Chapter 281
Chapter 281
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 281
Chapter Title: Partner (9)
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Yeoreum didn’t want to act like a child.
Earlier, her emotions had overwhelmed her.
She hadn’t been in her right mind.
Now she had to stop whining…
So the way she kept squeezing Yoo Ji-tae’s hand wasn’t something she was doing on purpose.
Her hand was moving on its own.
The space around them began to narrow.
The hooked, tangled water physically blocked the light. As it formed a heart chamber, it started blocking mana as well.
The wall of darkness closed in.
The visibility, which had stretched to 5 meters before, now shrank to just 2 meters ahead.
Through their touching hands, his will reached her.
‘Swim now with just the minimal kicks.’
‘We’re riding the current. The ocean flow will take us down on its own.’
‘Don’t worry so much.’
Something along those lines.
He must sense her anxiety.
She felt like she should let go of his hand…
Why’s she gripping so tight?
Oh my. Does she like my hand that much?
But even as she thought that, she realized her own grip was even tighter.
The reason was simple. The thick water-attribute mana chilled her body like being buried naked in snow during midwinter. And in that moment, the only warm thing was Yoo Ji-tae’s hand. Like a hot pack in winter? That’s why it was so hard to let go.
…What a lie.
She couldn’t even make a convincing excuse.
You coward.
As painful as it was to admit, that was the truth.
She was too scared to let go of his hand.
Visibility dropped to nearly 1 meter.
The walls of darkness closed in from all sides, surrounding Yeoreum. Her heart pounded wildly. It felt like the space could shrink at any moment and swallow her whole.
Ah. I want to get out…
Last time, she’d felt this way around here too.
At that instant, the breath in her body trembled. A sharp contraction of her diaphragm hit her like ugh—. Unable to curl up, she clamped her mouth and nose with her other arm and squeezed her eyes shut.
Yeoreum was cold. She was suffering. Her body shuddered uncontrollably.
Just let me go back.
I’ll never turn off the light at night again…
Around this depth, parts of Yoo Ji-tae’s upper body began to vanish into the darkness.
But as long as she held his hand, his thoughts occasionally flew to her. Are you okay? Is it tough? Mana flowing alright? He was worried about her.
Now, no matter what expression she made, Yoo Ji-tae couldn’t see it.
So Yeoreum drew a circle on the back of his hand with her thumb.
How can you be so calm…?
I can feel you’re cold too?
Your chest feels tight, breathing’s constricted—I feel that too?
Why aren’t you suffering?
Why act so tough…?
Visibility about 50cm.
The depth where Yeoreum had given up last time.
Many things were devoured by the darkness.
Looking down, her own legs were gone.
At the same time, about half of Yoo Ji-tae’s body became invisible.
Gulp. Yeoreum swallowed dryly.
In the utter silence around her, she could still hear the sounds from inside her body.
She poked at her teeth with her tongue for no reason.
Her mouth tasted bitter and thick.
Yeoreum closed her eyes.
Watching the darkness close in real-time made her mind race; closing her eyes was more comforting.
But with eyes shut, all sorts of memories surfaced.
Memories of eating. Tormenting Yoo Gaeul. The first time she saw a shoujo manga…
Yeoreum strung together every memory that popped up. It was a makeshift way to fight the suffocation.
Then, out of nowhere, a childhood memory surfaced.
Just like winter, there was a time when summer was small too.
Back then, the hatchlings had huddled together.
The mother who provided milk was off playing with the father and didn’t come.
The father had no interest in weak offspring.
So Yeoreum’s meals were mostly handled by her little big sister.
“Hey. Eat this.”
But Yeoreum had always been small in both dragon and human form since infancy. She wasn’t used to eating. She couldn’t easily put things in her mouth.
The little big sister scolded her for it.
“Ugh, so frustrating. Eat properly, shove it in.”
“How can you not even eat right?”
Every meal, every day, the scolding came.
Yeoreum endured somehow, but one day she snapped in rage and threw the food away. Then she got beaten half to death by her little big sister.
Until then, that sister had protected her from beatings by other siblings. So it was the first time she’d been hit by her. Yeoreum felt betrayed and unjust, so she protested.
I’m still a baby.
I don’t have much appetite. My mouth’s small. Can’t swallow much.
Didn’t you act the same at my age?
Then her little big sister’s face hardened terrifyingly.
She grabbed Yeoreum by the hair and dragged her to a cave.
Shoved her into the dark and pried her mouth open. Then stuffed food in.
And said this.
Want to get beaten in 10 years too?
Live getting beaten in 100 years?
No one waits for your small size.
You were born late like an idiot. No one in the world cares.
Don’t talk back to me ever again.
When I give it, eat fast and a lot. Grow that puny body.
If you don’t want to die for real.
After realizing it was for her sake, their relationship improved. And Yeoreum started eating a bit more.
Just an ordinary memory.
Nothing special…
Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-tae still held her hand.
What was he thinking…?
The emotions she occasionally felt from him were nothing but frustration and suffering.
He felt no fear.
He wasn’t panicking.
So Yeoreum could relax a little.
If he’s doing it, I can too.
Don’t be scared…
Visibility 10cm.
Her body sank into the darkness.
Literally and figuratively, her breath caught in her throat.
Looking down, even her chest was invisible.
So she raised her hand and touched it for no reason.
It was still there.
The rest of her body too. Everything was firmly attached.
Then she brushed the wound on her lower abdomen.
A slight sense of relief washed over her.
Thinking it hurt made her feel alive…
When she stretched out her arm, not only Yoo Ji-tae’s hand but her own hand vanished. So Yeoreum pulled it right up to her face.
She wanted to keep seeing this.
But after descending another 50m…
Even Yoo Ji-tae’s hand, now right in front of her, began to sink into the darkness.
Slowly. But relentlessly.
It terrified her so much that Yeoreum wiggled her fingers.
Yoo Ji-tae wiggled back in response.
Without that, she might have already fled from the suffocation.
Soon, another memory surfaced.
Yeoreum immersed herself in it.
Slowly, the artifact began failing against the pressure.
Depth, roughly 900m.
Around here, Yeoreum thought.
How long have I been down here?
From above, 50m took about 10 minutes.
So probably around 180 minutes…
Yeoreum had recalled about 20 vivid memories from her 15 years before venturing out as a hatchling. Each one lasted from a few hours short to a full day long.
So it felt like she’d been down here at least a week.
Thanks to Yoo Ji-tae’s hand, her sense of reality held on a bit longer.
Last time, at 800m, it had felt like two weeks.
She was enduring now only because of that prior experience.
Back then, with no prior knowledge, she’d nearly died.
But enduring didn’t mean it wasn’t torment.
This long time was agony for Yeoreum.
Now the darkness had swallowed the world.
She saw nothing.
Heard nothing.
She smacked her lips.
No sound.
Slapped her cheek. Same.
Her head seemed to turn, but no sound came.
With sight and hearing gone, only touch remained.
In a world where everything vanished, only she and Yoo Ji-tae’s hand existed.
Painful, exhausting. Cold, suffocating. All of it relentlessly battered her mind.
Each time she snapped out of a memory, a bomb-like urge to flee exploded.
Her mind blanked briefly. Her body trembled on its own. Her heart pounded fiercely.
Then she gripped Yoo Ji-tae’s hand hard. Her last desperate act to not run.
It had just happened again.
When she came to, she’d dug her nails into the back of his hand.
Ah, fuck.
Sorry…
She felt like she couldn’t hold out like this.
Yeoreum decided to think of reasons not to flee, one by one.
1. Because I need to get stronger.
2. Because there are words I haven’t said.
3. Because I need to be happy.
…
14. Gotta go to Las Vegas one more time.
…
52. Need to fill three wagonloads with handsome, ripped guys and have my fun.
53. Because my little big sister said so.
…
127. Live long and gamble forever.
…
Scraping together everything real and imagined, around the time they passed 900.
Right after the artifact showed a four-digit number, it broke.
…Depth. Probably 1,200m or below.
Yeoreum thought.
Why. Won’t it end.
Why, why, why…
Why won’t it end?
Ah, fuck.
My mind’s going crazy.
I’m gonna die…
Yoo Ji-tae.
You there?
Still alive…?
She wiggled her fingers for the first time in ages.
He responded.
Thank goodness touch was still there.
But fuck, why so quiet lately?
Give me some sign at least.
Yeah?
I’m fucking suffocating here…
Yeoreum scratched the back of his hand with her nails.
Then she freaked out.
His hand was covered in scratches.
She must have unconsciously dug in while zoning out.
Ah…
Yeoreum gently stroked the back of his hand with her fingers.
She felt so sorry.
But this was what kept her going right now.
Squeezing like this must hurt.
Would he let go?
Anxiety flickered.
But Yoo Ji-tae wouldn’t let go, right?
Why?
Because he’s Yoo Ji-tae…
…Much later, Yeoreum snapped back to reality.
An unbelievable emotion had transmitted through his hand.
He’d just panicked.
Why?
What?
What’s wrong?
Right after, his mental connection severed.
Yeoreum jolted. She gripped harder. Was her sense failing now?
No. She felt his hand. She moved her other hand to grab his wrist.
The wrist was there too.
Everything’s fine…?
Then why suddenly…?
Why…?
Why are you…?
…
What happened…?
……
Meanwhile, his hand began to tremble.
No, was it the hand shaking? The skin? The bones?
Huh? Why’s it shaking? He’s not scared, is he…?
As she puzzled, a foreign sensation traveled up her fingers. His thick fingers, the rough calluses, the knuckles, the nails—right after she felt them…
His hand slipped away.
Yoo Ji-tae.
Let go of Yeoreum’s hand.
Huh?
Huh…?
At that moment, Yeoreum couldn’t believe this reality.
What just happened?
Huh?
Why’s my hand cold…?
Yeah…?
Huh? Huh? Am I dreaming?
She reached out her arm.
Nothing.
Reached elsewhere.
Her hand sliced empty air.
In the darkness.
Nothing.
Grabbed nothing.
The moment she confirmed it.
Yeoreum’s breath stopped.
It felt like the darkness was swallowing her.
No way?
Accidentally let go?
You didn’t mean to let go of my hand, right?
Yeoreum desperately racked her brain.
He wasn’t immune to fear or pain. Explosive suffering had sometimes surged through his hand. Probably diaphragm spasms.
Yoo Ji-tae was suffering too.
I’m not alone.
Ah.
Right, fuck.
I’ve been too dependent.
Whined about not wanting you to act like a master during training. But I’ve been treating you like one.
Don’t rely.
We’ve come this far.
There’s the current anyway.
Staying still, we’re still descending?
If our physiques are similar, even if he drifts, he’s 3m ahead somewhere.
You’re there, right?
I know. 3m ahead. Right there. Around that distance. Yeah?
Letting go.
Just to train me to be strong?
And now that he has, he regrets it?
He must’ve felt relieved holding my hand, knowing I was there.
I know.
…Right?
Yeah. It’s training.
I can trust that.
Just endure.
…
But you know.
If you were gonna let go.
Couldn’t you give a signal first…?
No, no. Don’t think like that. It’s fine.
…Still.
Not hard to signal…
At least release fingers one by one…
…Or tell me from the start you’d let go.
I could’ve prepared mentally…
……
Why…
Why let go?
Huh?
Why let go of my hand.
Huh? Why’d you let go.
You said partner…
You abandoned me…?