Chapter 167
Why is it so difficult to love just once?
It doesn’t seem like something that should be this painful.
Humans loved so easily, got hurt, grieved, and then fell in love again.
But Yasamin could never bring himself to do that.
Truthfully, he had tried to forget Aquafuran. He had even met women who professed their love for him.
There were times when he had struggled to forget, to sever his heart, to give it to someone else.
But not once had he succeeded. Not even a single time.
“I won’t forget. Even if my memories return, that won’t erase today.”
Facing him, Siren spoke with clear conviction.
Despite being drunk, her pronunciation was flawless.
“I’ll remember today. I won’t forget you. I promise.”
“A promise… you say.”
“I’ll do my best to make you trust me. I don’t remember anything… but I must have done something before I lost my memories to make you lose faith in me.”
Siren, without ‘Aquafuran,’ was unbearably sweet.
Clear and pure, like morning dew.
Yasamin knew full well that once the identity of ‘Aquafuran’ returned, these words would disappear like mist over water—
And yet, he gave in once more.
Even knowing he couldn’t believe her, he still wanted to.
Just one more time, he wanted to try.
Perhaps this was his weakness.
Or maybe, he was simply out of his mind.
“Yasamin.”
“Yes.”
“I read somewhere that no one loves with a sane mind.”
“…Are you reading my thoughts?”
Feeling as if she had seen right through him, he asked, and Siren let out a small laugh.
“It was just the expression on your face. As if you were wondering, ‘Am I mad?’ I’ve spent a long time thinking that about myself, too.”
“Ah.”
“You wear the same expression as me. So lonely, so isolated… I can’t help but turn back when I see it. It feels like it’s my fault somehow.”
Yasamin did not offer a response to Siren’s whisper.
It was her fault, yet at the same time, it wasn’t.
His resentment, once again, lost its path and wandered aimlessly.
With no one left to direct it toward, there was nothing he could do.
But this time… this time, something feels different.
A corner of his heart felt damp.
His tear glands had long since dried, so there were no tears, yet his heart ached, throbbing dully.
It took Yasamin a long time to realize—
Ah, I want to cry right now.
And Siren, quietly, embraced her husband.
Thump, thump.
As if their two hearts might collide, the sound of their beating was deafening.
The sensation of their bodies rising and falling together made it feel as though the entire world was trembling.
Like the arrival of spring gently caressing the frozen earth, like mist rising as the permafrost melts away. Like new shoots sprouting and tender buds shyly peeking out… Yasamin’s heart thawed, turning into soft, yielding mud.
Since the melting of frozen ground is the first sign of new life, perhaps this was something to be welcomed.
In the end, he had never felt such emotions for Aquafuran, but he was not the type to sulk about it endlessly.
“I was planning to do something indecent… but oh well.”
With a small chuckle, he offered his arm as a pillow for Siren and held her gently in his embrace.
She had already drifted into slumber, her soft snores filling the quiet space, and as she nestled against him, she felt as light and delicate as a tiny bird—utterly endearing.
Yasamin let out a sigh and simply gazed at Siren in silence.
“I love you.”
Though she could not hear it, he whispered the words anyway.
“I love you, Siren. I love you so much.”
I hope you hear it in your dreams, so that your sleep may be peaceful.
In the end, you will be happy, and I will be miserable, but if it is a misery meant solely for you, I will endure the bitterness willingly.
“If it makes you happy, I don’t mind if you stay like this—without your memories—for a little longer.”
Yes, this is how it always ends.
Had he ever won, even once?
At last, Yasamin truly let everything go.
It was not resignation. It was a genuine surrender.
And he decided that he would love as much as he could.
To share in this happiness that had been given to her, if only for a little while.
That was the conclusion Yasamin came to—his own way of loving.
The days that followed were peaceful.
Siren wished to recreate the miracle she had performed, so she traveled to a nearby village and sang the Hymn of Life once more.
The first time, it had happened unconsciously, but this time, she did it with clear intent.
Because she had done it once before, the lyrics and melody lingered in her memory, making it possible. Yet, astonishingly, an even greater miracle occurred than before.
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