Chapter 423: Race Doesn't Matter in Love!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 423: Race Doesn't Matter in Love!
"L...ove?"
Yorang asked back, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Ok-ryeong. It was as if she were checking to make sure she hadn't misheard.
"That’s right. Love."
Seeing her reaction, Ok-ryeong nodded and continued.
"Just thinking about Sun-woo makes you happy, makes your heart flutter, and even makes you feel sad—all these complex emotions welling up inside you, right? What else could you call those feelings if not love?"
Ok-ryeong looked at Yorang with a gaze full of conviction.
"..............."
Yorang fell into deep thought at those words. She seemed lost in contemplation.
"Could it be that I'm just scared? When I used to think of the Yin-Yang Demon, my chest felt tight and sad, and my whole body would shake."
"This is different from how you felt about the Yin-Yang Demon. You aren't afraid that Sun-woo is going to hit you, are you?"
"...Then... do I... love Sun-woo?"
"Yes, that's right. You love him, Yorang. From the bottom of your heart."
"Really?"
"Really."
"For real?"
"For real."
"But... I'm not human."
"Love is a great thing," Ok-ryeong said with a slight smile. "It can transcend age, race, and even nationality."
"Then what about gender?" Yorang asked, curious.
"No, it doesn't transcend gender. Liking the same sex is nothing but a mental illness."
Ok-ryeong’s expression momentarily turned stern as she spoke.
"Anyway, the fact that you aren't human is no reason why you can't love."
"Ooh... I see... So race... can be transcended."
"Yes... so you can rest easy."
Yorang asked again as if she still couldn't believe it, and Ok-ryeong answered her questions sincerely.
"Heh..."
Soon, a hollow laugh escaped Yorang’s lips. She had never imagined she would fall into an emotion like love.
"Wow.... Then... what... what should I do now?"
Yorang looked at Ok-ryeong with a bewildered expression.
"You can do whatever you want to do."
"What I... want to do...?"
"You can keep living just as you are now, or you can confess the feelings you've been harboring to Sun-woo."
"..............."
"Your feelings belong to you alone, Yorang. Just do as your heart tells you."
".........As my heart tells me..."
Yorang’s expression turned solemn at those words. She began to think deeply about what she should do.
After some time had passed, a smile finally spread across Yorang’s lips.
"Thanks, Ok-ryeong!"
She expressed her gratitude while looking at Ok-ryeong.
"I've figured it out! I know what my heart wants to do right now!"
Yorang continued with a vibrant face.
"That’s good to hear."
Ok-ryeong responded with a bright smile. Seeing that Yorang had found her direction made her feel naturally happy.
"I'm going to go to Sun-woo!"
Yorang quickly pulled herself out of the Great Matriarch’s soft embrace. She immediately turned around and began to run toward the door.
"I'll be back later!"
After saying her goodbye, Yorang hurried away. In an instant, she completely vanished from sight.
Soon, only the Great Matriarch and Ok-ryeong remained in the room.
"Um... Sister."
The Great Matriarch, Un Ga-ryeo, looked at Ok-ryeong and spoke.
"What is it?"
"Don't you think it's a bit premature to judge that Yorang is feeling love?"
"Why do you think so?" Ok-ryeong asked with a questioning look.
"In my eyes, the feelings Yorang has for my Lord are more like a young hatchling following its parent. It doesn't seem like romantic yearning."
"Is that how it looks to you?"
Ok-ryeong spoke with a faint smile.
"Yes. Yorang is... still young... so I think she's just confusing admiration and affection."
"Pfft, hahaha."
Hearing the Great Matriarch’s words, Ok-ryeong let out a soft laugh. The way Ga-ryeo rambled on seemed quite cute to her.
"Ga-ryeo. Yorang is a Human-Faced Spider who has lived for hundreds of years. How could she be young?"
"But... it's only been about a year since she took human form..." the Great Matriarch argued defensively.
Pat, pat.
"Oh... my dear Ga-ryeo..."
Ok-ryeong began to slowly stroke the Great Matriarch’s cheek.
"You still think of Yorang as a child."
There was a hint of pity in her eyes.
"I-I mean!"
"You already know, don't you? Just how intellectually superior a being Yorang is."
Ok-ryeong looked straight into the Great Matriarch’s eyes. Yorang was an extraordinary being—so much so that she couldn't even be compared to a mere human.
Though it had only been about a year since she took human form, she had already acquired reasoning skills and knowledge that far surpassed most humans. Ok-ryeong felt pity seeing the Great Matriarch try so hard to treat her like a child. It felt like she knew the truth but simply couldn't let go.
".....But."
"Yorang didn't come to us because she didn't understand her own feelings," Ok-ryeong continued in a calm tone. "She just needed someone to give her a little push."
".....That... can't be..."
The Great Matriarch spoke with a look of disbelief. To her, Yorang was always a bright, pure child. A child who occasionally threw tantrums but was fundamentally good to the core.
"You know it's true."
Ok-ryeong slowly pulled the Great Matriarch into a hug.
Squeeze.
"She can't stay your child forever."
"........."
"So let's just watch over her. Rather than keeping her in your arms for a lifetime, watching her grow is also a virtue of a parent."
Ok-ryeong spoke calmly, and the Great Matriarch silently buried herself in her embrace.
Pat, pat.
Ok-ryeong slowly stroked the back of the Great Matriarch’s head, helping this fragile child settle her heart.
*
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Having resolved to act as her heart desired, Yorang began to search all over the place. And she did so at an incredible speed. It was all to find Sun-woo.
She had gone to his office, but he was nowhere to be found.
Where is he!
Yorang frowned deeply. This feeling—this overwhelming emotion—she had to convey it. But the person who was supposed to receive it was nowhere to be seen.
She had searched the office and every single pavilion thoroughly. Yet, Sun-woo was nowhere to be found, and Yorang was growing anxious.
She sharpened her sense of smell even further. She widened her field of vision. She increased her speed even more, driven by the single-minded goal of finding Sun-woo.
.
.
.
.
.
After some time, the scent of Sun-woo began to drift into Yorang’s nose. She quickly changed direction and began moving toward the source of the scent.
Boom!
A thunderous sound echoed every time her feet hit the ground.
Crunch!
The earth was crushed beneath her steps. But she didn't care. She was simply going to find Sun-woo.
Soon, Yorang reached a small pond in the back. Before long, Sun-woo came into view, sitting there fishing.
"Sun-woo!"
Upon spotting him, Yorang called out his name loudly and dashed forward at full speed.
"Huh?"
Glom!
She lunged at him and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Whoa!"
Startled by her sudden hug, Sun-woo let out a shocked shout.
"Where have you been and what were you doing!"
Wrapped in Sun-woo’s arms, Yorang snapped at him as if she were frustrated.
"Can't you see? I was fishing."
Sun-woo retorted, lifting his fishing rod.
"If you're going somewhere, you should tell me!"
"Are you my wife? Why would I tell you?"
"I'm more precious than a wife!"
"What kind of bullshit is that?"
Sun-woo looked at Yorang’s bright face as he spoke. He thought she must have eaten something wrong to be talking such nonsense. There was no way such a thing as someone more precious than a wife existed.
Nuzzle, nuzzle, nuzzle.
"Sun-woo, Sun-woo, Sun-woo, Sun-woo, Sun-woo!"
Yorang continued, nuzzling her face fervently against Sun-woo’s chest.
"I'm not deaf. Just call me once."
"I've realized something!"
Yorang looked up at Sun-woo with a cute face.
"What? That you've lost your mind?" Sun-woo asked back, puzzled. What on earth had she suddenly realized?
"Not that! I realized how I feel about you!"
"How you feel about me?"
Sun-woo looked confused. He thought it was obvious how she felt about him. She either saw him as a master who never kept his promises and was always away, or as the enemy who killed her former husband. It was one of the two. What was there to realize now?
"Sun-woo, I love you!"
"...........Huh?"
"I said I love you! So, so, so much!"
"............."
Sun-woo’s expression turned to one of utter bewilderment. It was a completely unexpected answer. Love, all of a sudden? What was she talking about?
L...ove? Me? Yorang?
For a moment, he was so shocked his brain ground to a halt.
"Stop messing around, you crazy girl!"
Sun-woo spat out the words bluntly, looking down at Yorang in his arms. He was certain she was just playing a prank.
"I'm not messing around!"
Yorang flared up and raised her voice at his words.
"If you're not messing around, then what is this! I told you, we're different races! You're a Human-Faced Spider and I'm a human! So what's all this talk about love? Besides, I killed your husband!"
Sun-woo raised his voice and shouted, getting angry. From a common-sense perspective, this made no sense.
"Race doesn't matter in love!" Yorang screamed back.
"What crazy bitch told you that!"
Sun-woo frowned deeply, feeling annoyed.
"Ok-ryeong told me!" Yorang shouted confidently.
"............."
Sun-woo fell silent. He never imagined Ok-ryeong would have said such a thing.
"Wait... wait a minute. So you told Ok-ryeong that you love me?"
"She's the one who gave me advice in the first place! For the record, Ga-ryeo was there too."
"What the hell did you say to them! You little troublemaker!"
Sun-woo shouted. Just what kind of things had she been going around saying?
"Why! I didn't do anything wrong!" Yorang cried out, feeling wronged.
"How did you not do anything wrong! You're going around spreading false rumors!"
"False rumors? I'm serious!"
"How can a spiritual being like a human? It doesn't make any sense!"
"Do you think a spiritual being undergoing metamorphosis into a human makes sense?" Yorang retorted as if he were being ridiculous.
"................"
Sun-woo shut his mouth. She had a very good point. This was a world where spiritual beings could transform into humans. In such a place, maybe it wasn't so strange for a spiritual being to love a human.
Wait, what?
"I'm serious!"
Yorang looked at Sun-woo with eyes full of determined resolve.
"..............."
Meeting her gaze, Sun-woo fell silent. He realized that she was indeed being sincere.
What the hell is this.
Sun-woo was flustered by Yorang’s full-force confession. He slowly lowered his gaze. There, he saw the face of a woman so beautiful it wouldn't be strange to call her a nation-toppling beauty.
Fair skin, long eyelashes, cute eyes that slanted slightly upward, and delicate features. A peerless beauty who possessed both cuteness and elegance.
It was Yorang.
She likes me? For real?
Sun-woo felt a wave of bewilderment.
"Sun-woo... do you hate me?"
When Sun-woo didn't say anything, Yorang asked him back in a weak voice.
"........Well..... it's not that I hate you.."
Sun-woo trailed off. He didn't hate her. Objectively speaking, Yorang was a woman of incredible beauty. How could he hate such a woman when she was confessing to him?
The problem was her race. How could a spiritual being and a human fall in love?
"Then what's the problem?"
Yorang slowly lifted her head. Her clear, sparkling eyes met Sun-woo’s gaze.
Thump.
In that moment.
Thump.
Sun-woo’s heart...
Thump.
...began to beat rapidly. Meeting those deep, deep eyes made his heart race uncontrollably.
What's wrong with me?
Sun-woo felt a sense of panic. It was a feeling he had never experienced before. His heart was fluttering for Yorang? Wasn't she someone he had thought of as little more than a pet until now?
So how could his heart be racing like this? It was impossible.
Sun-woo had certainly never harbored any impure feelings toward Yorang. Instinctively, the "brake" of them being different races had always been engaged.
But it seemed that Yorang’s confession had completely shattered that instinctive brake. Completely and utterly.
Sun-woo looked at Yorang, feeling his heart pounding incessantly. And suddenly, Yorang began to look beautiful to him. So much so that he hated himself for it.
Calm down, damn it!
Sun-woo began to blame his heart internally, telling it to please just calm down.