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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 74 — I Love You, Zayra
The sun remained imposing in the Santa Cruz sky,
while the restaurant, now almost empty due to the hour,
seemed to hold the silence of the afternoon in Santa Cruz.
The humid heat typical of the city,
mingled with the sweet aroma of the Toborochi flowers that discreetly adorned the tables,
while the sky painted golden hues before the arrival of night.
Yandé, with his typical observant calm, approached Ryu,
who was still at the table, with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped.
"She is waiting for you."
He said, without a trace of provocation, but with the firmness of someone who knows the worth of his friend.
Ryu stood up.
His steps, initially hesitant,
became determined as he crossed the room.
His fingers tightened slightly in his pockets, fighting to contain the tremor he didn't want to show.
Each step felt like a small battle against the fear that invaded him.
The murmur of conversations faded behind him, and the clinking of glasses seemed like a distant echo,
as if everything around him had become a muffled whisper.
***
In his chest, his heartbeat accelerated, an invisible current that defied his serious facade.
For an instant, he wished he could retreat, but he kept going.
Zayra had not moved from her place; she was sitting with her back straight,
a gesture's distance away, as if the table drew a river that only he could cross.
Her heart was beating fast.
No one would have suspected that, inside.
Several tiny versions of herself were running in circles,
discussing emergency plans for an abandonment that did not yet exist.
"What if this was the end and Ryu went back to his country,
leaving her with no future, no plan, without him?"
Her mind began to race, questioning every action she had taken.
"Maybe I shouldn't have left, or the dress was too short, or dancing wasn't a good idea.
Perhaps, I shouldn't have…"
Perfect….
Of course, now she also felt that everything was her fault.
But then she told herself, more strongly.
"I don't want to live in fear; this time I want to believe and trust,
even if it costs me."
For an instant, she felt the old knot in her chest, the one she knew too well, and she brought a hand to her heart.
That knot that appeared when loving began to hurt prematurely.
Suddenly, she heard the following words...
"Wait…. It wasn't malice.
It was to take care of us."
That voice, firmer,
older, cut through the chaos.
The same one that had learned, through hard knocks,
that not all love was safe and not all men stayed.
She knew how much it hurt to be left alone in a white room and for someone not to return,
but she preferred a bad moment now to several later.
"Good…. Calm down... Breathe…"
She told herself and looked up, more secure.
***
When Ryu crossed the last row of tables, Zayra was still there.
Motionless.
Perfect.
He stopped in front of her,
unsure of what to say or how to begin.
The silence became almost unbearable, but Zayra let out a crooked smile,
the kind you wear when you don't know whether to laugh or cry.
Because life in Santa Cruz teaches you to take these things with humor,
even if they hurt.
She wasn't laughing at Ryu, or at herself, but at what they had to face.
She gestured for him to sit down.
"Thank you for waiting for me."
Said in a low, firm voice, as if trying to give Ryu a small respite in the middle of that storm.
She understood that it wasn't easy for him.
However, for her, love had ceased to be a game or an obligation.
She was no longer satisfied with empty promises or awkward silences.
Zayra had grown, changed, and she knew she deserved something real.
A commitment that was more than words, that was a brave and true act.
For his part, he was nervous.
Although he had already decided to say what he felt.
The simple act of uttering those words took him out of his comfort zone,
making every muscle in his body tense.
The glass in her hand made a soft clinking sound as she placed it on the tablecloth.
She asked, resting her chin on her left palm.
"So?"
In that moment, Ryu noticed that the finger where she should wear the engagement ring was bare.
He blinked just once.
He did not lower his gaze, but something inside him contracted with surgical precision.
"So it was true."
The fear that Camila had insinuated was no longer a possibility;
it was right in front of him.
***
For an eternal second, the air between them became dense.
There was no reproach, nor demand in her voice.
Only a silent curiosity about a decision that could change everything.
Ryu held her gaze without moving, aware that this moment was decisive,
that any gesture too much or too little could break something that was barely beginning to hold together.
Inhaled the warm aroma of spiced food and warm wine,
trying to find the serenity that always accompanied him,
but this time it wasn't there.
He had come out without a plan, without gifts or rehearsed words,
only with the urgency of seeing her before it was too late.
Exhaled slowly, allowing himself to be vulnerable.
Facing her, almost breathless, he began.
"Zayra, it was hard for me…"
His voice faltered, dragging the weight of old fears he was barely managing to face.
But, not saying it was worse.
He opened his eyes to find her still, trapped in her own battle.
A slight tremor ran across her lips, and for a moment, the world stopped.
Finally, with all the sincerity he could muster, he pronounced.
"I love you, Zayra."
Those words hung suspended in the air,
like stones falling into the bottom of a lake.
For an instant, her mind went blank, as if time had stopped.
"Really? Had she heard correctly?"
A tremor ran through her body,
it was hard for her to breathe.
Her heart seemed to want to burst out of her chest.
"Seriously?"
She thought, with a mix of disbelief and hope that blurred her vision.
She began to grasp the locket with the Toborochi flower around her neck,
as if that could bring her back to reality.
However, her mind remained on pause,
unable to fully assimilate what she had just heard.
Ryu, aware of this fact,
delicately slid his hand and brushed hers with that subtlety so characteristic of his way of expressing affection.
As he touched her hand, an unexpected spark ran across his skin,
awakening emotions, he had learned to keep under control since arriving in Bolivia.
They both stood up at the same time,
ending up face to face.
She froze, still not finished processing, and in a low voice,
almost a whisper, she asked.
"Really?"
He smiled, looked at her,
and nodded.
She blinked, and the light from the streetlamp reflected in her eyes,
which seemed to shine with a mixture of surprise and relief.
Without permission, a tear escaped,
indicating that she was deeply moved.
And without thinking, she chose to hug him tightly,
as if wanting to cling to that truth she was barely beginning to believe.
Ryu remained still,
frozen for a second, but he didn't push her away.
She looked up, seeking his eyes.
The light, with its faint yellowish glow, illuminated their faces.
Creating shadows that seemed to whisper stories of an ancient Santa Cruz,
amidst whispers of wind and tradition.
Ryu looked at her, without taking his eyes off those eyes that suddenly seemed new to him,
different, tender.
Felt a strange pang, a mix of surprise and something akin to tenderness,
a feeling he didn't usually allow himself to show.
Later he, glanced discreetly around,
making sure there weren't too many people nearby.
He tensed for an instant,
aware that this gesture was not common in his culture for showing public affection.
But that night, in that place and with that woman,
he needed to express something deeper than words.
Then, carefully, like someone touching something fragile and precious,
he brought his head closer and deposited a tender and brief kiss on her forehead.
With that small kiss on the forehead, both understood that,
although words could fail, sincere gestures could seal deeper pacts than any verbal promise.
Zayra closed her eyes, let out a sigh of relief, and for the first time in a long time,
allowed that light of peace to shine on her face.
The world around them continued to turn.
From outside, the distant murmur of the Santa Cruz streets filtered through the windows,
reminding them that, although time seemed to have stopped for them, the city remained alive with its rhythms and secrets.
But in that instant, under the sky of Santa Cruz,
amidst whispers of wind and the faint light of the colonial streetlamp, only the two of them existed.