Chapter 45: Set Your Heart Ablaze.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45: Set Your Heart Ablaze.
I remembered something I’d seen in a manga once.
That love is like a game of catch.
A game that can only work if the thrower and the catcher both do their parts properly.
At the time, I wondered if it was an apt metaphor and moved on, but…
“…Huh?”
Was it because I was watching a Japanese animated movie?
A high-pitched exclamation, like one you’d hear from a Japanese high school girl, escaped my lips.
My head was turned at an awkward angle.
Oppa’s hand was still gently pressing against my cheek.
…Wasn’t that the perfect moment for a kiss?
Was it not?
I personally thought the movie itself wasn’t the type to create that kind of mood, but I believed I had played my part faithfully.
Even though the scene wasn’t particularly grotesque, I’d acted like I couldn’t watch and buried myself in Oppa’s arms.
So far, so good.
Oppa hadn’t pushed me away; in fact, he’d even stroked my hair.
The sweet scent of fabric softener tickled my nose, and the moment his hand touched my cheek, my heart felt like it was about to explode.
It wasn’t the most romantic setting, but still, a first kiss…!
Or so I thought, and I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“This is where it gets really good.”
As soon as he removed his hand, I looked up at him, dumbfounded.
Oppa swallowed hard, studying my reaction.
“Ah. Is this part… also… a little scary for you…?”
No. No.
That’s not it! Oppa!
The scary part isn’t what’s important! Isn’t the fact that I sent you so many signals more important?
I had so much to say, but I had no idea how to put it into words.
How could I possibly ask him with my own mouth why he didn’t kiss me?
All I could do was send him an intense glare.
With all my heart, I sent him a look that screamed, ‘Are you serious right now?’
It was at that moment.
“Ah. Sorry.”
Oppa sat up slightly and pulled me into his arms with a sudden embrace.
I had been in a rather awkward position, and just like that, I was back where I’d been moments before.
This time, my face landed right in front of the pale nape of his neck.
“You can’t handle scary things well, can you?”
No. That’s not it.
It felt like the misunderstanding was only getting deeper, but this situation…
I didn’t hate it.
The tighter his hand pulled my waist, the more it felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“I’ll let you know when the scene is over.”
His other hand began to stroke my hair, and my heart started pounding just as hard as it had before.
…I often think that as long as you get to Seoul, it doesn’t matter how you get there, but I wasn’t sure if that applied to my current situation.
All I could do was grip his shirt even tighter.
So it was possible to be annoyed and have your heart flutter at the same time.
Soon, the roar of the battle scene subsided, and Oppa slowly loosened his arms.
“…You okay?”
I’m not okay.
I’m not okay at all.
But the best I could do was give a faint nod.
“Sorry. I forgot you don’t handle scary stuff well…”
I wasn’t some five-year-old kid.
I was fine with disgusting tentacles popping out or heads exploding in a spray of blood.
I even told him before we came in that I’d already seen the entire series.
His misguided consideration was both nice and baffling.
“Ah. But there’s another pretty brutal scene coming up.”
Oppa’s face was filled with worry.
“Should we leave?”
“…No, it’s okay.”
Right. Let’s just watch the movie.
If physical contact was the goal, I figured what just happened was enough.
In fact, maybe I was just being influenced by Hanbit unnie’s gaslighting, and this level of intimacy was actually the appropriate amount.
A kiss… or… anything more than that could wait for later… that would probably be enough…
“Are you sure you’re okay? If you’re doing this for me, I really don’t mind. I’ve already seen it all anyway.”
“Ah. I’m really fine. But.”
Rather than being on edge because of Oppa’s unpredictable actions, it was better to create a situation I could control.
“…Hold my hand, please.”
It’s embarrassing now that I’ve said it out loud.
I already said it once outside, so why is it embarrassing again?
“Will that be enough?”
Oppa’s hand naturally settled over mine.
“If you really can’t watch, make sure you tell me right away.”
He turned his face back toward the screen.
…A selfish thought bloomed in my mind: maybe I should try burying my face in his arms one more time when the next scene like that comes on.
Idiot.
Han Taemin, you stupid bastard.
Ah, I knew Luka couldn’t handle scary things at all, so why did I make her watch that?
As a member of the Pink Army, I was furious.
No matter how cool the scene was, I had no intention of forcing someone to watch something they didn’t want to.
And to do that to Doah, of all people.
Fortunately, it seemed I hadn’t salvaged the situation too late, as Doah, who had been in my arms, said she wanted to finish the movie.
If she had wanted to, I was ready to leave immediately.
But Doah said she’d be fine if I just held her hand, so I took her at her word and decided to keep watching for now.
Slowly, the climax drew near.
When the demon who was essentially the final boss of the movie appeared, the music changed, followed by a series of chilling scenes.
While I thought it was incredibly cool, I kept glancing over at Doah.
It was because a rather brutal scene was coming up soon.
[Become a demon, Rengoku!]
Yeah! This is it! This is the stuff!
When the line that had become a hot topic was delivered, I couldn’t hide my excitement.
I could feel Doah’s fingers twitching every time the demon’s fist clashed with Rengoku’s sword.
I considered asking if she was okay, but seeing her eyes completely fixed on the screen, I decided it was better to let her stay immersed.
[Keuk!]
“…Ah!”
Doah gasped, covering her mouth.
It was because even after using his ultimate technique, a move akin to a finishing blow, he had failed to defeat the demon.
Instead, it was the swordsman, Rengoku, who had been pierced through the abdomen.
Blood began to pour from his body.
Doah’s reaction was tame compared to mine when I first saw the movie in theaters.
I had almost cursed out loud.
Though defeat was clearly imminent, Rengoku’s resistance didn’t end there.
Determined to take the demon down with him, even with his battered body, he grabbed hold of the demon with all his might.
[I won’t let you escape!]
The sacrifice of one who has accepted death always strikes a chord.
This time, it was me, the one who was completely engrossed, who squeezed Doah’s hand tighter.
But despite the desperate struggles of the protagonist and his party, the demon ultimately managed to escape.
As dawn broke, all that remained was a wounded swordsman on the verge of death.
His final words, like a last will and testament, followed.
[Tell my younger brother to live as his heart tells him to.]
[Tell my father… to take care of his health…]
[It is only natural for a senior to shield his juniors.]
[Set your heart ablaze.]
Ugh… I feel like I’m going to cry again, even watching it a second time.
I turned my head to see how Doah was doing.
“…He doesn’t die, right?”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
“…Rengoku doesn’t die like that, does he?” Doah asked me, her voice filled with disbelief at what she had just seen.
“No, I mean, they must have some kind of medical skills, right?”
“They fight demons all the time, so they can’t fix that?”
“How can the captain die like that? He’s not really going to die like this, is he?”
As if she had become one of the surviving children in the movie, Doah clung to my arm and pleaded with a desperate voice.
It pained me too much to say out loud that this was his end, so instead of answering, I opened my arms to her.
“Hic…”
Doah buried her face in my chest and cried sorrowfully.
I silently patted the back of the sniffling girl.
I knew this would happen.
After all, Luka often mentioned that she was an emotional person.
It was the same when she played story-driven games on stream.
The reason people loved her voice acting and reactions was that Luka genuinely focused and experienced the journey with them.
You can always tell when someone is doing something not mechanically or as a job, but because they truly love it.
There was no way that Luka, having seen the Demon Slayer anime before watching the movie, wouldn’t shed tears.
“Ugh… Rengoku, what do we do…”
The movie had ended and the credits had been rolling for a while, but Doah was still lost in the afterglow, showing no signs of leaving my embrace.
“…Are you feeling a little better now?”
I started to think that if we stayed any longer, we might run into the owner.
“…Yes.”
Doah fumbled in her bag for a tissue, wiped her tears, and blew her nose once.
“Let’s go.”
I stood up first and offered her my hand. Doah held it tightly as we left the room.
It had been dark when we came in, but now a pitch-black darkness had settled over the streets.
“How was the movie?”
She seemed to have calmed down a bit, and since it was a long walk home to go in silence, I gently asked her.
“…Don’t look at me.”
“…Huh?”
“I look ugly from crying, so don’t look at me.”
It was actually too dark to see much of anything, but I told her I understood.
“It was fun.”
“I’m still shocked that Rengoku died, but it was still fun.”
“Really?”
“I think I get why you were making such a big deal about watching it now.”
That’s right, Doah-tan.
I didn’t ask you to watch it for no reason, you know?
“But next time.”
Doah stopped walking and took my other hand as well.
“Let’s watch a romance movie together.”
A streetlight illuminated her coy expression.