Chapter 902. Sera (2)
“W-W-What do you think you’re doing?!”
It had been a while since I saw Jung Ha-Yan so angry.
The mood suddenly became tense because of Jung Ha-Yan's sudden shout. Rafael’s party looked particularly shocked. Han Sora had seen Jung Ha-Yan’s angry side many times before, but Rafael’s party was different.
The mages were particularly astounded, and they stared at the ongoing situation with wide eyes.
Jung Ha-Yan's shy and awkward smile was replaced by a frown as she glared at Seraphim. Those mages seemed like they wanted to know whether what they were seeing was actually happening or not.
This was kind of different, but I was sure people would react the same upon hearing me yell. I understood how they felt because Jung Ha-Yan was like an idol to them, and they couldn't have imagined that she could raise her voice like that.
“I-I-I asked what you think you’re doing!” Jung Ha-Yan repeated. Honestly, I also never imagined Jung Ha-Yan could raise her voice like that.
In some ways, this incident could be considered a small incident, but it seemed to have brought back bad memories for Jung Ha-Yan.
I became especially frail as an aftermath of everything, and Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t the only one worried about my safety. If anything, Jung Ha-Yan was in a worse situation than him.
‘But I don’t think that’s the reason why she’s acting this way.’
To be honest, there was no way Seraphim's attack would hurt me, and it wasn't like I got injured. This was just a tiny incident that could easily be glossed over.
“Ah, ah... ah...”
“S-Speak properly...” Jung Ha-Yan ordered.
Seraphim’s face turned pale as he faced Jung Ha-Yan’s fury. He had never been the assertive type, so he was blanking out. I was certain that this was the most hopeless situation for kids with a unique habit related to craving for love.
“Ugh... I-I-I’m... I’m...” Seraphim stuttered.
“Eeeek!” Jung Ha-Yan screeched.
Tears instantly filled Seraphim's large eyes, and I felt bad for him because he was trying his best not to shed tears. He probably thought that the situation would get worse if he cried, or he could also be worried that Santa might not bring him a gift.
“S-So annoying. I-I’m so... annoyed... Heuk...”
‘Why are you crying?’
“Hiccup... I’m annoyed... Hiccup... I think he really is a dummy...” Jung Ha-Yan said.
“...”
“Hiccup... Y-You can’t even do that properly... A-Apologize to him right now... Tell him that you’re sorry!” Jung Ha-Yan shouted.
“I-I’m... sorry... Father...” Seraphim mumbled.
“C-Come over here and apologize!” Jung Ha-Yan yelled.
“I’m sorry... Father...” Seraphim repeated.
When I recalled what Seraphim had done in the past, I felt like cornering him with Jung Ha-Yan or cheering her on, but too many people were watching, so I couldn’t do that.
It was an honest mistake as well.
As a saint—no, as a father, I had to overlook this to maintain a good image, right?
When Seraphim tensed up, Cherubim, Thronus, and even Dominions tensed up as well.
I had to do something about this mood.
“It’s fine, Ha-Yan. Come here, Sera,” I told him.
“...”
“What happened? Sera, why are you crying? Miss Jung Ha-Yan? What’s wrong with him...”
'I’m glad you’re here, Sora.'
“E-Explain... the situation... yourself!” Jung Ha-Yan shouted.
'Stop Ha-Yan for me.'
“I-I... I... accidentally let go... of my sword... and it flew toward Father... Heuk... kgh...” Seraphim stammered and cried.
People would often cry harder whenever they had someone to lean on, and Seraphim cried even louder upon seeing Han Sora.
Han Sora was shocked. I had always been the one asking her for her help, but she was asking for my help this time.
Based on her expression, it seemed like she was taking Seraphim’s side, but she seemed worried about the consequences of protecting him.
It was pretty obvious. If Han Sora defended Seraphim, Jung Ha-Yan would become even angrier.
Unlike me, Han Sora liked Seraphim a lot, and she was worried about Seraphim.
It couldn't be helped, as Han Sora had raised Seraphim as if he were her own child.
Han Sora looked sad, and she looked like she wanted to pull him out of this hellish situation as quickly as possible.
I was also starting to feel uncomfortable because the mood was starting to turn awkward.
“I’m annoyed... I’m really annoyed... Why is he...” Jung Ha-Yan complained.
“I’m sorry... Mother. I...” Cherubim chimed in.
“H-How... dare you try to get involved? I-It’s rude! So rude! H-How dare you talk... when the adults are talking!” Jung Ha-Yan shouted.
Cherubim immediately went silent.
This was the power of an adult, and Jung Ha-Yan was utilizing it well...
“I-Is that what... Cha Hee-Ra taught you?” Jung Ha-Yan questioned.
What an unexpected insult.
“That’s—” Cherubim muttered.
“S-S-Shut up! Just shut up... Hiccup... How dare you... make eye contact with me?!” Jung Ha-Yan yelled.
“Ha-Yan, it’s fine. Come here and calm down...” I told Jung Ha-Yan.
“I’m... going to go take care of some things, hyung,” Rafael said.
'I’m glad our Rafael is quick-witted. While you’re at it, take your friends away, who are obviously enjoying this family drama. That’s right. Good job.'
In the end, Han Sora, Jung Ha-Yan, Seraphim, and I were left on our own devices in this awkward situation.
The others realized that something strange was going on, so they became cautious as if there were a bomb that was about to explode.
Meanwhile, Jung Ha-Yan was still glaring at Seraphim, who was still crying.
The Holy Sword Warrior party cast a strange gaze at Jung Ha-Yan, but I believed the fundamental problem lies elsewhere. Jung Ha-Yan wasn’t strange, and Seraphim hadn't done anything strange as well.
I knew the answer to this conundrum.
‘I’m the problem.’
The answer was simple: I was the culprit.
There was no need to blame anyone else for it.
My attitude toward Seraphim so far was the problem, and it was all because I had never really taken Seraphim's side nor shown any affection toward him in front of Jung Ha-Yan.
I had never really thought much about it, as I assumed Jung Ha-Yan wasn’t fond of him either, but I was sure something like this was stressing out Jung Ha-Yan.
Seraphim seemed incompetent, as he was especially behind compared to the other children. Moreover, Jung Ha-Yan had to have seen me receiving reports from Thronus and Cherubim. I had been showing my affection toward them, too.
Rather than saying that Seraphim's mistake was the root of the problem here, it'd be more accurate to say that the root of the problem was the stress that had been accumulating inside Jung Ha-Yan.
When it exploded, this incident occurred. It made sense, as it would be strange for anyone to get angry at such an insignificant event.
‘She must be somewhat fond of him.’
If Jung Ha-Yan couldn't care less about Seraphim, she wouldn’t have scolded him.
I was sure Jung Ha-Yan had yet to realize it, but she had to be interested in Seraphim. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have cared about how he had been doing these days or how his training was going.
It was possible that Jung Ha-Yan wanted me to love Seraphim as well, but she was just having a hard time expressing that desire.
Of course, I knew Jung Ha-Yan had never really been a sociable person and that she would always have a hard time handling situations like this. We were quite similar but drastically different at the same time.
Just like her, I didn’t really have a normal childhood, but I was good at pretending that it was the opposite.
However...
‘Jung Ha-Yan has never really done anything like that.’
I managed to keep going because of Yul-Ha, but Jung Ha-Yan was abandoned by her parents and older sisters, so what could she have done?
All she could do was pretend like she didn't exist, and I was sure she didn’t have the will to improve her situation. She had to have done nothing but cower to avoid being noticed.
Unfortunately, there was nothing she could learn from the continent when it came to the social skills department.
Jung Ha-Yan had probably gotten a hint of it, but it was hard to put into practice, especially for someone like her.
She was thinking about what she wanted, but she couldn’t put it into action. Of course, there was also a chance that she didn't know the answer to her conundrum.
Humans would always learn a ton through experience, and this was especially true for our one-trick Ha-Yan.
‘Honestly, I’m not so sure, either. Damn it, I don’t even know where to start.’
'Let’s just handle this first.'
“It’s fine, Ha-Yan. I didn’t get hurt, and Sera just made a mistake. The mistake happened during training and things like this happen from time to time. You don’t have to be so sensitive about it. Cheer up, Sera,” I said.
“H-He makes mistakes... every day. Isn’t he tired of it? H-He can’t even do this homework properly... and he doesn’t even know how to cast spells or use a sword,” Jung Ha-Yan grumbled.
‘You’re going to hurt him.’
“That’s not all. He doesn’t know how to do anything. I-I read the entry about their previous quest... and Sera only made mistakes. He didn’t do anything at all... and he even got himself in danger. H-He’s really stupid... Hiccup...” Jung Ha-Yan continued.
‘You read that, too?’
“Every kid is different,” I commented.
“H-He’s right, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. Sera is doing his best as well. You have no idea how hard he works...” Han Sora chimed in.
'Great support, Sora. I can see that you’re desperate as well.'
“I’m sure he’ll do well someday, right?” I asked.
“...”
“Right, Sera? You can do well, right? How about you promise me?” Sora asked.
“Y-Yes... Heuk... I can do well,” Sera answered.
“N-Nothing will change... just by doing your best... You said the same thing last time... You say you’re going to do your best every day... but nothing has changed. In the end, you’re the same every day. It’s a meaningless promise...” Jung Ha-Yan complained.
“...”
“Y-You have to show results... You have to... J-Just doing your best isn’t enough... b-because...” Jung Ha-Yan paused.
'Because I like competent people?'
“Competent... You have to be competent...” Jung Ha-Yan added.
'You have to be competent to be loved?'
“Y-Y-You’re so frustrating... You annoy me so much...” Jung Ha-Yan added.
“...”
The two of them were going to be heartbroken.
Honestly, there was something strange with me as well.
Jung Ha-Yan hadn't noticed, but I felt better seeing Seraphim cry.
At first, I had no plans of bringing him down with me. However, Cherubim brought him down with us, so I decided to simply ignore him from then on.
I was probably looking forward to this moment, and I was sure Cherubim had made a move earlier with this situation in mind.
I stared at Seraphim and saw his eyes darting around as if he had no idea where to look.
And that was when Jung Ha-Yan mumbled, “M-Maybe... I shouldn’t have asked for Sera... Things would have been better if I had chosen the other children...”
“...”
“...”
I knew she didn’t mean that, but I was sure that her words broke Seraphim's heart.