I am back – Chapter 185

Some people are still unfamiliar with the concept of homosexuality, while others couldn’t care less. There are those who support it and those who are strictly opposed.

The inclination itself varies from person to person, so it’s hard to pin down what societal norms should be. However, it’s worth noting that in most cultures, the idea of marriage being between a man and a woman has persisted until relatively recently.

Countries that legally prohibit same-sex relationships often hear remarks like, “Do they really go that far?” On the flip side, a country without same-sex marriage isn’t necessarily condemned.

For most people, this area is one of indifference. While there are quiet supporters, the louder voices tend to be against it. Thus, it’s common for marriage to be recognized by the state only if it’s between different genders, following the traditions passed down through the ages.

That’s how it was in the country where my sister and I lived.

It was a bit disappointing. Of course, no matter what others say, if my sister and I are happy together, what does it matter? But still, it means we can’t have a ‘legally recognized’ relationship.

“……”

Maybe that’s why my sister was seriously contemplating Arna’s proposal.

“Do elves not care much about homosexuality?”

My sister cautiously asked, to which Arna shrugged her shoulders.

“I can’t say it’s universal. Given the frequency of marriages, men and women far outweigh same-sex couples. But that doesn’t mean that two people of the same gender loving each other is viewed as strange either. We live much longer than humans, after all.”

Indeed. Arna had to wait until she was 150 years old to be recognized as an elf ‘adult.’ This doesn’t refer to a religious ‘saint’ but simply denotes a ‘grown-up’ in a societal sense.

Since elves have extraordinarily long lifespans, they don’t consider the end of physical growth as being an adult. They have plenty of time to learn about the world and experience various things, so even if typical humans might be acknowledged as ‘grown-ups’ after living a complete life, elves are seen differently.

Thus, there’s a significant difference between an elven ‘adult’ and a human ‘adult.’ Both are generally much less mature than what could truly be called adults, yet adult elves, compared to humans, have seen and heard a lot.

Naturally, they’ve seen same-gender couples as well. Finding elven couples isn’t exactly a walk in the park, though.

“I see…….”

Having heard Arna’s words, my sister responded with a sort of awestruck murmur.

And then she glanced my way.

What should I do?

Her eyes seemed to be asking that.

“Um…….”

Honestly, if it’s just about having a ‘wedding,’ we could easily do that back on Earth. Even if we couldn’t register our marriage, we could just book a venue and tie the knot. Well, it doesn’t even have to be a venue; marriage can happen anywhere.

We could wear wedding dresses or do our makeup for wedding photos.

We’d only need to invite our closest friends. My sister could call Mom and Older Sister Yu-ri, along with their families, and for me… well, I guess just my colleagues would be fine.

But there’s a reason we haven’t married in such a manner.

In the first place, marriage can be done this way by anyone. In South Korea, once you reach adulthood, you have the right to marry freely, regardless of opposition. In fact, if someone tries to stop you from marrying, that’s where the illegality kicks in.

Yet, there have always been those unable to marry due to family opposition.

While it might be possible to have a marriage in a legal sense… in the end, the reason to hold a ‘wedding’ is to gain recognition and blessings from both families about each other’s existence. So even couples who initially just file their marriage paperwork often hold a wedding later on.

That was the case for us too.

I didn’t have high hopes for my sister’s parents, but my mom was a different story.

I still hadn’t been able to tell her that I was me.

Mom was… my only family. Of course, my sister is family too, but that’s a completely different category. The concept of being lovers and spouses versus being blood relatives is entirely separate.

So I wanted to reveal to Mom that I was me, and receive her blessing to have a wedding with my sister. I had no idea what the chances of that actually happening were, or if Mom would accept it, but it didn’t matter.

I just wanted to have a happy wedding with my sister while receiving Mom’s blessing.

The conversation with my sister had already concluded, which is why we were postponing the ceremony like this.

“Um.”

Seeing my expression, Arna seemed to feel something.

“……Did I jump the gun?”

“Oh, no. We’re definitely on the same page. If the circumstances were right, both of us would have agreed to that.”

I smiled and said to Arna.

“But…… back in the world I lived in, there are still too many people that I can’t openly talk about my identity with. I want to get married with the blessing of all those people… I don’t even know how hard that will be, or if it’s even possible. But… that’s what I want.”

“……I see.”

At my words, Arna momentarily closed her eyes and thought.

“……Now that you mention it, you introduced your lover to us, but you still haven’t introduced your family. You haven’t told them yet, have you?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded in response to Arna’s question.

“Actually, my sister only managed to reveal this after many coincidences came together. Unlike this world where the existence of the goddess is widely accepted… the world we live in has many people who are quite skeptical about magic, fantasy, or even souls.”

“I see.”

Listening to Arna’s voice, I slowly pulled out a chair and sat down. My sister, who had been watching our conversation with a cautious expression, also made her way slowly to the empty chair and sat down.

“Indeed, because our worlds are so different, such things can happen.”

“Exactly. Besides, you were convinced I was me just by observing my mannerisms and actions. That’s something that is infinitely close to ‘fantasy’ back on Earth. In this day and age, no one fights wars wielding swords or bows. Magic is even less likely.”

“Fantasy is something you said belongs only in fairy tales from your world.”

When I first arrived in this world, after bringing Arna into our party and chatting, when I brought up the word ‘fantasy,’ Arna had asked me what it meant.

The term ‘fantasy’ does hold a definite meaning, and while it could be translated into Korean if used as a common noun, the ‘translation’ that works in this world operates strictly according to the speaker’s intent.

Since I didn’t load the term ‘fantasy’ with any additional meaning, it transformed from a term like ‘illusion’ or ‘fantasy literature’ into a proper noun and was conveyed to Arna.

Well, I never confessed to being from another world until the very end, so Arna had taken my words as a sort of foreign language.

In any case, the term ‘fantasy’ had not been well understood by the people of this world.

In fact, they seemed to find it harder to imagine a world without magic, such as cars rolling forward without any noise, and bright, stable lighting that’s much more reliable than candles, yet not overly expensive.

In some ways, the planet I called Earth seems to exist in their minds as a ‘fantasy’ world that’s hard to imagine.

“So, if you were completely accepted by your friends in your world, would that mean you could register your marriage here again?”

Arna summarized my words and asked again.

“Yeah… pretty much.”

Arna seemed to be asking, ‘So are you coming back here?’ which made me chuckle a little. Arna only tilted her head slightly at my expression.

“I see…….”

My sister spoke with a dreamy expression as if coming back to reality.

“There is a place where the two of us can be recognized as a couple.”

But my sister soon blinked and returned to reality.

“However, we are not elves. I mean, it’s possible there are non-elves living here too, but… at the very least, we aren’t residents of this world. So… will our marriage within the elven system be accepted?”

“Oh, that’s not a problem at all.”

Arna spoke with a rare, proud expression.

“You two are always welcome. Even if you said you’d spend your whole lives here, they’d probably accept you gladly.”

…Although Arna didn’t say it outright, it wouldn’t be that hard for elves to permit a human couple to live out their lives.

Compared to an elf’s lifespan, humans ultimately have a much shorter life span.

From an elf’s point of view, it might feel like watching foreign visitors living here for a few years before they go back.

And conversely, even if Arna didn’t outwardly show it, every time she felt the difference between us, she must have felt a bitterness.

But to ensure Arna’s goodwill didn’t feel in vain, I simply smiled back at her.