Chapter 813 – #169_Ideal Utopia (6)
#807
1.
Every slave captured in Gehenna severs their ‘connection’ with the mortal world to prevent their inevitable death.
Siwoo, who should have died in a plane crash, was no exception.
Those who knew nothing of magic and mystery couldn’t recall Siwoo, not even his parents.
To his parents, Siwoo had never existed.
No matter how hard he tried to convince them that he was their son, they would forget it in a few days.
“Hoo…”
Nevertheless, Siwoo stood in front of a 30-year-old apartment complex with a tense expression.
An artifact that reconnects the ‘connection’ that cannot be re-established once severed.
He had brought it with him during the great escape of Hexennacht.
In other words, Siwoo had his first chance in seven years to meet his parents.
Not as a complete stranger claiming to be their son, but as their son, Shin Siwoo.
Siwoo swallowed hard and pressed the door lock of the door that felt familiar yet strange after getting off the elevator.
-Beep beep beep beep beep beep
The unchanged door lock password was Siwoo’s birthdate.
It was the weekend, so both of them would be home.
“I’m home.”
It must have been mealtime, as the smell of home-cooked food wafted out.
The living room was just as he remembered.
Family photos, newspaper articles with headlines like ‘Math Genius Shin Siwoo.’
It seemed that Siwoo’s existence, which had disappeared during the process of restoring the connection, had returned.
In the kitchen, which was directly to the left of the living room, his parents’ eyes widened at the sudden opening of the door lock.
Both of them looked much older than he remembered.
His mother, who was the fairest among his friends’ mothers, had wrinkles around her eyes, and his father, who looked like a macho actor from the 80s, had a lot of gray hair.
“Mom, Dad. Your son is home.”
The moment Siwoo greeted them.
His mother dropped her chopsticks, and his father poured the juice he was drinking back into the cup.
Seven years since he was captured in the city of witches.
He had finally returned home.
2.
The three of them hugged and cried, lost in the joy of reunion for a moment.
“What were you doing all this time? Your mother was so, so worried about you… And why do your eyes look like that?”
His mother was angry.
“Honey, what did I tell you? I said our son would come back eventually, didn’t I?”
His father chuckled and patted his back with red-rimmed eyes.
“Are you laughing now? You better explain quickly, where have you been and what have you been doing?”
“Yeah, our son looks radiant. Hurry up and reassure your mother.”
In front of a fruit plate piled so high it seemed like they had shaved off everything in the house, Siwoo began to unravel his grand adventure, unsure of where to start.
“The plane crashed. I was captured in a place called the city of witches.”
The stories started after lunch and continued until after dinner.
Honestly, he thought it was a story that no one would believe.
Wouldn’t it be more believable to think that their missing son had returned with schizophrenia or a mental disorder, rather than saying he was captured in the city of witches, became a slave, and eventually became a male witch?
In fact, even after he showed her a small magic trick, his mother’s face was pale.
So, he prepared.
A thorough verification system.
“Just a moment, everyone will be here soon. They all said they wanted to see you.”
It was a given that multiple testimonies would increase credibility more than one person speaking.
Shortly after Siwoo made the call, the small living room became crowded.
The lovers who came after receiving the call were Amelia, Odile, Odette, Sharon, Eloa, Rurue, Dorothy, and Linne, a total of eight people.
With a total of eleven people, the living room seemed cramped, with barely enough space to sit.
“Hello.”
The daughters-in-law, who had come dressed like flowers, greeted his parents with great courtesy.
The sight of the beauties of the nation, the moon-like faces, the shame of flowers, and the unparalleled witches all greeting their in-laws at once was a spectacle even from behind.
It was partly to explain to his parents, but as a son who had suddenly returned after seven years, he thought it was right to show his parents the faces of his daughters-in-law.
“A-are all of these people… witches, those, witches? Your girlfriends…? One, two, three…”
His mother, who had been crying and laughing repeatedly, her face swollen, seemed at a loss as to how to react to this scene.
“Hahaha! I was worried because you wouldn’t listen when I told you to get a girlfriend. You’re popular just like your dad! My son!”
“What are you doing?”
“What can I do? He brought such beautiful young ladies as daughters-in-law, should I scold him?”
“Honey!”
Taking advantage of the confusion, Odile and Odette quickly stepped forward and began to introduce themselves with a cheerful bow.
“Hello! As Father said, I’m the cute daughter-in-law, Odile Geminai!”
“I’m Odette Geminai, who will be devoted to her mother-in-law!”
The twins, who introduced themselves as if they were idols, were unusually trembling.
They had attended because they had to meet and greet their assistant’s parents, but they were so nervous that they needed to take a calming pill.
“Oh my… are you twins?”
““Yes! We are!””
“Oh my, oh my, oh my…”
As far as Siwoo knew, his mother was a reasonably cultured and extremely sensible person.
Even if her son had returned after years of hardship, she seemed to be in shock that he had brought a group of daughters-in-law like a Middle Eastern oil tycoon, and that he had taken both twins as wives.
It was something he had accepted without any sense of incongruity for so long, but from a general point of view, he was a Casanova like no other.
“Ahem.”
The next to jump in was Rurue.
It was obvious that she was determined to follow even if she had been beaten to the punch by the twins.
He knew Rurue’s personality too well.
He also knew that she often showed irrational behavior.
He watched with a nervous heart, wondering what kind of dizzying remark she would make.
“Hello. I am, no, I am Rurue Nukelavira. No, I do. Ugh… I do.”
Her stiff movements, like an old wooden doll, were not much different from the twins.
However, it didn’t seem to be due to nervousness like the twins.
She just seemed awkward with the honorifics she was using for the first time, making mistakes several times.
When he glanced at the rest of the group, he saw Sharon and Eloa nodding their heads while making eye contact.
Fortunately, it seemed that they had been somewhat indoctrinated with K-Confucianism before coming here.
“It is an honor to be able to appoint your son as the national consort of the Great Nukelavi Empire.”
“……”
“However, you too should be duly moved by this bliss.”
“……”
“…Anyway, please take care of me.”
In the end, Rurue broke down.
She seemed to realize that she had messed up, and she hid behind Dorothy, complaining.
“Even if they are the parents of the national consort, isn’t it proper to show respect in front of the queen? The etiquette of the mortal world does not consider the honor of royalty at all.”
Dorothy comforted Rurue.
“You did great, Your Majesty~”
After the rest of the group introduced themselves, they sat down together for dinner.
There was nothing luxurious or special, but his mother’s special kimchi stew, which he had wanted to eat so much, was the main dish.
Both of them must have had many questions and things they didn’t understand, but they didn’t show it at all.
They didn’t ask many questions either.
They just sometimes wiped away tears, sometimes smiled contentedly, and refilled their rice bowls several times.
They acted like ordinary parents welcoming their son’s daughters-in-law.
Siwoo, who knew how much consideration and love was contained in that, couldn’t help but be grateful.
After dinner, he went for a walk with his father.
“Son, shall we go for a walk, just the men?”
“Sure. But will Mom be okay alone?”
“You ran away so suddenly, have you forgotten who your mother is?”
“I guess…”
If it was his mother’s sociability, she was known everywhere.
She was the head of the neighborhood women’s association, and the owner of a cafe who would chat with customers for hours….
He didn’t know if it was okay for her son to say this, but she was a capybara ajumma.
As they walked along the familiar path, his father handed him a cigarette.
A father and son smoking together, how long had it been?
The gray smoke filled his lungs and then scattered.
“I didn’t know my son had such abilities in this area. I told you, you can do it if you try. Well, whose son are you?”
“Dad, you should quit smoking. You have to think about your age.”
“You quit first, you brat. You’ve only been smoking for less than 10 years, tsk tsk.”
“I’m not going to die of lung cancer now, am I?”
His parents got married as soon as they turned 20.
His mother gave birth to Siwoo at 22.
That’s why his father always seemed more like an older brother than a father.
His father, who had been exchanging silly jokes, said.
“Are you leaving again?”
“……”
Why was that?
He didn’t know the reason.
But from the moment he entered the house, he had instinctively felt a sense of incongruity and alienation.
That all these happy moments were just a fleeting daydream.
Because his parents had already passed away, the apartment where his family lived when he was young had long been demolished for reconstruction, and the scenic walking path lined with old trees had also disappeared.
So, such a moment would probably never come, no matter how long he waited.
“I have to go. I might not be able to come back for a long time this time either.”
“Is that so?”
“But how did you know?”
“There are no parents who can beat their children, but there are no children who can deceive their parents either. We just pretend to be fooled.”
His father was trying hard to hide his disappointment.
Even the cigarette burning between his slightly twisted lips seemed so real.
“Why are you looking so glum, you rascal?”
“When did I?”
His father patted his back.
Whether this was the magic of a homunculus or just a fleeting illusion created in his mind, he didn’t know.
But he knew his parents well.
He was sure that his father and mother would have shown the same expression, the same heart, and the same actions in such a moment.
Even if it was an illusion.
He could find comfort in it.
“Parents, you know. What matters most is that their children are happy.”
“…I know.”
“Go on, you rascal.”
Siwoo took out the red branch that was somehow in his hand.
Just by drawing it in the air and swinging it, the space seemed to tear apart, revealing the other side.
It was a dark forest path with dense larch trees.
“I’ll be back.”
As if sensing the moment of farewell, his father shouted.
“I’m proud of you. My wonderful son. You’ll be fine wherever you go. I’ll tell your mother everything!”
He felt something hot rising from his chest.
Just before stepping into the dark forest path, he bowed deeply towards his father.
“I really love you, and thank you so much.”
And then, without looking back, he moved forward.
