“Shall we go?”
“Ohh!”
“Are you all done packing?”
“Ohhh!”
“What is ohh,”
“Awwhh…!”
‘Like, what does that mean,’ he asked and Kaeul chuckled with Gyeoul. Bom, who was by his side, curiously asked them.
“What is it? Ohh?”
“…Ohh!”
This time, it was Gyeoul who repeated after her. It seemed to be a signal only the two of them knew about, as they turned to each other before chuckling out loud again, both innocently and naively, making the previous tears seem like an illusion.
“What’s going on~. Am I being bullied?” jested Bom.
“Uun? It really doesn’t mean anything though…? Right?”
“…Nn nn!”
Once again, they giggled and their joyous laughters continued on and on.
All those moments were stored in the memory crystal.
***
Grabbing the handle of the car needlessly increased the trivial thoughts going on inside his head. It was when Yu Jitae’s mind was at a different place due to his thoughts going off the track.
“Uwah!”
Kaeul interrupted his trail of thought as the protector, who was also a part of the trip, replied.
“What is wrong, my lady?”
“I just realised it’s been a very long time since we last went on a trip all together! Right?”
“I see.”
Yu Jitae had rented a van because Gyeoul wanted to bring the protector along.
“This does bring my memories back to my first ever trip,” said the protector.
“You were cleaning a lot right?”
“That is the case. Because the second young miss suddenly called me and…”
“Ahah! So Cleaner-ahjussi, you must be really fond of cleaning…!”
The protector was about to refute but soon decided to change its words.
“…That is the case. I will miss it.”
Those were the words the protector said after a deep thought. However Gyeoul suddenly frowned and kicked the leggings of its armour so the protector blinked its eyes that became red dots.
“We are almost there.”
“Ohh!”
“…Ohh!”
“Ohh,” Bom added.
“Why are you saying, ‘Oh’ when you don’t even know what it means.”
“Why not? Apparently it doesn’t mean anything.”
Bom replied with a giggle as Kaeul and Gyeoul followed suit. It seemed that Bom had joined the ‘Ohh! Group’ by the time he realised it.
So what in the hell is that ‘Oh’ thing.
He found it quite peculiar himself that he was curious about such a thing in spite of the situation.
When the suffocatingly tense period of time was peeled off, remaining there was a small daily life that was the size of an apple core. And absurdly enough, he was fairly used to it.
“…We are almost there now.”
In response to his words, the kids all stared outside the window into the far distance at where the warp station was.
Meanwhile, Yeorum was quiet. She was sitting on the passenger’s seat with a cigarette in her mouth, with earphones in her ears and her eyes still fixed on Javier’s fighting video.
It was as if none of this was her business.
***
Fissure number ‘BB-15’.
[Island of the Sky Sea]
It was a popular fissure and a renowned tourist attraction that only the rich could visit. Bom used all the money she had saved during her time at the Association to buy entrance tickets to the fissure.
This strange island was floating in the air. Gazing down, there was a semi-transparent reflection of the world beneath and resembled how it would look when looking at the sky from underwater.
The unique part of this place was that it did not have any accommodations like a deserted island.
Kaeul was the one that recommended this place.
Getting off at the parking lot, they checked in at the reception of the fissure.
The garden inside was filled with all sorts of sweet fragrances, with fruits hanging off some of the trees. When they headed to their designated area, waiting there was a picturesque garden. Underneath the ambient light from the sky they could hear the sound of flowing water from the nearby creek.
Why, he wondered.
Why did the kids want to come to this place?
It was something he was curious about throughout the time it took to reach this place. There was not a single accommodation nor a restaurant, and it seemed illogical to spend the last vacation at a place like this.
After reaching an open field of land, Kaeul said to him.
“From now, you have to stay here ahjussi…!”
“What?”
“Don’t move! And don’t come towards us! Okay?”
“…”
He nodded as Kaeul and Gyeoul started toddling off by themselves while the protector followed them with the memory crystal in hand. It seemed that the protector today was a cameraman and not a cleaner.
Bom watched their backs before walking off in a different direction by herself. Her feet were headed to the mountain.
The four of them moved naturally as if they had planned it beforehand.
Due to that, it was only Yu Jitae and Yeorum that was left behind at the empty plot of land. Yeorum was still absorbed in Javier’s fighting video and there was no reason for him to speak to her either.
He was therefore sitting there in silence as the thoughts that had been going off track ever since he was driving began to rise back up.
The first doubt of them all was this.
‘Why are the kids like that?’
By nature, feelings and emotions were passive. Feeling emotions did not happen through an active attempt at feeling them, and they occured by observing what naturally emitted from others.
In the past, Bom and Kaeul called Yu Jitae a ‘kid’. They were not wrong – in the face of something so foreign and unclear as ‘emotions’, he was always puzzled.
Even now it was the same.
Although he thought the reason Kaeul changed was definitely because she was trying to prepare for a good farewell, it felt strange seeing the kids act so differently in just a single day with the flip of a hand.
What is going on in Bom’s head when she’s smiling? Why was Yeorum being so indifferent, and how did Gyeoul feel about the farewell?
These topics were no longer that important because they would soon be parting ways regardless.
However, because curiosity was also a passive notion, he was puzzled again.
Why are the kids like that?
He was aligning his insufficient understanding of daily life to the kids in his contemplation when he suddenly felt a gaze. Turning his head he found Yeorum staring at him.
After a long and silent eye contact,
Yeorum opened her mouth.
“You know.”
“Yeah.”
“…”
“What is it.”
“Do you wanna bang me?”
It was a ridiculous statement. He asked, ‘What?’ as she quietly looked back at his eyes with an indifferent gaze that contained not a sliver of sexual desire.
“Bang. I mean, having sex.”
“What is this about all of a sudden.”
“Nothing much.”
“Did you get shot in the head or something?”
“Why? Is that something I shouldn’t say?”
“Is that something you should?”
“Why not? We’re quite fond of each other anyway, so why not have some fun before going back.”
“…”
“The only thing I’ve done during my Amusement is fighting and training. Anyone from my race will roll on the floor laughing if they heard about my Amusement you know?”
“Why would it be funny.”
“Think about it. Even having trucks of dicks is not enough and yet all I did was train. It’s like sending a kid off to an arcade, and finding out they did push-ups all the time. How could there be such a retarded red dragon in this world?”
“…”
“So how does it sound?”
He turned his head away.
In this situation where Kaeul, Gyeoul and Bom were already acting outside the realms of his comprehension, Yeorum was also spouting some incomprehensible words.
“No.”
“Why? Are you like, embarrassed and stuff?”
“Who knows. First off, what you are saying does not sound sane in the slightest.”
“I am sane.”
“Anyway, no.”
“Does it feel weird because it feels like you’re laying your hands on a kid?”
“…”
“I’m twenty. Or what, is it because deflowering a disciple is not what a master should do? Or is it because you like playing around like a family?”
“…”
“Again, you’re shutting your mouth when you are at a disadvantage. Say something. Or are you worried about Yu Bom?”
He quietly thought about the context of the words and what laid inside it. What was her real intention?
That silence might have made her feel like he was ignoring her. ‘Ignoring the fuck out I see,’ Yeorum said while scratching her head. ‘Hmm, but Yu Bom is a bit of a problem…’ she muttered but soon irritatedly raised her voice.
“Aye fuck it~. Since when was I so considerate of other people? Anyway, say it right now if you feel like it. It’s your last chance to spread my legs.”
“…”
“Looks like it will take a long time judging from how noisy they are, and it will also take a while for Yu Bom to come back. No-one will know as long as we stay silent. Just do me a few times and pretend like you didn’t do anything.”
He stayed silent. Everything sexual failed to ring his heart in any way. If he was to be more explicit about it, every action related to reproduction was unfathomably useless for him. Having an intercourse with someone meant nothing more than shaking his body.
So it didn’t matter whether he did it or not.
“I do not understand. Why are you saying this out of the blue.”
“Because the first experience is very meaningful.”
“…”
“And doing it with a strong male is going to be more thrilling.”
Their relationship had been built upon several deceits and such lies were still in place. Deceiving Bom one more time was not that big of a deal because everything would soon be over whether she was the accomplice or not.
So sleeping with Yeorum once, if that’s what she wanted, shouldn’t be a big deal.
“There’s no reason not to.”
“For real?”
“It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Then should I go naked?”
But even at this point, he was still thinking of reasons to turn her down.
“But, I think it will be better not to.”
“Do you want to undress me then, dear?”
“That’s not what I mean. I mean it will be better not to have an intercourse in the first place.”
“Why?”
“It shakes one’s will a lot. Whether you want it or not, the body will be shocked and it will also cause all sorts of implications on the mana inside your body considering how big of a turning point it is to your mind. The less experienced you are, the more of a case that will be. You will be fighting once this is over, and you’ll also be fighting after going back and there is a high chance of it being a bad influence. It will ruin your condition for no reason.”
“Ah, I guess that’s true.”
“So it will be wiser to behave for now.”
Yeorum nodded with consent.
“Hmm… You’re right.”
Why was I thinking of reasons to refuse her?
It was when he was continuing his line of thought.
“By the way.”
“Yeah.”
“Why don’t you even pretend like you’re sad?”
“What?”
It was suddenly on a whole different topic. He turned towards Yeorum who was glaring at him with a sullen gaze.
“Back then, it was a little annoying watching from the side.”
“What was.”
“Yu Kaeul was holding your leg crying but you were doing absolutely nothing.”
“…”
“And even now, it’s as if this whole fucking thing means nothing to you… Don’t you feel sad?”
“I do feel sad.”
He wasn’t lying – it was true that his heart wasn’t feeling comfortable.
“Then why are you so stiff?”
“Then what. Should I beg and cry? And aren’t you acting stiff yourself,” Yu Jitae asked.
“That’s because I’m not sad in the slightest.”
“…”
“You think I’m the same with those weak ass kids? What’s the big deal with a separation?”
It was exactly what a red dragon would say.
He didn’t feel sad or anything by her words because he had never wished to become something special to the kids. In fact, he was quite relieved that Yeorum wasn’t feeling upset or betrayed – unknowingly, his superficial and wicked self-consolation was at work.
Whatever the reason, he did not want to dwell on this topic for too long.
“It’s hella funny now that I think about it. You turned her down as if there was no tomorrow when Yu Kaeul was crying sooo much that she wanted to stay longer. And yet you’re worried about what happens to me when I go back?”
“Of course you have to survive. And live well after going back.”
“Amazing. What a great teacher~.”
“…”
“Fuck, this is making me mad again. How can you be so fucking selfish from the start to the end?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Eat shit. You dick.”
They turned silent for a bit as Yeorum thought to herself for a while.
“…So it is important that I survive after going back…”
Her following mutter was both like a question and a monologue. After saying that, she laid down on the flat grass.
He wondered whether he was supposed to say something but she turned her body away from him so he couldn’t add any more words. In truth, he didn’t know what to tell her in the first place.
Before long, Yeorum became absorbed in Javier’s video again.
Her gaze was that of a soldier preparing for a battle.
***
It was after three to four hours that Kaeul and Gyeoul came back. They had dirt all over their bodies but had wide smiles on their faces.
Gyeoul suddenly clapped her hands with a frown.
Clap clap!
In response, the protector who had been filming some random place quickly turned the lens of the memory crystal towards Yu Jitae. At the same time, Kaeul took out a blindfold from her waist and gave it to him.
“Here, ahjussi!”
“What’s this.”
“Cover your eyes with this…!”
“Why.”
“C’mon, just hurry up and cover your eyes without asking why! Quick…!”
What is going on?
For now, he obediently closed his eyes. Kaeul whispered into his ears, ‘Kill your senses as well…!’ Even though he didn’t want to, he followed her orders.
Like that, when Yu Jitae was unable to see anything like a normal blindfolded person, Kaeul and Gyeoul each dragged him by his arm and started taking him somewhere. He did not fall because his sense of touch was still there despite him losing his sense of sight.
Kong! Clink–
“Huh, ahjussi why are you bumping into a tree with your eyes wide open?”
“My apologies, my lady. I was too engulfed in filming that I…”
“…Are you stupid?”
“No, my lady. I am in fact quite on the clever side…”
After walking for a while, the kids stopped their feet and so did Yu Jitae.
“Take off your blindfold on the count of three…!”
“Three–”
“Two–”
“One!”
As soon as they said one, Yu Jitae took the blindfold off. And after seeing what the kids had prepared, he froze on the spot.