The Saint Wants to Rest - Chapter 8.2
“Ah, I see. There’s Choi Jae-heon.”
Hong Seo-yun shaded his eyes with his hand, looking in the direction he pointed. Naturally, Ian’s gaze followed. For the first time in five years, he laid eyes on his one and only brother.
Ian’s lips parted slightly before pressing together again. His fingertips trembled. Yet, he didn’t draw back; he stepped forward.
One step, two steps. His pace quickened with every stride until he was sprinting.
“Ah!”
Someone let out a startled sound at the sight of him but didn’t move to stop him, likely because he was accompanied by Hong Seo-yun. Thanks to that, Ian reached his brother without any interference.
His chest heaved with ragged breaths.
“…Hyung!”
At Ian’s cry, Choi Jae-heon’s eyes went wide. He froze, staring blankly at Ian. After a heavy silence, Choi Jae-heon mirrored Ian’s reaction. His lips quivered in disbelief before he lunged forward, pulling Ian into a crushing embrace with trembling hands.
“Is this… a dream?”
Even with Ian held tightly in his arms, Choi Jae-heon let out that hollow whisper.
“It’s not a dream!”
Hong Seo-yun, who had closed the distance, shouted at him.
“It’s definitely not a dream! He’s not a fake, either!”
The strength in the arms wrapped around Ian intensified.
“Is it really… you?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
Only then did Choi Jae-heon let his strength fade, dropping his head onto Ian’s shoulder. It wasn’t long before the fabric of Ian’s shoulder began to dampen. Feeling the hot tears of his only family, the brother he had missed so desperately, Ian’s own eyes welled up.
“I really, really missed you!”
He had survived that other world by sheer desperation, all to return to the world where his brother was. The siblings clung to each other and sobbed for a long while.
The guild members, who had been watching the scene in a daze, exchanged glances and quietly began to clear the area to give them space.
“Are you okay?”
At Hong Seo-yun’s question, a man in a suit, Park Dae-gi, gave a faint smile. Hong Seo-yun knew why he asked; most of the people gathered here likely had similar circumstances.
“I’m good.”
“You’re good?”
“Because it gives us hope.”
No matter how strong a person is, they cannot endure without hope. Seeing someone finally find their family provided a sense of joy. Perhaps I, perhaps we, can find our families too.
“Tsk.”
Hong Seo-yun merely clicked his tongue and said nothing more. Under the direction of Stigma’s Vice-Captain, everyone withdrew. Only Choi Jae-heon, Ian, and Hong Seo-yun remained.
“Alright, alright, both of you stop crying.”
Ian had cried so much that his eyes were swollen like a goldfish’s. Choi Jae-heon, perhaps due to his sturdy physique, only had bloodshot eyes.
“If you’re going to keep crying, do it after we move.”
Hong Seo-yun ushered the two into the car, muttering that if he kept watching them, he’d start crying too. The two sat side-by-side in the back seat, leaving Hong Seo-yun to drive. In the past, Choi Jae-heon used to sit his younger brother between his knees, but after five years, they still seemed a bit awkward with each other.
Hong Seo-yun whistled and took the wheel.
“Where to? My place?”
“No, my house.”
“Shame.”
Despite his words, Hong Seo-yun naturally steered the car toward Choi Jae-heon’s residence.
Choi Jae-heon and Ian lived in a house in Seoul. They used to live in an apartment, but their parents had wanted to experience living in a house. So, they sold the apartment and bought a two-story house in a villa district.
Though the house was over 30 years old, it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. Despite the concrete floors, it was nice to have a small yard.
“Wow.”
The house stood before Ian’s eyes exactly as it had been. He had wondered if his brother had moved after becoming an S-rank Esper, but knowing he stayed in their original home felt strange yet touching. Hyung was waiting for me here all that time.
A silly, giddy smile escaped Ian’s lips. It was a wonderful feeling to know someone had been waiting. Yet, on the other hand, he felt a pang of regret and apology. What must his brother have been thinking while waiting all those years? When they first left the Gate, Hong Seo-yun had held his hand tight, but this time, it was his brother who gripped his hand.
His brother, who was already tall back then, seemed to have an even better physique now. But Ian knew he must have endured so much to gain that strength. The thought made his heart ache.
“Let’s go in.”
Choi Jae-heon opened the front gate. Ian followed him in, marveling once again at how the house hadn’t changed a bit.
“Should I come in too?”
Hong Seo-yun asked from outside the gate.
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