Legal Disclaimer
This light novel is inspired by the beautiful landscapes and cultures of Bolivia and South Korea. However, the characters, events, and situations portrayed are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is purely coincidental. This content does not intend to represent or reflect the historical, social, or cultural reality of either country. The author disclaims any legal liability arising from the interpretation of these elements.
Chapter 71 — The Dance of Misunderstanding.
71.1 When Someone Uncomfortable Appears.
The nightclub roared with music, lights, and shadows shaking to the rhythm of the bass.
There, in the middle of the tumult.
Zayra danced like no one else: her body transformed into flames, hips swaying dangerously,
arms drawing curves in the air, steps evoking an ancestral sensuality.
It was Arabic dance, it was a heartbeat, it was hypnosis.
Men approached her, one, two, three. Tempted, confident.
But she rejected them with firm courtesy, without an extra word, without breaking the tempo of her art.
Her eyes continued to shine, her smile was barely sketched, and her body remained powerful, free, and defiant.
Ryu watched her from the darkness, rigid. The glass in his hand trembled with a dull thump of his pulse.
He smiled sideways, without joy.
Because what he saw he did not like, and yet it captivated him.
His fingers drummed against the rim of the glass... and then became still, motionless.
He wondered.
"What is happening to me?"
And his heart, for the first time, did not know how to answer.
He wasn't prepared to see her like this,
to feel so much and much less to face the absurd fear of losing something he hadn't even completely accepted,
something he desired.
***
Suddenly, someone approached her with determined and gallant steps.
She was dancing as if no one else existed.
And through the crowd, Sebastián appeared with a confident smile,
approaching with a sure step.
Ryu inhaled slowly through his nose, a gesture he learned to contain impulses,
although this time he wasn't sure he could control them.
"Will you dance with me? Love of my life."
Sebastián said, confidently extending his hand.
Zayra frowned and gave him a look full of cynicism.
"The love you cheated on with twenty women?"
Sebastián let out an arrogant laugh and shook his head.
"They're just rumors, Zayra. You know I love you."
A thought flashed through her mind, heavy and cruel.
"How ironic... this lying man can say 'I love you' without a problem,
while the man who really matters to me doesn't even utter those words."
Her expression darkened, and a mixture of sadness and frustration appeared in her eyes.
Sebastián, attentive, interpreted that small crack as an opportunity and smiled shrewdly.
At that moment, Rubí, Zayra's friend, appeared by her side with a knowing smile.
"Sebastián, dance with Zayra, for old times' sake.
I don't think your fiancé will mind. Right?"
She said playfully, glancing toward Ryu, who was watching the scene with a clenched jaw.
He shifted his gaze to Zayra for a fraction of a second, as if needing confirmation that she was not enjoying that proximity.
However, he couldn't hold back anymore and took a step forward; the tension in his body was palpable.
"She's with me."
He gently and decisively took Zayra by the arm, pulling her away from Sebastián and the crowd.
She didn't resist, trying to understand what was happening.
Meanwhile,
Ryu's gaze reflected the struggle between his usual coldness and the fire of jealousy that this encounter had ignited.
Ryu's grip was firm, but not rough; he was holding more than grabbing,
like someone trying to recover something he fears losing.
***
63.2 Jealousy.
The music continued to vibrate inside the nightclub, but for Zayra, it was a distant, almost irrelevant noise.
Her tense body, furrowed brow, and pressed lips made it clear that she was not in the mood for games.
Ryu had led her toward the entrance,
but as soon as they crossed the threshold, he took her arm forcefully.
"You're not leaving like this."
He said with a firm, almost urgent voice.
"Come with me."
Zayra froze for a second, surprised by Ryu's determination.
However, he was already leading her toward the street, away from the stares and the noise,
toward a corner where only the two of them existed.
***
Outside, under the faint light of a streetlamp, the tension between them became almost palpable.
Ryu ran a hand through the back of his neck, a rare gesture for him, a sign that he was losing control of his emotions.
Zayra tried to pull away, but he held her firmly.
The space between them was filled with an almost tangible tension.
"What do you want?"
She asked, her voice laden with anger and distance.
Ryu took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on her,
knowing this was the decisive moment.
"I don't want to lose you.
I failed by not saying what you needed, not from lack of affection, but from fear…
But I am willing to change for you."
Zayra didn't look down, she inhaled deeply, and as if wanting to give him the opportunity she asked for so much,
she questioned decisively.
"Ryu, tell me the truth. Do you love me?"
His gaze wavered,
barely descending toward the ground for an instant so brief it seemed like a flaw in his perfect composure.
He approached a little closer, his voice softer, but full of sincerity.
"Let me show you with every day by your side.
But I need you to give me a chance."
Zayra let out a sarcastic chuckle and decreed more firmly.
"Ryu, you are not answering my question."
Ryu remained silent, swallowing hard,
aware that any word spoken without the absolute conviction his culture demanded would be a sign of disrespect toward her.
And for some reason he didn't understand, those words wouldn't come out.
He reflected internally.
"I don't want to rush what we feel, because for me,
those words carry a weight that we are still learning to bear."
She looked at him with disappointment and thought.
"I knew it, he's not sure…"
She felt a sadness that she couldn't explain at that moment.
Those words hurt her more than she wanted to admit.
And then she reflected in her mind.
"I'm sorry, Ryu, but it looks like this isn't going to work.
I would never marry for interest."
She inhaled deeply, closed her right hand into a fist, and declared.
"Ryu… I don't beg for love."
***
Without waiting for an answer,
she broke free from his grasp and quickly walked away toward the neon-lit street, her figure receding.
As Ryu watched her leave, he took a step forward, driven by the instinct to stop her,
but he forced himself to hold back, because he didn't know if approaching her would be to comfort her or hurt her more.
He felt his heart constrict and a certainty that the time to act was running out.