episode_0026

“Hey, I want to talk in an open space, so how about going to the rooftop?”

“I will do whatever you want.”

Shihyuk briefly agreed to the suggestion of the old man, Samshin, and reached out his hand to the old man.

No matter how well-informed he is of his own place, stairs are dangerous for an old man who is old and blind. Shi-hyeok, who was trying to support the old man Samshin by holding his shoulders and elbows as he tried to climb the stairs, was surprised by his weight.

It was strangely light.

“Haha, at this age, I’ve already been escorted. Thank you.”

“… Excuse me.”

Shihyuk realized belatedly that he had been rude.

The old man smiled slightly at his polite apology and shook his head once, gently brushing away his rudeness.

“What, don’t worry about it. The old man has some circumstances and is a bit light-hearted, so it’s natural to be surprised.”

… It wasn’t just light. Since Shihyuk’s strength was so outstanding, he could easily lift anything of any weight. But even considering that, the old man’s body in his arms was very light.

By his estimate, it was at most the weight of a seven or eight year old child.

It is clear that the old man is entering his twilight years, but isn’t it too light even so?

As if anticipating Shihyuk’s question, the gentle voice of the adult Samshin was heard.

“It’s because of the wounds I received when I worked together to defeat an evil demon that was crushing people’s heads and breaking its skull. I lost an eye, my bones were missing here and there, and my internal organs were so badly damaged that they had to be taken out in several places.”

“… 1,000-day battle. Are you a 1st generation awakened?”

“I see. Right now, my body is like this, so I have to use mana just to breathe, so I’m in the same situation as a normal person.”

Shihyuk had a blank expression at first, but he was quite surprised.

I had a feeling that he was something out of the ordinary from the first time we met, but I didn’t know that Shihyuk would be this kind of person.

That meant that although he was currently the director of a daycare center, he was originally a war hero. It was a surprising remark to Sihyuk, who was familiar with the status of the first generation of Awakened who were either retired or about to retire.

And at the same time, it was a pity.

What if the old man’s body had been intact, or if he had been injured, but not seriously? At least he would not have retired to such a lowly position, forgotten by the world, and lived only with honor that no one recognized.

[It’s such a shame. I think that it’s absolutely necessary to have a place where we can sympathize with and understand the Awakened players, as we devote ourselves to the safety of our country by running around dangerous external dimension gates.]

[Because many people don’t know how dangerous their work is.]

“… … .”

Suddenly, Shihyuk remembered the words of the exhibition manager who was defending the Awakened. And – why do the galaxy and the universe come to mind?

Suddenly, the thought occurred to him that they too might end up like this someday made his mouth taste bitter and his stomach feel suffocated.

Whether he knew his thoughts or not, the old man Samshin calmly opened his mouth.

“Ah, please don’t tell the children. He is a person who calls himself Samshin and has thrown away his worldly ties to raise children, so very few people know about him. I am worried that the young children, who are like my children, will not be able to move on in time because of the old man who is barely holding on.”

“… I will do as you wish.”

Perhaps, the sisters also guess that this mysterious old man is no ordinary man. However, they probably do not want to reveal the story that the old man, whom they respect and call teacher, is hiding.

They didn’t bother to tell each other about their circumstances for fear of worrying their elders or their sisters. Sihyuk was the same.

He was not a person so shameless that he would go around telling people things he knew from a third party’s perspective.

“And, don’t feel sorry.”

As if he had entered and come out of Sihyuk’s heart, the old man Samshin was looking right into his heart.

“I don’t regret stepping out then. If I hadn’t, where would I have had the chance to meet such beautiful children?”

“… Sorry.”

Shihyuk bowed his head.

I was happy to pay tribute to the nameless hero.

The rooftop, reached by climbing the stairs to the third floor, had clear air that day, and I was able to enjoy the panoramic view of the buildings of Namyangju City and the tall, green mountains surrounding them.

Sihyuk stood side by side with the old man for a moment, enjoying the scenery and the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind as his companion.

I heard a commotion coming from down there.

Looking down, I saw Galaxy running toward the wide yard, kicking a ball with the boys. Looking more closely, I saw Woojoo reading a storybook to the girls gathered under the large tree in the daycare center.

“Aren’t they really cute kids?”

“Yes.”

“When I could no longer use my body, I decided to take care of children and worked at a daycare center in Seoul for about 10 years. That’s when I met those two.”

“How many children have you taken care of? Where is there a finger that doesn’t hurt when bitten? Those two are especially memorable, and they hurt like thorns in my heart.”

“… … .”

“Who in the world doesn’t have a story? But Woojoo, in particular, is a child who is very devoted to her younger brother even though she has been hurt so much. I have seen her fail to see what lies ahead for herself and only look after her younger brother, and fall for her own mistakes several times… . But she grew up so confidently and warmly. Eunha… .”

The old man stopped talking and smiled faintly as if something suddenly occurred to him.

“I’ll tell you a story because it reminds me of my old days.”

“What is it?”

The three gods opened their mouths.

-.-.-

Eunha was a good eater since she was little.

Even though the daycare center where Samshin worked was a government institution and meals were provided regularly, it was rare for him to eat something that was that delicious.

One day, an old man got worried because Eunha kept wandering around outside, so he secretly sent someone to her.

“Do you know what the Milky Way was doing? She was sniffing around the neighborhood restaurant.”

The girl was spending her time loitering around in front of a chicken restaurant, a pizza place, and a snack bar in the neighborhood.

The good boy who had never once thrown a tantrum to an old man knew that the facilities were not well-equipped, so he would smell the smells of customers coming into the restaurant where he wanted to eat and imagine the taste of the food in his head.

The old man was impressed by the girl’s nonchalant behavior and felt sorry for her, so he did not try to stop her from doing something cute and somewhat odd.

Then one time, Eunha came back crying.

The store owner scolded him harshly because he was having trouble doing business due to a girl who kept hovering around him.

“I felt so bad for my child that I broke my rule of treating all children equally and took some pocket money and went out to buy him food. Do you know what he did?”

Eunha bought a bunch of snacks and shared them with everyone in the facility.

When I asked her, feeling both admirable and dumbfounded, the girl just smiled bashfully.

“I was finally able to hear the real reason later. Even this old man couldn’t help but be moved.”

Not only the universe, but also the galaxy had never eaten proper food while living in an orphanage.

[That damn thing is a little more sweet! You guys should be a little more patient! Oh my, you’ve had a hard time! You’ve been sworn at! Listen carefully! That’s right!]

That’s why the sweet chocolate cookies the workers gave her during the rescue remained vividly in Eunha’s memory.

I have never eaten anything this sweet in the world.

I didn’t know there was something that would make me happy just by putting it in my mouth.

It felt like a dream, because it was the first time in my life that I received kindness from anyone other than my older sister.

But unlike the food stores, most of the snacks were packaged in boxes or vacuum-packed, making it difficult to smell them. Eunha just gulped, reminiscing about the old days.

Compared to chicken, pizza, and meat, snacks are cheap.

It wasn’t to the point where she couldn’t feed it to him if he wanted it, but even with two or three 500 won coins, he could buy it, so Eun-ha held back and held back for fear of becoming a burden.

“How deep is the sorrow of not being able to eat what you want in the world? Even when the opportunity to achieve a dream comes, you don’t want to take it all to yourself, but share it with everyone and say this.”

-Eating is good for me, but…! It’s even more delicious when we all eat together! Other people can feel this happiness too!

-.-.-

“They are such sweet and kind children. Maybe that’s why the sisters often come to visit and play with them.”

“… … .”

“How many people in the world live for others? In the universe and the galaxy, those kids donate money out of their own pockets every year.”

“… … .”

“I heard that on the radio somewhere. Do you know how happy and proud I was?”

“Noble person.”

The three gods laughed.

“Although my body is broken and I have lost the god I used to serve, I can no longer be called an Awakened One, but my spirit is still alive. Even though I am blind, I can feel the flame burning in the nobleman’s heart.”

The cane rolled on the floor, and the old body bent over, its forehead touching the ground. The old man was bowing down to him.

A proud person was willing to humble himself for his children.

“You’ve already made up your mind, even if I didn’t step forward. I feel ashamed that all I can do for this first step is to cheer you on and ask for your favor.”

“I hope your wishes come true. And…please take good care of those special kids.”

“… … .”

Shihyuk didn’t say anything.

-.-.-

“Teacher! Have you seen Sihyuk? He’s strange. Where did he go?”

“The nobleman has left on his way ahead of time on business. He asked me to say hello.”

“You left without saying a word… .”

“That’s right, that’s too bad. If you had just said something, I would have at least seen you off.”

“Don’t be upset. I wanted to tell you something.”

“… Phone number?”

“He said he would contact me in a few days, so pick it up. He said he wanted to give me something as a gift.”