Chapter 281: Emotion (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 281: Emotion (2)
Ryozo looked completely dazed, her eyes unfocused as if her soul had drifted away. Her irises were dull and hazy, clouded over.
“Wha-wha-wha, wha—oww!”
She let out a cute, squeaky cry. Her jaw trembled so violently that she ended up biting her tongue, causing tears to prick at the corners of her eyes. Even so, her gaze remained pinned firmly on me.
“…I came because I wanted to see you.”
I avoided her stare, muttering under my breath as if wishing I could crawl into a hole and disappear. Dammit, this is absolute mortification.
“Are you reawwy Kang Geomma?!”
You would think she would keep her mouth shut if it hurt, but she kept pressing me, staring intently with wide, almost uncomfortably large eyes.
Ah, I shouldn't laugh.
But my body had a mind of its own, and in the end, I burst into laughter.
“……!”
Showing up unannounced was one thing, but bursting into laughter right after? Ryozo looked at me like I had completely lost my mind.
She leaped up from her seat and marched over to where I sat across the table. Rough and assertive, she yanked my chair around to face her directly.
Ryozo used her fingers to pull down my lower eyelids, tapped my cheeks lightly, and even forced my mouth open to inspect my tongue. Then she stepped back and tilted her head.
“You don't seem to have anyt'ing wrong wid you…”
Suddenly, her face surged forward.
Tap.
Our foreheads lightly touched. Our faces were impossibly close, her breath washing over my skin. The gap between us was no thicker than a single sheet of paper.
While I merely blinked in disbelief, Ryozo closed her eyes tight and knit her brows, seemingly concentrating on something. With her forehead still pressed against mine, she slowly opened her eyes.
“Doesn't seem like you have a fever… Or did the stress get to you so bad that your brain actually broke?”
Ryozo muttered. Her pronunciation had returned to normal, though her swollen tongue was still visible between her teeth.
She met my gaze directly. With our foreheads pressed together, it was actually harder not to look each other in the eye.
“……”
A dead silence fell over the kitchen. The earthenware pot had finally lost its vigor, and the bubbling sound of the kimchi stew quieted down.
We stared at each other in silence for a long moment, our steady breath brushing against each other's cheeks.
“…Are you serious?” Ryozo asked, searching my eyes intently.
I gave a small nod. Since we were pressed together, our foreheads rubbed against each other.
“Yeah.”
“Why… now…? What brought this on?”
“I’ve been thinking carefully for the past few days. About who the most precious person to me is. And only one person came to mind. Of course, the Travel Club members and everyone else are all precious to me, but…”
I paused between words. It felt better than a moment ago, but it was still embarrassing.
Even so.
“…The person who cared about me more than anyone else was you, Ryozo.”
“Is that a confession?”
“Something like that.”
“It’s either a confession or it isn’t. What do you mean, ‘something like that’?”
“I’ve never said anything like this to anyone in my life, so I don't even know if I’m doing it right.”
I scratched my cheek.
“Anyway, I’m really pathetic, aren't I? Saying stuff like this just a week before the war.”
“Yeah. You're a total idiot.”
Saying that, Ryozo pulled her forehead away from mine. She took a ragged breath, looking somewhat resentful.
“I… made it so obvious for so long… Do you have any idea how cowardly it is to say this right before heading off to war?”
She hit the nail on the head. So I listened quietly to her scolding. Her tone was sharp, but for some reason, a gentle smile formed on my lips.
“What are you smiling for?! Don't smile, you dummy! If a great hero about to go off to war makes a face like that, it makes me look like the bad guy!”
“Should I take it back, then…?”
Ryozo glared at me with narrowed eyes. I had tried to crack a joke because the mood felt too heavy, but it seemed I had only poured gasoline on the fire. This wasn't easy.
“You’re terrible.”
“I know.”
“Really, really terrible.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“There’s no guy worse than you in the entire world.”
“From a certain perspective, I suppose so.”
“In some ways, you’re worse than that bastard, the Archery Saint.”
“Okay, that’s a bit…”
“No, you’re worse! At least that guy cherished his own life like crazy. But you? You never think about the people around you and throw yourself onto the front lines every damn time! And you're so insanely fast that nobody even has time to stop you. Being that fast, are you even going to be able to perform as a man later?!”
“What—”
Ryozo didn't wait for my answer. She took a sudden step forward, bringing her face close once more. She grabbed my cheeks, pinching them firmly.
“…This is the last time.”
Her lips twitched as she forced the words out.
“I’m letting you go just this once. But there won't be a next time. Next time, I’ll grab a bow and charge into battle in your place, so you better remember that.”
Dumbfounded, I just stared at her blankly. She demanded an answer.
“Did you hear me or not?”
With my cheeks still pinned, I nodded. Displeased by my dazed reaction, Ryozo furrowed her brows.
“You still haven't snapped out of it. Since you're here, seal it with a stamp.”
“Wait, a stamp is a bit—!”
My pupils dilated. A pair of sky-blue eyes filled my vision entirely. Her lips pressed softly against mine.
Creak.
My chair wobbled precariously, almost tipping backward, before barely regaining its balance. Ding, ding, ding. Bells chimed three times inside my head. My mind felt like it was about to float away.
“Now that we’ve stamped it, don't you dare try to back out later.”
Ryozo gave my cheeks a light push. With a hand’s breadth of distance between us, I could finally take in her face. It looked ready to erupt like an active volcano.
Even so, Ryozo feigned composure. There was one last thing she needed to say to Kang Geomma, who was leaving to save the world.
“Don't die.”
Ryozo said fiercely.
“Cut them all down—just like you always do.”
*
The apartment corridor.
Cynthia leaned her elbows against the balcony railing, resting her chin on the back of her folded hand. In that posture, she idly watched the evening high tide, passing the time.
The sky was gloomy, choked with dark clouds. Far out off the coast of Busan, heavy waves crashed against the shore. Dark clouds hung over everything, both literally and figuratively.
“It's winter, yet it looks like it's going to pour rain instead of snow,” Cynthia muttered, her breath puffing out white.
As she stood there with a listless expression, a creak sounded behind her. She turned around. Kang Geomma carefully opened the door and stepped outside. Looking sheepish, he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
“You were waiting outside because of me. I'm sorry about that.”
“Sorry for what? We've been under a state of war for the past few days, so I was itching to get some fresh air anyway. I just came out to stretch my legs while I waited. Don't worry about it.”
Cynthia curled her lips into a smirk, then used her thumb to wipe across Kang Geomma's lips. Red broth smudged across her thumb. As Kang Geomma looked visibly flustered, a mischievous look spread over her face.
“How was my kimchi stew? I heard that my future son-in-law here is quite the cook?”
“Uh, well… Um.”
Son-in-law Kang. He couldn't exactly refute the title anymore. Perhaps because of that, Kang Geomma politely folded his hands together. It was time to display top-tier customer service.
“The sweetness was well-balanced, it wasn't overly spicy, and it was delicious. Especially the kimchi.”
“You must handle spicy food really well, Son-in-law Kang, considering you didn't find it spicy after I threw in a whole bundle of Cheongyang chili peppers. Ah, and by the way, that kimchi was store-bought.”
“Ah…”
Wearing a subtle smile, Cynthia patted down his stiffened shoulders.
“Thank you, Son-in-law Kang. For coming to see her. She looked like she was chewing on gravel before you showed up, you know. But the moment she saw your face, she just bloomed right up. She never makes faces like that for me.”
Cynthia let out a dramatic sigh, leaving Kang Geomma at a total loss. Teasing her future son-in-law was far too entertaining. She hoped this boy would quickly grow up and officially join the family—that way, she could tease him forever. Her naive son-in-law truly stoked her mischievous streak.
“You know what?”
Cynthia stepped back slightly from him.
“When I first met you, you were like a piece of wood. Compared to back then, you've become so much more expressive. Look at you right now. Lingering affection is practically dripping from your eyes.”
Cynthia turned around. Solitude and loneliness seemed to linger around her back.
“Bound by emotions… I don't know if that's a good thing for a hero, but as a human being, doesn't it mean you've grown?”
It was a question Cynthia posed to herself. She recalled the partner she had once passionately loved, who was now a stranger. After more than a decade, her memories of the Archery Saint were dark and hazy, much like those storm clouds above.
“…Geomma, it's not just you. That man, Kojima… he changed too.”
Cynthia felt a bitter taste in her mouth. What on earth possessed the Archery Saint to join the war? It truly was the end of the world. At the same time, she was dying to know. Why had that man changed? A man who hadn't even batted an eye when she left him. Her chest felt heavy and suffocating.
Why would a man who abhorred war ever since Lady Alice Louise—Cheolsim—was killed in battle… why would he step forward now instead of hiding away like an old retiree as usual?
Could it be… that he intends to… in this war…?
Ominous thoughts piled up layer upon layer. She wanted to ask Kang Geomma about it, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She considered dropping a subtle hint, but even that felt wrong. What kind of disgraceful behavior would that be to display before a hero bearing the fate of humanity on his shoulders?
Pitter, patter.
As if reflecting her mood, the storm clouds squeezed out droplets of water. It was a winter rain. The drizzle began to fall, quickly turning into a forceful downpour that pounded relentlessly against the ground, the sea, and the top of Cynthia's head.
Shaaaaa…
Old trees preparing for hibernation shivered faintly. Dead branches clattered against one another with a desolate sound. Whether their trembling was due to the unseasonable winter rain or an impending omen was something only nature knew.
Step.
Kang Geomma stood beside Cynthia. Like her, he rested his elbows against the hallway railing. The indifferent sky poured freezing winter rain over the two of them.
“We had an emergency meeting a little while ago. The Archery Saint attended as well, which I found very surprising, so I asked him privately after the meeting ended. I was curious too. Why he decided to join the war.”
Kang Geomma slicked his wet hair back. His face, soaked with rain, somehow looked relieved.
“The Archery Saint replied that he didn't want to remain a man his loved ones would be ashamed of. To be honest, I don't know what he meant by that. Our relationship is so bad that it might have just been an offhand answer to brush me off. But what's important here…”
Kang Geomma turned his head to look at her.
“…is that he used the plural ‘loved ones.’ Not just one person, but several. And among them, Mother, you are definitely included.”
Soaked like a drowned rat, he gave a warm smile. Cynthia blinked. Raindrops hung on her eyelashes like dew. Soon, her gloomy face brightened completely.
“My daughter certainly picked a good man.”
Kang Geomma awkwardly lifted one corner of his mouth in response.
“It's time for you to go, right? Hurry along. You'll miss the last bus to the terminal… Huh?”
Cynthia's voice trailed off. As she spoke, a strange sense of incongruity struck her.
“Son-in-law Kang, how did you even get to Busan? Under martial law and state of war, buses and Subspace Warps should all be suspended. How are you planning to go back?”
Kang Geomma hesitated to answer. For a split second, he debated whether to tell the truth. Then, making up his mind, he exhaled heavily, his white breath condensing clearly in the cold air.
“What you are about to see… I will explain the next time we meet.”
Before Cynthia could ask anything else, Kang Geomma snapped his fingers. A blinding burst of light exploded across Cynthia's retina. Instinctively, she crossed her arms over her face to shield her eyes.
The last thing she caught was Kang Geomma's lingering afterimage shattering in an instant, followed immediately by a deafening roar of thunder.
She slowly squinted her eyes open. Her eyes stung from the intense light, but fortunately, her vision was slowly but surely returning.
Regaining her sight, Cynthia lowered her defensive stance. A second later, her pupils contracted sharply before dilating in utter shock.
The hallway was scorched black in places, with glowing red patches melted into the floor. Particles of light that looked like finely crushed embers tumbled across the ground before dissipating into thin air with a faint hiss.
Where the flash had been, only those traces remained. Kang Geomma was nowhere to be seen.
Rumble…
Cynthia steadied her swaying body and immediately looked up at the sky. The rain had abruptly stopped as if it had never fallen. The only trace left of the winter rain was a dark blue ripple shimmering beyond the heavy storm clouds.