Chapter 26 – Dugyeon Nakhwa (9)

I yearned for a trustworthy relationship.

That was my sole desire.

However, the circumstances surrounding me did not permit it. The bond of trust that I had managed to forge was so shallow and narrow that it was cast aside over trivial matters.

Since relationships with people could easily devolve into something insignificant, I longed for a genuine connection that would not betray one another.

Inwardly, I might have been averting my eyes from certain truths.

At some point, I became aware of the walls I had built between myself and others. I hesitated to reach out for a relationship that I might regret losing for the rest of my life.

Human relationships have always been ambiguous, and fearing the distance that grows, I maintained my own.

I know better than anyone how absurd this is. I was well aware that I needed to move forward, not merely stand by and observe.

Still, I didn’t reach out.

No,

I had been desperately hoping for someone to approach.
Perhaps I was trying to ignore my own selfishness.

-Chirp, jjajak.

I found myself yearning for the cuckoo’s cry that could no longer be heard.
With a resigned expression, I swept my hand across the mirror.

How much time had passed? How many regrets had I mulled over?
I bowed my head, recalling the man’s face from that day, and closed my eyes, smiling wistfully.

The long-awaited revenge for my father had concluded in a way I could never have imagined, and the lifelong goal I had cherished vanished like scattered dust.
Thanks to the scheme of a man I loathed, everything had been resolved.

Lee Seong-Han was dead.

They said he was found with a massive hole in his head.
For some reason, there was no news of the mother and brothers who had joined the group.

In truth, that was fine by me.
What filled her mind now wasn’t the revenge she had been waiting for her entire life.

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock on the dormitory door.

“…Come in.”

As she spoke, a heavy voice resonated throughout the room.

Swish – Lee Se-Young, dressed in a sharp suit, entered through the open door. She loosened the tie around her neck and sat down in a chair next to the desk. In a gentle voice, she asked:

“Jin Dal-rae, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m feeling much better.”

“Well, if you force your strength like that, your body is bound to suffer. Be careful next time.”

Azalea offered a bitter smile and wrapped an arm around herself. Her senses felt numb as if paralyzed.

“Don’t worry too much, though. You should be back to normal in a week.”

“…Teacher.”

“Hmm?”

“When will Lee Si-heon come?”

Azalea hesitated before uttering the three-syllable name.

Lee Si-heon.

He hadn’t died but was discovered trapped beneath the basement, covered in wounds.

Upon hearing the unexpected man’s name, Se-Young bit her lower lip and sighed.

“Well…”

She crossed her arms, recalling the man from a few days ago.

“Are you crazy?”
“Yes.”

When Se-Young first heard Si-Heon’s plan, she thought he was genuinely the craziest person in history. In fact, Lee Si-Heon calmly explained his plan while not denying that he was indeed insane. In other words, he was fully aware of how preposterous his actions were going to be.

“But what can I do? I have to do this to survive.”

She hadn’t yet grasped the meaning behind those final words. Regardless, she initially tried to dissuade him. To enter the stronghold alone and reveal his location? It was an absurd notion, and Se-Young was not a cruel enough woman to push her comrade into the depths of hell.

However, Lee Si-Heon truly succeeded in his plan, as if to prove a point. Of course, the process was not without its accidents.

After infiltrating the church via teleportation, Si-heon planned to send only the coordinates and use a new teleport stone to return to the academy. However, an issue arose in the final stage, preventing him from making his return.

The news had been utterly shocking. Se-young felt her heart sink at the revelation.

“He’s currently in a hospital managed by the Association. Since he’s seriously injured, it’ll take at least a week for him to return to the academy. Even his magical circuit was shattered,” she explained.

“I see.”

But that was all in the past now. In contrast to Se-young’s relieved expression, Azalea hung her head, her face filled with guilt. Upon seeing her like this, Se-young sighed.

“What happened between you and Si-heon?”

“…”

“What is it?”

“…”

Seeing Azalea’s lack of response, Se-young scratched her head and pulled a letter from her waist.

“Read it.”

“Huh?”

“Si-heon gave it to you. Read it.”

“…!”

Azalea’s face was full of astonishment. For the first time, emotions filled her previously lifeless eyes. Seeing this unusual reaction, Se-Young awkwardly scratched the nape of her neck.

“Ugh, seriously, all my cadets are just insane.”

Se-Young exited the room, hesitantly mumbling to herself. As soon as she confirmed Se-Young had left, Azalea hastily tore open the letter.

– Jjik, Jijiik.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask.

Why had Se-Young helped her?
Why had she fought her stepfather with a sword, even when it left her battered and bruised?

– Sseureuk.

A single sentence appeared between the unfolded sheets of paper.

Azalea read the words.

She read them again, then went back and read them once more.

She had so many questions, but those emotions vanished as she read the message.

The words, written in rough handwriting, were strikingly similar to something she had never dared to hope for.

– Can we be friends now?

“…Haha, ha.”

Incredulous, she merely let out a hollow laugh.

It was as if spring had come for the first time to a tree that had never known it.

* * * * *

In a room filled with the scent of burning incense, a man with a stern expression gazed at the ceiling before casting a faint smile towards the child standing by the door.

“Dad!”
“Hm? Oh, my little princess, what have you been up to?”

A young child with bright pink hair wobbled over and stretched out her short arms, clinging to the man’s leg.

“Today I played house with Chirpy!”
“Ah, did you now?”

The child spread her arms wide and beamed with innocence. The man, hiding his bitterness, lifted his daughter into his arms.

“What did our Dallae do to become this lovely?”
“Hehehe!”

The man pressed his cheek against the child’s and rubbed it affectionately. Dallae scrunched up her face at the prickly sensation of his beard.

“Dad, it’s scratchy!”
“Is it? Just bear with it a little.”

The man held Dallae tightly in his embrace.

Unable to shake off a bitter expression, as if beset by melancholy thoughts, the man tightened his hold on the child, making sure she couldn’t see his face. He simply stood there, holding her for a while.

“Dad?”
“Hmm?”
“Put me down. I’m tired.”
“…I’m sorry. Was it hard for you?”

Azalea wriggled free from the man’s weakened grip. As she touched the floor, she smoothed out the wrinkles in the pink dress she was wearing, soon offering a faint smile.

“Hehe”
“What do you love the most, Dallae?”
“Me? I love Daddy the most!”

Seeing her answer without hesitation, the man’s bitter smile deepened.

“No, not that. What do you love next to Dad?”
“Chirpy!”
“A bird?”
“Yes, when I go outside, Chirpy always plays with me!”
“Is that so?”

Chirpy. Chirpy.
She must be talking about a bird.

The man, having repeated the word ‘bird’ several times in his thoughts, reached out and playfully messed up Azalea’s hair.

“Then, while Daddy is away for a bit, can we be friends with the bird?”
“Dad, where are you going again?”
“Huh? No, no. I have to step out for work for a short while. I’ll be back after five nights.”
“Five nights? Then I should go to bed early to see Dad again! Hehe.”

Azalea, tilting her head, giggled a few more times before lying down on the bed and falling asleep.

She is sleeping.

The man took his clothes out of the wardrobe, put them on, and looked at Azalea, who had fallen asleep, while tightly hugging his pillow. He faintly smiled and stroked Azalea’s cheek. The young girl, reacting to his touch, smiled contentedly.

He firmly imprinted that image in his mind and took a step back from Azalea. Then, he looked at his hand and murmured.

“…Please.”

– Chirp? Chirp?

The spirit that flowed from the man’s hand tilted its head.

The spirit, soon realizing its role, lay down beside Azalea and closed its eyes.

With a rigid expression, the man left the room.

His footsteps in the corridor felt even heavier that day. The moon outside the window appeared unbearably cold. The man’s feet continued moving until they stopped at the threshold of another room.

How had things come to this? Despite his contemplation, nothing seemed to change.

The man knew that if this persisted, everyone connected to him would face calamity.

Stripped of everything, all that remained for him was his precious daughter, a golden treasure.

In the dire situation where no one could offer assistance, he had to be prepared to sacrifice his own life to protect what he cherished.

A creak.

He opened the door and stepped into the room. A rope dangled from the ceiling.

The man left Azalea’s side and offered a prayer to the World Tree.

May someone come along one day to take his place beside her.

– Prrrrrrr.

A lone cuckoo bird, which had trailed from the room, was observing the spectacle.