“his...thisistherobeMyojeongusedtowear...”
Jaegyeom’sfacehadgonedeathlypale.
Asudden,violentfearsweptoverhim.heworldbeforehiseyeswaveredasifhehadbeentrappedinsideafishbowl,andrealityitselfbegantowarp.hewaytheedgesofhisvisiontwistedfeltalmostlikemotionsickness.
twasabizarresensation,impossibletodescribe.
“You...w-whatthehellareyou...?”
Ashespoke,JaegyeombackedawayfromYoonaehee.
twasaninstinctiveactbornfromfear.
Aninexplicablechillanddizzinesswashedoverhim.hepersonbeforehimwasclearlyYoonaehee,wearingnothingmorethananouterrobe.Andyet,toJaegyeom,Yoonaeheesuddenlyseemedlikesomestrangeandterrifyingbeing.
“Whatareyoutalkingabout?hiswasyourteacher’srobe?”
nlythendidYoonaehee,whohadbeenstaringintentlyatJaegyeom,speak.
“hisrobebelongedtoSaero.”
“hat’salie.’mnotlettingyoufoolmeanymore.”
Jaegyeom’seyeswerefilledwithwarinessandhostility.
“......”
Afterstandingthereinsilenceforamoment,Yoonaeheefurrowedhisbrow.
Whatdidhemean,foolhim?
Fromthebeginning,aeheecouldnotunderstandwhatJaegyeomwastalkingabout.eglancedtowardPaehyeon,whostoodnearby,asifaskingwhathadhappenedbeforehearrived.
ButPaehyeonseemedjustasbewilderedbyJaegyeom’sbehavior.
Forsomereason,Jaegyeomlookedterrified.
houghaeheestilldidnotunderstandthesituation,hespokeagain.
“t’snotalie.hisrobereallywasSaero’s—”
“hatrobewasburiedwithMyojeong!”
Atthesuddenshout,Yoonaeheeflinchedandfellsilent.
“......”
Aftersnappingsofiercely,Jaegyeomstoodtherewaveringdangerously.
Ataglance,itwasobviousthathewasnotinhisrightmind.elookedasifhehadcompletelylosthisreason.
Seeinghisstrangestate,Yoonaehee’sexpressionslowlyhardened.
“Saero.”
Athiscall,Saeroappeared.
Yoonaeheeimmediatelyquestionedhim.
“Wheredidyougetthisrobe?”
“Yes?”
Abruptlysummoned,Saerolookedaroundwithadazedexpression,tryingtounderstandthesituation.
“meantheouterrobe’mwearingrightnow.”
Saerohadadeepinterestinclothingandenjoyedcollectingoldgarmentswithoutowners.heouterrobetheeaderwaswearingwasoneofthem.
WhenByeoksadanwasfirstformed,theyhadneededtohidethefactthatitsmasterwashumanfromtheoutsideworld.heeaderhadchosentodisguisehimselfasanancientintelligentghost,andtomakehimlooklikeonewhohadlivedforaverylongtime,Saerohadselectedtheoldestrobeinhispossessionandgivenittohim.
“W-Well...’vehaditforsolongthat’mnotreallysure.”
herobe’soriginwasunclear.
oSaero,thisrobeheldnomorespecialvaluethanastonepickedupbytheroadside.twassimplyoneofthemanypiecesofclothinghehadcollectedaftertheyhappenedtocomeintohishands.
“owdoyouknowthisreallyistherobeyourteacherwore?”
Afteramomentofsilence,YoonaeheeturnedtoJaegyeom.
“Canyoubeabsolutelycertain?”
heproofwastheleafJaegyeomhadstitchedontoithimself.
nthedayentermygrave,willleavethisworldwearingthisrobe.
JaegyeomrememberedthepromiseMyojeonghadoncemadetohim.
Alongtimeago,afterJaegyeomhadcollapsedwithadeepwoundinhissideandlateropenedhiseyes,hehadfoundablackrobecoveringhimwhilehelaythereunconscious.
hatrobehadbeentheonlytraceMyojeongleftbehind.
JaegyeomhadimmediatelysetouttowanderinsearchofMyojeong.
Myojeong,cametoreturnyourrobe.
JustasMyojeonghaddoneforhim,Jaegyeomreturnedthefavorinkind.
ehadcoveredthebleeding,collapsedMyojeongwiththatouterrobe.
Afterward,aspromised,hehadburiedhiminthegroundtogetherwithit.
hatmeantthisouterrobewasthegarmentMyojeonghadwornatthemomentheclosedhiseyes.
“hisblackrobewasMyojeong’sfavorite.”
AtJaegyeom’stremblingwords,Yoonaehee’seyesnarrowedslightly.
“Butthisoneisred.”
“h-hat’s...”
AtYoonaehee’spoint,Jaegyeom’seyesshook.
“Myojeong’sbloodandminemixedtogether,somaybethecolorchanged.”
“Doyouthinkthatmakessense?”
Yoonaehee’sexpressionturnedstrange,asifhehadjustheardsomethingabsurdbeyondbelief.
isfaceseemedtoaskwhatkindofnonsenseJaegyeomwasspouting.
ButthepersonwhofoundthecurrentsituationhardesttoacceptwasJaegyeomhimself.
venso,JaegyeomwascertainthiswasMyojeong’srobe.
“Y-You’retheonewhodoesn’tmakesense.”
Andso,thefinalquestionremained.
“ellmethetruth.Wheredidyougetthisrobe?”
YoonaeheehadsaidhereceiveditfromSaero,butnomatterhowJaegyeomthoughtaboutit,itwastoostrange.
heproblemwasthatitfeltfartooeerilyconnectedtobecoincidence.
Paehyeon,whohadlearnedtheswordfromwirim.
Saero,whohadMyojeong’srobe.
AndYoonaehee,whocommandedintelligentghosts.
venifeachincidentseemedseparateonthesurface,itfeltasthoughtheywerealllinkedtogetherlikeaspiderweb.
Jaegyeomwasnowsoconsumedbyfearthatrationalthoughtwasnolongerpossible.
“’maskingyouwhatthehellyouare...”
Jaegyeomclutchedhisforehead,groaningasheforcedthewordsout.
Atthispoint,hewasconfusedbyeverythingandsuspiciousofeverything.
Yoonaeheehadsaidhehadnoparents,thathehadlosthisfamilytothedirector.ButnowJaegyeomwasbeginningtodistrusteventhat,wonderingifit,too,hadbeenalie.
Couldeveryonebedeceivingme?
Jaegyeom,whohadbeentremblinguncontrollablyasifstruckbychills,suddenlyliftedhishead.
ispupilswidened,likesomeonewhohadjustrealizedsomething.
Athoughthadflashedthroughhismindlikelightning.
Coulditbe?Wasthatwhathappened?
StaringintoYoonaehee’seyes,Jaegyeommutteredblankly,
“Myojeongisalive,isn’the...?”
“...What?”
Jaegyeom’svoiceshookviolently.
“Myo-Myojeongdidn’tdie.e’salive,right?”
Asifeverythinghadfinallybecomeclear,heletoutahollowlaugh.
“Myojeongdidn’tdie.ewasalive...twasallalie,wasn’tit!Destroyingthefficeofarye,losingyourfamily,havingnoparents—everythingwasaliefromthebeginningtodeceiveme...Myojeongtoldyoutodoit,didn’the?Myojeongputyouuptothis!Right?”
Yoonaeheewasspeechless.
eonlystaredatJaegyeom.
“......”
Jaegyeomwrappedhisarmsaroundhimself,hisfacetwisting.
“Youallconspiredtogethertodeceiveme...”
Myojeongwasn’tdead.
AndYoonaeheehadapproachedhimbecauseMyojeongorderedhimto.
thadbeenaschemetodestroyhimfromtheverybeginning.
Myojeonghadtobewatchinghimfromsomewhere.
JaegyeomhadbeenfooledintogivinghishearttoYoonaehee,onlytobebetrayedintheend.
JaegyeomwasnowcompletelyconsumedbythethoughtthatMyojeongwasbehindYoonaehee.
therwise,noneofthismadesense.
hetwoofthemhadtobeconnectedsomehow.
Myojeonghadorchestratedallofthistodraghimdownintohell,toinflictevengreaterdespairandpainuponhim.
“Jaegyeom.”
“hefactthatyouactuallylikeme,therevenge,allofit...”
Finallyunabletobearitanylonger,YoonaeheegrabbedJaegyeombybothshoulders.
“KimJaegyeom!”
Ataehee’sshout,Jaegyeom’sshouldersflinched.
estaredupathimwithwideeyes.
nJaegyeom’spupils,Yoonaeheesawanxiety,terror,andfear.
hemomentJaegyeomhadconsideredthepossibilitythataeheemightbeconnectedtoMyojeong,hehadlostallreason.
“havenothingtodowithyourteacher.”
“......”
“etagrip.”
“......”
“Doyouhearwhatyou’resayingrightnow?”
“......”
Yoonaehee’sfacehadhardenedfrighteningly.
ehadnorelationshipwithMyojeong.
herewasnohiddenstoryliketheoneJaegyeomwasimagining.
AndyetJaegyeomwasspoutingnonsenseasifpossessed.
“Whydon’tyoutrysoakingtherobe?”
Justthen,Paehyeonspoke.
“What?”
“hismanbelievesyourrobebelongedtohisteacher.”
Amidthechaos,YoonaeheepausedandlookedatPaehyeon.
“fittrulyishisteacher’srobe,thenbloodwillspreadfromit.”
nPaehyeon’shandswasabasinhehadbroughtfromwhoknewwhere.
hestrengthslowlydrainedfromYoonaehee’shands,whichwerestillgrippingJaegyeom’sshoulders.
hebasinwasfilledwithclearwater.
Paehyeonwasright.
hissituationhadbegunbecauseoftheouterrobe.
fthisreallywasMyojeong’srobe,thenitseemedbettertoletJaegyeomconfirmitforhimself.
Yoonaeheetookofftheouterrobeandplungeditintothebasin.
“......”
Yoonaehee’sfaceslowlybegantostiffen.
Bloodtrulyspreadthroughthewater.
heclearbasingraduallyturnedcrimson,asifdyehadbeenreleasedintoit.
DisbelieffilledYoonaehee’seyes.
sthisrobereallyMyojeong’s?fso,howintheworld...
“wasright...”
Asifsayingtoldyouso,Jaegyeomspokewithanashenface.
“h-hisisstrange.t’sstrange...t’s#оvеlight#strange,it’sstrange—!!!”
Jaegyeomsuddenlyclappedbothhandsoverhisearsandscreamedatthetopofhislungs.
“......”
herewasnowaytoknowwhathadhappened.
twasamysteryhowthisrobehadcomeintohispossession.
YoonaeheecouldunderstandwhyJaegyeomwassoshocked.
ButJaegyeom’sfear—thataeheehadbeeninstigatedbyMyojeong,orhadanyconnectiontohim—wasabsurd.Completelynonsensical.
AndyetYoonaeheehimselfwasjustasconfused.
herewasnowaytoprovethathehadnoconnectiontoJaegyeom’steacher.
“Saero.”
Yoonaehee,whohadbeenlookingdownatthebasinfullofblood,openedhismouth.
“Readthehistorycontainedinthisblood.”
