The Healing Solaris Cleric-Chapter 407: A Conversation is Needed (2)

Back when Han Jung-Woo hadn’t moved out of his parent’s home, he once watched a drama rerun on the weekend with his sister who had been sprawled on the couch in comfy clothes.

—Why is she taking Na-Ye when she’s not even her daughter?

—Na-Ye is Jung-Sun’s daughter.

“You think this is fun?”

“Yeah, it’s so entertaining!” 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The kind of dramas people often called makjang was filled with only provocative plot twists. Jung-Woo couldn’t understand how his sister enjoyed such shows.

“It doesn’t make sense that she didn’t know that, and the way her drink just drips out of her mouth looks totally unnatural.”

“Maybe she didn’t know. And if you heard something shocking while drinking juice, I bet you’d do that too.”

“No way. I might spew it out, but I wouldn’t just let it dribble like that.”

“You never know! People are unpredictable.”

Jung-Woo, now Kai, had the memory flash across his mind like a video because grapefruit juice was trickling from his mouth just like he watched on the show.

Oh... So this is why the drink spills out like that.

When someone suddenly heard shocking news, their jaw dropped, and that caused the drink in their mouth to spill out. As he realized this, the moment of silence could be felt on his skin.

The garden fell into silence. Helik looked very surprised, and Rashya kept glancing back and forth between Kai and Helik with a face full of amusement.

“Uh... Wh-what did you say again?” Helik finally came to her senses and asked again.

Then Yoo Ha-Rin’s cheeks turned red and she quietly said, “Kai confessed to me... and we’re in a relationship now.”

When did we do that?

Yoo Ha-Rin gently extended her left hand. “I-I even got a ring... A confession ring...”

Why is she lying like that?!

Not understanding the situation, Kai looked at Yoo Ha-Rin with his mouth hanging open.

“Hm...?” Rashya noticed his reaction before anyone else and tilted her head. “Kai, could I speak with you for a moment?”

She pulled him aside from the garden and asked, “Kai, I know this might sound odd, but why are you reacting that way?”

“Well...” Kai glanced at Yoo Ha-Rin and Helik and muttered, “Wow, this is crazy.”

He scratched his head and whispered to Rashya, “Am I actually going crazy? Because I seriously don’t remember confessing.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just what I said. I don’t remember confessing.”

“Then are you saying Ha-Rin is lying?”

“Well, I don’t know about that.”

“Didn’t you give her that ring?”

“Oh, that I did...”

At the same time, the memory of that moment flashed through Kai’s mind. He vividly recalled the way she had asked him to slip the ring onto her ring finger.

As his face hardened, Rashya jumped up and down to draw his attention. “Why? What? Did you just remember something? Tell me too!”

Kai awkwardly smiled and shook his head, saying, “N-no way... I really hope not...”

He briefly summarized the situation and asked in a desperate voice, “Surely she didn’t misunderstand that moment, right?”

“Most people would.”

“They would?!” Kai covered his mouth with his hand.

This is bad.

Now he was too embarrassed to even look at Ha-Rin’s face. Worse yet, there was something even more serious left unresolved.

I guess I’ll have to tell her that it wasn’t actually a confession back then...

Yoo Ha-Rin currently believed that the two of them had entered a romantic relationship.

Come to think of it, she has been texting and calling me more often lately.

Just a few days ago, she even asked if there was a time she could come over to cook for him. At the time, he had simply thought it was because they had grown closer.

“Whew, so that wasn’t it.” Kai crouched down where he stood and lowered his head.

Rashya crouched across from him and asked, “Kai, do you not like Ha-Rin?”

“Huh? Of course I do,” Kai responded in a tone asking as if that was even a question.

Regardless of her misunderstanding, Kai also had good feelings toward Yoo Ha-Rin. Not just as a comrade or a person.

When I gave her the ring...

It was true that her bright and beautiful smile at the time made his heart flutter. Since then, he had been subconsciously paying more attention to her.

“Then what’s the problem?” Rashya blinked her innocent eyes and asked.

"Well... this is a matter of conscience."

If he let it pass without saying anything, it would be incredibly disrespectful to Yoo Ha-Rin.

"Even if I get criticized for it, I still need to tell her the truth."

Kai revealed his firm resolve and tried to get up.

"Hold on a second,” Rasha gently pressed his shoulder.

She smiled kindly and said, "So then, you don’t dislike Ha-Rin, right?"

"Right."

"And if the chance came, you would be willing to be in a relationship with her?"

"Yes... But not like this. I want to confess properly and honestly..."

"Just hear me out first. So what would you do after telling her the truth?"

"They say the ground gets firmer after the rain. If we clear up the misunderstanding, maybe we’ll grow even closer. Then we can develop a new relationship..."

"I see..." Rasha let out a faint sigh and corrected Kai’s thinking."First of all, if you tell the truth now, that's not just rain. It's a typhoon."

"A typhoon...?"

"Yes. A super typhoon that rips everything, ground and all."

Kai stayed silent.

"And to be honest, wanting to tell the truth right now is actually a very selfish thought."

"But I can't just pretend I don't know. That would mean deceiving Ha-Rin."

"Sometimes not knowing is better. And also..." Rashya put on a somewhat serious expression as she said, "You must not hurt a girl who's fallen in love. Never."

"Then doesn't that make it even more important to tell her? So she doesn’t get hurt worse later on."

"Why are you starting with the idea of hurting her? Just don’t say anything. I’ll say it again, don’t hurt someone who likes you. Love and hate are separated by a single sheet of paper."

"Th-that's..." Kai felt a cold sweat soak down his back.

He hadn’t even felt this much pressure when facing the Demon King Angol Moa, or the Black Dragon’s 3 million army.

"But still, I should be even more careful not to deceive her because she’s important to me..."

"Ugh, so frustrating. Can I be blunt? In the end, the reason you want to tell Ha-Rin the truth is to clear your own guilty conscience. You haven’t even considered how she’ll feel. That’s a selfish thought."

Kai clamped his mouth shut. Maybe Rasha was right. Yoo Ha-Rin’s misunderstanding had started from a miscommunication. That mistake was his fault. Fixing that mistake might feel like the right thing to do, but from her point of view?

"Think about it from her side. She’s basically been celebrating on her own. How embarrassing would that be if you tell her the truth? She’ll probably feel like she's been turned into dust."

"Then what should I do...?"

"Don’t do anything." Rashya clasped his hand tightly and closed her eyes. "This will be a secret between the two of us. You’ll take it to your grave."

"Is this really okay?"

"If your conscience still bothers you that much, then tell the truth later. Like... when you're getting married, for example."

"Married..." Kai's eyes trembled.

Surely if two people dated seriously, marriage would eventually come.

"Alright..." Kai nodded slowly.

To be honest, he wasn’t entirely convinced by Rashya’s words. But when he turned to look at Ha-Rin, she was smiling brightly. She looked so happy it was almost enough to make him feel guilty for breathing.

"Come on, let’s head back," Rashya pushed on his thigh and waist.

When the two returned to their seats, Helik asked, "What were you two talking about for so long?"

"It’s a secret." Rashya brought a finger to her lips and smiled mischievously.

"W-what is it? Tell me too..."

"Should I?"

Helik whined, but Rashya just teased her and didn’t say a word.

"Ha-Rin."

"Yes?"

Kai turned his head and, as their eyes met, he said to Yoo Ha-Rin who was smiling brightly, "I’ll make you happy."

"Oh my..." Yoo Ha-Rin cupped her cheeks in her palms and murmured shyly, "I’m already happy every day..."

He was glad he didn’t tell the truth. He realized Rashya was right. Maybe it was just a way to make himself feel better, but he didn’t want to be the one who ruined her happiness.

I’ll do my best. I’ll never make her cry.

He made that firm resolve and continued chatting happily with the three of them.

***

Time passed, and the sun began to fall.

"Helik," Kai called out to her.

"Hmm?"

"There’s something I’d like to talk to you about."

His serious voice echoed in the ears of the three girls. Yoo Ha-Rin realized what Kai was about to talk about. It would surely be about Muldine.

"Rashya, you're working on establishing the Kal Rashya Order now, right? May I ask you a few things?" Yoo Ha-Rin asked.

"Yes, of course. But shall we head to the room since it’s getting dark?"

Quick-witted, Yoo Ha-Rin and Rashya exchanged winks and gave them space.

Now left with only the two of them, the garden suddenly felt vast. Just a moment ago, it had been filled with laughter, but now an inexplicable chill lingered in the air.

"Helik."

"Yes, go ahead."

Whenever Kai took on a serious demeanor, Helik also responded with all mischief set aside.

"Haha." Kai let out a soft chuckle. "Why are you so tense?"

"W-who said I was tense..." Helik muttered as she turned her head away in embarrassment.

"Come to think of it, I never got your opinion. What do you think?"

"Think about what?"

"About me and Ha-Rin... becoming a couple."

Helik tilted her head as she spoke, "Mm... I think the two of you suit each other well.”

"Honestly, that's unexpected... I thought you’d tear up, worrying I won't give you snacks and candy all the time anymore."

Only then did Helik look truly shocked and shout, "H-huh...?! Are you saying you'll stop giving me snacks and candy?!"

"No, of course not."

"Whew... That’s a relief." Helik breathed a genuine sigh of relief and patted her chest. "You and Yoo Ha-Rin make a good couple. You're both people I care about."

"Well, I understand the part about me, but why Ha-Rin?"

"Because neither of you expect anything from me." Helik muttered in a calm voice, "You see, there are many humans on this continent who follow me. An absurd number, actually."

A faint, sad smile spread across her lips. "They always want something from me. Sometimes it's money, sometimes power, sometimes a blazing kind of love."

As Helik looked up, the slowly setting sun reflected in her eyes. "But the two of you are not like that. You rather just tried to give me a little more candy or snacks. You never really asked me for anything. That’s why it’s easy being with you."

"I see..." Kai nodded. "You said something similar once before, didn’t you?"

"Mhm. Probably when we were playing the I Can Hear Your Voice game."

The I Can Hear Your Voice game was something Helik did when she was bored on the celestial island. One day, Kai made a toy telephone out of paper cups and string just to pass the time. Helik had taken the phone, dashed to the edge of the island, pressed one cup to her ear, and let the other dangle beneath the clouds. Through that cup, she would listen to the wishes humans made to her. Of course, she could hear their wishes without it, but she claimed it sounded clearer that way.

"A god is always expected to fulfill something. Not just me, but all gods are like that."

That was true. Humans always wished, prayed, and longed for things from them. Some put in great effort when they prayed, but others would send endless prayers without doing anything themselves.

"Well, let’s leave that topic there." Helik looked straight at Kai as she said, "I definitely feel most comfortable when it's just you and me. It really puts my heart at ease."

"I'm glad to hear that. But now I feel a bit bad," Kai said with an awkward expression. "Because the topic I want to discuss today might make you uncomfortable."

"Mmm... but since it’s you, I’ll forgive you."

After a moment of contemplation, Kai looked at the adorable god who had forgiven him and said, "Today, I’d like to talk about Muldine."