How I Became Immortal

Chapter 33

       Yuna grew happy when she heard his reply, "I'll take you there. It shouldn't be that far from here." She followed him through the forest. She wasn't suspicious of him because she didn't see any signs of deception in his behavior. Otherwise, she'd probably have to find her way back alone. Although she had a good sense of direction, she let herself get carried away enjoying the beautiful garden.

Yuna had a tough time catching up to him. He had so much more endurance and stamina compared to her and his legs were extremely long. She was so short compared to him; the top of her head reached his shoulders. After a while, he noticed that she was far behind him. He then slowed down his pace a great deal.

He could see that she was heaving from the fast walk she had to do to catch up to him. He felt bad for walking too fast. He was very skilled in martial arts and he wasn't used to letting people follow him. He matched her pace and walked just two steps ahead of her.

After she caught up, she decided to start up a conversation so that he could walk slower. Plus, it was awkward walking together in silence. She asked him a simple question that didn't seem too inquiring, "How old are you?"

He didn't expect that she'd talk to him throughout the entire walk back to the palace's main courtyard. During the whole walk, they were silent for quite some time. He replied curtly, "I don't see a reason why I should be telling you my age, but since I'm curious about your age, I'll tell you. I'm 13 years old."

His words were prickly, and she could sense that he didn't like small talk. She didn't want to bother him, but the silence was too awkward. She replied in a friendly tone, "Wow, we're only one year apart. I'm 12 years old. Do you prefer it if I use a formal way of speaking?" He looked like he didn't believe her at all. She looked too much like a kid. His reply was short, "Whatever you like." She made up her mind, "I'll just keep speaking to you formally. Do you usually take naps in the forest?"

He blushed when he heard her question. What kind of question was that? He didn't know how to respond, so he awkwardly dodged the question, "I'd prefer it if you spoke to me in a less formal way." She smiled knowingly when he dodged her question. He probably felt shy being asked about his nap place.

She oddly felt happy about getting to see his shy expression. He was usually expressionless, but only her questions could make him change his expression. She found it interesting whenever she got to see different expressions. She replied in a less formal tone, "Are you sure, you're ok with a less formal way of speaking? I think being one year apart isn't much different anyway. Then, I guess I'll speak like this."

He mumbled, "Good." Then he continued to walk through the garden quietly. It was tough trying to get him to open up. It felt like he had a hard shell for skin that wouldn't let anyone through. She caught up to him again and wheezed out, "Could you walk a bit slower? My legs aren't as long as yours. Please?" He slowed down and watched her catch her breath.

He felt pleased to hear her compliment him indirectly. He decided to stick close to her, so that she could catch up. He wasn't in any hurry and it seemed like she wasn't either. After Yuna's breathing became normal, she said, "How much farther do we have to go till we get there? Are you in a hurry? I'm sorry you have to keep slowing down because of me."

He shook his head, "I'm not in a hurry. I didn't realize you couldn't keep up. Maybe you should work on training your body on your spare time."

Yuna felt irritated by his response. Did he just indirectly call her fat? She hardly had any fat on her belly. In her eyes, she was considered skinny. She glared at him, "I'm not fat! You're not supposed to call a girl fat you jerk!" He looked troubled by her answer. He wasn't intentionally trying to call her fat. He was trying to inform her on ways to improve stamina and endurance.

He was used to training others in martial arts and he never found his advice to be offensive. He wasn't used to speaking to girls, so his response made him look like a jerk. He felt bad and explained himself, "I think you misunderstood. I didn't mean to call you fat. I train normally to increase my stamina and endurance daily. You're not fat. In fact, you're too skinny. You should probably eat more."

She felt embarrassed after her outburst earlier. She misunderstood him like a fool. She decided to change the topic to cover up her misunderstanding, "Are you talented in martial arts?" He chose not to bring up the subject again and answered honestly, "I think I'm average. There are many people that are better at martial arts than me."

Yuna could tell that he was being too humble. His stature was not like a 13-year-old at all. He looked muscular and tall for his age. He could probably pass off as an 18-year-old. She felt petite in comparison to him. Maybe she should start working out more often. Her arms were very thin and there was hardly any muscle. She sighed, "If you're considered average. What does that make me?" She pointed at her thin arms and frowned.

He didn't like seeing her defeated expression. He then chose to encourage her, "Don't feel upset. It's normal for people to feel like it's impossible, but once you start training, it becomes a lot easier." She grew happier just by listening to his inspiring words. She was used to Minho telling her that she wasn't good enough. He felt like a breath of fresh air compared to Minho.

Just thinking about her suffering, suddenly made tears form in her eyes. She instantly looked away from the boy and wiped away her tears. He felt his heart ache when he watched tears in her eyes. He patted her back lightly. She instantly flinched when she felt his touch on her back. He was comforting her even though he didn't know a thing about her.

She somehow sensed that he knew her from somewhere. She tried to think back to her previous life, but no matter how much she tried to remember, she didn't recall him. It was impossible for her not to remember because she had picture perfect memory.

Then why was he comforting her without knowing why she was crying? Something's fishy. Yuna needed to find out what his true intentions were and if he is an ally or enemy.