Chương 83: S.05 Time to Fly 02(04)

Scene 08_03. Of the two water clocks set in the headquarters Jagyeongnu, one — the one that held the black current — swelled and bulged, shifting its water-level. Before the Jagyeongnu, which had shown the sign that time had been turned back, stood two staff of the 지원관(Jiwon-Gwan_Directorate of Support) in Han-bok. Support Officer 01: Eleven forty-five in the morning. The time turned back is — Support Officer 02: About fifteen minutes. The Relic used — Eun-jang-do.

The two Support Office staff, who had been recording the state of one of the two Jagyeongnu with scrolls laid in their hands, paused their brushes mid-writing, as if they had felt something. Support Officer 01: Eun-jang-do? Did that person not die a long time ago? Ji-min, the Deputy of the Support Office, who had been passing by and overheard the conversation of the two Support staff, stopped her step and laid her voice into the gap between their conversation. Ji-min: What is the matter.

Ji-min, in casual clothes since it was Saturday rather than her work uniform, turned her steps toward the Jagyeongnu. At Ji-min's question, who had walked over to the two staff who were younger than her, the two Support staff who had been writing the record rose from their seats and bowed to Ji-min. Support Officer 01: Ah, Deputy. It is — the water column of the black Jagyeongnu had been recording in reverse for about fifteen minutes, and the Relic used to turn it back was — Ji-min: Was?

Support Officer 02: An Eun-jang-do that had not been seen for some time. At the Support Officer's careful voice, Ji-min was reminded of Si-yeon, who had saved her own life. Stepping a little closer to the two large Jagyeongnu, Ji-min confirmed the safely reversed time, and nodded. Support Officer 01: The record — how shall we handle it? Ji-min: What do you mean, how. We record it. Without omission. You all know what The Oldest said just now. At Ji-min's calm voice, the Support staff nodded.

Ji-min: If we owe a life, then even if we cannot find a way to repay, we must not ruin what was asked of us. Record it without omission. So that The Oldest may see. Support Officer 02: Understood. Ji-min: When time was reversed — were there any unusual signs? Support Officer 01: It was perfectly clean. Whoever the caster was, they were likely not hurt. At the Support Officer's firm answer, Ji-min nodded.

Ji-min, who had slid her hand deep into her casual padded coat pocket, lightly patted the shoulders of the two staff who had nodded and continued to observe the Jagyeongnu. After conveying a light encouragement, Ji-min, without a word, left the place. The image of the person who had risen in Ji-min's mind as she left — that the person had looked exactly like Ji-young — was a fact known only to Ji-min and the Special Task Force of the Support Office.

Without bothering to bring it up, Ji-min carried herself a little more lightly forward, holding within her the thought that the day she would repay the life-debt she owed Si-yeon would soon come. Scene 08_04. The sound of Si-yeon's snoring came rolling out of the passenger seat with full force. Yeon-su, shifting gears as she pressed the pedal, focused and savored the speed.

Without realizing she had been climbing, Yeon-su began to push the accelerator, and Si-yeon's car was tearing along the unblocked highway in a heartbeat. The streaking car had passed through a highway tollgate before she knew it. Yeon-su, glancing down at the toll meter that had automatically registered the charge, briefly lifted her foot from the brake she had pressed, and drove the car fast once more.

So-hui, seated in the back, twitched the corners of her lips as if she had known it would go this way, folded her arms, and pulled the earphones from the cradle and slipped them back into her ears. The sound of snoring came from two places — the passenger seat, and the back seat beside So-hui. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Scene 08_05. Si-yeon and So-hui, with Gyeong-seo and Yeon-su standing behind them, were offering a deep formal bow.

It was a cozy, somewhat chilly yet warm place. The cold was only faintly felt — it was a wide room where the warmth of an elder lingered. To the four who had offered the deep bow, Hyang-rim, the owner of the room who had been conveying that warmth, returned the deep bow in kind. So-hui and her party, having completed the bow, lowered themselves politely with smiles before Hyang-rim, who sat in front of her cushioned mat. So-hui: Bishop. We came to pay our respects.

Hyang-rim: Third Butterfly, it has not been so long a time. Did you come because you missed the food? So-hui: Yes. The food Bishop prepared for us was delicious. While the two voices passed back and forth without ceremony in a bright tone, Si-yeon was bustling to close the side slit of her skirt, which she had torn nearly halfway open. The slit had been opened so high that even Si-yeon's garter was slightly visible.

Feeling the awkwardness and embarrassment, Si-yeon showed a small fluster as she tried to fold the slit shut with her hand. Hyang-rim: Fourth Butterfly. It is fine, please do not trouble yourself. Hyang-rim, who could never bring herself to speak informally with Si-yeon, who held the Envoy within her, wore an elder's smile and stopped Si-yeon's awkward fixing. Si-yeon halted the hand that had been hesitating to fold her skirt shut. Si-yeon: Bishop, when are you going to speak comfortably with me.

I am really going to die — ah. I am already gone — Si-yeon, who had been about to drop a coarse joke, was pricked by So-hui's elbow in her side. Without finishing what she had been about to say, Si-yeon meant to gather herself and speak again, but at So-hui's salt-cured expression, she let the rising voice settle of its own accord. Hyang-rim: You have come a long way, so I shall offer a meal. Please rest a moment.

As Hyang-rim was about to rise from her seat first, So-hui gently took Hyang-rim's hand and held her back for a moment. So-hui: Bishop. Before that, there is something I came to say. Hyang-rim, who had been about to rise, sat back down, and with a grave smile answered So-hui. Hyang-rim: I see — it is something to be said before Jeong-seon arrives. So-hui nodded slowly, with her face turned somewhat darker. Hyang-rim: Before I hear it, I would, rather, ask something of all of you.

Hyang-rim's voice did not waver in the slightest. It was neither sorrowful nor gloomy. It was peaceful and firm, weathered and warm. Hyang-rim: Jeong-seon, and all of our Black Doctrine — please, hold them deep within you. So-hui: We shall not stray for a single moment. Bishop, if it had been a path on which I could not even uphold that, I would never have walked it. At So-hui's polite, firm answer, Hyang-rim nodded with a light smile of satisfaction.

Hyang-rim let out a somewhat larger sigh, took hold of the black Han-bok ties of her robe, and resettled her posture. Hyang-rim: Then, Third Butterfly, Jo So-hui. What is it you have to say to me. Scene 09. I am a little late today. Sorry. Something came up yesterday. It was within a fog where a chill wind drifted in. Ji-young's voice came rolling out roughly as she leaned against the great 시간수(Si-gan-su_Chronostump), but as always, no one could answer back.

Sitting cross-legged and comfortably, Ji-young's banter rang through the still air, quietly and lonesomely. Ji-young: Ah-ni, I drank last night, and I drank so much I really do not remember. Well, when I woke up in the morning — no, it was not morning. Afternoon. Right, when I opened my eyes it was afternoon. Jeong-in said you drink pretty damn well, too. Now that I think of it, when you used to drink with Mom, I remembered how you would drink without so much as a flush on your face.

So I must have tried to out-drink you to show off, and ended up passing out. I do not even know how I got back to my room. It was a sheepish bit of talking-to-oneself and laughter, but she did not feel awkward at speaking and laughing alone. It was just yesterday's drinking and her own showing-off that felt awkward. The still air carried on for a while. Ji-young, who had been holding a smile, leaned against the Chronostump and looked up at the sky covered in fog.

Ji-young: Probably, right now — So-hui is conveying the heavy news. It was the weight she had taken on. The weight of I-sim that suddenly came to mind sat on Ji-young's own shoulders too. Feeling the weight she could not easily let show to anyone, Ji-young let out a sigh deeper than she herself realized. Ji-young: Truth is, I kept insisting I would go, but they sent Jeong-seon to the Headquarters on an errand.

Said who else was going to receive Jeong-seon if I was not there, kept pulling all kinds of Jiral — so I just said fine, and sent them off to So-hui's side. Ji-young briefly glanced down at the watch on her wrist. Though it was a watch linked to her phone, the second-counter on the displayed screen was not advancing at all. It looked as though time itself had stopped. Ji-young gave her wrist a light shake, set the watch right again, and carefully lifted her body from where it had been leaning, nearly lying down.

Ji-young: We will be able to see each other again, soon. Ji-young gathered the front of her comfortable clothes, as if tidying them. She zipped up the thin windbreaker, putting away the chill that the weather had brought to her. Ji-young: As always, it will not be easy at all. Ji-young pushed both hands into her pockets and leaned her body back against the Chronostump as if lying down. Ji-young: Hee-jin sis — looks like she is almost done preparing.

It was a casual and peaceful voice, but the meaning held within it was not, and Ji-young wore an awkward smile. Ji-young: When the time comes, come find me again. I will help too. It was a grumbling sort of request and an apology. As if she had said all she had come to say, Ji-young lifted her leaning body and brushed her leggings at the seat in haphazard, childlike pats. Old leaves that had not even managed to rot fell scattering down.

Having brushed off the dry, leaf-like remnants, Ji-young carefully reached out and stroked the deeply cracked, rough trunk of the Chronostump. Ji-young: I will come again. It was a short, deep parting. With her hands back in her pockets, Ji-young moved her sneaker-step and slowly left the area of the Chronostump. After walking for a long while and passing through the fog forest, Ji-young pulled her hand from her pocket and checked the time.

Seeing that time had only just begun to flow again, she looked up at the sun that still sat high.