Chapter 129
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 129
After a long, long prelude, a single phrase finally reached me.
The words seeped into my heart.
They sank deeper than any words I had ever heard in my life.
I gasped, and the Honeybee before me repeated himself.
“I like you, Eun-ah.”
My throat tightened.
I couldn’t breathe.
It felt like someone was squeezing my heart.
It was so overwhelming I felt like I might die, but for some reason, I didn’t hate the feeling at all.
A thought occurred to me.
If words had a temperature, the ones Honeybee had just spoken would carry a heat that could scorch the entire world.
A heat so intense it could dry up the swamp that had swallowed my entire body.
“Hh…”
I was so breathless my face grew hot.
Even so, the tears wouldn’t stop, streaming endlessly down my cheeks.
Just one phrase.
And with that one phrase, I was saved.
My eyes squeezed shut. My head hung low.
Without thinking, the words tumbled from my lips.
“I… I do too…”
…Shamelessly, I uttered the words.
“I like you too…”
Forgetting everything I had done, I was so overwhelmed by his words that I could only answer like that.
Only after uttering those selfish words could my lips finally begin to form an apology.
“I-I’m sorry… For hurting you, for… for selfishly taking your life away…”
After I finished speaking, the sight of Honeybee’s face filling my vision, that face looking at me so tenderly, felt so precious that I reached out my hand.
Only after managing an apology could I finally reach for him.
My hand touched his slightly rough cheek.
The warmth that finally met my fingertips was, just as I’d imagined, hot enough to burn my skin.
*
Dokyun watched Eun-ah as she rambled incoherently, tears streaming down her face, and wiped a tear from her cheek.
He couldn’t bear to see them fall, feeling as if he had to catch every single one.
But perhaps his hand wasn’t enough. The tears overflowed and trickled to the floor.
Pained by this, Dokyun caught the rest of them with his chest.
He pulled her into a tight embrace, letting her tears soak into his shirt.
“…It’s okay.”
He whispered words of comfort, slowly stroking her back.
“But that’s how I met you, Eun-ah… so it’s okay.”
He meant it. He didn’t resent her in the slightest.
How could he hate her? She was just a fragile person who didn’t know any other way to express her feelings.
An inexperienced person who was only now beginning to follow in the footsteps of others.
Dokyun stroked her back for a long while before continuing in a small voice.
“It was only one season. My life isn’t ruined at all.”
The most turbulent winter of his life. But in the end, it was only three months.
Just three months out of a life that had already spanned well over thirty years.
Compared to the lifetime she had lived, those three months were nothing.
He couldn’t say it hadn’t been difficult. Yes, there had been moments of piercing hardship.
But if she was the reward at the end of those three months of suffering, wasn’t that the most precious prize of all?
A small smile bloomed on Dokyun’s face at the thought. He gently eased Eun-ah back and opened his mouth.
“Eun-ah.”
At the end of his gaze was Eun-ah, her face as red as a beet, hiccuping and sobbing.
“Y-Yes…”
Dokyun let out a small laugh at her tear-choked reply, then composed his expression and continued.
“Do you remember the promise we made?”
Eun-ah’s eyes were fixed on him.
Her lips trembled, and after staring at him for a long moment, she burst into tears all over again.
“Huuuh… I-I don’t remember…”
She sobbed with all her might, as if she had suffered every sorrow in the world.
“I-I’m sorry… I-I don’t know…”
Suddenly, Dokyun felt a laugh escape his lips.
She was crying as if her world had ended, but for some reason, the sight was so endearing that he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Pfft…!”
“Waaah…!”
His laugh was followed by her sorrowful wail.
Seeing Eun-ah bawling her eyes out, snot and all, Dokyun belatedly began to pat her back to soothe her.
After a while, once he had wiped her face with a tissue from the table, Dokyun was finally able to continue.
“I mean, the promise we made on Christmas Eve.”
“Sniff…”
Eun-ah sniffled at his words and nodded.
Dokyun chuckled at her face, which was soaked like a drowned mouse, and stroked her hair as he continued.
“We made plans for the whole year, remember?”
“Y-Yes…”
“Do you remember what we decided to do in the spring?”
Their eyes met.
Eun-ah, whose shoulders were still shaking with sobs, hesitated for a moment before answering.
“G-Going to see the flowers…”
“And?”
“Taking walks…”
“See? You remember just fine.”
Dokyun gave a small smile to Eun-ah, who was answering every question correctly, then held the tissue to her nose and continued.
“Okay, blow!”
“Honk!”
“Good job. Why were you crying when you remembered it all?”
“Hic…”
A hiccup escaped her. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red.
As if belatedly struck by embarrassment, Eun-ah’s face was now the color of a ripe apple as she ducked her head.
Dokyun marveled for a moment, wondering if it was physically possible for a person’s face to get any redder, before shaking off the thought and speaking again.
“It’s spring now. I’m excited about going to see the flowers with you, aren’t you?”
“I-I am too!” she replied, startled.
A playful smile spread across Dokyun’s face.
“The timing is perfect. It’s late March… the cherry blossoms should be in full bloom outside.”
“Cherry blossoms…”
“Yes, cherry blossoms.”
As he spoke, a thought crossed Dokyun’s mind.
Looking back, it was his first time going to see the cherry blossoms alone with a woman.
He’d had a girlfriend before… but they’d never done things like this, so this would be his first time going to see the flowers on what could truly be called a date.
He dwelled on it for a moment, then gave his head a slight shake to clear his thoughts and looked straight at Eun-ah.
“We have to go. Hmm, should we pack some sandwiches? We’ll bring a mat, too. We can find a sunny spot and just spend the day relaxing.”
He spoke at length.
When he finished and looked at Eun-ah, she, who had been hiccuping nonstop, belatedly nodded.
Dokyun let out a small laugh at her reaction, then wiped the last of the moisture from her face.
“My sandwich-making skills have gotten a lot better, you know. I can’t say much for anything else, but I bet my sandwiches will really surprise you.”
“Ah…”
Flinch.
Eun-ah’s body trembled.
When Dokyun tilted his head in confusion, Eun-ah looked anxiously between him and her own hands.
What’s with her?
The thought lasted only a moment before he remembered one of her habits and felt a sense of, Ah, crap.
…She doesn’t like the idea!
It seemed that even now, her urge to give him cooking advice was kicking in.
Realizing this, Dokyun’s smile became a little more troubled.
“Hmm, on second thought, I kind of want to eat the ones you make…”
“Ah, yes! I-I’ll make them!”
She jumped at the chance.
Dokyun let out a soft chuckle and nodded.
The hand that had been stroking her back now rested on top of hers, their fingers intertwined.
Dokyun’s gaze fell to their joined hands. Eun-ah’s gaze followed.
Their linked hands fidgeted, scattering a gentle warmth.
After a long moment, their two gazes lifted from their hands and met once more.
Dokyun smiled softly at Eun-ah, who had finally stopped crying.
“Are you done crying now?”
“Ngh…”
Flinch.
Her fingertips, pressed against his, trembled.
Immediately after, Eun-ah shot him a glare with her bright red face, then lowered her head and nodded.
What followed, of course, was the sound of his own laughter.
*
Several days passed.
Dokyun was driving, having found the most famous cherry blossom spot in the area.
“Should we get out now?”
“Y-Yes…”
Dokyun chuckled at Eun-ah’s small nod, then opened the car door and stepped outside.
The first thing that greeted him was the fresh spring air.
The tickling air filled his lungs.
He stretched deeply, and the warmth settling gently on his skin began to thaw his body.
Lifting his gaze, he saw an endless path of cherry blossoms just across the parking lot.
Pink petals bloomed extravagantly on both sides of the wide path.
Below them, people walked in small groups of twos and threes.
Looking closer, he could see that people’s clothes were a little thinner than before.
It was a scene straight from the heart of spring.
Dokyun felt a sense of excitement bubble up inside him as he took the bags from Eun-ah, who was just starting to get out of the car.
“Here, let me. I’ll carry them.”
“I-It’s okay…”
“I want to.”
Dokyun said, looking at Eun-ah, and felt a slight smile escape.
Should he call it consistent? Or unchanging?
Her delusions had shattered and she was finally beginning to face reality, but it seemed that hadn’t affected her fashion sense.
Eun-ah’s outfit was still a cardigan over a dress, a hat pulled down low, and a mask that covered most of her face.
Is it just her taste?
As he wondered, it occurred to him that perhaps Eun-ah disliked drawing attention because of her face.
Putting all that aside, wasn’t she an extreme homebody?
He could tell at a glance that she wasn’t the type to enjoy being the center of attention, so in that context, it was somewhat understandable.
As he was lost in thought, Dokyun felt Eun-ah, who had come to stand beside him, take his hand, and he looked up.
Beneath the brim of her hat, her partially visible eyes were crinkled in a bright smile.
“Sh-Shall we go?”
At her question, Dokyun, who had been momentarily mesmerized by her smiling eyes, belatedly snapped out of it and nodded.
“Ah, yes.”
Hand in hand with Eun-ah, Dokyun began to walk.
It seemed they had timed it perfectly. The cherry blossom path was just beginning to shed its petals, creating a deeply romantic atmosphere.
The world, painted in pastel tones, had a way of making one sentimental with its colors alone.
They didn’t speak as they walked.
Simply moving forward and watching the falling petals was enough to fill them with a deep, warm feeling.
As they walked, the thought that they were being too quiet occurred to Dokyun, and he offered Eun-ah an awkward smile as he spoke.
“Um, there are a lot of people.”
“Y-Yes…” came her small reply.
When Dokyun looked at her, Eun-ah was fidgeting with their joined hands and staring at the ground.
She looked somewhat shy.
Watching her, Dokyun felt his own heart begin to pound in his chest.
He couldn’t bring himself to keep looking at her and turned his gaze forward.
It was strange.
It wasn’t as if they hadn’t gone out together before, nor was it their first time walking like this, but today he felt particularly shy.
It was a strange sensation—a tickle deep inside that gave him goosebumps, yet for some reason, made him want to chase the feeling.
Why is that?
After pondering for a while, Dokyun concluded that perhaps the pastel colors filling his vision were encouraging this shyness.
His mouth, once again, spoke without thinking.
“Th-The flowers are pretty.”
“Y-Yes…”
Her reply was followed by another silence.
This exchange, which could hardly be called a conversation, continued until they reached the end of the cherry blossom path.
At the end of the path was a wide grassy field where people were gathered in small groups.
“Should we eat here?”
“Yes…”
Again, it was a short conversation.
Dokyun gave another awkward smile, spread their mat in an empty spot, and placed their bags on it.
As promised, Eun-ah had made the sandwiches.
Dokyun shuddered slightly, recalling the look on Eun-ah’s face when he’d asked if she needed help that morning. He took the sandwich she offered as she sat down beside him and thanked her.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Hehe…” came her small laugh.
When Dokyun smiled back, Eun-ah looked at him and continued in a whisper.
“H-Honeybee likes spicy food, so…”
At her words, Dokyun examined the sandwich.
Just as she’d said, the meat tucked inside the bread was coated in a red seasoning.
He let out a small “Oh” of admiration, but then a thought popped into his head. He glanced at Eun-ah and asked in a playful tone.
“By the way.”
“Yes?”
“How long am I going to be ‘Honeybee’?”
He asked, thinking it was about time she started calling him by his name.
His question was met with a jolt from Eun-ah.
She looked up at Honeybee.
‘How long…’
She thought for a moment, then a small smile touched her lips. Following his lead, she replied in the same playful tone.
“F-Forever…”
“Forever?”
“Yes, f-forever…”
At her answer, a strange expression crossed Honeybee’s face.
Eun-ah giggled at his reaction, silently repeating the answer she was too shy to say out loud.
Because Honeybee was my honeybee, the one who had cut through my long winter to deliver the spring.
‘That’s why…’
To her, Honeybee would forever be Honeybee.