NOVEL NEXT Chapter 131: Perhaps, you are not human
Love can't be forced.
Kyuri starts chopping the vegetables with a lot on her mind. Her mind is definitely not on the cooking. Yet, the knife moves smoothly as if the knife is a part of her body.
Young Hwa was afraid of her when she said that Jae Kyung was not the first man she killed.
She skins the chicken with a straight face. Her mother is watching from the distance. Why is her kitchen taken over by her daughter? Her daughter is not acting normally after the wedding was canceled again. This time, Young Hwa's cousin died suddenly. It's unlucky to go along with a wedding in these circumstances. Why do bad things keep happening to her daughter?
It's true that she killed people in the last thousand years. It was self-defense. She killed those guards that Wu Yixing sent after her and her aunt. She used her ability on the timekeeper boy she met at the stable.
The chicken pieces become thinner and thinner, nearly transparent. Her mother wonders what kind of dish her daughter plans to make. Kyuri's brother and father are watching cartoons with Little Hae, unaware of what is waiting for them at the dinner time.
After work, it is Kang Si An's habit to come and see his daughter once before he goes home. Little Hae is laughing while watching the TV. He walks toward her, but Kyuri catches his attention. He wonders how she is. So, he turns his step toward her direction. He purses his lips when he sees what she has done to the poor chicken.
When he looks at Kyuri's mother questionably, she shakes her head.
"Ahem." He clears his throat. Kyuri keeps mincing the meat with empty eyes. The vegetables aren't any better. If all is mixed, one can't tell what is what. He grabs her hand to stop her from turning things into powder. "What's wrong with you?"
She blinks, surprised to see him. She notices the mess. "Damn!"
"Don't worry. We will order something. It's not that late." He takes the knife away from her. "Wash your hands first."
She glares at him. "Why aren't you afraid of me?"
He furrows his brows, wondering what's this about. "Who says that I am not afraid of you?"
She lets out a breath. "That's better. You are human after all."
She washes her hand and walks past him. She goes to her mother and says, "I am sorry about the dinner. Please order something for tonight. I am going out on a walk."
"Wait, where are you going? It's late." Hearing her words, her father calls out for her. "Ki Hoon, go after her."
"I will go." Kang Si An runs out before anyone can oppose.
"Something is just not right." Ki Hoon squints in the direction of the door.
"Uncle, what is not right?" Little Hae asks curiously.
"Our dinner is ruined by your mother." He pinches her puffy cheeks. "Little Hae, shall we order pizza or something else?"
"Strawberry cake," Little Hae replies in a beat. "Chocolate donuts, coconut ice cream and..."
The list goes on
***
"What did you mean by that?" Kang Si An runs and stops in front of her.
"What are you talking about?" She sighs. Why can't she have a drink by herself? Why this man doesn't leave her alone? She has given him an inch and he is taking a mile. How long can she bear with it before she snaps?
"You are a human after all." He quotes her words. It sounded a bit strange when she said it. Her eyes were also sad at that time. If she called him weak, he wouldn't mind. Calling him human while looking at him like that doesn't sound... It reminded him of the time when she told him that she was cursed. It's been a long time, but he would never forget the melancholy in her eyes.
"It means what it means." She shrugs nonchalantly. "How many people can kill someone with a touch? Can you do that? Even the timekeeper couldn't do it. It's not something a human should be able to do."
He has heard about Jae Kyung's sudden death. He didn't connect his death with Kyuri until now. She did say yesterday that the other person was in a worse state.
"What's the big deal about it?" Kang Si An talks with a casual tone. "I have killed more people than you ever killed. I was called Master Death once. Then, I was general. There were other times when I -"
"I know." She looks at him with a bored expression. "Don't forget what I did to you. It's fine if you come to see Little Hae. Don't act friendly with me. If I am annoyed, I might do what I did to Jae Kyung."
Huffing once in his direction, she walks ahead. She will numb her brain tonight. Honestly, she wants to go back to her home by seaside, away from both men. Life with Little Hae was good. There weren't any complication or pain. Watching the sunset every day with her daughter is one of her best memories. Good things don't last long.
"Kyuri." Kang Si An grabs her arm to stop her. "Lisen, when I said that I was afraid of you, I meant that I was afraid of you disappearing again. What do you mean anyway? You are human in every way. Okay, for some time, you were not human... when you were immortal. I wasn't scared of you back then either."
She pinches the flesh on his hand. He won't let go until she listens to him. The girl keeps thinking about strange things. He can't guess where these thoughts come inside her head.
"You should be scared." She looks up at him. "I am an anomaly."
"Why do you keep using that word for yourself?" He snaps at her suddenly. "Your heart is human, idiot. You are more human than anyone I have known. For your aunt and me, you even changed the entire flow of time. You kept getting hurt to protect people like me. You watched me and took care of me for a long time. For Little Hae, you accepted someone like me again in your life. You have always been sacrificing yourself for other people in your life. You try to endure everything by yourself and protect the people you love. If you weren't human, how could you love them in such a way?"
He says it all in one breath. Seeing her silence, he adds, "Perhaps, you are not human. A human wouldn't do that much for anyone."