episode_0181

The story after that. (End)

A day when pure white snow falls.

I spent a few days at Bongwonsa Temple with the kids. It was hard because I kept having to go to the bathroom because of morning sickness… But maybe it was because I was with the kids? The time passed so quickly that I didn’t even think it was hard.

We were able to walk slowly along the mountain path that we had not been able to climb together, watch the sunset, and even find the place where the two children had separated from their parents.

They were seen leaning against a tree, embracing each other. The clothes were worn because quite some time had passed, and there was a pendant around the neck of the skeleton, presumed to be a woman.

Haneul, who was still young, didn’t react at all to the sight, but Suah seemed to recognize her parents and slowly approached them, beginning to sob on the spot.

It seemed that Haneul was stimulated by her older sister’s crying, so she also started to cry. I hugged the two children and stroked their backs and patted them while speaking.

It’s okay now. If you cry, your parents will be sad too. So let’s send them off with a smile.

The preparations were completed when he gathered branches and fallen leaves to make a wide area with the children slowly stopping their crying, and placed the two bodies on top of it.

” Su-ah, Haneul-ah. If you have something to say to your parents… you have to say it now… ”

At his words, the children slowly walked towards their parents who were lying down. Su-ah held Haneul’s hand and placed her hands on top of the two’s bare hands.

” Oh my heavens… ”

When her name was called, Haneul looked up and tilted her head to look at her older sister, and Suah held Haneul’s hand tightly.

” The two people here… uh, our… mom and dad… ”

” Mom and… Dad…? ”

” Yeah… to save us… Ugh… to, to save us… ”

Su-ah had been crying until just a moment ago and then stopped, but this time, too, she couldn’t hold back her tears, so she shed tears again and just looked at the two people in front of her.

I was worried about whether I should just watch it or not.

Parting with the family that I cherished… loved… and gave me love. I wondered if I could get involved in the midst of that…

He gently pushed my back like that. He gave me a faint smile and then gave me another push with his chin, telling me to go towards the kids.

I nodded my head slightly in thanks and walked towards the children, making a crunching sound as I stepped on the snow.

I hugged the children from behind as they held each other’s hands tightly and looked at their faces as they looked at me.

He wiped Su-ah’s face, which was covered in tears and snot, and looked up at Haneul.

” Sky, the two people in front of you are the ones who brought Sky into this world. When Sky was a little younger, they are the ones who sacrificed their lives to protect Sky and Suah. ”

Only then did Haneul turn her head again and look at the two people standing on the branches and fallen leaves she had gathered, and she began to shed tears.

” Mom and… Dad… ”

A small child who was so young that he didn’t even know their faces. However, he seemed to remember the love they had for him, and continued to call out ‘Mom, Dad’ to them, who had now turned into pure white bones.

Over and over, over and over, calling them, the little child cried so loudly that his throat almost gave out.

” Oh, heavens. Now, I’m going to send you two to heaven. If you keep crying like that… it won’t work, right? ”

” Ugh…yeah. ”

The little boy wiped away the tears running down his arm, looked at me once, and then whispered quietly to them, ‘Hello. Mom, Dad.’

” Okay, Soo-ah, tell them what you want to say to them… That way, they won’t have any regrets. Of course… you too… ”

I’m saying this, but I’m not sure if I’m saying the right thing to say to children as an adult.

I just wish the two crying children could say what they wanted to say to their parents in front of them.

Su-ah approached her parents and placed her forehead on their hands.

” Mom, Dad… I’m here. That day. The day you two risked your lives to save me and Haneul. A lot of time has passed since then.

When I was young… I didn’t know anything… I was just… being taken away by bad adults… It was so hard that I thought about giving up and just dying… But I couldn’t do that.

I’ve been holding on for you two and for Heaven’s sake.

My sister here… saved me and Haneul. I was scared at first, but I’m okay now. Just like you two loved Haneul and me, my sister and brother here… love us.

That, that’s… that’s… it’s okay now! You two can relax now… like the fairy tale you told me. It’s okay to go to heaven with the angels! ”

After saying that, Su-ah and Haneul came up to me, grabbed my hands, and nodded.

I started putting on makeup without saying a word, starting with the two of them.

It didn’t take long for the two to be engulfed in a soft, shining, pure white flame, and the moment they turned to ash, the two souls that I saw were visible to my eyes.

The two spirits bowed their heads toward me and greeted me, then disappeared into the sky.

Please, watch these kids live happily up there.

*****

After a short trip to Bongwonsa Temple, we returned to the Blue House settlement where my brother and sister were.

” Are you here? ”

My brother Sung, who greeted me indifferently, greeted me with a drooping look, as if he was drowning in a swamp of documents.

” Yeah. I’m back. ”

” Base. At least contact me often. ”

Next to me, my sister, who can now move without a wheelchair, grumbled and poked my cheek.

” Haha… I said I’m sorry? ”

” Oh, okay. So? ”

” Huh? ”

” So why are you here now? We’re busy. ”

” Hey, you too, sis. I just came to see my family. ”

Sister Jia listened to me, narrowed her eyes, and looked suspicious.

” That’s it? ”

” Really? I just came to see you after a long time and wanted to have a meal together. ”

When I heard the word ‘food’ coming out of my mouth, my stomach started to… rumble again. The moment I slowly caressed my stomach and calmed my stomach,

” You… ”

” Huh? ”

Sister Jia seemed to notice something, glanced at her brother who was absorbed in the paperwork, then looked at me and whispered in my ear.

” You, by any chance… are you having a child? ”

My sister’s voice, ringing in my ear, seemed quite surprised, and her tone was raised enough to reveal her emotions.

I answered by slowly nodding and smiling. Sister Jia covered her mouth and couldn’t contain her surprise at the sound.

” What? Why? ”

” Oh, no. I was just thinking about having a meal together with my brother and sister today… What do you think? ”

” I’m fine. What about you, Jia? ”

” Me?! Oh, so me too, okay. Yeah. You, follow me for a second. ”

Suddenly, my older brother tilted his head as if he found it strange as he was being dragged away by my older sister’s hand, and then focused his eyes on the documents again.

Sister Jia came out of the office and took me to the break room next door and had me sit down.

” Hey, first of all… congratulations. ”

” Thank you, sis. ”

” But, you’re not even married yet… Is this okay? ”

” Haha… So I’m going to upload the food as quickly as possible. Oh, by the way, can I do it here? ”

” I’m fine, but… my brother is going to… cause trouble again for a while. ”

” Ahahaha… ”

My sister pressed her forehead with her thumb

” How long has it been? ”

” Huh? Oh, that’s probably… 2 months? Yeah. That should be about it now. ”

As I said that while slowly touching my belly where the children were, my sister came over and sat down next to me.

” Can I touch it? ”

” It doesn’t matter, but it’s still early, so I don’t think you’ll feel anything special, right? ”

” And since you came into the room where you were with your brother earlier, you’ve been touching your stomach the whole time. ”

” Was that so? ”

” Yeah. Something was a little strange from then on… I didn’t think I’d come back with an accident like this. ”

” Hehe… So? Are you going to touch it? ”

” Are you okay? ”

” Yeah. If it’s you, these kids will be okay too. ”

After I gave my permission, my sister slowly put her hand on my stomach.

” Hmm… ”

” Why? ”

” No, that… It feels a little hard, but also soft, so something feels strange. ”

” What are you talking about? Seriously… Well, it’s not like I’m full yet, it’s just my stomach. ”

” Right? But, strangely enough, what should I say… I feel it. It could just be my imagination, though. ”

” That’s it! I’m going back now, so come back later with oppa. Got it? ”

” Okay~ ”

I got up from my seat and ran away to the room where he and the children were.

It’s not that I was in a bad mood, I just ran away from my sister because I was a little… embarrassed.

When he touched me, it felt warm and pleasant, but when my sister touched me… it felt strange.

Time passes and we have dinner.

” I don’t know if you’ll like it. Haha… ”

” If it’s you who makes it, then it’s okay because it’s always been delicious. But why are you posting the food here? ”

Ji-sung Oppa sat down and asked me and him.

” Yes, you two are busy, and if you’re going to call other people anyway, I thought this might be a good place. ”

” Hmm… I would appreciate it if you did that. Jisoo, are you okay? ”

” Yeah, it’s okay because I told him. ”

” Hoo… If you guys are okay with it, I don’t mind. Then what date? ”

At those words, I held his hand and said.

” New Year’s Day. January 1st ”

” New Year’s Day…? ”

My brother looked at me with an expression of incomprehension and then asked me.

” Why are you trying to do that on a day like that? ”

” I decided to do it because it meant starting everything anew. And I thought it would be nice to get together and play the day before. ”

” Yeah, well, if you guys are okay with it, I don’t have a reason to say anything. Okay. If you need anything, just tell me. Let’s eat. Enjoy your meal, Su-ah and Haneul~ ”

The children nodded and picked up their spoons, and just as they were about to eat, it seemed like everything was over…

” Ugh… Ugh… ”

My brother dropped the spoon as he saw me quickly getting up from my seat and heading to the bathroom, feeling nauseous.

” Hey… No? No… You guys… ”

” Haha… ”

I continued to do my business in the bathroom, leaving him behind as he smiled and scratched his head awkwardly.

I thought I could get through it without any problems… but the children in my stomach seemed to be protesting as if they were hiding themselves.

I slowly looked at my brother while wiping my mouth with the handkerchief he handed me…

” That’s… That’s how it happened… Haha… ”

” Oh well, I guess I can afford to get married soon anyway. Yeah. I guess so. But my spoon won’t forgive me. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, he threw a spoon at him, but he quickly caught it.

It was a slow pace compared to when I fought the demon, and my brother just threw it out there for fun anyway.

” Ha! Our youngest is becoming a mother… Well, it’s not bad to have another niece. ”

With that said, we started enjoying a nice meal and passing the time by talking about things that happened while we couldn’t see each other.

Of course, after finishing the meal, I heard my brother congratulate me.

*****

As he and I helped my older sister and brother with their work, time passed quickly.

I had a hard time because of morning sickness, but he helped me a lot, and Yeonseo gave me advice as a senior and even said she would come to my wedding, but now that my belly is completely full, it must be hard.

Before Christmas, Ms. Oh Ha-neul came to see us because she wanted to prepare a wedding dress for my wedding.

Of course, you wanted to make new clothes for Suah and Haneul too?

On Christmas Day, my brother would go around distributing presents to the children in the settlement wearing the Santa Claus costume he received from Mr. Oh Ha-neul. Perhaps because of this, the children would constantly talk about the existence of Santa.

It was so funny how he smiled and said he would do it every time from now on…

Oh, and now my sister is in a relationship with Mr. Park Se-chan, who has completely settled down in the settlement.

I think it was because I was influenced by seeing how I spent time with Su-ah and Haneul, or by having a child, that I naturally started taking care of the children, and I ended up getting involved with Mr. Park Se-chan, who created a shelter for children.

Well, at the drinking party, Park Se-chan almost got hit by my brother.

Time passed like that and the wedding date approached.

” Then! Our main character! The groom! Let’s enter! ”

He walked forward with music echoing along with the voice of Mr. Doosik, who was watching over society. He looked very cool in his black suit.

When I saw him walking forward, it really felt like I was getting married.

‘I’m really… getting married.’

My heart starts to beat ‘thump, thump’ and my body temperature rises little by little.

The first and last wedding.

It’s such a nice day, but my heart is pounding so hard it feels like it’s going to burst. I don’t know if it’s excitement or nervousness, but it doesn’t matter.

I’m just going towards him.

” Okay, everyone! Now, another main character of this wedding. The bride. You all know, right? The hero who saved the world! The goddess who cut through the dark night and brought dawn!

Come on! Please give us a big round of applause! ”

As the music started playing, my brother standing next to me reached out to me and said

” Shall we go? ”

” Yeah. Thanks. Oppa. ”

” Are you nervous? ”

” A little bit? ”

I walked towards him slowly, talking to my brother.

One step at a time, one step at a time. I walked forward, drawing the attention of those who had a connection with me, holding onto the hem of my pure white dress.

With every step I took, the days I had spent since returning to this world slowly played out in my head.

Really… many things have happened. Countless meetings and partings. The endless fights have ended and everyone is moving towards the future.

And… now, he and I, we become one family by covering the red thread of fate that was tied to each other’s ring fingers with the ring of oath called a wedding ring.

” Today! Two main characters are standing here. If these two weren’t here… I, and my daughter, wouldn’t be here. The same goes for all of you who are here with us.

Because of these two, everyone was able to come this far and… move forward to tomorrow.

Okay! Now, the two of you should face each other and greet each other! ”

After Mr. Dosik finished speaking, he and I looked at each other and laughed.

” How is it? Aren’t you nervous? ”

” I’m a little nervous. But… it’s okay because you’re here. Now and in the future. ”

Mr. Doosik said goodbye to us after we finished greeting him.

” Now! The bride and groom will now bow to the guests. Guests, please give a big round of applause! ”

I turned around and thanked everyone who had come from all over to attend my wedding.

I turned around again and looked at Mr. Dosik, and he smiled.

” Congratulations, Charlotte. Really congratulations. ”

” Thank you, sir. It must be hard to build a new settlement, but you are looking after society… ”

” It’s okay. I can do this much for you. Okay, let’s go to the end. ”

” Now, the groom and bride will read their wedding vows. ”

After the old man finished speaking, he and I started reading the pledge together.

“” We, the two of us, pledge the following in front of everyone present on this occasion of our marriage: “”

[ We will always do our best for each other. ]

[ Even if we are in pain or sad, we will move forward together without turning our backs on each other. ]

[ Let’s not lose our smiles towards each other. ]

[ We will acknowledge our differences, listen to each other, and live in consideration of each other. ]

[ As the saying goes, if you are happy today, you will be happy tomorrow, so I will always live each day happily. ]

[ I will become a parent who is not ashamed in front of my children. ]

[ Lastly, I will live without forgetting today’s mindset and promise. ]

“” For the new beginning of the two of us, I swear that I will live forever with you, with my love, with this heart, right here on this spot. “”

” Now, bride and groom! Let’s kiss! ”

At Uncle Dosik’s words, they looked at each other and slowly brought their faces closer together for a short but deep kiss.

Maybe it was because so many people were watching? It was even more… thrilling and good than usual.

” Now, let’s put our wedding rings on each other. ”

My wedding ring and his were a pure white metal with a slightly reddish diamond, and bringing it…

” Sister, brother… Congratulations…! ”

” Congratulations! ”

It was Suah and Haneul.

” Thank you! ”

The children each picked up the rings they had brought and simultaneously placed them on each other’s left ring fingers.

With this, he and I became a couple.

It was so wonderful. It’s hard to describe in words…

” Okay! Then the groom and bride! March! ”

After Mr. Dosik finished speaking, he and I linked arms and slowly moved forward.

There will be more days with him in the future than there have been so far.

I can’t say that those days are always happy… but he’s by my side, and Soo-ah and Haneul are together too.

And… there are children who will be born in the future.

I will receive from them a love that is like a burning flame, and I will also pass it on to them.

The uncertain future is like darkness, but it is okay because we have created a dawn that divides the darkness.

” There is. ”

” Yeah. ”

” When I first came back to this world, I thought, ‘I shouldn’t have come back. ‘ ”

” Was that so? ”

” Yes. I worked hard to get here, but a desolate sight greeted me. But… I realized when I met you. The reason I thought that sight was desolate… was because of my heart.

When I met you and was able to smile and realize the feeling of love… This world was so beautiful. So beautiful that I was blinded by the sparkling light…

So now I don’t think, ‘I shouldn’t have come back.’ Rather, I think, ‘I’m glad I came back.’ Because I was able to meet the person I truly love. ”

He just looked at me without saying anything, and I kissed him and continued talking.

” I really love you. There will be a lot going on in the future, but please take care of me? Seo. Bang. Nim. ”

I shouldn’t have returned. Epilogue Complete