[Short Story Collection - Flower Crown] Episode 26: 'Retelling (Part 3)'
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Retelling (Part 3) - Salim -
When I went down the stairs, only silence filled the space.
It was different from the underground scenery I had seen until the last time.
A small space surrounded by stone walls. A desk and chair placed alone in the center.
The solemn atmosphere indicated that this was no ordinary basement.
“...So this is the place for 'retelling', huh.”
When I said that, Grage nodded silently.
Quietly, I open the book.
Inside is 'Fail's final words,' which I already know.
However, the moment I stared at those letters, I felt as if the words were looking straight back at me.
As if they were asking, 'How will you tell this?'
“Salim.”
Grage opened his mouth.
“...I honestly don't know if these words of Fail's were truly his 'real intentions' or not.”
There was hesitation and conflict in his voice.
“It might have been bravado, or it might have been weakness. But I feel like it wasn't just that.
...If there are other real intentions, I want to know them.”
I listened to those words quietly.
At that moment, glowing letters appeared on the desk.
“'Retelling' does not mean changing words to suit one's convenience. Nor does it mean arbitrarily adding 'different meanings.'”
“...Grage, what do you think that means?”
“I don't know.
But I want to know his real intentions, the 'true feelings' that haven't been told yet.”
“Hey, Grage. Perhaps, isn't that what 'retelling' is?”
Glowing letters appear on the desk again.
“Correct. It is not to rewrite. It is to find the 'true heart' hidden deep within the words, in order to find the truth.”
“The 'true heart' hidden deep within the words...”
“Come now, new storyteller. Put down the book.”
I gently placed the book on the desk.
At that moment, the pages turned softly on their own.
As if drawn in, I reached my finger toward the open page.
The moment my fingertip touched it, the page shone as if it had awakened, and the characters began to appear one by one.
"Hey, Grage.
Fail certainly carried weaknesses.
But he didn't avoid facing them.
...I'm sure he wanted someone to understand that. He wanted it to be retold."
Grage nodded slightly.
"Being remembered as a man of justice isn't what he wanted.
By us 'retelling' it... I feel like we can finally face him in the true sense."
The light gradually filled the room.
The book on the desk quietly closed its pages.
"...Let's go."
Grage said, looking straight ahead.
"Deep inside this book lies Fail's 'untold feelings'.
We are going to find them."
We were about to step into the book, into the memories, into the closed story.
Beyond the written words, into the untold feelings—
The story is not over yet.
No, we were finally about to touch the 'beginning'.
<<Continued>>