“You know, by the way…”
“Yeah.”
There was a beastman watching from the side. When Yu Jitae gave him a nod, the beastman left the room.
“That thing just thenn. Was that a dream…?”
“Which one?”
Her brain wasn’t processing information properly.
“What was it againn…?”
Being referred to as Bom-unni’s boyfriend was slightly surprising for Yu Jitae, but at the same time, it wasn’t the most surprising thing in the world.
Although Bom only teased him when they were alone together, the other kids were also dragons. They had excellent eyes and ears so it was possible that they had noticed something. Or it might be that Bom had told them already.
He let it be since it would be strange to interject just to correct her misunderstanding and besides, Kaeul should wake up any time soon anyway.
“Ah…!”
“Do you remember now?”
“Unn uun. I was like, like… papabak… pabak…”
Kaeul uttered while swaying her hands left and right. Yu Jitae was amused by her clumsy gestures so he decided to tease her a little.
“What kind of weird dream was that?”
“Ehng. Was it really a dream…?”
“I think so.”
“Ah. No wonder… So I, just jumped out huh…?”
She appeared to be talking about when she had jumped out of Unit 301.
“Uung. That’s weird though…? I thought, I’d be safe jumping off from that height though…”
Kaeul then gave a wide smile that made her truly look like a dull simpleton. Her outstretched hands slowly came down and reached her hair and she continued with her words while twirling the ends of her hair.
“Did I drop head first…?”
Muhuhu, she laughed and it supplemented her foolish smile to make her appear twice as foolish.
She seemed to be trying her hardest to think despite her head refusing to. He was about to stop teasing her but that was when she added more words.
“What would you, have done if I died…”
“That’s what I should be asking you.”
“Yeah. Why didn’t you, put iron bars on the window…?”
“At that point, you might as well ask for shackles.”
“That’s a bit…”
Kaeul was about to raise her body but Yu Jitae dissuaded her by waving his hand.
“Stay on the bed. Don’t overwork yourself.”
“Uung…”
She obediently laid back down. Kaeul rubbed her head into the pillow as her long hair then covered her face, and seemingly finding that unpleasant, she ran her fingers through her hair.
In the meantime, she mumbled.
“But still, thank goodness I’m alive…”
Those words touched a sensitive part of the Regressor’s mind so he waited for more words in silence.
Soon, Kaeul had a blank look on her face while seriously contemplating something. She thought on and on.
Although Kaeul wasn’t good at reading the mood, she was the type to try her best in reading the mood and although she wasn’t very thoughtful, she tried her hardest to think as much as possible.
Even now, she was working her small head as diligently as she could.
“I’m a bit strange right? I never lacked anything but… life had always been hard…”
“…”
“It’s been that way for several years so… it should be time, for many good things to happen… so it would be a waste to die so early right…?”
“So why did you jump out then.”
“Uun sorry… but, there was a good side to jumping down…”
“What was it?”
“I had a dream…”
With her eyes still out of focus, she looked at the ceiling.
“It was a really good dream… I met Chirpy again. There were bad monsters so, I flew around a lot, shot spells from my hands, saved people that were in danger. And there was like, someone helping me…”
Like a drunkard, she mumbled on.
Regardless, it fortunately seemed that it had indeed remained as a very positive memory. Even though her eyes were still out of focus and vacant, her hazy expression gradually became brighter.
“I also healed injured people…”
“Really?”
“Uun. They all became healthy… like, they could walk again…”
“Must have been nice.”
“Uun. I also defeated the very bad guy…”
“Good job.”
“But, there were also a lot of people that died…”
“Oh no.”
Kaeul shook her head.
“It’s sad, but it’s impossible to save everyone… Actually someone told me before… that you could carry through with your conviction with power… in my dream I wanted to help everyone… and you know what’s really insane…?”
“What is it?”
She threw her arms wide open.
“I helped eeeveryone…”
“Good on you.”
“Uun… but that was all a dream huh…”
Saying that, she pulled her arms back in and suddenly turned away from him. Looking at the child’s back, he asked.
“Are you disappointed?”
“…”
Kaeul replied after a short hesitation.
“Yes but… one day, I might be able to do that…”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
“Uum… but it will be difficult for me… I’m stupid… and I can’t do anything properly…”
“…”
“Uun, but, I will try my best… I got some courage after having that dream… maybe I’ll be able to do that in the future…? Helping and saving people…”
Kaeul turned towards him again with her vacant eyes staring at his face.
“That’s why I decided to not cry anymore…”
“Are you sure about that? That you won’t cry anymore.”
“Of course…”
“Can you promise me?”
“Uun…!”
“Then let’s make a vow on that promise.”
“Ohh. I know that…! I’ve done that before… I know the rules as well…!”
She clumsily raised her hand above her head while still lying down on the bed and murmured to herself, ‘I am the daughter of the gold dragon, Kalakisias, of East Askalifa’s Vien peninsula…’ He couldn’t exactly hear what she was saying due to all the mumbling.
“…I hereby vow to not cry.”
Saying that, she awkwardly gave a bow.
“Got it.”
Yu Jitae caressed her forehead. Following the lines of her hair, he patted her by the side of her forehead.
“Feels good…”
“Does it?”
“You do it just like our ahjussi…”
She suddenly blinked her eyes after saying that.
“Nn…?”
Kaeul slowly turned around to face Yu Jitae.
“Eh…? Bom-unni’s… huh!?”
“Why. What’s wrong?”
She slowly woke up from her confusion. Yu Jitae felt amused seeing her hazy eyes gradually regaining their focus. It was seemingly followed by a sudden headache as Kaeul frowned while placing her hands on her forehead.
“Are you okay now?”
“Uun? Uhh, yes…? What did I say just then…?”
Kaeul belatedly checked her surroundings again. What she had thought was her usual pillow was actually a bundle of straw and the bed she had considered comfortable was in fact a rugged bed crafted out of some animal fur. She slowly realised that this wasn’t her room at Unit 301 but even then, she still couldn’t discern whether the events from before was a dream or not and she thus continued thinking with a dazed look on her face.
Vuuuuung–!
That was when the sound of a warhorn was heard from outside.
“Mommy…! That scared me…”
It had been 2 weeks since she had fainted.
The spirit beasts and beastmen had begun restoring the World Tree after burying all the corpses and carrying out a group funeral. They were slowly starting to bustle again with energy.
“Yu Kaeul.”
“Yes?”
“Come here.”
Holding the child by her hand, Yu Jitae raised her up from the bed. With wide eyes like a rabbit, Kaeul was still bewildered and had trouble believing it was all true. He walked forward hand-in-hand with the child as she limped after him.
“Did you have a very good dream?”
“Sorry…?”
The warmth that was being transmitted over his hand steadily brought her back to reality.
“Time to wake up now.”
The moment Yu Jitae opened the curtains of the window, all the countless beastmen and spirit beasts that had gathered at the plaza in front of the building raised their voices and bellowed.
““Waaaaaaaaahh—-!!!””
Their growls and their voices resonated the entire dimension. Those who had heard the name of the gold dragon from Yu Jitae began calling out her name – the name of their guardian deity who had saved their world and the World Tree.
““Yu Kaeul–! Yu Kaeul–! Yu Kaeul–!””
As the faint barrier hindering her cognition crumbled down, Kaeul at last realised that all the dreamy events had in fact been real. She felt goosebumps all around her body. Every moment of what she had considered a dream; all those moments that seemed impossible at a glance were all real.
And it was she herself that had done it.
“…”
Freezing stiff from the overwhelming emotions, Kaeul used both her hands to cover her face. Her vow was already broken.
“They’re all waiting for you.”
“…”
“Wave back at least.”
But hearing Yu Jitae’s words, she lowered one of her hands and looked at the large tree that she had protected, and at the world in front of her.
As soon as Kaeul raised her hand,
It was followed by a thunderous roar of cheers.
***
Under the radiant sunlight, the animals hummed songs.
Receiving the endless cheers of the beastmen and the spirit beasts, Kaeul walked out onto the streets. The mythical creatures welcomed her and guided her forward as the World Tree moved its gigantic body to convey its gratitude. The gentle breezes spread a peaceful scent of nature and colourful flowers were laid in front of her path like a red carpet.
Before anything, she headed to the grave of the dead spirit beasts and beastmen. There was a cemetery built with people crying inside. Going into that place, Kaeul offered her condolences to the buried spirit beasts and beastmen. Although she had never met them before and did not have any connection with them, she still sincerely empathised with the sorrows of the ones present and wept with them. It was her inborn nature.
After that, she went to meet the baby chicken Chirpy and also met some spirit beasts that served him as a boss. She fiddled with his chubby belly for a bit but Chirpy soon led her to a different place.
Kaeul turned stiff upon arriving there.
In that place were spirit beasts who had hatched in the span of 2 weeks that Kaeul had fainted for. Most of them were babies of bird spirit beasts and looked like tiny baby chickens. Their parents were large hens and roosters who came up and asked for the blessings of their guardian deity.
In that warm forest of blooming flowers, surrounded by roosters and baby chickens, Kaeul gave various pleasant words.
He watched all that unfold from behind. Seeing that suddenly aroused a prophecy Bom had given on a certain night regarding Kaeul’s future.
– Hmm… There were a lot of roosters and chickens. A lot of baby chickens…
Perhaps this was the future she had seen.
After spending three days in the World Tree, it was finally time to go back.
In truth, Kaeul looked reluctant throughout the three-day period. She wasn’t pleased with the idea of leaving behind a world she had saved since the world also wanted her to remain here.
However, Yu Jitae had to take Kaeul back and this was something that could not be compromised on by any means and she also knew that to some extent.
That day, Yu Jitae and Kaeul walked on top of a branch that was near the top of the World Tree. She had something that she wanted to request from him.
“Please persuade me,” she said.
“Persuade for what.”
“Please persuade me at least, to go back home… otherwise I don’t wanna go back.”
In response, Yu Jitae took the pocket watch out from his pocket and opened it. He then took out the note that Kaeul had given him as a present in the past during his birthday party.
[Wish Card ♥]
“Ugh… that’s not supposed to be used now…”
Kaeul said with a pout as her golden eyes resentfully glared at him. Yu Jitae returned a faint smile and the two of them walked for a long time without saying anything else.
When the branch became narrower, Kaeul stumbled and was about to fall so Yu Jitae held her back.
Sitting at the top of the world, they turned their gazes to the spirit beasts on the ground that were now miniscule and hardly visible. Due to feeling all the emotions and thoughts that surged up from watching the town of beastmen and spirit beasts, they didn’t share any conversation for quite some time.
It was Kaeul who broke the silence with a question.
“What if…”
She mumbled with a calm face that he had never before seen from her.
“What if there was a world without farewells. How would it be?”
He realised the child was sincerely concerned about the topic, and because that concern was something everyone had in common; and also because it was an unfortunate question that did not have a beautiful and idealistic response to it, he honestly shared what he himself thought.
“Then the time you spend together won’t feel special.”
“Is that so…”
There is nothing eternal in this world. That was the conclusion he drew with his dry voice.
“It is because there are farewells that we try our hardest during the time before the farewell.”
“And make good farewells too?”
“That’s correct.”
“…”
Looking at his face, Kaeul deeply pondered so Yu Jitae looked back and similarly contemplated.
<[Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)]: …>
That was when a message like that appeared in Kaeul’s mind.
In that instant, Yu Jitae realised he had made a mistake but Kaeul didn’t seem to have noticed it. Therefore, as naturally as possible, he retrieved the [Authority Adaptor] bracelet from the child.
“Oh right, by the way, when did you come here ahjussi?”
“After you finished everything.”
This was an extremely important question, and was a question that Yu Jitae couldn’t give an honest answer to. Fortunately as always, Kaeul trusted him.
“Were you worried a lot?”
“No. Not much. Should we go back now.”
“Ah, yes.”
The two of them stood up.
The sun had already set beyond the horizon and it was nighttime. Dense clouds that could be spotted through the veil of night approached from a distance as raindrops started to fall.
After telling the mythical creatures and the representative of the World Tree that she would go back and that she would sometimes come over, Kaeul bid farewell and walked outside with Yu Jitae.
Waiting in front of an alleyway was the baby chicken. With blank eyes it looked up after seemingly sensing something.
Chirp!
“Un un.”
Kaeul walked to the baby chicken, Chirpy, and took an umbrella out of her dimensional storage to cast over the baby chicken. It was raining quite heavily.
Crouching in front of the baby chicken, she reminisced on memories of the past.
She could remember the small and dusty furry ball, wandering around the streets injured, pushing its beak through dirt in hunger.
At first she had approached it with Yu Jitae, gave food and had watched over it with concern and yet that same baby chicken was now so much bigger, ready for a full farewell.
They had danced together in times of joy and had consoled each other through hardships. Every morning they sang songs and every night they hugged each other to sleep. The baby chicken was the one that made her realise she could do something, and was also the one who made her realise that her value was in giving love instead of receiving it.
With a myriad of thoughts flashing past her head, Kaeul crouched in front of the baby chicken for a very long time.
“You have to stay healthy.”
Chirp…
A final smile should be a better farewell.
With that in mind, Kaeul did not cry.
***
After leaving the World Tree, while walking together with Yu Jitae towards the interdimensional fissure, Kaeul went through the events that had happened once again.
From time to time there was someone that had provided her with help. It was a being that she could never have assumed to be a human.
Kaeul felt goosebumps the moment she realised it was Yu Jitae from the conversation she had with him just then despite not showing it on the outside.
When she was frightened about the idea that she had to endure hardship by herself, that ‘transcendent authority’ helped her stand back up again and again. And she now realised that that had been Yu Jitae all along.
Kaeul was surprised by the fact that he was such an incredible being that could rival the authorities of the Ancient One and was also surprised by how it had been him who helped her stand firmly in times of uncontrollable anguish.
It was raining heavily on their way back. Carrying an umbrella, Yu Jitae walked next to her.
This weather and this scene appeared like a representation of her life. It had always been raining in Kaeul’s world, and who was it that had been stopping all those rains for her?
Looking back, surprisingly enough,
It had always been just one person.
So in the middle of their way back, Kaeul stopped her feet and hugged Yu Jitae. Yu Jitae hugged her back with one hand while holding the umbrella with his other hand.
The world of my weak-hearted self had always been dripping with heavy rain.
Whenever it was raining,
The person who always stood by my side,
To protect me and keep me safe from the rain.
“Ahjussi…”
You, are the one over my head; my
Episode 94: Umbrella
End