961 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The rain poured down as if the sky itself had been pierced, accompanied by the relentless rumble of thunder, as if the heavens were raging. It was a day meant to wash away the heat of the oppressive summer. A man carefully strolled through the forest, undeterred by the rain. He walked slowly, as if endlessly searching for something, his clothes thoroughly soaked. Though the dampness irritated him, he hoped the cherished item within his embrace would remain dry. He continued wandering with great care. After what seemed like an eternity of wandering, he finally discovered a massive tree beyond the thicket. "…Phew." He exhaled softly, as if finally relieved. He had found what he had been seeking after nearly half a day of searching. “...What are you doing here?” The man attempted to hide his relief by adding a slight edge to his voice. He couldn’t help it. It was difficult to express his emotions gently and softly just yet. At his question, the woman, who was sitting under the tree with her head buried in her knees, raised her head. “...Why did you come looking for me?” She asked curtly. Though she lifted her head, her gaze did not meet the man's. She was deliberately avoiding looking at him, a fact he was well aware of. The man watched this for a moment before moving his hand to gently tuck the strands of wet hair away from her cheek. Though she could have swatted his hand away, the woman made no effort to stop him. “It’s cold today.” At his words, the woman snorted. “Cold? Wasn’t it you who complained about the heat of summer earlier?” “...I didn’t know it would rain.” He wasn’t a deity who could predict the weather. How could he know it would rain? Had he known, he wouldn't have let her run away in the first place. “No, that's just another excuse.” The man found it amusing and shook his head. Then, he carefully took something out from his chest. He draped a cloth over the woman's wet hair and softly patted it dry. As her view was momentarily obscured by the towel, he seized the chance to speak. “I’m sorry.” “...” “I recognize I was too harsh. I said things I shouldn’t have.” “...” Though the woman remained silent, her lack of resistance to his actions indicated she was willing to listen. “It’s very cold now. It’s alright to be angry with me, but could we go back and talk?” He asked carefully, watching her reaction. Finally, the woman slowly replied. “...Never tell me to leave again.” “Alright. I was wrong.” “The whole world may do that to me, but you shouldn’t.” “I understand. I won’t say it again, even in anger.” “And you have to keep finding me like this, every time.” “Of course. As often as needed.” “...Promise me.” The woman extended her pinky finger toward him. Watching her quietly, the man released his hold on the cloth and mirrored her gesture. Their pinky fingers intertwined. Only then did she seem reassured, discarding the cloth she had been wearing on her head. Her beautiful violet eyes curved into a bright smile. “Did you know?” The way she smiled with tears in her eyes was truly lovely. It was what the man thought as he gazed at her face. “You said I could hate you if I wanted.” Her hand gently touched his cheek. “But that’s something I can’t do.” “...” “It’s truly frustrating.” Her hand softly pulled away from his cheek, and the woman suddenly reached out her arms toward him. “Hold me.” Without a word, the man embraced her. At that moment, as if by magic, the rain ceased. A rainbow appeared in the sky. The woman observed it and smiled, her lips curling upwards. The man kept replaying her words in his mind, over and over. No matter when, or what happens, he must find her. He must. That was the promise he made to himself. **************************** Ssssshhhh—!! Hearing the sound of something pouring when she opened her eyes, the woman lifted her head. “...” Had she dozed off for a moment? Her head ached. It seemed like she had thought of something, but if it was a fleeting dream, she remembered nothing. It was always like this. Whenever something seemed hovering on the edge of her memory, it would fade away completely. It felt like something she must grasp and never let go, yet she couldn’t. It simply flowed ceaselessly, mixed in with the rain. “...Ugh.” Suddenly, the woman clutched her chest with her hand. Right over her heart. “Whoo...” It hurt. Had she been injured somehow? No, that wasn’t it. It was a pain unlike any physical injury—it felt wrenchingly bitter. “Why does it feel so hard?” She was oblivious to her own emotions, not realizing it was sadness. Nor did she understand that her irritation was stemming from anger. She just felt a deep aversion. What was it that she hated so much? She didn’t know, yet it felt maddeningly unbearable. “...” She looked down at her hands, caught in the whirlwind of confused emotions. Her small fist, which had earlier struck someone... “...” The woman quietly watched her hands. Slap. Suddenly, she hit the back of her hand. The pain flared in her hand almost immediately, leaving a reddish stain. It hurt. The wounds on her body caused pain, yes. But the pain inside was far worse. “...” Bad. That was the word that came to her mind. But what exactly was bad? Was it him, or... “Is it me who’s bad?” Was it she, who struck him? Why did she hit him? As she gently rubbed her stinging hand, the woman buried her face in her knees once more. “...You’ll probably hate it if I come back.” If she went back now, he would probably detest her. Her sister had advised her, if you do something wrong, just apologize sincerely. But was it okay to apologize now? The woman thought hard, but no answer came. More than anything, she feared he wouldn’t accept her apology. Why did she fear that? Why was it so terrifying? Who was he? Who am I? An unknown question remained unanswered. From the moment of her birth, she had asked herself, but the answer still eluded her. “The moment of my birth...” The point at which she began existing as herself. As the woman pondered this, another question surfaced. “When was I born?” Why had she appeared, and from whom had she emerged? For what purpose did she exist? The moment these thoughts formed, a sharp pain struck her. “Ugh...!” The woman clutched her head, overwhelmed by the sudden agony. “Ugh... ouch...” The pain was significant, forcing her to bury her moans when suddenly, she felt someone place their hand over hers, gently overlapping. A warm hand. The pain gradually dulled at the touch of that hand. Once the pain subsided entirely, the woman looked up with slightly reddened eyes. Standing there was a young man, drenched by the rain, with a fierce expression. “...Oh, crap...” His eyes were filled with irritation, and his brows furrowed in anger, causing the woman to shudder. “Are you crazy? Why did you hit someone and then run?” “...Uh... uh...?” “What do you mean, ‘uh’? Is there a flower in your brain? Why are you sitting here in the rain?” He shook his head vigorously, apparently displeased with being soaked, splashing water everywhere. “Ah, this town is cursed. The rain, too; damn it.” He clicked his tongue, and suddenly a surge of energy burst from his body. Whoosh! Heat emanated, drying his body instantly. Sizzling. Moisture evaporated from his clothes, rain could not penetrate the aura, and it ceased in its tracks. Fwoosh—! The young man even dried the soaked woman and then observed her silently. “Hey.” “...!” The woman shifted her gaze at his call. But. Grab. The young man, Gu Yangcheon, cupped her cheeks and turned her head toward him. “Don’t look away. Look at me properly.” “...” “Do you feel good punching someone and running away?” “...” “Do you? Do you know how long I searched for you here?” The woman did not respond. She knew she should brush his hands away, yet her fingers twitched, incapable of doing it. “This is absurd. You cause trouble and then disappear. You ruined everything.” “...” “I should have followed up, but I couldn’t. You know?” At his incredulous words, the woman finally spoke. “...Why… didn’t you follow me?” Why hadn’t he simply followed? She asked, confused. “...” This time, it was Gu Yangcheon who fell silent. Was he considering it? After a while, Gu Yangcheon tilted his head slightly away. “That’s right.” His tone suggested even he didn’t understand his actions. “...Damn, I should’ve gone. Why didn’t I? Am I an idiot?” His words were more a lament than anything else. Even as he spoke, the woman kept her eyes fixed on Gu Yangcheon. “No, no. I wouldn’t have caught you even if I did. Damn it, this is all your fault!” “...What is?” “It’s maddening. Why must the rain pour and make it all absolute chaos? Ugh.” He ruffled his hair roughly with his hand and stood up. “...Ah, crap... everything’s ruined.” There were things he was supposed to do, but now it was all messed up. Disturbed by this, he sighed deeply from frustration. As he continued, Gu Yangcheon looked at the woman and spoke. “Don’t just stand there staring. Get up. Are you going to stay there and keep getting rained on?” “...” Following Gu Yangcheon’s words, the woman stood up. She contemplated whether to open her hand but ultimately chose not to. Instinctively, she knew he wouldn’t oblige even if she did. “Follow me quickly. I’m not going to wait, so don’t dawdle.” Gu Yangcheon began to walk, noticing the woman was standing. Despite his words, his pace showed a deliberate slowness, unlike usual. “...” Taking notice, the woman hurried to walk beside him. “Ugh, move away a bit!” Seeing her so close, Gu Yangcheon expressed his distaste but, once again, only with words, without physically pushing her away. The woman glanced at Gu Yangcheon, then looked up to the sky. “...A rainbow.” “What?” “It’s a rainbow.” Hearing her words, Gu Yangcheon looked up at the sky. “What’s this nonsense? Can’t you see the rain pouring?” The sky was filled with rain, obscuring any sight of a rainbow. Nevertheless. “No, there’s a rainbow.” The woman could see the rainbow. Very clearly, indeed. ************ The Mansion of The Heavenly Nature. A place known to many as where the heavens reside. Its location is unknown, and without the permission of the master of the house, none could come or go. Thump. Someone lightly landed there. Drip. As if the person had come from the rain, droplets of water dripped from them. Just before the droplet could reach the ground, Buzz—! An energy was felt, and the droplet halted mid-air. “...” Seeing the stopped droplet, a woman wearing a black mask knelt down obediently. “You’ve returned.” A voice came from ahead. Smooth and gentle. A faint floral scent accompanying it. “How was your outing?” Gaze of crimson eyes turned to the kneeling woman. Swish. A sound of something moving, accompanied by the appearance of white fur nearby. Step. Soon, the sound of footsteps reached her ears. “My daughter.” “...” The woman did not respond to the call. “It seems to be raining outside. Is that correct?” At the question, the woman nodded. “Indeed, I thought there was something amiss with my hearing…” The speaker closed her eyes languidly, as if now understanding the reason. “After all these years, it suddenly pours.” Her voice was laden with fatigue, indicating the displeasure the rain caused her. “However.” Then, the woman's gaze focused on the one kneeling. “You must have seen what you needed to see, haven’t you?” “...” At her question, the kneeling woman remained silent but moved her hand instead. The eyes of the woman observing gained a flicker of interest at the gestures she made. Comments: Yeon Woo 2024.10.29 16:11 Report The Heavenly Demon is truly pitiable. Lost_Denture 6 days ago Report The chapter order is seriously messed up. Logged-in members only can comment. Weekly Best Adult BL/GL +401 Abandoned 6★ Heroes Become Obsessed +2102 How to Live Life as a Wizard in Magic School +703 Liberated Slaves Become Obsessed +294 It's an Apocalypse, But Only I Find It Easy +1425 The Genius Wizard Takes Medicine +716 Double Agent in the Heavenly Demon Sect +217 Only My Skill Tooltips Are Strange +158 Genius of Devouring in a Destroyed World +489 Became a Necromancer in a Zombie World +15010 The Childhood Friend of the Greatest Under Heaven +511 Infinite Evolution Hunter +1612 Mistaken for a Genius Strategist +2613 Top Ranker with 100 Trillion Assets +1414 Became the Goddess of the New World +4915 Handsome Life Is Easy +3616 Doctor Meng Wants Big Ears +2817 Normalizing Dark Fantasy +9018 Reforming the Academy's Villainous Young Lady +6319 I Want to Be a Former Vtuber +6220 The King of the Afterlife Is Tired New Posts + See More New Request for Magical Girl Uncle Request for Magical Girl Uncle GO Cooking +1 11.11 Romance Fantasy) Request for Full Sleep - To the Glorious You +5 11.11 One-Cut Villain Isn't the Only Thing? +17 11.11 Out +2 11.11 Genre - Horror) Want to See What’s Hot in Horror Novels Nowadays 11.11 Request for Cinderella at Midnight 🥬 11.11 Repeat Mark/Moon Until It’s with Me🥬🥬 11.11 Revisiting My Old Favorites 11.11 PureBear's Living Again as a Rich Oddball _ I'll Give It a Shake 🥬 +12 11.11 Curious Curious +11 11.11 YouTube Officially Says Fallen Nation The Childhood Friend of the Greatest Under Heaven 961화 (961/1059)