Chapter 250
Chapter 250
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 250
Chapter Title: 81. Beggar Footcloth Zone
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Early morning. A time when the sunlight felt warm.
Yoo Ji-tae had come out to a quiet park in the residential district with Bom. She had been spending an unusually long time holed up in the house, and they hadn't had a proper chance for a serious talk alone. So he had deliberately brought her out.
Bom was wearing gray shorts, a tight white t-shirt that clung to her, and black slippers.
Her usual simple clothes.
"Mister."
Crunch, crunch...
As Bom walked the gravel path in the park with Yoo Ji-tae, she opened her mouth.
"Yeah."
"Why do human guys like being called 'oppa' so much?"
"Dunno. Why?"
"In school life, some Korean seniors or older guys ask the junior girls to call them 'oppa'."
"......"
"Why is that?"
"Guess it makes them feel treated like someone important."
"But 'ajusshi' is polite too, and they hate it."
"No idea."
"So do you like 'oppa' better, Mister?"
"Doesn't matter to me."
"You didn't care back then either?"
"Can't remember."
Bom nodded.
When the sunlight peeked out from behind the clouds, her grass-green hair looked like tiny leaves underneath. Bom walked slowly, looking dazed. There were no other words. Thinking it was about time to apologize, he opened his mouth.
"Bom."
But Bom cut him off.
"When we're alone."
"Yeah."
"Can I call you 'oppa'?"
He looked at Bom's face.
Her usual expression. Like she was asking something trivial.
Oppa.
An unfamiliar term. Aside from Yeoreum maybe saying it as a joke, no one had called Yoo Ji-tae "oppa" in the 7th round.
Ajusshi, grandpa, oppa—whatever. Such labels didn't stir any emotions in Yoo Ji-tae.
"Do whatever you want."
"Yes, oppa."
With the exact same sulky expression.
After pondering for a moment, Bom spoke up.
"You called me out to apologize, right?"
"Yeah."
"Was it because of me?"
Bom had no issues.
The problem lay in his past, in his emotions.
"No."
"For real?"
"Yeah. It's my personal issue."
"Tell me more details."
"I told you. I just got sensitive on my own."
"More details."
"Why."
"It hurt a lot. Today I want to throw a tantrum. If it's even a little bit my fault, then me sulking looks pathetic."
Bom seemed genuinely worried. Not about Yoo Ji-tae, but about the tantrum she was about to throw.
He thought briefly of the Apocalyptic Clock before speaking.
"I had a friend."
"A friend."
"Known him a long time, but I didn't like him much. Didn't want to be close. He kept sticking around, bothering me and stressing me out."
"Was it tough?"
"Kinda. So we had a falling out. That's it."
"Do I know him?"
"Probably not."
Bom nodded.
Right after. Bom took off her slippers and started walking barefoot on the gravel path.
"What're you doing."
"Hold my hand, please."
Then Bom held out her hand. Yoo Ji-tae took it. The dragon's mana tried to flow in naturally, but he blocked its path.
The two began walking the gravel path together.
"In life... not many things became precious."
"Huh?"
"No dad. Family wasn't precious. Hated mom. Hated siblings... just hated being a dragon."
"Yeah."
"Mom called me special. Hated that too. Looking back, I think I just hated myself."
"......"
"But here, 301 became precious. Winter feels like my daughter now. Gaeul always supportive. Yeoreum annoying sometimes..."
Walking hand-in-hand on the gravel, Bom whispered.
"So when you said you were leaving 301... it hurt."
"No need to worry. I'm not leaving."
"Because you're not the one leaving."
"What?"
"I am..."
Around then, Yoo Ji-tae realized something was off.
As he tried to look down. Bom turned her body and slowly grabbed his chin with her hand.
"If I'm a bother to you or 301, I thought I should disappear. Weird, right? You changed in less than ten days. But in that short time, my head went crazy all on its own. Like I was the mad one."
Bom said that, then chuckled.
"So if it wasn't my fault, you have to apologize to me sincerely."
"Bom. What are you doing."
Ignoring her touch, Yoo Ji-tae looked down at the ground.
His eyes narrowed.
Bom's feet were stained red.
Blood.
"What the hell. Why do this."
Bom was a dragon. Naturally, sharp gravel wouldn't hurt her barefoot.
She had deliberately deactivated her body's protective blessing to injure her own feet.
"There's a reason."
"What?"
"It hurt back then. And even after you got better, it hurt. So I just experimented once."
He turned to look at the path behind. All the sharp gravel was filthy with blood.
Bom released his chin and clutched her chest tightly.
Then she smiled sadly.
"Even now... this hurts more..."
Yoo Ji-tae scooped Bom up. "Ack." He carried the surprised girl to the park lake.
She could heal herself, but she wouldn't. Like the time she bit her lip claiming she misspoke to Yeoreum and left it to heal like a human.
The lake, with its constant filtration, was clear and pristine. He set Bom down and waded in, lowering his body.
Then he carefully lifted her foot.
"What."
Bom seemed startled.
She wriggled to pull her foot away.
He gripped her ankle.
Pale and clean. Blue veins visible through transparent skin.
He began washing Bom's foot, stained with blood and dirt.
He didn't know what meaning this act held.
He didn't know how to apologize properly. Only the intent to apologize made him wash Bom's foot.
Meanwhile, Bom kept squirming, embarrassed.
"Wait."
"......"
"Foot's dirty."
"Stay still."
"Stop. It tickles..."
"I said stay still."
Bom couldn't control her foot. Splash water. Wipe dirt. Wipe blood... He planned to apply ointment and heal after, but her constant kicking made it hard to clean.
Splash.
Splash.
Then water splashed his face.
Yoo Ji-tae smacked the top of Bom's foot. "Ow." Her body flinched.
"Quiet. Unless you want more."
Only then did her foot stop.
He began washing the child's foot more easily.
"Can I make one excuse?"
"Sure."
"I always look at you to check if I'm okay. Lately, you seemed fine."
"......"
"So I thought I was okay."
"I'm good at pretending."
"Seems like it."
The foot, cleaned of blood and dirt, was mottled red.
"Heal it."
"No. This is—"
"Just do it. No bullshit about emotions like last time with your lip."
"......"
"Do it."
"Okay..."
Unhappy expression.
Like she'd do it reluctantly because told to.
Bom silently cast magic to heal her foot. Then used cleansing magic to remove the water. As Yoo Ji-tae slipped her slippers back on, he said.
"Sorry."
"Okay."
"Let's go back."
No reply from Bom.
After putting slippers on both feet, he stood. Bom stared into his eyes.
"What. Not going?"
Their eyes met for several seconds.
"If I'd known it'd be like this... shoulda just rolled around..."
Bom whispered softly.
"What're you saying."
"Nothing. Let's go."
Rolled? Why?
Then Yoo Ji-tae realized his hands had lingered meticulously on Bom's feet for quite a while.
Understanding her words a beat late, he felt embarrassment rise.
What the hell did she just say?
The absurdity sparked needless thoughts. He grew more flustered by useless ideas. The next moment, turning to Bom, he saw her holding back laughter mischievously.
"Huh? Why?"
Her innocent expression was the same as always.
He shook his head.
"......"
A bad thought crossed his mind briefly.
And so, he finished apologizing to the kids.
In truth, this wasn't a fundamental solution.
The past would remain the past.
He was fully aware that some unforeseen incident could still erupt.
But now, he decided to let it go.
Because agonizing over an uncertain future while bound to the past ignored how crucial the present was.
Such a simple shift in mindset had an enormous impact on his life.
His agonies felt futile. Astonishingly, everything started resolving as smoothly as before.
Time flew by.
The second night erupted. Taking down the boss monster with nine lives and the power of a "Night Cat" was no challenge.
Various issues cropped up inside and outside the alliance, but his mindset for dealing with them was far more relaxed. Letting go of perfection allowed more flexible responses.
The cross-dimensional space the spirits had painstakingly opened began to waver. He started filling Ppivung's final days with good times alongside Gaeul.
Gaeul, who had swung between calm and bright amid her turmoil over values, gradually returned to her old self while preparing for the approaching farewell.
Once accepted, the heart eases. That's what Gaeul said.
Clone 2 gazed at the night sky on basement level 291 with the witch. Afterward, she heard Clone 2's request and regretted not devouring it till the end.
The 30-man special assault team in the underground labyrinth was nearly fully cured of corruption and finished preparations to leave. Now they just needed time to extract the paradise light embedded in their minds.
They all had families and homes to return to.
The only one with nowhere to go was Hasaetbyeol. She had become a public enemy of the alliance. Nearly all her old ties—with demons or humans—had been severed.
—On the day everyone leaves the labyrinth, take Hasaetbyeol separately to a suitable unit and lead them.
Following Yoo Ji-tae's orders, Clone 2 entered the underground labyrinth and met Hasaetbyeol there.
Her corrupted mind restored. The paradise light extracting.
The sane Hasaetbyeol faced the 1st round Yoo Ji-tae.
Clone 2 looked at her.
The two stared at each other silently for a long time.
Despite seeing each other for the first time.
During vacation, Yeoreum and Gaeul gained new opportunities. In the comprehensive evaluation based on combat power, Yeoreum took 1st, Gaeul 2nd—their scores far transcended other cadets, drawing attention even outside the Lair.
Occasionally went fishing with Winter to stock the tank. Winter caught tons of snails, fish, frogs... the collection bucket overflowed, so half had to be released.
The greedy Winter was disappointed.
Bom quietly kept her distance. Didn't demand much from him. After the shake-up, Yoo Ji-tae and Bom felt far more stable. Their complex relationship didn't ripple like still water.
Just, when alone sometimes. When he became "oppa," she teased him a bit and enjoyed it.
Vacation ended.
Around the start of the new spring semester for 3rd years.
Yeoreum's back hair fell just past her shoulders. Her bangs reached below her eyes, above her nose.
"Ugh. Fucking annoying."
One morning, Yeoreum grumbled.
"Huh? What's up, unni?"
"These bangs are pissing me off."
Long enough to cover or poke eyes, too short to sweep aside.
"Ah, beggar zone."
"Beggar zone?"
"Yeah. Length's like a beggar's."
Hahaha, Gaeul laughed.
"But what's the problem? Polymorph it longer."
"Can't. Joo Ji-tae said no magic on my body for the next year."
"Huh? Why?"
"Dunno."
"Then just cut it?"
"Hate bangs. Wanna get rid of 'em. Hate how they stick when sweaty."
"Then shave it off!"
'Kwang!' Gaeul shut up after a knuckle rap.
Yeoreum's irritation lasted until the beggar zone ended. She raged at her bangs anytime. One day, Bom tied up Yeoreum's front and top hair. Apple head.
But Gaeul teased "So cute," got smacked several times, and bangs came down.
Then it finally blew up.
Washing face, swept hair aside, but wouldn't catch on ear, fell down.
Tried hooking on ear several times.
Fell down several times.
In the bathroom, Yeoreum screamed.
"Argh, fuck! Like a beggar footcloth!"
Beggar footcloth?
Yeoreum's words were unexpectedly catchy.
Gaeul cut her own bangs like Yeoreum's and teased, "Me too, beggar footcloth zone~." Nearly got bald after caught.
The returned daily life was chaotic like that.
And passed remarkably fast.