We Should Have Slept While Only Holding Hands, And Yet?!: Volume 2 – Truth

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-. Truth

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“Ah, welcome, Underclassman Jin Jaro.”

Like last time, I could see the exterior of the school where the sun was setting through the open window. I couldn’t see the sky because of the apartment buildings. The amber rays alone entered the clubroom. The blowing wind made the curtains flutter.

“It was a bit suffocating since we always kept the curtains closed. You’ve been visiting a lot more frequent lately, I see? You stopped coming that often once you started living together with more people.”

While receiving the glow of the setting sun, which was coming in through the window, on her back, Upperclassman Nabom gently waved her hand.

School had already ended a long time ago. There weren’t any students left at school right now since our school had adjusted to recent times and gotten rid of the late-night self-study classes. Upperclassman Nabom and I were most likely the only students here at the moment.

“Well, you’re here by yourself because of me, so I feel sorry about that as well.”

“You don’t have to worry that much. In my own way, I don’t dislike being here. Especially recently.”

Upperclassman Nabom gathered her hair together since it was fluttering in the wind and looked out the window even though she could most likely only see the walls of the apartment buildings.

When she said she didn’t dislike being here, did she mean this clubroom, or······.

“But there’s another reason today.”

“What is it, Underclassman Jin Jaro? You have such a serious look on your face.”

“There’s something I’ve been wondering about.”

Once she heard those words, Upperclassman Nabom let out a small sigh, uncrossed her legs, and fixed her posture.

“······All right. I see you’ve finally made up your mind.”

“It’s my fault for not trying to know until now.”

I gave her a small nod and stood by the door while maintaining eye contact. I was basically telling her that I won’t let her leave until I get an answer.

“No matter how much I think about it, your words were weird, Upperclassman Nabom.”

“What was weird? ······Would you get upset if I asked that?”

Upperclassman Nabom simply laughed as if she were troubled. However, that expression didn’t look as if she were teasing me this time. There was probably a different meaning.

So, instead of getting upset, I explained it to her as she wanted.

“You told me before that there are no time paradoxes. So I also believed that the future wouldn’t change.”

“It is exactly as you said.”

“But that’s weird.”

“What about that is weird?”

Upperclassman Nabom’s gaze looked as if she were doing her best to pretend as if she didn’t know what I was talking about. Therefore, I answered her.

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“Then that means Jaim came back to the past from the very beginning.”

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“······What do you mean by that?”

“You can stop pretending as if you don’t know.”

I was starting to get annoyed by that reaction.

I hated Saeyeon. That’s why I made it so that she didn’t know anything.

Due to that, I ended up having a fight with her after Jaim was born and she left.

Because she didn’t have a mom and also didn’t want to deal with her dad who treated her coldly, Jaim traveled back in time.

As a result, I ended up fighting with Saeyeon now and we’ve spent our time like this ever since.

And, although I don’t know why, I’ll one day get into a fight with Saeyeon again for the same exact reason. Because the future won’t change.

But that’s strange.

“If, as you said, there really aren’t any time paradoxes and the future won’t change, then the future where Jaim comes to the past won’t change either.”

I was able to obtain the family that I’ve been yearning this long for. I don’t understand how, after having achieved this, I could break up with Saeyeon and treat Jaim coldly, but if these things actually do happen, then Jaim will go to the past.

As a result of that, Saeyeon and I fight for the same reason we fight in the future, and endeavor to make Jaim stay in this time, again, and again······.

“There is no start.”

The fight with Saeyeon that happens in the future that Jaim told me about doesn’t happen.

“And there’s no end.”

If the future doesn’t change, then this loop will be eternal.

“If I want to understand this, then one question needs to be answered.”

And the only one who knows the answer to this question is this person.

I stared right at Upperclassman Nabom and asked.

“So please answer me. Why do I break up with Saeyeon?”

“······.”

“Please don’t give me a rough answer like, ‘You broke up with Saeyeon because you didn’t see her as a girl’. I know that’s a lie.”

Upperclassman Nabom didn’t answer. There was a moment of silence.

Clap, clap, clap. Upperclassman Nabom started to applaud slowly without any energy.

“You figured it out well, huh?”

Only the sound of slow applause filled the clubroom.

“I knew very well that Underclassman Jin Jaro would ask me that at this point, but I’m honestly surprised. I believed that you were a person who didn’t really think about things.”

·····As I expected, she knew.

“But at the same time, I’m also disappointed. Several times now, I’m certain that I’ve told you that I’m not your ally, Underclassman Jin Jaro. It seems you truly, truly didn’t listen to even a single one of my advice.”

An indescribable smile appeared on Upperclassman Nabom’s face as she spoke.

“You understand there’s no reason for me to answer that question, correct?”

“I still have to know.”

“It’s not my duty to play along with Underclassman Jin Jaro that far.”

“I still have to know.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I’m the head of the household.”

“······.”

“Because I have to protect Saeyeon and Jaim.”

“······I see you’re going to take it that far.”

Upperclassman Nabom paused because of my answer. She let out a sigh.

“Very well. If you’re going to go that far, then at the very least, I will be your ally for this moment.”

Upperclassman Nabom smiled bitterly.

“That’s why I’m going to convince you to give up, Underclassman Jin Jaro.”

“······Why?”

“I’ll give you a simple explanation about how time works.”

As if she were trying to change the topic, Upperclassman Nabom smiled slightly.

“For example, let’s say that there’s a certain story. It could also be a movie, but a lot of people had already read the story. Naturally, a lot of people also know the ending. Now let’s say that in that situation, you read the story, but you didn’t like the ending, so you tore it out and wrote a different ending yourself.”

“······.”

Since she told me she’ll be my ally right now, she probably won’t lie to me. She’s that type of person, after all.

“Does that mean the ending had changed just because you did that?”

“In other words, Upperclassman Nabom, you’re saying that as long as you and Jaim, the people who know the future, are here, the future won’t change. Is that it?”

“To put it in another way, if Miss Jaim and I return to the future, then the future will not have been determined yet.”

Upperclassman Nabom answered while staring straight at me.

“This is just to a certain extent. I don’t know if it will actually change or not simply because we go back. However······.”

“If I know what happens, then, in the end, it won’t change. That’s why you can’t tell me. Is this what you’re trying to tell me?”

“Because at least at this moment, I’m your ally, Underclassman Jin Jaro.”

As if she were telling me that she wasn’t lying, she spoke as if she were trying to convince me that this was for my sake.

This was most likely the branch in the path.

If we one day make Jaim go back to the future and Upperclassman Nabom and Jihye go as well, then the future will be unknown.

But······.

“I don’t believe that the future is set in stone.”

“······.”

“That sort of defeatist way of thinking doesn’t suit me.”

Even if a future where I achieve my dream is waiting for me, I’ll refuse any future that I don’t want. If I can’t change it, then I’ll do whatever I can to change it. That’s the way I do things.”

“And a premise is required to do what you said, Upperclassman Nabom.”

“What sort of premise are you talking about?”

“The premise of me sending Jaim back to the future.”

Since she said there can’t be someone who knows the future.

“But I don’t plan on doing that. I can’t send her back to a future she doesn’t want when it isn’t certain. I’m her dad, after all.”

Above all else, there was a contradiction in what Upperclassman Nabom had said.

“If there can’t be someone who knows the future, then since I know that I’m going to break up with Saeyeon, then you have to do something about me as well, right?”

“······I see. It would indeed become like that.”

Upperclassman Nabom nodded her head seriously and continued.

“However, in that regard, I could simply go out of my way to alter your memories. If I erase the memories you have about the future, then Underclassman Jin Jaro, you will also······.”

“I won’t let you.”

If you do that, then I’ll forget that Jaim was here, that I’m going to break up with Saeyeon in the future, and what sort of person I’m going to become in the future.

“······We’ll definitely arrive at that same future again.”

In the end, it’s simple.

“······I see.”

And in response to my answer, Upperclassman Nabom’s face became stiff for some reason.

“······So you’re saying there’s no choice.”

Upperclassman Nabom spoke with a somewhat strange voice and smile on her face.

“So is that why that happened?”

I didn’t miss what she mumbled under her breath.

“More important than anything else, I’m going to protect Saeyeon and Jaim. I have to protect them.”

No matter what happens, that’s something I can’t make adjustments for.

“And I’ll do whatever I can to accomplish that.”

We’re going to break up in the future? Who decided that?

I don’t lack enough greed to give up on the things that I’ve obtained.

“No matter what happens in the future, even if you tell me that it can’t be changed, I’ll do whatever I can to change it. I can solve it. I can overcome it. So tell me what happens.”

If I know the reason why I break up with Saeyeon, then I should be able to do something to change it. If I know the reason, then I can avoid it.

“I’ll ignore the fact that there are no time paradoxes, that you can’t change the future. I’ll change the future myself.”

I pounded my chest and decided to act like I used to for at least this moment.

“I’m the greatest scientist of this era, The Mad Scientist Jin Jaro.”

“······If you’re going to take it that far, then it can’t be helped.”

Upperclassman Nabom shook her head weakly and gazed at me.

“I did say that I will at least be your ally at this moment, so if you truly want to know, then I have to oblige.”

With a somewhat worried glint in her eyes,

“Even if it’s something that I want to hide from you, Underclassman Jin Jaro, as your ally. If you wish to know that badly, then.”

As if confirming it with me for one last time, Upperclassman Ha Nabom asked me seriously.

“Underclassman Jin Jaro, once you hear this, you will undoubtedly regret it for a very long time. Still, is this truly······. Is this truly okay?”

“I won’t regret it. I’ll take care of it no matter what happens.”

“······You’re going to regret saying that line the most.”

After saying those final, barely audible words,

Upperclassman Nabom let out a sigh as if she were letting out all the air from her lungs, and raised her head in order to stare right at me.

With an incredibly sad, rueful, and mournful look on her face,

Upperclassman Nabom spoke.

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“⎯⎯⎯2 years from now, Miss Ja Saeyeon will die.”

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〈Volume 2 End〉

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TL note: Thanks for reading this ‘extra’ chapter. This is the actual end of the volume, not chapter 9. Quite the cliffhanger. I really don’t have anything much to say at this point. I’ll either make an update post after this or just immediately go into translating volume 3, but before that, I have to get accustomed to my university life again. It isn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but it does consume a lot of my time now, so my translating speed will go down. I’ll try my best to somehow maintain a stable pace.

In any case, I’ll see you guys in the next update.

VOLUME 2 AUTHOR’S AFTERWORD | VOLUME 2 ILLUSTRATIONS