Chapter 90

Even though it was daytime, the sky was dark and heavy snowflakes were falling all around.

As usual, Chonma showed up at the same time, looking utterly confused as he stared at me.

It wasn’t surprising – Soo-oh wasn’t here for our exercise routine, leaving me standing awkwardly alone.

“What are you doing?”

I stopped rolling the snowball.

“I’m making a snowman. You’ve never seen one?”

He gave me that ‘what is this madness’ look.

Wait… seriously? He’s never seen or made a snowman before?

How can someone with such literary sensibilities not know about something so basic?

I quickly scanned Chonma’s memories – nothing. Not even childhood recollections of playing in the snow. Either no one ever taught him, or maybe this world just doesn’t have the concept of snowmen.

Is that even possible?

Well, if you don’t know, then I’ll teach you. I pointed to the small snowman I’d made earlier in the yard – an 8-shaped body with stick arms and a face made from twigs, only coming up to my knees. It was the demonstration model I’d created for Soo-oh earlier.

“It’s a game where we make big snowmen like this. Hard to exercise properly in weather like this, right?”

With that explanation out of the way, I went back to rolling my snowball. This idea came from the faded man’s distant memories – building snowmen on snowy days like this.

Of course, there’s another reason too…

Not that I expect much, but I figured why not try making one while I’m at it.

Chonma kept alternating his gaze between me and the snowman. Even without looking directly at him, I could tell he was completely at a loss about what to do next. So I gestured toward the forest.

“Soo-oh went to gather materials. If you’re bored, go help her. Or come roll some snow with me.”

Sitting back down, I started packing fresh snow into my hands. Not bare hands though – I’d wrapped old clothes around them to use as makeshift gloves. They’re just pieces of cloth, so they’d get wet and useless if used too long, but they work fine for now.

The snowball grew bigger and bigger as I rolled it across the pristine white snow. Maybe because it was so clean, or because the ground was fully covered, the ball stayed perfectly white without picking up dirt.

Chonma continued to stand there watching silently as I worked hard to shape the snow into a cylindrical form, rotating its direction frequently to maintain the shape. Before I knew it, the snowball had grown taller than my waist, reaching almost to my chest.

Oops… got a bit carried away there. At this rate, it’ll be too big to fit with the base.

Ah well, figure it out when I get there!

Eventually, I parked the oversized snowball next to the smaller one I’d made earlier. As expected, it was way too big.

Guess I’ll just have to finish it anyway. Hoisting the smaller snowball onto top proved easier than expected thanks to my surprising strength.

But looking at the final result… according to the faded man’s memories, this looks like what they’d call “thunder thighs”.

Leaving the snowman behind, I went inside to grab some old clothes from Soo-oh’s collection. All destined for the trash pile, perfect for repurposing on our snow creation.

After dressing the snowman in a shirt, I scavenged some stones from nearby to create facial features. Just in time too – Soo-oh came bounding back carrying an armful of sticks.

Despite how ridiculous I must look, Chonma was still staring intently. Walking up to him, I pointed toward the kitchen.

“You’ve got snow on your head. Don’t freeze out here – if you want to watch, do it from the warmth of the kitchen.”

His eyes widened comically at my suggestion.

“Wh-what?”

Before he could respond further, Soo-oh arrived shouting “Master!” and leaping through the snow with impressive agility. Watching her effortlessly navigate terrain that would sink me ankle-deep made me envious of her movement skills.

Then my strange memories brought up terms like “no footprint technique” or “insufficient cultivation”… ridiculous standards to hold a half-year student to.

Anyway, time to finish the snowman. I asked Soo-oh for the branches.

“Soo-oh, give me the sticks.”

“Wait!”

She’s been getting more defiant lately. Quite independent now – probably ready to leave within 2-3 years. Around 17-18 by then, plenty old enough in this world.

While these may seem like insignificant experiences, they’re the kind of memories that help people endure tough times later on. The ability to grit one’s teeth through hardship is essential, and having positive memories increases the chances of being able to do so.

Through training with Chonma, she’ll grow strong enough to cut down anyone who stands in her way, and hopefully remember to send me some warmth when she does.

Heheh…

Wouldn’t mind causing some kind of bloodbath from those faded memories…

Though perhaps expecting that much is asking too much. Still, a boy can dream.

“Master! Make a snowman with us!”

Seeing Chonma’s perplexed reaction to Soo-oh’s enthusiastic invitation was priceless. Such a typical response from an adult who’s forgotten how to play.

It’s never too late to rediscover that childlike joy…

“Stop holding onto Chonma and hurry over here already.”

Finally, he joined us. Following my directions, Soo-oh dumped her haul of sticks, allowing me to select appropriate ones for arms and additional decoration.

With that, our snowman was complete – an eastern-style creation standing proudly in the yard despite its slightly overweight lower half.

Clap clap clap!

Soo-oh cheered happily as I watched her celebrate alongside Chonma, who still seemed unsure what to do with himself.

Never played with snow before, huh? Shouldn’t the person who inspired this take the initiative to make their own?

“Alright Soo-oh, your turn. And Chonma too.”

“Me?”

The surprise on Chonma’s face was palpable. What’s gotten into him today?

“Don’t worry about ruining your clothes. If you’re going to do it, just do it properly.”

“But I should focus on Soo-oh’s training…”

“One day of fun won’t ruin anything.”

Still reluctant, Chonma finally knelt down to start shaping his own snowball, soon joined by Soo-oh’s delighted giggles as she mimicked his motions.

Watching the blue-skinned warrior in traditional eastern attire crafting snowmen under the falling snow felt strangely artistic. In the faded man’s world, such a scene would require CGI or special makeup – seeing truly pale skin outside of corpses is quite rare after all.

The two worked together harmoniously, creating their own snowman while I retreated to sit beneath the eaves. Removing my damp makeshift gloves revealed red-tipped fingers – unlike Soo-oh’s, which remained unaffected despite direct contact with the cold.

Looking up at the dark clouds releasing their endless snowfall, I noticed something unusual. Despite the silence created by the snow’s sound-absorbing properties, my world was far from quiet.

Hundreds of harvesting systems moved invisibly around me. Their presence didn’t alleviate the biting cold, which penetrated deeper than mere temperature differences. The chill I felt ran hotter than any summer heatwave, revealing the true nature of my condition.

Staring at my reddened fingertips, I reaffirmed reality. Immediately, the cold vanished, leaving only superficial frost on my skin. Though the surface warmth returned, the deeper cold lingered within.

Winter won’t be getting any better anytime soon…

Lost in thought, I noticed Chonma and Soo-oh had completed their masterpiece – a three-tiered snow giant towering above them both. Their triumphant laughter broke through my musings.

Truly, where there are people, snowmen will inevitably appear…

Which brings me to my question, Chonma…

Do I look human to you?

Can this semblance of normal life mask the monster underneath?

I learn from failure.

There won’t be a second Eunjai. Calling me dangerous names… that’s taking things too far.

So let me be your friendly neighbor. Even if I eventually die, I hope the memories you leave behind will allow you to speak of me fondly.

Let’s see where this takes us…