Yoonaehee,staringdownatthebloodywaterinthebasin,spokequietly.
“Readthehistoryintheblood.”
Atthosewords,Saeroflinchedandlookedup.
“......”
hemomenttheeadergavetheorder,Saero’sexpressionturnedgrave.
hisdurumagiwasnoordinaryobject.hereasonSaerohadbeendrawntoitinthefirstplacewasthestrangeenergylingeringaroundit.Butnowhefinallyunderstoodwhyitcarriedsuchdeepresentmentandhatred.
Becauseoftheblood.
fJaegyeomwasrightandthisreallyhadbelongedtoMyojeong,thenthebloodoftwodifferentpeoplehadthoroughlysoakedintoit.
Andoncebefore,SaerohadreadthepastthroughJaegyeom’snosebleed.
“Canyoudoit?”
Backthen,therehadbeentoolittleblood.AllSaerohadmanagedtoglimpsewasafragmentedsliverofthepast.Buttheeader’sdurumagiwasdrenchedinblood.Withthismuch,hemightbeabletolookfardeeperintobothJaegyeom’sandMyojeong’spasts.
“Yes.’lltry.”
Saeronoddedashelookeddownatthebasinstainedred.
“Couldyougivemeabouthalfaday?”
Yoonaeheenoddedonce.
Jaegyeom’seyesmovedbackandforthbetweenthetwoofthem.Readthehistoryintheblood.ecouldnotunderstandwhatthatevenmeant.SinceheknewnothingaboutSaero’sability,theconversationsoundedincomprehensibletohim.
henYoonaeheemethisgazeandexplained,
“Saerocanseethepastthroughblood.”
Jaegyeomfroze.
“hepast...?”
evaguelyrememberedhearingsomethinglikethisfromYoonaeheebefore.
‘Rememberthosetwoghostsyousawyesterday?hey’reintelligentghostscherish.neofthemcanreadthepast.isnameisSaero.’llintroduceyouproperlysometime.Anyway,askedhimtolookintoyou.’
Afteralongsilence,Jaegyeomaskedblankly,
“...hepast?”
“Yes.Wemaybeabletouncoverthingsevenyoudidn’tknow.”
Yoonaeheehesitatedbrieflybeforeadding,
“Andyourmasterprobablywasn’tanordinaryhumaneither.Atleast,that’smyguess.”
houghhetriedtostaycalm,Yoonaeheehimselflookedshaken.
“Whatdoyoumeanbythat?”
“DidyouknowyourmasterwasthepreviousBangsangsi?”
“...What?”
“Yourmasterwastheheadoftheformerfficeofarye.”
hemomentthosewordscrossedthelimitsofwhathecouldaccept,Jaegyeom’smindwentcompletelyblank.
ecouldnotunderstand.
owcouldthatbepossible?
YoonaeheehadclearlysaidtheBangsangsiwasboththefounderandagodlikefigureoftheformerfficeofarye.ButMyojeonghadobviouslybeenhuman.
oneofitmadesense.
AsJaegyeomsattherestunnedbeneaththefloodofrevelationscrashingoverhim,Yoonaeheecontinuedcalmly.
“fwelookintothepast,we’lllearnaboutyourmastertoo.”
heshocklastedonlyaninstantbeforeanindistinctterrorseizedJaegyeom.
“o.don’twanttoknow.”
ischesttightenedpainfully.tfeltasthoughinvisiblehandswerestranglinghim.
“t’sfineifneverknow.”
Cometothinkofit,JaegyeomhadalwayslearnedaboutMyojeongindirectly—fromotherpeople’swords,orthroughhisownassumptions.Diggingupthestaleremainsofthepastterrifiedhim.tfeltlikeopeningaboxwithoutknowingwhatwasinside.
AndJaegyeomdidnotwanttoknow.
“o.Youneedtoknow.”
Yoonaeheespokequietly.
“You’rebeingunbelievablystubborn.haveabsolutelynoconnectiontothatperson.Butsinceyourefusetobelieveanythingsay,thenjudgeforyourselfafterSaeroreadsthepast.Decidewhetherthatpersonisdeadoralive.Decidewhetherheputmeuptothisornot.”
“don’twantto.don’tneedanyofthat.”
Jaegyeomshookhisheadwithdifficulty.
“Justleavemealone.”
Morethananything,hewasafraidhissuspicionswouldturnouttobetrue.
ewantedtoknow.
Andatthesametime,hewantedtoremainignorantforever.
Comparedtoalltheyearshehadspentwithhim,JaegyeomknewalmostnothingaboutMyojeong.ehadbelievedtheirconnectionhadalreadybeensevered,buriedsomewhereinadistantpast.
AndyetMyojeongstilllingeredaroundhimlikealivingshadow.
heterrorofeventuallyfacingwhateverthatshadowtrulywasoverwhelmedanydesiretolearnthetruth.Jaegyeom’smindwasdangerouslyunstable.edidnotthinkhecouldendureit.
verythingaboutthissituationfeltsuffocatingandpainful.
Perhapslearningthetruthwasthesameasinvitingdisasteruponyourself.
Jaegyeomsuddenlywantedtorunawaysomewhere—anywhere.
Panicswallowedhimwhole.ecouldbarelybreathe,onlysharp,raggedgaspsescapinghim.
“Jaegyeom.”
Yoonaeheeslowlyreachedahandtowardhim.
“Don’ttouchme!”
heviolentreactionstoppedYoonaehee’shandcoldbeforeitcouldreachhim.
“......”
WhatstrangledJaegyeomwasthetrapofthepastitself.
venwithoutfullyunderstandingwhathadhappenedbefore,histhoughtshadlongsincehardenedintosomethingextreme.hemoredesperatelyhetriedtoescape,thedeeperhesankintotheswamp.ewasdrivinghimselfintoacorner.
Afteralongsilence,Yoonaeheeslowlywithdrewhishand.
elookeddownatJaegyeom,whohadcurledintohimselflikeafrightenedhedgehog.
hen,afteramoment,YoonaeheeloweredhimselfontoonekneetomeetJaegyeomateyelevel.
“waswrong.”
nlythendidhefinallyunderstand.
Myojeong’sgarmenthadmerelybeenthesparkthatpushedJaegyeomtotheedge.herealfuelfeedingtheflameshadbeenthedistrustYoonaeheehimselfhadplanted.
“twasn’tyourmaster’sorders.Andwasn’tmanipulatedbyhim.”
fJaegyeomrannow,hewouldneverescapeMyojeong’sshadowfortherestofhislife.
“......”
“hereasonliedtoyouanddeceivedyouuntilnow...”
Yoonaeheepausedbriefly.
“...wasbecausewantedyoutostaybesideme.hatwastheonlyreason.twon’thappenagain.So...”
ereachedoutandgentlycuppedJaegyeom’sface.
“Calmdown.”
Jaegyeomsaidnothing.
Buthisraggedbreathingslowlysteadied,andthetremblingthroughouthisbodygraduallyfaded.
Maybe...intheend,stillwanttobelieveYoonaeheesomehow.
twouldtaketimeforSaerotoreadthepast.
YoonaeheeaskedBlackmperortostabilizeJaegyeom’sconsciousnesssohecouldsleepforawhile.Sleepwastheeasiestwaytoescaperealityandregaincomposure.
ater,Yoonaeheesataloneintheroom,deepinthought.
nsomeways,perhapsthiswasagoodthing.
ftheycoulduseMyojeong’sbloodtoseethepast,theymightuncovercluesaboutwhatwashiddeninsideJaegyeom...andperhapsabouttheformerfficeofaryeandSuhyangaswell.
ehadthefeelingtheanswerlayattheverybeginning.
ountangleahopelessknotofthread,therewasnochoicebuttoreturntowhereitfirstbegan.
ateatnight,everythinghadgrownstill.
hepavilionwassilent,asthoughtheearlierchaoshadneverhappenedatall.
Andwithinthatbriefstillness,Yoonaeheesuddenlyfeltachillcrawldownthebackofhisneck.
‘ongago,wentintothemountainstotrimbranches.Butthenheardababycrying.followedthesound,andstrangelyenough,itwascomingfromunderground.Sodugthere,andfoundastonemonument.nitwasthecharacterhye,meaning“towait.”thoughtitwasstrange,somovedthemonumentaside.Andunderneathitwasacoffin.openedthattoo,andourSeonohwassleepinginside.urSeonohwasagiftsentfromheaven.’
Withoutwarning,Yoonaeheefoundhimselfthinkingabouthisownbirth.
twasaridiculousstory.
Afterrunningawayfromthehousethathadbeenlittlebetterthanagarbagedumpandtakingrefugeatahermitage,Seonohhadonceconfessedeverythingtotheheadmonkthere.
hemonklistenedquietlytotheentirestorybeforetellinghimtoseverhistiestothesecularworldandforgetaboutitall.
Atthetime,Seonohhadaskedwhetherthemonkknewanythingabouthisparents.
heanswerhereceivedwasthis:
neday,someonehadabandonedanewborninfantinfrontofthetemple.YoonWonjoonghappenedtobevisitingthen,heardwhathadhappened,anddecidedtotakethechildin.
omatterhowhethoughtaboutit,thatexplanationsoundedfarmorebelievable.
Afterhearingit,hehadstoppedcaringmuchaboutwhohewasorwherehecamefrom.
YoonaeheestillbelievedJaegyeom’ssuspicion—thathemightsomehowbeconnectedtoMyojeong—wasaridiculousleapinlogic.
Andyet,forsomereason,afaintuneaselingereddeepinsidehim.
Perhapswhatunsettledhimwasthefactthat,likethismysteriousgarment,hetoocamefromanunknownorigin.
ap.ap.
Yoonaeheecontinueddrumminghisfingersmeaninglesslyagainstthetable.
Butwhatif...
Whatif,bysomeimpossiblytinychance...
etrulywasconnectedtohisenemy?
Yoonaeheeturnedtowardtheopenwindow.
hemountainsbeyonditlaydrownedindarkness.
Rustle.Rustle.
Windsweptthroughtheleaves.
Yoonaeheeslowlyliftedhiseyestowardthewaningmoonhanginginthenightsky.
hemoonlightstaredstraightbackathimlikeawatchingeye.
“Paehyeon.”
Stillgazingintothedarkness,Yoonaeheefinallyspoke.
“havesomethingneedyoutodo.”
