episode_0194

The magic hour was broken. The price for daring to break the rules was too harsh.

“… Answer me.”

With every syllable the man uttered, a chill seeped into his bones. It was all the more despairing because his voice was filled with frustration rather than anger.

“Ah, uh… ”

Seoyeon, whose throat was blocked, couldn’t utter a single word.

The man sighed as he watched Seoyeon tremble without being able to answer.

It was too early to press for an answer, since they knew each other too well.

There was only one reason why the man had been hanging out with Seoyeon up until now.

The one who is here now is the successor of Heukryeon, who Seoyeon is showing favor to.

Because she wasn’t some incompetent kid from a remote village who had been cruelly abandoned and left behind.

The masquerade ball was a rule for two. And since Seo-yeon broke that rule first, there was no reason for the man to stay here anymore.

“Ha… ”

The tall man let out a hollow laugh.

He, who had been holding his head, opened his mouth emptyly.

“I can understand… sending favors to the successor of the Black Lotus.”

Before he knew it, his voice had become extremely hoarse.

“Whether there was an ulterior motive, or she was tired of a loveless engagement, or whatever the reason was. I thought it could happen. But, but… ”

Because his voice was shaking so much, the man lowered his head before he could finish speaking.

“… You said you wanted to tie up the past for sure.”

“Huh… ?”

“It was a nightmare. It was such an unpleasant and unpleasant memory that I wanted to erase it from my life.”

Every word he uttered pierced her skin like an awl.

“I told you I didn’t deserve to be by your side.”

It was a pain that felt like someone was squeezing my heart with their hands.

-The reason I came today is to tie up the past for sure.

-Yeah, nightmares. It’s a really unpleasant and unpleasant memory that I want to erase from my life.

-You still don’t understand? You’re neither strong nor trustworthy. At least you had a face to show for me, but now even that’s useless.

-You… don’t deserve to be by my side.

“Ah, ah… ”

Seo-yeon trembled, clutching her hair. The words she had said two years ago were coming back to her like a noose, squeezing her throat.

“But now… Did you suddenly gain some qualifications that you didn’t have? Just because you know how to use magic? Or because you’re a member of a good family?”

“No, no… !”

Seo-yeon, who had barely come to her senses, shook her head violently.

“That’s not it. I didn’t mean it. Hyun did it to protect you… ”

“I did it to protect you… ”

But before Seo-yeon could finish speaking, a cold air that was closer to cynicism once again enveloped her mouth.

The man was now looking straight at her.

Finally, he put his hands behind his head and took off the fox mask from his face.

-Tingle!

The mask fell to the floor without any strength, losing its shape with a loud noise. Soon, behind the shattered silence, the figure of a tall man reveals its full form.

Sadness, disappointment, frustration, emptiness. In the eyes that met his gaze, Seo-yeon was able to face his emotions more clearly.

“Ah, ahh… ”

There was still no hatred or anger towards her. This, on the contrary, made Seo-yeon shiver.

Seo-yeon found herself begging without realizing it. She wished that he would get angry instead.

“Can you see it?”

Perfection revealed. A single dissonance revealed within it.

“This is proof. Family, friends, lovers. Proof of a pathetic, stupid guy who couldn’t protect anything.”

Under the man’s left eye, from the ear to the nose.

A long scar running along the path spoke to Seo-yeon.

“… You engraved it and left it for me.”

“No, that’s not it…! I told you. I had no choice but to protect you!”

Seo-yeon, who was momentarily overwhelmed by the atmosphere, shook her head desperately.

“I knew you could win…!”

“What did you say…?”

The man asked back as if he didn’t understand. Seo-yeon begged with tearful face.

“Hyun, you’re a strong person. You’re a strong and solid person. So… !”

And I was trying to persuade him somehow.

At the voice that pierced her lungs, all the words she had uttered up until now scattered and became nothing.

“You were the only one left for me.”

“Huh… ?”

“You were my only hope in life. You were the last light that remained. But. But… ”

Seo-yeon asked blankly. The man was still cruelly calm.

“You broke it.”

Now there was not even a tremble in his voice.

“I’m sorry. I can’t believe you anymore… ”

“Ah, ah… ”

“… I think I’m too tired.”

Silence falls on the alley again. Seo-yeon looks at him, speechless.

Only when the fog called fear cleared did the invisible become visible.

I regretted it so much. I shouldn’t have done something stupid. I should have just told him honestly before he found out.

If only it had been so, if only it had been so sooner…

“… No, that’s not it… ”

She forced herself to move her legs, which would not fall. She stammered and opened her mouth, wiping away her tears.

“There was a misunderstanding. We ended up meeting like this. You don’t know how happy I was when I saw you again.”

The man’s strangely calm demeanor was actually making her impatient. An ominous feeling of foreboding was eating away at her like a shadow.

“Can we start over, okay? I’ll explain everything. So please… ”

“No.”

But at the sound of the firm voice, Seoyeon stopped walking, having tried so hard to muster up the courage.

“It’s impossible to start over.”

“Huh… ?”

Seoyeon stared blankly at him. Impossible. Just hearing those three words made her heart beat like crazy.

“That, what does that mean…?”

“Because the person you knew is no longer there. That boy is long dead.”

Seo-yeon asked with a trembling voice. But the man simply shook his head and answered.

“Why, why are you saying that? You’re not dead. You’re alive. You’re alive and here… in front of me… ”

“No, he’s dead.”

Still, the man was calm and emotionless, like a judge.

“He already died two years ago. He was captured by a warlock and killed. Miserably, lonely, on that ruin where no one was. The Lee Hyun you knew… is no longer there.”

“No! No! No! Don’t say that… !”

The one who finally burst out in anger was Seoyeon.

“You’re alive in front of me! You’re alive and breathing!”

Seoyeon shook her head, cursing. The happy dream was followed by a terrible nightmare. Now she wished she could wake up from this dream.

“I was wrong, okay? It’s all my fault… ”

Seoyeon was walking towards him with staggering steps and desperately trying to grab his sleeve.

“So please, please just listen to me for a second… ”

-widely!

And the man just pushed her desperate hand away.

With severe nausea.

“Ugh, ugh… ”

The man retched as if he was vomiting.

It was as if his body was physiologically rejecting her approach. And only then could Seo-yeon see it.

His face as he looked at himself. The fear clearly reflected in it.

“Ah, ah… ”

Seoyeon’s eyes, which had been staggering after being pushed, lost even more light.

“Haa, haa… ”

The man, breathing heavily, took out a white mask from his bosom and put it on.

“So… please stop now.”

Then he spoke in a voice that was barely calm, yet sounded very tired.

“… Please, I beg you.”

“Ah, no… Wait… ”

Those words, which were as polite as anyone else’s, were even more painful. And Seo-yeon was about to stammer and grab him again.

-Bang!

With the sound of explosions coming from afar, the night alley became noisy again.

***

-Bang!

-bang!

The sound of explosions continues without warning, followed by a huge flame shooting up into the sky. What follows is the screams of hundreds of people.

-what’s the matter!

-Eww!

The noises that were engraved in my ears were noises that should never be heard in the cradle. The sound of metal blades rubbing against each other, the sound of offensive magic formulas that were forbidden to be used in the cradle being sprayed.

-Code zero. Code zero situation has occurred. Distinguished guests, please evacuate immediately according to procedure. I repeat. Code zero situation has occurred. Distinguished guests…

With a bang, the entire cradle’s power went out. Then, the emergency power was activated and a siren rang loudly in my ears. The explosions and screams were also getting louder.

“What is this… ”

Seo-yeon muttered, momentarily distracted by the commotion. The man stood tall and looked toward the main building where the explosion had come from.

And what came out of his slightly opened mouth was the name of someone who should not be heard.

“No… What a pity… ”

Seo-yeon’s heart sank. She felt strange. If she let him go this time, she would definitely let him go forever.

She desperately tried to block the man’s path as he tried to leave.

“Just a minute… !”

-Bam.

But the man just passed Seo-yeon and disappeared. He didn’t say a single word. He didn’t pay even the slightest attention to her.

The alley finally became empty. Seoyeon just sat down.

My knees were shaking so much that I couldn’t move.

He just collapsed miserably on the stone floor, staring blankly at the spot where someone had left behind.

And this time, no one came to her aid.

That was even more painful than the wound on my knee that was bleeding profusely.

There were so many things I wanted to share with the man I saw again.

How hard it’s been for her over the past two years, how hard she’s tried to get revenge on him, and how much prettier she’s become since then.

After telling him everything, I wanted to throw a tantrum and hold him in my arms, asking him to stroke my hair like before.

As expected, there were many things I was curious about.

How have you been, how did you come to be able to use magic, and how did you come into contact with the Black Lotus?

The Great Fire. Traces of military torture magic particles that remained at the site of the ruins.

Although she had become his benefactor by now, she believed that the man had died at the hands of Sa Jae-hyeok, who had collaborated with the communists.

What was most curious was the strange mask covering the face.

A mask, a white and smooth mask. The thing that gave the man the nickname of a traveler.

For Seo-yeon, it was also the thing she most resented. If it weren’t for that, she could have recognized him earlier and arranged a better reunion.

Of course I know it’s to hide the scar on his face, but so what.

It was just a scar. It was just a small wound. But I felt that it made her wild beauty stand out even more.

The words Seo-yeon had said two years ago were nothing more than a desperate measure to keep the man from following her. If she hadn’t done that, he would have followed her and put her in danger again.

She knew that the boy would have a hard time. Even she had said those words with great pain.

But she thought she would soon defeat him. The boy was such a strong and dependable being to Seoyeon. He was such a strong person that she couldn’t shake him off unless she did this.

“Ah, ahh… ahh… !”

But Seoyeon realized.

That he too has a weak heart,

That the boy had such a deep affection, a depth that even she could not fathom.

And from that day on.

The boy lost his face.

Because of no one else but yourself.

“What did I, what did I do… ”

Seoyeon, who had collapsed, let out a beast-like cry. She screamed, clutching her head.

What came to mind at the end was the image of a skinny boy lying in a hospital bed, his face distorted by tears.