Robe's existence taught Kang Sihyun language.
Not long after learning to speak, Sihyun began to articulate his thoughts, and as his awkward pronunciation became natural, he started to call his teacher 'father.'
He taught Sihyun much.
He taught him the name of the ground he stood on and that the blue expanse above was the sky. At the same time, he revealed his own identity.
"Sometimes I am the sun, sometimes the sky, and at times, a father."
"That doesn't seem to have anything in common."
"It may seem different, but there are similarities. After all, I am one who creates and watches from the highest place."
He said this with a laugh. Sihyun, despite thinking the laughter coming from within the robe was frivolous, smiled faintly.
Suddenly, Sihyun grew curious.
"Why not mother?"
When he questioned why he only referred to him as 'father' despite parents being two, the answer was simpler and more straightforward than expected.
"I am in the form of a male now."
"Male form…"
Saying this while covered in a robe that hid his body and face lacked persuasiveness. Yet, Sihyun nodded as if he understood.
He did not fully accept it but agreed nontheless. Seeing Sihyun's acquiescent expression, the deity laughed again. A strong pat on the back made Sihyun groan, feeling a sharp pain, but he did not avoid the touch. He did not wish to avoid it, for the hand felt warm.
Time passed peacefully and without trouble.
Sometimes it was somewhat boring, and at times, somewhat sad. Whenever those times came, Eve appeared like a ghost to comfort and play with Sihyun.
"Father is busy creating, so let's play together!"
"Where are we going?"
"My space?"
"…?"
"I'll show you something fun!"
Without understanding why, Sihyun was dragged along by the smiling woman. Eve, with her red hair fluttering, briskly led Sihyun somewhere. Upon arrival, they were greeted by a wide field with colorful beauties planted in the ground. Sihyun gasped in awe.
It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
"What is this…"
"Shh, be quiet for a moment!"
The woman put her finger to her lips to silence Sihyun, then walked barefoot across the ground. As she ran around singing, more beautiful colors grew, filling the empty land. Sihyun watched the surreal and wondrous scene unfold before him in stunned silence.
It felt strangely unfamiliar yet familiar.
Something Eve and the father could do but he could not.
Creation.
"How about it, isn't it beautiful?"
She spread her arms wide as she spoke, looking lovely. Sihyun nodded with a dazed look. Seeing Sihyun's half-lost soul, the woman laughed and grabbed a handful of flowers from the ground.
"This is a flower."
"Flower."
"Here, it's for you, Adam."
Eve, without hesitation, plucked her creation and handed a flower to Sihyun. Seeing the dirt fall from its roots, Sihyun blinked. The part of the flower above the woman's hand was beautiful, but below it was cruel. Caught between emotions, he neither accepted nor refused the flower, leading the woman to deduce Sihyun's shyness and place the flower in his small palm.
"This is now yours, Adam."
"…Thank you."
Unable to chide her bright smile, Sihyun awkwardly nodded, and the delighted woman ran around the land again.
Eve's song echoed.
The flowers grew in numbers far exceeding those she had plucked, coloring the land she claimed as her space.
Sihyun alternated his gaze between the flower in his hand and the field around him, then gently stroked the red petals.
Creation.
The power possessed by Eve and his father.
And the power he did not possess.
"I was told I would be given a power…"
When the deity first fashioned Sihyun, he distinctly mentioned that. He would grant him powers eventually. However, even as Sihyun grew taller, not by the measure of Eve but significantly, the deity had not bestowed any power upon him. He merely taught him various things.
About the world, about Eve, about himself.
As if the time was not yet right.
Sihyun felt somewhat dissatisfied but endured, thinking of the powers he would someday receive to play with Eve.
He wished for the power to summon lightning.
Then, he could show light to his father when he was sad and demonstrate his power to Eve.
Eve would surely marvel with sparkling eyes at the sight of lightning. Perhaps she might even admire him.
Just as he admired them now.
Sihyun, both happy and bittersweet with these thoughts, looked back at Eve. The woman with red hair created flowers and birds freely, playing by kissing the birds she created.
A beautiful and free sight.
Kang Sihyun suppressed the longing and jealousy welling up inside him and approached the woman who was now far away, waving her hands and calling his name.
"Adam!"
A bright voice sounded under the clear sky. Hearing that pure voice, all the gloomy emotions inside Kang Sihyun were washed away, and he responded by calling out Eve's name with a smile.
The sky turned dark and then cleared hundreds of times. Although it was impossible to tell exactly how much time had passed, Kang Sihyun could guess that a considerable amount of time had elapsed, as he had now caught up to Eve's height.
His body, once small, had now caught up to Eve, who was of adult size. Eve, who was always amazed by his growing height, said it was incredible that he was this tall even though he hadn't fully grown yet.
He hadn't fully grown yet.
Kang Sihyun felt a surge of happiness at those words. Catching up to Eve while still not fully grown meant that someday his height would surpass hers.
For Kang Sihyun, who had always felt inferior to Eve, having nothing superior to her, this was good news.
"Do you like that?"
"...A little."
Whether his joy was showing outside or not, the woman with a sulky face pressed the corners of Kang Sihyun's lips upward with her fingertips. "I wish I could grow a bit more, but father doesn't listen to me," the woman grumbled in a disgruntled tone. Kang Sihyun found it curious that Eve was disappointed, and he felt uncomfortable with her words.
The claim that their father didn't listen to Eve was a lie.
Their father had always prioritized Eve's words more than anyone else's. The river that formed next to the blooming land, Eve's hair that had grown down to her waist becoming short enough to touch her shoulders, and the domain Eve could create expanding from birds and flowers to other animals all testified to this.
Unlike Eve, who had gained more powers, Kang Sihyun had not acquired any powers at all.
His body had grown significantly, and his knowledge had also expanded.
There was nothing in the created world whose name he did not know.
How much longer should he wait?
Despite having everything he envied, Kang Sihyun grimaced with a bitter smile towards Eve, who complained about their father, and then collected his emotions.
After all, Eve was his sister.
From the first time they met until now, she was still the lovely woman who possessed an innocence he could not hate.
Kang Sihyun tidied Eve's disheveled hair and asked about their father's whereabouts.
He did this in search of their father, who had not shown himself for what seemed like thirty sunsets and sunrises.
"Father is probably busy creating the western domain now, isn’t he?"
"The western domain?"
"Yes!"
"Then I should go west. Thank you."
When he asked if she would come along, she shook her head. After telling the woman who wanted to play a bit longer that he understood, Kang Sihyun immediately headed west in search of their father.
Upon arriving in the western domain, he saw a being floating in the air, lost in thought.
As Kang Sihyun became accustomed to the world, the deity, who had stopped creating, often looked like this, so Kang Sihyun did not mind and approached beneath the deity to call out to him.
"Father."
When he called out softly, there was no response.
"Father!"
Raising his voice and calling out again startled the deity, who flinched and looked down at Kang Sihyun. Their eyes met, and the pupils within the robe gleamed brightly. Kang Sihyun sighed, wondering if this foolish being really was his father.
At first sight, he appeared to be a noble being, but after getting to know him, he seemed nothing more than frail and sloppy.
But what could he do?
He was still his father and the being he loved.
Kang Sihyun maintained a semblance of reverence as he greeted his father, who descended to the ground and stroked Kang Sihyun's head.
"What brings you here, Adam?"
He almost spoke up, wanting to ask when he would be granted powers, but the fear of appearing impatient and rash made him hesitate.
Yet, he had waited far too long.
Eve's land had expanded greatly, and the number of animals under her care had increased. In contrast, he had nothing. Feeling left out because there was no trace of his existence on the land, Kang Sihyun mustered the courage to look up at the deity.
That's when it happened.
"Can you wait a little longer?"
"...Yes?"
"It's not the right time yet."
The deity spoke and smiled faintly, a smile so forlorn it was almost pitiable. Kang Sihyun closed his mouth, unable to utter any words at the sight of the deity's sad expression.
What more could he say after seeing such a sorrowful look from the deity?
Eventually, Kang Sihyun simply nodded.
After all, there was plenty of time, and waiting a bit longer wasn't hard. It was just a bit tough and a bit sad.
Thus, Kang Sihyun failed to obtain powers again, and time continued to pass.
The deity continued to create without rest. As if driven by something, he kept filling the land with new creations.
Kang Sihyun grew anxious at this sight, but the world, mocking his anxiety, remained peaceful.
Or so he thought until Eve, who possessed the power of creation, began consuming the creations made by the deity.
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