Chapter: 202
[In recognition of these contributions, I hereby appoint Hero Yoon Si-woo as the 2nd Squad Leader of Astrape.]
After the theatrical presentation designed to draw people’s attention, the appointment ceremony officially concluded with Yoon Si-woo being appointed as the squad leader, ending on a high note.
Wow-!!!
As soon as the ceremony ended, cheers and applause erupted from all around.
It seems that the show from earlier really did have an effect.
Even those who were initially indifferent have now turned into fervent fans.
Honestly, I was a bit worried that seeing such a crowd might overwhelm Yoon Si-woo, but it seems those worries were unfounded.
Look at him, smiling and waving at the crowd from the platform; there’s no way he’s feeling burdened right now.
While I was chuckling at the sight of Yoon Si-woo responding to the crowd like a 10-year veteran idol, I felt a little tugging at my sleeve beside me.
“Sis! Look at this!”
When I turned around, Rion was confidently holding out a bouquet of flowers with a proud expression.
So that’s what she was hastily preparing earlier.
“Did you make this as a gift?”
“Yeah! I gathered flowers with the director and the kids to give to big brother! Isn’t it pretty? These flowers were picked by me!”
I thought the mismatch of colors in the bouquet made it look odd for a store-bought arrangement, but I didn’t realize it was handmade.
Of course, that didn’t mean it was less beautiful than a store bouquet.
Those kids, holding hands tightly to make sure the flowers wouldn’t fall, created this bouquet with love, picking each bloom carefully.
Is there any bouquet in the world that could be more valuable than this?
I could imagine that Yoon Si-woo would naturally wear a smile like mine when he received this bouquet.
With a proud dad smile, I ruffled Rion’s hair as she excitedly showcased the bouquet they made.
“Yeah, it’s beautiful. I’m sure Yoon Si-woo will be really happy when he receives it from you guys.”
At that, Rion tilted her head as if puzzled by my words.
“Huh? No! You’re the one who’s supposed to give it to him, sis!”
“Eh? Me?”
“Yeah!”
As I pointed to myself, Rion nodded vigorously.
Wait, you went through all that effort making it, and now you want me to deliver it?
In a bit of a panic, I turned to Director Maria beside us.
“Um, Director? They want me to deliver that bouquet, is that alright?”
“Of course, it was intended for you to do so since you were coming along. Yoon Si-woo would definitely appreciate receiving it from you more than from us or Scarlet.”
The director answered me with a smile, but I was baffled by her response.
I mean, why would someone like me, who he can see anytime at home, have any meaningful impact delivering a bouquet?
I protested, thinking it was too precious a bouquet to be delivered just like that.
“That can’t be right… I doubt he’d feel anything special receiving it from me… Wouldn’t it be better if you guys went and delivered it?”
“……Is that really how you feel?”
The director looked at me, incredulously.
As I met her gaze, I silently affirmed, feeling as if it was a matter of course. The director then had an expression of realization,
“Oh dear, Si-woo… you’re facing a tough road ahead…”
She muttered something I didn’t quite understand before suddenly taking my hand tightly.
“Look at the crowd out there. I’m worried about getting lost in all those people with the kids… Plus, I’m starting to feel my age, and I’d get sore from walking too much. So could you please deliver that bouquet to Si-woo instead of us?”
I gazed at the bustling crowd in the square at the director’s words.
She was right; if I had to push through all that to reach the platform, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone got lost.
I guess I have no choice now.
Since the director went out of her way to ask me, I nodded and said,
“…Alright. I’ll deliver it.”
“Thank you, Scarlet.”
“Not a problem. I’m sure Yoon Si-woo will be really grateful to you for this bouquet.”
Upon hearing my words, the director chuckled softly, her smile radiant.
“He better be grateful. I went through all this trouble to arrange it.”
It seemed the director really put a lot of effort into making the bouquet.
*
As I made my way through the crowd to deliver the bouquet, I found the platform crowded with people busily clearing up after the appointment ceremony.
“What brings you here, Scarlet?”
While looking around to spot Yoon Si-woo, I caught Sylvia approaching me after momentarily pausing her instructions to others.
“Ah… I’m here to deliver this to Yoon Si-woo.”
As I raised the bouquet for her to see, she nodded in understanding and pointed behind the platform.
“He’s waiting in the backstage tent over there. I’m really sorry, but if you need to talk, please keep it as brief as possible. He’s scheduled to go right to the frontline in ten minutes for a live broadcast handover with the former captain…”
“Don’t worry about that. I only need to deliver this.”
As I shrugged off Sylvia’s concern, I pondered on what else Yoon Si-woo might be bustling about.
He was the youngest captain in history after all; it wouldn’t do to let such a trophy just sit around.
As those thoughts crossed my mind, another voice rang out, calling for Sylvia amidst the hustle and bustle as I exchanged brief greetings before heading toward the tent where Yoon Si-woo was.
“I never thought I’d be assigned such a ridiculous production during my lifetime… How does it feel to be our youngest captain, making a superior work for you?”
“Haha…”
“Seriously, it feels like just yesterday when you joined us as a newbie…”
“Right? I couldn’t believe it either…”
As I neared the tent, I could hear voices from inside, suggesting that there were guests present.
Peeking through the open flap, I caught sight of Martina chatting with Yoon Si-woo.
“It feels strange… I honestly thought that if you became captain, it would be of our group.”
“Really? I heard they drew lots to get you. That’s what Captain Natalia mentioned last time.”
“Hey! That part’s true! But you know how much I cared for you!”
Just as I was thinking to make my presence known, I decided to wait outside for their conversation to conclude since I only meant to hand over the bouquet.
Then, unexpectedly, I heard a topic that was too sensitive to ignore.
“Anyway, it’s not just about that… you know, because of your parents…”
“Ah…”
I caught word of an unavoidable topic as I overheard the conversation regarding Yoon Si-woo’s parents.
It dawned on me that aside from knowing Yoon Si-woo’s parents passed away when he was young, I didn’t really know anything else about them.
It hadn’t been explicitly mentioned in the original story either.
Curiosity piqued, I leaned in to listen closer to Martina’s voice.
“…The one who killed your parents was that reckless fire beast; the Demon Beast of Fury is under our jurisdiction. So I thought you’d want to avenge them, even if you had to force your way to stay with us. If that were the case, I would have punched you, though.”
What I overheard was nothing short of shocking.
The reckless beast she mentioned was surely referring to the furious demonic beast that had abducted me previously.
So that meant Yoon Si-woo’s parents were killed by that beast.
And that beast was a Fury Beast.
The mastermind behind creating that beast was…
“Ah…”
In a moment of distraction, the bouquet slipped from my fingers and fell to the ground.
As if sensing the sound, Yoon Si-woo turned his gaze toward me.
“…Scarlet?”
Our eyes met.
If only I could see just a touch of resentment in his gaze toward me.
Instead, all I saw in those eyes was the overwhelming concern of whether I had overheard their conversation.
Those eyes were proof that he’d known this all along while still treating me the way he had.
And so, too ashamed to face him knowing the truth, I mumbled,
“…I’m sorry.”
I turned and hurriedly fled the scene, leaving behind the bouquet I failed to deliver and those few words.
*
When I came to my senses, I found myself at home.
“Hah… ugh…”
Having run all the way home, my chest felt tight.
Not due to the running, but because a far heavier weight was pressing down on me—guilt.
The thought that Yoon Si-woo’s parents might have died because of me haunted me.
…I knew how foolish that thought sounded even to myself.
I hadn’t created that demonic beast.
Whatever the Fury Witch did in the past wasn’t my doing, and I had no reason to feel guilty about it at all, I realized that too.
“…Ugh.”
But knowing didn’t prevent me from spiraling into those thoughts repeatedly.
If the witch inside me was the original reason Yoon Si-woo’s parents were dead, then maybe I was slightly at fault as well.
That kind of ridiculous thought wouldn’t leave my mind because my parents were such colossal figures in my life.
Both my mother and father were irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind treasures in this world for me.
And I imagined Yoon Si-woo felt the same way.
He had lost such significant people to that beast.
If that’s the case, could I really not bear resentment toward that beast?
Could I truly blame not the witch who created that beast?
Could I also not blame myself, the one holding the witch within me?
I didn’t have the confidence to do so.
That’s why I couldn’t lift my head in front of Yoon Si-woo.
“…”
How much time had passed since returning home?
Noticing that there was no sign of anyone arriving, I felt relieved that Yoon Si-woo hadn’t followed me.
He looked so frantic before I left, I had half expected him to come running after me.
But now that I thought about it, he had mentioned a schedule that he couldn’t skip.
Maybe that was why he didn’t follow.
At least he didn’t drop everything to come after me, and I was thankful for that.
Had he done so, I might have been a bit disappointed in him.
He had broken the promise to prioritize others over me from the last time.
…Of course, that was just an excuse; I probably just thought it was a relief I didn’t have to face Yoon Si-woo right now.
“…He mentioned a live broadcast.”
While curled up on the sofa, I recalled Sylvia’s comment and cautiously turned on the TV.
Although I was terrified to see Yoon Si-woo’s face, it felt oddly ironic that I was doing this despite that fear.
Perhaps I wanted to confirm something.
Whether or not he truly resented me.
“…Ah.”
The screen showed Yoon Si-woo fiercely battling against the demonic beasts.
Although the armored figure on the screen was unmistakably a knight, I recognized that it was Yoon Si-woo.
I hadn’t seen it in person, but I had observed such abilities in the original story.
It brought an involuntary smile to my lips.
I knew precious little about his parents, yet I was aware of all these details about him.
I laughed briefly before my expression fell.
On screen, Yoon Si-woo swung his sword with ferocity against the demonic beasts, looking positively furious.
Perhaps he truly loathed them.
I couldn’t shake the thought that, somewhere deep down, Yoon Si-woo might be blaming me too.
Yet, I deserved such treatment.
How could I act like I was his friend when I had no clue why his parents met such a fate?
I scolded myself, realizing I hadn’t even been able to deliver the bouquet, and chastised myself further for being such a foolish person who couldn’t even fulfill that simple request.
It felt like everything was my fault.
I had promised myself not long ago that I would find happiness, yet I wondered if someone like me could even deserve happiness in the first place.
Just then, my phone buzzed with a notification.
[Turn on the TV.]
The text from Yoon Si-woo read.
Dazed, I stared at the screen, just in time to see him removing his armor, suggesting the fight had concluded.
On the screen, Yoon Si-woo put his phone back in his pocket and fixated his intense gaze straight ahead.
As if to say he had something to share with me.
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