Childhood Friend of the Zenith - Chapter 616

[The youngest of the Blue Clan is cursed.]

That was the rumor that spread in the North Sea.

The cursed child.

Everyone who had seen the child, who had just turned ten, said the same thing.

—The way he looks at you, as if he knows everything, is chilling.

—I couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all.

—There must be a reason the Blue Wolf treats his own bloodline so lightly.

—Indeed…

A child who had fallen out of his father’s sight.
That was the position of the youngest in that household.

Where had it all gone wrong?
The boy sometimes thought about it.

If something had truly gone astray, when had it happened?

Was it when he discovered his mother’s affair?

Or was it when he uncovered his brother’s secret?

Or perhaps—

Was it when he realized his father’s ambition?

Whatever it was, it didn’t matter.
It no longer mattered to the boy.

“...”

He looked up at the sky with hollow eyes.
Snow was falling.

The boy’s cheek, red from the cold, had already been marked.

It was because his father had slapped him just moments earlier.

[Don’t look at me with those disgusting eyes!]

That was the only reason—just for looking at him.

Swish.

The boy touched his cheek.
Despite the cold weather, his cheek still burned.

But unlike the heat on his cheek, the boy’s eyes were gradually cooling.

He heard things others couldn’t hear.

That one thing was enough to twist his life.
When he spoke of his mother’s affair, it erupted into chaos because of his father’s rage.

When he discovered his eldest brother’s secret,
His brother was cast off to a remote area, abandoned.

Having gone through such events twice, the boy finally shut his mouth about the voices he heard.

But his father, watching him, must have thought—

Perhaps.

Perhaps this child might uncover his secrets as well.
Was that what he feared?

The boy became a thorn in his father’s side.
And that thorn ruined the boy’s life.

The cursed child.

The boy didn’t deny the rumors.
How could he?

[That… yeah… that….]

[Vi….]

[Grr… rrkkkk.]

Even in his own eyes, it was a curse.

The boy covered his ears.
He tried to block it out, but the noise still rang loudly in his ears.

Crying.
Screaming.
Wailing.

A storm of wild and shredding emotions.
Even with his eyes closed and his ears covered, he couldn’t stop the sounds.

Emotions made sounds.

The noise piled up and became unbearable.
For the boy, life had become hell.

Knowing the emotions others wanted to hide tore apart his family relationships.

His mother resented him.
His siblings feared him.
His father despised him.

Even when the boy cried, no one comforted him. No shadow shielded him from the falling snow.

A boy who could hear the emotions of everything in the world found his own emotions growing colder and colder.

That was his life.

And it was the life he was destined to live.

If this wasn’t hell, then what was?
The boy thought this as he watched the falling snow.

The world was said to have four seasons.

Among them, spring.

The season when all the snow melted, flowers bloomed, and everything came alive.
They said such a season existed in Zhongyuan.

But in this place, where snow fell endlessly, spring never came to the North Sea.

It was like his life.

A life buried in snow, slowly dying.
The North Sea and his life were no different.

Which meant—

‘If I die… would it bring me peace?’

Rather than waiting for the spring of life,
Wouldn’t it be better to end it before an even colder winter came?

As the thought crossed his mind, the boy looked straight ahead.
There was a half-frozen lake before him.

What was he thinking as he looked at it?

Now, it’s a faint memory.

If he could recall anything—

It was that the young boy was utterly exhausted.
So exhausted that he couldn’t think straight amidst the unusually loud noise.

And so—

There was no hesitation in his steps.

It was an age where innocence excused everything, and he was lost in his own decision.

Surely, that must have been why.

Splash—!

With the sound of water, his breathing stopped.
The icy water enveloped his body, cold enough to hurt.

Even with his eyes open, he could see nothing.

So, he closed them.

And do you know what was funny?

Amid the suffocating tightness of his lungs,

What came to him first wasn’t pain or fear—but peace.

‘…It’s quiet.’

The maddening voices that had been echoing until moments ago disappeared in an instant.

How long had it been since he felt such silence?
For a moment, the boy felt liberated.

But—

That liberation didn’t last long.

“Grrrr…!”

He couldn’t breathe.

As his breath fully left him and only pain remained,

He flailed weakly.

Even though it was his own choice,
The boy, in the end, showed such a pitiful struggle.

Was he longing for life? That probably wasn’t it.
He didn’t know.

He couldn’t remember that far.

If there was anything he did remember—

“Grrrk… urgh….”

Just as he was losing consciousness after flailing for some time—

Splash—!

A sound came from far away.

Fwoosh—!

And something pulled him out.
Thin, slender arms wrapped around his body and dragged him upward.

A short time passed.

“Pwah!”

The boy broke through the surface.

“Cough… cough…!”

He lay on the ground, shivering, and vomited up water.
As he coughed for a long time,

Something covered his trembling body.
It was dry fur clothing.

He looked up to see who had covered him.

“Hwaa! It’s so cold…!”

What he saw first was hair as white as snow.
It was damp, wet from water like his own.

The girl didn’t look much older or younger than him.

She was a girl his age.

As the boy stared at her with a confused expression,
The girl smiled and spoke to him.

“It feels like the weather’s been getting colder lately. Don’t you think?”

“...”

“The water’s so cold. It feels way too early for swimming.”

Her smile was bright and clear.
Amid the falling snow, the boy looked down at the clothes that now covered him.

“So, if you want to swim, let’s do it together later when it’s less cold.”

“I…”

“It’s way too cold right now!”

The boy tried to say something,
But the girl cut him off.

He later learned this:

The girl already knew exactly what he had been trying to do.

At the time, with her small mind, she hadn’t known how to change his.

So that’s what she said.

How absurd.

The boy couldn’t say a word in response.

This place was one no one was supposed to enter.

A space his father had sealed off so no one could come near.
How had this girl gotten in?

As those questions swirled in his mind—

“Nice to meet you.”

The girl extended her hand to him.

“You’re the youngest son of the Blue Wolf, aren’t you?”

“...”

How many people in the North Sea would dare to call his father that?

The boy, though young, was sharp enough to know that the number wasn’t many.

At most, you could count them on one hand.

And if the person in question was a girl this young, the answer was obvious.
But even knowing that, the boy didn’t react.

He simply stared at the girl.

Then—

Swish.

The girl extended her hand to him again.

“My name is Yuri.”

Looking into her bright blue eyes, he thought—
How radiant they were.

“What’s your name?”

Surely, the boy back then wouldn’t have known.

That this girl—

Would become his conviction. His spring.

   ******************
   

Drip.

Drip.

Blood trickled down the blade of the sword.
The blood that flowed dripped to the ground, staining the snow red.

How far had the sword pierced?

Pain surged through me.

I thought I had controlled it, but I must have slipped up slightly.

“Wow… that hurts like hell.”

Though I had avoided the vital spots, pain was pain.

‘How long has it been?’

How long had it been since I was stabbed?

I had been cut many times, but it had been a long time since I was directly stabbed like this.

Probably the first time since my regression.

Drip.

Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.
I didn’t bother wiping it.

Clink.

I could feel the presence of the sword embedded in my stomach.
As soon as I felt it, I gripped the blade tightly.

“Don’t move. If you move too much, my hand will get hurt, you know?”

“You…!”

At my warning, the owner of the sword, Woo Hyuk, widened his eyes and spoke.

“What the hell are you doing…!”

“Can’t you tell just by looking?”

Every time I spoke, blood bubbled in my mouth.

It was truly disgusting.

Ignoring it as best as I could, I continued.

“I’m trying to knock some sense into you.”

“Pull the sword out now…! You need to stop the bleeding first…!”

Hearing what Woo Hyuk said, I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

“Just a moment ago, you said I couldn’t pass unless I killed you. What’s the rush now?”

“…!”

As I threw his own words back at him, Woo Hyuk’s expression twisted.
I could see him biting his lips tightly.

It was oddly amusing.

This guy, pretending to be calm—his face now twisted in disarray—was quite the sight.

At least this made getting stabbed worthwhile.
With blood still in my mouth, I spoke to Woo Hyuk.

“I’ve been thinking a bit.”

Though I spoke, Woo Hyuk still only stared at his sword embedded in my stomach.

“You were trying to die just now, weren’t you?”

“…!”

Woo Hyuk froze at my words.

“You wanted me to kill you.”

There was no verbal reply.
But I already knew the answer.

Woo Hyuk had been trying to die just now.
He had intended to die at my hands.

That’s why he released the strength from his sword at the last moment.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

It seemed like Woo Hyuk was trying to deny it.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. You’re smart, aren’t you?”

That kind of pretense didn’t work on me.

“When did this start? When did you begin planning this?”

“...”

“Answer me, damn it.”

I cursed as I tightened my grip on the blade, pushing it deeper.

“You’re insane…!”

Woo Hyuk, realizing what I was doing, pressed down harder on the hilt to stop me.
The one who stabbed was trying to pull it out, and the one stabbed was pushing it in deeper—it was an absurd situation.

“Do you really want to die?! Are you crazy?”

“Of course I’m crazy. Why, you can do it, but I can’t?”

When Woo Hyuk shouted, I scowled and retorted.

“Do you have any idea how messed up that is?”

He probably didn’t.

He couldn’t possibly know how much of a curse his choice was for the one left behind.

Unlike him, I knew all too well.
And so—

“You bastard. You were going to put that burden on me?”

I grabbed Woo Hyuk by the collar with my free hand.

“If it’s been so long, you should’ve just greeted me and said hello. Why the hell are you creating this mess?”

Even as I held him, I could feel Woo Hyuk strengthening his grip to keep the sword steady.

I kept thinking.

What was Woo Hyuk’s intention in doing this to me?

Knowing he couldn’t win, why was he acting so irrationally?

Moreover, why did his gaze look like this—

‘Like he was relieved.’

As if he thought this was for the best.
As if he was grateful it turned out this way.

Relieved and smiling bitterly.

Why?
Why did he think this was necessary?

Seeing Woo Hyuk’s eyes, I already knew the answer to my questions.

Eyes just like mine. Acting this way with those eyes.
I knew all too well what that meant.

It’s just—

‘That you tried to put this on me makes me a little angry.’

I felt resentful toward Woo Hyuk.
It was probably the first time I had felt this way.

And so I spoke to Woo Hyuk, who was now trembling.

“You idiot. Don’t you know how cowardly that is? It’s just running away.”

Now I could finally understand why my father had acted the way he did toward me.
But that understanding came far too late.

With those emotions in my heart, I continued.

“What do you know…!!”

Woo Hyuk’s voice rose as he shouted.

“…You don’t know anything about me. So how can you talk like that…!”

Wham—!

I threw a punch.
Woo Hyuk tumbled backward and fell to the ground.

Clang—!

The sword embedded in my stomach was pulled out, clattering to the floor.

Drip.

I could feel the blood spilling from my stomach.

Ah, damn it… it came out too suddenly.
Ignoring the pain, I approached Woo Hyuk.

“Urgh…”

“You’re right, idiot. I don’t know. You never told me, so how could I know?”

I didn’t know.

Even including both my past and present lives, I didn’t know much about Woo Hyuk.

Partly because I never bothered to ask.
And partly because Woo Hyuk never shared anything with me.

But that didn’t mean he could act like this.

“You should’ve told me.”

I grabbed Woo Hyuk by the collar again.

“You should’ve asked for help instead of pulling this crap.”

“...”

“You didn’t say anything, so what the hell is your problem?”

Woo Hyuk was the one who started this fight the moment we met.

“What is it? Why are you acting like this?”

“...”

“Speak up. That way, I can either help you or beat some sense into you.”

My frustrated words seemed to spark something in Woo Hyuk’s eyes.

“…Why…?”

“What?”

“Why are you doing this for me…?”

His words carried not just confusion but genuine doubt.
Why was I acting this way for him?

“…What reason do you have to do this for me?”

Even if we’d known each other for years, it had only been four at most.

I called Woo Hyuk a friend, but that was because I remembered my past life.
Because he had died for me.

Because I remembered how he had supported me when I was breaking apart.

That memory was why I called him a friend.

But—

“Why are you going this far for me?”

Woo Hyuk wouldn’t know any of that now.

And this—

“I don’t know either, idiot. Why don’t you tell me? I don’t understand it either.”

—was the same as what Woo Hyuk had done for me in my past life.

“What…?”

“We weren’t particularly close, and there wasn’t any reason for us to get closer. You’re the one who approached me first.”

The generation of shooting stars.

The guy who was at the center of it all had extended a hand to me, someone filled only with resentment toward the world.

Even when I hurled every curse at him, telling him to piss off, he never left my side.

Why had he done that?
When I asked him back then why he was acting that way,

What had Woo Hyuk told me?

“Because we’re similar? I think that’s what I said.”

Because we were similar.
Because it felt comfortable.

Woo Hyuk had told me that with such ease.

“Did you know? Hearing that back then pissed me off so much.”

A genius among geniuses.

The one destined to represent the next generation of Wudang’s martial masters.

And he had the nerve to tell me, the disgrace of a great family, that we were similar.

Was he mocking me?
That’s what I thought at first, which only made me angrier.

“But now I think I kind of understand.”

Now, I think I know.
That Woo Hyuk’s words back then were the truth.

You and I really were alike.

That’s why you came to me.

For the first time, I began to understand the hidden dragon who had spoken to me back then.

Neither of us had any attachment to life.
We wanted something but knew we couldn’t have it, so we were hollow.

That’s who we were.

“You told me to live.”

To live.

That life was precious, and I must live.

It was something Woo Hyuk would say to me so often it became a habit.

“And now I realize, you weren’t saying that to me. Not really.”

This, too, was a realization that came too late.

“You were saying that to yourself, weren’t you?”

It was a question whose answer I would never hear.
Because hearing it now wouldn’t mean anything.

“I’m sure of it. You saw yourself in me.”

“What are you even saying right now?”

“Shut up and listen. It’s my turn to talk.”

You supported me when I was falling apart.
Because you didn’t want to fall apart yourself.

You tried to fix me when I was broken.
Because you, too, were broken.
Was it a sense of kinship? Or was it pity?

By now, it didn’t matter.

What mattered wasn’t that.
What needed to be said wasn’t that.

“Live. Just live, you idiot.”

I had to tell Woo Hyuk what he had told me in my past life.

Though the words came out slightly differently this time.

“If there’s a problem, I’ll help you out or whatever. Just live a little, will you? Stop pulling this crap… ah, my stomach hurts, damn it.”

I had to clutch my stomach as the searing pain cut me off mid-sentence.
Though I had patched it up slightly, it was still in rough shape.

Given how monstrous my regeneration was, it’d probably heal in three days or so.

“…Hah….”

Watching me, Woo Hyuk let out a long sigh.

“This is ridiculous….”

“That’s my line. After all this time, you decide to stab me in the stomach? Does it feel good?”

“That’s because you—!”

“Whatever. Just tell me already. Why are you doing this?”

I had gone so far as to get stabbed in the stomach to hear it.
Surely, he could give me an answer now.

No, he had to give me an answer now.

“If you don’t talk, I’ll stab myself again.”

I picked up Woo Hyuk’s sword from the ground as I spoke.
It was a threat that if he didn’t answer, I’d make another hole in my stomach.

That was the threat.

The problem was—

“…Are you seriously threatening me with your own body? Do you really think that’ll work?”

“It won’t? Should I try? I’ll do it. Watch me.”

As I lifted the sword and aimed it at my stomach,

“Stop…! Stop it already!”

Woo Hyuk raised his hand, stopping my actions.
He said it wouldn’t work, but the threat was working just fine.

“You’re insane…! You’re absolutely insane.”

“I get told that a lot.”

Hearing it from the second person who said it the most felt oddly amusing.
I gently set the sword down and looked at Woo Hyuk.

With my arms crossed, I stared at him, as if urging him to talk.

And then—

“Haha….”

Woo Hyuk let out a low, bitter laugh.

“…How did I end up with a friend like you?”

It seemed he might regret it a little.
But it was far too late for that.

‘Blame your past self for that.’

There was no point in berating the Woo Hyuk of my past life.

“All right, but first, let’s stop the bleeding….”

“Talk first. I’ll take care of the bleeding myself.”

My body’s energy was already moving quickly.
It was working to stop the bleeding and accelerate my regeneration.

In fact, the bleeding had already stopped.

Though I had lost a lot of blood, leaving me a bit dizzy…

Woo Hyuk, who had been lying on the ground, slowly raised his upper body.

His hostility seemed to have lessened somewhat.

Seeing that, I asked.

“Ready to talk?”

“Don’t rush me….”

“If you don’t, I’ll—”

“I will, I will! I’ll talk, okay? But first, you should take care of other things, shouldn’t you?”

At Woo Hyuk’s words, I turned my head.

He was right.
Things had gotten complicated, but Woo Hyuk wasn’t the reason I had come here.

Remembering that, I approached Woo Hyuk and extended my hand.

It was a gesture for him to grab it and stand up.

“If you don’t talk later, you’ll really die.”

“…Me? Or you?”

“We’ll see how things go.”

That part would depend on convenience when the time came.

“Haha….”

Hearing that, Woo Hyuk let out the same hollow laugh as before.

As he reached out to grab my hand—

At that moment.

“Is it over?”

An unfamiliar voice rang out.

“If so, that’s boring.”

And it came from right beside us.