Chapter 60 – Rest (4)
“I’m here.”
As I waited for a while, midsummer approached after I entered and finished the treatment.
“What did you say?”
“There is no big problem. It’s okay if you solve it well like now… What did you say?”
Midsummer said, twirling the tip of her hair. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any major problems like mine.
“I was told to take good care of my body too.”
For the time being, my physical condition is a secret to Midsummer. I didn’t want to cause unnecessary worry by informing you of a problem that couldn’t be solved right away.
“I’m glad.”
Smiling bashfully, Midsummer sat down next to me.
“You worked hard. You two can spend some free time now. I have to go to God. Enough then.”
Professor Chungha turned his back and disappeared from sight.
“Where do you want to go? Wanna go to the sea? There were some kids who went swimming.”
“I want to stop looking at the sea. I hate being hot anymore.”
Midsummer pouted her lips. Well, maybe it’s because I’m tired of seeing the sea on an uninhabited island. Now, even looking at the beautiful sea of Okinawa, I am not very impressed.
In the first place, the landscape itself was dominated by uninhabited islands near the equator.
No matter how long it’s been since I’ve been there, I’ve often thought of the view of the beach at sunset.
It’s a bit awkward to sit here, so she moved to a cafe inside the hospital.
“Look at this.”
Midsummer lifted up a cup of iced americano, she said. There is a ‘thanks to the heroes’. Unlucky.’ Was written in Korean. A cute hand-drawn picture was also included.
“Did you show too much being an academy cadet?”
In principle, we are supposed to wear school uniforms when doing outside activities, so we wore them, but it seemed that someone among the staff recognized that we were academy cadets.
“It feels good though. Isn’t that why I told you to wear a school uniform? Feel the great sense of responsibility and satisfaction from people’s reactions.”
“What is mulberry? Come all the way to Japan.”
“There is no romance in words.”
“Does romance feed you?”
“But tell me. I know that?”
Midsummer stared at my face. It was a very strange look.
“What?”
“Your words and actions are really separate.”
“I?”
“You pretend to be realistic and calculating, but you risk your life and jump into other people’s business.”
“It’s just a thorough calculation.”
Letting out a deep sigh, Han Yeo-reum gulped down the iced Americano.
“Have you ever put your life into that calculation?”
“…”
I was speechless for a moment at the question that hit me right in the middle. Midsummer raised her eyes and bit her lip lightly.
“Look. Because there is no awareness The moment she puts her own life on the scales, which way will it tip? The moment you throw your life away in the first place, it’s a matter of calculation that doesn’t work.”
“I didn’t really risk my life.”
“Lie.”
“I walked a little bit.”
Corrected. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t walk at all. I just tried to ignore it.
“I hope you don’t become a knight.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t intend to become something grand like that.”
For me, cooperation was a means to become stronger, but it never became a goal. Of course, I didn’t even seek a separate knight.
Midsummer, who had been chewing on a straw for a while, let out a deep sigh.
“…Okay. That was too presumptuous.”
“But why are you so smart? Did you get spit on white blood?”
“Shut up.”
Midsummer pursed her lips. I put my hand on Midsummer’s hair and tousled it rather strongly.
“Sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry for putting the atmosphere in the wrong place.”
“Let’s find it wherever we go. It’s a waste to stay only in a cafe.”
“Uh.”
The two of us naturally started looking for a place to go while rummaging through our smartphones as if we had had a heavy conversation.
The world of Okinawa was not much different.
“Mostly seaside tourist destinations.”
“It’s a resort of its own, so that’s right.”
“Uh, I want to go here.”
Han Yeo-reum showed me the screen of her smartphone and said.
Churaumi Aquarium.
It was the largest aquarium in Japan that once competed for the best in the world.
***
When I arrived at the aquarium, it was crowded with people from the entrance. Perhaps because it was a safe area, it was hard to believe that this was a world where a gate incident had occurred.
In particular, there seemed to be a lot of young children holding their parents’ hands tightly.
“Cadets of Jungwon Martial Arts Academy can just go in.”
When I was about to stand in a long line to buy a ticket, a Japanese staff member who was busily guiding me around started talking to me in Korean. After getting our academy student IDs checked, we went right in without standing in line. Nonetheless, no citizens were dissatisfied.
“Even though the academy is in Korea, it seems that it has an influence even in Japan.”
“Since Moorim Electric is a national game, it feels like Korea is a mecca for training martial artists. Jungwon Martial Arts Academy is the best among them.”
“Well, it seemed like that when I was playing games.”
The beginning was an exhibition hall where corals of the tropical sea were growing in various ways. The atmosphere was not very different from the aquariums in Korea. Children gathered in front of the place where there were starfish that could be touched directly.
We passed between the children and arrived at a place with a beautiful coral reef.
“Pretty. A picture of me.”
As if looking at a painting, colorful fish passed between elaborate corals. Midsummer took a pose before him.
“Take a picture.”
“Ugh.”
I took a random picture with a series of shots and handed the phone to Han Yeo-reum.
“Not bad.”
Midsummer, who nodded her head once, took the lead and moved her steps.
“Is it good?”
“Uh. I have always wanted to go to an aquarium.”
“Let’s come again next time.”
“That’s fine.”
Starting with crustaceans, jellyfish that emit mysterious light, and seeing all sorts of bizarre creatures, I arrived at a vast place before I knew it. Beyond the dim lighting, the blue sea spread out in front of my eyes. Light poured softly into the tank, adding to the mystique.
Looking at the description, it was a super-large tank called the Kuroshio Sea.
“Wow….”
Midsummer stared blankly through the acrylic tank with her mouth open. Especially when a large whale shark passed by, she even let out a gasp from those around her.
“Is that a shark?”
“I hear it is.”
“I knew it was hard.”
It was truly spectacular to see not even one, but three whale sharks passing among schools of all kinds of fish and giant stingrays.
“It must be bigger than a decent whale?”
“As if. Let’s go and look around for a while.”
We went to the chairs at the far back and sat down. There were too many people to take pictures from the front.
“Hey, over there.”
Midsummer followed her finger, and staff in scuba gear began feeding the whale sharks from inside the aquarium. Everyone’s eyes started to turn towards it.
It wasn’t particularly intentional, but it seems we arrived just in time for feeding. Midsummer stuck right next to me, leaning her head on her shoulder.
“But it is.”
A soft blue light from the tank illuminated us.
Maybe that’s why, I feel like I’m becoming sentimental again.
“Yes?”
“Even if I die, you will live.”
“Why are you talking like that?”
Midsummer tapped my shoulder with her head.
“Just. You don’t know anything about people, do you?”
“No. How can I live without you?”
“…That sounds like a confession.”
Turning her head slightly, Han Yeo-reum looked at me without saying a word.
“Do you not know, or are you pretending not to know?”
And then, in a low tone, he continued.
Of course pretend not to know
Emotions that were vague until now have been sorted out to some extent.
Midsummer likes me And maybe me too.
There are facts that you know without having to say anything.
When I didn’t answer, wrinkles formed between Midsummer’s foreheads.
“What is the reason? Why don’t you give me a definite answer?”
Rather than blaming, it was a tone of sincere curiosity. This time, too, I had nothing to say. In the end, Han Yeoreum spoke her resentment first.
“You really are a bad guy.”
Contrary to Midsummer’s concerns, I had no intention of becoming a knight. However, that does not mean that he will not risk his life in the future.
To survive in this gutter-like world, one of them would have to risk their lives. I hate Midsummer fighting for her life.
In order for him to grow relatively safely, someone had to take the lead and clear the obstacles.
So in the end, if I have to risk my life, I have no choice but to risk it.
Nothing can be gained without sacrifice.
That’s what the world is all about.
Why not give a definite answer.
It was simple. Because i’m afraid
If I go further from here and I die.
It’s just that I was afraid.
I’m afraid I’ll be too much of a burden to him until I die.
He turned her body towards Midsummer and faced her face from the front. Under the dim lighting, Midsummer was making an expression that seemed to be about to cry.
“Sorry.”
“I really hate that you do this sometimes.”
I closed my eyes instead of answering the words of midsummer that I uttered coldly.
Then tok.
Suddenly, something soft and moist touched my lips.
We had a light kiss. Among so many people, it seemed that time stopped only around us. A short kiss lasting less than ten seconds. He parted his lips slowly.
“Still.”
When she opened her closed eyes, Midsummer met her gaze with me and spoke in a whisper.
“More than that, I like you.”
