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This light novel is inspired by the beautiful landscapes and cultures of Bolivia and South Korea. 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 39 — A Motorcycle Trip
39.1 Between Sunflowers and Silence
Zayra got up at 4:00 am.
Her movements were soft, as she tried not to wake Ryu.
But he, still asleep, felt her absence and sat up slightly.
He blinked slowly.
"Everything okay?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
"Get dressed," she replied, without adding anything else.
"We're going out."
"This early?"
"Yes. And dress warmly."
Ryu looked at her, his brow furrowed.
"But it's not that cold..."
"Just trust me, okay?"
Zayra put on jeans, a T-shirt, a light jacket, and sneakers.
She tied a bandana in her hair and grabbed two helmets.
***
Ryu was already waiting for her, half-asleep, looking skeptical.
He saw her appear, dressed so purposefully, with two helmets in her hand.
"What are you up to now?"
She handed him one of the helmets along with a bandana.
"Put this on your hair before the helmet, or you won't be comfortable."
Ryu examined the bandana as if it were a strange artifact.
He slightly furrowed his brow and touched the helmet with his fingers, hesitating.
Then he noticed the motorcycle parked outside.
It was big, comfortable, with a backrest.
"Are we going by motorcycle?"
"Yes."
"Is this safe?"
Zayra smiled calmly.
"I'm from eastern Bolivia.
Everyone here learns to ride a motorcycle,
some better than others, but we know how."
Before getting on, while they were putting on their helmets, she added with a slight laugh.
"But if something weird happens... jump. Don't cling to the bike, okay?"
Ryu looked at her with a mix of humor and disbelief.
"I'll keep that in mind..."
They started their ride, and Ryu realized that the helmet, the engine
and the road created a bubble of silence.
His shoulders relaxed a little, although his jaw remained tight.
But Zayra was there, guiding him, present, without saying a word.
This made him think.
"She did this, not to distract me, but to be close and give me space."
Then he felt a jolt, a small pothole.
***
Zayra carefully stopped the motorcycle and took off her helmet.
"Oops! I'm sorry... here, the little potholes are part of the charm."
She said this while taking a bottle of water from the bike's trunk.
"Are you thirsty?"
She offered him the bottle and then pointed to the fields.
"Let's rest here for a bit. Ok?"
She looked ahead, took Ryu's hand, and they naturally walked into the sunflower field.
She gently reached out to touch a sunflower, breathing more slowly.
He looked around, observing.
There were no fences or signs prohibiting entry.
"Can we just walk in?"
"Yes. As long as you don't damage anything, it's fine.
Here, if you respect the land, it lets you be."
They walked in silence for a few meters, and then Ryu spoke.
"She had come to my country illegally, looking for better options,"
He said suddenly.
"She died three weeks ago from dengue hemorrhagic fever."
Zayra looked at him, surprised, but didn't interrupt.
Ryu looked at the sunflowers and added.
"She stole money from me when she left, but even so,
I didn't expect her to disappear without a word."
Zayra felt a knot in her stomach.
It wasn't the time to judge or offer solutions,
she could only provide a space where the pain didn't sound so cold.
She looked at him, cleared her throat, and said gently.
"I didn't know. We also have dengue here, but thanks to God.
Prevention and vaccination campaigns, deaths are few."
Ryu sighed and replied.
"In other parts of the world, unfortunately, the reality is different."
There was a silence.
They sat on a stone, contemplating the beauty of the sunflowers.
***
Suddenly, a large sunflower fell on Ryu's head.
"Ah!"
He blinked quickly and turned his head toward Zayra, holding back a laugh.
But the scene he was seeing made him laugh.
"Are you okay?"
Ryu was blinking, trying to understand what had just happened.
"I didn't know sunflowers could be violent..."
She kept laughing at his comment.
"They're not with everyone.
Maybe you just rubbed it the wrong way."
They both laughed.
A breeze made the sunflowers dance and the moment reminded them that life could be wonderful.
***
Zayra turned and said with a smile.
"Let's go. I want to show you another place."
Ryu was surprised and asked.
"There's more?"
She gave him that determined smile that Ryu already knew well.
"Yes. This was just the beginning."
Ryu couldn't help but think.
"She's so unpredictable. I wonder what she has planned."
They got on the motorcycle, and the road continued.
Ryu watched her closely.
The way she drove... the way she was with him without pushing.
He was behind her, thinking.
"Sometimes you don't need to understand the path.
You just need to trust the one who's driving."
39.2 Where You See Everything
The road became narrower and narrower, flanked by trees, dirt paths, and gentle curves.
The motorcycle ascended without haste, guided safely by Zayra.
Ryu remained silent, feeling how the surroundings changed with every meter,
from wide plains to a slight ascent, until they reached the foot of a clearing.
"What is this?"
Ryu asked when he saw the metallic structure in front of them.
"An elevator?"
"Yes."
Zayra replied with a smile.
"It looks strange, right? But it's real."
In front of them was a viewpoint with a glass elevator and stairs surrounding it.
Zayra explained that it had been a community effort.
With the help of some authorities, who wanted to promote responsible tourism.
Ryu looked at her with curiosity and couldn't help but ask.
"And why here?"
She raised an eyebrow and, with a knowing look, said.
"Because from here you can see something you don't see everywhere...
Let's go."
***
Zayra ordered some food.
Both of them got into the glass elevator, which vibrated slightly as it began to ascend.
Ryu didn't say anything, he looked on with genuine amazement.
His shoulders tensed for a moment and then relaxed as he contemplated the horizon.
When they reached the top, the world opened up before them, a colorful natural landscape.
Ryu observed everything and finally said.
"Wow..."
Zayra smiled and pointed to the horizon.
"I told you that you would see special things here.
To the west are the valleys toward Cochabamba, golden in the dry season.
To the north, the humid Beni jungle.
To the south, the arid but living Chaco toward Tarija, and behind that, Santa Cruz.
That's why this place is so important to me; it shows the diversity of the country I love."
Ryu remained silent, looking at the horizon.
Zayra took the bandana off her head, and they both ate peacefully, without rushing.
When Zayra leaned over to put the bag away, her locket slipped and fell to the ground.
He moved closer to her, trying to bend down to help her.
But she had already leaned forward to pick it up,
and as she tried to stand up, her hair got caught in his pants' belt.
"Oh no... my hair!"
She squealed, trying to get free.
"Wait, don't move."
Ryu said, visibly uncomfortable as his ears turned red.
"If I pull, will it hurt?"
"Of course it will!"
She said between nervous laughs.
"Don't rip it out!"
"Do you want me to... cut it?"
He asked in a low voice, as if the wind could give them away.
"Don't even think about it!"
Zayra glared at him, though a smile escaped her.
They heard a faint echo of footsteps on the stairs and froze,
as if someone were about to surprise them in their ridiculous posture.
Finally, Ryu managed to free the lock of hair, and they both straightened up.
Trying to be discreet, although their laughter betrayed them later.
***
A few minutes later.
He looked at her, noticing how her fingers were playing with the locket hanging on her chest.
"You're always holding that." He said in a low voice.
Zayra lowered her gaze, then held her locket between her fingers.
"My mom gave it to me.
She's a priestess in our indigenous community."
Ryu looked at her, curious. He tilted his head slightly and softened his gaze.
"Priestess? Like... a religious person?"
"Not exactly."
She said with a soft smile.
"It's different here. The priestess is the one who can speak with the God, Ñande-Yara, the creator.
That gift is sacred because it makes the priest or priestess the spiritual guide for the entire community."
Ryu watched her closely, wanting to learn more about her world.
She told him that before, this gift was something only the first-born men in her family could have.
However, her mother was the first woman in her family who could communicate with him.
She told him she inherited that gift, and since she was a child, she has had dreams with him.
It wasn't a metaphor.
Ryu lowered his gaze, letting those words sink in.
He thought it was a lot of responsibility.
But he knew very well that Zayra was not just anyone, and he suddenly added.
"I understand why you love this land so much."
He murmured.
"It's clear you're connected to it."
"And it doesn't matter where I am,"
Zayra added, looking toward Santa Cruz.
Her eyes shone with such genuine love that it touched Ryu.
She looked at him with a firm resolve and added.
"I will always carry it with me.
I will tell it's story.
And I will do whatever is in my power to protect it."
A moment of silence fell between them.
Ryu, still looking at the landscape, whispered.
"Sometimes I think... if my ex could see me now.
What would she think? Would she see a different person?"
He looked down, pressing his lips together before continuing.
****
Zayra didn't answer; she let him think.
She was just there, simply, without invading his silence.
"You know..."
He added after a sigh.
"For a long time, I felt that pain was something I had to carry alone.
And it's still with me... but today it doesn't feel so heavy."
She looked at him gently.
"Maybe that's all one needs. Not to let go of it... just not to carry it alone."
Ryu turned to look at her again.
"Now I understand what you said at the beginning...
Sometimes you don't need to understand the path,
you just need to trust the one who's driving."
Zayra smiled, put her hand on Ryu's, and looked at him curiously.
"And do you trust me?"
He felt comfortable feeling her hand.
His fingers brushed hers for a moment before he intertwined them and said.
"Yes."
They both stayed there, watching the sun begin to rise in the eastern sky.
It was the kind of weather that invites you to stay in silence without it hurting.
And for the first time in a long time, Ryu felt present.
He breathed deeply, with a slight smile, looking softly at Zayra and the horizon.
Both felt present in the moment, without imagining that an imminent deadline was about to alter their lives.