Legal Disclaimer
This light novel is inspired by the beautiful landscapes and cultures of Bolivia and South Korea. However, the characters, events, and situations portrayed are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is purely coincidental. This content does not intend to represent or reflect the historical, social, or cultural reality of either country. The author disclaims any legal liability arising from the interpretation of these elements.
Chapter 11 — Strong Character
Ryu was still standing in the hallway, looking in the direction where Zayra had disappeared.
He narrowed his eyes, his hands clenching slightly into fists.
A barely perceptible sigh escaped as he tried to compose himself, as if trying to mentally reconstruct what had just happened.
His brow was still furrowed and his jaw was slightly tense.
He ran a hand over the back of his neck, trying to ease an undefined discomfort.
***
"Brother?" Min-Jun's familiar voice broke him out of his trance.
Ryu turned. Min-Jun was there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a smile that made it very clear he had seen everything.
"So… she's your fiancée," he said, amused.
"Well, now I get what the Latinos on the plane meant by 'women with character.'"
Ryu looked at him without saying anything, but his silence gave him away.
He pressed his lips together, a slight shake of his head indicating he didn't want to continue the conversation,
while his gaze became fixed and serious.
"I told you, didn't I? That I wanted to see 'strong character' with my own eyes.
I never actually thought I'd get to see it because of you." Min-Jun raised his eyebrows dramatically.
"And wow! It's real!"
Ryu exhaled softly, containing his annoyance. "Stop with the nonsense."
"It's not nonsense, Ryu. That girl almost launched a legal argument right there.
She even used the word 'retract.' Who says that in a normal argument?"
he chuckled.
"And on top of that, she gave you ten minutes. She timed you!
Not even my chemistry teacher or your Korean rules were that strict."
***
Ryu began to walk quickly toward his room, ignoring the comments.
His steps were measured but fast, his fist clenched for a moment, and his breathing somewhat contained.
"Brother!" Min-Jun shouted after him.
"Go get her backpack, for your own sake! If she got that worked up just because you called her a thief, I can't imagine how she'll be if you're late."
Ryu didn't respond. But he quickened his pace.
Min-Jun smiled, amused, and pulled out his phone to text his sister:
< "Seo-Yeon… you have to meet her. This is going to be good." >
In Bolivia, where life moves at the pace of the street and not the cameras, one can allow themselves certain liberties,
even joking with your brother without the world stopping to watch. In Korea,
on the other hand, Min-Jun would never have done that.
But here, in this foreign and vibrant land, even the rules begin to loosen, just like hearts do.
***
Ryu arrived at the agreed spot exactly ten minutes later.
Not a second more.
Backpack in hand, his face expressionless.
He leaned against a white stone column, next to the main house's inner garden.
The orchids were beginning to open with the night's humidity.
The place was peaceful, but he wasn't. His watch read 9:13 PM. He waited.
9:14 PM.
9:18 PM.
9:22 PM...
His eyebrow began to twitch, his hands intertwined and untangled nervously, his jaw clenched.
By the time the clock read 9:30 PM, Ryu was convinced she was doing it on purpose. And he wasn't wrong.
***
Because it was at that exact time that Zayra appeared, walking with complete nonchalance.
Though in her mind, the story was different: "Ten minutes... it's not a punishment, it's a lesson."
And as if she hadn't made him wait almost twenty extra minutes, she asked,
"You came?" feigning surprise.
"I thought you were going to be late."
Ryu blinked slightly, his shoulders dropping just a bit as if letting go of some of his tension,
and his eyes gleamed with a mix of disbelief and curiosity.
"You said ten minutes."
Zayra tilted her shoulders back slightly, as if mentally saying
"So, that's just how it is"
and then reflected.
"Ah… he's still with the same attitude. This is going to get interesting."
Zayra smiled as if she had just remembered something from a long time ago.
"Oh, right? How time flies..."
Ryu frowned. "Do you have any idea how many minutes you made me wait?"
Zayra tilted her head slightly, with a mix of disbelief and amusement in her eyes,
and couldn't help but think,
"Of course I know how long I made you wait… and it was your fault for calling me a thief."
Zayra shrugged as she handed him his backpack, still looking at him, a flicker of pride and amusement in her eyes,
as if silently challenging him.
"About the same amount of time it took you to accuse me of being a thief without proof.
That's what it feels like when someone does something you don't like."
Ryu was silent. He took his backpack, his gaze fixed on her, his hand trembling slightly.
He said nothing, not because he had no response, but because no one had ever taught him a lesson with such calmness,
or with such a brazen smile.
He took her backpack, keeping his eyes on her.
***
"Satisfied?" he asked in a frigid tone.
Zayra lifted her chin, maintaining her composure on the outside.
Her lips pressed together slightly, containing what she shouldn't say while internally telling herself,
"Satisfied? No, not at all. Twice I waited for him to correct his mistake, and here I am, smiling like nothing happened.
Control yourself, Zayra… the one who gets angry loses."
A flash of irony crossed her eyes, though her face remained impeccably serene.
The sarcastic smile appeared like a shield, and with it, she replied,
"Very much."
Ryu held out his backpack to her without another word.
But before letting go, he looked at her intently.
"Do you think you're very clever?"
A forced smile stretched across her lips;
it seemed friendly, but the tremor at the corners was noticeable, and in her mind, she thought,
"I try to play the calm lady, and he's determined to summon the demon. Well, don't say I didn't try."
She straightened her neck, challenging him with a barely perceptible smile.
"No. I am very clever."
She replied, with a half-smile that distilled pride, tapped her own temple with a finger and then gently took her backpack from his hands,
without breaking eye contact.
And in that instant, as she turned to leave, Ryu realized something unsettling.
He lowered his head slightly, breathing deeply without realizing it, his chest moving with a slight shudder,
something he didn't expect to feel in front of her.
He wasn't angry.
He was intrigued and fascinated. He took a deep breath.
As she walked away, he lowered his voice and said, almost to himself,
"I apologize… I was wrong… I'm sorry."
Zayra didn't stop. She didn't turn around.
And Ryu felt a strange pang in his chest, either because she hadn't heard him, or worse, because she had chosen not to hear him.
He reflected,
"In Korea, this would have been resolved with a formal apology… here, she won't even look at me."
Zayra was already walking away toward the living room, without turning back.
"Why is she still upset if it's already been resolved?" Ryu thought with frustration.
Then he remembered that there was no one else around who could witness the discussion.
"So why… does it feel this way?"
He paused for a moment, looking at his own hands, as if trying to understand something that was beyond his usual control.
And for the first time, he realized that he understood nothing…
and that this worried him more than he would admit.
Something about her had unsettled him… and he didn't know if he wanted to fix it or let himself be captivated.