Daldal: Main story

Chapter 40

In the quiet night with everyone asleep, he was invited to the world of dreams.

It was truly a long-awaited visit.

A subconscious world constructed based on memories. As always, it was eerie here. He absentmindedly stared at something.

What appeared as light, upon closer scrutiny, unfolded into a realization - it was a prison.

Like a predetermined ritual, soon the sound of crying echoed. A scoff escaped him, a familiar sentiment of monotony settling in. It seemed perpetually repetitive, prompting him to question why. Yet, deep down, the realization dawned that there could be nothing new.

What lay before him were the unchangeable memories of the past.

He headed towards the prison. With each step, his stature diminished. By the time he stood in front of the door, he had transformed into the appearance of a child.

The door, a symbol of confinement, remained securely locked. This was the essence of the prison. With a key clutched in his hand, he turned the lock, opening the gateway to enter.

Cold vibrations filled the interior, with no windows allowing even a single ray of light. In a damp and filthy corner of this prison, someone was present.

Approaching her, young Chae Yoon-sa moved toward the woman. As the crouched figure, weeping, lifted her head, her face was clearly visible in Chae Yoon-sa's eyes, despite the absence of light.

-Yoon-sa...

The woman's large, moist eyes conveyed vulnerability. Her voice, emerging from cracked and pale lips, sounded fragile. The jaundiced face, disheveled hair, and the pungent odor emanating from her body-all erased the once-celebrated beauty.

This woman, in her pathetic and dirty state, was none other than his mother.

With hands and feet bound, the helpless woman pressed her face against
Chae Yoon-sa's foot, pleading.

-Yoon-sa, let me out. Allow me to go to him

It is truly heartbreaking. What did this profound tenderness and pure affection toward another evoke?

It was a man's anger. It was an obsession.

-I cannot live here. Yoon-sa, your mother cannot survive in this place

Young Chae Yoon-sa grasped the truth-she was already a departed soul. Despite her physical presence, her heart was absent, perpetually seeking elsewhere.

Already, Chae Yeong-sa was not a son to her, and she was not his mother. There was only one thing she fervently desired.

That cursed thing.

-Send me. Send me to him. He's waiting for me.

It was burdensome. Now, it was nothing but a plea that evoked feelings of weariness. Yet, reminiscing, he pondered on the past.
Was there not a time when his mother's heartrending cries stirred compassion within him? Yes, it seemed so. That's why he had made up his mind to let his mother go.

Chae Yoon-sa bent his knees, sitting down, and carefully took out the dagger he had hidden. He skillfully cut the ropes that bound his mother's body. Then, he gestured with his finger toward the open door.

Tears streamed down his mother's face as she touched Chae Yoon-sa's face with her injured hands. That gesture said it all. There was no apology or justification for abandoning her child. Whether it was because she wasn't sorry or because she couldn't find the courage to apologize, he didn't know.

Dragging her feet due to her inability to walk properly for a long time, she left the prison. Chae Yoon-sa silently watched her leaving, hoping never to see her again.