I Became A Married Man in Another World
Chapter 80
080 I Met That Child [Example of Zentangle]
080 I Met That Child
Running. Running. Running. For the first time in a long while, she kicked off the ground and ran, feeling the wind to her heart’s content.
Yesterday’s today and today’s today are different. Because today, she met that child. She hadn’t quite understood what the woman meant when she spoke of it, but now, for some reason, she felt she did. She felt as though she had become smarter.
‘But he was different from what I imagined.’
She thought he would be someone cuter and prettier. Because the woman always said he was so small and cute.
So, she had imagined the child she would one day meet to be a soft, fluffy, and adorable person.
But the child was large. His face… well, it wasn’t that he couldn’t be called cute.
‘Ah!’
Perhaps that was the [nostalgia filter] the woman’s husband had mentioned. Whenever she called him a cute child, her husband would laugh and ask how such a big fellow could be cute. He’d say there was no way a [middle schooler] bigger than an adult could be a small, cute child.
She didn’t know what a middle schooler was, but she didn’t ask. She didn’t want to interrupt their conversation. She just liked listening to their stories.
When she first met the two of them, their faces were smooth. But as time passed, many wrinkles appeared on their faces. People began to call them Grandmother and Grandfather.
Yet, in her current memories, they were very young. She didn’t know why, but they appeared as they did when she first met them. She had to intentionally try to remember their wrinkled faces from the time they died. It seemed the prettier versions remained in her head.
‘Is this the nostalgia filter?’
It was a strange feeling. The “cute child” the woman spoke of was a nostalgia filter, and the young versions of the two people she recalled were also a nostalgia filter. She was incredibly happy that she could think and feel exactly as they did.
“Hehe.”
The graves of the two were located behind the house where the girl had lived until recently. She had continued to live in that house and by those graves until the man called the Guild Master came to fetch her.
Running there in a single breath, the girl scattered the grass she had just pulled from the field.
She heard that one was supposed to scatter flowers. Flowers called chrysanthemums, she was told.
No, was she supposed to just place them rather than scatter them? Regardless, she just had to give flowers to the grave. Since it was hard to find flowers in this season, she had no choice but to bring the prettiest-looking grass.
She knelt before the grave and bowed her body low. This was called a kowtow. She had learned it from the woman’s husband.
The husband had also said it would be good to pour alcohol after bowing. It was something he liked. But alcohol was expensive.
She couldn’t afford it with the money she had. Instead, she brought lake water in the leather pouch the two had left behind.
After sprinkling both, her heart felt full.
[When you meet that child, I want you to sprinkle it on our graves then.
Not before. Don’t do anything. If a long time passes and you still haven’t met the child, then go find Santa and beat him half to death. Understand?]
Those were the woman’s last words. Her husband had been smiling quietly.
‘I met him. I met that child.’
She spoke while looking at the small grave. As always, no answer came. A little water came from her eyes. The girl dabbed at her eyes with her finger, looked at the moisture, and let out a laugh.
“Oh, I’m crying.”
The two had died together. It was because the woman had grown very wrinkled and her eyes had gradually failed her. They said she was sick. That she was dying.
So, the husband had asked the girl to do a Zentangle for her.
[I don’t want her to die alone. I want to enter the grave together. I want both me and my wife to die without pain.]
After hearing those words, the son the two had adopted cried for a long time, and that adopted son’s daughter cried for a long time as well.
The girl did not cry. Back then, she didn’t really know what crying was. She couldn’t understand why the adopted son and his daughter were pouring water from their eyes.
As requested, she drew beautiful patterns onto their bodies.
Circles, squares, triangles, flowers, and stars. She filled the two with the most beautiful things she could imagine.
The girl’s patterns, which the woman called Zentangle, made all their pain vanish. And they allowed them to stop breathing as if they were falling asleep. The two passed away with their skin covered in beautiful patterns.
It was only much later that she understood why the adopted son and his daughter had cried. Once a person enters a grave, they can no longer speak. That is what death is. She had heard the explanation, but she only truly realized what it meant long after the two were buried together.
Knowing she could never see them again, the girl became sad too.
But even though she was sad, no tears came. She had learned what crying was, but the tears wouldn’t fall… She felt a bit frustrated, but there was nothing she could do.
But now, I can cry too. I don’t know why I’m crying when I’m not sad, but the tears are coming out anyway.
“Ah!”
Belatedly, the girl realized she had made a mistake. Because she was in such a hurry to come to the grave and say she had met the child, she forgot to tell him her name. It was a rule among humans to say one’s name when meeting.
The woman and her husband had given the girl the name ‘Yeonhwa.’
It was a name given so she wouldn’t be lonely even after they were gone from this world. They said Yeonhwa was the woman’s name.
[If you have my name, it’s the same as us always being together.
Even when you meet Santa and give him a piece of your mind, it’ll be the same as me hitting him. Good, right?]
The words the woman spoke echoed in her head. Ever since the two entered the grave, she found herself imagining things more often. She thought and thought again so she wouldn’t forget the things they had said.
The girl, Yeonhwa, nodded her head.
“Yes, it’s good.”
What she had to do from now on was to always stay by his side and protect him. And to give Santa a piece of her mind.
Of course, since she met the child, she didn’t have to hit him, but he had waited too long. The woman thought she would meet the child while she was still alive, but it was too late. If it were her, she definitely would have given him a blow.
“…”
Yeonhwa smiled brightly at the grave and spoke.
“I won’t be able to come often from now on. But I’ll come once in a while. When the season for flowers comes, I’ll bring flowers. I’ll bring alcohol once I have money.”
What the woman in the grave had wished from Santa was a being that would always stay by her beloved son’s side and protect him.
Her wish had been granted.
Because from now on, she would always protect him.
Lij’s heart, which had been full of happiness thanks to the Screaming Carrots, was now overcast with dark clouds. Originally, since silver coins had turned into gold coins, it should have been a truly happy day.
Juhwan walked through the central square with one arm around his wife’s shoulder.
The pace they set as they walked together was exceptionally slow.
Perhaps because the rumors about the Screaming Carrots had spread, there were people who occasionally went out of their way to come and look at their faces.
Even Dorothy, who hadn’t realized it at first, noticed when people stared while whispering “carrot, carrot.”
Dorothy pulled down the opening of her front pouch, letting Oz’s face peek out, and held her nose high.
Her nose went higher and higher. Now, her nostrils were practically visible to the people in front of her.
At that sight, Lij gave a small laugh.
“Finally, a smile.”
“…”
When Juhwan tightened his arm around her shoulder, Lij leaned her head against him.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“…”
She became gloomy again. Her slender, small frame seemed to shrink even further.
“Lij, I know what you’re anxious about. But there’s no need to worry. Earlier, you heard me say I’m Santa’s contractor, right? It’s true. I came to this country after making a wish.”
“…”
“Do you know what I wished for?”
“…”
Lij’s body stiffened slightly. Perhaps she thought it was for strong mana, the power of a Fire Magician, money, or something like that. Looking at what Juhwan currently possessed, it would certainly seem that way.
“What I wanted was a wife and a child. That’s you and Dorothy.”
“Oh…”
Lij lifted her head and looked up at Juhwan.
“You and Dorothy are my wish.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
It was the middle of the square.
People were passing by, and there were even those who went out of their way to look at them, but Lij stopped in her tracks and began to shed thick tears.
In an instant, tears poured out so heavily she could hardly see.
“Oh.”
People stared as they passed, and others whispered and stared again.
Juhwan was flustered and didn’t know what to do, his hand gripping, then releasing, then regripping Lij’s shoulder. He wanted to wipe her tears, but her entire face was wet. He felt as though if he wiped them with his hand, her whole face would become a mess.
Dorothy hurriedly reached into her front pouch. After rummaging under Oz’s bottom, she pulled out a small towel.
“Daddy, here!”
It was something Lij had made for Dorothy. In the corner, there was a small embroidery of a rabbit. It wasn’t made with expensive embroidery thread, but with the ordinary thread used for sewing.
But Dorothy loved it so much that she never lent this towel to anyone. Dorothy herself rarely used it. She just kept it like a treasure.
It seemed that, in Dorothy’s eyes, it was an emergency situation worth offering her precious towel. It was the same for Juhwan.
Holding the small towel in his large hand, he carefully wiped Lij’s face. Lij laughed through her tears. If he had known she would find such peace of mind, he would have told her sooner. He felt a bit guilty.
They had originally planned to do some shopping, but they simply returned to the inn.
Because Lij had cried so much she was exhausted, they didn’t have the energy to wander around.
That evening, they ordered the inn’s special menu. They received thick meat seasoned with salt and herbs, a stew with plenty of ingredients, and bread with a rustic flavor.
It wasn’t anything particularly special just because it was a “special menu.” It was just that the portion was nearly double the size and included a cheap wine.
However, it was as delicious as anything they had eaten in the city of Moderni. Both Dorothy and Lij ate much more than their usual portions, stuffing themselves.
Oz also received a person-sized portion of thick meat. He seemed to be eating it bit by bit with his small mouth, but the meat vanished in an instant.
Dorothy was delighted, but Lij looked troubled. She seemed worried about their future food expenses.
When Juhwan laughed because their behavior was so cute, they both got a little angry.
Seeing them like that, he thought that even though they weren’t blood-related, the two looked alike. As more time passed, would all three of them, including Juhwan, grow to resemble each other? It was a strange feeling.
After Dorothy fell asleep, it was time for the couple. Under the soft light of the lamp, Lij looked cute as she acted strangely shy. Even though they had shared their bodies many times, she still seemed to be bashful.
“…”
Was this also one of Santa’s gifts? Today is lovelier than yesterday, the moment after realizing he loved her is better than the moment he first met her.
Like the sand of an hourglass slowly trickling down to pile up on a wide beach, his emotions were deepening.
A surge of affection welled up, and the words came out before he knew it.
“I love you.”
When he whispered it, Lij’s entire body turned red, visible even under the dim lamp.
Lij’s hands, which had worked since she was young, were a bit rough. But her body was as soft as a newborn baby’s. When he lightly nipped and tasted her, she cried out in a sweet voice. Today, her voice felt exceptionally sweet.
*
He heard that the Red Swords had ordered the Karambits from the weapon shop on the day they sold the Screaming Carrots. Since Juhwan had gone with them on their first visit, they supposedly received a small discount. All three were restless, as they were told none had been made yet and they would have to wait at least five days.
Juhwan took on a few more requests. Since the party numbers didn’t match, he decided to work separately from the Red Swords. The Red Swords seemed intent on continuing their herb gathering.
Since Juhwan planned to travel by carriage in the future, he spent a few days assisting with carriage repairs.
Nowhere in this world is there a service where you can call someone to tow your car if it breaks down, like on Earth. While he could leave formal repairs to professionals, he had to be able to perform emergency first aid himself if a problem arose on the road. To live here, he had no choice but to become a jack-of-all-trades who dabbled in everything.
Making a jige, hunting for his own food, butchering meat and skinning fur, repairing carriages…. The things he could do were increasing day by day.
‘At this rate, I’ve become quite accustomed to this world.’
He felt a bit proud, thinking he had become a pretty good husband.
While Juhwan assisted with carriage repairs, Lij took Dorothy with her to work on mending second-hand clothes.
Apparently, a request had come into the Guild from a merchant who had purchased a large quantity of low-ranking nobles’ clothing. He heard it was a job with decent pay.
Since it was sewing work, the request went to the village women rather than adventurers.
It seemed the Guild had several fake adventurer registrations for times like this. It was a setup where an adventurer under the Guild’s name took the job and then hired the women. In the end, it was as if the Guild was hiring the village women directly.
A significant number of women from the Adventurer Village flocked to the request. Since it was a rare side job, the village women were incredibly enthusiastic.
Sewing was also considerable labor. Juhwan thought perhaps Lij didn’t need to do such work, but her motivation was also great.
The sewing work was divided and allocated into several groups. It seemed to be enjoyable, as several women would gather to sew and chat.
Dorothy reportedly ran errands while the adults sewed.
He heard she brought needles, thread, and small pieces of fabric, or massaged the women’s shoulders. Dorothy’s wages were two palm-sized dolls and some scrap fabric.
Oz hadn’t done anything, yet for some reason, he came back with a pretty cape. The sight of the small rabbit wearing a cape was adorable.
When Juhwan and Lij looked at him and commented several times on how cute he was, Dorothy seemed a bit frustrated.
“Dorothy would be cute in a cape too.”
On the other hand, Oz seemed awkward in the cape. Once the cape was put on him, he sat perfectly still for a long time as if he were frozen, not moving an inch.
Eventually, Lij took it off. If she tried to bring the cape near him again, he would bolt away like a flash.
*
Carriage repairs, second-hand clothes mending—these were all tasks done within the Adventurer Village. Since work ended before sunset, Juhwan met with the Red Swords afterward to ask or hear about things an adventurer should know.
Each time, the Red Swords would teach him a few things that crossed their minds. Among those were stories about brothels. Hearing such things from women… Juhwan found it awkward to even look at their faces, so he just stared at the ceiling.
And three times a week, he received literacy lessons from the woman at the Guild who read letters.
He didn’t know her deep circumstances, but the reader seemed to be the daughter of a noble family. Her behavior and speech bore the marks of an upbringing received since childhood.
Lij watched her actions closely and secretly imitated them when she was alone.
In an empty space, she would pretend to pick up an object with her fingers, mimic the intonation to introduce herself by saying, “Hello, I am Lij,” or practice the pose of bowing her head slightly in greeting.
She looked exactly like a child playing house.
Perhaps the reader’s actions looked beautiful to her. In Juhwan’s eyes, the way Lij smiled brightly was far more elegant and beautiful.
When he subtly mentioned that, she was incredibly embarrassed to realize her actions had been caught.
“Lij, in my eyes, even if you don’t copy those things, you really are more beautiful. You’re cute and lovely.”
“…Oh, Juhwan, you really are something.”
She gave a slight sideward glance and a smirk. He had meant it sincerely, but Lij seemed to think it was just empty flattery.
And for some reason, the girl who had told him about Rudolph seemed to have started living in this village. He didn’t know where she lived, but she caught his eye from time to time.
