Chapter 238: First Snow (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 238: First Snow (2)
Ryozo blinked. Her thoughts locked up, and her expression froze. A beat later, fluster welled up inside her.
‘He wants to come with me to see my mother?!’
She didn't know how to react to such a sudden proposal.
‘I was already dying of embarrassment after spilling my guts out like that!’
On the other hand, Kang Geomma’s gaze was... as always, filled with complete sincerity. Right. That was the kind of person he was. A straightforwardness that never harbored a lie. That was why his words carried weight and rang so deeply.
‘He’s definitely not just saying it.’
It wasn't just a fleeting token of comfort. He genuinely wanted to go with her.
‘The reason must be because he noticed I was feeling anxious.’
Kang Geomma was making a thoughtful offer. Telling her that if she was really that worried, they could go together. Ryozo's cheeks flushed red. She felt self-conscious. She felt embarrassed. Yet at the same time, she was happy—so indescribably happy she could leap for joy. Ryozo stole a quick glance sideways.
"Putting aside us going together..."
She mumbled, hiding half her face behind her scarf. Her lips tickled against the scratchy texture of the knit.
"...Geomma, didn't you say you were on your way to the Principal's office?"
"Ah, that."
Kang Geomma scratched his forehead. It was a habit of his whenever he was choosing his words. Even this trivial gesture was enough to make her heart skip a beat.
As Ryozo's heart pounded furiously, Kang Geomma gave an awkward grin.
"I go there every week anyway, so skipping one day should be fine—though I should definitely let her know first. Besides, Ryozo, you know what the Principal is like. She isn't someone who'd object to me going somewhere with a friend. In fact, she'd probably be happy about it. She feels sorry for me, saying I became a Seven Star hero too early and missed out on enjoying things people my age usually do."
"Ah..."
Only then did Ryozo take a closer look at Kang Geomma's face. The dark circles under his eyes, his gaunt complexion. She could vaguely imagine what his daily life had been like over the past month.
‘He must have been so busy.’
It was only natural. Kang Geomma was enduring a grueling schedule where even twenty-four hours a day wasn't enough. Studies, official duties, secondary tasks. He wasn't like her, who could peacefully just attend classes. Knowing all this, it made sense why the Principal felt so sorry for him.
‘And to someone like him, I...’
She had put on a tearful face as if she were the unhappiest person in the world.
The public only spoke of Kang Geomma's dazzling splendor. The youngest Seven Star hero, the world's strongest power, Beyond the Heavens. Though the phrasing differed, every title described someone at the absolute pinnacle.
The apex.
A position anyone would dream of. Kang Geomma had ascended to that height at far too young an age. Which meant he had become alone far too soon.
‘Even though he's all alone, he never complains.’
Ryozo knew about his family history. That was why her heart ached even more for him.
‘Compared to him, I... I'm truly spoiled rotten.’
The corners of her eyes stung. She rationalized her emotions, telling herself it was just because of the cold wind.
‘I'm such a coward.’
She always pretended to be strong, but she was nothing more than a spoiled child.
‘Yet the one having the hardest time reached out to me first.’
He had even stood up for her weakness.
Ryozo secretly wiped the corners of her eyes with her scarf. Then, she asked carefully:
"Our destination is Busan, so it's going to take up an entire day. Are you really okay with that?"
Kang Geomma didn't hesitate. He simply nodded.
"It's Saturday. I've got plenty of time."
* * *
A moment later, in the Academy Principal's office.
"Of course! Mmm-hmm. Got it. Have fun~!"
Click.
Finishing her call with Kang Geomma, Medea stepped toward the window. The scenery beyond the frost-covered glass looked distant and hazy.
"Look at that, our Geomma. Actually going out on the weekend with a friend."
A gentle smile spread across Medea's lips. She then stretched her arms and torso lazily.
"I was thinking of telling him to take a break anyway, so this worked out great. He's definitely been pushing himself too hard lately."
Kang Geomma had called just moments ago, asking if they could postpone today's meeting to next time. He had apologized repeatedly with a remorseful tone.
Medea had accepted his request with delight. In fact, she had enthusiastically encouraged it. She hadn't even asked what he was going to do, because she, too, desperately wanted him to get some rest.
A canceled appointment? A minor detail.
Medea sipped her coffee. The steam rising like a haze above her mug condensed into frost as it touched the windowpane.
"While I'm at it, I should tell the Association to cut back on Geomma's workload."
It was right as she was peacefully taking in the serene atmosphere.
—♬♭♩♫♪
The smartphone sitting on her desk rang loudly. Medea's eyebrows twitched.
"Who the hell is calling on a weekend?"
The Academy Principal was strictly an office job. Nine to five, strictly abiding by a five-day workweek.
‘And yet.’
The reason Medea had come to this dreadful workplace on a precious weekend—aside from her meeting with Kang Geomma—was because she didn't want to stay home. Her house had turned into a complete disaster zone. The starting point—the catalyst—was her twin sister, Meain, moving in to freeload off her.
Unlike the neat and tidy Medea, Meain was someone who couldn't be further from organized. Her older sister ate delivery food for all three meals and never cleaned up after herself.
Medea had nagged her, but her sister didn't give a damn. She would offer half-hearted, insincere apologies. Having expected nothing, Medea wasn't even surprised.
‘If the monk hates the temple, the monk leaves.’
Medea had fled from her home—which had turned into the absolute worst place—to the lesser evil, her office.
‘I can't keep suffering like this forever.’
She would have to settle this once and for all someday.
Until then, she had no choice but to give up her weekends. For now, she had to endure it as if cultivating patience.
"Aah, my wretched luck. What a pain, seriously."
As Medea let out a deep sigh, the phone showed no sign of stopping its tune. Tsking her tongue, she picked up the call.
"Hello?"
—...
Silence from the other side. Only then did Medea pull the screen away from her ear to check the number. It was an unknown caller.
Medea furrowed her fair brow. Perhaps due to having to work on the weekend, irritation suddenly surged right to the top of her head.
She snapped into the phone.
"What is this? Who is this? When someone speaks to you, you answer."
—...
"Ah—what, is this one of those voice phishing scams or something? Hey, who the hell are you? Do you even know whose number you're calling right now? You scumbags leeching off innocent citizens! You just wait, I'm going to trace this number and—"
—Second child.
A raspy, heavily hoarse voice that sounded like it scraped against her eardrums. In an instant, Medea's expression and demeanor flipped into sheer shock.
Because there was only one person in the whole world who addressed her like that.
—I am sorry. But this is my first time using what they call a 'smartphone,' so I didn't know how to make a call. It feels like pagers were around just yesterday, yet something like this exists already.
An ancient being who had lived for over two centuries.
—Second child, this is the first time I'm hearing your voice in forty years, since we last spoke at your Seven Star investiture ceremony. Your voice is as booming as ever, as if you swallowed a loudspeaker. You seem to have gotten healthier over time.
By position, the leader of all heroes.
—At any rate, I apologize for contacting you out of nowhere and dropping a request on you so abruptly.
Association President. Victor Poison.
—Could you arrange a meeting for me with the new Seven Star hero, the Heavenly Sword... that boy?
He wished to see the new star.
* * *
If I had to pick just one thing that was convenient about attending Joaquin Academy—just a single thing—it would be this Subspace Warp.
Wrapped in a purple haze of light, I close my eyes. Feeling a split second of motion sickness, I open them to find my desired destination spread out before me just like magic. Like right now.
"Thirty seconds from Wonju in Gangwon-do to Busan in Gyeongsang-do, huh."
A salty breeze. Ships anchored in neat rows along the harbor. A flock of seagulls flying above the docks with cawing cries.
"Haha."
A hollow laugh escaped me. Subspace Warp. A method of transportation that casually ignored the laws of physics never failed to leave me speechless. No matter how many times I experienced it, it was fascinating every single time.
‘Barriers, warps, potion pockets...’
It was simply almighty. There was no need to overthink why such a cheat-like feature existed. Subspace was essentially a convenience system for players. What better tool could there be to skip tedious travel time? It was an advantage unique to a game set in a fantasy universe.
‘Still, it's way too broken.’
Some people spend six hours stuck on packed highways to reach Busan. Meanwhile, others get there in thirty seconds. We call those 'others' the privileged class.
Back when I lived on Earth, adults used to say that time was given equally to everyone. That was wrong. In this world, time could be bought. It was a purchasable commodity.
There was no absurdity greater than this. Normally, I would have complained, ‘What kind of trash unbalanced game is this?!’ But...
"..."
Right now, I remained silent. Because I no longer had the right to say such things.
I was a Seven Star hero. I belonged to the ruling class now, not the ruled. On top of that, I wielded immense power comparable to the president of a nation.
As such, I could monopolize the various privileges that existed in this world. I could use warps—which were strictly forbidden for ordinary cadets—as easily as stepping into a restroom. I had become unable to detach myself from the very absurdities I used to criticize.
‘Can't be helped.’
Suddenly, I felt a gaze from my side. Turning my head, I saw Ryozo staring intently at me with wide, glistening eyes. Was it because the weather was cloudy? Her sky-blue irises looked exceptionally vivid today.
‘Does seeing me use Subspace Warp so freely make me look like a different person to her?’
It was understandable. Even I felt a bit awkward about it.
Feeling somewhat awkward, I asked Ryozo:
"How long does it take to get to your mom's place?"
"Ah, right."
Snapping back to her senses, Ryozo hurriedly pulled out her smartphone. She then showed me a map app displaying the address she had searched.
"We'll be there soon if we take a bus."
We moved immediately. We walked along the coastline, strolling casually through the quiet harbor. The sea breeze was chilly, but it didn't feel as biting as when I was alone.
After that, we boarded a city bus. Perhaps because it was the weekend, the bus was completely packed.
‘It'll be trouble if people recognize me.’
My brief sense of dismay faded quickly; fortunately, my coat had a hood, which I pulled down low over my head. Thanks to that, no one realized I was the Heavenly Sword. It felt like a secondhand experience of being a celebrity.
The bus started moving. It passed the first stop. Conveniently, two seats opened up, allowing us to sit down for the ride.
After that, the second, third, and fourth stops glided past the window. The atmosphere of the port city, Busan, felt calm and leisurely.
I stole a glance at the seat beside me. Ryozo was resting her forehead against the bus window, her face growing progressively darker with each stop the bus made. Her slender hands trembled softly atop her skirt.
Glide.
I squeezed her hand firmly. It was cold. Having been exposed to the sea breeze for tens of minutes, it was no wonder her hands had grown chilly.
"..."
Ryozo flinched slightly, but she didn't say anything. Instead, the shaking of her hand subsided. The shadow hanging over her face cleared away just a little, turning faint.
The bus pulled up at the final stop. After getting off, we walked for about five minutes, stepping right into a certain apartment complex.
"Is this..."
It was an average apartment complex—neither luxurious nor dilapidated. Still, considering it was where the ex-wife of the Archery Saint lived, it felt somewhat plain.
‘I thought she'd be living in a mansion or something.’
Ryozo looked around the apartment complex carefully before taking the lead. Since only she knew the exact unit number, I quietly followed behind her.
Step.
Before long, Ryozo's footsteps came to a halt in the middle of the apartment hallway.
‘Unit 504.’
She rechecked whether the room number matched the address she had saved. They were numbers that couldn't possibly be wrong; she had verified them time and time again.
Now that she was actually standing here, Ryozo hesitated.
‘Should I ring the doorbell, or knock? No, should I just turn back right now?’
Standing in the hallway, she lingered indecisively for a long moment.
Grab.
Just then, a large palm gently enveloped her clenched fist. Their hands overlapped into one.
"I'm glad I came with you."
Holding Ryozo's fist securely, I guided it right in front of the door. And together, we extended our hands to knock on the metal door.
Knock, knock. A couple of quiet knocks resonated softly down the hallway. The next moment...
Creeeak.
With the sound of grinding hinges, the gap of the door slowly parted open.