NOVEL WEB Chapter 77 - If you want to cry, just cry.
Chapter 77 If you want to cry, just cry.
You must never reveal anything about yourself to people from the past.
If history changes in a strange direction, your very existence could disappear.
That’s why I was repeatedly advised to be especially careful with ‘family’ and, if possible, to avoid them altogether.
Even so…
“Aha. You were looking for a hiding item.”
“Oh, yes…”
“If that’s the case, I have something I use for civilian rescue. Would you like a recommendation?”
“…! Yes! Please do!”
Han Jae-won couldn’t shake off his mother’s hand that was holding his.
He didn’t want to let go of this hand ever again.
Because this chance would never come again.
It was such a precious opportunity that he couldn’t act as he thought.
“This is it. It’s called an Assassin’s Ring, and it neatly erases the presence of the wearer. When I put this on civilians and evacuate them, they all escaped the scene safely from the monsters.”
“I see…”
“It can also be used for combat. That was its original use. Well, if you had something else in mind…”
“No, I’ll take this.”
“…What?”
There was no way his mother’s insight could be wrong.
Thinking so, Han Jae-won immediately flexibly bought the Assassin’s Ring, which cost about 100 million won, without any hesitation.
Watching this scene, Sophia was a bit surprised.
‘…Is he a famous Hunter from some advanced country?’
With the sword on his back and the strong aura he exuded even when standing still, he surely seemed like a promising Hunter who could be called a ‘pro’.
Moreover, Sophia couldn’t take her eyes off the blond boy who had given her an amazing feeling from earlier.
‘I never thought there would be another human without the unpleasant aura like Shin-woo… And what is this feeling…’
Thump, thump.
A strangely pounding heart.
However, this was quite different from the heart palpitations she felt when looking at Shin-woo due to love.
What on earth could this be?
It felt more like finding him lovable rather than loving him.
Like she wanted to take care of this boy.
Sophia, who still didn’t understand what ‘maternal love’ was, just stomped her feet in place with an unknown feeling in her heart.
“Excuse me, now that you’ve bought the equipment you wanted, are you just going to leave?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. I suppose so…”
For some reason, Sophia didn’t want to part with the blond boy like this.
“Then, if you don’t mind, could you help me with my shopping?”
“?! Oh my… You mean, shopping for you, Miss Sophia?”
“Yes. I’m also a Hunter, so I was looking around this area.”
Just like he had helped her earlier, she asked the blond boy to help her now.
“When there’s someone in the same industry, I can ask for their opinion. If you have time, would you help me?”
Normally, he should have naturally declined and slowly left this place, but…
“…If you wish, Miss Sophia.”
Mothers were truly amazing beings.
Although there were many people around him who could replace his mother, Han Jae-won couldn’t refuse her request.
Because the person in front of him was his real mother.
“Lead the way. I’ll follow.”
“Oh, okay…”
That’s why Han Jae-won, knowing he shouldn’t, wanted to live in this fantasy for a little while and followed Sophia.
‘…Come to think of it, have I ever told her my name?’
A gentle smile appeared on his lips.
***
His mother was indeed a very smart person.
“This is for treatment, and this is for combat… Oh, we need to buy this in case of retreat.”
She was much more thorough than he had heard and never spent money on useless things.
Moreover,
“Oh, I should give this to Shin-woo!”
“…!”
…She loved Han Shin-woo more than anyone else.
“Yes! That should be enough! Thank you for helping with the shopping!”
“No problem…”
It was hard.
It was painful.
Knowing what would happen in the future, he wanted to stop her immediately.
Even if it meant he would not be born, if it could make his mother happy.
“…Do you love Han Shin-woo?”
“Pardon?”
Han Jae-won wanted to protect his mother.
“But that guy is a monster.”
“…! How do you know that…”
“That’s not important right now, Miss Sophia.”
An action that wasn’t part of the original plan.
But Han Jae-won didn’t regret it at all.
Even if he suddenly disappeared from here, it meant the future had changed.
He felt he could close his eyes with a happy heart.
“Stay away from Han Shin-woo.”
“……”
“That guy will stab you in the back someday.”
Even after the warning, there was no change in his body.
It meant his mother still loved Han Shin-woo.
So, to somehow prevent their relationship,
“That guy will make you unhappy, Miss Sophia.”
“……”
“You’ll get hurt by someone you trust!”
Just before parting, Han Jae-won tried to turn his mother’s heart by badmouthing Han Shin-woo as much as he could.
But it didn’t make sense that a love nurtured under the same roof for over ten years would be broken by the words of a boy she just met.
Swoosh.
Seeing the hand rising in front of his face, Han Jae-won could only sigh softly.
‘As expected, Han Shin-woo is important to her…’
After all, he had openly insulted someone she cherished, so it was only natural to get slapped.
But it was the first time his mother had punished him like this.
He never imagined it would be this painful.
Even though he hadn’t been hit yet, his whole body was trembling, and he felt so much pain that he couldn’t even breathe properly.
It was unfair.
It was just so unfair that he couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.
However.
“Are you okay?”
“…Huh?”
His mother suddenly asked about his well-being.
Only then did Han Jae-won realize what had happened to him.
“You’re crying. Did something bad happen?”
“…!”
Tears he thought had dried up completely after acquiring the monster transformation.
Only when he was told that he was crying did Han Jae-won realize he was shedding tears.
“Oh, no… I, I…”
A man crying after badmouthing someone.
It would be seen as suspicious.
No, more than that, he didn’t want to appear strange to his mother.
So Han Jae-won turned his body as much as possible to hide his face from Sophia and tried to stop crying alone.
But the emotional dam that had started to crack continued to collapse uncontrollably.
“Damn… Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
Was it because he had met his real family?
He couldn’t control his emotions at all, and when he was trying to hold on to his sanity somehow.
Swoosh.
“…!”
“If you want to cry, just cry.”
His mother had already approached him.
Like before, Sophia gently placed her hand on the cheek of the blond boy, who was shedding countless tears, as if to say it was okay to pour out all his sad feelings on this hand.
“If you want to cry, just cry.”
“Hic… sob… I, I…”
“I understand. It’s been really hard, hasn’t it?”
“…!”
“So if it’s hard, just cry. I’ll watch over you.”
Sophia, not knowing why, felt she should do this and decided to be a support for the boy.
And that appearance of his mother.
“If you’re sad, just cry.”
“B-but…!”
“Just cry. In this already broken world, what’s there to hide?”
She looked so much like his mentor who had taught him.
“Ah, ah, ah, ahhh!”
In the end, Han Jae-won couldn’t hold back his tears and cried, and Sophia took a step closer and warmly embraced the boy.
***
A port city located at the easternmost tip of Shandong Province, China, connected to the western sea of Korea.
Weihai City.
Currently, there were 50,000 Chinese marines disguised as Triad members waiting there, ready to ‘support’ Korea as soon as the order was given.
“Wow, who would have thought we’d end up wearing military uniforms…”
“This is all thanks to the boss, isn’t it?”
“So are we officially soldiers now?”
“The boss told us not to cause trouble until he fully settled in Korea. Until then, let’s just handle the Joseonjok here in China.”
The annihilation of US forces in Korea.
Due to this incident, the influence of the US in Korea had drastically weakened, and the Chinese radicals saw this as an opportunity.
Moreover, they managed to recruit a nationally powerful Hunter who was strong but had a naive mindset.
‘If things go wrong, we’ll just blame it all on her.’
An ideal plan with no harm to the radical party.
While they were eagerly anticipating their advance to the Korean Peninsula, today as well, the boss appeared before everyone.
“Bo, boss!”
“Everyone quiet! The boss is here!”
The boss who led the 50,000 Triad members.
He was also a person with enough political power to step into the Chinese legislative body.
He was one of the figures from the time of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Though now a relic, he still had considerable influence as an old man.
At the same time, he was the godfather of the shadows in China, who had supported the Triad from behind the scenes.
His name was Rahui Zhaodong.
“Hahaha!”
Although he had lived over 100 years, his body was still massive and muscular.
A strange man who laughed heartily
, shaking his dead white hair as if it were a decoration.
He always told his Triad juniors the same thing.
“My comrades and brothers.”
“””Yes, boss!”””
“I hate majority rule.”
The 50,000 Triad members gathered all nodded vigorously at his words.
Since his words were like divine truth to them, Rahui’s words created an absolute faith akin to prophecy.
“I hate the weak, I hate the outdated, and I hate those who want to be treated like humans while being like scum.”
“””……”””
“That’s why I hate majority rule. Because it’s wrong. Why should I, who can build a city with a single punch, have the same vote as some beggar who gets their food by begging?”
“””You are absolutely right!!”””
“In that sense, I also find Korea despicable.”
Rahui, looking at his 50,000 Triad soldiers, spoke confidently.
“After all the care we’ve given them throughout history, they now live hiding behind America. Should we consider them human?”
“””No!!”””
“Should we just watch as they team up with war criminals and fight among themselves?”
“””No!!!”””
“Let’s go to Korea. And let’s teach them.”
To teach the weak that it’s natural for the strong to rule.
As an elder brother to a younger brother, it was time to show that again to the small nation.
This was Rahui’s absolute and unchanging law.
“It is the inevitable duty of the elder brother to correct the younger brother’s wrong path.”