#145
Small footprints engraved on the snow piled up. From manually clearing the snow from the roads to threatening and driving out intruders, Owl was protecting and helping the Celestials more than Sehyeon.
Even the little details that Sehyun couldn’t pay attention to were the same.
[Owl, you can go to Sehyeon now.]
[Grog.]
[We are really okay now. Thanks to Owl’s help, the village has been reorganized quite a bit, and we’ve created an intrusion alarm and a shelter, so now we’re really at ease!]
Yu Si-un spoke brightly. No, everything was bright. A smile that seemed shy or overwhelming made a small splash in her heart. It was a quiet smile that even Sehyun was excited to see.
[So now I hope Owl can do what he wants to do. Many people are thankful to Owl!]
An inexplicable emotion flowed into Sehyeon. That was Owl’s feelings. Gratitude, sorry, and even pride. It was similar to crying.
The faint afterimage went back again. Going back further than the previous journey, to the time before the Federation meeting.
What I could see in my trembling, shaking vision was Kwak Jeong-han, whose hair had turned white in the moonlight. The long gills on his shoulders, the fierce eyes, and the black lake whose depth was unknown evoked his familiarity. Even longing.
Kwak Jeong-han, soaking in the black water, was looking up at Owl while leaning on the dockside. He looked somewhat thin.
[I was also like Mr. Aul. I was lost… I remember wandering around a lot during that process. It’s not because I was special. I fell short of anyone else, and I still fall short.]
[Grog.]
[Who needs it… You mean? Mr. Owl is already a strong enough person. You don’t have to think like that. Sehyeon is not the type of person to choose people based on such things. If Mr. Aul wants to become a vassal, that is enough for him.]
Owl wanted to stand in front of Se-hyeon as a necessary person, and was considering his own necessity. He couldn’t let go of the feeling that he was weak. He might be a nuisance.
[Grog.]
[Yes, at first I thought it was okay just to accept it. but… Not now. I feel like my inadequacies are increasingly holding me back. I completely understand Mr. Aul’s feelings. still-]
Kwak Jeong-han’s fingertips scratched the wooden floor of the dock. A leech-like vein popped up on the back of his hand along with a clanging sound.
I could hear the sound of waves in my ears. But immediately after that, the surrounding area became pitch black. Something huge was swallowing the surrounding area as if covering it. Sehyun didn’t know what it was. All that was visible was Kwak Jeong-han’s blue pupils, condensed to the point of being creepy, and the blood on his forehead.
The rough, turbulent black water began to swell and form a shape. Angry waves swallowed the black lake in a terrifying way. The water level of the lake lowered and the water stream, which had risen in altitude, fluttered like snowflakes.
A creepy feeling ran through my whole body, so much so that my ears were ringing. Still, the sound of the rocking and shaking was clear, as if it was coming from a short distance away. Owl’s big eyes slowly rose up following the turbulent waves.
In the thick darkness, there was a huge tsunami that formed a wall of foam. My whole body became rigid with fear of being crushed. The endless tsunami tilted forward as if it would engulf the empire.
However, the deep sea wall gradually came down with the sound of the waves. The water stream that had been forcefully sucking the surface of the lake also filled the surface of the lake again.
The leech-like veins on the back of Kwak Jeong-han’s hand disappeared with a sigh of hardship. When I took a long breath, everything became surprisingly quiet.
In the meantime, Kwak Jeong-han’s voice rang softly.
[If I didn’t have that kind of heart, I wouldn’t have even gotten something like this.]
Owl looked at Kwak Jeong-han endlessly. Eyes filled with scars wanted to forget what happened that day. It was the same for Owl too. Neither of us had yet forgotten the colorless, odorless world where arms flew in the air.
Still, Kwak Jeong-han tried to move forward.
[I want to give meaning to that. I want to be a person who can protect something, rather than a person who can do his job. that is… I think this is the only way I can ask for forgiveness.]
[Grog.]
[So Mr. Aul, please do what you think is right. I think Owl was able to acquire that skill because he decided to become stronger. You are never weak. Don’t forget that.]
Owl wanted to help Kwak Jeong-han, who was trying to overcome his wounds, and share his pain. It seemed like he thought that was a way to share the punishment with him.
The image of Kwak Jeong-han reflected in his black eyes was swept away by the waves and disappeared.
What appeared instead of the blurry foreground was a real Owl with his eyes closed and his head down.
Sehyeon took his hand off Owl’s head and looked down into an unknown direction. His fingertips were trembling slightly. The huge tsunami that Owl showed was similar to what Sehyun was supposed to find.
A vein of water that covers the world.
“… Kwak Jeong-han… .”
The moment Ruhak’s words came to mind, Sehyeon turned his back and ran toward the empire. The ground, which had become soggy with moisture, was pressed down, and deep footprints were engraved on it.
Seeing Se-hyeon’s urgent appearance, the heroes also ran straight away. Aulman could only stare blankly at the sight with his dark eyes. However, when his eyes turned to the basket on the ground, Owl, who was startled, also started running along with him. He held the basket tightly.
Throughout the run, Se-hyeon replayed the scene Owl showed her over and over again. The appearance of a lake that was not even deep enough to form a barrier. The sight that was scary enough to make me stiff was Kwak Jeong-han’s wound.
Se-hyeon was able to read a lot from the haggard appearance of Kwak Jeong-han, no matter how much effort he put into it. He even looked thin.
I didn’t know how much more perfect it had to be to satisfy him, but Kwak Jeong-han’s honesty was enough to make me feel sick. Of course, it couldn’t be said that Sehyeon was at fault. Because it was Sehyeon who gave the burden as an ambiguous punishment in the first place.
Yes, Sehyun was overly underestimating his patience and honesty.
Enough to satisfy yourself. Now I realize the horror of what I said. If Se-hyeon hadn’t found him first, Kwak Jeong-han would have never looked for Se-hyeon.
The afterimage that Owl showed proved that.
The hazy fog became increasingly thicker as we approached the lakeside. As moisture passed the tip of my nose, I heard the cool sound of waves that seemed to pierce my heart from somewhere.
Sehyeon stopped walking and looked up into space. What you see beyond the dense bushes surrounding the lake are the long waves seen in Owl’s afterimage.
Shoot ah-
The fluttering water droplets looked like raindrops. The rain that soaked the floor flowed back into the lakeside as if being sucked away.
Sehyun followed suit and slowly walked beyond the bushes. Beyond them were the waves that his body was leaning against. The surface of the lake, shaken by the strong current, and the huge waves sloping and rolling over, looked like the maw of a monster approaching with its mouth torn open.
At once, a trembling sensation came to me that made me tremble. It felt like the inside of my throat was locked. I felt like I had finally seen what I was looking for right in front of my eyes.
As I wiped away the hazy rain that wet my cheeks and the bridge of my nose and moved forward, the sight of Kwak Jeong-han, his body resting on the rough water, came into view.
The gills, located on the strong shoulders, opened and closed repeatedly every time they were touched by the current. The veins protruding from her thick neck and her writhing muscles were moving like living, breathing waves.
“… Mr. Kwak Jeong-han.”
I took a step closer, but the sound did not reach me. Sehyeon approached as far as the sound could reach. The steps stopped only when we reached the end of the long dock.
The stream of water hitting my cheek looked like rainwater. When Sehyun lifted her sleeve and wiped the moisture from her cheek, she felt the movement of the high waves freeze.
As far as the eye could see, Kwak Jeong-han was there. He looks straight at Sehyun and opens his eyes blankly.
“Mr. Sehyun… ?”
Kwak Jeong-han’s voice clearly reached me through the faint sound of the waves. The surroundings of Kwak Jeong-han were extremely quiet. However, just as Sehyun was about to say something, the frozen wave began to tilt sharply in Sehyun’s direction.
An urgent voice rang in my ears as I took a step back in surprise.
“Mr. Sehyeon!”
Immediately after the tearful cry, many people rushed towards Sehyeon. Euncheong, Muan, and even Kwak Jeonghan.
Blue waves began to pour down on everyone’s heads like the remains of a collapsing building. Euncheong was the first to come through the gap in the sloping tsunami.
When Euncheong blocked Sehyeon’s path and raised his sword, the sloping waves suddenly stopped. Where everyone’s eyes were focused, there was Kwak Jeong-han, who was clenching his teeth and holding onto the air as if he was grasping something.
The shiny eye glow is scary enough to be scary.
