Chapter 90
The next morning, before dawn.
In the time before the sun rose, Yeoreum watched a horror movie, taking advantage of the moment when all the kids were asleep.
'It's a relief the kids are sleeping at home.'
She had been worried they might sleep outside because of training.
Today, they had said they would be sleeping at home since it was a day off.
How should I get them to sleep at home tomorrow?
As Yeoreum pondered, a terrifying ghost appeared on the television screen.
-Grrrrr...
The highlight scene where the protagonist and the ghost confronted each other.
At that critical moment, as Yeoreum swallowed nervously, Gyeoul's room door opened slowly.
"Gyeoul, you're up already?"
Yeoreum quickly changed the channel before Gyeoul's gaze reached the television.
It was a children's channel with cute characters.
"Yes..."
Gyeoul came toddling over, rubbing her eyes.
She sat down right next to Yeoreum, at a distance where their bodies almost touch.
"You woke up early today, Gyeoul?"
"Yes, I went to bed early yesterday."
Gyeoul said, looking at the television.
The children's program was showing a somewhat moral scene about why friends shouldn't fight.
Gyeoul would find this interesting, right?
She's still at the age to enjoy such things.
Yeoreum glanced at Gyeoul, but Gyeoul showed no interest whatsoever.
'Not interesting?'
If Gyeoul found it interesting, her ears and tail would have perked up excitedly.
However, Yeoreum noticed that Gyeoul's tail was expressing indifference.
"Gyeoul, do you find this boring?"
"Um... Yes..."
It's a channel for kids, after all.
No way an adult would find it interesting.
Gyeoul watched the television with an indifferent expression.
"I thought you'd like it because Mr. Penguin is in it."
"Oh, no, I don't really like it... It's too hopeful, and what it says doesn't match reality..."
Gyeoul hastily shook her head.
Wondering how one could think she'd like a children's program.
It was incomprehensible to Gyeoul.
"Not realistic?"
"Yes. The world isn't that easy. It's much more terrible..."
"Ah, okay..."
A child criticizing a children's program for not being realistic.
It could happen if the child were mature, but knowing Gyeoul's past, Yeoreum couldn't simply overlook it.
It wasn't because the children's program was too childish, but rather because she had experienced too much of the real world's horrors.
Yeoreum decided to quickly change the subject.
"So, what genre do you like, Gyeoul?"
"I like the brutal ones."
"Uh, okay...?"
"Like where there's a lot of fighting, or wars break out."
Especially the zombie apocalypse genre.
Gyeoul's tail wagged slightly.
"Why... do you like that genre, Gyeoul?"
It sounded like Yeoreum was questioning why Gyeoul would like such genres.
Gyeoul could only tilt her head in confusion at the suggestion.
The genres involving wars and fights were quite common.
"Because it's realistic...?"
"Re, realistic?"
The notion that stories filled with death and bloodshed were realistic made Yeoreum's pupils shake violently.
She wanted to assert that reality was never so harsh, but Yeoreum, knowing the life Gyeoul had lived, wouldn't be able to persuade her with just words.
It would have been an arrogant act to dismiss Gyeoul's life, which she had survived through day by day, in its entirety.
'So that's the reality Gyeoul lived...'
Yeoreum was able to experience Gyeoul's life indirectly through the videos.
A life like hell, without any hope whatsoever.
For Gyeoul, who had lived such a life, the concept of 'hope' must seem unrealistic.
It was no wonder Gyeoul disliked overly hopeful children's programs.
'The world is a terrible place, but...'
Still, Yeoreum wanted to show Gyeoul that there were places with hope.
Yeoreum forced a smile, though her lips struggled to rise.
"So, Gyeoul likes things that are realistic?"
"Yes. Do you want to watch a war movie?"
"Yeah. I like realistic things too."
Gyeoul might like the brutal genre because she wanted to feel a sense of relief.
Watching characters miserably survive might make her feel she's not the only one living a dreadful life.
Maybe the desperate genre felt like 'hope' to Gyeoul.
"But can you handle the cruel stuff?"
"No, actually, I can't really watch cruel things."
Yeoreum scratched her cheek and chuckled awkwardly.
She was embarrassed to admit that she was more ignorant about cruelty than an eight-year-old child.
"Should we watch something less cruel then?"
"Wow, can we?"
"Yes. Let's watch that. I saw the trailer, and it starts with the protagonist's family being massacred."
"That, um..."
The protagonist's family being massacred?
Isn't that an extremely cruel setup?
Yeoreum looked down at Gyeoul with bewildered eyes, then remembered Gyeoul's past and bit her lip.
'That's right...'
Gyeoul had been abandoned by her family and had seen all her close friends leave.
To Gyeoul, the massacre of an entire family would be trivial.
It was only then that Yeoreum realized.
To Gyeoul, the massacre of an entire family was just another scene.
Then what kind of cruel scene would satisfy Gyeoul?
Yeoreum was intensely curious but decided not to delve further.
She knew it was something a person who had lived a normal life couldn't handle.
'Um...'
Best not to think too deeply.
For now, she should just enjoy watching a movie with Gyeoul.
Yeoreum wrapped her arm around Gyeoul's shoulder, sitting next to her, and continued watching the movie.
Gyeoul had a knack for picking movies, as the film they watched turned out to be quite interesting.
Although the ending was terribly grim.
<+>
The movie Yeoreum and I watched was surprisingly more entertaining than expected.
It ended with the protagonist giving up on hope and taking their own life.
"Wow."
I couldn't help but clap.
Startled by the sudden noise, Yeoreum flinched and shivered.
"Did, did you enjoy it?"
"Yes. The shocking ending made it interesting."
That's how a movie should be.
For someone like me who enjoys cruel movies, it was truly satisfying.
"Uh, yeah. The protagonist was really pitiful. It would have been nice if they struggled a bit more at the end."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Life is precious, after all."
"Um... But I totally understood the protagonist's actions."
Did I say something strange?
Yeoreum froze in place.
She moved her lips as if she had something to say but didn't speak up.
It was a while before she finally spoke again.
"...Which part did you understand?"
"Taking their own life. They were put in such a difficult situation."
Their family was massacred, and they were left alone.
Surrounded by monsters from another world, they were in a helpless situation.
Rather than being horrifically torn apart and killed by the monsters, choosing to end their life cleanly might have been a better option.
Resisting in such a situation would only be possible for someone strong like Yeoreum.
It was definitely not a situation where a protagonist with ordinary abilities could do anything.
"So that's what Gyeoul thinks...?"
Yeoreum stroked my head with an awkward smile.
It seemed like the frequency of head pats had increased recently, but I didn't particularly mind.
"Ultimately, they'd die painfully at the hands of the monsters anyway. If they took their own life, there wouldn't be any pain. It's choosing a slightly easier path."
I couldn't help but laugh while saying this.
It had been so long since I had a discussion about people and movies.
Feeling like I had become a normal person made me incredibly happy.
"So... Yeah. Since it's going to be painful anyway, in some cases, taking one's own life might be the easier option?"
"Yes, that's right."
"I see..."
Yeoreum ran her hand down her arm.
Her unfocused eyes looked profoundly lonely.
She was hurt by the protagonist, who made a different decision than she would have to fight to the end.
'This is why I love movies.'
They provide philosophical food for thought.
"I respect the protagonist's choice. Not everyone is strong enough to fight against monsters."
"Yeah... But Gyeoul is strong, right?"
Strong?
Was she asking if I was strong enough to fight the monsters from the movie?
Even with my abilities, which had become much stronger than before, I doubted I could kill the monsters from the movie.
At best, I could handle small and weak creatures.
Having reached that conclusion, I shook my head towards Yeoreum.
"Who knows, maybe I would have done the same as the protagonist?"
"..."
Yeoreum didn't respond to my words.
She just hugged me tightly.
"Huh?"
Why switch from a discussion to a hug?
Though I didn't understand why, feeling the warmth of another person was comforting.
Having had a normal conversation about a movie made it seem like today was going to be a very happy day.
<+>
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