Imagination
Moonlight settled quietly at the window, yet the two of them showed no sign of ending their conversation anytime soon.
"To be honest, I had no idea Seomun Hwi possessed such martial skill. Of course, I expected the Sogaju of the Seomun Clan, one of the Six Great Clans, to be strong to some degree—but still."
As she recalled the sight of Seomun Hwi toppling one next-generation prodigy after another, a thrilled smile spread across Ak Seo-ah’s lips.
Even from that expression alone, Cheongwol could guess just how fierce and dramatic that day’s martial contest had been.
So what he said—that he wasn’t weak—was true.
When she remembered Seomun Hwi, battered and exhausted, collapsed on the ground and gasping for breath, the corners of her eyes curved before she knew it.
Perhaps Ak Seo-ah noticed that the smile in her eyes came from a feeling far different from anything before, because she stole a cautious glance at Cheongwol and asked, "May I ask... are you and Seomun Hwi close, Miss Cheongwol?"
"...Huh?"
"You listened so attentively whenever Seomun Hwi came up, and from your reaction, I thought perhaps you knew one another."
Seeing the certainty in Ak Seo-ah’s gaze, Cheongwol hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding.
"Yes. Hwi is my first friend."
"...Truly?"
"Yes. Though we haven’t known each other for very long."
At Cheongwol’s answer, Ak Seo-ah’s expression somehow darkened.
"I had no idea Seomun Hwi even had a friend..."
Only moments ago, she had been speaking with bright excitement, but somehow her energy had been snuffed out in an instant.
Watching her uneasily, her lips parting and closing several times as if she wanted to say something, Ak Seo-ah finally could not hold back and spoke.
"Miss Cheongwol. Please, don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say."
"...What is it?"
There was something oddly grave in her eyes, and without realizing it, Cheongwol straightened herself.
"Miss Cheongwol... that is to say..."
Her cheeks flushed red. Her gaze turned hazy and tender. Even her voice grew softer, more delicate.
The solemn air that had just surrounded Ak Seo-ah had already transformed into the face of a shy young woman.
"Do you... have feelings for Seomun Hwi?"
---
What on earth had she said to make this girl fall into such a serious misunderstanding?
Cheongwol could not hide her bewilderment as she frowned.
"...What?"
Have feelings for him?
For Seomun Hwi?
Hwi might be her one and only friend, but how could she possibly hold a man in her heart?
Just imagining his hand touching her made chills run all over Cheongwol’s body.
"No...?"
Seeing Cheongwol’s expression turn sour, Ak Seo-ah was equally unable to hide her flustered state.
"I apologize. I was certain you were in love with Seomun Hwi."
"What kind of nonsense is that..."
"B-but...!"
Ak Seo-ah lifted her head as if wronged, but when she saw the faint trace of disdain that flickered across Cheongwol’s face, she swallowed the rest of her words.
"...I’m sorry. I knew I shouldn’t have, and yet I rashly made assumptions."
That lovely smile, with the corners of her eyes gently curving upward—had there truly been not a single trace of affection behind it?
Even as she apologized, doubt still flickered in Ak Seo-ah’s eyes.
In the end, Cheongwol let out a small sigh and took her hand.
"Seo-ah."
"W-why? If I’ve offended you, then..."
"I’ll say it clearly. I absolutely have no interest in Hwi, and whatever happens in the future, that won’t change. Do you understand?"
"...Absolutely?"
"Absolutely."
Only after receiving that final, unequivocal answer did Ak Seo-ah recover her bright smile.
"What a relief! Truly, what a relief!"
At the sight of her rejoicing like a child, Cheongwol gave a faint snort of laughter.
"What’s so relieving about it?"
"Ah... well, the thing is, actually..."
Ak Seo-ah lowered her eyes a little bashfully and answered in a small voice.
"I’m the one in love with Seomun Hwi."
"...?"
Cheongwol had set out into the Central Plains carrying the heavy burden of revenge, but she was still young.
Much less when it came to matters between men and women—especially when a friend was involved.
She simply could not help taking interest.
"You like Hwi?"
"...Yes."
"Since when?"
"From the very beginning..."
"Huh?"
"The moment I first saw Seomun Hwi... I fell in love."
At that shy answer, Cheongwol nodded as though she understood now, somehow.
"If it’s Hwi, then that’s understandable. He is that kind of man. Considerate, too."
"I’m not sure how considerate he is... but in any case, I’m relieved. If such a lovely woman as Miss Cheongwol were in love with Seomun Hwi, then I wouldn’t have even the slightest chance."
At Ak Seo-ah’s words, Cheongwol was momentarily speechless.
...A lovely woman.
She thought she had become more or less accustomed to having a woman’s body, but hearing those words from the mouth of a real woman felt strangely foreign.
Her mannerisms, her speech, even her state of mind were no different from when she had been a man.
Was this simply what she looked like to everyone else in the end?
"...Miss Cheongwol?"
Cheongwol, lost in thought, quickly came back to herself at the voice calling her name.
"Ah, sorry. I was just spacing out for a moment."
"You must be tired. It is quite late, after all."
With a tiny yawn and sleepy eyes, Ak Seo-ah slowly lay down beside Cheongwol.
"We should finish talking tomorrow and get some sleep. Fortunately, the bed seems rather wide..."
As though it were only natural that Cheongwol would be the one lying by her side, Ak Seo-ah lightly patted the empty space on the mattress with her palm.
"It seems we can sleep together without issue. Come, lie down."
---
"..."
The soft, faint breathing of the woman beside her brushed playfully against Cheongwol’s ear.
Why had she not been able to refuse the suggestion that they sleep in the same bed?
Swallowing her belated regret, Cheongwol tried to calm the heart hammering in her chest.
But to no avail—Ak Seo-ah’s sleeping habits were not particularly good.
"Mm..."
"...!"
When a strange touch grazed her body, Cheongwol nearly cried out in shock.
Lowering her head slightly to look, she saw that Ak Seo-ah had turned over in her sleep and draped an arm across her.
A woman pressed close beside her, their bodies touching by even a little.
Her face flared crimson in an instant, as though it might burst.
At least, she supposed it was fortunate that unlike when she had been a man, she did not have to endure a reaction so intense that it would become obvious immediately. In that respect, she had narrowly escaped the worst.
Let’s calm down first.
She slowly regulated her breathing, inhaling and exhaling in steady waves, when Ak Seo-ah’s peacefully sleeping face suddenly came into view.
Unlike when awake, those closed lips were small and red, and her long lashes cast quiet shadows.
Her lightly flushed cheeks held a faint heat, and the soft contours of her body, unwillingly or not, captured a man’s attention.
She was, quite simply, a beauty without equal.
Had Cheongwol still been a man, she might well have fallen for her.
Again with these useless thoughts...
As the reality of her own body, transformed into that of a woman by the Grand Method, rose once more in her mind, Cheongwol’s mood naturally sank.
...Even if I hadn’t become a woman... it would still have been difficult.
After all, she already bore the crushing burden of avenging her family.
Either way, she would have found it hard to live an ordinary life, and yet she could not stop herself from clinging to the notion that perhaps, somehow, things might still work out.
If things turn out easier than I expect...
Easier?
How, exactly?
Even she thought the idea was so absurd it made her want to laugh.
The only thing her grandfather had left her was the fact that the Im Clan had been in Henan—and that it had been annihilated overnight by some unknown hands.
She did not even know who the target of her revenge was. How could anything possibly proceed smoothly?
If she could see it through to the end, even at the cost of her whole life, that would already be fortunate enough.
Yet the more she brooded over such riddling thoughts, the more irritation built in her chest, and Cheongwol frowned deeply.
Whatever the facts might be, thinking about things was still her own business.
Deliberately turning her face away from the harshness of reality, she closed her eyes again and sank back into thought.
When revenge is over, will I be able to live normally too? Or will I spend my whole life being hunted? No, I said I’d put that thought aside for now.
Positive thoughts.
A happy future.
They were difficult to picture, but she forced herself to imagine only such things in her mind.
Even if my body became a woman, my mind is still that of a man. If I’m going to choose a spouse, I’ll have to choose a proper woman.
A woman who would look only at her, understand her completely, and make a smile bloom just by being seen.
And yet, would such a woman ever want to live with someone who was, at heart, still a man?
Even if they did live together, then who would carry on the Im Clan’s line?
These were worries she had pushed aside under the excuse of cultivation—no, the worries she had been afraid to think through to the end—now surged over her mind like a tide.
...I only need to avenge them. I can’t handle carrying on the line too.
If she still had a man’s body, perhaps things would be different, but now she had the body of a woman.
There was only one way to continue the bloodline.
Grandfather, I absolutely can’t do it. Besides, once anyone learns I was a man, there won’t be a single man willing to lie with me...
As her self-mocking thoughts continued, Cheongwol swallowed dryly without realizing it.
Why was it that now, of all times, the face she least wanted to think about had come so vividly to mind?
If someday... I must do it with someone...
If she told him everything, he would surely swallow his disgust and hold her anyway.
That was the kind of kind man Seomun Hwi was.
"Haah..."
Even with a woman pressed close beside her, the image filling her head was of being held by a man—more specifically, a friend.
It was nauseatingly vile, and her situation was so pitiful it made her want to cry.
Whether she knew any of this or not, Ak Seo-ah only pressed closer, mumbling more fiercely in her sleep.