293
2178 Words
[Chapter 095] [A Heart That Must Not Change]
A year passed.
Year 10 of the Fairy Era.
The new year spent with family passed peacefully.
To the point where he inadvertently wished these days would continue.
His father's embrace made him think he could put down his heavy burden and just enjoy this moment.
His mother's embrace seemed to tell him it was okay to catch his breath for a moment.
But his older sister's embrace reminded him he could lose happiness again.
And his younger sister's embrace was too narrow, making him realize the bitterness that only he could protect her.
Other people too.
They comforted him saying it's okay to rest if it's hard, and told him not to settle down already.
Lastly, Han Seo-hyun─
"Thanks for coming."
"Of course I had to come, right?"
─Taught him the harsh reality that he couldn't protect everything.
Eun-ha visited Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 to meet Han Seo-hyun who was leaving to study abroad in Japan.
"Did you finish the departure procedures?"
"Just need to process things after entering the gate."
"Your carrier?"
"Haven't you been on a plane?"
"No."
Han Seo-hyun who was standing blankly by the window showed him the passport in her hand.
An airline ticket was tucked between the green passport.
Eun-ha gave a bitter smile.
Because that airline ticket seemed to tell him of his powerlessness.
Because it seemed to teach him that grasping the future you want is difficult, and moving the world as you wish is not easy.
"Eun-ha came too. Wasn't it hard coming from the morning? Seo-hyun seems to be really blessed with people. So many people came."
"Didn't you know our Seo-hyun is blessed with people? Ye-jang, you don't know much about Seo-hyun?" "What's with you? I know my fiancée very well."
"As if you know better than me, her older sister."
"Augh, noona is really hateful."
And Choi Ye-jang, a direct descendant of YH Group who wouldn't leave her side.
Eun-ha shook hands with him while blankly staring at Han Seo-hyun who had closed her mouth again.
She was treating the people who came to say goodbye formally.
That appearance reminded him of Ha Baek-ryeon who lived a life where she had to abandon herself while suffering through storms.
"...But why are you crying?"
"Who's crying..."
"Then what's flowing from your eyes?"
"It's snot, you jerk...!"
Gong Baek-gi who had finished greeting Han Seo-hyun and returned was sniffling and crying next to Eun-ha.
Eun-ha saw an unexpected side of him and realized he only knew superficially about him from his memories in his previous life.
While older brother Gong Cheong-gi had a mature side, younger brother Gong Baek-gi was affectionate.
He who dreamed of becoming Seo-hyun's exclusive still didn't seem to believe her studying abroad.
"...But... aren't you sad?"
"It's not like we can't meet at all."
I'm not sure about the emotion called sadness.
I just know powerlessness.
Eun-ha tried hard to lie.
His weakness, his powerlessness.
...I'm sorry.
The memory was still vivid.
Han Seo-hyun asking if he could stop her studying abroad while opposing Sirius.
The answer then was still the same now.
Whether asked once or twice, he would give the same answer.
That he couldn't do it.
"What are you doing?"
"Oppa..."
That's when it happened.
Eun-a touched his face.
Eun-ae hugged him tightly.
The warmth and mass felt from that.
Feeling that, he shook his head saying it was nothing.
Nevertheless, the sisters' worry didn't go away.
The more so, warmth enveloped his body, and weight pressed down on his shoulders.
"...It's okay, it's nothing."
"It's not okay... Eun-ha, I'll take care of you from now on." "...Noona? What do you mean take care..."
Then Eun-ha was flustered.
Because Eun-a suddenly hardened her face as if she had made some decision.
She stopped him trying to say something, then brightened her hardened face and raised one hand high.
"Guys, shall we go get something to drink!?"
"Unni! Eun-a unni! I want to drink hot chocolate!!"
"Huh? Should we... Everyone came from the morning to see Seo-hyun... Okay then I'll treat."
"No, Seo-yeon noona, since we're treating, I as Seo-hyun's fiancé..."
"Who cares who treats! Eun-ha, what do you want to drink?"
"...Hot Americano."
"With syrup too?"
"...Yeah, lots."
Noh Eun-a who naturally changed the topic and refreshed the atmosphere.
Eun-ha looked at her with distaste as she asked with sparkling eyes.
Trying to figure out what that gaze meant.
It's okay, leave it all to noona!
Oppa, leave it all to me!
I don't know.
I couldn't understand.
Just what was he supposed to leave to her.
Did monsters appear somewhere in the airport or something?
You're still a kid?
Can't even drink coffee properly.
Eun-ha met eyes with Seo-hyun while gazes were focused on Eun-a.
She who smiled gently moved her lips.
Eun-ha quickly responded silently too.
Her face improved a little.
"I'll stay here."
"Then who will get Seo-hyun's coff..."
"Come on, of course you Ye-jang should take care of Seo-hyun's coffee."
"Eun-a noona, I'm worried about leaving Seo-hyun alone..."
"Then you can just tell someone to stay. Right, Seo-yeon?"
"...Yeah, that's right. Then Eun-ha, will you stay with Seo-hyun?"
The situation suddenly changed before they knew it.
Eun-ha exchanged glances with Eun-a who was trying to go find a cafe while pushing Choi Ye-jang's back.
The siblings could communicate even with just eye contact.
Eun-ha, fighting!
......
Eun-ha just blinked his eyes.
Because the communication didn't get through.
He tried sending to Eun-ae just in case, but got the same answer from her too.
"Huh..."
Eun-ha sighed watching the people walking away.
Before he knew it, only he and Seo-hyun were left in the spot where planes could be seen.
Seo-hyun─
"─Are you just going to keep standing?"
Sat in a chair and patted the seat next to her.
☆
"Hand."
A hand held out casually now.
Eun-ha silently took Han Seo-hyun's hand asking to be held.
The two sat side by side just looking at the planes.
"I'm leaving." "I know." "Don't you have anything to say?"
"Have a good trip."
"Yeah."
Eun-ha didn't know what to say to her.
Nothing came to mind.
Just formal greetings.
She didn't say anything either.
So the silence lengthened.
The warmth felt from their tightly clasped hands was too heavy.
Surely this warmth would sink below the floor the moment their hands let go, because it was so heavy.
"─I'm sorry."
Then Eun-ha broke the heavy silence and opened his mouth.
Words of apology coming from a sense of powerlessness at being unable to do anything.
Even after saying it, he didn't feel better.
"What do you mean?"
"Just something."
Especially because she asked.
Eun-ha brushed it off vaguely.
She didn't press him needlessly.
She just leaned her body to the side.
Weight was transmitted to his right shoulder. At the same time, warmth covered his body.
She probably felt it too.
That to obtain this warmth, you had to endure this much weight.
The warmer it was.
The heavier it was.
He could keenly feel how difficult that was.
"I won't be able to call when I get there."
"Then let's chat."
"I won't be able to contact often either."
"I'll reply whenever I get messages."
"...Yeah."
Even domestically, communication disruptions occurred when mana concentrations rose.
It was a frequent occurrence, so communication between countries was even less active.
They won't be able to contact each other often like now.
"As I said before... when I leave, people will start approaching you in earnest."
"...I've heard it many times already."
"Among them, there could be people who think they'll crush you if they can't have you."
"Then I'll crush them first."
The year changed.
From March, he'll be a 2nd year.
It will get harder from this year.
Because he had to start moving in earnest.
Eun-ha met Seo-hyun's gaze staring intently at him.
"─Be careful."
Advice from a direct descendant.
Don't look down on other direct descendants.
She said while pulling his arm.
He was reflected in her eyes.
Though she seemed detached from the world.
Though her eyes were clouded earlier.
"─I will."
Eun-ha was about to nod.
That's when─
"─What are you two doing sticking together?"
"Kyaa─!!"
"─!!"
Han Seo-yeon who suddenly appeared behind announced her presence.
The two who were focused on each other were startled.
Especially Han Seo-hyun who was so surprised she fell towards Eun-ha.
Eun-ha tried to catch her but fell backwards.
"...Unni, what are you doing?"
"I said be careful. I know you two are close, but I'd like you to maintain proper boundaries since there's a fiancé."
"......"
Han Seo-hyun who got up wiping her lips.
She glared at her older sister then snatched her coffee and strode off to the bathroom.
"Seo-hyun where are you going!"
"The bathroom. Why, are you going to follow me oppa?"
"No, that's..."
Choi Ye-jang hurriedly followed after her.
Han Seo-yeon didn't mind since it wasn't the first time her younger sister got angry.
"Eun-ha, are you okay? Here, what you said you wanted to drink."
"...Oh... thanks."
Eun-ha who got up from his seat received the coffee Eun-a brought.
He who had been touching his lips with his fingers tasted the coffee filled with lots of syrup.
The coffee was hot.
It was just as sweet.
"─Take care."
It took a long time for Seo-hyun to return from the bathroom.
She greeted Eun-ha and entered the gate.
She's not even making eye contact, that one.
I don't know who's the young one here.
Eun-ha sent her a message.
He can still use his smartphone for now.
So a reply came quickly.
"Seo-hyun": Hurry and forgte (11:16 AM)
"Seo-hyun": Forget (11:17 AM)
I really don't know who's the young one.
☆
"Me? What do I want to be when I grow up?"
"Eun-ha, what are you saying after meeting for the first time in a while?"
"Sleepy..."
Today they decided to hold an elementary school reunion organized by Min-ji.
Weather where you could see your breath when you blew air.
Eun-ha who buried himself in his jumper met the Alchemy Combo and Baek Hyeon-yul after a long time.
The three who went to nearby middle schools had grown a lot in a year.
But Hyeon-yul was hunched over from lack of sleep.
Even that appearance was like a painting, so people who passed by kept sending glances at him.
"Me? I want to be a chemist." "I want to be a mathematician."
The Alchemy Combo who said they go to school and academies even during vacation.
The two who said they came out to get some fresh air for the first time in a while talked cheerfully.
While not forgetting to take care of Hyeon-yul who kept nodding off.
"What about you Baek Hyeon-yul?" "Sleepy..."
"Hyeon-yul said he'd be fine with any job as long as he can draw."
"And he also said he wants to sleep 12 hours a day."
"That's so like Hyeon-yul."
""Right?""
""""Sigh....""""
The Alchemy Combo laughed.
The other friends sighed.
Eun-ha slowly followed them as they chatted, laughed and talked.
Snow fell.
Jin Parang who met the Alchemy Combo and Hyeon-yul for the first time suddenly ran ahead and played in the snow.
He looked just like a puppy experiencing first snow.
The group burst out laughing again.
Hyeon-yul who had woken up by now started drawing his appearance in the sketchbook he took out from his bag.
"Yeah, you guys laugh..."
Eun-ha muttered quietly while getting hit by the slowly falling snow.
Looking up at the sky, there were quite a lot of clouds.
It seemed like there would be a fair amount of snow piled up on the streets by the time they came out of the karaoke room.
"......"
Eun-ha thought of the academy.
He'll be busier when he becomes a 2nd year.
Because he had to sort out the guys he needed to kill within the 031st class.
During the past year, he had been calmly working on distinguishing those who would be obstacles to him and those who wouldn't.
It didn't take long.
Because he mainly looked at guys who had a lot of problems in the future.
Some had room for improvement, some still had to be killed.
...A bloodbath is coming.
So he hoped they would laugh.
Cheerfully even on this cold day.
He would block the cold.
"But in the end I didn't even get to talk to Hoshimiya Kaede..."
There was so much to do.
He hadn't even met Hoshimiya Kaede, one of On Tae-yang's companions, yet.
He wanted to meet her this year.
It would be great if they became close.
And now...
Noona will graduate next year too.
He had fallen quite far behind his friends.
Eun-ha stepped forward.
His friends were calling and waiting for him in the distance.
That's when his smartphone vibrated.
Eun-ha took out his smartphone.
"Ryu Yeon-hwa": Want to go to the academy dungeon? (2:13 PM)
Ryu Yeon-hwa would be graduating soon too.
- Writer
