If Silk Flowers Bloom by the Water’s Edge Chapter 44

However, Yirok’s plan to maintain his composure was shattered spectacularly during class the next morning. He had insisted on sitting in the very back row, only for Chaehwa to take the seat next to him as if it were destined. So today, he woke up at the crack of dawn and claimed a seat in the very front row. Surely, he thought, a sensible Chaehwa wouldn’t sit next to him then.

“Did the sun rise from a different direction today? The Jangsi, Yirok… and the young lady are all sitting in the front row.”

At Teacher Myungil’s teasing words, Yirok needlessly folded the corner of his book. The front row, left seat. Chaehwa, who was ten minutes late for class, didn’t even hesitate before sitting down next to him. Perhaps because of yesterday’s events, she sat there sullenly, not even opening her book.

“Alright, let’s begin class. Where did we leave off yesterday?”

“Page 70.”

“Yes, then let’s go to page 71.”

He couldn’t help but be conscious of Chaehwa, who was glaring straight ahead with her arms crossed even after class had started. In the end, before Teacher Myungil could give them a look, Yirok took the initiative and whispered to her. He absolutely hated being the center of attention as a set.

“Your book. Open to page 71.”

Despite that, Chaehwa snorted through her nose and didn’t open her book. Having no choice, Yirok opened Chaehwa’s book to page 71 for her. It was a relief, at least, that Chaehwa received no reprimand for her terrible classroom attitude. Yirok had to make a considerable effort to ignore the pouting Chaehwa and focus on the lesson.

But his misfortune was not scheduled to end today. While his head already felt like it was splitting just from having Chaehwa next to him, he felt a gaze on him intermittently during class. Yirok, who had been unconsciously biting the end of his pen while listening to the lesson, flicked his eyes to the side. The spying gaze was coming from the row next to them, from the seat of the Jangsi, who was sitting alone.

The moment their eyes met, the Jangsi hurriedly opened its book and buried its head. Yirok bit down on the end of his pen. It wasn’t the first or second time the Jangsi had done this, but what was annoying was still annoying.

The Jangsi, Shinwoo, Chaho… all the other Haenangs were on his internal list of suspected spies. And the Jangsi proudly held the number one spot.

However, every time he saw the Jangsi’s clumsy demeanor, his suspicion would be subtly chipped away. If he were Sarira, he wouldn’t use such a clueless spy.

When class ended and lunchtime arrived, Yirok would hold his bundle of books and stay near a quiet guest room. He didn’t forget to stop by the kitchen on the way to pick up his meal: a piece of bread.

Time in the Nanjubeol household flows so slowly and peacefully. Yirok, biting into his bread, found that fact incredibly hard to bear. For instance, the fact that the bread was warm. He hated the bread that had been placed on a plate and set aside for him to easily take. After a few bites, Yirok leaned his head against a pillar. He was afraid of himself, growing accustomed to this peace.

“Th-this.”

It was also strange how some people could find the places he hid so well, even though his location wasn’t being shared. First place went to Chaehwa. And second place was the Jangsi, who had been fiercely chasing Chaehwa’s status these days. Seeing the Jangsi holding out a basket of tangerines, Yirok furrowed his brow. It had offered him a lunchbox full of fruit last time, too. Even though he had refused in a way it should have understood, it came again, offering more. The type of fruit had changed, but the fruit was never the problem in the first place. The problem was with the person giving it.

It was just as Yirok put down the bread he was eating to say something. The vibration of his phone buzzing in his pocket stole both of their gazes. Yirok grit his teeth and took out his phone. It must have been a mistake to have impulsively charged it last night.

But contrary to the complaints in his head, his hands were busy tapping the text message that had appeared on the screen.

「Idiot fool bad guy who only eats bread」

Even with someone in front of him, a small laugh escaped Yirok. He could see her shallow trick to make him reply somehow. The fact that she didn’t even try to hide it was so like Chaehwa. He read the short text, not even as long as a favorite line of poetry, over and over. It was as if he were trying to tattoo it onto his eyeballs. His black pupils became ink, writing Chaehwa’s complaining sentence onto his heart.

“The fruit… you need to eat vitamins.”

At the voice that shattered the mood—no, the voice that helped him return to reality—Yirok closed his messages. When he looked up with eyes that had grown cold, the Jangsi stepped back as if frightened. Even so, it persistently offered him the tangerine basket.

“Not me… you eat it. You look like you need the vitamins more.”

Its face was half-hidden by its bangs, and it was the Jangsi who was pale, without a trace of color. He had said it as nicely as possible. Yirok, whose mood had improved after seeing Chaehwa’s text, didn’t take his eyes off his phone. It was the perfect timing to expect a second text from Chaehwa, picking a fight.

“The adults probably don’t like you using a cellphone.”

“What?”

The Jangsi’s voice, which had always been just a mumble, became clear. Putting his phone away, Yirok finally looked at the Jangsi. The Jangsi, who was busy picking at its fingers, suddenly placed the tangerine basket on the floor and took a step back.

“No, it’s nothing. Forget it. I said something I shouldn’t have… But still, it would be good if you ate this. I mean, I’m worried.”

“Don’t worry. Even if you bring me three boxes of tangerines, the fact that I’ll die sooner than you won’t change. Unless vitamins help with a short life…. This is my last kind warning. Don’t bring them.”

“……”

“And take that filthy basket with you. Before I kick it.”

The Jangsi, whose shoulders were heaving as if it were crying, ultimately left the tangerine basket and ran away. After watching the Jangsi’s shrinking back for a moment, Yirok began his late lunch. The first thing he thought of as he bit into the bread, cold from the winter wind, was class time. Not the content of the lesson, but the pale face that had been dozing off during class came to mind. And the brownish hair that caught the sunlight. Munching on the bread, he savored the very strange memory.

Vzzzt, at the vibrating text, Yirok tapped his inbox with a faint sense of anticipation. He couldn’t remember the last time he had received a present on Christmas. Was it because he was receiving a text in the white winter? Chaehwa’s surprise text was like a present placed under the tree.

「What is this?」

She had sent a photo along with the text. Without anyone teaching him, he tapped the photo to check the identity of what Chaehwa had sent. It was the math problem Teacher Myungil had assigned as homework today. Seeing the problem, which clearly showed traces of her struggling to solve it on her own, Yirok ended up laughing again.

It used to be hard to laugh, but now it was incredibly hard not to.

Yirok deleted the text he had typed up to ‘That’s…’ and pressed the back of his head against the wall.

We’ll meet today anyway. It would be better to save his first text and send it some other time. This was because Chaehwa couldn’t solve a simple problem, Yirok told himself, feigning ignorance of his true feelings.

This was all Chaehwa’s fault. Such a convenient and selfish sentence.

🌹₊ ⊹

“When you summon and make a contract with a Yogwi, you must pay attention to two things.”

It was finally the day for the training related to Yogwi, the most important thing for a Haenang, but one seat among the Haenangs was empty. It was someone who was incapable of summoning a Yogwi, the basic qualification for a Haenang. By rights, he should have been kicked out of Nanjubeol and then some. But he had managed to survive under the young lady’s protection and was still being treated like a prince. Shinwoo’s eyes glared at that person’s seat with disgust before looking away.

“First, is your compatibility with the Yogwi you will summon a good match? And is its class a match for yours? You must not forget these two things. A Yogwi with poor compatibility will not be able to use its full power, and a Yogwi whose class doesn’t match may overwhelm you.”

What Old Lady Yomyung said was yawn-inducing content for Shinwoo. The Haenangs of Nanjubeol each had their own family that had produced warriors for generations. The reason they were having this kind of basic class was solely for the sake of those who were unqualified.

But the one who needed the training the most wasn’t even there, and the Haenangs in attendance had to listen to things they already knew. It was a tedious affair. Shinwoo impudently turned his gaze outside the pavilion. The cold wind blew against his eyes, and the afterimage of the terrible scene he had witnessed during the day came to mind.

In class, Yirok preferred the back seats, so Shinwoo hadn’t been able to know what he was doing or looking at until now. He had thought that the reason the young lady and Yirok stuck together was simply due to the young lady’s yearning for the outside world. She had always held a great admiration for life outside since she was a child.

So he had been able to tolerate it even when Yirok received special privileges. It wasn’t affection, but pity, or perhaps a false admiration. And he had been secretly relieved because Kim Yirok was not the type of person worthy of receiving the young lady’s favor.

But in today’s class, Shinwoo had realized one thing. Yirok constantly observed the dozing young lady. With eyes that he himself was not conscious of, he would check on Chaehwa without fail whenever Teacher Myungil turned his back. He himself turned the pages of the dozing young lady’s book to keep up with the lesson.

One page of his own, and then one page of Chaehwa’s book. The fingers that turned the pages on behalf of the young lady, who hadn’t woken up once during class, were presumptuous.

Thanks to that, Shinwoo couldn’t remember a single thing from the lesson. When Teacher Myungil announced they would have a math test, his mind went blank.

“There is a book that you can refer to for summoning a Yogwi. Take a look and think about which Yogwi you will summon by the next class.”

And during this training session too, Shinwoo couldn’t focus, so he was unable to understand more than half of Old Lady Yomyung’s instructions given at the end of class. “Yes,” Shinwoo mumbled listlessly and squeezed his eyelids shut.

Today was a blank slate. He couldn’t write anything on his heart.