Rest (4)
“I’m back.”
After waiting for a short while, Han Yeoreum approached me, having finished her checkup right after mine.
“What did they say?”
“Nothing major. They said if I keep relieving it like this, it’ll be fine… What about you?”
Han Yeoreum twirled a finger near her temple as she spoke. It seemed like she hadn’t run into any serious issues like I had.
“They just told me to take good care of my body.”
For the time being, my physical condition would remain a secret from her. There was no point in burdening her with a problem that couldn’t be solved right away.
“That’s a relief.”
She flashed a bright smile and sat down beside me.
“You’ve both worked hard. You’re free to spend the rest of your time as you like. I need to head over to the gods, so I’ll take my leave here.”
Professor Cheongha turned and disappeared from view.
“Anywhere you want to go? Want to hit the beach? I heard some of the others went swimming.”
“I’m kind of done with the ocean. I don’t want to deal with heat anymore.”
Han Yeoreum pouted, her lips pushed out in a sulky curve. Makes sense. After being stuck on a deserted island surrounded by nothing but sea, she was probably sick of it. Even the beautiful waters of Okinawa no longer stirred any real emotion in us. The untouched equatorial island we’d visited had been far more overwhelming in its raw beauty. Even though we’d only been back a short while, the sight of the sunset sinking into the waves kept flashing through my mind.
Sitting around awkwardly in the hospital wasn’t exactly appealing, so we moved to the café inside the building.
“Look at this.”
Han Yeoreum lifted her iced Americano cup toward me. On it were the words “Thank you, heroes. Best of luck.” written in Korean, accompanied by a cute little hand-drawn picture.
“Did we make it too obvious that we’re academy cadets?”
We were technically required to wear our uniforms during external activities, so that’s what we had on. It looked like one of the staff members had recognized us as students from the academy.
“Still, it feels nice, doesn’t it? Isn’t that why they make us wear the uniforms in the first place? So we can feel the heavy sense of responsibility and that sweet rush of pride from people’s reactions.”
“Pride? We’re all the way in Japan, for crying out loud.”
“You really have no sense of romance.”
“Does romance put food on the table?”
“Hey, you know what?”
Han Yeoreum stared straight at my face. Her eyes held a strangely subtle gleam.
“What?”
“Your words and your actions are completely at odds with each other.”
“Me?”
“You act all realistic and calculating, but the moment something happens, you throw yourself into other people’s business even if it means risking your life.”
“I calculated it pretty thoroughly, I’ll have you know.”
Letting out a deep sigh, Han Yeoreum took a long sip of her iced Americano.
“Did that calculation of yours ever include your own life?”
“....”
The sudden, pinpoint question left me speechless for a moment. Han Yeoreum narrowed her eyes and lightly bit her lip.
“See? You’re completely unaware. The moment you put your own life on the scale, which way do you think it’s going to tip? The instant you throw your life away, the whole concept of calculation falls apart.”
“It’s not like I actually risked my life.”
“Liar.”
“…Alright, maybe a little.”
I corrected myself. Saying I hadn’t risked it at all would’ve been a lie. I’d simply tried to ignore it.
“I don’t want you becoming some kind of hero of justice.”
“I have no intention of becoming anything that grandiose, so don’t worry.”
To me, righteousness had only ever been a tool to become stronger. It had never been the goal itself. Naturally, I had never actively pursued becoming some heroic figure.
Han Yeoreum chewed on her straw for a moment before letting out another heavy sigh.
“…Fine. I guess I overstepped.”
“But seriously, when did you get so smart? Did you get acupuncture on your Baihui point or something?”
“Shut up.”
Han Yeoreum stuck her lips out in a pout. I reached over and roughly tousled her hair.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’m the one who killed the mood.”
“Let’s find somewhere to go. It feels like a waste to just sit around in a café.”
“Yeah.”
The two of us naturally began scrolling through our phones as if the heavy conversation had never happened, searching for a place to visit. Okinawa in this world wasn’t all that different from the one I remembered.
“Most of the attractions are by the seaside.”
“Well, it is a resort area.”
“Oh, I want to go here.”
Han Yeoreum showed me her phone screen. It was the Churaumi Aquarium—one of the largest in Japan, once considered among the best in the world.
The aquarium was packed with people from the moment we arrived at the entrance. Maybe because it was in a safe zone, it was hard to believe this world had ever suffered from gate incidents. There were especially lots of small children tightly holding their parents’ hands.
“Students from the Jungwon Martial Arts Academy may enter directly.”
As we were about to join the long line to buy tickets, a busy Japanese staff member who had been guiding visitors spoke to us in Korean. After verifying our academy student IDs, we were allowed to enter without waiting in line. Surprisingly, none of the other citizens seemed to mind.
“The academy’s in Korea, but it still has influence all the way out here in Japan.”
“Murim Chronicles is basically a game that glorifies Korea, so it gave the impression that Korea is like the mecca of martial artist training. The Jungwon Martial Arts Academy is the best of the best among them.”
“Yeah, I remember it feeling that way when I played the game too.”
The tour began in an exhibition hall filled with a wide variety of tropical coral reefs. The atmosphere wasn’t all that different from aquariums back home. A crowd of little kids had gathered in front of a touch pool where they could interact with starfish and other creatures. We made our way past them until we reached the area with the beautiful coral reefs.
“It’s so pretty. Take a picture of me.”
Colorful fish swam between intricate coral formations that looked like living works of art. Han Yeoreum struck a pose in front of it.
“Here we go.”
“Okay~”
I snapped several shots in quick succession and handed her the phone.
“Not bad.”
After nodding once, Han Yeoreum took the lead and started walking again.
“You like it?”
“Yeah. I’ve wanted to visit an aquarium for a long time.”
“Let’s come again next time.”
“I’d love that.”
We wandered from crustaceans to jellyfish glowing with mysterious light, and all sorts of bizarre creatures, until we eventually arrived at a vast open space. Beyond the dim lighting stretched a vast blue ocean. Soft light filtered down into the tank, adding an air of mystery.
According to the description, it was a massive tank called the Kuroshio Sea.
“Whoa….”
Han Yeoreum stared blankly through the acrylic glass with her mouth slightly open. When a massive whale shark swam by, even the people around us couldn’t help but gasp in awe.
“Is that really a shark?”
“Apparently.”
“I thought it was a whale.”
It wasn’t just one either—three whale sharks glided through schools of fish and giant rays in a truly spectacular display.
“They’re bigger than most whales, right?”
“Seems like it. Let’s sit and watch for a bit.”
We moved to the seats at the very back. The front area was too crowded with people trying to take photos.
“Hey, look over there.”
Following Han Yeoreum’s pointing finger, I saw a staff member wearing scuba gear inside the tank beginning to feed the whale sharks. All eyes in the area turned toward the scene. We hadn’t planned it, but it looked like we’d arrived right on time for the feeding session.
Han Yeoreum scooted right up next to me and rested her head on my shoulder.
“You know…”
The soft blue light from the tank washed over us. Maybe that was why I suddenly felt strangely sentimental.
“Yeah?”
“Even if I die, you have to keep living.”
“Why are you suddenly saying something like that?”
Han Yeoreum lightly bumped my shoulder with her head.
“Just because. You never know what might happen to a person.”
“I don’t want to. How am I supposed to live without you?”
“…That sounded a lot like a confession.”
She turned her head slightly and stared at me in silence.
“Are you really clueless, or are you just pretending not to know?”
Her voice was low as she continued. Of course I was pretending. The feelings that had once been vague had become somewhat clearer by now.
Han Yeoreum liked me. And probably… I felt the same.
There were things you didn’t need to say out loud to understand.
When I didn’t answer, a wrinkle formed between Han Yeoreum’s brows.
“What’s the reason? Why won’t you give me a clear answer?”
Her tone wasn’t accusatory—it sounded like she genuinely wanted to know.
Once again, I had no response. In the end, Han Yeoreum spoke first, her voice laced with resentment.
“You’re such a terrible person.”
Contrary to her worries, I had no intention of becoming a hero of justice. But that didn’t mean I would never risk my life again.
In this rotten world, if we wanted to survive, at least one of us had to be willing to put everything on the line.
I didn’t want her to be the one risking her life in battle. For her to grow up relatively safely, someone had to step forward and clear the obstacles in her path.
So if someone had to risk their life, it had to be me.
Nothing in this world is gained without sacrifice. That’s just how things are.
The reason I couldn’t give her a clear answer was simple.
I was scared.
If I took one more step forward and ended up dying… Just the thought terrified me. I was afraid of becoming too heavy a burden for her even after I was gone.
I turned my body toward her so we were facing each other directly. Under the dim lighting, Han Yeoreum wore an expression that looked like she might cry at any moment.
“I’m sorry.”
“I really hate it when you do this sometimes.”
At her coldly spoken words, I closed my eyes instead of answering.
Then—
Suddenly, something soft and moist gently touched my lips.
We shared a light kiss.
Even though we were surrounded by so many people, it felt like time had stopped just for the two of us.
The kiss lasted no more than ten seconds. Slowly, our lips parted.
“Still…”
When I opened my eyes, Han Yeoreum met my gaze and whispered.
“I like you more than that.”