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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 26 - Under Everyone's Gaze
26.1. When Your In-Laws See You
The tropical afternoon was lazily settling over Santa Cruz.
The scattered crowd in the hotel gardens sought shade, water, or answers.
Ryu's parents and siblings had decided to make the most of their last few hours in Bolivia.
By taking a final stroll through the city before their night flight.
However, as soon as they rounded the corner in front of the convention center,
they stopped.
The organizers had strategically placed several LED screens,
outside the hall so that those who couldn't get in could follow the meeting without missing a detail.
There, Zayra appeared on the screen, firm and confident,
her voice clear even amid the murmuring crowd seeking shade and water.
Everyone stopped, not needing to say a word.
Zayra spoke with composure, clarity, and a mix of gentle strength and wisdom that seemed to belie her age.
The international event's camera showed her from a dignified angle.
Her gaze was serious, her voice unwavering even during the most heated moments of the debate.
She spoke like someone unafraid to tell the truth,
someone who knew what she was doing and why she was there.
***
Ryu's mother, with a slight, almost imperceptible nod,
followed Zayra with a calm that said everything.
"That girl..." she murmured, almost tenderly.
Seo-Young simply nodded, a proud smile on her face.
Min-Jun, with his arms crossed and chin slightly raised, whispered to his sister,
"You were right... In Seoul, there's a coffee shop on every corner,
but here, there are too many voices."
His eyes swept over the crowd with a mix of curiosity and respect, not quite smiling.
"I know," she replied, not taking her eyes off the screen.
The camera panned out, revealing the country's immense diversity.
Men with leather hats from the Chaco, women with Andean felt hats, skin of every tone,
languages that sounded like neither Spanish nor English, and faces that were weary, resolute, and hopeful.
And there, in the convention center,
was Zayra, speaking to everyone present.
She wasn't aware of the eyes silently evaluating her,
a mix of pride and something deeper shining in the gazes that followed her.
Ryu, who had seen her in the assembly,
walked out with her through one of the side exits.
She saw him and smiled.
He looked at her with a mix of respect and something deeper that he couldn't even define.
In a heartbeat, the hardness at the corner of his mouth softened.
It was a gesture so small that only she could have read it as tenderness.
***
Zayra then noticed Ryu's parents and froze for a moment,
looking as if she had just discovered that the scene had been witnessed by those she least expected.
"Did they see me?"
She asked in a low voice, blushing slightly and clutching her folder to her chest.
Ryu gave a slight nod.
There were no claps or speeches, just a firm, dry nod that served as an endorsement.
"You did very well, Zayra,"
Seo-Young said with a slight bow of her head.
"You were precise... and brave."
She looked at Seo-Young with a genuine smile.
"Thank you," she said, a little embarrassed.
Seo-Young gave her a small, barely noticeable smile. They talked for a moment.
***
Suddenly, taking advantage of the two women being distracted.
Min-Jun slightly tilted his head toward Ryu without looking at him directly.
His foot tapped a light rhythm against the floor,
a beat only he seemed to hear, as if he couldn't decide between admiration and concern.
"Hyung, I don't know whether to admire her... or to worry about you."
His tone carried a light irony, just enough for Ryu to understand that it was a disguised compliment.
He let out a short, controlled sigh that seemed to become part of the air.
His eyes remained calm, but the tension behind them softened for a moment.
He ignored his brother, but in his eyes was a new serenity and an appreciation he didn't try to hide.
As they walked toward the exit.
Ryu's father lagged slightly behind,
as if looking for the right moment to say something without everyone hearing.
When Zayra briefly looked away at some children playing nearby,
the father approached Ryu and whispered,
"Don't forget the deadline."
Hearing him, Ryu held his breath for a moment.
He nodded very slightly, and the gesture hinted at the weight he was carrying.
It wasn't just pride, it was responsibility.
He paused for a second. It wasn't cold. It wasn't warm either.
It was... a sensation. An internal whisper. A wordless warning.
As if something in the air was about to change.
He felt a tingle at the back of his neck and, without thinking,
touched the side of his neck for a second, an almost instinctive gesture, before composing himself.
26.2. The Wound That Bleeds in Silence
The assembly hall had reconvened.
The side doors were closed but not locked, leaving a small gap for entry or exit,
although event security kept everything under control.
Ryu entered silently and took a seat in one of the chairs assigned to the UNESCO team, right behind Sofia.
He sat up straight, his shoulders aligned, and his hands rested on his thighs, motionless.
He looked at the room with the precise attention of someone who assesses risks and opportunities in seconds.
One of the Bolivian representatives whispered.
"Who's that?"
"He's a special guest. Recommended by Judge Kang."
Another quickly replied.
The first one nodded, falling silent.
***
The moderator returned to the podium.
"Colleagues, we will now continue with the second part of the session.
We have decided to send a formal letter to the government,
demanding an explanation for their absence despite being officially invited.
This institutional silence is, to say the least, worrying."
Several discreet nods were exchanged among the representatives.
"With that point settled, we will now address the issue of land invasions.
However, before we do, someone has requested the floor.
One of the presidential candidates, Mr. Ivor Amaro, has asked to be heard for five minutes.
We understand that there are many emotions at play,
but we ask for your respect, at least to hear him out, please."
A tense murmur settled among the representatives.
Zayra felt her blood boil.
She took a deep breath, and a nervous tic made her fingers tighten on the folder.
Yandé, who had been by her side throughout the day, sharing every emotion and protecting her with his presence,
squeezed her hand firmly.
His gaze held a silent message.
"You are not alone, be strong."
Ryu, from his seat, noticed the gesture.
A cold glint passed through his eyes.
At first, he tensed up, but then something within him shifted.
It wasn't just concern. It was something more.
Something that rose from his chest like an impossible-to-ignore command.
***
Ivor Amaro appeared on the podium with his fake smile, the one Zayra knew better than anyone.
It was the same smile he had used to deceive entire communities, the one that hid rot behind promises.
That gesture, to the public, was charisma; to her, it was poison disguised as courtesy.
"My political proposal is clear."
He said in a firm voice.
"We will fight against land invasions. We will protect the sacred lands.
And we will defend the future of Bolivia because children are our greatest treasure."
"Children."
The words hit her like knives.
The image of her best friend, a victim of the monster who was now speaking, flashed through her mind.
She remembered her face, her voice, her tears, her silence.
Then came other images.
The fires, the scorched lands, the homeless exotic animals, the farmers crying over their lost crops.
People unjustly arrested.
Families who couldn't return to their plots.
The indigenous communities who were forbidden access to their own rivers.
Zayra lowered her gaze. Her hands were shaking.
Her breathing was ragged.
"What is this?"
she thought, biting her lips, indignant.
"An assembly to solve the problems of indigenous peoples, or a showcase for this wretch to campaign?"
Ryu's voice reached her faintly.
"Are you okay?"
But she was no longer listening.
Ryu's jaw clenched slightly, his hands, which had been still before, momentarily balled into fists.
He took a deep breath, and with the calm of someone giving an order,
his body seemed to decide not just to observe, but to act if necessary.
Zayra pulled away from Yandé, clumsily stood up,
clutching her folder as if it were a lifeline.
Her steps were short and faltering.
She discreetly pushed one of the side doors open, feeling her knees give way.
She bit her lower lip as the question burned in her chest like an open wound.
"How long will they keep using us?"
She no longer saw Ryu, the audience, or anyone. The world turned white.
As soon as she crossed the door into the lobby, her body gave out, and she collapsed.
Ryu ran with precise steps. His pulse rose, but his face remained composed.
As he lifted her, his hands held her firmly but gently, carefully supporting her head.
Amid the crowd, his voice, low but clear, gave a command.
"Space, please."
People gave him space.
Ryu's father watched from the main hotel exit, where he was waiting with the others.
He didn't say anything. He didn't seem alarmed.
He simply raised his left wrist discreetly and showed his son his watch, without drama,
with that silent language that Easterners handle so well. "Time is running out."
Ryu held her for one more second.
Looking at his father's wrist, he nodded and tightened his hand around her, as if that gesture sealed his decision.
to protect her, despite the time.
Zayra, still unconscious, frowned as if she were still fighting even in her sleep.
Ryu looked down at her, and for the first time in a long time, he felt fear.
It wasn't just a faint.
Something in her, in the room, in the air itself had changed, and he knew it.
His father's watch still shone in his mind.
"Time is running out... and it waits for no one."