55 – Nameless Extra (4)
The sparkling Milky Way was covered in water. If you hold the beautifully risen crescent moon in one hand and poke it at the center of the sky, the bare face of the sun, covered by the blanket of night, will seem to pour down through the gaping hole.
If a famous painter had seen it, it would have been nice to take out a canvas, but unfortunately, what was in the middle of the landscape was an insignificant extra. My lips are bursting too. My hair is also matted. The painter might have kicked out this idiot, whose clothes were all disheveled, in anger.
Well. In my opinion, I felt like I didn’t fit into this scene. Prom night. A quiet balcony with cool night air. This space was too beautiful for someone like me. I thought it would be much better for the pretty girl sitting on the railing to be alone than for me.
“Hmm…”
Still, I had a hard time today, so I guess I’ll give that girl some work. Before I could even think of that, a cough escaped my mouth. It was a truly vulgar way, but she gratefully turned her head towards me. Soon, her indescribable emotions were all mixed up in that pretty face.
“…”
“Hmm…”
As their eyes met, the pressure of having to say something tightened her chest. I scratched my cheek for no reason and then asked in a timid voice.
“Well…What should I do first?”
“…”
“Shall I kneel first?”
I thought he would definitely be angry, so I bowed from the beginning. But Yuna ignored me and looked over the railing.
“Why don’t you come and sit down first?”
“Ah, yes.”
Like a puppy that heard a command, I ran quickly and stood in front of the railing. I tried to look as intimidated as possible, but when the wind blew from somewhere and blew Yuna’s thin dress away, revealing her plump thighs, her face turned red without me realizing it. Yuna noticed that gaze and slowly crossed her legs and said.
“You can see better when you sit down.”
“Ah, yes.”
I quickly sat down on the railing. And I tried to pull the gaze that was drawn towards my thighs with the tip of my chin.
“Um…So are you angry?”
“Are you angry?”
“I acted like I wanted to today. I thought that was why you were angry.”
“Well, what do you think it was like?”
“Hmm…”
It was the most difficult question in the world. When I hesitated and couldn’t answer, Yuna sighed and placed her hand on my shoulder.
“You’re not sure, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then close your eyes.”
“Uh…Yeah.”
Anyway, it was clear that I was angry, so I quietly closed my eyes. Yuna asked again, still placing her hand on my shoulder.
“Did you close your eyes?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure you wrapped it tightly?”
“Yes. I can’t see anything.”
“Good job.”
“But what are you trying to do with your eyes closed…?”
“Goodbye then.”
“Huh?”
I just tilted my head at the words whose meaning I could not understand. And the next moment, without any warning, Yuna’s hand hit my chest and pushed it away.
“Huh…?”
An empty word flowed from my mouth. But that did nothing to support the falling body. In an instant, my body was sucked over the railing and the hand of gravity began to grab my body and pull me down. I struggled with her hands and feet and, as a last act of resistance, opened her eyes and looked at Yuna. There wasn’t even an evil smile on her lips. I looked at her like that and cried out her last words, which could have been her last words.
“Yu…!”
But nothing came to fruition. I just crashed. The bottom of the academy. To the lowest level of hell where I should be. Yuna looked at me like that and gave her final sentence.
“Hello, Ellen.”
…!
…
…
…
And the next moment, I opened my eyes in the scent of flowers that filled my nose.
“The flowers smell really nice, right?”
“…”
The fall did not last very long. No, it was at a level that was embarrassing to even call it a fall in the first place. Why did I forget that this was the first floor? I just hit my back against the flower bed over the railing on the first floor.
On a summer day, the blooming peppermint flowers tickled my cheeks, as if teasing me. I burst into laughter with both feet on the railing.
“The scent… It’s really nice.”
“Right?”
Soon, Yuna’s face popped out between my legs. She rested her chin on her railing and looked down at me.
“Do you know that I felt exactly like this? I know he was doing it for me, but I was really dizzy. Do you understand now?”
“Ah…Yes. I understand, but the process is a bit different.”
“And what about you? If it was worse than this, it would have been worse, not less?”
“I can’t refute this…”
I threw my arms on the floor and hit my head on the dirt as if I was fed up. But Yuna continued to scold me by poking my ankle.
“I couldn’t have done anything if it didn’t work out well. The other person is the crown prince of the empire. Why do you have to be so reckless about a subject you don’t trust at all?”
“But somehow it was resolved. Thanks to my amazing acting skills, Illya’s plan, and Guero’s meager performance.”
“Even if it’s resolved well, it’s a problem. You’ve made the crown prince look bad through this. I don’t think I have any ill feelings, but what are you going to do, Ellen? Huh?”
“Well… Wouldn’t it be okay to just stay put for a while? Like usual.”
“What if I use this as an excuse to kick you out of the academy?”
“Why don’t you get a job here as a servant? But since you’re a student at your alma mater, won’t they treat you well?”
“You really…”
It was an irritating voice, but it contained a hint of affection. She looked at me quietly and then leaned her face completely against the railing.
“…Does it hurt a lot?”
“Do you think so?”
“You know it’s completely torn, right? And since you were holding that dirty rag against it, it must have hurt. Who gave you that?”
“Um…I just brought it.”
“Ha…”
A deep sigh escaped me again. Yuna looked at me with her eyes filled with emotion, and she eventually said those words.
“…Thank you, Ellen. For doing so much for me.”
“Are you saying that now?”
“Actually, I can’t put it into words. If I were alone, I might still be under Elise’s control. That’s why I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t know how to say thank you.”
“Umm…”
Although she asked playfully, she felt a little awkward receiving a thank you note. I felt embarrassed all over again, and it wasn’t something I did because I wanted to be thanked, so I just played around with the plant. But Yuna didn’t stop and tried to pour out her heart to me.
“You really exist. To me…”
“Yuna, please. Don’t do that. I didn’t do it because I wanted to be thanked.”
“Still…”
“I just did what was good for you because it was also good for me. It’s kind of like a trickle-down effect. So, don’t say thank you, Yuna.”
“…You know how to say difficult things. Still, I don’t think I can bear it if I don’t say it. Thank you, Ellen. Really.”
“I told you to stop…”
I waved my hand as if I was tired and grabbed the overgrown grass again. At that time, a good idea suddenly came into my head. I opened my mouth without hiding the mischievous smile that appeared.
“…Still, if you’re really grateful, repay me with your body.”
“What…?”
Yuna tilted her head, not understanding what it meant. I slowly raised my body, made eye contact with Yuna, and carefully hugged her thin waist.
And then he lifted himself up and threw himself towards the flower field.
“aaah!”
“Ugh!”
I did this first here, but because I applied too much force, I lost my balance and hit my head on the dirt. A white flash flashed in my mind, and the intoxication of the wine I drank earlier came back to me.
“Phew…What is this…!”
Meanwhile, Yuna held her head up and spat out the flowers and grass that had filled her mouth. But I barely surfaced above her and locked her back in my arms.
And then, it started rolling over the flower field.
“aaah!”
“uuup…Puhaa! Yaaa!”
Every time I spun around, the aftereffects of hitting my head, the drunkenness that never went away, and the dizzying scent of mint all came together and spun around in my head. I felt as if the world had put me in a glass full of flowers and was spinning me around.
But as dizzy as it was, the scent of Yuna that filled her arms was so addictive that she couldn’t stop spinning. The shoulder that touches hers. My waist is touched. The warm feeling of her heart touching her chest. It felt like I was embracing summer again in my arms.
“Wait a minute, Eren! I’m dizzy! I’m really dizzy!”
“Don’t worry! I’m dizzy too!”
“No, I’m not really joking! The wine I drank earlier… Wow! Where are you touching!”
“But there’s no other place to catch it than here!”
“But who touches the butt?”
Yuna’s terrifying scream echoed pitifully throughout the world. Even though it was clear that someone would hear me if I raised my voice this loud, I screamed with all my might. I continued to roll on the ground, tickling her here and there on her body.
“Hands! Take your hands off me! I won’t let you go!”
“What are you going to do? Try something?”
“Hey, wait a minute…Not the side! Ahahahahaha!”
But in the end, Yuna also burst into laughter. But I didn’t stop and continued to tickle my whole body, and our voices intertwined, piercing the cool night air.
Perhaps due to the intoxication of a midsummer night, our secret meeting was very messy and noisy. If someone had seen it, they might have said it was vulgar. It was so simple compared to the story of the main characters that took place in that fancy ballroom, where their clothes were covered in dirt and the only audience watching was the rising crescent moon.
But as long as it could be a story just for the two of us, it didn’t matter if it was simpler than this. Thanks to the story of the crown prince that happened at the right time, no one paid any attention to our commotion. Thanks to that, we raised our voices for the first time and ran towards each other. For this moment, I felt like I could forget everything and smile.
“Haa…Haa…Uh haa…”
“Haa…hahahaha…Ahahahaha…”
Ellen’s prank didn’t end until her thin dress was soaked with sweat. It felt so good to talk loudly outside for the first time in a while, so he continued to tickle my weak spots.
“Ahahahahaha…Please don’t…My jaw hurts from laughing so hard…”
“Ugh…No. You’re not satisfied yet?”
“Oh, wait a minute. Please Ellen. Please do me a favor.”
“I don’t want it? They won’t let me go?”
“Push…Now…Just wait there!”
Ellen caught my running feet and tickled the soles of my feet. Even though I was laughing like that, I still had strength left in my body, so I started laughing again.
“Wait! Please! Oh, that place really tickles!”
“hahahahaha…I found it good. I guess the soles of your feet are more itchy?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Oh, I’m so sorry! I’m sorry!”
I struggled without even knowing what I was apologizing for. Then, I was finally freed after accidentally kicking him with my elbow.
“Ha…Ha…”
I took a breath and looked at the sky. Perhaps because I was laughing so hard, my vision was blurry, like I was in a fog. Every time I pushed out the air in my lungs, even tears leaked out.
“…”
Meanwhile, a warm energy enveloped my ankles again. Even though I was completely exhausted, I smiled instinctively.
“Ah…hahahaha…Then let me go now, Ellen. I’ve had enough fun.”
“I see. Did you enjoy it enough?”
“Still not enough? Surrender. Surrender! So now…”
“Okay, I’ll let you go.”
“Miss Yoona.”
…
“Huh…?”
At that moment, I stopped laughing and looked up. It was a very accurate pronunciation for Ellen. In an instant, I felt as if my warm body temperature disappeared and a chill spread throughout my body.
No, actually, it wasn’t my fault. At some point, the pervasive scent of flowers disappeared and a darkness blacker than the night sky was spreading. Only then did I slowly get up and look around.
“Ellen…?”
The voice that rang in vain did not even echo and was just scattered in the air. My throat was squeezed and my heart was constricted by the cosmic horror coming from the void. I continued to look around to find any traces of others.
And then a familiar hand reached out to my shoulder.
“It’s been a long time, Miss Yoona.”
“…”
A familiar voice approached from behind. I had only heard it once in my life, but it was a voice I could never forget, so I did not bother to ask who it was. Instead, I greeted her face to face with all the respect and reverence in my heart for her.
“Hello…Hello, goddess.”
“You’re doing well, Miss Kim Yuna.”
“…”
When I met her after a long time, her voice was still cold and chilly. Even my extremely excited mood quietly faded into the spreading darkness.
I didn’t know what to say, so I just swallowed. Soon her arms were wrapped around my neck and the rough feel of the hemp cloth brushed her cheek.
“You were doing well, right?”
“Yes…I was doing well.”
“Don’t be too nervous. I just came because I wanted to tell you something.”
She laughed a little as my breath trembled. Then he gently touched her shoulder and said a very kind word to her.
“You’re doing really well these days, Miss Yoona.”
“…Yes?”
“I’m doing really well right now.”
“I’m… Doing well?”
“Yes. They are very, very good to me.”
It was a phrase that may sound like a cliché greeting to some. But her words felt like a ray of light falling from the sky to me. The light was so dazzling that it seemed as if it would fill the corners of my eyes and then flow down my cheeks.
The goddess traced the droplets of light that moistened my cheek with her finger. Then she burst out laughing lightly.
“Why are you crying like an idiot? This is what you wanted to hear, isn’t it?”
“I’m just so happy.”
“I understand. I would have done the same if I were Miss Yoona.”
“Are you really doing well, goddess?”
“Yes. I’m doing well. And from now on, you can do whatever you want, Yoona. If you do that, there will be a happy ending. There’s not much left.”
“I see…”
I couldn’t speak any more. I felt like I was going to collapse on the floor because I couldn’t handle the overflowing joy. Soon, the darkness before my eyes disappeared and the light of the original world began to shine through. Before she disappeared, the goddess hugged my back and said her last words.
“I will continue to do my best. I also hope that Yuna will be happy. I sincerely hope that she will be happy.”