Protecting Her
Kang Min-hee remained silent for a moment after hearing my words.
I carefully observed the two women’s thoughts.
Kim Yeon’s mind was filled with embarrassment, apology, and worry.
And Kang Min-hee…
“Huu…”
She leaned back against the chair’s backrest.
Then, suddenly, a satisfied smile spread across her face.
“Ah… really… my stomach is finally unclenching.”
“A-are you all right?”
Kim Yeon asked, her complexion paling.
Kang Min-hee grinned.
“Yeah. I’m fine, Yeona. I told you, we were just playing around back then. No real feelings between us. You wouldn’t know unless you’d seen me pushing the two of you along from behind at the company, right?”
“E-Even so…”
“Instead, how did that idiot figure out your feelings? That’s what I really want to know… I was so frustrated back then. It felt like eating ten sweet potatoes at once. Now it’s finally going down a little. Like the food that used to be indigestible is finally settling.”
“Unnie…”
As Kang Min-hee continued speaking, Kim Yeon’s thoughts grew increasingly heavy.
“I’m telling you, I’m fine! Really… I’ve made a lot of friends here. The surroundings are always lively, so I’m not lonely at all. I told you from the beginning—I’m not the type to date men.”
“…”
“So… congratulations, Yeona. And if that dumbass does anything to hurt you or pulls some stupid move, let me know. I’ll refine you into a Ghost King so easy to command.”
“Ah, that’s fine. I know how to make puppets too…”
“AHAHAHA! That’s awesome!”
A chill ran down my spine!
I desperately adjusted the two women’s thoughts in the space between them, preventing any flow of emotion.
How long had they been laughing and chatting?
Soon, as dawn approached, both of them gradually let out sighs.
“It’s almost time to part ways.”
“Yeah… it’s a shame. Let’s meet again when we have time next time.”
“When will we be able to meet again?”
“Um… honestly, it’ll probably be impossible next time too. I’ll have to train in secret paths most of the time. So I’ll probably stay in Black Ghost Valley for only a year or two, then head back to the secret paths.”
“The secret paths… aren’t too hard, right?”
“Not really. I have way too many friends. You’d be shocked if you knew.”
“Then… that’s a bit of a relief.”
“Yeah~ No need to worry.”
But Kim Yeon could not erase the worried thoughts she held toward Kang Min-hee.
“Unnie… I should go soon… Can I say one last thing?”
“Hm? What is it?”
“If you still have feelings for Eun-hyun oppa… I can give up. Everyone knows the two of you were close while we were at the company. So… please tell me.”
‘That we were close?’
‘That we were close?!’
Kang Min-hee asked with an incredulous expression.
It seemed Kim Yeon’s misunderstanding had reached her ears.
We were never truly enemies. In private, we couldn’t even hate each other.
Publicly, we roared at each other openly, and in private we constantly bickered.
How could anyone see our relationship and think we were close?
“I always fought with him whenever we met.”
“Really? To me, it just looked like mischievous kids playing around.”
“Tch… If that’s the case, maybe it was just me spilling my dating stories about you to him.”
“Unnie, if you really have feelings, please tell me.”
“…”
Kang Min-hee furrowed her brows, clearly annoyed.
“Hey, Kim Yeon. Why are you acting like this? There’s no one. It was just a prank. Neither of us is taking it seriously. Why are you throwing a fit? Stop it. I’m seriously cheering you on, so you don’t need to worry.”
The thought that she was seriously cheering us on was true.
Yet Kim Yeon suppressed the sad thoughts.
“Yes. I understand.”
“See? I’ve been saying congratulations since earlier, but you keep acting like this… Anyway, didn’t I promise to ask you for something earlier?”
By now the sun had fully risen, and the yin energy in the Han-eum Swamp had calmed.
Kim Yeon told Kang Min-hee about the Geumsin Cheonroemun disciples heading to Myeonggwi Realm with Jeon Myeong-hoon.
Upon hearing the story, Kang Min-hee let out an amazed exclamation.
“Jeon Myeong-hoon… He grew so much, instead of acting like a spoiled brat… Well, it’s almost a hundred years since then. If he’s still like he was back then, he’s just an idiot.”
“…”
“Anyway… so you want me to let Jeon Myeong-hoon use the secret paths?”
“Yes.”
“Um… sure. Ah, he won’t be bothering me, right?”
“Probably not. The director… has matured a lot.”
“Yeah… He should’ve matured long ago.”
Kang Min-hee clicked her tongue and nodded.
“Fine, I’ll let him use the paths. On one condition.”
She spoke with a serious expression.
“If you want to enter the secret paths, you must follow my orders. No matter what happens, do not disobey me.”
“And right now, Jeon Myeong-hoon is in Heavenly Person realm, right? Core Formation stage?”
“Yes. Eun-hyun oppa says it’ll probably be Four Pillars stage soon.”
“Um, that won’t do. If I allow you to bring Seo Eun-hyun, or Yeon, or any companions, I cannot give permission. Last time the Geumsin Cheonroemun disciples who passed through the secret paths all had at least Nascent Soul stage, and most were Core Formation. That’s why I allowed them to go together. But a Heavenly Person Core Formation soul is too large. If too many people travel together, the secret paths might collapse.”
“Ah… I see. I’ll pass it on.”
‘Um… this is…’
I felt a pang of regret. I could not travel with Jeon Myeong-hoon.
I had grown attached to the Geumsin Cheonroemun disciples, and the secrets of the Myeonggwi Realm were calling to me.
‘It was a chance to stack up longevity. I’ll have to put it off for another time.’
And it was a pity for Jeon Myeong-hoon as well.
‘At least if he brought Yeon-jin, he could have received advice from Yeon-wi…’
If Yeon-wi, who had experienced the Myeonggwi Realm, had been with him, she could have helped Jeon Myeong-hoon greatly.
* * *
I nodded.
“Since things have come to this, I should ask Yeon-wi right away.”
I relayed the conversation I had overheard from Seo Lip to the two women, then left Cheonin-do and headed toward Noeryeong-do.
Noeryeong-do, ruins of Geumsin Cheonroemun.
There, Jeon Myeong-hoon stood gazing at the scenery, and Yeon-jin was diligently training on a nearby peak.
“Jeon Myeong-hoon, Yeon-jin. Come here. I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“If you’re heading to the Myeonggwi Realm, you should ask the experienced one, Yeon-wi. Yeon-jin, can you contact her?”
“Yes! I’ll contact her!”
After a while, Yeon-jin, who had been sitting with his body twitching as if communicating with someone, opened his eyes.
WOONG!
His eyes were no longer his own.
It was Yeon-wi.
“It’s been a while. What do you want to ask an old man like me?”
“I just wanted to check on you and ask about the Myeonggwi Realm.”
“I’m doing great. I’ve taken in some cute disciples lately and spoiled them. I’ve also been planning to conquer the Water Realm… There’s a lot to do, so I’m quite happy.”
Yeon-wi spoke for a moment about how well she was doing, then asked.
“Anyway, you wanted to ask about the Myeonggwi Realm?”
“Yes. Do you know anything about it?”
“The Myeonggwi Realm… It was a gloomy place, but also prosperous.”
For a while, information about the Myeonggwi Realm flowed from Yeon-wi’s mouth.
Jeon Myeong-hoon and I stored everything in our minds.
After speaking, Yeon-wi added one more line.
“For reference, the information is from about 43,000 years ago and may contain inaccuracies. Use it as a guide.”
“I understand. That’s enough. Anyway, there’s one more thing I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
I asked seriously.
“Heon-won’s weakness.”
“Oh?”
From the very first day of this life, I had to endure intense pursuit and fighting with Heon-won.
If I had been caught, it would have been the next life. I gave everything I had.
But if I had known his weakness from the beginning, none of this would have happened.
Yeon-wi pondered for a moment.
“A weakness… Originally, that guy had no weakness. Actually, even now, the guy in the Kunlun Mountains has no weakness. He is practically invincible within the mortal realm.”
“…”
I was stunned.
“That’s possible?”
If so, I would have to face Heon-won outside the Kunlun Mountains.
“No. Because you wounded him, he was sealed in the Kunlun Mountains, right?”
“Um, a weakness? Because I knew his Taesan Yeolje Art well and fought him effectively. I also used the item I ‘borrowed’ from the Geumhon Gwisimun. By sacrificing their item and cutting away one of my longevity threads, I inflicted a fatal wound on him. He never had a weakness.”
“But… sacrificing a borrowed item?”
“It was secretly borrowed, so it’s fine.”
“…”
‘If it was secretly borrowed, doesn’t that mean it was stolen?’
I suddenly felt a question rise in my mind and asked.
“By the way, you said you know a lot about the Taesan Yeolje Art. Was that because you fought Heon-won?”
“No. I heard it directly from him.”
“Um?”
“You don’t think we both felt a fateful mismatch every time we met and growled at each other?”
“No. We were quite close 43,000 years ago, until that day. We were inseparable.”
“What kind of relationship?”
“We were engaged.”
“…”
I could not suppress the shock that followed Yeon-wi’s words.
“About 43,000 years ago, I was to marry the Bongrae Palace Master for political reasons to raise the prestige of Geumsin Cheonroemun. Heon-won also agreed. We pushed hard together until we defeated the Black Dragon King. In return, he formed an alliance with us and agreed to join the Human Race Alliance. The Human Race Alliance expressed enormous gratitude to us. Hoo…”
“…”
I could not close my mouth.
* * *
‘My main body must be hearing this unimaginable story.’
I felt my head spinning from the sudden wave of information.
By now, Kang Min-hee and Kim Yeon had embraced each other once more before parting.
Kim Yeon vanished into a pinkish aura and flew far away.
Soon, only Kang Min-hee and I remained in the sunlit Han-eum Swamp.
“It must have been hard to understand, right? Constantly communicating in another language.”
“Haha, no. It was an honor.”
“Really? Well, then…”
“Anyway, Seo Lip.”
“Yes.”
Kang Min-hee turned to me.
“It’s time to reveal your true nature, right?”
“E-Eh?”
“That hair combing and shoulder massage… You only taught it to that guy while you were dating. But you perfectly imitate him now. From the very first time I saw you, I thought something was wrong because you kept your face hidden. And being unable to see through death was also strange.”
WWOOONG—
Kang Min-hee’s left hand transformed into a dark ghost hand.
“You’re him, aren’t you? How utterly creepy. How did you think you could follow me here? Well… I expected it, though.”
She said with a sly smile.
“It won’t be like on Earth. You’re going to die here, today.”
BUWOONG!
She swung her ghost hand at me.
“Die, you bastard!”
===
[Writer’s Note: Some readers seem to have misunderstandings. The hair combing and shoulder massage were only done while dating. After we broke up, I never did them again.]