Yu Jitae and Bom did not come back.
Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul discussed their whereabouts and were either enraged or saddened by their ignorance.
When Yeorum stood up from the ground, Kaeul hurriedly followed her and stood up to block her path. “Why, where are you going!?” she asked and Yeorum irritatedly replied that she would rummage through Yu Jitae’s room so Kaeul had to stop her with all her might.
‘Fuck off!’, ‘No…!’ While the two of them were arguing next to her, Gyeoul scratched her head.
“… Won’t he… come back?”
Her sisters turned towards her.
“… He’s always… here, in the morning.”
Gyeoul knew because she was always tracking Yu Jitae’s movement in and out of the house. Oftentimes, he would leave at early evening or late at night but he would always be back by morning without a doubt.
For Gyeoul, that was like an undeniable fact.
“Hah, for fuck’s sake.”
And Yeorum also trusted Yu Jitae as much as Gyeoul trusted him. Turning her feet, Yeorum walked out of the dormitory. When Kaeul shouted, “Where are you going!” from behind, she replied while waving her hand.
“To do my own business.”
If she focused on her own work, he would be back in no time. Interrogating him could wait for now.
That night, after finishing her personal training, Yeorum headed to the agency. Right now, Yeorum was affiliated to a superhuman agency that was directly linked to the Association. It was a necessary arrangement done by Yu Jitae to allow Yeorum to have official duels with rankers.
After entering the company, Yeorum walked into the crowd of people wearing suits in her pair of shorts and a training top. She then started looking for her manager.
The name of the manager…
Uhh, the name of the manager wasss~~~…
Anyway, he was the manager.
But even though she came directly to the company, she had no idea how she was supposed to meet the manager. Yeorum had to call but…
“Ah, I didn’t save his number.”
She did not know his number, nor did she know which office the manager was in. In addition, she had also lost his business card.
It was when Yeorum was frowning in thought.
“Uh? Miss Yeorum…?”
“Hoh?”
The manager appeared from the other side of the corridor at just the right time. With his eyes wide open, he began creating a big fuss.
“Why were you not picking up any of my calls?”
“Kuhum, I don’t pick up calls from numbers I don’t know…”
“And you didn’t check the messages either!? In any case, I was looking to contact you just then! You came at the perfect time!”
“Why? What happened?”
“We received a reply from Mr. Javier!”
“Huh?”
“He accepted the request!”
Yeorum widened her eyes.
“Really?”
“Yes yes!”
“For real?”
“Absoluteelyyy!”
Finally!
Clenching her fists, Yeorum quietly shivered from excitement.
Rank 8 out of all the superhumans worldwide.
The strongest powerhouse of the South African Nations union (SAN). The Solar Sword, Javier Karma.
He was a powerhouse who made Yeorum taste her first defeat before meeting Yu Jitae, who had felt as unreachable as the sky.
It was her first defeat and was the most intense memory of them all. She had lost completely to a human who she had been looking down on, and had almost died.
He had dominating strength, a smooth sword path and the movement of his feet were impossible to follow. The man was strong enough to make her momentarily forget he was a human and feel awe.
That feeling of awe was different from the one she got from Yu Jitae who deviated completely from common sense.
Powerlessness.
Back then, Yeorum felt powerless from the overwhelming difference in strength. Unable to do anything, she was pulled around against her will and the fight was destined to end with her death.
“This is not the time for this. The letter came in paper. Let’s go to the office together! Let me show you in person!”
“Ah, yes. Let’s go. Go!”
Following the manager to the office, Yeorum controlled her heated breath. Back then, Yu Jitae said his strength would be similar to a strong dragon that was around 100 years old.
In other words, beating Javier would mean that she would have a better chance at defeating her oldest unni after going back.
5 years.
The chance to fight him again came after 5 long years…
Those 5 years were far different from normal 5 years. For Yeorum who had only just turned twenty, it was the densest period of 5 years in her entire life.
Etched into her brain were all the different training sessions she had with Yu Jitae.
Bleeding, being crushed and ripped, crying, vomiting, fainting, seeing hallucinations and collapsing with broken legs – all those times that tempted her to discard everything and give up…
But through all that, Yeorum held onto his hand and learned how to stand on crushed legs.
Those were the 5 years she had spent.
“It’s this right here!”
Finally, it was time to test her strength which she had whole-heartedly built up. Yeorum checked the letter written personally by Javier that only had the time and location of the duel written inside.
It was exactly 15 days from today, with the location being Africa.
“Please take care of all the preparations!”
“Yes Miss!”
“Ah, and did you tell anyone about this?”
“Sorry? No, not yet!”
“Alright!”
Yeorum flew back to Unit 301. Her feet were light and her face was bright. All the irritating things had already vanished from her mind, and all she wanted to do was hurry up and convey this astonishing news.
Thus, she busted the door open and walked inside.
“Here comes the champion! You bitches!”
Kuhahaht! She shouted while shaking the letter.
Kaeul and Gyeoul were in the living room but their eyes weren’t on her. Usually, she was not interested in whether anyone welcomed her or not, but today of all days was different so she was about to reprimand them.
“Are your ears clogged? I’m here…”
But,
Something was weird.
The atmosphere of the room was a lot more settled and so was Yu Kaeul’s expression.
What’s happening?
Yeorum erased the smile from her face. Bom, who had been mumbling like a corpse yesterday, was also back at home inside the living room.
“…”
What the fuck is going on.
Taking her shoes off, Yeorum headed to the living room and she could finally see one more person that was hidden behind the bookshelf.
It was Yu Jitae.
“Hehe. C’mon, that was a joke right?”
With a vacant look on her face, Kaeul said to him.
“What do you mean it’s time to go back… how can you say that as a joke. I’m disappointed! Hehe…”
Yeorum thought she was hearing things.
“What? What was that?”
Her voice hurriedly left her mouth but neither Kaeul, Gyeoul, Bom nor Yu Jitae replied to her question.
Bom had her eyes fixed on the ground looking like she was holding back her tears and Kaeul removed the foolish smile from her face. Yu Jitae was not joking.
“I, I… I don’t want to go back…”
“You have to go.”
“No. I’m not going…”
Yu Jitae hesitated as Kaeul continued with another awkward smile.
“I’m not going. No, I can’t go.”
“…”
“Umm, maybe you don’t exactly know about it, ahjussi, but you know the authority that makes us go back? That takes like 20 to 30 years to activate after the start of the Amusement you know?”
“I found the method myself.”
“No, but listen. 20 to 30 years… 20 to 30 years… It’s been, like, less than 6 years? Since we left, so t, there is still a lot of time left…”
“Kaeul.”
“At least 14 years…”
He stayed silent and Kaeul avoided his eyes. Turning her eyes, Kaeul checked Gyeoul’s expression first. The child was blinking her eyes as if she couldn’t understand anything that was going on.
Meanwhile, Yeorum felt her head being drenched in icy cold water.
What was this about all of a sudden?
Go back home?
Kaeul anxiously twirled her hair. When Yu Jitae twitched his lips, her golden eyes turned towards his mouth with even more anxiety.
Yeorum felt increasingly more ominous. She wanted Yu Jitae to shut his mouth but he ended up opening his mouth.
“Sorry.”
He wasn’t trying to persuade them, nor explain the situation.
But quite simply, he was just apologising to them.
That in turn added more weight to his words. Feeling something crumble after a laborious effort at building it up, Yeorum was lost as to what to say.
“Why?”
“…”
“Why? Why? Why?”
“…”
“Why are you telling us to go now? Why?”
Kaeul’s voice on the other hand continued going up.
“It’s time to send you guys back home. This is a foreign place that you wandered into by mistake, and it is too dangerous for you to stay here for a long…”
“What is? What is dangerous?”
“…Kaeul.”
“Don’t we have ahjussi? And, like, we were never caught up in anything dangerous right? Who is putting us at risk?”
“…”
“Or what is it? Do you hate us? Do you just want to send us off?”
“No.”
“Then why? Is it because I eat too much? Is the food too expensive?”
He shook his head.
“Then why! If you don’t want to send us off, if it’s not dangerous and if you don’t mind the money, then why are you telling us to go back? Why? Why?! WHY–!”
“…”
He kept his mouth closed.
“This, this is too sudden! How can you do this? I, I haven’t, even, prepared myself yet!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry about what? Why are you saying sorry?”
“…”
“What about you unni? Bom-unni, why aren’t you saying anything? Why? This is weird! Something is very weird! Ahjussi is saying we need to part ways, so why aren’t you saying anything!”
Kaeul shouted as Bom covered her eyes with her hands and dropped her head.
Seeing that,
Seeing Bom bite her lips,
Made the farewell feel a lot more realistic.
With trembling fingertips, Kaeul covered her mouth. Tears budded beneath her golden eyes as the child gasped for breath.
Her face was filled with shock as her head shook faintly to the side with disbelief.
Kaeul once again looked at Yu Jitae’s face.
He was staring back at her.
His hazy eyes and hazy expression were still there just as always. She had become too familiar with those, and she could not even imagine not seeing his face anymore.
And yet he was talking about a farewell.
Kaeul asked with a voice shivering from tears.
“Do we… really… have to leave…?”
Yu Jitae did not reply.
“…”
In the past,
When sending off Chirpy the baby chicken; when she was pondering on what a good farewell was, she knew a day like this would come one day.
Every relationship had a farewell waiting at the end of it, and it was impossible even for a dragon to escape farewells. There would come a day when she would have to part ways with ahjussi. She knew that, but had never been expecting the day to come this early.
“Really…? Do you really, want us to leave…?”
Tears fell from her eyes and travelled down her cheeks. They then budded at her chin before eventually dropping down.
Yu Jitae did not reply. He merely stared back at her face with his same hazy eyes.
“Our world… is very far… If we go back, we will probably never be able to come back to this place… Do you still want us to leave like this…? Already??”
“…”
“Why? Why, aren’t you saying anything…?”
“…”
“Like, why aren’t you saying anything…”
Kaeul crumbled down to her knees and began weeping out loud.
After finally taking in the situation, Gyeoul also started to cry with a frown. The same was with Bom who had her hands covering her eyes. Even though her eyes had never been dry all this time, she still could not hold back her tears.
“Ahjussi, we can’t leave like this… please…”
“…”
“Just a little bit. Please let us stay a bit longer… There’s no reason for us to go now, right…”
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
On her knees, Kaeul crawled towards him. Wrapping her arms around his leg, she gazed up at his face with tears endlessly flowing from her eyes.
“Please let us stay a little longer… I will be nicer… to ahjussi… I’ll do more for you… Please…?”
Kuhk, kuhk. Despite having trouble breathing due to tears clogging her throat, Kaeul continued her words.
“No… I can’t go like this… How can ahjussi and I part just like this…? You, told me to prepare for a good farewell… But what is this…? Is this a good farewell? It’s not… I haven’t prepared myself yet…”
“…”
“Just one more year… Yes? Just one year… Ahjussi… me… we all need to try more food right…? And visit nice places… Gyeoul also graduates in one year, so…?”
“…”
“If one year is too long, what about half a year…? Half a year and Gyeoul should be gradu……”
He shook his head.
The analysis will be completed in 16 days. When that day comes, he will send the baby dragons back home without delay.
Kaeul started to wail out loud.
“What about three months…?”
Standing up from the ground, she gripped his clothes around his chest and leaned her forehead. Gyeoul’s graduation that she was using as an excuse was no longer viable since Gyeoul would not be able to graduate in three months no matter what happened.
Regardless, Kaeul continued the negotiation.
“How about two months…? Yes…? Two months… 60 days… It’s not that much…”
He shook his head.
How could he be so heartless? Even though they spent so much time together…
Kaeul felt betrayed.
“Then, even just one month… Please…”
Despite that, she could not stop looking for the middle ground.
Kaeul said with a wail.
“I don’t want to leave…”