118 – For the final battle
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Whether or not we know that this place called Earth is facing a huge crisis, the stars are twinkling in the night sky when we look up.
The darkness of the night sky is darker than your jet black hair.
For some reason, looking at the vast universe makes me feel like my stuffy stomach is opening up a little.
Why is it frustrating?
Is it because they are worried about Taejin, who jumped into danger to save Raina?
No, I was not particularly worried because I believed that I would return safely with Raina.
Or is it because of the pressure brought on by the final battle with God Rachel?
No, I wasn’t worried because I believed that I would succeed with Taejin.
“….”
Nayeon looks at the starlight with sunken eyes.
It seemed like that bright star was right in front of me, but I couldn’t believe that it was actually in a place that I couldn’t reach even if I repeated it for eons.
I stretch out my hand as if grabbing the starlight.
Of course I can’t catch it.
Starlights that can’t be caught.
I grasped at the empty space with dim eyes, but all I could capture was a sense of emptiness.
“Tsk.”
Nayeon clicked her tongue bitterly, lowered her hands and leaned her body against the back of the bench.
At that time.
“Have a drink here. “It’s a warm herbal tea that’s perfect for chilly nights.”
Taejin’s mother, Mihwa, handed her mug to Nayeon and sat down on her bench.
“Oh, mother.”
“You can’t sleep, can you?”
“Ah… what. Yes.”
“Hoho. “I guess you’re very worried about Taejin and Miss Raina?”
Nayeon nodded her head.
Mihwa looked at her and smiled happily.
“It may be hard to say it with my own mouth, but since it is a collaboration between two geniuses, I will definitely save Miss Raina and return safely.”
“I believe it too. Just, just….”
Nayeon trails off as she touches the mug on her thigh.
I didn’t know what the next word was, but for some reason it was difficult to say.
Mihwa sipped herbal tea and looked at the starlight.
Nayeon was clearly pictured clutching the air while looking at the starlight.
“As you get older, you see a lot of things you don’t need to see. I mean, very strangely. “That’s how the old man’s foolishness begins.”
“Yes… ?”
“Oh, now that I think about it, I didn’t say hello. It is said that she has grown rapidly since taking on Taejin as her exclusive student. Thank you. “Hunter Park Na-yeon.”
Mihwa looked at Nayeon and shook her hand.
At that, Nayeon waved her hand with a surprised expression.
“Yes? Oh, no. She was already growing rapidly even before that. “All I taught you was a few skills.”
“Hoho. Contrary to what I’ve heard, it’s humble. Anyway, I wanted to say thank you.”
“Ah… yes.”
Excessive specifications can lead to misunderstanding.
Nayeon politely accepted Mihwa’s handshake.
She had strong yet warm hands.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you? Did I do anything to deserve a thank you from Nayeon? Ah~ for giving birth to Taejin?”
Mihwa smiles slyly and shakes her clasped hand. She was just trying to bring out Nayeon’s feelings.
“Oh? Oh no. Just….”
“What kind of child was Taejin as your exclusive student?”
“Yes? Oh, it was her first time taking on a disciple, so… I think she was a good disciple. He is quick to learn, has good natural characteristics, and… Taste.”
Nayeon, who unconsciously remembered her Taejin, hurriedly closed her mouth.
She was spitting out words like water, so much so that she almost came out with a useless compliment.
Of course, she was the compliment that Mi-hwa wanted to hear the most.
That’s why.
“Losing.”
Mihwa sips herbal tea, deftly attaching the afterword Nayeon swallowed.
“Yes?”
“Hmm~ The herbal tea in Chunnihyang Village is strangely sweet, right? “Isn’t that right?”
“Ah, yes. “It’s sweet.”
Nayeon took a sip of herbal tea along with Mihwa.
It wasn’t sweet.
It was just plain herbal tea with a bitter, fresh grassy scent.
But I agreed with her opinion.
“….”
“….”
A brief moment of silence descends on the two of them.
What broke the silence was beautification.
“The human face is a very convenient tool.”
“That… “Is it run?”
To the meaningless words, Nayeon replied with a puzzled expression.
“Compared to actions and words, we deliver richer and more definite emotions with much fewer muscle movements. That’s why you can tell a person’s sincerity and lies just by looking at their face.”
“….”
Mihwa crossed her legs and pulled her upper body.
Resting her right elbow on her thigh, she scratches her chin with the index finger of her right hand.
Then the detective looked at Nayeon with an interrogation look.
“Hmm, it won’t be a banal morality like ‘You are a disciple, I am a teacher’… , But that doesn’t mean our Nayeon is a shy girl… Or maybe she has a motherly love like ‘I’m happy just looking at you happy’.”
“… Yes yes?”
Nayeon opened her eyes wide at the beautification that seemed to see right through my heart.
“Phew. That’s because our Nayeon-yang is still single. Hmm… What is it? Or is it something like ‘altruistic consideration’?”
“Yes? Well, what is that….”
Nayeon instinctively looked down at her and avoided her.
Her beautification, which speaks for why she felt stuffy inside, was sharper than any other detective.
Mi-hwa smiles warmly and leans back on her back.
“Nayeon’s eyes seemed to be full of stories. Affection, foolishness, pride, satisfaction, joy, sadness, etc. There was so much in it… What happened to her and Taejin?”
The feeling of being dragged into the room of irresistible truth.
I felt like I could only leave the room when I was tied to her chair and told the truth, and strangely, when I left her room, I felt relieved.
Anyway, it was clear to me.
Her skillful way of beautifying her painting completely exposed her hidden heart, and even her foolishness of looking at the distant starlight was revealed.
She decided not to hide it anymore.
“Yes. Did a great job. We had great adventures, were for each other, and saved a world from danger.”
“Wow, that’s really cool.”
“But… Taejin seems to have forgotten a bit. I think she might. Memories are not always perfect, right?”
Mihwa shook her head.
“That’s right. It’s not perfect, so it’s beautiful because it’s a memory.”
“I was sad at first. It feels like half of my memories have been erased. But I’m happy now. Because she even found the owner of that memory.”
“Are you really happy?”
Nayeon hesitates for a moment.
It didn’t take her long before she came up with her answer.
“Yes. I don’t want to disturb you for no reason. The relationship between the two now seems to be stronger than the relationship in my memory.”
“I don’t want to disturb you…” .”
Mihwa drinks herbal tea with a deep breath.
And then, he chuckled.
“Reina, no. Wouldn’t Miss Lesha think so?”
“Yes?”
“You heard everything from Taejin, right? Miss Lesha said that someday she will be leaving for a ‘temporarily’ far away place.”
“… But she doesn’t want to take advantage of that gap.”
Mihwa looks at Nayeon as if she is amazed and happy.
“Rather, Miss Lesha would like to fill that gap.”
“… Yes?”
“Isn’t there anyone in the world who would want to see their loved one ruined by the endless sadness she left behind?”
“… !”
Nayeon looked as if she had been hit by a hammer.
Although she could not equate conventional wisdom with personal ideas, she at least felt that she would if she were in Lesha’s position.
Of course, Lesha and Taejin’s opinions were the most important to her, and she didn’t even know if she would be able to fill that gap, even if only for a moment.
Just.
I just had a vague, small wish like [I would like to do that if I could].
“Besides, it seemed like you trusted and relied on Nayeon more than anyone else here?”
“Lesha… song?”
Nayeon asked back with a puzzled expression.
Mihwa nodded with a confident expression.
“Just look at what I’ve seen so far, Taejin discussing and talking to Nayeon about all the little things related to him~…”
Mihwa playfully frowns and counts on her fingers.
Only after the nine folded did he open his mouth again.
“Nine times?”
Nayeon looked back on the past days.
‘Well… You told me all the little news about Taejin and the stories you two shared. She even discussed it.’
She was already aware of this, but she thought it was because her position was Taejin’s ‘exclusive teacher’.
She never thought that those things depended on her.
Because Raina had no reason to rely on herself.
But she found out that Reina was a Leshalan succubus and that for some reason she had to leave someday, and she also heard that she was relying on Mihwa.
‘That could be possible…’ .’
I thought.
The person who had to leave was preparing to leave.
Of course, although she once shared a fiery love under the name of Eloden, she had no intention of taking Lesha’s place.
If the seat next to Eloden was hers, then the seat next to Taejin belonged to Lesha, she said.
Just.
She just thought that it might be a good idea to narrow the distance she had kept for Lesha a little.
“Thank you for your kind words.”
Nayeon said hello to Mihwa.
The feeling of frustration and feeling depressed for no reason was relieved by Mi-hwa’s comfort and support.
“Ho-ho-ho. “They are both good people and I don’t want to miss them, so you don’t have to be thankful.”
Mihwa stood up from her seat.
At this point, her feelings would have been well conveyed to Nayeon.
“Okay then.”
An old man whose role is over must leave cleanly.
Nayeon stood up and bowed behind Mihwa as she walked away.
From noble mtl dot com
And then I sat down on the bench again.
I picked up the mug that was still warm.
Nayeon takes a sip and drinks the herbal tea in it.
The bitter herbal tea strangely became sweeter.
“Nayeon unni! “My brother and Lesha came back safely!”
The dark night sky was breaking into a vibrant dawn.
#
“Thank you everyone. For your concern… “And thank you for understanding me like this.”
The next morning.
Everyone was gathered in one space.
Lesha, who stood at the center, expressed her gratitude to everyone.
To everyone who, without prejudice, considers her appearance, which can be called a monster, as beautiful.
But.
“I should actually say thank you. Miss Lesha. “Thank you so much for saving our Yura.”
“If it weren’t for you, I really wouldn’t be here. Thank you.”
Hello comes back.
In particular, Lesha felt as if all her troubles had been melting away like butter on a grill, as Mihwa hugged her warmly.
Yura-do approaches him in a friendly way, asking if he can touch the horn, Tae-jin and Ercia-do look at him with a touched expression, Hye-seo is as blunt as always, and Hanna-do asks to tell the story of the succubus clan.
Nayeon says she worked hard all this time, but it’s against the law to become prettier.
Everyone was treating Lesha as Raina.
“Okay, now that we’re all here, let’s talk about work. Time is running out, so we have to hurry. “If he hides, we’ll be in quite a bit of trouble.”
Taejin captured the touching scene.
It will not be too late to enjoy the emotion even after the final battle is over.
Now we had to talk about the decisive battle with God Rachel, the leader of Illusion.
It is said that the illusion is in a lull due to the failure of the Chimera airstrike, but the villains and monsters that came out with the Chimera have reoccupied the area where they were subdued.
It will be soon.
This means that the number of eyes and ears for the illusion has increased, and the risk factors for moving in large numbers have increased.
For the final battle, we had to split into teams.