Chương 102: S.05 Time to Fly 05(06)

Scene 10. Her eyes snapped open of their own accord. A swimming vision and a dizzying headache set in. Ji-young hurriedly raised herself and clapped a hand over her mouth. Barely holding something back, Ji-young pulled out a tissue beside her and covered her mouth with care. With her wits returned in an instant, she recalled the drinking from the night before. Through the thick blanket, she lightly patted her aching inner thigh and lifted away the tissue she'd held over her mouth. A bit of blood had welled on it.

It felt like a fierce flare-up of acid reflux. Scratching roughly at her long hair, Ji-young, with a troubled look, pulled out a fresh tissue and wrapped it over the bloodied one as if to cover it. She tossed the thickened white tissue into the wastebasket nearby. On the side table tucked beneath the 보료(Bo-ryo_cushioned mat) sat a frost-beaded kettle that seemed to hold cool water. Seeing the chill clinging to it like freshly drawn water, she figured someone had stopped by while she slept.

In a half-asleep voice, she asked Chae-rim, beyond the window. Ji-young: Captain. Chae-rim: You're awake, The Oldest. Ji-young: Captain, did you set the water out? Chae-rim: Ah, the Strategist drew the water about thirty minutes ago. Saying your hangover would be bad, she brought water boiled with hovenia, I believe. Ji-young nodded, lifted the whole kettle, and gulped down the cold water.

Letting out a hearty belch that said she felt alive again, Ji-young threw back the thick cushioned mat and looked down for a moment at her sorry state—she'd slept in her underwear. Ji-young: Ha, what a sight. I don't even know how I slept. The loose pajamas Ji-young had slept comfortably in the night before lay scattered carelessly all around. As if the image of herself thrashing about as she fell asleep came to her unbidden, Ji-young threw on the loose sweats tossed nearby. Ji-young: But why haven't you left?

You should go on your outing today. Chae-rim: The Oldest woke earlier than expected. It's still only half past seven in the morning. Ji-young opened her phone on the side table and checked the time. Her swimming vision hadn't righted itself yet, but thanks to the cold water she'd downed, her voice and part of her wits had come back fairly fast. Ji-young: Oh, you're right. Chae-rim: Since you mention it, The Oldest, are you perhaps going to go wash up now... Ji-young sprang to her feet and stretched first thing.

Ji-young: First let me take a booze-shit. Don't bother with goodbyes — just go now. If you're gone by the time I've finished my business and washed up, I'll take it you've left for a weekend away. Without even fixing her tousled hair, she rummaged through the cabinet nearby and pulled out toiletries kept in a clear plastic mesh pouch. Chae-rim: Mm. Then — Chae-rim's presence, which had been only a voice, was suddenly felt right before Ji-young's door.

In the just-rising sun, Chae-rim's shadow fell across the 창호지(Changhoji_Traditional paper-paneled door). Toiletries in hand, Ji-young opened the closed door herself. Chae-rim, standing at the opened door, bowed lightly to Ji-young. Chae-rim: I'll be off, then. If anything comes up, contact me right awa... Past Ji-young's disheveled state, she stared fixedly at the hoodie sweatshirt worn back-to-front. Still bent at the waist, mid-greeting, Chae-rim's deep inner conflict showed as she stopped.

Seeing the clear eyes of Chae-rim, agonizing over whether to say something or not, Ji-young finally looked down at her inside-out top. Scene 11. Si-yeon was sleeping wrapped in So-hui's arms. The two, who'd been sleeping deep into the late morning, pried their eyes open at the clamor coming from outside. Holding Si-yeon, whose eyes hadn't fully opened, in her arms, So-hui carefully drew the curtain aside to check the sound from outside. Si-yeon: Ugh, what is it.

Burying her face deeper into So-hui's sleeveless top, Si-yeon mumbled like a baby. Outside, Jeong-seon, gripping a live blade, was barely fending off Lee Yeon's sword strokes. Under Lee Yeon's driving blade, Jeong-seon's body finally tumbled to the garden floor. Lee Yeon pressed Jeong-seon hard, as if scolding her. Lee Yeon: You have to get up. If you go down this easily, you can't shield us. The Envoy isn't the problem. You, Jeong-seon, have to break me first. Jeong-seon hauled herself up with difficulty.

As if slashed by the blade several times, her workout clothes were soaked in stains and torn here and there. After drawing the curtain shut, So-hui cradled Si-yeon's head again. It was So-hui's way of blocking the clang of steel from reaching Si-yeon's ears. Si-yeon, savoring the coziness of So-hui's snug embrace, pulled So-hui in deeper. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. So-hui: Let's just sleep some more.

Despite So-hui's cradling, the sound of steel clashing against steel spread louder and finally roused Si-yeon fully from sleep. Si-yeon: Ah. SSib — Si-yeon shot up, threw open the curtain and the window, and looked outside. After Jeong-seon and Lee Yeon caught the irritation in Si-yeon's barely-open eyes, they hurriedly broke apart from their clash. Before Si-yeon's voice could rise, So-hui hurriedly pulled her down from the window. So-hui: Argh!! You crazy bitch!! We're the ones who overslept!!

Si-yeon checked the time on the phone by the bed. Straightening up again, she hollered out the open window. Si-yeon: Carry on!! Sorry!! Shutting the window and drawing the curtain again, she lay back on the bed as if it were nothing. As if sleep was off the table now, So-hui sat up and smacked Si-yeon across the back to scold her. Scene 12. Yu-seok: Let's head out for a bite. I've got business outside anyway. And you've got to go manage that establishment of yours, don't you.

Yu-seok came out into the living room and finished wiping the water running down his firm body. Stepping out into the living room of the modern hanok where he lived, Yu-seok, wearing only the workout pants below, wiped the water running down his upper body all over. Yeon-jin, wrapped in a shower towel, dried her hair and looked into the mirror bare-faced. Yeon-jin, plainer-looking than one might expect, checked her small eyes and lips and counted the blemishes on her face. Yeon-jin: Ah, SSibal.

Feels like the wrinkles keep multiplying. Yu-seok: The Weeping of Immolation's looking for a vessel. Take it in if you want. You won't age any further from there. Yeon-jin: Being barred from even the world of the dead doesn't sit right with me. Yeon-jin pondered for a moment, looking in the mirror. As if she'd made up her mind, Yeon-jin tidied her hair again with a faint sigh. Yeon-jin: And then I'd have to be worked like a dog. And shatter in the end. I'd rather earn less and work less.

The Master of the Province seat isn't exactly satisfying, but still — now that I'm living with you, I figure I might be able to take it easy for a while on that alone. Yu-seok: You're surprisingly modest sometimes. Yeon-jin: Not at all — it's big. Because I'm the one who'll get you moving. Yu-seok: I'm already moving — how much more am I supposed to move? Yeon-jin: At the very least there shouldn't be anything lacking, right? Having finished tidying up entirely, Yu-seok walked to his room. A large hanok.

In the big, freestanding two-story house, Yu-seok went to his room and began dressing in a thick late-winter suit. Yeon-jin went to her own dressing room, took out a suit of clingy fabric, and picked it out as if straightening the collar. After finishing his quick preparations, Yu-seok came out and looked over the mirror again. Yeon-jin: Damn, that was fast. Yu-seok: It's not like we're holding a rite over the clothes. I'll wait outside, so come out when you're ready.

Leaving Yeon-jin where she was, Yu-seok stepped outside and drew a cigarette in the garden. Taking out the phone from his pocket, he checked an incoming text message. -The date for the 중앙도 (Jung-ang-do_Central Province) marketplace is this coming Monday- It was a brief text message. After deleting the message, Yu-seok pulled up the calendar on his phone screen. Checking the calendar pointed to February 20th, he wordlessly tucked the phone away again.

As he blew out a long stream of smoke, in the still-cool weather and wind even as the hour neared noon, the smoke he'd exhaled scattered quickly. Scene 13_01. Groomed so neatly you'd never believe she was the same person who'd worn her hoodie back-to-front, Ji-young grabbed Yeon-su's thin hand and strode ahead, deftly making her way through the deep misty forest. The awkward steps of Yeon-su, scurrying along behind, were palpable.

It was a place she hadn't visited even once since that day—since Yeon-hui was sentenced to the 시간수(Si-gan-su_The Chronostump) and dragged into the Chronostump. She hadn't even known how to find her way there, and it felt as though the memory of that day would resurface. She'd assumed it would be agonizing. Passing through the deep mist, a great Chronostump towering well over five stories revealed itself. With nothing around, only an empty stillness could be felt. A lonely Yeon-hui could be felt there.

Beyond the ache on one side of her heart, Yeon-su also felt a vague anticipation that perhaps, soon, she might see her. Ji-young belatedly let go of Yeon-su's hand and stepped a little ahead toward the Chronostump. Setting her black running shoes over the fallen leaves, she sent a soft rustling sound echoing all around. The still, muffled air pressed down, keeping the sound of Ji-young's steps from carrying far. Ji-young's steps came to a stop before the thick trunk of the Chronostump.

Ji-young: Yeon-su came today, too. It was a calm voice. Many emotions could be felt, but at the flatness laid over those many emotions, Yeon-su drew near carefully and looked from the Chronostump to Ji-young and back. Ji-young: The Bishop — the godmother — has gone off, saying she'll finally try to rest. Within Ji-young's flat voice, a tangle of feeling stood out plainly. The flat voice didn't change, but the emotion she'd tucked away deep was churning.

Stroking the wrinkled outer bark of the Chronostump, Ji-young let out a small breath. Yeon-su silently listened to the rest of Ji-young's calm voice. Ji-young: Thanks to that, the Weeping of Putrefaction was cleared away really fast, but Gyeong-seo, and Yeon-su, got badly hurt, too. Yeon-su: Uh, I, well, I'm fine, though... At the apology in Ji-young's voice, Yeon-su mumbled small, as if bashful. Ji-young glanced at Yeon-su, smiled lightly, and shook her head.

The deep-seated apology she hadn't been able to voice kept spilling out, carried in that flat voice. Ji-young: Bringing Yeon-su along today wasn't for any particular reason. So-hui and Hee-jin sis say that if you speak at the Chronostump, you can be heard. Up till now I came feeling a little like I was wallowing alone, but whether or not that's true, it did give some comfort. So I brought Yeon-su along too. There was something I had to tell you, with her beside me.

She carefully lowered her hand from the withered trunk. Sliding her hands into her thin spring jacket, Ji-young looked at Yeon-su and lowered her voice. Ji-young: Doe Yeon-su. Yeon-su: Yes, The Oldest. Ji-young: To both Doe Yeon-su the Secret Agent and Doe Yeon-su, Yeon-hui's younger sister, I'm going to make a request. Before Yeon-hui. So listen well. I chose to say it here because I hope Yeon-hui will hear it and not scold you for it.

A soundless, bleak wind blew in around the Chronostump and the mist that held it. The bleak stirring of the small branches sounded eerie. At the bleak wind that blew for a while, the countless leaves lying on the ground scattered up. It wasn't fierce, but it was wind enough to scatter the leaves heaped high, unable to rot where they'd piled. Yeon-su sank weakly to her knees. She didn't even know what the words she'd heard meant.

But as if they were words too heavy to take in, Yeon-su, unable to steady her trembling knees, knelt before Ji-young. Yeon-su: I can't. How could I — I. I can't — As if she'd fully expected Yeon-su's reaction, Ji-young smiled awkwardly and lowered herself to her own knees to help the kneeling Yeon-su up. Taking hold of Yeon-su's scrawny upper arm, Ji-young soothed her. Ji-young: That's why I called it a request. At Ji-young's small voice, Yeon-su slowly raised her bowed head.

Ji-young: She said she couldn't bring herself to say it. Isn't that something? As if it's any easier for me. Yeon-su, bowing her head again, agonized for a long while. Ji-young: The request — my command — that you must hand that one over for Yeon-hui to open her eyes: I truly hope you'll keep it. Scene 13_02. So-hui stretched and let out yawn after yawn. At a weariness that wouldn't quite lift, So-hui stretched to her fullest and tied her long hair back tight, as if gathering it.

As So-hui stepped out of the living room in comfortable workout clothes, a short buzz reached her. After fishing through the thick pocket of her hoodie, she flipped open her phone and checked the contents. She checked a text message with only a brief reply. -Sure. - It was a very short text message. So-hui casually closed the phone and slipped it back into her pocket, then gazed for a moment at the living room's floor-to-ceiling glass.

Beyond the glass, Si-yeon could be seen carrying on a sword dance against the two of them, Lee Yeon and Jeong-seon. With her hands in her pockets, So-hui walked toward the yard.