Chapter 196: Just a Trivial Story (3)
"What are you mumbling about?"
Even after ten years, Sang-Hyeon could instantly recognize his former junior Cha Hyeon-Ju's face.
"Are you... Hyeon-Ju?"
"Yes."
"Why are you here..."
Sang-Hyeon stood up and felt a little embarrassed.
"I heard from Dong-Su oppa. I came here because I suddenly thought of So-Yeon and realized it was her birthday too."
"Ah..."
"When I visited during her birthday, I heard from someone. I forget who now, but they saw someone similar to you."
"I see."
"By the way, I coincidentally heard some things earlier."
"...!"
Seeing Sang-Hyeon's reaction, Hyeon-Ju gave a reassuring smile.
"Can you at least tell me?"
"..."
Sang-Hyeon pondered, 'Right now?'
Although Sang-Hyeon had resolved to tell So-Yeon the truth, it was difficult for him to suddenly reveal the fact hidden from his colleagues all this time, but Sang-Hyeon nodded.
'I promised So-Yeon to tell her the truth regardless.'
Sang-Hyeon looked into Hyeon-Ju's eyes.
In Hyeon-Ju's clear and beautiful eyes reminiscent of So-Yeon, Sang-Hyeon's determined expression was reflected.
"Where should we go talk?"
"There's a cafe over there."
"Let's go."
On the way to the cafe, they exchanged awkward glances.
'Creek Place'
Because it was a cafe located within the memorial park, Sang-Hyeon expected a dark atmosphere. Surprisingly, it was a well-lit cafe.
Hyeon-Ju brought over the coffee.
"By the way oppa, your personality has changed a lot."
Hyeon-Ju commented on her impression of him on their way to the cafe as she placed the coffee down.
"Really? Well, I guess I can't be the same as I was in high school."
"I heard you went to Ahsung. Did you change a lot there? Or was it after what happened to So-Yeon...?"
"Well... it could be both."
"You heard about it from Dong-Su, right?"
"About what?"
As they sat and started talking, their conversation flowed smoothly, surprisingly smooth for a reunion after ten years. It felt like they had been seeing each other regularly.
"That I was the one who found you in the stream."
"Oh... Do you still watch my stream these days?"
"Yeah."
"... Can you try not to watch them?"
"Why? So mean."
"Well, knowing that someone I know is watching… it's a bit…"
"You think I'm the only one watching your stream? I bet there are many more people you know, especially people from the archery club."
Sang-Hyeon let out a hollow laugh.
"I wasn't some famous figure that archery club members would remember or even know who I am."
"But there were people who knew who you were, right?"
"That was almost ten years ago. I aged a lot."
Hyeon-Ju smirked and changed the topic.
"How long has it been since the last time you came to see So-Yeon?"
"About two years ago..."
"I knew you would come here often... I think it's been about four years for me."
Well, there were hardly any people who visited someone every year, especially a friend. It was common for people to not be able to visit their parent's graves regularly these days.
"So, are you going to tell me now?"
With a smile, Hyeon-Ju casually asked as if it was a simple question to Sang-Hyeon. Of course, Hyeon-Ju felt burdened asking Sang-Hyeon. No matter how long time passed, that incident was still a question mark to some people.
"What you told So-Yeon earlier, I want to know about it too."
"... Okay," Sang-Hyeon nodded.
He stared at the massive front window for a moment. Fresh white snow was falling and covering the ground.
"First, the reason I quit archery."
"Yes..."
"What So-Yeon was thinking at the time was right. It wasn't because I found archery lame or uninteresting."
Hyeon-Ju didn't seem surprised.
"I heard from So-Yeon. How long you've been doing this since you were very young, and what it means to you. And because of your grandmother... you had to keep going for it."
"Yeah, that's right."
"Then why did you quit? It was a situation where you couldn't quit at all, and you still shoot arrows these days... It seems like you still want to do it, right?"
"It's because of this."
Sang-Hyeon extended his right arm.
"... Your right arm?"
Sang-Hyeon explained the current situation. How far his right arm could function, why it only worked in virtual reality games, etc.
"...!"
Hyeon-Ju seemed shocked. It seemed like she hadn't even considered injury as one of the reasons.
Well, Sang-Hyeon appeared perfectly fine physically.
"Oh, oh no... I didn't know about that..."
Hyeon-Ju's eyes trembled. As an active athlete, she understood well what Sang-Hyeon might have gone through. The feeling of something you've dedicated more than half of your life to being abruptly cut off midway. The sensation of losing over half of your world.
"... Wh-Why didn't you say anything?!"
"The coach said it would have a negative impact on everyone’s training… and my pride..."
"What…?!"
Hyeon-Ju remained silent for a moment. Perhaps she was a little angry, but Sang-Hyeon had to tell her the rest of the story. After all, it already started.
From the moment Dong-Su found Sang-Hyeon, he had to face this.
"... Did you say your pride?" Hyeon-Ju's voice changed quite a bit from before.
Of course, Sang-Hyeon was expecting this reaction before he started talking.
"So-Yeon always believed I was the best."
"... And?"
"It's not only So-Yeon, but also the coach, friends, and juniors... they all saw me as a promising athlete. I couldn't just suddenly tell the people who supported me as if I was the best and cheered me on that I basically became a vegetable overnight."
A moment of silence passed.
Sang-Hyeon quietly added an apology, "...I'm sorry."
Thump.
On the table, Hyeon-Ju's arms trembled.
"But still, you should've just told me..."
How nice would it have been if Sang-Hyeon just told her that? Why did he act that way? What if... all of the what-ifs popped up in Hyeon-Ju's head.
Sang-Hyeon had those thoughts all the time, so he let Hyeon-Ju express her emotions.
"Why didn't you just be a coward and go against the coach's words to tell us the truth? Was your pride more important than your friendship with So-Yeon?"
Tears streamed down Hyeon-Ju's makeup.
"You could've told So-Yeon at least!"
Hyeon-Ju was wrong. Sang-Hyeon could have told everyone about his injury, but not So-Yeon.
Sang-Hyeon didn't want to see her sympathetic pitiful face toward him. He always wanted to be the best in front of So-Yeon, but now, without his right arm and So-Yeon...
"I'm sorry."
That was all Sang-Hyeon could say.
Hyeon-Ju lowered her head and started bawling.
"Why... why do you carry all this burden alone? How long were you planning not to say anything? Why didn't you even tell us when So-Yeon died!! We didn't know anything...!"
Ten years ago, Hyeon-Ju resented Sang-Hyeon at the funeral home. She even said that she didn't want Sang-Hyeon to be at the funeral. Hyeon-Ju couldn't see anything else but So-Yeon at the time.
Now, ten years later, those harsh words she yelled out to Sang-Hyeon returned and dug into her chest.
"Actually, I was planning to tell her."
"So when was that going to be?!"
"When... So-Yeon called me for the last time. I was in rehabilitation. I believed that I would recover my right arm at that time. If only I could recover through rehabilitation... I was going to..."
Sang-Hyeon couldn't continue his words properly. He took a deep breath, but still struggled.
"I thought the injury or the accident would all be nothing and I could go back to what I was if the rehabilitation was successful, but So-Yeon was involved in a self-driving vehicle accident just like me and died. Then I found out the rehabilitation would only bring half of my right arm’s capability back."
"The same accident...?"
"Yes… there were a lot of accidents with self-driving vehicles back then."
From Sang-Hyeon's tone, Hyeon-Ju could somewhat grasp his thoughts.
'Was he feeling guilty?'
Hyeon-Ju could read Sang-Hyeon's mind and understand why he couldn't tell his colleagues about the injury, especially after So-Yeon's death.
"Was it... because of the guilt you felt from a similar self-driving vehicle accident? Is that why you couldn't even tell anything to anyone after So-Yeon died?!"
Sang-Hyeon simply lowered his head without saying a word.
"Why are you being such a fool? Who would think like that?" Hyeon-Ju accused him of foolishness.
"We were high school students back then. We were in high school!! No one would blame it on a high school student."
Sang-Hyeon knew that too. He knew that it wasn't his responsibility that So-Yeon died.
"... For me, I feel like I was the one who killed So-Yeon. The reason why I still feel this way... I don't know. I can't help it. You wouldn't understand."
It seemed like nothing significant to others, but to Sang-Hyeon, the thought always lingered in his mind.
'I was the only one who could have saved So-Yeon.'
There was nothing he could do about it.
"Sigh. Sang-Hyeon oppa, then does that make all surgeons murderers?"
"..."
"Of course... I wish you could've spoken up back then... I also regret it so much. If So-Yeon had been here… it would have been really good, you know? But your situation was also too difficult for a high school student."
Hyeon-Ju grabbed Sang-Hyeon's hands. Despite the size of those hands, Hyeon-Ju could feel the burdens and hardships those hands carried for the past ten years.
"It's okay," Hyeon-Ju sincerely reassured Sang-Hyeon. "It's been ten years. It's all okay now."
Something moist dropped onto Hyeon-Ju's hands.
Sang-Hyeon couldn't hold back his tears any longer.
***
After their meeting, Hyeon-Ju got into her car.
With a much calmer demeanor, she bid Sang-Hyeon farewell.
"Let's meet at Dong-Su's cafe next time."
"Sure."
"And… about your right arm. I'll keep it a secret for now. It's better if you talk about it to others later, right?"
"Yes, thank you."
Sang-Hyeon waved as he watched Hyeon-Ju's car drive away.
'Thanks, Hyeon-Ju.'
Sang-Hyeon truly felt grateful to her.
Even if her previous comforting words were fake, Hyeon-Ju became a benefactor to him just by listening to the story he finally shared.
As Hyeon-Ju's car drove further away, he returned to the park.
Sang-Hyeon stood in front of So-Yeon one last time. He touched the engraving on the stone.
"I'll come again."
With a lighter heart, he was one step closer to So-Yeon than before.
"Next time I see you..."
Sang-Hyeon imagined himself with other people the next time he came to see So-Yeon.
He gently placed down the white flower he bought at the cafe and looked forward to next year.
"Happy birthday, So-Yeon."
***
On the way back home, Sang-Hyeon felt a sense of relief. It felt like something significant had been resolved, but nothing had truly been resolved. It was just that the biggest tangle in Sang-Hyeon's heart was slowly unraveling.
'Thank goodness.'
With that alone, it felt like something had been resolved. Sang-Hyeon could return to his reality with a slightly lighter burden.
In the taxi on the way back home, one of the things Sang-Hyeon did was check the community's reactions.
[Today, Almond finally proved himself as the real KING]
[Yay, today Almond finally faces the challenger!]
[From now on, Chello will be called 'Goallo']
[Attention! Nationwide emergency in stationery stores! The gold paper needs to be changed into challenger paper...]
There were discussions about the opponent in the practice match.
'Today's opponent is the challenger... called BlackTea... I think?'
The Challenger ADC was an opponent Sang-Hyeon needed to be cautious about.
While Sang-Hyeon read various reactions related to it, he arrived home.
It was still around 2 P.M.
"How was the wedding?"
Ju-Hyeok asked while pulling out weeds in the yard.
"Oh..."
Sang-Hyeon had lied to Ju-Hyeok about the memorial park.
'I should tell him the truth.'
Recalling Sang-Hyeon's meeting with Hyeon-Ju today, he now felt that he should also tell Ju-Hyeok the truth.
"I have something to tell you."
"Hmm?"
Ju-Hyeok was surprised by the sudden serious expression from Sang-Hyeon and sat at the table quietly.
Sang-Hyeon opened up about everything that happened, starting from So-Yeon's accident, his guilt, and how he met Hyeon-Ju today.
He also told Ju-Hyeok about his plans from now on.
"..."
After listening to the whole story, Ju-Hyeok stared at Sang-Hyeon without saying a word. For a moment, he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
"There's just something in my eyes," Ju-Hyeok said as if Sang-Hyeon might question his masculinity as he sniffed. "So that's why you've been acting distant all this time?"
"Yeah. It wouldn't be great for it to become public, but honestly, I was most afraid of how my colleagues would perceive me."
"Because it felt like So-Yeon died because of you?"
"... Yes."
Ju-Hyeok sighed lightly and looked out the window.
'Well, if something like that happened to me... I would have felt the same way...'
Now everything made sense to Ju-Hyeok. He had a rough idea that there was something more that he didn't know about Sang-Hyeon.
"Now it makes sense."
Ju-Hyeok fell into a momentary silence as if unsure of what to say.
"How are you feeling?"
"Um... I feel much better. Hyeon-Ju seemed to have forgiven me."
"She's a good person."
"Yeah, she is. She's always been like that since we were young."
Ju-Hyeok tapped Sang-Hyeon's shoulder.
"Anyways, congratulations. I feel like you've taken a step forward."
"... Thank you."
Sang-Hyeon gave a faint smile.
"Time heals all wounds. Ten years... it scares me now."
"It should've faded already. Ten years is a long time."
Ju-Hyeok nodded in agreement. He knew how easily humans faded in front of time to some extent.
"It's nice to be in touch with your old colleagues. I thought you were bullied back in high school and had no friends."
"Oh, come on. I was pretty popular. At least in the archery club..."
Sang-Hyeon felt slightly embarrassed saying that and turned towards his computer.
"I have a lot to prepare today. I'll catch you up later."
It was 3 P.M. and still early, but today's opponent was competitive. Sang-Hyeon had to plan and prepare accordingly.
[Takoyaki: A compilation of BlackTea, our practice opponent's plays, macro, habits, and main champions.zip]
When Sang-Hyeon opened the file sent by Takoyaki, it contained various video files and accompanying text explanations.
Almond started watching them one by one.
He assumed he wouldn't be as good as a Challenger and intended to delve into their weaknesses as much as possible.
No matter how skilled a Challenger may be, there was no perfect player. Almond recorded even the directions they habitually avoided and memorized their movement patterns.
To defeat the opponent, he needed to pour all his attention into it.
Today, Almond's condition was great. It felt like something weighing him down had disappeared and freed him.