightly different sense, completely absent with Glacia.
Her sheer purity could be startling at times, but that purity itself made her the kind of person you desperately wanted to befriend.
There was no pretense or concealment in how she treated people. And in dealing with someone like that, I had nothing to hide either.
I just had to be sincere in return.
“Thank you for being so understanding. Honestly... I thought you’d be really furious.”
I leaned back on the bench, my words now flowing more naturally.
“Han Cheon-seong.”
“Yeah.”
“In return, you have to hang out with me one more day this week.”
“...Huh?”
“You were late today. If I just let this go, then I’m the only one who loses out for waiting for you. I can’t let it slide like that.”
As Glacia stared at me intently, I nodded awkwardly.
Her words were reasonable. Moreover, I felt it would be better for my own peace of mind to pay a price like this rather than just letting my tardiness slide.
“Okay. I understand. We’ll meet one extra day this week.”
At my words, Glacia’s lips curled into a faint, satisfied smile, and I found myself smiling along with her.
When I thought about it, it was a truly strange 'price'.
The idea that simply meeting me could be a form of payment for Glacia was still hard to believe.
‘She said she wanted to understand me...’
But why did Glacia need to understand me? The question popped into my head.
“Glacia. Can I ask you something?”
“You can.”
She replied nonchalantly, so I carefully posed my question.
“Why... do you want to understand me?”
I could have just let it go without asking, feigning ignorance and maintaining our current relationship.
After all, the longer she failed to understand me, the more time I could spend with her.
But.
Seeing Glacia accept my mistake so graciously today, I felt that I couldn't just think like that.
“...The reason I want to understand you?”
“Yes. The reason you spend time with me is because you want to understand me. Last time, you said you couldn't comprehend the reason for my self-esteem, the basis of my confidence. But I feel like that’s not... the only reason.”
As I spoke, I had a vague feeling.
The reason for my self-esteem and confidence—there was no telling when Glacia might figure that out. And when she did, if our relationship were to simply end, I felt that I wouldn't like that.
I had already met with Glacia for several days and we had developed a relationship where we could talk quite naturally.
I felt that the bond between us...
Wasn't something that could end so easily.
“Han Cheon-seong, how did you... know?”
“Know what?”
“...That there’s more to why I don’t understand you than just that.”
When Glacia suddenly spoke in a daze, I felt my own mind go blank for a moment.
‘There was actually another reason?’
I had asked on a whim, just a guess. The fact that Glacia confirmed there was another reason surprised me more than anything.
“It wasn't that I knew, I just thought that might be the case. The way you try to spend time with me didn't feel ordinary.”
As I spoke, I became truly curious.
For what reason did Glacia say she couldn't understand me?
As our eyes met, Glacia suddenly raised her hand.
“...”
What was she about to do? As I watched her hand, it slowly approached me.
*Sshh.*
When her hand touched my cheek, I flinched but feigned composure and met her gaze.
‘What is she thinking, doing this?’
Glacia's actions were often hard to comprehend. As I quietly accepted her touch, she spoke.
“Actually, I still feel that way now.”
“...Still?”
“Yes. Even now, as I look at you like this, I don’t understand you in the slightest."
Glacia’s soft voice accompanied her direct gaze.
I paused, then found myself speaking without thinking.
"You know, Glacia."
"Yes."
"I... don't understand you either."
If anything, I felt I was the one who couldn't understand Glacia.
How she could say and do such things so casually, how she could be so natural about it all.
"Han Cheon-seong. Then isn't that even better?"
"What is...?"
"It just means you have a reason to spend time with me from now on, too."
Seeing her gentle smile... I was at a loss for words.