Otsu waited for Musashi or so people who hadn't properly read Vagabond liked to think.
But love was never really the main focus of Vagabond. It was about a samurai. About a man trying to understand what it meant to live, to fight, and eventually, to become something greater than himself.
Those thoughts took a back seat anyway when you returned home.
Manga and all your other hobbies weren't even the main topic of your life anymore. They were merely little things you clung to when you had the time.
But there was one thing that kept you awake sometimes.
The boy who had taken the third volume of your Vagabond manga.
The same boy who had been your first kiss.
Goo Kim had been a criminal in your eyes.
The rumours about him stabbing his master had been true, and suddenly, that innocent little kiss from middle school had turned sour.
Because what did it mean? What if you had refused to kiss him? Would he have killed you too?
The thought was ridiculous. You knew that.
And yet, with the city having been under war for years, you couldn't help but see Goo Kim in a different light now.
It was almost shameless to think about a middle-school kiss when you were old enough to go to college.
But your life had changed.
Your aunt ran the restaurant, and whatever money she managed to make from scamming unsuspecting customers was enough to keep the two of you afloat while also helping the members of Speed.
Yeowool had been a great help to your aunt's business as well, especially when it came to keeping the place safe.
And sometimes, when you looked at her, you couldn't help but feel pathetic.
She was actively contributing to the war.
You hadn't contributed in any meaningful way. You simply helped financially. It wasn't nothing, but it never felt like enough.
And, inevitably, your thoughts wandered back to that blond boy from middle school.
He had once promised you that when he became rich, he would remember you.
He'd even promised to pay you back for the lunch you'd bought him.
And since you knew he was violent, was it really that bad to hope that the violence spreading through the city might somehow spark his interest?
That he might come here? That he might walk through the doors of this restaurant one day?
You continued with your day, thinking of nothing except surviving another one.
And when night came, you went to sleep with the same numb despair you had grown accustomed to, holding on to the faint belief that perhaps, one day, Incheon would finally be free.
Goo shouted the name across the street.
Daniel was cycling at an accelerating speed, desperate to reach his original body.
It had collapsed from the exhaustion of unlocking his path while continuously fighting, and Daniel needed to get there.
So when he heard his name being called in a city like this and the voice was strangely familiar, he immediately turned toward it.
His eyes widened when he saw the restaurant.
More specifically, the man standing outside it.
Goo was in Incheon. For some reason.
Goo shouted again, waving his hand. Daniel immediately halted his bicycle.
Of all the people he could have encountered here, seeing Goo was perhaps the greatest relief he could have hoped for.
"You're here?" Daniel asked, smiling.
"I have something of mine that I need to take back," Goo replied casually. "But I'm hungry too, so how about we eat something first?"
Daniel's smile vanished. All the colour drained from his face.
Especially when Pacheon might be on his way to kill the other members?
"It's an emergency," Daniel explained. "We're close to fighting Pacheon Jo. You know, the guy who—"
"Just a quick bite, man."
Goo clutched his stomach dramatically.
"I came all the way here and my stomach is growling."
He even staggered slightly, acting as though he might faint from hunger.
Leaving Goo behind when he could potentially be of immense help against Pacheon would be a grave mistake.
So Daniel reluctantly decided to play along.
The same woman who had scammed him earlier came over to ask what they wanted to eat.
"We'd like the cheapest and fastest dish you have," Daniel said as politely as possible.
"Daniel Park, I'll pay. Don't embarrass me like that."
He turned toward the woman.
"Ma'am, don't worry about the money. Just make something quick."
From inside the kitchen, your aunt immediately called for you.
"You! Make those ramen quickly." You sighed and got to work.
You already knew that someone rich had walked into the restaurant from the way your aunt was humming to herself.
"Make it quick, dear," she called. "Before those Dark Crocodile members attack us."
You hurried. You prepared the bowls, arranged everything onto a tray, and carried the food outside.
You were expecting another pair of customers.
You were not expecting him.
The moment you looked at the table, your eyes widened.
The boy who had stolen your manga. The boy who had never properly treated you for the lunch you'd bought him. The violent boy from your middle-school years.
Your hands nearly faltered around the tray. You immediately took a small step backward.
One sentimental memory wasn't going to stop you from doing your job.
Your heart was pounding so loudly that you were almost certain the customers could hear it.
Slowly, you walked toward the table.
The black-haired boy sitting beside Goo looked vaguely familiar, but your attention kept returning to Goo.
He was far too familiar. He was taller now.Much taller.
And he was wearing those ridiculous Chrome Hearts glasses.
So he really had gotten rich?
He had always been violent. What if he had stolen them?
And what if he was pursuing the black-haired boy because of something equally terrible?
You needed to protect the poor guy.
You stopped beside the table.
"This meal is free," you declared.
Daniel blinked. "What sort of scam is this now?"
You ignored him. "Trust me. It's free."
You bowed slightly. "If you need anything else, just ask."
You froze. His voice was older now. Deeper...
But somehow, you knew it immediately.
"Remember when I told you that when I got rich, I'd treat you?"
You slowly turned around.
"So, of course, I won't eat this for free."
The words hit you harder than they should have.
You stared at him. This was supposed to be a violent criminal. A boy who had supposedly stabbed his own master.
A boy you'd spent years convincing yourself you should be afraid of.
Smiling at you. That same stupid, blinding smile.
"You really are a peasant, huh?"
His eyes moved around the worn-down restaurant.
"Living in a war-torn place like this."
There was no mistaking it anymore.bThis was him.
The boy you'd kissed in middle school.
The boy who had taken your Vagabond manga.
The boy who had promised to pay you back for lunch once he became rich.
And now that Goo Kim was standing right in front of you, perhaps it was time he paid for everything he'd owed you.
the promise he'd made all those years ago.