Chapter 492 – Within the Dream (3)

What would I choose if someone offered to grant a wish of mine?

“It’s the first snowfall. Executioner. How long do you plan on staying there?”

Cheondo, who was ahead of me, urged me on and pulled at my collar.

My body and feet, dragged by Cheondo, crossed the snow-dampened wooden threshold. The sensations I had thought were part of a warm dream blended with the cold wind, and the vast landscape became vivid in my eyes as if this place were reality.

“Come on in.”

I overlaid the little girl’s footprints with my own. The view of the foothills from atop the winter garden was nothing short of breathtaking.

“Ah…”

The quaint village scenery during Dongji (Winter Solstice), seen years ago, remained unchanged.

“Executioner?”

Cheondo wore a puzzled expression after I had been lost in thought for a while.

“Aren’t you going down?”
“…I must.”

“Isn’t it beautiful? Our village.”

It is beautiful. That’s why it feels more like a dream. Cheondo, with her hands spread wide, collected the falling snowflakes in her palms and brought them right before my eyes.

“Look at this. It melts so gently. It’s like the cotton candy that brother-in-law bought me at the amusement park the other day.”

The girl who was watching the condensed snowflakes dissolve into water laughed softly, as innocent as a white lamb.

It’s a dream. Yet, why does it feel so real?

“Brother-in-law…? Where? Are you not feeling well?”

A flicker of worry crossed Cheondo’s face. I smiled awkwardly and stroked her head.

“No, it’s just that it has been a while since I looked down at Do-won. It makes me happy.”

“Ah, hehe… it tickles. Don’t just pet me like that.”

She has grown taller since then, but in this world we’ve shared, she’s still as childlike as she was back then. Cheondo smiled with a touch of playfulness.

We matched our strides and began to descend towards the lower part of Do-won, walking side by side.

Cheondo’s lively chatter showed no signs of stopping, clearly enjoying the conversation.

“Dowon is truly beautiful. It must be even more so because it was created by the death penalty. As the seasons passed, the trees donned pure white garments! Although it’s cold, we’ve learned the value of each other’s body warmth. Right?”
“Aphorism affliction.”
“Ah! I’m being serious here~”

Her memorable sayings as a teacher to her disciple.
I could feel a tender nostalgia for that aspect of the grown Cheondo.

“As it gets colder, you come to appreciate the warmth of another person’s body.”
“Good saying. Mmm.”
“If there’s no one around, the cold can make your bones ache.”
“Oh, is that aphorism affliction?”
“Yes.”

Hehe, the smiling Cheondo playfully tapped my shoulder.
Then, she gently extended her hand to me.

“So, you see, it’s important. The warmth of another person’s body.”

One glance was enough to know what she was asking for.
I reached out and held Cheondo’s hand.

“Execution.”
“Mhm.”
“Your hands have become quite cold.”

“Yes.”
“There have been many hardships along the way. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for things to cool down like that.”

Cheondo closed the distance and touched her shoulder to his.
Their strides, walking side by side, gradually fell into sync, and the steps they took, following one another, eventually became truly unified.

“Is it warm?”

Her small, delicate hand and slender fingers gently scraped my palm.
As I firmly held her hand in response to Cheondo’s attempt to interlock our fingers, a wave of affectionate warmth washed over me.

I slowly raised my slightly unfocused eyes.

“It’s warm.”

The village came into view.
Smoke rising from the chimneys melted the snow, while peddlers bustled about, and the people of Dowon cleared the snow from the roadside with happy faces.

A world where everyone moved in harmony, without fighting, and where no one needed to shed blood – as if a child had painted a dream on a canvas.

“The death penalty. You know what that is?”

Cheondo spoke to me, her eyes gleaming like a young fox.

“My hands are sweating so much. Ah, ah! Please don’t let go.”

That’s how it was.
What my teacher and I, what the old man truly desired.

“Since there’s still a long way to go, please hold on just a bit longer.”

It was a world like this.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Brother!”

Something immense approached.
It was Zodiac, her large breasts swaying and inner thighs exposed between the folds of her skirt.

Having not experienced Do-won’s destruction, Zodiac seemed even more innocent and adorable, like a country maiden.
Her breasts appeared to have grown somewhat larger, and her thighs as well.

“Stand there!”
“Kyaaaagh!”

Baekdo, pursuing Hwangdo,
From her insolent expression to her chest, Baekdo didn’t seem much different.

“Older brother, older brother… Ewing.”

Hwangdo clung to me, and upon seeing this, Baekdo clicked her tongue.
In Baekdo’s hand was a dry rag.

“What’s wrong?”
“Baekdo keeps calling me a rag…”
“What?”

As I looked at Baekdo, she stuck out her tongue and muttered.

“I mean cleaning, cleaning.”

Baekdo still addressed me informally and remained hostile even here.
As she walked over, she quickly grabbed Hwangdo’s shoulder.

“No, and if you flaunt your breasts like that, you’re a rag, you know.”
“…Heeing! What can I do if the bra doesn’t fit?”
“Then wrap a bandage!”
“It’s suffocating!”

Both of them still lacked maturity.
The debuff of Dowon’s destruction was present in these two.

“How do you two always fight like this? Just like yesterday.”

Baekdo, reacting to my words, stuck out her bloodied tongue.

“You’ve had enough.”

She was still the insolent Baekdo. At that moment, Cheondo, who had been tightly holding my hand, frowned and stepped in front of me, raising her voice.

“Baekdo, I told you not to speak to Seong-Han like that.”
“…”
“No matter how much you dislike him, he is the most respected person in Dowon right now.”

She squinted her eyes as though weary of the words, but conceding to Cheondo was the same then as it is now. Baekdo, with trembling hands, looked at me and mumbled.

“I’m sorry.”

Cheondo sighed, looking at her sister, then grasped my hand tightly once more.

“It can’t be helped. Today, you’re going to accompany Seong-Han.”
“But why do I have to…”

Upon hearing this, Hwangdo beamed. Having escaped her usual torment, she couldn’t hide her delight and clung to me, nuzzling her cheek against mine.

“Seong-Han~! Are you free this evening?”

Due to her large breasts, they rubbed against me just below my navel.

“Why?”
“This year’s December issue of Mokshim is out, the company’s Christmas tree~ *gasp, wheeze* the twisted hall~ Please take me there!”
“Wow, they still do that…? Well, I can’t help it; I’ll make some time.”
“Yay! Big brother, you’re the best! As expected of my brother-in-law~!”

Although Hwangdo’s appearance had slightly changed, her playfulness had increased considerably.

“Then see you this evening, big brother!”

Hwangdo left after obtaining what she wanted, while Baekdo watched her with a displeased expression.

“Hey, make sure you clean up properly!”
“Alright!”

Baekdo sighed as if feeling frustrated and looked at me.

“…See you downstairs later. That’s when work starts.”

With a snort, Baekdo descended to the lower floor of the garden. I stared at her back and asked Cheondo.

“When will she become close to me?”
“She acts like that because she likes you, really.”
“Likes me? Yeah, right.”
“…After the war, you two used to get along so well.”
“War… We fought a war?”

Cheondo’s complexion briefly soured, but then she nodded.

“Why are you asking me that?”
“…Sorry.”

Nevertheless, Cheondo diligently answered the question. We began descending toward Dowon once more.

“My father reached the end of his life, but the executioner communicated well with the World Tree, leading to the signing of a peace treaty.”
“Did that happen?”
“Yes.”

After hearing Cheondo’s account of various matters, it appeared that Dowon currently resembled a small, neutral country. She then began enumerating my accomplishments, which I couldn’t possibly have known. However, some aspects included praiseworthy policies, making me think that such a future wouldn’t merely exist in dreams.

“The executioner fulfilled all the dreams my father had… I’m truly grateful for accepting my request not to take over the position of the Heavenly Demon.”
“…The Heavenly Demon should have been you in the first place.”

“No. I’m not as skilled as executing a death penalty. And-“

Cheondo lowered her head, smiled sheepishly, and scratched her cheek.

“-Actually, taking over that position was quite terrifying. My father was right.”

The thoughts and sincerity Cheondo had harbored. My steps paused for a moment.

“Are you serious?”
“Embarrassingly so.”

I never expected to hear such vulnerable words from my master in a place like this. Long ago, the young Zodiac mentioned that among the triplets, Cheondo was the most tender-hearted and fragile. She said Cheondo had ascended to the position of Heavenly Demon based solely on her sense of responsibility.

Recalling those words, Cheondo’s confession must have been true. Although I wanted to deny it… it also meant we had become close enough for her to confide in me.

Perhaps my connection with my master in reality has deepened even more than it appears. After all, we have spent a considerable amount of time together.

I asked Cheondo, “So, are you happy?”

Cheondo didn’t hesitate, resting her head on my shoulder and nodding.

“I can say it without reservation. I’m happy to be your lover.”

It’s a somewhat embarrassing statement. Isn’t she ashamed? Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

“And… I’m still a Lesser Heavenly Demon.”
“…?”
“I haven’t given up. When I become stronger, I’ll have to descend.”
“Haha.”

So, she wasn’t entirely weakened after all. My tension eased. Just as I suspected, Cheondo was still Cheondo.

“But if you’re a Lesser Heavenly Demon, does that make me both your teacher and lover?”
“Hey… I’ve already learned everything there was to learn. Calling me a disciple! What else is there? Do you still have something to teach me?”
“It’s a joke.”
“Liar.”

Bantering back and forth, our fists and hands interlocked as we laughed and made our way down.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Se-young asked Baekyang, seemingly bored,

“Hey, why isn’t he leaving?”

Working on a Saturday was understandable. Se-young knew all too well that the people at the company were vicious, and wouldn’t be surprised by any cruel tactics they employed.

However, it was practically their only day off.

“It’s Sunday, isn’t he going out to meet anyone?”

Lee Si-heon was holed up in the corner of his room, engrossed in a video game.

【Se-young, normally you’d ask if there’s a friend to meet first.】
“Ah, he’s not that much of a loser.”

Was he really not that much of a loser? Baekyang responded with silence.

“…….”

– Thump, thump, thump.

Lee Si-heon tapped on the keyboard while bouncing his legs. The only thing that connected him to the outside world was a pair of inconsequential earphones.

[Ah, why are you only tormenting me?!]

– Hahaha!
– Jjinta got caught properly, lol!
– The bully in charge has been discovered, lol!

[Is this the bully?]

The voice of the internet broadcast emanates from the earphones. Every time the voice is heard, Se-Young’s brow furrows slightly.

[Ah, thank you so much, Star Raccoon! Love you, Star! So grateful! Kyoo!]

A cartoon character forms a heart with both hands towards the screen and sends it.

“Heh.”

When Lee Si-heon laughs, Se-Young’s eyebrows twitch, and a hot sigh escapes her lips. Unable to hold back, Se-Young mutters under her breath.

“Hanbyeol… this jerk.”

She hadn’t expected to have her attention stolen like this. Although she couldn’t see the face, the voice was unmistakably similar, and she recognized it immediately. From the snobbish behavior to the cutesy act, Se-Young was irked by the fact that not only ‘Se-Young’ but also ‘Hanbyeol’ existed in this world.

I’d rather it be someone else than her, but…

Instead, the fact that they were friends made it even more infuriating.

‘Come on, there’s such a beauty at the office, you should at least ask her out for a meal. Didn’t you ask me to buy that thing for you last time? Are you a eunuch? Where did you sell that precious item? What do you plan to do if it gets stolen from you?’
【Perhaps it’s futile to expect common sense from Si-heon in this world.】

It was the ordinary daily life of a homebody, but they were two people who couldn’t comprehend it.