“Yes, I will show you many things, so let’s go.”
I nearly stumbled forward as his sudden grasp pulled me back. Instinctively, I exerted pressure on my toes to regain my balance. [Phew] I thought my nose was about to break.
“Uh, be careful.”
There was a reason for my surprise. Suddenly, Kamian came to mind, causing a commotion. The moments when he forcefully grabbed my wrist and turned his body flashed by in rapid succession.
At first glance, Kamian appeared to have a larger build and greater strength than Leo, but he had never once made me waver as he led me by the hand.
Leo scratched the back of his head and apologized again. Since I hadn’t actually fallen, I reassured him that it was alright and nodded. However, Leo remained restless until we arrived home. His excessive apologies became burdensome, and I even reached the point of begging him to stop.
Leo sat me down in his room and rummaged through his wardrobe. He brought out a bulky backpack and dropped it in front of me with a thud.
“I collected these in the capital, and I really wanted to show them to you. You’ll probably be surprised.”
“Ah…”
I was familiar with the type of people who boasted about their belongings with voices and faces like that. I knew them well because I used to be one of them. They were the overzealous collectors.
In elementary school, I collected animation stickers, in middle school, brand-specific ballpoint pens, and after graduating from college, I collected this novel, “The Return of the Savior,” in various editions for storage, exhibition, and contemplation.
As soon as I saw Leo’s eyes flicker with excitement, I predicted the imminent future. Most likely, I would be trapped in this room until blood flowed from my eardrums. My ears were already tingling.
* * *
“By touching it here, it changes colour according to a person’s body temperature. This was truly an arduous find, isn’t it fascinating?”
Leo passionately explained, sweat dripping down his face. His buttons were already undone, and his sleeves were rolled up just below the elbows. In contrast, I leaned my chin on my palm, my eyes downcast wearily.
As I admired the patterns on the wooden desk, mechanically I repeated phrases like, “Wow, it’s marvellous,” “Truly remarkable,” and “Astounding, isn’t it?”
I wasn’t always this dry in my response. In an attempt to match Leo’s enthusiasm, I earnestly listened to his words.
However, as the items became four, then five, and even ten, I found myself reaching my limit. This damn backpack seemed to produce an endless stream of objects. Among the peculiar and absurd things Leo introduced, this backpack could certainly be considered the most amazing.
Observing my lackluster reaction, Leo wiped his forehead with his wrist. Shouldn’t one stop if they notice the listener isn’t finding it interesting? Yet, he seemed to muster even more determination.
“Well, how about this one then? When you open the lid… ta-da! Music starts playing! It’s quite common to see this in fountains, so I’m used to it.”
“Oh… my word, it’s truly unbelievable.”
“Liv, next is this. It’s an artifact I bought by emptying two months’ worth of my salary. Feel it. It’s hot like fire, isn’t it? It doesn’t even get cold in winter. Of course… it doesn’t maintain the temperature forever. It lasts for at most a month, but I’ve been using it for over a month by managing it well. It was even hotter when I first bought it.”
Internally, I was fiercely conflicted. Should I shout, begging him to stop, or should I endure a little longer?
To me, who had lived in 21st-century South Korea, showing me mere music boxes or hot packs like this was like running a campaign. If I handed Leo a smartphone, he would be so astonished that he might faint. Perhaps he would even fall backward.
You, I mean, that praised thing of yours. If you just experience an engineering department once, you’ll realize that your praised thing isn’t that special. With practical work, reports, demanding grades, and equations more complicated than magic circles, if you go through it and reach the pinnacle, you’ll become a 9th-circle magician.
I twisted my narrow neck from side to side and turned my shoulders, huffing. Glancing at the window, I noticed it had already grown dim outside. If I waited any longer, I wouldn’t be able to make it home in the cold.
“When I go to my home in the city, there are many more fascinating things than this. It’s such a shame I couldn’t bring everything due to the small bag…”
“Leo, I apologize for interrupting, but I think I should be going now. It’s getting too dark.”
Leo’s expression turned crestfallen. He wiped his sweaty hair with both hands and lowered his head in disappointment.
“Apologies. Did I talk too much? I… I wanted to show you these things because you couldn’t go on the trip due to your illness…”
“Oh…”
Could it be that the reason he brought all these things wasn’t to boast, but because of me? I suddenly felt a surge of guilt. If only I had known earlier, I would have endured a little longer…
“No, it was delightful.”
“Really?”
His hesitant eyes quickly filled with life.
“Yes, I would love to hear more, but it’s too late now.”
“I’ll take you back. Just wait a moment. I’ll grab my coat…”
“Yes, I will show you many things, so let’s go.”
I nearly stumbled forward as his sudden grasp pulled me back. Instinctively, I exerted pressure on my toes to regain my balance. [Phew] I thought my nose was about to break.
“Uh, be careful.”
There was a reason for my surprise. Suddenly, Kamian came to mind, causing a commotion. The moments when he forcefully grabbed my wrist and turned his body flashed by in rapid succession.
At first glance, Kamian appeared to have a larger build and greater strength than Leo, but he had never once made me waver as he led me by the hand.
Leo scratched the back of his head and apologized again. Since I hadn’t actually fallen, I reassured him that it was alright and nodded. However, Leo remained restless until we arrived home. His excessive apologies became burdensome, and I even reached the point of begging him to stop.
Leo sat me down in his room and rummaged through his wardrobe. He brought out a bulky backpack and dropped it in front of me with a thud.
“I collected these in the capital, and I really wanted to show them to you. You’ll probably be surprised.”
“Ah…”
I was familiar with the type of people who boasted about their belongings with voices and faces like that. I knew them well because I used to be one of them. They were the overzealous collectors.
In elementary school, I collected animation stickers, in middle school, brand-specific ballpoint pens, and after graduating from college, I collected this novel, “The Return of the Savior,” in various editions for storage, exhibition, and contemplation.
As soon as I saw Leo’s eyes flicker with excitement, I predicted the imminent future. Most likely, I would be trapped in this room until blood flowed from my eardrums. My ears were already tingling.
* * *
“By touching it here, it changes colour according to a person’s body temperature. This was truly an arduous find, isn’t it fascinating?”
Leo passionately explained, sweat dripping down his face. His buttons were already undone, and his sleeves were rolled up just below the elbows. In contrast, I leaned my chin on my palm, my eyes downcast wearily.
As I admired the patterns on the wooden desk, mechanically I repeated phrases like, “Wow, it’s marvellous,” “Truly remarkable,” and “Astounding, isn’t it?”
I wasn’t always this dry in my response. In an attempt to match Leo’s enthusiasm, I earnestly listened to his words.
However, as the items became four, then five, and even ten, I found myself reaching my limit. This damn backpack seemed to produce an endless stream of objects. Among the peculiar and absurd things Leo introduced, this backpack could certainly be considered the most amazing.
Observing my lackluster reaction, Leo wiped his forehead with his wrist. Shouldn’t one stop if they notice the listener isn’t finding it interesting? Yet, he seemed to muster even more determination.
“Well, how about this one then? When you open the lid… ta-da! Music starts playing! It’s quite common to see this in fountains, so I’m used to it.”
“Oh… my word, it’s truly unbelievable.”
“Liv, next is this. It’s an artifact I bought by emptying two months’ worth of my salary. Feel it. It’s hot like fire, isn’t it? It doesn’t even get cold in winter. Of course… it doesn’t maintain the temperature forever. It lasts for at most a month, but I’ve been using it for over a month by managing it well. It was even hotter when I first bought it.”
Internally, I was fiercely conflicted. Should I shout, begging him to stop, or should I endure a little longer?
To me, who had lived in 21st-century South Korea, showing me mere music boxes or hot packs like this was like running a campaign. If I handed Leo a smartphone, he would be so astonished that he might faint. Perhaps he would even fall backward.
You, I mean, that praised thing of yours. If you just experience an engineering department once, you’ll realize that your praised thing isn’t that special. With practical work, reports, demanding grades, and equations more complicated than magic circles, if you go through it and reach the pinnacle, you’ll become a 9th-circle magician.
I twisted my narrow neck from side to side and turned my shoulders, huffing. Glancing at the window, I noticed it had already grown dim outside. If I waited any longer, I wouldn’t be able to make it home in the cold.
“When I go to my home in the city, there are many more fascinating things than this. It’s such a shame I couldn’t bring everything due to the small bag…”
“Leo, I apologize for interrupting, but I think I should be going now. It’s getting too dark.”
Leo’s expression turned crestfallen. He wiped his sweaty hair with both hands and lowered his head in disappointment.
“Apologies. Did I talk too much? I… I wanted to show you these things because you couldn’t go on the trip due to your illness…”
“Oh…”
Could it be that the reason he brought all these things wasn’t to boast, but because of me? I suddenly felt a surge of guilt. If only I had known earlier, I would have endured a little longer…
“No, it was delightful.”
“Really?”
His hesitant eyes quickly filled with life.
“Yes, I would love to hear more, but it’s too late now.”
“I’ll take you back. Just wait a moment. I’ll grab my coat…”
