episode_0320

( ……But, my goodness. Have you ever had a grudge against someone? )

I had a dream.

One day, when Eunha visited [Euncheon Academy].

In the car on the way home,

Kim Sa-rang said that to her mother.

(Eunwon relationship?)

(For example, sending a murderer to avenge his son, things like that.)

( Hmm. I see…… )

Kim Ha-yang, the guild leader of [Changcheon Swordsman].

Kim Sa-rang’s mother.

In her dream, she sat in the passenger seat of a rolling car, mulling over her daughter’s questions.

There are actions that can make others resent you… of course there are.

How could it not be? The position of the guild leader of a large guild is such that you make enemies just by breathing.

‘Is it a grudge…?’

Kim Ha-yang recalls bitter memories.

Immediately after, the dream scenery changes.

Ss …

The car on the way home disappeared like fog,

A familiar ‘scenery’ emerges from the fog.

(Why… why my son…!)

It’s deep in the mountains.

In that place where no radio waves were transmitted, there was a father and son quietly hiding.

“… … .”

(How did you save my son… why are you trying to kill him! )

Kim Ha-yang woke up on a tree stump, not in the passenger seat of a car.

She walked to the mountain villa she had destroyed.

… … .

(Have you ever seen stars?)

(Aren’t you interested in eternal life?)

It all started at an orphanage.

A woman who introduced herself as the ‘director’ of an orphanage.

Did he ask if I would be interested in becoming their ‘sponsor’?

What the ‘Director’ demanded was a huge amount of sponsorship money and combat personnel.

He said that if you become a sponsor like that, all humans will be one step closer to eternal life.

Of course, Kim Ha-yang refused.

Because it’s suspicious at first glance.

When I refused the sponsorship, the ‘Director’ told me to think about it slowly and handed me a USB.

(People think.)

(If only I could live a little longer and be young.)

The USB left behind by the ‘Director’.

There was a devil’s whisper in it.

A beast wearing human skin.

Kim Ha-yang, who checked the recording file on the USB, immediately chased after the ‘director’.

The place we arrived at was… the villa in front of us.

(Kim Ha-yang…! I’m going to kill you!!)

A father’s screams can be heard from behind.

Even though I know it’s a dream, it’s so vivid that it makes my bones shiver.

Kim Ha-yang approached the villa she had destroyed.

“Hello. Are you my dad’s friend?”

A boy crushed under a pillar of a collapsed building,

He smiled nonchalantly and scratched the floor with his crushed hands,

I was trying to crawl out of the rubble.

Palang-.

Next to the child is a group photo from the ‘Hanbit Orphanage’.

“Are you my friend, dad? Are you my friend, dad? Are you my friend, dad?”

‘That thing’ that speaks with a smile.

Not a person.

A beast that has scraped away the child’s insides and taken over the empty shell.

Is it some kind of monster?

Kim Ha-yang ‘recognized’ it like that.

( ㅡㅡㅡ! ㅡㅡ! )

I can hear my father’s scream.

He, the CEO of a mid-sized company, appears to have donated all of his assets to an orphanage.

I left that sick child at an orphanage, and he came back smiling with a healthy body…

The eternal life project.

All I found while chasing the ‘Director’ was the name of the project and information on some of its ‘sponsors’.

The location of the orphanage could not be found.

At that moment, [Blue Dragon Guild] interfered.

Are the large guilds also in the same boat?

“Does that look like your son?”

He pointed to ‘that thing’ lying on the pillar.

All that came back was my father’s bitter curses.

(I’ll take revenge…! That four-year-old daughter! That four-year-old Kim Ha-yang! I’ll crush her limbs and burn her to death!!)

She lost her eyesight before her daughter was born.

Kim Ha-yang considered herself fortunate to have lost her sight.

Of a person who holds a grudge against you,

Because I didn’t have to face that distorted expression.

“… … .”

What is the meaning of eternal life in exchange for humanity?

Kim Ha-yang couldn’t figure it out.

Hurrruk!

The collapsed villa is on fire.

With the remaining worries.

“Hello? Hello?”

With ‘that thing’ smiling brightly and trying to crawl out of the rubble,

It turns to ash and disappears.

“… … .”

It remains like a scar in my mind and cannot be erased,

It was a terrible nightmare.

… … .

… … .

… … prison.

So, Kim Ha-yang turned her back on the burning villa,

Go back to the tree stump where you first sat,

The moment I touched the soft tree with my hand…

‘……hmm?’

Ouch…!

She woke up with a sense of uneasiness coming on.

A soft feel in the hand.

I think I fell asleep for a bit.

Guild leader Kim Ha-yang focused his senses on the sounds and ‘mana’ around him to compensate for his lost sight.

Hug. Hug.

Soft texture.

This is my daughter Kim Sa-rang’s room.

A desk next to the bed, simple exercise equipment on one wall,

The bookshelf is filled with Kim Sa-rang’s favorite martial arts novels.

How can someone with a head like him have so many books?

Kim Ha-yang was honestly impressed.

“Are you awake?”

Kim Ha-yang fell asleep leaning against the bed.

She listened to a familiar voice coming from right next to her.

“Galaxy Yang?”

Kim Ha-yang, who immediately recognizes the woman’s identity, calls her name.

“You got it.”

“Even if you can’t read the text, you can feel the shape. A three-headed Cerberus isn’t common.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

I remembered.

Eunha came to help her daughter with her studies.

I also received a shopping bag full of round ‘clay dolls’ as a gift.

So I wanted to do something for him, so I cut some fruit at home and brought it to his room…

I fell asleep to the sound of Eunha’s soft voice teaching her daughter.

“I made a mistake. It’s been a long time since I graduated from the academy, so I’ve lost my tolerance for studying.”

“Are you sleep apnea?”

“That’s what it is.”

I wonder if Sarang is studying hard.

Guild leader Kim Ha-yang lowered her voice and her senses were sharp.

“Ugh… Mom…”

Leaning against the galaxy, the image of my daughter stroking her large breasts in her sleep caught my senses.

Kim Ha-yang with her eyes tightly shut.

She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

“I apologize on behalf of my daughter. I’m sorry.”

“Huh?… Oh, it’s okay. He was nodding off at his desk, so I was going to lay him down on the bed to rest for a bit, but this happened.”

“I will do a grand ceremony.”

“No.”

“When you really feel sorry, guild member Jeong So-ra said to do a grand apology.”

“I’ll just accept your heart. It’s nice to see that your sleeping habits are exactly the same.”

A mother and daughter with similar sleeping habits.

The soft texture left on the palm.

Kim Ha-yang didn’t notice the meaning behind Eun-ha’s words.

More than that, is there anything better to hear than when a daughter takes after her mother?

I raised my body, holding back the corners of my lips from rising for no reason.

He picks up a piece of melon from the desk and eats it, then picks up another piece of melon and approaches Kim Sa-rang.

When we brought the melon to Kim Sa-rang, who was sound asleep, she sniffed it like a puppy and then took a bite-sized piece of the melon.

I love my daughter who eats happily.

Kim Ha-yang gently stroked the cheek of her daughter who was happily eating melon.

“Guild leader. It’s me.”

“Ah. I’m sorry.”

Kim Ha-yang, who was pinching Eun-ha’s cheek, moves her hand to caress Kim Sa-rang.

“… … .”

He was away from home a lot because of guild work.

How long has it been since I touched Kim Sa-rang’s cheek while she was sleeping like this?

Is the hair black, like yourself?

Whose eye color do you think it resembles?

I really want to see it for myself.

(Aren’t you interested in eternal life?)

(Not just eternal life. Not just scars, cancer, even permanent disability…)

(Don’t you want to see your beloved daughter’s face?)

Whaaakㅡ.

Kim Ha-yang frowned as she pulled at Kim Sa-rang’s cheek.

Is it because of the nightmare I just had? My mind is being clouded by useless thoughts.

Let’s forget it quickly.

Didn’t ‘that orphanage’ already burn down four years ago?

It’s all over now.

I believed so.

… … .

… … .

“Hmm… I had a dream about eating melon marshmallows.”

“I guess you were tired. You slept for 50 minutes.”

“That’s because the first period class is exactly 50 minutes long.”

“Wow, look at you gritting your teeth and staying awake during break time so you don’t fall asleep.”

After a while,

Kim Sa-rang, who had woken up, stopped fiddling with her hands and sat up unsteadily.

I check the time, it’s 2pm.

Eunha, finally free from Kim Sa-rang, sits down on the soft bed.

“Dear, do it while eating melon.”

“Wow! Seongeuni is so kind, my goodness! Please eat Eunha Doryeodo too.”

“Thank you… I see you like melon.”

“Oh my god, I love it. Even if I cut it up, she keeps taking it away so I can’t eat much.”

“My mom is like that too. Even if I put a lot of snacks on a plate, they disappear in an instant.”

“Did you have a mother?”

“There are about 3 people.”

“It’s an odd number. My seat is also an odd number.”

Kim Ha-yang, unable to keep up with the conversation in the other world, closes her eyes tightly.

This is what a generation gap is like. I need to study.

‘Whew… Teaching isn’t an easy job. I guess not just anyone can become a school teacher.’

Kim Sa-rang looked at her desk while secretly stretching. She could still see her workbook wide open.

So far, Kim Sa-rang has solved a total of 4 problems.

Multiple choice with 5 options.

Correct answer rate 0.

“I have good news.”

“What is it?”

“You got 4 multiple choice questions wrong, so I think it’s about time you got one right. Statistically.”

“You like probability. Then turn the page and solve the calculation problem first. It’s a problem to find the mana concentration of [Crack Field].”

The sweet rest is over.

With the help of Guild Leader Kim Ha-yang, Eun-ha sits Kim Sa-rang down at her desk and resumes her studies where she had stopped.

However, perhaps because I woke up from a deep sleep, I moved the Sharp more enthusiastically than before.

Unfortunately, not sleeping and solving problems are two separate things.

“I’m sorry… I’m trying not to sleep, but I’m falling asleep like I’ve been hit by Shaolin Temple’s magic.”

“It’s okay. I’ll wake you up next to me.”

He patted Kim Sa-rang’s shoulder, who was noticeably depressed.

It’s raining in the workbook. Wouldn’t it be better to guess roughly?

What on earth could be the problem?

I think I need to change my study method.

( – “I realized one day. Children are the mirror of their parents.” )

Then, a phone call with a wise old man suddenly came to mind.

Eunha looked back at Guild Leader Kim Ha-yang, who was sitting on the bed.

Kim Ha-yang’s aura, with her eyes lightly closed, is as calm as that of a martial arts master in a novel.

“… … .”

“Guild Leader Kim Ha-yang.”

“… … … Nooo.”

“Did you sleep?”

“I didn’t sleep.”

Kim Ha-yang, her shoulders shaking, answers quickly.

“The guild leader is also from [Euncheon Academy], right? How did the guild leader study?”

“Hmm. I studied with a knife placed under my chin.”

“… … Aha.”

“I was in a lot of pain.”

Wrote it.

Eunha put her hand on her forehead.

… … .

“Ugh, I’m sleepy again because of the formation… The 108 square Arhat formation of Shaolin Temple in [Sword Ghost Reincarnation] was so horrible.”

“I see.”

“Oh, right, you know that? The author often adds illustrations to his novels, but the illustrations are always white only in the parts where Shaolin Temple appears. It’s because the reflected sunlight is so dazzling.”

“You remember that so well.”

Teaching Kim Sa-rang.

Study the basics and solve the workbook for about 30 minutes.

I had a feeling this wouldn’t work.

“How do I use this formula?”

“It is used to calculate the remaining mana of a magic stone. It is good to memorize what goes into the denominator.”

“Hmm… So this formula isn’t used anywhere else?”

“Used to calculate the remaining mana of the magic stone.”

“Aha… Then, what formula would be good to use for problem number 3?”

“It’s a problem calculating the remaining mana amount of the magic stone… Ms. Kim Sa-rang. Our story isn’t over yet.”

Kim Sa-rang’s best concentration was about 10 minutes.

Eunha, who decided to take a break for the umpteenth time today, sits down on her soft bed.

‘Whew… It’s harder than I thought.’

Teach someone.

For Eunha, who dropped out after attending [Euncheon Academy] for a short time, it was quite a new and troublesome experience.

Is it okay to continue teaching like this?

I wonder if I’m teaching them wrong.

Worries that I couldn’t talk about.

Swish…

At that time, Guild Leader Kim Ha-yang, who had been watching Kim Sa-rang studying with her head wrapped, quietly approached her from behind and rubbed Eun-ha’s shoulder.

Thanks to the [Self-healing] skill, there are no loose parts… but somehow my body feels lighter.

“You seem to have worked hard. Thank you, Eunha.”

“Because it’s a favor. Rather, I’m not sure if I’m teaching it properly.”

“No matter the method, I think the amount of galaxy is right.”

Kuk-.

There is warmth in the hand pressing near the shoulder blade.

Kim Ha-yang’s hand reaching out to Eun-ha… It was similar to when she had caressed Kim Sa-rang’s cheek while she was sleeping soundly earlier.

“Our Sarang is a slow learner like me. That’s why she can’t keep up with the academy, loses interest, and becomes sleepy… Scout Jeong So-ra is kind but irritating, and I sleep right next to Sarang. We don’t really spend much time together.”

“… … .”

“A person who can keep up with Sarangi’s slow pace without getting annoyed even once… Thank you so much, Eunha. For sharing your affection with our daughter.”

I was sincere.

Kim Ha-yang, with her eyes tightly shut, caresses Eun-ha’s cheek while her pure white uniform flutters.

It’s a strange feeling.

Is this what it’s like to have another mom?

“… … I also get a lot of help from Kim Sa-rang.”

“Thank you for thinking so.”

I think I can do a little more.

It was an unexpectedly warm lunchtime.

… … .

Square. Square.

at that time,

A faint noise coming from the door.

It’s the sound of an animal’s claws scratching at the door.

Galaxy, who jumped out of bed, thought back to the rules of [The Black Book].

The sound of nails scratching at the door… what kind of rule is that?

Guild leader Kim Ha-yang, who was puzzled by Eunha’s overly tense attitude, reassured her.

“Jjong-i is asking to open the door.”

“… …Jjongi? Your pet dog?”

While the bewildered galaxy was catching its breath,

Kim Sa-rang got up from her chair at the sound of claws scratching at the door and opened the door, her black uniform fluttering.

Click-.

The door opened like that, and this is the view that Eunha saw.

Heh. Heh. Heh.

A stray dog with both eyes hidden by its hair,

He was sitting quietly in front of the door, panting and sticking his tongue out.

“Jjong is here!”

“Wow…”

A low, feeble cry.

A gray sled dog with trembling front legs that support its upper body.

Kim Sa-rang carefully picked up her pet dog, Jjong-i, and approached Eun-ha.

“Our Jongi’s name is Jong. He is the brains of the family and is also the gatekeeper.”

“Wow…”

Noh Gyeon, who has lived a similar life to Kim Sa-rang, bows his head to Eun-ha.

The gray hair covering his eyes resembles his grandmother’s white hair, and his slow gait reminds him of a stooped old man.

The slow-moving stray dog, Jjong-i, sniffs Eun-ha’s scent and puts his front paw on her thigh.

“I was discharged from the hospital two days ago. I have been taking my medicine, so when Eunha finishes her studies, won’t you come play with Jong-i in the yard with me?”

“… … .”

Phew…

A breath that sounds like a sigh.

‘Jjong-i’ exhaled as if vomiting and turned around, lying face down on Kim Sa-rang’s thigh.

A puppy that is old enough.

Now that I’ve been to the hospital, I think I’ll be able to run around and play like I did when I was little.

Eunha silently nodded her head to Kim Sa-rang’s brightly chattering words.

“Later… I’m a little tired now, so let’s play later. Jong-i should take a nap like Kim Sa-rang.”

“Heeeek. Okay……”

Phew…

Jong-i exhaled with difficulty.

As Eunha holds out her hand, he slowly rests his chin on her palm.

The weight of the years you have lived is placed on your palm.

The eyes of ‘Jjong-i’, hidden by his hair, look up at the galaxy.

… … .

A daily routine with paid leave.

The weather at 4pm is clear.

So, Eun-ha came to teach the stone-headed Kim Sa-rang,

While petting my dog ‘Jjongi’ and seeing Kim Sa-rang’s smile as she babbles like a child,

He put his usual smile on his face.