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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.
A moment later,
“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!”
And then, at that moment.
Kim Joocheol slid towards the stands like a figure skater. The camera focused on him. Kim Joocheol effortlessly leaped over advertising boards and approached a woman spectator, giving her a kiss.
The woman was holding a child in her arms. Kim Joocheol also kissed the child’s forehead. The scene was captured entirely on the stadium’s big screen.
“What? Who is she?”
“She’s Kim Joocheol’s wife!”
“Wow! Kim Joocheol! Kim Joocheol!”
Despite receiving a warning from the referee for excessive celebration, neither the players nor the spectators, nor Kim Joocheol himself, paid any attention.
Next to me, Kim Sieun muttered softly.
“Mom…?”
Kim Sieun seemed to recognize the identity of the woman who kissed the soccer player. He couldn’t close his gaping mouth.
“This can’t be. Then really…”
Kim Sieun’s soft muttering couldn’t continue for long. The cheering of the supporters echoed through the stadium.
“Kim Joocheol! Our Iron Wall!”
“No one can get past Kim Joocheol!”
“Kim Joocheol! Our Iron Wall!”
Kim Joocheol, embracing the child, looked incredibly happy. The child in his father’s arms was also beaming with joy.
A past that can never be returned to.
Glory that can never be regained.
“…”
“That was your father’s happiest moment.”
I said quietly.
I unfolded the aura and created a barrier between us and the surroundings. The cheers of the crowd faded away like a faint echo. As the sound faded, the scene before my eyes felt dreamlike.
“And it’s a moment that repeats forever.”
“It’s… strange, isn’t it? He looks so happy. Why on earth would he erase himself from this world? Why leave his family behind and get trapped in this kind of dream?”
“…”
Because soon enough, Kim Joocheol’s left leg would be completely shattered.
Because he got involved in alcohol and gambling, because he abandoned his family and sank into despair in Macau or Gangwon Province, and because his wife, who had been raising their son alone, died.
But instead of answering like that, I asked:
“Would you like to go ask your father yourself?”
“…”
Kim Sieun hesitated with his lips.
“Yes.”
This world had already become Kim Joocheol’s domain, but as the caster, I also had some power to interfere to a certain extent.
After the game ended, Kim Joocheol finished his MOM interview and headed to the locker room. I held Kim Sieun’s hand and followed behind. No one recognized our presence.
“Huh?”
Only Kim Joocheol noticed me. He, along with his teammates, bounced around and turned to look in our direction, with a bright smile on his face.
“Who are you? Are you one of our fans? You shouldn’t be coming in here!”
“No, it’s me, Mr. Kim Joocheol.”
“Yes? Who are you?”
“I’m the doctor. The one who confined you at this time.”
I looked him straight in the eye.
[Translator – Jjsecus]
[Proofreader – Gun]
“Don’t you recognize me?”
“…”
The smile faded from Kim Joocheol’s face.
At that moment, all the colors that filled the world turned into shades of gray. The players in the locker room who were cheering, the coaches and staff who were just coming in, even the champagne that one player had popped—all froze in mid-air.
“Ah…”
Only Kim Joocheol’s sigh passed quietly.
“Yeah. That’s right. It was a dream.”
“…”
“It was a dream. Yeah, it was all just a dream…”
Kim Joocheol looked around silently. He glanced at each of his teammates with eyes full of various emotions. Then he sighed deeply.
“Now I realize. It’s a lucid dream now. It’s actually better this way. Since there’s no reason for me to be in this locker room with these annoying guys.”
“You don’t really need to do that.”
“Hmm?”
“Anyway, once this moment passes, Mr. Kim Joocheol will forget everything. The memories of meeting me and the conversations we had. Just as people in the world won’t remember anything about Mr. Kim Joocheol, he won’t be able to accumulate any memories about the world either.”
“Oh my. Really? That’s… quite intense…”
Kim Joocheol slumped onto the bench, wiping the sweat off his body with a towel as he spoke.
“So, why did Doctor Jang come to see me? Is this meeting just another repeated annual event that I’m unaware of? Did you come to watch my awesome mad movie?”
“Even if it doesn’t mean much to Mr. Kim Joocheol, it could mean something to his family.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“The young man who came with me is your son.”
“What?”
Only then did Kim Joocheol finally look at the companion beside me. Finally recognizing another person’s presence.
Kim Joocheol blinked.
“Sieun?”
“…”
“Sieun? Is it really Sieun? Wow, you’ve grown so much!”
Kim Joocheol jumped up and ran to embrace Kim Sieun. Kim Sieun flinched but didn’t reject Kim Joocheol’s hug.
“Wow! You’re all grown up now! When I last saw you, you were just a baby, a newborn! How old are you now? Middle school? High school?”
“…I’m 20.”
“What? 20? No way, why are you so tiny then? What have you been eating all this time? What kind of genes did I pass down to you?”
The towering defender seemed shocked by his son’s height.
“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]