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Chapter 100

The official name: Monster Train.

The metal chunk before me, adorned with red and black, featuring grotesque devilish artwork, went by that name.

With overwhelming speed and mass, it was the sole means of transportation zipping between monster habitats located between cities.

Of course, while they call it a “Monster Train,” it wasn’t actually a monster. It was a rather ordinary name forced through by a researcher who made significant contributions to developing the Monster Train.

But that’s just trivial chatter.

“Wow!!”

“So cool…!!”

It’s no exaggeration to say it’s the most beloved mode of transportation among kids. Just looking at it reminds me of childhood; if it were sketched in a sketchbook, you could picture the top saying, “I’m riding the Monster Train!”

To the fifteen-year-old Choi Yeon-woo, this sight rustled some nostalgic feelings, but to the twenty-five-year-old mentally ingrained Choi Yeon-woo, it became a bit of a painful experience.

“Okay, shall we hop on?”

Still, one must confront reality…. Sometimes, to move forward, you need to endure pain and sacrifice….

“What if it merges with something else…!?”

“Wow!!”

“Sob.”

The whispers of Shar and Tae-oh inflicted emotional damage on Yeon-woo.

*

Despite its ominous exterior, the inside was a splendid mode of transportation, showcasing its clean and comfortable design. Sofas facing each other were neatly arranged, and a restroom was nestled between the cars.

On top of that, despite moving at a considerable speed, it didn’t shake at all. In fact, only shortly after leaving, some passengers were already fast asleep in their seats.

Fortunately, the sounds of snoring didn’t cross over the sofas or the aisle. It was almost to the point of becoming tiresome with how considerate they were of the passengers’ comfort.

“The outside world is flashing by so fast!!”

“What would happen if the window opens in this state?”

“Um… Dad would probably die?”

Yeon-woo desperately held back a shiver at the slightly creepy conversation between the two kids. Sometimes, their chatter sounded like they were concocting assassination plots. Maybe it was because their IQs were higher than usual…?

Of course, Tae-oh, who trembled and placed his hand, just barely reaching the window, on his knee, and Shar, who broke into a sweat while trying to change the conversation, followed suit.

“Alright, let’s leave the heavy talk there and grab some snacks.”

Yeon-woo interjected amid the slightly subdued atmosphere. Pressing the button on the seat, a table popped out. It was best not to ponder how this large table fit beneath the window. As he stroked his ring, familiar snack bags and simple eats fell from thin air.

The staff passing down the aisle, pushing a cart filled with snacks and drinks, gawked at Yeon-woo in disbelief. Yeon-woo averted his gaze until the staff passed by.

As long as it’s not cooking-level activities, there’s no problem taking food aboard, but he felt guilty about the heavy cart pushing staff.

“I’ll take this!”

“Oh! I want that too…!”

“We can just share.”

“Wait…!!”

Yeon-woo lightly broke the deadlock that formed over a single snack and tore into a classic snack, Tasty Hill, which kids didn’t particularly favor. It was delicious, albeit a bit pricey.

“What will you do when we get back?”

“First, let’s visit the place with the gate where we met Nea.”

“There might be some reaction.”

“…What kind of person was Mom?”

“Is it time to tell Tae-oh? That warm, beautiful moment….”

“Gosh, if you’re talking about that, I’m curious too! I didn’t see much of it!”

“Alright, let’s casually unfold some stories.”

Well, that could be said to be a situation thoroughly possible between two people trapped in a secret space.

Yeon-woo cautiously recalled memories that felt as vivid as if he could see them even with his eyes closed.

*

It wasn’t a lie that dragons were wise beings. In truth, it felt like sheer violence beyond which he could hardly resist.

As Yeon-woo looked at the beautiful woman shedding tear-like pearls, he reached out involuntarily. He had no intention of committing an improper act. He only wished to wipe away those tears.

The moment his hand approached, she trembled slightly. In that moment, uncharacteristic of the strongest race, Yeon-woo halted his hand. But perhaps she somehow picked up on his thoughts, as she first accepted his hand.

His gentle hand reached to wipe away Alkeinea’s tears. As he gazed briefly at the hand that brushed away her tears, he unintentionally pressed his lips against the salty liquid, the taste no different from that of a human. Alkeinea’s face flushed at the sight.

The sight of that angelic woman, capable of shaking whole nations simply by standing still, feeling shy was overwhelmingly destructive to Yeon-woo.

“…If you did this on purpose, that’s seriously impressive.”

As a human, and even more so as a man, he couldn’t refuse. Not to mention if that man was Choi Yeon-woo, Alkeinea’s plan hit its mark perfectly.

He had intended to accept it anyway. If not, he would starve to death right there. Yet Alkeinea did not stop there; she was instilling a sense of responsibility. She didn’t hesitate to reveal her weaknesses to ensure the child’s safety.

A moment of a bitter smile crossed Yeon-woo’s face as he sat on the stone floor neither too far nor too close from her, leaning back against the bed.

“I’ll add one condition.”

“Cough, what is it? You sound like a fool.”

Alkeinea clasped her face with a handkerchief placed beside her. Though she heard some harsh words, she couldn’t retort.

“I grew up without parents, so I know the heart of a parent-less child well.”

Yeon-woo felt as if his throat was being scorched. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, as if all the shame of his life was cascading on him like an avalanche.

Saying something so painful would be unbearably hard for someone who had no idea about love. Still, he wanted to say it. He had to say it.

Maybe this was what Claire sang so passionately about—a feeling called love.

He kept reassuring himself that he would say it, but the words got stuck in his throat. It wouldn’t budge. Not even when he recklessly tossed his body around like this.

Finally, when she started tilting her head in confusion, Yeon-woo’s tongue finally managed to produce words.

“I want to be that child’s father. If I’m going to take care of them, is it okay to say I can be… your husband?”

“What? That, what….”

It was a statement that wouldn’t have been strange getting hit immediately. Though there was emotional exchange between them, he thought it wouldn’t develop into love.

Yet physical retaliation did not come. Was it aristocratic? Or was it perhaps her maternal grace?

Yeon-woo cautiously lifted his eyelids. Her flustered expression came into view. It looked like nothing he had ever seen before, so flustered.

Her reptilian golden eyes widened like a timid rabbit, her face burning bright red, and she even forgot to sniffle her nose.

Behind her, the dragon’s tail twisted in confusion, as if utterly lost on what to do.

Puhuh. Yeon-woo couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the sight. Even more embarrassed by that laughter, Alkeinea gripped the hem of her nightgown tightly and spoke.

“I-Is that… a proposal?”

“If you permit me to use such expressions towards you, gladly. Alkeinea, please marry me.”

Yeon-woo said those words while extending his hand to her. In that moment, even Yeon-woo, who sought no understanding from anyone, was hoping she would take his hand.

It couldn’t be called true love.

His attraction to her was likely due to her maternal instinct.

It was an undeniable beautiful sight, but since Yeon-woo was a child who knew nothing of parents, he didn’t want to accept that he was a child with no parents.

That was an incredibly lonely and desolate life. Even for Yeon-woo, who had Claire—the one who wholly stood in for parents.

What about her?

Perhaps this very statement might be perceived by her as a part of the exchange condition.

She might feel like a scoundrel saying she could save her child if only she married him. Perhaps she thought it was acceptable if it led to the safety of her child due to her purity.

Wishing that she wouldn’t think such things, Yeon-woo knew he was a different existence. He had no way of knowing a dragon’s thoughts. He could only hope.

What his proposal meant to her was beyond his understanding.

Yet at that moment, all he wished for was that this beautiful absolute being trapped in this tiny cage wouldn’t feel lonely.

She wouldn’t be able to witness her beloved child being born or watch them take their first wobbly steps.

While it might sound incongruous for him to take that from her, he hoped to create memories in their place.

For that alone, Yeon-woo could swear upon his heart.

*

“She was a good… yes, a good person. My first and last love who accepted all my flaws without prejudice.”

“Mom….”

“Hee….”

As Yeon-woo gazed out the window with a nostalgic face, the two kids were sobbing and sniffling quietly.

Luckily, the guests on the adjacent sofa were asleep and did not witness the scene. He was infinitely grateful for the sound barrier.

“That was a bit embarrassing. My proud wife, and Shar and Tae-oh are my proud children. Even if I meet them… I do worry if I can speak like back then.”

“Sniff, we can do it. We absolutely can! If Mom doesn’t believe it, I’ll make her believe, cough!!”

“Tae-oh can… call her Mom…?”

Shar gulped, before suddenly hugging Tae-oh.

“Of course!! No one can argue that you’re my accepted little brother!!”

“As Shar said. Nea isn’t someone who would care about such things.”

But still, as he thought about getting closer to the gate where he would meet her, both anxiety and joy bloomed within him. How similar would the Nea he met after one return be to the Nea he knew?

There was also a bigger issue. Shar currently existed here, transcending space and time. However, the Shar of this timeframe had to be by Nea’s side. That meant one of the two Shar’s had to vanish.

“…I’m really worried.”

Whether Yeon-woo was aware of these thoughts or not, the two kids, exhausted from crying, had fallen asleep with their heads resting on his thighs.

“…Sleep well, both of you.”

Gently stroking the heads of the two kids who were breathing softly, Yeon-woo began to hum a lullaby he had heard in his childhood.

“~♪”

Was Shar dreaming about food? She mumbled sleepily.

“…Be quiet, please…. Num num….”

“…….”

Did I wake them up? With a wave of shame rushing over him, Yeon-woo silently sealed his lips. But his hand did not stop.

Someday, he wished for her to be here too.

To soothe the crying children together.

“If you sing along with me, no matter how poorly I sing, the kids probably won’t wake up.”

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

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