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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 21 - Where Pride Burns and Roots Flourish
Zayra had woken up early, before the sun was fully risen over the cabins.
As she put her foot on the ground,
she noticed with surprise and relief that she could walk.
The sprain didn't hurt as much.
She still had to be careful, but at least she didn't need help.
For some reason, something inside her pushed her to go outside.
It wasn't anxiety or nerves.
It was more like a soft call,
like a whisper that drew her through the trees until she stopped in front of the great Toborochi tree.
She placed her palm against the warm trunk, closed her eyes, and whispered,
"I'm confused…"
Her voice was barely a breath.
"Sebastian appeared out of nowhere and threw me off balance.
And now I've met someone... very interesting.
I don't know what to do."
Her words were lost in the rustling of the leaves.
She didn't expect an answer.
She just needed to say it out loud.
As if the tree could understand what her mind couldn't sort out.
From a distance, without making a sound, Ryu had seen her leave her cabin.
His eyes narrowed from the sun and his worry.
He walked behind her, measuring each step.
He was about to head to the gym, but when he noticed Zayra walking alone so early, he followed her.
Not out of mistrust, but out of concern.
He didn't say anything, just watched her with that firm silence that was so uniquely his,
as she finished her moment with the tree.
***
"I saw you walking,"
Ryu said, half-joking, half-relieved. His shoulders relaxed for a moment.
"Looks like the sprain wasn't too serious."
"I guess it was more drama than damage,"
Zayra replied with a dramatic gesture.
A brief smile formed on his lips.
Gently, he gave her a soft pat on the head and murmured, "바보야…" (Babo-ya).
For Ryu, that gesture and that word were very significant. In his country,
doing these things is a subtle way of showing affection, even something more than friendship.
Zayra blinked quickly, bewildered.
"Is this weird? Is he patting my head like I'm a dog?
And even worse… I don't understand what he just said.
Should I be offended?"
But seeing that there was no malice in Ryu's eyes, she said to herself,
"Well, I guess this is how they treat their friends in Korea. I'd better let it go."
Zayra, with her playful style, cheekily stuck her tongue out at him,
as if responding to the gesture in her own mischievous language.
Ryu looked at her seriously for a second, but a small smile escaped him.
He shook his head in mock reproach, although inside,
her mischief was strangely charming to him.
***
"Zayra!"
She spun around, her eyes wide. For a moment, her face lit up with the intensity of the sun.
"Yandé!" she exclaimed and ran to meet him.
She threw herself into his arms with the joy of someone who finds a piece of herself,
hugging him tightly and laughing with tears held back on her eyelashes.
He, with the tenderness of the years they had shared, held her close as if to protect her from time.
"You're even more beautiful,"
he said, stroking her hair with affection, like someone touching a living memory.
Ryu stopped. He felt the air harden in his lungs.
His brow furrowed slightly and his jaw tightened,
an involuntary impulse to control himself in the face of a scene that didn't belong to him.
It wasn't a simple greeting.
It was history, it was roots.
And he… he wasn't a part of that.
And he couldn't help but think,
"Every laugh that escaped her lips pierces me like a sharp cold.
I can't intervene, but I can't walk away either."
***
Suddenly, another voice broke through, softer but full of emotion.
"Zayra?"
Zayra let go of Yandé and turned in surprise.
Seeing Yandé's sister, she exclaimed.
"Enay!"
Without thinking, they hugged tightly, trying to make up for lost time.
Enay squeezed her as if she hadn't seen her in ten years… because she hadn't.
"I can't believe you're here,"
Enay said with wet eyes.
"I missed you so much!"
"Me too! So much!"
Zayra replied, her voice breaking.
They stayed like that, fused in an embrace,
as if they wanted to recover the lost time in a single instant.
Ryu watched in silence.
He had never been hugged like that.
He felt a knot in his stomach and had to bite his lip before he could breathe again.
***
Suddenly, when the emotion subsided a bit, Enay noticed the male figure next to Zayra.
She looked him up and down with a natural distrust.
"And who is this?"
Enay asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow as if evaluating the situation.
Zayra seemed to land back on Earth.
"Oh, right… Ryu. This is Ryu Kang, a friend."
Then, she turned to Ryu gently.
"Ryu, I'd like you to meet Yandé Ñeñaco and Enay Ñeñaco. They are siblings,
the children of the chief of the indigenous community my mother belongs to.
They grew up with me, respecting ancestral traditions."
Yandé offered his hand with elegance and respect.
"A pleasure to meet you, Ryu Kang."
There was firmness in his handshake.
Ryu returned the gesture,
feeling that uncomfortable mix of class,
strength, and something he wasn't sure was competition or mutual respect.
"The pleasure is mine,"
Ryu said, choosing his words carefully.
His gaze briefly took in Yandé and Enay's height and composure.
He straightened his back and adjusted the strength of his handshake, each gesture carefully calibrated.
Enay, without taking her eyes off him with a raised eyebrow, dropped the bomb without warning.
"Did you know that Zayra is my brother's fiancée?"
she asked, pursing her lips slightly, as if marking her territory.
Ryu went blank.
Zayra blushed to her ears.
"Enay! You know that's not true!"
"What? Did I lie? As far as I know, she's still single, right?"
she replied with sharp innocence, without stopping her gaze on Ryu.
Ryu's chest tightened. A shiver ran down his spine and his hands trembled.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm the feeling of invasion and jealousy.
And although he didn't want to admit it, he knew Enay was right Zayra was single.
While Ryu was processing that, Yandé smiled gently at him and refocused his attention on her.
***
"What are you doing here, Zay? We miss you so much. The community misses you like rain in a drought,"
Yandé said, extending his hands as if to encompass an entire forest.
"Oh, you're so dramatic!" she laughed, grateful.
Yandé looked at her, amused.
"Do you remember when we fell from Grandpa's tree following the toucan?"
he said, scratching the back of his neck with a mischievous smile.
"Of course! We ended up muddy up to our necks. Your mom cured me with Mentisan!"
"And you were crying like a baby,"
Zayra added, laughing.
The sound of their laughter filled the air like a shared song.
Ryu couldn't take it anymore.
He was there… but he wasn't.
He was watching a scene that didn't belong to him.
Enay gave him a crooked smile. She knew exactly how he felt.
***
"And what are you doing here, Yandé?" Zayra asked.
"I'm at the indigenous summit,"
Yandé explained patiently.
"We have a break today, but tomorrow the first official meeting begins.
Would you be interested in joining the community's team?"
Zayra's eyes lit up, as she missed going to the indigenous summits.
"I'd love to! How long does it last?"
"Easily eight hours. You know how these things are... debates, rituals, endless discussions…"
"You know I can handle it,"
Zayra said with genuine enthusiasm.
Ryu swallowed.
"Eight hours. Zayra, with that man. And he… how was he going to get into an indigenous summit?"
Enay looked at him with veiled mockery.
"And how are you going to get in?"
she asked with feigned innocence,
leaning slightly toward Ryu with a twisted smile that seemed to read his mind.
He feigned serenity. But inside, his mind was a battlefield.
***
"Let's go have breakfast together!"
Yandé suggested, without any tension.
Zayra accepted without thinking. Ryu… he simply followed.
During breakfast,
Zayra and Yandé talked as if they were continuing a conversation that had been interrupted years ago.
Ryu was there, but more like an empty chair than a part of the scene.
Enay, between spoonful's, gave him looks that said,
"Do you get it now? They're made for each other."
With all the calm in the world.
Until Ryu couldn't take it anymore.
He stood up with a held-back sigh,
looking away and clenching his fists in his pockets like someone holding a secret that was too big.
"Excuse me."
He said.
"I have something to attend to."
Zayra looked at him, confused, but nodded softly.
Ryu walked away, each step heavier than the last.
He inhaled deeply, letting the trapped air calm the tension he felt in his chest.
Every movement was calculated, as if he wanted to stay close to her without interfering,
with the firm decision to protect her in his own way.
And suddenly, a thought was stuck in his chest.
"I'm not going to leave her alone.
Not when I'm just starting to understand what it means to have her near."