By Zephyria 
Clang—
A clear, cheerful chime and the sound of a wooden bell coming from somewhere filled the momentary silence. Everyone tilted their heads simultaneously with bewildered expressions at the sudden announcement.
Ha-jin, who had been leaning against a wooden pillar, straightened his back and asked with a puzzled look.
“Yun Mi-so, what’s that sound? Your house is at the edge of Dragon Cloud City.”
Mi-so’s family home was located not far from the entrance of Dragon Cloud City. It was a distance that would take at least three more days to travel from here, so he couldn’t understand why she was saying they had to part ways tomorrow.
“Ha-jin, you know my dad is a devoted son. I think he probably went straight to get Grandmother after the incident. It might be better to stop by Grandmother’s house first rather than the main house. Grandmother’s house is near here.”
Ha-jin’s worried voice immediately followed her words.
“What if she’s not at Grandmother’s house?”
Mi-so let out a dry laugh as if he were asking the obvious.
“Then we can go back to the main house.”
“Mi-so.”
“It’s much more logical to stop by Grandmother’s first than to go to the main house and come back here. Anyway… I’m thinking of going there first. I only decided recently, so I’m telling you now.”
Mi-so mumbled, fidgeting with the end of her tightly tied hair.
“Honestly, it’s only been two days since we reunited. I’m sad, so it’s hard to make a decision easily.”
Ha-jin couldn’t say anything more and closed his mouth. Byeol, who had been quietly watching, breathing in and out, asked in a trembling voice.
“Mi-so Unni, are you going to Grandmother’s alone tomorrow…? Then I won’t see Unni anymore?”
Mi-so couldn’t answer the child’s question for a while and bit her lower lip. The tip of her nose, which had been lowered, was already red. Sniffling, she composed her shaky breathing.
Jeffrey, who had been staring intently at Mi-so, furrowed his brow and asked.
[What…. Is Mi-so saying she’s leaving for another place first? So suddenly?]
When no one answered, he nudged Eden’s shoulder as if to confirm.
[Eden, did I translate that right?]
[She’s going somewhere other than where she was originally going. I think we’ll have to say goodbye around tomorrow evening.]
With his calm answer, another silence fell. Shock lingered on everyone’s faces at the unexpected, sudden declaration of farewell. Ha-jin stared at Mi-so with a blank face, unable to speak, and Eden quietly stroked his chin as if pondering something.
The sunset, which had painted the sky with red and yellow, began to fall on their feet. The summer sun struggled to set beyond the ancestral mountains only after 8 p.m.
[Ah, I really didn’t expect this.]
Jeffrey muttered in English, wiping his dry face. It was something to celebrate, as the first completer had appeared in the long journey to the desired destination. However, no one could easily speak up at the farewell that had come before they had even finished preparing their hearts.
Byeol, who was restless in the subdued atmosphere, put Pie down and awkwardly clung to Ha-jin’s arm. Ha-jin lifted the child, who was clinging to him like a lifeline, into his arms. The child turned his gaze away from Mi-so and buried his small face on Ha-jin’s broad shoulder.
As if trying to make up for the suddenly depressed atmosphere, Mi-so opened her mouth in a bright voice.
“I was so sad to say goodbye, so I insisted on resting early today. Honestly, I didn’t want to just sleep on the streets until the end. I also wanted to send you off with a smile in a comfortable place…. Anyway, everyone worked hard climbing the mountain to get to the temple. I’m sorry and thank you.”
However, the more she opened her mouth, the more the atmosphere seemed to sink. The group, who belatedly understood Mi-so’s heart, who had led the water play in the valley and led them to the safe temple, couldn’t say anything more.
Whish— The night breeze gently swept through the grass in the yard that had grown to ankle height.
“Hng, hic….”
Byeol, who had been holding Ha-jin tightly, finally burst into stifled sobs. Pie, who had been lying on Ha-jin’s back, licked the child’s tears falling on his cheek and whined.
Mi-so, who was desperately trying to control her breathing so as not to react to the child’s crying, rubbed her red eyes with the back of her hand and strode under the eaves.
“Byeol, will you look at Unni?”
“Hic, Unni….”
“Don’t cry. Okay? Unni is sorry.”
She awkwardly patted Byeol’s shoulder, who was being held in Ha-jin’s arms. Despite the continued apologies, the child never looked back. Mi-so also couldn’t hide her sadness and lowered her head to the floor.
Jeffrey, who had gotten up from his seat, wrapped his arm around Mi-so’s bent shoulder and calmly comforted her.
[Mi-so, you have nothing to be sorry about. Still, it’s a happy thing that you’ve come home.]
“……”
[And Mi-so.]
Her reddened eyes turned to Jeffrey.
[You’re uglier when you cry.]
“…Geez, I can understand that much.”
The corners of her tearful eyes suddenly drooped, and Jeffrey made a funny face as if he had been waiting for it. Pfft…. Perhaps the effort was commendable, a silly laugh finally escaped from Mi-so’s mouth. After a short sigh, she composed her laughter and turned her head to look at Eden, who was watching her.
Eden met her reddened eyes and slowly nodded to Mi-so as if to say she had done a good job.
“Let’s go safely until the end. Thank you for your hard work.”
❖ ❖ ❖
“Yun Mi-so, you’re going to collapse like this.”
“I’m done crying.”
Mi-so, who replied bluntly in a voice with a stuffy nose, frantically drank the water she had gotten from Hongju Bodhisattva. Late at night, Mi-so and Ha-jin, who had come out to the porch again, were blankly staring at the stars that were studded like jewels in the sky.
“Do Ha-jin, where are you going to live after you find Jun-seok?”
“…Well. I haven’t thought that far.”
“If you have nowhere to go, come to our main house. We have a lot of rooms.”
Ha-jin, who laughed briefly, turned to Mi-so.
“I’m not planning on marrying you?”
“When did I tell you to marry me? You’re saying something creepy.”
Mi-so, who had been grumbling for a while, spoke seriously again.
“You can really come if you have nowhere to go. Of course, it won’t be easy to come all the way here from Dragon Cloud City….”
“……”
“Or you can come back to Hwayeonsa here. There are no zombies, and there’s a clean valley. Of course, it would be a bit difficult if we run out of rice.”
“I guess so.”
Ha-jin nodded bitterly, looking at the slowly flowing night clouds.
They made promises for the future, but they were well aware that the probability of meeting again alive was close to a miracle. Nevertheless, using the slim probability as an excuse, the two seriously discussed their future whereabouts. It was because they didn’t want to treat tomorrow’s parting as a permanent farewell.
Ha-jin stared silently at Mi-so’s profile, who was leaning her head against the pillar and lost in thought. Yun Mi-so, who was so intimidated. It was a sight he had never seen in all the years they had been together. As if embarrassed by his staring gaze, she glanced at him and kicked Ha-jin’s hamstring.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s like I’m seeing you cry for the first time.”
“…What, are you teasing me?”
“Can’t I tease you?”
Ha-jin casually brushed off the dirt on his hamstring and suddenly muttered.
“No, there was one time before.”
Mi-so, who was looking at Ha-jin with swollen eyes as if asking what he meant, burst into laughter. After laughing for a while, she asked.
“Are you talking about that Oh-pig bastard?”
“Yeah, that Oh-pig.”
Ha-jin shuddered as if he was disgusted by the nickname he had brought up after rummaging through dusty memories.
‘Oh-pig,’ who was more often called by his nickname than his name, was the class vice president who had tormented Ha-jin relentlessly throughout his first year of high school. Because he didn’t like the way he was sitting in the back and practicing card tricks, he would bring his group every time and ruin Ha-jin’s magic props in front of the children in every way possible.
“I wonder what that bastard is doing now.”
“Obviously. He’s probably a zombie drooling right now.”
Mi-so was about to continue with harsher words, but she closed her mouth. This was because what Oh-pig had done was by no means light enough to be used as a light snack.
Ha-jin, who couldn’t find a way to fight back against the merciless bullying, consistently ignored him, and he didn’t even like that, so he even used physical violence.
As small, inconspicuous wounds increased all over his white body and bruises smaller than fingernails grew to the size of palms, Mi-so appeared in Ha-jin’s life like fate.
She, who was a starting player on the school’s volleyball team and a representative player for the province, rarely appeared at school under the pretext of away games and training, but on that day, she finished school early and took a sweet nap next to Ha-jin, who was only a partner in name.
Before the morning assembly, Oh-pig appeared as usual and harassed Ha-jin.
The guy gleefully burned Ha-jin’s magic cards with a lighter, kicked his desk, and even accidentally pushed Mi-so’s head while rummaging through his bag to search it.
It happened to be the day after she was diagnosed with a torn knee ligament ahead of the National Sports Festival.