Side Story 09
A god who fell asleep because things got boring. Yeon Ji-ho felt dizzy the moment he heard those words.
It seemed to mean that the peaceful times that had been so happy for Yeon Ji-ho and Set were merely dismissed as boring times by the god.
“Then when will he wake up?”
“Mm, mm, mm… When something interesting happens?”
Ganesha responded with a half-slurred pronunciation as he munched on candy. His attention was already completely focused on the candy, and he didn’t seem to be answering properly.
Realizing that Ganesha’s concentration didn’t last very long, Yeon Ji-ho handed him another candy from the ones he was holding. Ganesha held the candy up high, showing it off to Shango who was still carrying him.
“Shango! Look at this!”
“…I see it.”
“Yeah, jealous!”
“No, not really.”
Ganesha paused momentarily at Shango’s statement that he wasn’t particularly envious of the candy that was so precious to Ganesha. Then, tilting his head, he asked:
“Why?”
“…Because I’ve eaten many of them.”
“W-what? Whaaaat?”
Ganesha looked up at Shango with a shocked expression. His mouth, which had been busily chewing, had come to a stop. Soon, Ganesha spoke with a face that looked like he might burst into tears at any moment.
“All this time, everyone except me… has been eating such delicious things…?”
“No, that’s not, Ganesha-ssi…!”
Seeing that he was about to burst into tears, Yeon Ji-ho hurriedly tried to deny it. However, Shango’s answer came out faster than Yeon Ji-ho’s.
“Yes…”
“Huh… huuuuwaaaah! Huuuwaaaah!”
With his chin raised high, Ganesha cried while dropping tears one by one, looking no different from Seho. Of course, Ganesha was older than Shango.
Even in the midst of this, Ganesha still tightly gripped the candy in his hand. Shango just looked down at the noisy Ganesha without taking any action, so eventually Yeon Ji-ho took Ganesha from Shango.
Yeon Ji-ho, now a parent of three years, was quite skilled in the posture of holding Ganesha. He carefully supported Ganesha’s bottom, let Ganesha bury his face in his shoulder, and then began to gently and softly pat his back.
“…Mmm.”
Suddenly soothed in Yeon Ji-ho’s arms, Ganesha forgot that he was crying and opened his mouth blankly. Ganesha muttered unconsciously:
“Mom…?”
“Pardon?”
“Mom!”
Perhaps feeling nostalgic for his long-dead mother in Yeon Ji-ho’s embrace, Ganesha suddenly wrapped his arms around Yeon Ji-ho’s neck. However, unlike Seho, Ganesha was quite heavy, so Yeon Ji-ho couldn’t help but stagger momentarily.
Unable to just watch, Shango quickly pulled Ganesha away from Yeon Ji-ho and held him again. Even during this, Ganesha kept flailing his arms and legs, trying to return to Yeon Ji-ho as if he didn’t want to be separated.
“Let go! I’m going to Mom!”
“Ganesha.”
“Mom, Moooom!”
“Ji-ho nim already has a child.”
“…?”
At Shango’s quiet comment, Ganesha quickly turned his head to look at Yeon Ji-ho. His eyes seemed to be asking if this was true, so Yeon Ji-ho could only nod with an awkward smile.
Upon hearing this, Ganesha deflated as if shocked. Only then did Shango lift Ganesha onto his shoulder with a relieved expression.
“Ji-ho nim, then, where do we go now…?”
“Hmm, good question. I think I need to think about it for a moment.”
After settling the situation with Ganesha, Yeon Ji-ho also fell into deep thought. Set and Seho would be waiting in Korea, so he needed to return as quickly as possible; there was no time to dawdle like this.
It was then that Ganesha, who had become somewhat depressed after hearing that Yeon Ji-ho had a child, opened his mouth.
“But, you know…”
“Yes?”
“I was playing hide-and-seek.”
Hide-and-seek?
Yeon Ji-ho tilted his head at the sudden topic. He casually accepted that Ganesha must have been playing with friends and asked where the seeker was. It was the exact same attitude he would have with three-year-old Seho.
Ganesha, sitting on Shango’s shoulder like he was riding piggyback, tightly hugged Shango’s head. Now with the highest viewpoint among the three, Ganesha pointed towards the far side of the flower field and said:
“There, the seeker.”
Yeon Ji-ho turned his head in the direction of Ganesha’s chubby finger. He could see a sandstorm rising on the field beyond the flower bed. At that moment, an inexplicable chill ran down Yeon Ji-ho’s spine.
“…Ji-ho nim.”
“Shango? What’s wrong?”
“Get behind me.”
Suddenly, Shango firmly instructed Yeon Ji-ho. He put Ganesha down on the ground and slowly pulled out his axe. Yeon Ji-ho asked with an incredulous expression:
“Wait, so what you’re saying is that the seeker Ganesha mentioned…”
Before Yeon Ji-ho could finish his sentence, the sandstorm subsided, revealing their figures. All of them, proudly wearing blue-gray armor, were riding horses and charging directly towards them. Seeing this, Yeon Ji-ho tightly closed his eyes.
“It’s the Hwangseong Knights.”
***
HONK!
The sound of an angry car horn violently struck his ears. Set unhesitatingly spat out a curse at the driver who had cut in front of him just moments ago.
“That damn…!”
With an angry face, he quickly turned the steering wheel and then firmly pressed the accelerator to pick up speed. His driving skills, easily overtaking the car that had cut in front, were remarkably impressive for someone who had only been driving for about three years.
Cruising on the highway now, Set unhesitatingly pressed down on the accelerator even more. Normally, with Yeon Ji-ho and Seho in the car, he would have driven carefully, observing every traffic rule, but with no one by his side now, it was different.
Finally, a luxurious sedan entered the outskirts of a village on the outskirts of Sancheon City. Set slowly drove towards the pension where Yeon Ji-ho was, his eyes now almost red. By the time he arrived, the sun had already set, and darkness had fallen.
“Ji-ho, Ji-ho… No, my Ji-ho wouldn’t do that.”
After neatly parking his car in the pension’s parking lot, Set got out, his coat tails fluttering. However, his heart sank at the atmosphere of the pension, which was different from usual.
Yeon Ji-ho’s pension, which had recently been bustling with visitors, was usually quite noisy even at night due to guests who hadn’t gone to sleep. Although there was a designated quiet time, it wasn’t yet that time, so it was hard to believe everyone was asleep.
“…Ji-ho?”
Set first stepped onto the pension grounds. As expected, there was no one to be seen anywhere in the pension.
“Ji-ho!”
Feeling as if the anxiety lurking beneath his feet was creeping up his body and choking his throat, Set immediately ran to the house where Yeon Ji-ho stayed. Even as he directly opened the door lock and entered the passcode, something felt off.
Only desolate darkness greeted Set as he entered the house.
Yeon Ji-ho was nowhere in the pension. Set acknowledged this fact.
“…”
Even though he thought it couldn’t be true, bad thoughts kept eating away at Set’s mind. The thought occurred to him that Yeon Ji-ho might have left, abandoning Seho and himself in New York. Soon, Set clenched his fist and began searching the house with bloodshot eyes.
Believing that Yeon Ji-ho wouldn’t have just abandoned him and left, Set thought he must have left at least a letter. However, no matter how much he searched the house, nothing turned up.
Silently, Set thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone. He wanted to check if there had been any contact from Yeon Ji-ho.
“My Ji-ho: Set” 2:34 PM
“My Ji-ho: I’m sorry” 2:35 PM
“For what?” 2:35 PM
“Ji-ho, what are you sorry for?” 2:36 PM
“Ji-ho.”
“Ji-ho.” 2:37 PM
But the messages still ended with what Set had left, with nothing more. Set gripped his phone tightly with trembling hands, but soon restrained himself when it felt like the phone might break. If he broke this too, he would have no means to contact Yeon Ji-ho.
It was while Set had been standing alone in the darkness for quite some time.
“…Your Excellency?”
There was a presence felt through the front door, which he hadn’t fully closed when entering. Set quietly raised his bloodshot eyes to look in that direction.
“What are you doing here alone?”
“Isquis.”
Dressed in a school uniform, Isquis stood at the front door with a small bag over one shoulder. Set strode over to him and asked:
“Where’s Ji-ho?”
“Huh? Why are you asking me about Ji-ho nim… Oh!”
“So, are you saying Ji-ho has disappeared alone without taking you along?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
