Chapter 52 - THE TRUTH
Chapter 52 - THE TRUTH
"Who do you want to know about?" Kris asked back after he heard Kevin's question.
The scientist looked at the young man with an annoyed expression. He knew very well that the young man just pretended not to hear.
"I want to know if you know my mother and my father," Kevin finally repeated his question irritatedly.
Kris swallowed nervously and tried to look away from the man beside him. "Your mother and your father? Aren't they a pair of professors who died in the war seventeen years ago? You once told me about them, and I have also seen their photos in your house," he answered with a little anxiety.
Kevin apparently could see the werewolf's panic. "You often lied, but this time, you lie very badly," he commented sarcastically.
"Who often lied?" Kris quickly refuted Kevin's comments. "Okay, I do lie a lot, but it's for the good of a lot of people. And, let me do the same this time. You just pretended to be deceived, okay? I will also pretend that I succeeded in tricking you."
Kris used to treat Kevin like a kid, but his treatment this time was too much.
"Is it so difficult to tell the truth, Kris?" Kevin asked again seriously.
Seeing Kevin's intense expression, Kris also looked at the young man earnestly. "You would be surprised if you found out about everything," he responded.
The answer made Kevin laugh bitterly. "You think I haven't been surprised all this time? I found my mother's journal, which revealed all the crimes of the two of them. All, from beginning to end."
Kris looked shocked to hear Kevin's words. It seemed that he didn't expect that Kevin already knew about everything after reading his mother's journal.
"So, why do you have to cover up the fact that they were the creators of werewolves? Why do you have to hide the fact that they were also the ones that make werewolves evolve? And, why don't you be honest with me that they too have a mega-project coded BLUE10122021? They were the ones who almost destroyed the world seventeen years ago. Is all that not true?"
Kris completely froze after hearing the long sentence that Kevin just said. His head tried to come up with words that he could use to argue but to no avail. He was completely speechless.
"I already know about all that, and now I just want to know. Do you know my parents? You know about their mega-project BLUE10122021, so you may have known them before they died!"
Kris's head felt dizzy because Kevin kept cornering him.
"Okay, I will explain everything." The werewolf finally raised his hands and explained, "It is true that I had known your father and your mother before they died because my father also knew them. And, about the mega project, I only know about that after the war ended. I'm telling the truth this time."
Kevin was speechless after hearing Kris's confession. He now knew why Blue hated Kris so much. The werewolf turned out to be an accomplished liar.
"So, you already know who I am from the start? Since the beginning, you have been trying to get close to me so you can get close to Blue?" Kevin asked limply.
Kris felt déjà vu. It looked like Blue used to ask him the same thing.
"Kevin, listen to my explanation first. I—"
"Kris, why did you have to lie to me in the first place? You should be able to tell me the truth! Why did you have to lie?"
Kris's heart was stabbed by an invisible sword after hearing Kevin's question.
"Kevin, you don't know how I felt when I had to lie to you in the first place! You don't know that I was experiencing tremendous inner turmoil. I had to lie to you, and at the same time, I had to lie to my father too. Those were the hardest times for me, Kevin. Please understand," Kris begged earnestly. His hand tried to grab Kevin's hand, but the latter deftly took his hand away from the werewolf.
Yes, Kris had a big dilemma when he started this drama. He often acted as a villain in front of Blue, even in front of Kevin. Until finally, Blue hated him, and Kevin didn't believe him either. Those were his most difficult times when he still had to hold back all his feelings just for the sake of his mission.
"If you told me all that from the start, you didn't have to lie," Kevin replied in sarcasm tone.
"What could I do without lying to you in the first place, huh? Greet you with 'Hi, Kevin! My name is Kris, and I'm a werewolf. I have known your father and your mother for a long time. The werewolves clan targeting your beloved little sister, so I have to protect her.' You think you wouldn't run away scared if I didn't lie to you in the first place?"
Kevin fell silent at Kris's question.
"But, all your lies were exposed in the end," the scientist spoke again weakly.
Kris laughed wryly at Kevin's words. He turned his gaze to the vast sea which still presented a view where the waves were chasing one another. He wanted to drown himself in the cold ocean because his head felt so hot that he felt like exploding. As much as possible, he tried to hold back his emotions so that he would not lose control.
"Kris," Kevin called again, but the man who was called refused to turn around. "Are my mother and my father really bad people?" He still asked even though he didn't get Kris's full attention.
Kris did not immediately answer. Kevin thought the werewolf would not give him an answer, but his guess was proven wrong when he again heard Kris's low voice.
"Everyone has a reason behind their actions. I have no right to judge them with the label 'good' or 'bad.' I just know they have goals they want to achieve."
Kevin frowned at Kris's answer. "The goals they want to achieve? What are their goals? To rule the world?" Asked the young scientist.
Finally, Kris turned back to Kevin and replied, "That's only one of them."
It was a simple answer but had a million meanings.
"Do you hate your father and your mother?" Kris suddenly asked.
Kevin sighed and answered. "I don't know. I have never really hated anyone before. I only know that I feel disappointed in them. All this time, I had used them as role models, considered them as heroes. But, it turned out that they were far from what I imagined. I feel guilty for the world they were able to deceive."
"If I'm allowed to give advice, you better not hate them," Kris responded. "The hatred will only interfere with your steps, making you not concentrate. You better refocus on finding antidotes for werewolves. You used to make your parents your motivation to do that, but now make yourself the motivation. You deserve an award, at least from yourself."
Kevin carefully listened to Kris's words, which for the first time sounded very mature to his ears. That werewolf was usually annoying, but if he talked wisely like that, he looked so cool. Unconsciously, Kevin smiled.
"I really can't stay mad at you for long, Kris."
"Why? Because I'm too handsome?"
Kris's question, which was too narcissistic, made Kevin slowly hit his sturdy shoulder.
"Are we going straight back to the mainland tomorrow morning?" Asked Kevin. It seemed like he decided to let go of the complicated matter for now.
"It's up to you. If you still want to rest here, it's fine if we go back during the day or night. I also don't mind if you want to have a honeymoon here," Kris answered with a not-so-innocent face.
But, the answer was enough to make Kevin's face turned red just like a boiled crab. The scientist irritatedly shouted, "Kris!"
And, they finally got involved in the fight. Not a fight like in a boxing arena, but just a fight like the children usually did.
Their laughter echoed to enliven the lonely island atmosphere. The atmosphere that had been cold had finally turned to warm even though now the wood that formed the bonfire had almost completely burned down.
After a few minutes of getting into the fight, who knew who started it, now they were sitting close to each other as their heads were leaning against each other.
Kevin's head rested on Kris's sturdy shoulders, and Kris's head rested on top of Kevin's head. They were no longer facing the fire, but now facing the vast sea which looked dark. The wind was quite strong, blowing strands of fine hair that had different colors.
"Kris," Kevin called out to the figure who was sitting right beside him. The figure replied with a 'hm,' and Kevin continued, "When you said you were looking for me and finally found me, was that serious and not just joking?"
Kris's memory wandered back to the early days when he and Kevin became friends. He remembered saying that he was looking for Kevin and that he had found him.
"Why do you think it's serious and not just joking?" The werewolf asked back.
Kevin yawned briefly, then replied, "You sounded serious back then."
Kris smiled at that reply. In a low voice, he then said, "Yes, Kev. I was serious at that time."
Unfortunately, Kevin didn't listen to his answer because the scientist was fast asleep on the werewolf's shoulder.