episode_0276

After taking turns hitting the punching machine, we decided to take a short break.

It was difficult to take a break after hitting the punching machine a few times, but since I had already been moving around quite a bit, time passed.

“The fireworks will be on soon. You need to find a spot to watch them and buy something to eat while you wait, so it would be better to go early.”

I nodded at Elia’s explanation that the timing wasn’t right for them to go separately later.

We decided on a place and time to meet after taking care of some personal business.

[Seo Yul-ah, do you have to follow the adults around? Don’t let go of their hands.]

At the same time, I had to go to the bathroom, so I had no choice but to send Seo-yul over there.

Of course, that’s not all, I had other things to do.

“… Yes.”

Seo-Yul pouts and holds my hand tightly, but in the end, she lets go with a look of regret on her face, as if she has no choice.

I felt guilty for not being able to spend more time with you, even though we were apart for a short while, because you seemed so displeased with me…

“Come here.”

Seoyul quickly approached Elia, who was pouting and spreading her arms. Yeonhwa, who was standing next to her, clenched her fists with an angry expression.

“… You said that fairies are also affected by spirit affinity?”

“Ahaha, I heard that.”

Elia, who was holding hands with Seo-yul, responded with an awkward smile.

“Then, everyone get ready and let’s gather here.”

Anyway, for that reason, everyone dispersed for a while.

“Master?”

But the teacher didn’t leave and stayed in his seat. When I tilted my head in wonder, the teacher, who had been carefully straightening my hair, stared intently in a certain direction.

“How about going together?”

A sudden question. But I let out an exclamation after confirming that the Master was looking in that direction.

“It’s okay. I’ll just say hello and come back soon.”

As I shook my head back and forth, the teacher’s eyes became filled with worry. But soon, as he remembered that this was the cradle of the city, the worry in his eyes subsided.

“It should be safe here… It’s close… Okay, take care.”

‘… … ‘

I felt a sharp sting from the gaze that seemed to be looking at a child who was a bundle of troubles, but in the end, it was all my karma, so I couldn’t blame anyone.

“I’ll be back soon.”

– Side

“읏.”

Anyway, it was no use wasting time like this. I kissed the Master’s palm, turned around, and quickly walked away.

.

.

.

The place I headed to was a cafe right nearby.

It wasn’t a special place among the many cafes in Siyoram. The only small difference was that there was a small balcony sticking out from the top floor.

– Ooooh…

I entered the balcony and lifted the cognitive impairment spell.

The cafe was busier than usual because a birthday celebration was in progress, but there were only a few people on the terrace at the top.

“… … ”

“… … ”

To be exact, there were two passengers.

A seat at the end of a terrace with a clear view of the street with crowds of people flowing by just by looking around.

As I approached, Lee Ji-yeon, who was looking down at the coffee in her cup, glanced in my direction.

The posture is stiff and frozen. I usually feel like he is as solid as a rock, but this feels different.

If he was usually a firm man based on confidence, now his body looks stiff due to tension.

If you think about Lee Ji-yeon’s past, it wasn’t strange.

It’s just that things have changed so quickly these days. The Lee Ji-yeon I know from Siyoram used to have that kind of hunched over appearance.

In response to Lee Ji-yeon’s greeting, she calmly caressed the necklace.

[…hello]

Also, I could immediately understand the momentum that was being felt in front of her right away.

Across from Lee Ji-yeon, a woman sitting with her legs crossed and looking down at the street turned her head.

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

The woman stood up from her seat, uncrossing her legs and bowing her head slightly.

It was getting quite dark. The shadows cast by the lanterns installed on the terrace were long and stretched out.

A tall woman who has spent quite some time in this world and has become quite familiar with it.

Her brown hair fell down to her shoulders, and her face and facial features, which looked as if they had been carved from stone, showed no emotion.

Dull green eyes, the depth of which was difficult to gauge, looked down at me.

“My name is Lee Ji-ah, the head of the Taesan family.”

[Yes, it is called Iharul]

The head of the Taesan family and the biological mother of Lee Ji-yeon. She bowed her head again in response to my greeting.

“I apologize for bothering you when you were having a great time with your friends. I was walking down the street with my daughter, and I noticed you looking at me from afar, which made me nervous.”

[I didn’t feel any discomfort. I also heard from senior Lee Ji-yeon that Lee Ji-ah had come, and I tried to say hello to her later.]

Actually, I have my doubts about how he recognized me despite my cognitive impairment… but I swallowed it for now.

Even I can easily see through cognitive impairment right now. It wouldn’t be strange if Lee Ji-ah also had that kind of means.

“I appreciate you saying that.”

At my answer, Lee Ji-ah nodded and took a sip of coffee.

Black coffee… but it’s much blacker than regular coffee. It’s not dark brown, but rather black.

Let’s take a quick look at the ingredients. It feels like a lump of bitter water that doesn’t contain a single bit of sugar.

It felt really awkward to put it in my mouth and swallow it.

‘…Does that person also have a strange sense of taste?’

I have a cripple sense so I could just swallow it, but I couldn’t imagine someone with a normal sense of taste savoring and swallowing that.

Is that ultimately a matter of preference?

I sat down in the empty seat next to Lee Ji-yeon, across from Lee Ji-ah, for a short conversation.

Sitting next to Lee Ji-yeon, I could feel even more how stiff she was.

I was so shocked that I became completely numb.

This is something that was confirmed in the original work… Is the relationship between her parents and Lee Ji-ah that awkward? To the point where she’s so tense and stiff?

I don’t know. In fact, in the original work, Lee Ji-yeon wasn’t the type to talk about her family. I heard that they just had an awkward relationship, and it actually seemed that way in the original work.

‘…not good.’

I didn’t feel comfortable seeing Lee Ji-yeon like that.

I took a deep breath and listened.

‘The sound…’

I couldn’t hear the slightest sound well.

Outside, the festival is in full swing. It’s dark, but the energy is not dying down.

There are countless sounds of people, but for some reason, they are all drowned out on this terrace.

It was all due to the influence of the person across from me.

Just the slight hint of momentum from the slaughter makes it feel like the small sounds around it are being crushed.

‘Did Mt. Taesan have this kind of influence…?’

Taesan’s head of household, Lee Ji-ah, naturally displayed her unique ability, Taesan.

Also, it goes without saying that you cannot rise to the position of head of one of the three major families with mediocre unique abilities.

‘Yeonhwa and Baek Arin were in the same category.’

But among them, Lee Ji-ah was special. She was the strongest of all the heads of the Taesan clans, and was stronger than the heads of the Geophwa and Changhae clans of the same generation.

The mountain that Lee Ji-ah possesses is described in a special way.

Just like Yeonhwa’s catastrophe and Baek Arin’s Changhae, they are treated at an unprecedented level throughout the history of the family.

That was the main reason why Lee Ji-yeon had feelings of inferiority and self-loathing… Anyway.

“I have a prior engagement, so I will say hello briefly.”

Lee Ji-ah, who was taking a sip of coffee, put the coffee cup down on the table.

“My daughter received a great favor from me last time. I wanted to meet her in person and express my gratitude.”

Last time… I think it was when I met the two-headed dragon in China.

[Rather than giving grace, we helped each other. I wouldn’t have been safe without Lee Ji-yeon.]

“But it was thanks to Lee Ha-yul that my daughter came back alive.”

Lee Ji-ah nodded her head.

“I’ve faced a two-headed dragon in my lifetime.”

[ah]

“The hierarchy is measured as a 3rd-tier alpha entity, but it is generally accepted that the actual killing power is higher than that, and I also felt the same way.”

Even when the twin-headed dragon appeared, Lee Ji-ah, who was the head of the Taesan family, participated in the battle to subdue the twin-headed dragon, and was the hero who stood at the forefront and achieved the greatest feat.

“I know how strong and vicious that monster is because I faced it directly. Even if it was an imperfect commander, it would have been difficult for the daughter and her unit who first caught the eye of the two-headed dragon to return alive.”

– Startled

Lee Ji-yeon’s shoulders trembled slightly as she received Lee Ji-ah’s emotionless gaze. She didn’t deny the fact that she would have had a hard time coming back alive if I hadn’t been there.

Lee Ji-ah, who had been staring at Lee Ji-yeon without moving an inch, straightened her gaze and lowered her head again.

“No matter what, it doesn’t change the fact that Lee Ha-yool is the one who saved my daughter’s life.”

[… I received a lot of help from Lee Ji-yeon at that time and since then. I am also grateful.]

“Yes, but our debt is heavier, and we have not been able to repay it all. Please do not leave our family as scoundrels who cannot repay their benefactor, and if you need help, please tell my daughter at any time.”

Despite my reaction, Lee Ji-ah stubbornly emphasized her debt and expressed her gratitude. At that, I felt a little embarrassed and nodded.

‘What on earth is that sound?’

A normal reaction, despite the ominous and alien presence.

That noise was irritating. I had to carefully adjust my necklace to avoid saying anything strange, and I had to keep my mind and body in check to avoid showing hostility.

It was alien and ominous. I instinctively felt a sense of rejection.

‘… … ‘

I don’t know what it is, but I’ve felt something similar. It wasn’t that long ago.

“May I ask you something?”

[Huh? Yes]

Lee Ji-ah, who had been sipping her coffee for a moment, suddenly spoke up.

I tilted my head for a moment, feeling puzzled, and then nodded.

Lee Ji-ah put the coffee cup down gently. My gaze was drawn into her dull green eyes.

There was something strange about the gaze. It was clearly looking at me, but it didn’t seem like it was seeing me.

“Death is near Lee Ha-yul.”

[yes?]

“I’m not talking about simple consumption of energy.”

As I was waiting for an answer, I tilted my head even further at the sudden words.

Death is near.

I tried to control my face from stiffening up at the words that were not positive even when I tried to hear them.

Normally, I would just laugh it off and let it roll off my face, but the person who said that… the messenger is a big shot.

Lee Ji-ah, who handles the strongest Taesan throughout the history of the family.

Taesan is the unique ability to deal with the earth, the foundation of life, and beyond that, to deal with life and death.

At the top of the list, Lee Ji-ah is a character who is particularly adept at dealing with and recognizing life and death.

I’m concerned about the strange and ominous presence, but it’s the person telling me that death is near.

“It’s not just that death is approaching, it’s that death is approaching you in a way that you can’t avoid.”

– That curse is eating away at Lee Ha-yul’s life.

Moreover, when I think about it together with my curse, it is not something that can be overlooked.

I kept my mouth shut and calmly caressed the necklace of confession.

[What is that─]

“Mother, you are talking too much.”

That was when.

The moment I was about to operate the necklace, Lee Ji-yeon, who had been quiet until then, opened her mouth.

– … ! … ? … !

At the same time, sounds were heard. All kinds of noises, including the laughter of festival goers, were coming from the terrace.

The momentum that had been suppressing the sound was momentarily shaken off. The momentum that had pushed away the silence that had been lingering on the terrace was blossoming next to me.

“Death is near? That is extremely rude to say to a living person. On top of that, saying that it is inevitable, that death is approaching of one’s own… Even if you were allowed to say it, it would be difficult to hear such rude words.”

Lee Ji-yeon looked down at the coffee that had hardened and lifted her head.

“Didn’t your mother say that it is impossible to estimate absolute life and death, and that even if death is reflected, it is not something that cannot be avoided. Does the person who said that carelessly judge and speak about the death of others?”

The look of her shrinking and cautious demeanor disappeared, and Lee Ji-yeon confidently met Lee Ji-ah’s eyes.

Dull and bright green eyes stared at each other.

“It is not absolute, so it can be avoided. Depending on how much effort you put in, you can overcome it. That is what I was taught.”

“… … ”

“In this world where even lifespan is increased by acquisition, I was not taught by someone who said to this young child that death is unavoidable.”

Lee Ji-yeon’s fluent speech was interrupted for a moment.

I was embarrassed by the sight of Lee Ji-yeon suddenly rushing at Lee Ji-ah as if she was standing there like a squat.

Lee Ji-ah, who had always been emotionless since they met, opened her eyes wide.