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 46 – An Announcement and the One Who Comes Every Month
46.1 – Where the Plan Ends and Love Begins
Ryu gently pushed the cabin door open and instantly felt that emptiness left by a loved one's absence.
The light was off, the air still, as if the entire space was holding its breath.
"Zayra?" he called out softly, but the silence returned only more silence.
His voice came out lower than usual.
The slight trembling in his right hand betrayed him, so he hid it in his trouser pocket.
"I shouldn't be this rattled… but why does not seeing her worry me so much?"
He left the keys on the table, looked around, and when he didn't find her, he left immediately.
He moved along the rustic stone path with quick, restrained steps.
His footsteps were firm, but the rhythm betrayed his calm.
Each crunch under his shoes seemed to amplify the absurd idea that she might have left.
"Where could she be…?"
With every step, his chest tightened, not quite from fear, but from the uncomfortable feeling of not knowing.
He turned at the path of wild flowers, where the breeze carried the perfume of the damp forest.
In the distance, from the open kitchen, a kind voice broke the tension.
"Are you looking for your sweetheart?"
asked one of the service ladies, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Yes."
He answered.
"Ah, I saw her a while ago asleep under the Toborochi tree.
She must have given in to exhaustion, the poor thing.
She's over there… like a child having a sweet dream."
Ryu nodded with a slight, grateful gesture and walked toward the sacred tree he now knew so well.
The sky was covered with soft clouds, as if the day itself had surrendered.
And there she was.
Zayra was sleeping under the Toborochi's pink waves.
Her face turned up to the sky and her arms crossed over her chest, as if she were embracing a secret known only to dreams.
The light filtering through the flowers made her eyelashes flutter, and a rebellious lock of hair fell over her cheek.
Ryu approached carefully, stopping a couple of steps away.
He watched her in silence.
Her breathing was quiet, her face serene.
The way her entire body seemed to say that she could, finally, rest.
"And here I thought you'd notice my absence… but you're far too at peace with the world."
He whispered, barely audible.
He crouched down and wrapped his arms around her with the gentleness one uses to hold something sacred.
He adjusted his grip with exaggerated care, as if afraid the slightest movement would wake her.
The brush of her breath against his neck disarmed him more than any negotiation or speech he had ever faced.
"You weren't in my plans… but you fit in too perfectly."
She didn't wake up.
Her head settled on his shoulder as if she recognized him even in her sleep.
Ryu felt the tranquil warmth of her body and the light scent of her hair.
He tightened his fingers a little and quickened his pace as he walked back toward the cabin,
as if, for a moment, he feared that calm might dissolve.
Once inside, he settled her on the bed with the delicacy of someone arranging fragile flowers.
He tucked her in up to her shoulders, carefully smoothed the lock of hair from her face,
and stood there, watching her in silence.
Her way of being present, even asleep,
stirred many things in him that he didn't fully understand but wanted to keep discovering.
Suddenly, the following thought appeared in his head.
"Yes… I really want to spend the rest of my life with her."
He realized he was smiling without meaning to.
A slight, almost imperceptible gesture he didn't recall making outside of a family meeting.
"So this is… loving without meaning to."
No treaties, no alliances, no trade agreements.
Just this.
Her, silent, serene, and his.
He straightened up carefully so as not to wake her.
As he turned, his foot snagged on one of the loose straps of her backpack.
—아이구 (aigu)
He muttered, stumbling and quickly bracing himself with a hand on the table.
He let out a sigh between his teeth, the kind of silent laugh he would never show in public.
"Perfect, Ryu. Defeated by a backpack.
Very dignified for the future husband of a Chiquitana."
He let out a low, resigned laugh, shaking his head slightly.
He glanced toward the bed.
Zayra was still asleep, motionless, oblivious to everything.
He smiled and thought.
He took his cell phone from his pocket and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
46.2 – A Promise on a Video Call
Ryu set up the laptop in front of him, taking a breath before initiating the video call with his parents in South Korea.
He adjusted the camera and the clear image of their faces appeared,
transmitted from the living room of the family jewelry empire,
where his mother expertly managed the artistic department.
Ryu took a deep breath, adjusted the camera, and bowed slightly.
"Hello, Mom, Dad."
"Hello, son."
His mother smiled softly, her eyes reflecting the usual concern that distance couldn't erase.
"How are you? Have you eaten yet?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I eat what I need and take care of myself. Thank you for your concern,"
Ryu said.
"I wanted to tell you something important."
His parents' faces became attentive, not surprised, but genuinely interested.
For a second, his gaze softened as he remembered Zayra sleeping.
A slight sigh confirmed his decision.
"Mom, Dad… I've decided to marry Zayra."
His voice was calm but firm.
"I love her, and I want to do it my way."
His mother lowered her eyes, then looked up with a subtle smile.
Ryu inclined his head slightly, feeling her silent approval was there.
His mother smiled in her characteristic style and commented.
"I'm glad you've made your decision."
"Zayra is worthy."
His father said calmly, with a slight nod.
"Her family also has a good reputation."
Ryu nodded, feeling the weight and peace of those words.
"So the wedding will be soon."
His father continued.
"We will send the engagement ring to Bolivia, you can confirm the wedding date later."
Mrs. Min Seo-Yeon looked at her son seriously, and with her characteristic elegance, she said.
"Son… Zayra is wonderful. Remember to respect her customs and be patient."
He nodded slightly, aware that respecting tradition would be as important as his personal decision.
He smiled lightly and, with the confidence that characterized him when making a decision,
replied in a serious and respectful tone.
"Mother, I'm aware of that, but I still want to do it."
His mother sighed affectionately.
"That's all that matters. We will always be here, but this step is yours."
His father concluded with a firm gesture.
"Do it your way, son. But remember that tradition unites and strengthens, beyond distance."
After a few more minutes of light conversation about the family, food, and the rain in Bolivia, Ryu closed the laptop.
He remained for a moment staring at the dark screen.
The engagement was no longer just something in his head it would soon be real.
46.3 – Andrés, the One Who Comes Every Month
The next day, the room was in shadows. Zayra was curled up on the bed, hugging her belly with a pained expression.
Ryu, who had just returned with a glass of water, watched her with a frown.
"What's wrong?"
He asked in a grave voice, setting the glass on the nightstand.
"Ugh…"
Zayra bit her lip, too weak to pretend.
"It's just that Andrés is torturing me again."
She smiled faintly as if the phrase were an old joke.
Ryu tilted his head slightly, like a hawk detecting an unexpected movement.
"Andrés?"
The name sounded like a threat.
The name fell in the room.
Ryu did not raise his voice, instead, his gaze fixed on her with a cold intensity.
For a minute there were no words, only the slight tension in his jaw he didn't like anything causing her pain.
He took a step and asked.
"Who is Andrés?"
His chest tightened.
"Is there someone else who makes her suffer like this?"
The idea was unbearable.
She looked at him, moved by his reaction.
She never thought a person who communicates so little with his voice could convey something so genuine with his gestures.
Then she realized,
"That's right, he doesn't know who Andrés is…".
Zayra shook her head, letting the ambiguity float for another moment.
Then, with a sigh, she leaned her forehead toward his.
She let out a choked laugh and said.
"Oh, no! He's not a person. It's just a way of speaking…"
She shifted onto her side, trying to explain.
"In my country, we call it 'Andrés, the one who comes every month.'
We call the period that here… we give it that name so we don't talk about it directly."
Ryu blinked, and the air returned to his lungs.
He raised a hand to the back of his neck, uncomfortable.
"Perfect. I was raised to face corporate crises, not this."
Ryu blinked. His expression went from alert to confusion, and finally to a disguised relief.
"I see…"
He sighed faintly, looking away as if trying to hide the obvious.
Zayra smiled, amused to notice the change in his face.
"What, did you think it was an ex-boyfriend coming to visit me?"
He tensed, clearing his throat.
"You should explain those things before saying them so casually."
He muttered, picking up the glass and offering it to her.
"Drink."
Zayra's laugh filled the room, light and mischievous, contrasting with Ryu's visible discomfort.
He, however, leaned a little toward her, his voice now softer. "Do you want me to prepare you something hot for the pain?"
The playful sparkle in Zayra's eyes made him stop.
"You're too tender to be so uncommunicative."
Ryu didn't respond, just averted his gaze.
A heat rose from his neck to his ears, and he looked away with feigned indifference.
And in his head, the following words.
"I am not tender. Just responsible."
The wind slipped in through the window, bringing a distant murmur from the forest.
Ryu ignored it, unaware that this sound would mark the end of his calm.