Gaiden ― Later Il Tales (19)
“I was told how scary it was because it was so bad, but it turned out to be much more intact and neat than I thought?”
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On the way to the bride’s waiting room, Yoo Ji-hyuk smiled bitterly at Yu-na’s slurred words.
“I was surprised too. I mean, people’s impressions can change that much.”
Yoo Ji-hyeok was well aware of the fact that he was not very impressed with himself.
And even if he looked at him like that, he could be sure that Lee Myung-jun was on a different level than him and had a tough look.
Jihyuk let out a small laugh.
“To be honest, Lee Myung-jun doesn’t have a good first impression like me.”
Even Lee Myung-joon had changed so much that I couldn’t even recognize him for a moment.
Maybe it was because he had taken off the eyepatch he always wore.
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Or maybe it was because he kept his hair neat and neatly dressed.
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Or was it because he was smiling as if he was genuinely happy?
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Otherwise… .
“Great.”
Yoo Ji-hyeok, realizing that he was unintentionally speaking behind his back, let out a small, empty cough.
As if to hide his embarrassment, he gently lifted the gift box he was holding in one hand.
Inside the box were his scales and a glass bottle of blood.
In many ways, I just hoped that they would be happy as it was something I took a risk.
“Laune?”
The first person they met when they went in to meet Yuzuki Horie was Raune, who was nodding and saluting her belly button.
As she lifted her bowed head, the necklace hanging from her neck fluttered.
The necklace was lined with dragon scales, rings, and accessories with Yoo Ji-hyuk’s phone number and address on it.
“… … !!!”
“What were you doing here?”
When Yoo Ji-hyeok, who hugged Laune who ran towards him naturally, asked such a question, Laune clenched his lips as if trying to explain something.
However, since Belluna, the only one who could understand and communicate her words, was not here, he had no way of knowing what she was talking about.
“Oh, you are here. Did you two know each other more than that?”
Then, Evangeline Lohengrin spoke to him, pretending not to know.
She, who was sitting at her seat to greet guests, got up as soon as she saw them, and thanks to that, Yoo Ji-hyuk was able to see her dress without filtering.
… He realized once again that she was truly beautiful.
“ah… Yes. I am the guardian. But why was Laune here?”
“He came in all of a sudden and wanted to get something from Yuzuki.”
Evangeline replied.
“They wanted to talk about something, and they were saying hello to the guests with me saying they would help out like this.”
“Is there something you would like to receive?”
“yes.”
Evangeline nodded when he asked, stroking Laune’s head.
“… To be honest, I was very discouraged to hear that there was someone who made a prior agreement to receive it first.”
She smiled bitterly as if she was in trouble, and then glanced at Laune.
“But when he said that he would take a little out of his share, he quickly became brave? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a cute child.”
“Laune, why did you come all the way here?”
Even at his question, Laune shook her head as if unable to speak.
Evangeline also shrugged.
“I can’t tell you that the owner doesn’t want to talk about it. Rather, you all came to see Yuzuki, didn’t you?”
She pointed inward.
“I will be inside. There is Laura, there are Yuzuki’s sisters, friends, and colleagues, but there are no other guests.”
“Thank you, ah… Before that.”
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Originally, it was ambiguous to hand it over at such a time, but he said that there was no particular time, and he held up the box.
“Um, then… Would you like to go over there for a while? Because there’s a ledger and a storage table over there. Actually, Jihyuk wasn’t the only one who brought it like you at a time like this.”
“It is.”
He followed Evangeline as he told the party to go in first.
She wrote her name on the ledger she was handing over, and watched her use some magic trick on the box and opened her mouth.
“Lee Myung-jun, you look very happy.”
“I will. Because that stiff guy can see it all on his face.”
Evangeline said to him with a soft smile.
“Marriage deserves a blessing.”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Are you just thinking?”
“Yes?”
square square.
She said as she wrote down something.
“Marriage deserves a blessing, do you just think that way?”
“… … .”
When he shut her mouth, she gasped and burst into laughter.
“But this time, you don’t remove the obvious shichimi.”
“… That’s not a problem.”
“Yeah, as you said, it’s not polite to the children next to you to pass it on like you have until now. Again, you are uselessly sincere in this regard.”
Eventually he had to put down his pen.
“Then why are you bringing up such a story all of a sudden?”
“Well? Why? .”
she muttered
“Maybe it’s because I’m impatient, maybe it’s because it’s similar to how I’ve seen Lee Myung-jun and Yuzuki for years… .”
He answered in a slightly nervous tone.
“It’s not something Evangeline would care about, would it?”
“It is now.”
She leaned back and looked at Yoo Ji-hyuk with her chin clenched.
He made eye contact with her with a strange smile, and he sighed a little.
“… Why are you suddenly like this today? Weren’t you the kind of person who said such rude things to others?”
“Um, then, can I just say one more thing to Kim who has said presumptuous things?”
Evangeline whispered.
“I don’t know how to look at the stars. And a lot of stars sometimes give me an interesting future.”
She smiled softly and deeply.
“Like all fortune tellers and prophets, I cannot see my future. But you can see the future of others. at there… Ji-hyeok also saw some stories about you.”
“Did you see my future?”
Despite Yoo Ji-hyuk’s sharp question, she still had a relaxed smile.
“okay.”
she added quietly.
“Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t see it because I wanted to see it, I just… Because the revelation was made. And, like all fortune tellers and prophets, when a revelation is given, it must be confirmed. Unless you want to lose power.”
“… So what advice would you give me now?”
“It’s still a long way off, or the opportunity may come unexpectedly sooner.”
She said slowly, straightening her posture.
“And that the circumstances surrounding you are much more complicated than you think, and that unexpectedly, if you actively take action, it might be possible to solve it easily.”
“… Is that the end?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
After she had finished speaking, she pointed inside as if there was really nothing more to say.
“I’m going to worry a little bit now. Aren’t you supposed to go in?”
Yoo Ji-hyuk looked down at her without saying a word.
Evangeline, who was still looking at his back with a relaxed smile as he walked into the room, sighed heavily at some point.
“… The truth is that it is a lie.”
To be more precise, it was true that he received a revelation about Yoo Ji-hyuk’s future.
However, there was no glimpse into the future of Yoo Ji-hyuk.
This was the case in only two cases.
The first is when his future is closely tied to Evangeline’s own future.
The second was when a being with a power beyond which she could not interfere was involved.
She predicted that the second reason she could not get a glimpse of Yoo Ji-hyuk’s future was due to the second reason.
It was also because she was well aware that the power of the so-called Seven Evil Order, a being with a power that she could not interfere, was deeply connected with Yoo Ji-hyuk.
But why did the revelations related to him come to pass?
With such a question, Evangeline unknowingly tried to peek into the future of the people around him, and could not help but be amazed.
Because the future of everyone around him was also invisible.
In other words, it was said that all of them were somehow closely related to the power of the Seven Evils in the near future, and Evangeline could easily conclude that the cause was Yoo Ji-hyeok.
“All I can do is give you this advice… .”
Taking a deep breath, she flopped down on her seat.
She still did not understand the revelation that had been given that day.
‘What on earth was the revelation to say such a sensitive matter on such an auspicious day… ? To a child who can’t even see the future because of the power of the Seven Evils.’
She knew well that appearances were not everything, as with all revelation.
And he was well aware that at least it wouldn’t be harmful to Yoo Ji-hyuk and the people around him.
However… .
“Ha ha… .”
Evangeline took another deep breath.
But she couldn’t hide her complicated mind, so she eventually curled up in a circle, covering her face with both hands.
“What if you hate me now? .”
For her, that was her biggest concern.
* * *
“… … .”
It wasn’t long before the wedding started.
Maybe it was because of that, but I was the only one in the spacious bathroom.
I went to the bathroom for no particular reason, and for no particular reason, I just started washing my hands thoroughly.
The sound of the water reverberating with a shoo-aah gave me a strange sense of stability.
Then someone approached me and washed my hands and opened my mouth, just like me.
“Then you will get hurt.”
first voice heard.
But I knew from the beginning who he was.
“Yeseul, what kind of joke is this again?”
“Hey, I got it.”
When I turned my head and looked to the side, I saw Ye-seul Jin, who was wearing the same suit as me, smiling brightly.
She wrinkled one eye once, and soon turned into a man again.
“I just want Jihyuk to talk with you alone.”
“… So you followed me to the men’s bathroom? What would you have done if I had been doing business?”
“Well, I’ve seen something worse than that.”
she grew up
“Is that all? When we were known to each other, we often felt embarrassed.”
She whispered to me in a soft voice.
“Honestly, I think Jihyuk is like you… I didn’t know you would like it.”
“… … .”
“I didn’t even know I was going to love wearing something around my neck.”
I let out a hasty cough.
“Did you come here to talk like that?”
“No way.”
she smiled and said
“Actually, if it’s not now, I don’t think there will be time to talk… Today, I suddenly felt stronger and came to this place.”
“So what is it?”
“Now I want to see something else.”
“Other?”
“yes.”
She nodded.
“baby.”
I had no choice but to stop my diligently moving hand.
she whispered once more.
“Jihyuk wants to see the child between you and me.”
After not speaking for a while, I quietly moved my hand to turn off the water.
She wiped my wet hands with a handkerchief instead.
“… Yeseul, isn’t that too early to talk about?”
“Then just answer this and I’ll move on.”
She groaned and asked, holding my hand.
“Who do you have in mind?”
“What?”
“On a day like today, as someone who will be by your side.”
Eyes sparkling like amethysts were staring at me.
“Han Soo-young, Lee Ye-eun, I, Lee Yu-na, Minerva.”
she whispered quietly.
“If I had to pick another candidate, there would be Evangeline Lohengrin… There must also be former executives from the Red Case who flirted with you earlier.”
“Yesul.”
“Ji-hyuk, I have a lot of greed.”
She stared at me and quietly reached out for my neck.
“Jihyuk, I want you and Seonjo to be by my side.”
She carefully started fixing my tie and tying it.
“But I know… ? Invited, my heart towards Shadow Walker and Jihyuk’s heart towards you had completely different directions.”
If, very if.
she muttered
“The first Shadow Walker is not the current invitee… Yes, for example, an unknown person. Let’s say it was a man too. If that was the case, who would I have been willing to reach out to my neck and ask for a leash, and would I be willing to be there?”
“… … .”
“Jihyuk, I have a lot of greed. Ji-hyeok is you, and Ji-hyuk is your only brother, Cho-nim… If Jihyeok has anything to do with you, I wish I had it. I don’t want to give it to anyone else. All me, only me, I want everything.”
she whispered
“So, in fact, even now, I want to kill everyone I mentioned before right now.”
As if back to when we first met, she whispered to me in a sticky voice.
“I feel really crazy every time I think of the fact that someone other than me is with you.”
“Yesul.”
I hurriedly called her name.
“I know, that’s not what I’m going to do, is it? I just want to.”
She sighed deeply, quietly, as if she was truly regretful.
“If you do that, will Jihyeok hate you? would you be sad will you hate me Of course, it would be nice if all your emotions were directed only towards me… But I like it much more than that you hug me while you whisper my name. So I won’t.”
Above all, there is no way you can hurt other people by avoiding your eyes.
I couldn’t help but sigh involuntarily at her whisper.
“… therefore. Please satisfy that greed before you make any mistakes, are you talking about now?”
“Yeah, now the story works.”
She smiled brightly and nodded her head.
“Actually, I know very well what Jihyuk is thinking about.”
Her appearance began to change.
This time, it was a handsome middle-aged man.
“So like this.”
This time, it was a woman who looked the same age as me.
“Jihyuk is open to you.”
This time an old woman.
“Are you giving me a hint?”
Finally she whispered to me:
“The statue I received that day… I still cherish it.”
The statue she was talking about was clearly the statue of Inseoljo, which I had handed to her in the past.
An item that can acquire the skill ‘Bird’s Tongue’ that she is currently using.
If you learn it, you will be able to take on the image of others as freely as her.
Noticing what she was trying to say here, I was saying this without realizing it.
“… I really do.”
I don’t know what you’re thinking.
Then, instead of getting hurt, she smiled brightly and replied:
“Can I tell you something interesting, Jihyuk?”
“What?”
“Ji-hyuk isn’t the only one who’s like that, because he doesn’t know what I’m thinking.”
She was still smiling brightly.
“Because I don’t know my head properly. When I was young, I was stirred as much as I could.”
“… … .”
“So look at this, why are you talking like this on someone else’s wedding day?”
She said slowly moving away from me.
“… To be honest, I was just pointing out one of many options. Even if Jihyeok makes a different choice for you, I will accept it.”
So do other people.
she whispered
“But I know.”
If it’s the kind Yoo Ji-hyuk.
If you are the kind of person who tried to get away from us all by pretending to be a frustrated person because you thought you were going to return to the original world anyway.
And if you finally came back and came to us after accepting all of us… .
“I’m sure you won’t choose just one.”
I asked in a voice full of exhaustion.
“Okay, so have you done everything you want to say now?”
Evangeline-san, and Yeseul like this now.
Why the hell did two people suddenly bring up this story?
Whether or not she knew what I was thinking, she answered with a smile.
“yes. I’m sorry for making you think too complicated. But I had to, would you understand?”
“… okay.”
“Then I’ll take things slowly and leave, so I’ll go first.”
As she walked out of the bathroom, she added one last time.
“I waited all my life for someone to understand me, and finally Jihyuk met you. I endured two years of hell there. I can wait any longer, Jihyuk-ah.”
She said.
“But what about others?”
* * *
“What on earth were you thinking of saying that?”
Jin Ye-seul made an overly surprised expression at the cold voice.
“It’s a surprise.”
Looking at Han Soo-young, Jin Ye-seul chuckled and smiled.
It was a completely different smile from the smile that Yoo Ji-hyuk had seen.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Since you sneaked into the men’s bathroom like a criminal.”
“Wow, so from the beginning? It’s a good thing, even if no one else knows, Sooyoung wanted you to hear it.”
“You ask. What were you thinking when you said that?”
Jin Ye-seul was still fresh and smiling.
Han Soo-young was looking at her with a hard expression on her face.
“Actually, wasn’t everyone just worried and moaning? So, didn’t I ask you with a gun instead? You were just like us.”
Jin Ye-seul answered.
“Who would be standing next to Jihyuk in a dress on a day like today? Everyone must have been unable to sleep because of that worry. Perhaps more tonight.”
“So is that the only conclusion you have come to? And do you think that is the answer and force Jihyeok into it?”
“How are you?”
At Jin Ye-seul’s relaxed attitude, Han Soo-young lashed out.
“Unlike you, who is reckless, other people live by society’s rules and morals. And take care of others and look at the atmosphere. Unlike anyone else.”
Jin Ye-seul giggled at Han Soo-young’s answer.
“But Jihyuk is not a person. To be precise, not a pure human.”
“… What?”
“Han Soo-young, you too.”
Purple eyes, like amethysts, skimmed through the red-tinted ones.
“Did you think I didn’t know?”
She frowned and shook her head.
“But isn’t it a bit strange to judge Ji-hyeok based on the rules and morals of society you speak of? Literally, you and Jihyuk can turn everything upside down at any time. It’s also a position where you can ignore that.”
“… … .”
Looking at her with her mouth shut, Jin Ye-seul smiled brightly.
“Um, don’t worry. Because I have no intention of intimidating or ridiculing you with something like this. Rather, I am truly grateful to you for bringing Ji-hyuk back here.”
she whispered
“I, no one else, I… As long as Ji-hyeok chooses me, I think it’s okay if I don’t have to be ‘the only one’.”
I don’t know what Han Soo-young and others would think, but for Jin Ye-seul, it was like giving up everything.
She was grateful to Han Soo-young in her own way and was paying tribute to her.
“Honestly, don’t you think that you feel refreshed in your heart? So, outwardly angry like this, he didn’t respond properly to what I said, and he just listened. no?
Han Soo-young replied one beat late.
“It was just ridiculous.”
She was right.
However, Han Soo-young did not want to admit it.
“… what the hell If you are, then you will.”
Jin Ye-seul shrugged.
“Oh, can I ask you one thing?”
Han Soo-young didn’t answer.
Jin Ye-seul smiled as if she liked it.
“If Jihyuk doesn’t choose you… If the terrible two years we all went through unfold for the rest of our lives, if someone other than you is by Jihyuk’s side… .”
Even then, can you take it so calmly?
To Jin Ye-seul’s question, Han Soo-young still didn’t say anything.
Then, Jin Ye-seul, who had been smiling from the beginning, for the first time erased all emotions from her face and whispered with a dry expression.
“I would never do that.”
Han Soo-young couldn’t say anything.
“… Do you know who liked someone and spit out such a sound? If I can do it, I want to be alone. But now that I know it can’t be, I’m shivering with this shit. … And the same goes for you, right?”
Jin Ye-seul slowly passed Han Soo-young’s side and whispered.
“Think about it too. When I think back to those two years… .”
She muttered, biting her tongue.
“… To be honest, I knew you would be with me.”
With those words, Jin Ye-seul walked towards the wedding hall.
Han Soo-young just stood there without a word.
“… … .”
I don’t want to repeat those years.
I won’t regret it now.
Han Soo-young sympathized with Jin Ye-seul’s words more than anyone else.
Without realizing it, she began to think of those two years, literally hellish years, little by little.
The forgotten memories were revealed in an instant, forming colonies like ants under fallen leaves.