blueteamnovel Chapter 38 – Father and Son III
Chapter 38 – Father and Son III
Chapter 38 – Father and Son III
[Translator – Jjsecus]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 38 – Father and Son III
5
“Follow me this way.”
“Yes, yes...”
A soccer stadium located in Busan.
Ravaged by a monster, the outer walls of the stadium had almost collapsed. In this place, where all sorts of steel frames lay scattered like debris, I visited after a long, long time.
The first time I visited, I came with someone who was someone’s father. On my second visit, I was with someone’s son.
“Wow.”
Kim Sieun, as if it was his first time in such a large stadium, looked around like a curious bird.
“It’s so big. Does the stadium get packed on game days?”
“It’s rare for it to be completely packed. But on average, I think around 10,000 people would attend.”
Though it had been over 500 years since I last visited this place, the destination was surprisingly easy to find.
On one side of the stands, there was a crystal protruding, resembling something you’d find deep inside a cave. It was a giant crystal, as tall as me.
A mark visible only to my eyes.
Personally, I called that crystal a ‘monument’ or a ‘tombstone’. Since nobody else could perceive it anyway, it didn’t matter what I called it.
Even Kim Sieun, right beside me, couldn’t recognize the crystal looming right in front of us.
“Alright, take my hand.”
“Oh, okay.”
“While I can freely enter the dreams of the person I’ve sealed, you can’t. You can only access the dream while holding my hand. So, no matter what happens, don’t let go of my hand. Understand?”
“Got it. Hyung.”
Kim Sieun cautiously took my hand.
I nodded.
“Close your eyes. Prepare yourself mentally.”
“...”
“Here we go.”
I placed my left palm on the surface of the crystal.
With a squishy sound, my hand passed through the crystal. The surface of the crystal, which had shimmered transparent like a mirror, accepted my body without any resistance, as if it were made of water.
With that, I took a step forward.
And then another, totaling about six steps. As I walked, darkness rapidly engulfed us. It was like a mischievous child had indiscriminately spread black paint everywhere, or as if we had entered a very deep abyss.
“...”
It was a familiar sensation to me, but it must have been unfamiliar to Kim Sieun. The fear he felt was conveyed through his hand.
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“Whoaah!”
Suddenly, a scream that seemed to shake heaven and earth erupted beside us.
“Eek!”
Kim Sieun jolted in surprise and opened his eyes. He reflexively scanned the surroundings. And when he realized the source of the scream, his eyes widened even more.
“W-What’s going on?”
The scream was from the supporters.
The stadium, which had been desolate except for us, was now packed with home fans and away fans.
In the place where rubble had been, there were now flags, banners, balloons, and most importantly, people.
“Attack! Attack! Quickly, quickly!”
Someone who looked like a coach shouted from the edge of the field.
On the green field, the players were running like mad. Every time they dribbled, every time they made an incredible pass, every time they prepared for a corner kick, the stands echoed with thunderous cheers.
“Oh! Our club! Our eternal home!”
The fervor of support that could be experienced before the world fell apart.
According to others, it was five years ago, and according to my perspective, it was over 500 years ago.
“My love! My home!”
“We will win today too!”
The fans of the soccer club waved their smartphones and jumped in place. Giant flags fluttered tirelessly at the forefront of the stands.
Underneath the flags, which waved like evening waves tinged with red, Kim Sieun stood frozen.
“...”
“Look over there. Sieun.”
I pointed to the field. Following my finger, Kim Sieun’s gaze moved.
Thud, a soccer ball bounced on the grass. A player deftly controlled it with his chest and skillfully dribbled forward.
Kim Joocheol.
“Wow!”
The crowd cheered.
In my memories, the image of Kim Joocheol, buried in the fog of time, was running on the field, looking a bit younger and sturdier.
Most of all, Kim Joocheol’s left foot kicked the soccer ball freely, propelling it forward.
“Go! Go quickly! Counterattack!”
“No one’s there!”
“Kim Joocheol!”
Even though he was a defender, Kim Joocheol crossed the halfway line without hesitation. Both allies and enemies desperately chased after him.
As Kim Joocheol kicked the ball with his left foot, a teammate from the same side managed to head it into the net. The ball shook the goal net as it went in.
“Wow!”
Kim Joocheol earned an assist.
But his performance didn’t stop there. Shortly after, during a corner kick situation, Kim Joocheol leaped up and, this time, directly pushed the soccer ball into the net with his own head.
The scoreboard changed from 1:1 to 2:1.
A comeback goal.
In an instant, the defender created 1 assist and 1 goal.
“Goal! Goal!”
“Kim Joocheol! Kim Joocheol! Kim Joocheol!”
“Uh... Dad?”
“Huh? Dad? What kind of dad? Don’t be shy. Just call me Dad like usual...”
Kim Joocheol suddenly stopped talking.
He looked at Kim Sieun’s face, then glanced at my face. Confusion crept onto his face.
“...Wait a minute. Sorry, but when... when did my wife... when did your mother pass away?”
“...She passed away seven years ago.”
“...”
Silence fell around us.
After a while, Kim Joocheol murmured, “Ah.”
“That’s why.”
His gaze briefly turned to me.
“That’s why you warned me. That’s... that’s why.”
I didn’t feel the need to respond. I just nodded slightly.
I knew all too well how terrible it was to be forgotten by the most precious person. But while I had the opportunity to start over at any time, Kim Joocheol would never be given that chance.
Forever.
“Sieun.”
Father held onto his son’s shoulder, and Kim Joocheol grasped Kim Sieun’s shoulder. There was no hint of force in their touch. Rather, it was as gentle as the swaying leaves of a willow tree.
“I’m sorry.”
“...”
“Your father... I was, a very weak person. Truly weak. When the world turned out like this, I didn’t expect you to survive, no. Even before the world became like this... I drank, gambled. I was a terrible person. I ignored your mother’s calls, got angry at her. Truly...”
Kim Sieun seemed unsure of how to react to Kim Joocheol’s apology. It wasn’t his fault. To him, Kim Joocheol was just someone he met for the first time today.
Looking at his son’s face, Kim Joocheol couldn’t help but shiver again.
“This... This was hell.”
“.....”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Sieun. Dad is sorry.”
The once glorious soccer player trapped in his prime repeated apologies like a broken record.
6
I don’t want to talk at length about the aftermath of this story.
I believe now readers understand why I hate the ability called [Time Seal] so much.
Honestly, I never wanted to deal with [Time Seal]. It was such a dark history. But on the other hand, it feels refreshing to finally confess my ability to you now.
Yeah. I sealed not only Kim Joocheol’s time but also the time of countless others.
At that time, I thought it was right.
But looking back after the passage of time, those people, and myself, we all gave up on the world too early, too hastily.
The reason I named my own story a ‘failure’ is partly influenced by [Time Seal]. No matter how many regressions I tried, there were too many people who could never face a different outcome again.
“It feels strange, doesn’t it?”
But still, those who survived must live on with the remaining connections they have.
Kim Sieun, coming out of the stadium, kept looking back. The stadium, with its outer wall destroyed, stood perilously in the distance, revealing its inner workings.
“Do you regret coming here?”
“Uh. No! It’s definitely not like that. It’s just... crying over someone I don’t even remember, calling them my family, and not being able to recall who that person is at all. Um. It feels strange.”
Kim Sieun adjusted his backpack with a sigh.
“I just feel like I need to live diligently.”
He leaned on his staff, bowing his head towards me.
“Anyway, thank you, sir! Thanks to you, I could visit my mother’s hometown and see my father on this trip. It feels bittersweet, but it meant something.”
“Where are you heading now?”
“I’m trying to find a ferry to cross over to Japan! That’s all I wanted to do after traveling around the country.”
“Japan, huh.”
In reality, recommending Japan as a light travel destination in today’s era was difficult.
If someone asked me to name the two most dangerous areas in the world, excluding the Korean Peninsula, without hesitation, I’d say the Japanese archipelago and the Indian subcontinent.
Because beings treated as ‘gods’ in that area, out of excessive love for humans, had decided to take care of them directly. By the way, the favorite genres of those gods were #captivity #discipline #gore.
Although dangerous everywhere in the world, these two areas were particularly perilous in different ways. To put it in terms of genres, it was like the difference between post-apocalyptic and horror.
But that’s a story for a few years later. Japan was still relatively safe at this time.
I didn’t discourage the youthful backpacker’s enthusiasm.
Instead, I advised him like this.
“If you hear strange noises, see strange objects, or feel any strange sensations along the way, don’t investigate. Just nod politely, say hello, and pretend not to notice, then leave. Especially, never enter a tunnel.”
“...?”
“You’ll probably end up in Fukuoka. Don’t associate with the provisional government people if you can help it... Well, just remember it for future use.”
“Um, okay! Got it!”
I didn’t know what conclusion Kim Sieun reached after crossing over to Japan. Most likely, there was a high probability that he met a terrible fate.
But I didn’t really mind. From my perspective as a regressor, life was more like a journey where you stop at a station for a moment and then continue along the rail.
Unlike his father, he still had the chance to travel to another place.
“See you next time! Sir!”
By the way, I trusted Kim Joocheol’s sincerity.
Even in the moment of disappearing from the world, I didn’t want to distort the utterance of someone who muttered ‘my son’. Setting aside the question of whether he was truly strong enough to maintain that sentiment until the end.
If he genuinely apologized for his son, wouldn’t he be pleased to see Kim Sieun moving forward to a new destination without being oppressed by the past?
Wouldn’t he bless him?
Looking back once again, I saw the collapsed outer wall of the stadium.
-Goal!
-Kim Joocheol! Kim Joocheol! Kim Joocheol!
In that place, an unknown soccer player forgotten by the world was always playing a game. With his intact left leg. Amidst the cheers of the audience.
And he would be running towards his family to perform the ceremony forever.
-Father and Son. The End.
[PR/N: DAMN.]
[Translator – Jjsecus]
[Proofreader – Gun]