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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 40 — When a Decision Must Be Made.
40.1 A Grateful Father-in-Law.
The church bell rang at seven o'clock in the evening.
Between the roofs of the cabins and the parked motorcycles, it was like a whisper.
Announcing something that had no name yet something that would soon test decisions and hearts.
Zayra and Ryu were heading back to the hotel on the motorcycle, quieter than usual.
The ride was smooth, almost meditative.
Ryu cast quick glances toward Zayra, as if measuring her every gesture and silence.
It was as if both their thoughts were hanging from the rearview mirror, and they dared not speak.
Upon arrival, Zayra's father, Choi Dae-Hyun, was waiting for them.
He stood at the hotel entrance.
Ryu straightened his back immediately, as if the man's mere presence demanded respect.
The father greeted them with a cordial smile, watching them arrive on the motorcycle.
He was surprised how two people who initially couldn't stand each other now got along wonderfully.
Zayra approached her father with a smile, kissing him on the cheek.
Her father returned the gesture with a hug.
Ryu was surprised by the warmth of this family, as he had noticed this gesture was very common in Santa Cruz.
He stood for a moment with his hands at his sides, maintaining his upright posture.
His courtesy prevented him from moving more than necessary, so he simply observed in silence.
***
Without warning, Mr. Dae-Hyun looked at Ryu with gratitude.
He approached him and, in a polite, almost formal voice, as if knowing how to address him, said,
"Thank you for helping me with the envelope... of Sebastian, the other day."
Ryu nodded with a slight bow of his head.
His lips barely tightened, holding back words he didn't know if they were needed.
Zayra couldn't help but think,
"My father is wonderful."
With a smile of pride.
Then the man looked at Zayra, seeking her attention.
"Daughter, can we talk?"
When her father looked at her, she realized that what was coming was serious.
"Of course, Dad."
She replied.
Her father walked past her, and she followed him to the terrace.
40.2 When Your Father Reminds You of a Deadline.
Meanwhile, Ryu walked to his cabin. Upon entering, he turned on his cell phone.
There was a message from his father.
Ryu stood still, silently staring at the screen.
By reflex, he slightly tilted his head toward the phone.
As if the invisible figure of his father deserved respect even through a text message.
The screen illuminated his face, and his fingers trembled slightly before he locked the phone.
***
He closed his eyes.
It wasn't pressure. It was reality.
He put the phone aside and sat on the edge of the bed.
He knew what he felt for Zayra.
He ran a hand over the back of his neck, as if he needed to hold onto something.
He had known since the second time she looked at him without fear, as if she had known him before.
And yet...
He remembered everything he had to do for them to become a couple.
He sighed and whispered.
"She's never going to ask me."
He closed his eyes for an instant and said.
"I have to make the first move."
He sighed, and looked at the palm of his hand as if expecting to find an answer written there.
"Then I will do it."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his gaze fixed on the floor as if he had taken an oath.
40.3 When Your Father Speaks to You.
Zayra settled into the wooden chair next to her father.
Her shoulders tensed as she looked at her father intently.
The air was starting to get cold.
Her father looked at her with the same patient gaze he always had when something important was about to be said.
"Ryu's deadline starts its last week now."
He said in a serene tone.
"I don't want to pressure you, daughter. But tell me... what are you going to do?"
Zayra took a moment to reply.
She lowered her gaze like an unsure child, her eyes became glassy.
It was a silent, contained sign that spoke for all the mistakes she felt she had made.
She only squeezed the locket hanging from her neck, searching for words that could support what she felt.
Her nails scraped the metal without realizing it.
As if she needed to cling to something physical to keep from breaking down in front of her father.
Her chest tightened, and a fleeting thought struck her.
"If I fail again... can I handle it? What if I disappoint the family again?"
She inhaled and finally said.
"Dad... it's not that I don't want to. It's that I'm afraid."
Her father raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Afraid of what?"
Zayra lowered her gaze and said.
"Of it not lasting. Of giving myself completely... and him leaving."
Dae-Hyun nodded slowly. His face became serious, almost nostalgic.
"When I lost my mother, I also thought everything was falling apart.
I was ten years old. I thought I wouldn't love anyone again because they might leave."
***
Then he smiled and added.
"Daughter, I told you how I met your mother."
He said, smiling slightly.
Zayra looked at him curiously.
She already knew the story, had heard it many times from her mother's lips.
But this would be the first time she would hear it from her father.
"She offered me a mango and asked me if I liked Carnival.
I didn't understand anything, but I laughed.
From that day on, I knew something different was beginning."
Her father smiled, as if the memories took him to a sweet point in their history.
She watched him in silence with tenderness, her father was not a man of many words.
Suddenly, he cleared his throat and stated.
"There is no guaranteed love, daughter."
He sighed, looking her in the eyes, with the wisdom his father always had, and added.
"But if you don't try because of fear, you lose it anyway.
And it hurts more to know you didn't try."
She knew her father was right, but fear and anxiety surfaced in her body.
She closed her eyes, trying to control those emotions.
She opened her eyes and looked at her father with a vulnerability she hadn't shown in years and finally dared to ask.
"And what if he leaves?"
***
Dae-Hyun looked into her eyes, noticing the vulnerability he hadn't seen in so many years.
His body shifted slightly, remembering the scene he could never forget.
A hospital room, his wife and daughter embracing and crying.
The impotence he felt then.
His intention had never been to kick her daughter out of the house.
Rage had simply overcome him, because his greatest treasure had made a mistake.
But didn't want to admit it.
That guilt had haunted him for years, so many that it cost him a lot to recover his relationship with his daughter.
That day, he had promised himself never to allow the one he loved so much to go through an experience like that again.
That was why he had set out to find someone worthy of her,
although this was something he would never admit aloud.
***
He remained silent for a moment before looking up at Zayra.
And in a firm, provocative tone said.
"Daughter, are you telling me that you can't handle this?"
Zayra tensed, she didn't know how to respond.
There was a lump in her throat that kept her from speaking.
Her father looked at her seriously and asked.
" Where is the Zayra that, when she fell in love... in the past,
did everything she could to be with the one she said she loved...?"
He placed a hand on her shoulder and added.
"And who, despite her failures, stood up and faced the world, regardless of what they said to her."
Feeling her father's hand stroking her shoulder, the lump in her throat loosened a bit.
She leaned toward her father and hugged him.
Her father stroked her back with his right hand.
Both relaxed, as if this gesture helped them to let go of the weight of the past that tormented them.
The embrace was brief but enough to remind her that even though she had made mistakes,
she could still seek redemption and trust.
For the first time in her life,
her father had made her understand that despite her mistakes,
he would always support her, no matter what happens.
Both were moved.
As they pulled apart, he looked at her firmly and said.
"Daughter, if it doesn't work out...
Your mother and I will always be there for you.
But don't sacrifice something good just because you're afraid."
Her father stood up, stroked her shoulder, and added,
"If you let him go, maybe he won't come back.
But if you choose him... maybe he'll stay forever."
Zayra pressed her lips together, staring into space.
To her, hearing those words from her father meant more than she imagined.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt that she could finally be herself,
her father's words had made her recover a bravery she hadn't felt in years.
On the horizon, some birds flew fearlessly.
She took a deep breath and said.
"Thank you very much, Dad."
While they healed old wounds, in another part of the hotel, Ryu sealed a promise to himself.