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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 23: Truths and Gestures
23.1. The Truth in a Low Voice
Zayra turned sharply. "Who is it?"
"It's me, daughter... can we talk?"
She took a deep breath, grabbed the envelope firmly, and walked towards the door.
The sun fell warm on the hotel terrace, drawing soft shadows on the red tiles.
A palm tree swayed calmly, while the wind barely touched their faces.
Zayra and her father sat on a wooden bench, surrounded by silence.
The yellow envelope rested on her lap, already feeling too heavy.
Several minutes passed without a word.
Her father stared at the horizon as if the answers could sprout from between the trees.
***
Zayra was the first to break the silence.
"Dad... did you know Sebastian was in jail?"
He looked away, not with guilt, but with the heaviness of someone carrying memories.
"Not at first."
"And after?"
"After two years, he came looking for you. That's when I found out.
But you were already in Cochabamba, making another life.
And honestly... I didn't feel it was worth telling you."
Zayra lowered her gaze. "Why?"
Her father sighed.
"Because I never liked that boy. But beyond that... because he never acted as he should have.
As an old proverb says, 'Respect is earned, not demanded.'
When he left with you, he didn't introduce himself to me,
and he showed that he didn't know what it was to take responsibility."
Zayra swallowed.
She knew it.
She had always known, but hearing those words stirred something.
"And the worst part." He continued.
"Is that he didn't even come back when you were in the hospital.
That's when I finally understood that he wasn't worthy of you.
He made bad decisions, and instead of facing them like a man,
he looked for easy outs... like a child."
***
Zayra looked at her father for a moment. Then she lowered her gaze to the envelope.
"I understand, Dad."
Her voice was soft, resigned.
"I have some fault too.
I could have come back from Cochabamba and looked for him...
but something inside me told me not to."
Her father looked at her with a hint of relief.
"And, it's a good thing you didn't.
Life gave you another chance."
Zayra let out an ironic laugh.
"Yes... and I confirmed it today."
She handed him the envelope.
***
Her father opened it and looked inside: photographs, message screenshots, a USB stick.
Nothing he didn't imagine... but it still hurt to see.
"Did you send it to me?"
Zayra asked.
"No,"
he replied without hesitation.
"But whoever did... saved me from having to explain a lot of things to you."
"Are you going to find out who it was?"
Zayra nodded, with determination.
"I'm going to check the hotel cameras."
"I'll go with you."
She stood up.
With the yellow envelope still in her hand, as if the story it contained had followed her there,
without asking for permission.
They walked together towards the inside of the hotel.
The truth could no longer stay outside.
23.2. Where a Gesture Opens a Door.
As Zayra stood up with the envelope in her hand.
The wind moved the lobby curtains,
making Ryu feel a shiver he didn't know the origin of.
The firm decision she was making was an echo in his consciousness,
reminding him that his time for action had also begun.
The hotel lobby was almost empty.
Soft lights highlighted the carved details of the rustic furniture,
and the distant murmur of the kitchen broke the silence.
His fingers intertwined and separated without him noticing, while a slight tremble ran through his jaw.
Each breath seemed to measure the distance between his mind and his heart.
His shoulders slumped a little forward, as if the weight of the recent tension was literal.
He wasn't doing anything; he was just thinking.
***
From the entrance, Sofia and Bruno observed him.
"Wow, poor guy. Looks like he had a fight with someone,"
Sofia whispered, looking at the young Korean with tenderness.
"Don't get involved."
Bruno responded dryly, checking his phone.
"Come on, don't be like that. Maybe he just needs to talk to someone."
She took his hand firmly, and she noticed how his fingers stiffened at the contact, an indication of his tension.
Bruno, for his part, frowned and let out a silent sigh, showing that,
even if he didn't speak, he was observing and evaluating every movement.
"You don't have to talk. I will."
Bruno snorted, resigned, and followed her.
***
Sofia went ahead with her warm smile, the one she learned to use working for UNESCO.
"Hello, how are you?" she greeted softly, sitting on the edge of the couch in front of Ryu.
A quick, barely perceptible blink showed that her mind was processing more information than she let on.
He looked up, surprised by the sudden closeness,
but nodded with a brief bow of his head, realizing they were his in-laws.
"Yes. I'm just... thinking."
"Sometimes that's the best thing one can do. Think."
She said in a light tone.
Bruno sat next to Sofia, without a word. He was texting on his phone.
Ryu noticed his presence, but said nothing.
Sofia didn't force him either.
"How curious! Your Spanish has an interesting accent."
She commented after a few seconds, watching him carefully.
"Did you know you sound a little... Latin?"
Ryu blinked.
"I learned it at home. My nannies were Latinas, in the United States."
"That explains it," Sofia said, smiling with interest.
A brief silence fell, one of those that float between people who don't yet know how to continue.
Ryu looked down. He wasn't used to this kind of interaction.
His world was one of precision, strategy, and silence.
He didn't quite know what to say.
***
It was then that his gaze drifted to a sign hanging on a nearby column:
"Indigenous Nations Summit – For the Land and Identity."
His eyebrows arched slightly, and his breathing became a little slower,
as if he were evaluating every detail of the sign.
The tilt of his head indicated genuine curiosity, and his eyes softened for a moment,
aware that every gesture could mean something unknown in this country.
Sofia noticed the shift in his eyes. 'Since when is a Korean interested in a Bolivian indigenous summit?'
she thought, amused.
"So, tell me... does that catch your attention?"
she asked, with genuine curiosity.
Ryu hesitated for a moment.
"I've never seen one. I find it... interesting."
"Yes... the summit starts tomorrow.
I'll be attending as part of the UNESCO delegation.
They're usually long, even tedious, but... necessary."
***
Bruno was still on his phone.
Ryu looked at him discreetly: serious, focused, without saying a word since he arrived.
At that moment, Bruno's phone vibrated with a new notification.
It was a message from her father. He read it without changing his expression.
'Everything's okay. It was Ryu who left the envelope for your sister.
He saved us a big problem. I'm grateful to him.'
Bruno looked up,
at Ryu more attentively than before.
He put his phone away, took a deep breath.
Then he looked at him directly.
"Are you interested in going in?"
he asked bluntly.
Ryu looked at him, a little surprised by the change in tone.
"Yes. Although I wouldn't know how."
Bruno looked at his wife.
"Sofi, you have credentials. You can get him in."
Sofia blinked, surprised. "You want to help him?"
Bruno didn't answer. He just nodded once, seriously.
"Okay, let's see... I'll request a temporary assistant pass,"
she said, taking out her phone.
Bruno stood up calmly. He approached Ryu and held out his hand.
"Thanks. Not many people do what you did."
And he left without saying more.
Sofia followed him with her gaze and then looked back at Ryu.
"Bruno doesn't usually say things like that. If he did... it's because he really meant it.
If he wants to help you, it's not out of charity.
It's because you've earned his respect."
Ryu looked at her in silence. He didn't know what to say.
'Why is he helping me? Why is he thanking me...?'
Ryu took a step back, his mind measuring every possibility,
although an unexpected tension tightened his chest.
His eyes scanned every corner of the lobby as if looking for the invisible camera.
He frowned slightly.
He ran a hand over the back of his neck, an almost nervous gesture, before looking at the sign again.
Curiosity and the desire for adaptation mixed with his usual caution.
The image of Zayra, the envelope, his father's silence, Bruno's gesture.
'This country is a mystery...'
and in some way, he wanted to understand it.