CHAPTER : 4
And they talked until they were tired and fell into a deep sleep.
A sudden cold breeze passed over them.
They were still lying on the ground, shivering from the cold.
The first to open her eyes was my mother.
As she slowly opened them, she saw that the sun had disappeared from the sky.
The moon now shone its silver light over the grassland.
All the plants glowed as if they were made of silver, and fireflies drifted around them, making it look as though tiny suns were welcoming the night.
She slowly extended her hand and gently shook him awake.
When he opened his eyes, he couldn't say a word.
He simply stared at the scenery above him.
After a moment, reality caught up to him.
His expression stiffened.
"Oh no… what should we do? It's already night," he yelled, pushing himself up.
The fireflies scattered into the darkness.
"What will I say to Nolin? And with what face?"
Fear spread across his face, replacing the earlier warmth.
Seeing this, she placed her hand on his shoulder, steady and calm.
"You need to calm down and take a deep breath," she said softly.
"We can't change what happened. We just have to go back and face them."
He looked at her, then slowly nodded.
"You're right," he said, exhaling.
"There's nothing else we can do."
They stood up, brushed the dirt from their clothes, and began walking back toward the village.
When they finally returned, Nolin was standing at the front of the shop, arms crossed.
The moment he saw him covered in dirt, his face darkened.
Before anyone could speak, Nolin stepped forward and punched him with all his strength.
My father didn't dodge.
He was thrown backward and collapsed, unconscious.
The last thing he remembered was Nolin shouting, and Liana desperately stepping in front of him, trying to explain everything.
When he woke up, it was already morning.
My mother was the first thing he saw.
The moment she realized he was awake, her face lit up, and she hugged him tightly.
"You're finally awake," she said, her voice trembling.
"I was so worried… you were unconscious the whole night."
He hugged her back, noticing the tears in her eyes.
"I'm okay now," he said gently.
"You don't need to worry anymore. Just calm down."
After she settled a little, she explained what had happened.
She told him how she explained everything to Nolin, how the physician was called, and how he said my father would wake up by morning.
A short while later, Nolin entered the room, his expression tense.
He sat down heavily on a chair.
"So," Nolin said, breaking the silence,
"what are you going to do now? You know what you did was wrong."
He looked directly at him.
"Liana is like my own child. Think carefully before you speak. This is for your own good."
The tension filled the room, thick like mist on a winter morning.
My mother tried to speak, but my father raised his hand slightly, stopping her.
"I know exactly what I did," he said, his voice steady.
"And I'm prepared to take responsibility for it."
He met Nolin's eyes without hesitation.
"I was already planning to propose after yesterday.
Whatever punishment you decide—I'll accept it."
For a moment, Nolin stared at him.
Then he smiled.
That smile turned into laughter.
"I knew it," Nolin said, shaking his head.
"I was just testing you."
He stood up.
"I've watched you grow up in this village.
From today onward, I won't interfere between the two of you."
He paused at the door and looked back.
"You know what will happen if you ever hurt her, right? Yesterday was just a trial."
Then his expression softened.
"Ha ha—just joking. Don't worry."
But even so, my father knew those words were real.
If he ever did anything wrong, there would be hell to pay.
After Nolin left, the tension slowly faded.
Everything returned to normal.
Almost.
An awkward silence remained.
No one spoke for a while.
Then my mother quietly stepped out of the room.
As she left, the redness on her cheeks was impossible to miss.
They didn't talk for some time after that.
The awkwardness took time to fade—
—but it disappeared in a single, honest, heart-to-heart conversation.