LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 207
When I was young, I once heard a story that there was a rabbit on the Moon.
Back then, I believed without a doubt that there could be a rabbit up there.
Thinking back, I remember the time I told my childhood friend about it; she unexpectedly glanced away, flustered, and said something strange.
“Well, there is… a life form on the Moon.”
I can’t help but picture how desperately she averted her gaze at that moment.
Maybe she knew. No, she definitely knew.
“Are you sure you don’t have any pain?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Me neither!”
“…”
After we handled the chaotic situation where people were piled on the bed like a mountain, the Branch Chief went to report to the headquarters, or maybe to get destroyed.
In response to my question about whether she was okay, for the first time, she said,
“No. Please save me.”
“Looks like you’re fine then.”
“Seriously, please just save me!”
She pleaded with me while heading for the phone.
Thanks to that, the three of us were now walking on the Moon.
According to the Branch Chief, the world would be in chaos under the Moon’s influence for a day or two, so there was no need to rush down.
“About you…”
As everyone was relieved to hear they were okay, Song Ah Rin spoke up abruptly, looking at me.
“Your eye is all bruised, your leg is broken, so you’re not exactly normal either.”
As soon as Ah Rin finished speaking, Jang Chae Yeon and Yu Da On quickly turned their heads towards me dramatically.
“Really?”
“Is that true?”
“…”
I glared at Song Ah Rin, but she was already avoiding my gaze, looking elsewhere.
“Well, um, I’m okay now.”
“You should have said that beforehand!”
“Yeah.”
Yu Da On rushed over, her face getting close to mine.
At such a close distance that I could feel her breath, she looked into my eyes with a serious expression.
“Are you in pain or anything?”
“Uh, no. Da On, you’re too close—”
“How about your leg? Your leg— Ah!”
While Da On was trying to look at my leg, she suddenly tripped and fell onto her backside.
“Don’t do that, you’re causing me trouble.”
Jang Chae Yeon looked at Da On and walked over to me while Da On was rubbing her tailbone.
“Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine.”
“…”
Her gaze shifted between my eye and my leg.
“I’ll take care of it later—”
“Stop the nonsense.”
As Song Ah Rin interrupted Jang Chae Yeon with a snap of her fingers, Chae Yeon froze and then walked stiffly like a soldier towards Ah Rin.
“How are you any different from that black-haired one?”
“I don’t touch you.”
In a blunt tone, Chae Yeon replied, and Ah Rin clicked her tongue incredulously.
“Cut the nonsense. If we’re all fine, she must be fine too.”
“…”
Ah Rin glanced at me and then looked away.
“I’m perfectly fine.”
“I know that, okay?”
At my words, Ah Rin muttered almost under her breath and looked elsewhere.
“For now, let’s take a walk.”
The Branch Chief’s meeting—or rather, the report disguised as a meeting—was turning into her getting completely chewed out, so we decided to take a walk around to avoid witnessing the catastrophe.
Plus, we needed to change the atmosphere a bit.
After nearly two days of a brutal schedule, everyone was likely exhausted.
“To be honest, I’m not sure if walking on the shell of a larva that could end the world is a good way to lighten the mood.”
“A-Rin, shh.”
I tapped on Ah Rin’s shoulder to signal her to quiet down.
The mood was nice, so there was no need to break it.
“…Right.”
Ah Rin mumbled and looked down.
Above us was a vast expanse of black space.
“But…”
“Yes?”
“How are we breathing?”
Ah Rin looked at me with genuine curiosity.
“Shouldn’t we not be able to breathe? People can’t breathe in space normally.”
“…True?”
“…”
“…”
Ah Rin and I momentarily locked eyes.
“Let’s not think about it.”
“Yeah. There are some things in this world that we really don’t need to understand.”
We both shrugged and decided to ignore it.
“By the way, A-Rin.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
Ah Rin fell silent for a moment at my words.
“I didn’t doubt you.”
It was quite the opposite.
If it was Ah Rin, she would have held out until the very end.
Until she went mad.
“I didn’t want you to make a choice you couldn’t take back.”
“…”
“I didn’t want to see that version of you.”
“…I see.”
Ah Rin murmured softly.
What more could I say to help her?
“Um, and if I may add, if it weren’t for A-Rin—”
“Enough already.”
Ah Rin interrupted me, lightly knocking my shoulder.
“I think your judgment was right.”
“…”
“I’m just a bit stubborn, so you don’t have to feel too guilty about it.”
Ah Rin looked up at the sky.
The twinkling stars shining against the black darkness reflected in her eyes, and her eyes sparkled.
“Still. Can I ask you one thing?”
“Yes.”
Ah Rin turned her body to face me.
Her voice was slightly trembling.
“Did I help you this time?”
“…That’s a silly question.”
I smiled as I spoke, seeing Ah Rin shiver from my response.
“You were amazing.”
At my words, a bright smile appeared on Ah Rin’s face.
“I’m relieved—”
“What are you doing?”
Before she could finish, Jang Chae Yeon butted in, poking her face between us.
“…It’s nothing.”
Ah Rin quickly stopped speaking and shook her head.
“…”
Chae Yeon stared intently at Ah Rin before turning to me.
“Are you okay?”
“I told you I’m fine.”
“Not that.”
At my words, Chae Yeon slowly shook her head.
“Are there thoughts you shouldn’t think about, or horrific concepts, or procedures invading your mind?”
“…Hmm.”
I closed my eyes, lost in thought.
After all, I had heard things from that earlier thing.
Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with it. No, what was a half? I could barely understand the stories that made no sense.
Thinking about those didn’t give me a headache either.
“I think I’m doing okay?”
“…That’s a relief.”
Chae Yeon wiped her forehead.
“I heard many stories.”
“Stories?”
“After encountering such an incomprehensible existence, many people went crazy.”
Chae Yeon continued speaking.
“They often mutter unknown tales or do bizarre things, ending up in a mental hospital.”
“…”
“I was worried you might go through the same.”
Chae Yeon muttered as she looked at me, then turned her gaze to Ah Rin.
“You just forget what you’ll remember.”
“I didn’t expect you to worry about me, but isn’t it unnecessary to annoy someone like that?”
Ah Rin turned to Chae Yeon, grumbling, and then looked away.
“Wow! The sky is truly beautiful!”
In the distance, Yu Da On was jumping around joyfully on the Moon.
“I can’t sometimes tell what she’s thinking.”
“Read her mind.”
“I’m not a mind reader, you stupid white-haired girl.”
“I didn’t know because I didn’t care.”
“Still, when I first met you, I thought you were just some loser— Hey! Don’t poke my back with psychokinesis!”
Ignoring the two as they bickered, I approached Yu Da On.
“Da On.”
“Yes, Kim Jae Heon!”
Yu Da On smiled and ran over to me.
Moon dust clung to her feet and swirled in the air.
“Isn’t it too beautiful to think it’s a monster’s egg?”
“It does look that way.”
I looked down as my gaze shifted to the ground.
Standing on the shell of the egg I closed, a strange sense of victory welled up instead of admiration, but it was still a positive emotion.
“Just like you said, how’s it feel to be on a Moon trip?”
“It’s so good!”
Yu Da On beamed at me.
“Of course, I love seeing the Moon, but more than that, I enjoy seeing it with you, Jae Heon!”
“…”
As our eyes met, I couldn’t help but smile lightly.
“Oh, by the way, Jae Heon—”
“Kim Jae Heon!”
-THUD!
With a booming voice, someone appeared next to me with a loud announcement.
“…Branch Chief?”
The Branch Chief stood next to me.
“When did you arrive?”
“I just ran over.”
The Branch Chief muttered with a tired face.
“Did you get yelled at?”
“To be honest, this time, I have no words at all.”
With a deep sigh, the Branch Chief continued.
“I just have to do well, but I couldn’t, so there’s nothing I can do.”
“People can’t do well every time.”
When you’re older, you often forget or make mistakes. I understand that. I sometimes forget manuals and take the elevator.
“Anyway, I need to tell you something urgent.”
The Branch Chief looked at Yu Da On.
“Yu Da On, I’m sorry, but can I borrow Kim Jae Heon for a bit?”
“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah.”
Yu Da On nodded absentmindedly, and the Branch Chief started walking somewhere.
“Follow me, Kim Jae Heon.”
“Understood.”
I followed the Branch Chief.
Silence.
As I walked behind her, she said nothing.
When the three people had disappeared from view, the Branch Chief finally opened her mouth.
“Phew.”
She looked at me.
A smile spread across her face.
“Thank you.”
“Pardon?”
“To be honest, I was the one assigned this task, but I wasn’t confident this time.”
The Branch Chief smiled awkwardly as she continued.
“It’s the first time I’ve had to do something like this alone.”
“…”
“But I’m still sorry.”
The Branch Chief paused and looked at me.
“So, I’d like to ask you something, no, propose something.”
“…Yes.”
She looked at me with a serious expression.
Her cheeks flushed, and silence lingered.
She opened her beautifully damp eyes to look at me, coughed lightly, and then spoke.
“Um, would you like to work with me? Under my guidance…?”
The Branch Chief whispered to me shyly.
My answer was already clear.
“Ugh, no thanks.”
Despair washed over the Branch Chief’s expression.