Eat The World Tree

“Uh.”

Cheondo, pressing her forehead, let out a gloomy sound. I approached her from behind and placed the ion beverage I had prepared earlier on top of her head.

“Ah, it’s cold!”

Startled, Cheondo’s head popped up. She recognized me and sighed in relief. A hiccup-like sound of air escaping came from her mouth.

“What’s the matter, Young Demon?”

“You’re the Young Demon.”

Hearing my words, Cheondo was startled and jumped up from her spot. She hastily looked around, then, realizing there was no one else around, sighed in relief.

“Don’t call me that outside. But… what is this?”

Cheondo took the can I offered. A blue ion beverage. Nothing beats pulling one from a vending machine on a hot summer day when you are thirsty.

“Sample…? What do you mean by that?”

Holding the can, Cheondo looked at me, unsure of what to do. She resembled a hamster clutching sunflower seeds.

I tapped the top of the can and flicked the tab with my fingernail.

-Click.

The sound of opening a can. Surprise filled Cheondo’s face.

“It’s fascinating. So, I just drink it?”

I nodded.

Cheondo cautiously brought the drink to her lips. The sound of the beverage going down her throat was audible.

-Gulp, gulp.

As she drank the ion beverage, her eyes blinked repeatedly with each sip. A perfect compound created at the pinnacle of scientific advancement enveloped her tongue.

About 5 seconds later, Cheondo put the can down with a satisfied look on her face.

“The water is cool and sweet…”

It was slightly frozen from the freezer, and being an ion beverage, it was quite sugary. Drinking it when tired and overheated provided a moment of bliss.

“Do you want some?”

“No, I had some earlier.”

I pulled a chair next to me and sat down. Cheondo, looking back and forth between the can and me, then pushed the can’s opening to my lips.

“We should share something like this.”

Reluctantly, I took a sip.

My teeth felt cold.

“Huhuhu. It’s cool, isn’t it?”

Cheondo’s smile was bright, childlike.

“Keke. So, why are you suddenly working?”

I returned her smile, casually voicing my curiosity. A flicker of hesitation crossed Cheondo’s face. Swiftly, she adopted a cheerful expression, placed the can on the desk, and scratched her cheek with her index finger.

“Well, it’s nothing. I’ve just been watching too much anime lately, and I started wondering if it was okay to keep doing that.”

With Cheonma increasingly absent, the disciples naturally found themselves with more free time. However, Cheondo was not one to waste her days idly. She devoted most of her time to personal training. If she were truly anxious about her current lifestyle, she would have increased her training time, so her excuse didn’t quite add up.

“Is that so?”

So, it’s a lie.

I gazed intently into Cheondo’s eyes. Sometimes, silence could coax a more genuine response.

Cheondo’s gaze shifted, evasive. Seemingly thirsty, she reached for the can again.

-Gulp, gulp.

She quenched her thirst.

Eventually, Cheondo spoke.

“…How do you manage to handle these things so smoothly, Brother Dowon?”

A single question. Cheondo’s lips formed a pout.

“Why?”

“Because it’s fascinating. You suddenly appeared, became the Young Demon, and now everyone trusts you.”

You’ve reorganized everything, eradicated corruption, and advanced our lifestyle by almost a century. All this, in just one month. It was undoubtedly a good thing for Dowon.

“…Public safety has improved, and the number of starving people has drastically decreased. At the inn where I work, they really like Brother, calling him a savior.”

It’s something the people of Dowon should be grateful for.

“But.”

As if mocking herself, Cheondo gripped the can tighter.

“…I just haven’t been feeling great lately. I guess it’s jealousy. I can’t do it like Brother.”

The same Young Demon, always comparing abilities.

This comparison gave rise to an inferiority complex. Even if you tried not to be conscious of it, the sprout of emotion grew.

“I want to be like Brother Dowon too.”

Yet, the emotion in her voice was closer to admiration than jealousy.

-Cheondo.

-Yes, Master.

-That guy. He’s quite useful.

The master always talked about Brother.

What he did today. What he taught this time. We always talked in my room in the evening, but he seldom spoke about the training.

-…That’s good.

The phrase I always repeated to the master whenever that person was mentioned.

It’s a good thing. It’s not something to be envious of when someone around me achieved something. It’s something to be happy about.

Jealousy? I thought not.

“Even if I’m falling behind, let’s try hard in my own way.”

Always working hard. Taking everything seriously. And through effort and perseverance.

But the master always put me in the background, always trying to compare me and Brother. Sometimes, there were really blunt questions.

Why couldn’t I do as much as him?

It really shouldn’t be like this. It even made me feel unpleasant.

The tail of questions was full of sorrow. I tried to inherit the name Cheonma. Could it be that I would never become Cheonma? But I thought I couldn’t stop now.

Until just before I heard that word from my master’s mouth.

-…So, how long will you stay in that position?

Just a week ago. Despite the lack of hostility in the master’s words, my heart sank.

Ah, perhaps, after all. Maybe I didn’t have the talent to satisfy my father.

How should I face Baekdo and Hwangdo? Yet, no tears came, probably because of the years of preparation to become Cheonma.

It’s ironic. Becoming the Young Demon and not being able to cry. Cheonma must always uphold integrity and stand tall with pride.

Standing above everyone, tears were not allowed for such a great person.

In the past, the sight of even a single tear would result in a severe beating from the master. Now, that training pains my heart.

“I want to be like Brother Dowon too.”

How ridiculous I must look.

Instead of assisting Brother with his work, I only ended up causing more trouble. Now, the emotions I had been holding back were on the verge of bursting.

But truly, I aspired to be like Brother. It was a feeling I had never experienced before, except with my master. It seemed like too lofty a goal, likely unattainable in my lifetime.

“Why do you want to be like me?”

“…Because you do everything so well.”

I deny it’s jealousy, yet my words betrayed a sentiment no different from jealousy. Shamefully, I was denying my own feelings.

Why did the emotions I had kept so tightly concealed around this man emerge so effortlessly? A considerable amount of time had passed since I began to ponder this.

I caressed the crumpled wrinkles of the can beverage given by Brother. At some point, sharing unfamiliar food and looking forward to watching cartoons became part of our reality.

I was jealous, but being together was also enjoyable.

It’s easier to say anything, meaningful or not, to someone you just met on the road and had no relation to. The closer you were, the more you tended to hold back.

Was it because we had no relation that I could express my feelings so openly? No, I realized that being with Brother had become a constant part of my daily life, a segment of my day. Our relationship had long surpassed being unrelated.

Yet, he never revealed his real name, stubbornly using the name I gave him.

He drew a line in our relationship, yet annoyingly always showed consideration, made concessions, and brought fun things. This man was remarkably considerate.

This time was no exception.

“You’ll probably become stronger than me soon enough. To the point where you could easily look down on me.”

He said things that didn’t quite resonate with me. I appreciated the consideration, but I was all too aware of my limitations.

Brother was smarter, more competent, stronger, and carried the expectations of our master. He treated even me, potentially a rival, with such warmth.

The fault did not lie with him, but with me.

“No, that probably won’t happen.”

“It will.”

With a natural expression, as if he knew everything, his gaze, though we’ve only spent a month together, felt like looking at someone who has shared numerous hardships with me.

His look reminded me of the gaze between a married couple at the inn where I worked, almost burdensome.

‘…What does he know about me?’

The thought momentarily nestled inside me. Frustrated and complicated feelings led to irritation.

“What do you know about me to say that?”

Perhaps that’s why I ended up saying something that should not have been said.

“…Huh!”

I was startled and covered my mouth. The annoyance was so unlike me that I hadn’t expected it to come from my own lips.

Swallowed by a belated feeling of remorse, my heart pounded with guilt, and the beverage I had earlier seemed to rise back up my throat.

Sitting silently, I was overwhelmed by a sense of wrongdoing.

“……”

Brother’s eyes were wide open, as if he couldn’t believe I would say such a thing. My heart kept fluttering at his look.

I had no intention of saying such things. I tightly closed my eyes, wishing I could also shut my ears.

Wishing to disappear into a mouse hole, I stood up and grabbed my things.

“…I’m sorry. I should go. You don’t have to come at night anymore.”

Run away.

I didn’t deserve to face Brother right now. As I tried to leave the building as quickly as possible, I hadn’t even taken a step when my shoulders were grabbed.

Brother came a step closer. The surprised expression was gone, replaced by a calm, gentle gaze.

“I’m sorry.”

What I heard was an apology.

“I didn’t consider your feelings.”

Brother’s actions were never a nuisance. He performed miracles for everyone in Dowon. There were times I felt proud when people spoke highly of him.

In the midst of dizziness, I hurriedly continued speaking.

“Why are you apologizing… It’s not something you should apologize for. No. It’s just. It’s because I’m lacking. The problem is with a person who became the Young Demon being jealous.”

Stumbling over my words, from a certain point, I wasn’t sure if what I was saying was right, or even if the words I chose carried the correct meaning.

“It’s all my fault, from start to finish…”

Brother let all those words pass and offered just one sentence.

“The mistake is, you’ve been doing well until now. You’ll do well in the future too.”

Praise. How long has it been since I heard such words from my master?

A lump formed in my throat, blocking it. I shook my head.

“I can’t do well.”

“That’s because you’re still young.”

“Are you old, Brother?”

“…I can’t say I’m old either.”

Tears didn’t come, but my shoulders shook. I hadn’t felt such a strong surge of emotions in a long time. Brother’s demeanor was always consistent. Even when he was as cold as ice at one point, he perfectly hid that emotion in front of me.

He was truly an inscrutable person. But I felt affection for him. Why?

Was it because of his puppy-like appearance that I wanted to embrace? Because he carelessly put his hand on my head without considering my feelings? Because he possessed talents that I didn’t have?

“…I thought I could do everything. But I’m losing confidence.”

The deeper my doubts, the more my pride plummeted, and I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

-Sniffles.

The fact that I couldn’t cry even in this situation felt very like me.

Suddenly, my body was pulled forward. A warm comfort touched my cheek, and the person in front of me supported my body, preventing me from falling.

“We’ll do well. Both you and I.”

It was a vague statement. I hadn’t been seeking comfort, nor did the words seem particularly comforting. If they were meant to be comforting, I found them quite clumsy.

Yet, the emotion conveyed through his voice, echoing in my ears, sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. It felt as though my frustration was dissolving.

It was like magic.

“Brother is really amazing. How can you… do so many things so effortlessly?”

The man spoke in a still gentle voice. The consistency of his emotions, unwaveringly reaching out, truly felt like trust and consideration.

“If I don’t do well, it won’t work.”

Brother’s hand tapped my back.

“…Because I’m a disciple of my master.”

Those words made my breath hitch.

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