Chapter Text
One evening, after all the horrors of fighting the hunters had passed, all the people close to each other—bound together by one person—gathered for a joint rest at the Super Rock Villa.
In the evening, when the adults were already drinking warming beverages and the younger ones were supposed to be asleep, on this wonderful day they were allowed to stay up a little longer. Everyone sat together in the living room. Even Ron and his son were seated on the sofa with the others, because their young master insisted that they rest.
Everyone was as relaxed as could be and in high spirits. Even the busy ruler honored them with his presence during his, so to speak, vacation. And right now, in a most un-kingly fashion, he was lounging sprawled out on the sofa. The children—Raon, On, and Hong—as usual, were next to their guardian, discussing a game from Cale's world that they had played recently.
Cale had recently told the rest of the team about his transmigration, but it didn't ruin anyone's image of their close person. They took it quite calmly—after all, so many things had happened to this man, and they had hardly ever met the other one, except for his family. But he wasn't planning to tell them yet.
So that evening, they often asked him about the past.
—So it turns out you're of the same nationality?—Eruhaben inquired, remembering what Cale looked like in his previous body and now examining the two available Koreans.
Sui Khan decided to answer and added:
—Yes, that's right. If Cale and I were in our past bodies, it would be obvious right away.
Choi Jung Soo immediately shouted out with enthusiasm and pride:
—Well, with me and Uncle, anyone can tell we're relatives right away!
Choi Han glanced at his nephew a little awkwardly, but with a smile.
Lock said quietly:
—It was unexpected that Hyung came from another world…
Alberu voiced his initial opinion from when he first met the instructor:
—Still, the instructor's appearance is very unusual—I've never seen anything like it around here.
At so much attention to his person, Choi Han became embarrassed and even blushed. Lowering his head, he noticed Hong jumping onto his lap. The young cat, looking right into his face, immediately asked:
—So Choi is a surname?
—Yes, it's usually placed before the given name.
—So Han is the given name? How interesting! Does it mean something?
Not expecting such a barrage, Choi Han got a little flustered:
—Um, it's supposed to mean something, but I don't remember anymore.
The only thing he remembered was that in one meaning, his name meant "one." After all, in the Forest of Darkness, he had always thought: «Could it be that, with such a name, he would always be alone, enduring despair in this terrible forest?» In the end, that was the only meaning that stuck. But now he wasn't alone, so he could safely discard that meaning and not attach it to his name.
Cale, confirming his thoughts that he was not alone, answered calmly, of course:
—It has many meanings; one of them is "Great."
Raon, delighted with this new information about his family member, zipped quickly around the room:
—That means Choi Han is also great, just like me! Well, not exactly like me, but great in his own way! I knew that even without the meaning!
Choi Han answered with a smile:
—Of course, Raon-nim, you are very smart.
Mary commented in her emotionless voice:
—Indeed, great and strong. It suits him very well.
Choi Jung Soo, shifting attention to himself and giving his uncle a little break, shared another meaning:
—Also, our surname has, I'd say, a royal meaning!
Alberu chuckled, watching his dongsaeng's friend's smugness.
Cale, who had heard this many times already, rolled his eyes. Sui Khan giggled, knowing how many times this had happened.
—What does it mean, you glutton Jung Soo?
—Raon flew closer to him and sat on his head, asking with interest.
—Hey, I'm not a glutton! My name is also great, not gluttonous!
She was sitting on Cale's lap, calmly watching this heated discussion, but it was clear that she was genuinely interested in hearing the meanings of the names. Cale even began to wonder what the others' names would be back in Korea.
—Anyway, our surname means "Sublime." Our family possessed a unique sword technique, preserving it for many generations!
Lock's eyes lit up:
—Wow, such a beautiful meaning! And everyone has one like that, Hyung?—He turned enthusiastically to Han.
—Yes, both first names and surnames are written with hanja characters that originally have meanings.
Ron whispered quietly to his son:
—Puppies of the same litter.
Bikross snorted at his father's favorite description.
Raon poked Jung Soo in the cheek with his paw and asked:
—And what about the given name, then?
Seeing that Jung Soo was about to get worked up and drag it on, Sui Khan quickly said:
—His name means "Outstanding Justice" or "Superior Integrity."
Choi Jung Soo, who had just been planning to keep the suspense, looked at his Hyung as if he were a traitor. And he decided to retaliate as well:
—Ha! And yours means "Shining Leader"—Lee Su Hyuk!
Sui Khan shot him an annoyed look. And his red-haired dongsaeng only egged him on:
—That's why he's the team leader.
Sui Khan was already mentally planning how to arrange training for these two.
For some reason, Cale got goosebumps. A premonition of something terrible?
Catching on quickly, Raon shot over to his human like a bullet. He immediately asked about his guess:
—This is the same thing you told me when you gave me my name, isn't it? My name is also made of your hanja characters?
Cale nodded to Raon, and the little dragon, overjoyed, started zipping circles around the room.
—Hm? What did the unfortunate bastard tell you, Raon?—Apparently even Eruhaben had become interested in this topic.
Flying over to the elegantly seated golden dragon, he shared a precious memory:
—Grandpa Goldie! He said that according to my name, I will be a happy dragon!
Eruhaben smiled warmly and stroked the little dragon between his horns:
—So that's it.
Although Cale usually acted indifferent, over time one could understand that he showed his love and care through actions, not words. For example, despite all the benefits he could have taken from the jar, he gave it to Eruhaben so that he could continue living.
Choi Jung Soo, having realized something, looked at his pseudo-dongsaeng with a sly gaze. The latter deliberately ignored his hints, turning away in the opposite direction. Jung Soo decided to explain in more detail:
—"Raon" means "happy," and "Miru" means "dragon."
—Ooooh, you know that too!
—Ah-ha-ha, of course I do, how could I not!
He was still staring intently at Cale, and Cale still refused to pay him any attention. Because he would start hinting at that book he had shown him and teasing him about it.
Eruhaben also recalled something:
—And that thing Choi Han shouted after waking up—was that your name, you unfortunate bastard? How was it… K… Kim…?
—Kim Rok Soo, yes, that's it.
Rosalyn inquired:
—Mister Cale, what does it mean?
After a brief pause, he recalled the words his parents had instilled in him:
—A green sprout that breaks through the snow.
A person who, despite all of life's obstacles, continues on his own path.
For a few seconds, everyone fell silent. It was an ordinary contemplative silence, bringing no uncomfortable feelings. Cale calmly took a sip of wine. The first to break the silence was Ron:
—It suits you very well, young master.
Cale waved him off. He said calmly, looking meaningfully at the butler:
—I have abandoned it; it now belongs to someone else.
Sui Khan let out a not-at-all youthful sigh, saying:
—Dongsaeng, you can't just cross out your past like that—it's also an important part of you.
Lee Su Hyuk himself could not imagine a person to whom that name suited as well as it did his dongsaeng. And he did not want to discard the past connected to that person.
Cale, looking tired, said quietly:
—You know I'm not talking about us.
Yes, he knew that Cale didn't mean to throw away all the past events in his life on Earth along with the name. That he would never forget or give away those seven years he had spent with them. But there were moments in his life that he wanted to erase forever and forget together with the name. Especially the period after the death of his second family.
Looking sadly at Cale, Sui Khan seemed to try to convey all his feelings through his eyes—that he understood everything. Choi Jung Soo, who also looked sad, joined the silent dialogue.
They didn't even notice how silence had fallen and all attention was focused on this trio. From the outside, it looked as if they had their own silent language. They had known each other for so long that no words were needed to understand one another.
Jung Soo and Sui Khan tensed when they noticed that Cale was starting to withdraw into himself and, after exchanging a glance, quickly moved to action.
While On quickly jumped onto Grandpa Ron's lap from the whirlwind of events that had begun, Choi Jung Soo leaped up and, coming up behind Cale's chair, hugged him around the shoulders, resting his chin on the top of his head. Sui Khan simply crouched beside him, spreading his wings slightly.
Choi Jung Soo drawled:
—Haa. It doesn't matter what name you have now. You're still my dongsaeng.
Trying to squirm out of that grip and shake his head off, Cale protested as usual:
—I'm not your dongsaeng. We were born on the same day.
Seeing the familiar scene, Sui Khan exhaled and smiled. It was so nice to see that at least something never changed.
—I was born in the morning, so I'm older!Come on, call me Hyung. Hyu-u-u-ung.
The others relaxed too, although it was unusual for them to watch the relationship between these two. Rosalyn, sitting next to Choi Han and Lock, whispered to them that the two of them looked like real brothers.
—When you bring me proof, then I'll call you that.
—Hey, that's almost impossible!
Although this repetitive dialogue sometimes annoyed Cale, at the same time it brought him a sense of calm. Jung Soo and the Team Leader always knew how to bring him back to his senses.
Mary asked quietly:
—Young master Cale, do you share the same birthday?
Cale answered after Jung Soo had calmed down, though he still hadn't peeled himself off him (not that Cale was resisting much):
—Yes, and Choi Han has the same day too.
Becrock thought that on the young master's birthday, they should make a lot of Korean food. Well, maybe for the other Koreans too. So he inquired:
—Young master, what is the date?
—November 8th.
Alberu, Ron, and Eruhaben remembered that day when they had rescued Cale's sphere from the clutches of the White Star. What a terrible birthday.
—Whoa, Hyung, why didn't you tell us?—Lock asked Choi Han in surprise.
—I don't even know…
He himself had been surprised when, during the Trial of Despair, Cale-nim had said that. After all, he barely remembered the exact date. It was a mystery—how could Cale-nim have known that?
—On your next birthday, I'll give you so many apple pies that they won't fit in the room!
Cale thought about switching Raon from one food to another, but quickly changed his mind, recalling his impression of Raon's combination of Korean flavors.
Jung Soo was happy with any food:
—Woah, thank you, Raon-nim!
Rosalyn was very interested in their world, so changing the subject, she asked:
—And what was your kingdom called, or was it more like Earth 3 in terms of structure?
Cale was getting a little tired of answering questions, but today the atmosphere was especially conducive to conversation, and besides, his close friends were doing their best to steer away from painful topics:
—Earth 3 is something mixed between our worlds, so yes, it's very close to our Earth.
Sui Khan, like a true politician, began to get into it:
—South Korea is a republic that occupies the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.
While their leader was explaining to the others, Jung Soo finally sat down properly on the sofa and, together with Cale, melted into it, leaning against each other. One barely understood politics, the other disliked it even though he understood it well.
—Is there a separate Northern part?—Rosalyn asked.
—Yes, that's a separate state, but better not talk about it now ha-ha… Oh, do you know what a republic is?
Alberu, as a ruler, was also interested in this topic:
—While on Earth 3, we already learned what a republic, democracy, and so on are. It was surprising how people came to that type of governance, getting rid of the aristocracy. Although the elite still remained.
—Yes, it all started with…
No, Cale simply could not relax in such an atmosphere:
—Let the politics lovers chat later. The children are already falling asleep.
Indeed, the three children were already getting drowsy. Even Lock looked like he was about to fall asleep on Choi Han. Mary sat motionless, so it was unclear whether she was asleep or not.
—Ha-ha, yes, few people are interested in that. Well, if you're interested, my dongsaeng's Hyung can come to me.
Rosalyn, burning with a thirst for knowledge, decided to ask a topic that interested all the non-Koreans:
—Then, Mister Cale, one can see that you, Mister Sui Khan, and Choi Jung Soo are very close. Could you tell us your story?
All three froze in thought.
This was indeed the most interesting topic at the moment.
Sui Khan and Choi Jung Soo looked questioningly at Cale. He was lost in his own thoughts.
All the people in this room were bound by countless battles. They trusted each other with their lives. Therefore, seeing the interest in his life and the lives of his friends, with their permission, he decided to answer:
—I think I can.