Chapter 548:
Seo Jang-hwa was by no means a weak person.
It is not easy to go to school and make friends even if you have a past that is so provocative that a book about your childhood would become a bestseller. Seo Jang-hwa was a strong person both physically and mentally.
But I wasn’t strong enough to laugh off the death of someone I knew.
“….”
I didn’t even want to be that strong.
“…!”
It was only after a while that Seo Jang-hwa realized what the empty tank meant.
She hurriedly swam to the surface.
“Puh-ha…!”
Seo Jang-hwa
looked down urgently while snoring and spitting out the water that had accidentally entered his throat. He wanted to check whether what he saw through the glass wall was correct.
“Jung Eun-woo, hey Jeong Eun-woo…!”
with a splash!
Seo Jang-hwa leaned against the glass wall, waving his hands.
“Where the fuck are you!”
But there was no one in sight.
“Where… where have you gone now…!”
Seo Jang-hwa’s voice gradually decreased.
“Jung Eun-woo….”
And then.
“….”
There was silence.
It was a long time before Seo Jang-hwa opened his mouth.
“…Ha…”
A new breath escaped my lips.
“….”
Jeong Eun-woo disappeared.
Seo Jang-hwa was not stupid enough to not know the meaning.
“…It’s open.”
Before she came and gave him the right hint, Eunwoo Jeong opened the treasure chest.
However, it was impossible to choose a small number of correct answers, which could be 1 out of 29, and it seemed like Jeong Eun-woo chose the wrong answer.
And it was clear that he had disappeared, swallowed up by a penalty that could not have been anything else.
“…Fuck.”
I told him to wait a moment, but it seemed like Jung Eun-woo didn’t even hear me.
“Fuck, really, I…!”
Seo Jang-hwa’s face distorted.
His lips tightened as if he was holding something back, his eyebrows furrowed, and his frowning eyes gradually turned red.
My face, which had been pale due to being in and out of the cold water multiple times, began to turn red with sadness.
“….”
She looked at the empty treasure chest tank with a very resentful expression.
“I…”
Maybe I could have helped Jung Eun-woo.
Maybe it was.
Seo Jang-hwa, who doesn’t even have a wetsuit, wouldn’t have been able to turn a bad draw into a winner by helping Jeong Eun-woo with his bare body, but for some reason, thinking about what if, he grits his teeth in sadness.
‘I might have been helpful.’
I felt sick to my stomach at the result in front of me, which clearly showed that I was protecting Seo Jang-hwa and at the same time ostracizing her.
The only thing that can be achieved by sacrificing a capable and intact person is his disappearance.
Jeong Eun-woo’s disappearance or death was not Seo Jang-hwa’s fault. She knew it herself, but… Only a crazy bastard could remain detached from the death of someone she had been talking to just a moment ago.
“….”
And Seo Jang-hwa was not a crazy bastard.
“…Fuck, fuck, fuck… It’s so fucking bad… You’re such a dog…”
The moisture rose between the swear words.
If this was real and Jung Eun-woo’s death had been justified, such as a natural disaster, it wouldn’t have been as confusing as it is now. Jeong Eun-woo was clearly a bad person and a stranger who had only recently met Seo Jang-hwa.
But this was a hidden world. It was a world where even the slightest sadness brought out tears and even the slightest discomfort turned into pain. Seo Jang-hwa could see that he was greatly shaken by Jeong Eun-woo’s death.
“…Oh, you really look like a dog!!”
with a splash!
Seo Jang-hwa shouted loudly and went back into the water.
‘I have to go to the concert hall.’
The only person with a certificate went missing, and because Jeong Eun-woo disappeared, the diving suit he was wearing also disappeared. This meant that the only plan to not kill Jaeheon Lee had failed.
But that didn’t mean I could stay still.
“Dayoung!”
“Huh, sister?”
Seo Jang-hwa, who left the ‘Sea Treasure Hall’ and found Park Da-young, spoke urgently while holding her shoulder.
“Jung Eun-woo, that bastard is gone.”
“yes?”
“I think I made a bad choice. “I can’t see it anywhere and my wetsuit is gone too.”
“…Ah….”
“….”
“Okay.”
Dayoung Park answered in a very calm tone.
“You failed.”
But beyond the calm face, it was impossible not to know the darkness that settled into those purple eyes. Seo Jang-hwa hugged Park Da-young tightly with her wet body.
“Hey, I’m sorry. “I’m really sorry…”
“What am I sorry about, sister?”
“I want to give you some proper consolation… but it’s too difficult.”
“are you okay.”
“I’ll apologize on behalf of the underworld.”
How can you be so cruel?
“huh? Sorry.”
Why do you play with people so carelessly?
‘Fuck you bastards…’
Seo Jang-hwa vigorously rubbed Park Da-young’s back with his trembling hands.
I hugged her so tightly that it felt a little painful and patted my back with such force. Park Da-young’s calm reaction was no different from her louder scream.
How can the world be like this? It so happened that the person dying in the glass box was Park Da-young’s younger brother, and not Seo Jang-hwa, who didn’t know that his family’s death was terrible.
“….”
Seo Jang-hwa himself was greatly shaken by the disappearance of Jeong Eun-woo, but…
including all of them, it was too cruel.
“…Let’s go to the concert hall.”
Seo Jang-hwa tried to break through the confusion and speak.
“I have to go. Either go back and find out how to find the missing Jeong Eun-woo, ask Min-hong for a map, or really… do something about that person Lee Jae-heon…” “
Sister.”
“Fuck, Dahun needs to be saved. huh? “At least your brother doesn’t really die there like that.”
“….”
“…What is Park Da-hoon saying now?”
Seo Jang-hwa touched Park Da-young’s cheek with his cold fingers.
When their eyes turned purple, the siblings were able to talk to each other. Even if it wasn’t a story, I could at least share my feelings. Seo Jang-hwa asked again.
“What did Dahun say just now?”
Dayoung Park answered with a face like wax.
“…I think it’s cold.”
“okay? Yes, I see. “It’s cold.”
“They say it’s scary.”
“It must be scary. If I were to be locked in a box like that, I would be scared too…”
“I said I didn’t want to drown.”
“….”
“I think so….”
Why should the word ‘drowning’ come out of the mouth of a child who is only 19 years old?
“…Sorry.”
“…I can’t die for you, right? Instead of Da-hoon, I… not you…”
“Hey, don’t do that. “I’m scared too.”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Then don’t do it.”
Seo Jang-hwa hugged Park Da-young tightly again.
please.
“…Even if the situation is really like that, don’t say things like you’re going to die… you crazy bastards.”
“….”
“Why do you make it so easy to say you’re going to die?”
Seo Jang-hwa was afraid of death.
I was afraid of my own death, and even if one of my friends, Song In-myeong, died in front of me, I would be scared as hell.
Regardless of whether Song In-myeong dies or not, in the end, Seo Jang-hwa is also human.
I couldn’t completely throw away the trash that was my friend. There was no difference between Vivian and Seo Jang-hwa, they just had different ways of asking questions.
In the midst of the fear of the death of the dog who was abandoned, the good kid like Park Da -young is really ….
“You know that all of you are crazy together.”
What I am saying is that if you are faced with death, you should at least be scared.
“That’s human.”
We all know that you are human too.
“But why are you trying to become so strong? That’s not true. How can people always improve? uh? That’s so fucking weird… It makes no sense…”
“I’m sorry, sister.”
“It really looks like a dog. Those who should be sorry don’t, but only people like you always apologize. This shouldn’t be like this… Ha, fuck, I’m such a dick. “Fuck.”
Seo Jang-hwa took Park Da-young out of his arms.
She held Dayoung Park’s small, thin hand. Unlike Seo Jang-hwa’s, who trained hard through exercise, Park Da-young’s hands were as thin as tree branches and were like water-soaked plaster, so she couldn’t even hold them strong.
“Let’s go see uncle.”
“….”
“…Let’s go ask that guy for help, Dayoung.”
Only after mentioning Lee Jae-heon did Park Da-young’s face distort.
The eyes are red when holding back tears.
“It was something that could not be helped.”
“…Sister….”
“It’s not your fault and it’s not mine. Just for the heck of it… let’s go to someone who can listen if we whine about how difficult it is. “There are so many people out there who can accept everything even if you force them and yell at them.”
“Does he have to die again…? why? “Why are you always like that?”
“I’m sorry for everything, I’m really sorry…”
Seo Jang-hwa led Park Da-young by the hand and entered the ‘Sea Treasure Hall.’
Dayoung Park followed her without letting go of her firm hand. As you walk along the long and narrow waterway, you pass a water tank where no one can be seen beyond the transparent wall and a treasure chest that is just open.
They were walking next to death and in front of it.
‘Fucking shit…’
Seo Jang-hwa grimaced his face.
She did not understand what Park Da-young said, ‘Why did Lee Jae-heon have to die again?’
From the concert hall, I noticed that these people were whispering stories that everyone but me knew, but I didn’t want to pry into something they didn’t tell me, so I just left it there.
And it was still the same now.
‘You fucking idiots.’
A few deaths or something, that wasn’t important to Seo Jang-hwa right now. I was busy gasping at the death of another person right in front of me.
There was no time left to devote to the truth hidden behind it. In the pressure of the waves flowing and disturbing their minds and the air of the world blaming them, what is important is not the truth.
Seo Jang-hwa just thought that it would be nice to create a world where everyone is happy.
It’s a ridiculous story and a very unexpected wish, but that’s just the way it is.
“You have to follow me, Park Da-young. okay?”
After safely leaving the ‘Sea Treasure Hall’, Park Da-young whined and clung to Seo Jang-hwa.
“Sister….”
“Hey, it’s okay. Everything will be okay. “Fuck, Lee Jae-heon will do everything somehow… right?”
“Sister, I’m scared.”
“know.”
“What should I do because I feel sorry for you…?”
“We feel sorry too.”
I know it was a selfish choice, but we needed someone to help us.
“I’m not asking you to go kill Lee Jae-heon right now, okay?”
“But sister…”
“I just need someone to fucking comfort me. Nothing more, nothing less. I don’t want anything big. He might be as big as a dog in this world, but still… Huh? It’s not such a big mistake to ask for some comfort. yes?”
I don’t know about Seo Jang-hwa, but at least Park Da-young needed proper consolation. It was necessary for Park Da-young, who was in a situation where her younger brother or her strong guardian would soon die.
What are the importance of selfishness and conscience in the face of the death of a beloved family member that even adults cannot keep aloof from?
Dayoung Park is a high school student who is not even an adult.
“So, let’s go back…”
Seo Jang-hwa muttered as he headed toward the exquisitely beautiful underwater tunnel.
“Let’s ask for help.”
“….”
“To adults who are bigger than us, huh?”
I’m just putting my hands together and praying.
“But it’s okay.”
It was like he was brainwashing himself.
It may have been a pathetic choice for Seo Jang-hwa, but Park Da-young fully deserved that choice. The older sister, who had persevered even in an uncertain situation where her younger brother might drown at any moment, is fully qualified to choose any choice.
However, Park Da-young is so kind, mature, and smart that she can’t bear to throw a tantrum and make a fuss. Seo Jang-hwa noticed that fact from the way he calmly responded to Jeong Eun-woo’s failure.
Ah, this guy doesn’t know how to be pushy.
“You, you… you can do that, Dayoung.”
So I had to let you know.
“Uncle, he won’t be angry at us for failing or for asking for comfort or help. know?”
“…I guess so…”
“I’m not disappointed. I know that Lee Jae-heon is not the kind of person who would be disappointed when a chick behaves like a chick. Of course, you might think that’s really bullshit… I don’t know. Let’s just go and get some comfort. And we should discuss among the adults what to do. That’s right. I think that would be better.”
“….”
“I’m sorry.”
“….”
“I’m really sorry.”
“….”
“I’m sorry….”
Seo Jang-hwa repeated the word sorry as if he had broken down.
I just apologized, like I did when my younger brother cried after being beaten by his father.
* * *
So when I arrived at the concert venue.
After checking on the two people, Jaeheon Lee asked kindly.
“Oh my.”
“….”
“Shall I hug you?”
In the end, Park Da-young burst into tears.
(Continued in the next part)
