Between the Cracks
Perhaps because the moon had been hidden by clouds, Ak Seo-ah ended up talking with Dang Gangjin until quite late.
Even back when she lay in a sickbed, envying the way others her age could run and laugh as they pleased, she had never let go of her dream of being a wandering hero.
And yet, when she was with him, she could set that cherished, exhausting dream down for a little while.
For someone as reckless and straightforward as the foolish version of Ak Seo-ah, that might not have mattered. But for the overly rational, fragile one she was now, this kind of rest was desperately needed.
Without either Dang Gangjin or Cheongwol, she might well have stopped where she was and never gone any farther.
But when she saw that half the candle had already melted away, she realized that if she lingered any longer, she would end up watching the sun rise with Dang Gangjin.
It’s already quite late. I should get going.
As Ak Seo-ah rose to her feet, Dang Gangjin hid his reluctance and nodded. In truth, he knew he should have sent her away earlier, but he had wanted to keep her a little longer and had pretended not to notice the moon’s decline.
Had she sensed that?
If a man and a woman spend the night alone in one room, what would people say? It would only lead to needless misunderstandings.
Ak Seo-ah spoke calmly as she straightened her clothes, and only then did Dang Gangjin feel a faint chill of alarm. Even if they now understood each other’s feelings, merely allowing a scandal to spread about a woman would be shameful enough.
And knowing that, he had still wanted to keep her at his side. It made him feel ashamed of himself.
I’m sorry. My selfishness put you in an awkward position.
It was an ordinary matter that ought to have been brushed off lightly, yet he was taking it so seriously.
Seeing that he had realized that unnecessary worry had arisen because of him, Ak Seo-ah let out a small laugh and stepped closer to him.
Then, slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rose onto her toes.
There was nowhere for even the wind to slip through, and as if the candle itself had tried to spare them from prying eyes, the flame gave a little shake.
The light vanished, and darkness settled over the room.
For a while, only the sound of breath heated with fervor drifted between them and lingered at their ears.
---
For a brief moment, Ak Seo-ah was glad that she and Dang Gangjin had made such progress. Then she returned to the room where she was staying and was startled.
Cheongwol, whom she had assumed to be asleep, was awake and gazing out the window, enjoying the moonlight. What was more, the corners of her eyes were red, so something must have happened while Ak Seo-ah had been away.
...Cheongwol, are you all right?
She hurried to her side, but Cheongwol only forced a smile on a face heavy with sorrow.
“Yes. Everything’s been settled.”
Her voice was so torn with crying that it was hard to know what she meant by saying everything had been settled.
“I told you before, didn’t I? There was something I had to do. So I’ve decided to leave with Elder Hong Chilsong.”
Cheongwol’s cold hand covered Ak Seo-ah’s.
“Thank you. For becoming my friend. I don’t know when it’ll be, but... once I’ve finished what I have to do, I’ll come find you for certain.”
It was sudden, and yet Ak Seo-ah understood at once, by instinct.
That the friend before her was bidding her a very long farewell.
I still haven’t repaid all the debt I owe you, Cheongwol. So I should also go with you—
She tried to insist at once, but Cheongwol slowly shook her head.
“What debt is there between friends? Don’t say something so hurtful.”
Her eyes stung with tears, so Ak Seo-ah bowed her head deeply.
...Must you really go alone? Never mind me, but what about Lord Seomun Hwi, who will be left behind?
Cheongwol looked at her in silence for a moment, then the corners of her eyes curved faintly.
“So you weren’t really in love with Hwi after all?”
Her heart gave a jolt. Seeing that Cheongwol was changing the subject, Ak Seo-ah knew that no matter what she said, Cheongwol would never change her mind.
In that case, perhaps it would be better to...
...Only just now did you notice? Cheongwol, you can be rather slow sometimes.
Ak Seo-ah forced the corners of her mouth upward.
Now that she knew she could not stop her friend from leaving, she should at least ease the burden on the one who was going away.
“I noticed long ago that you were in love with Dang So-gaju. I was only pretending not to know.”
Cheongwol replied just as readily, and the two of them spent the whole night talking and laughing about what had happened in the past.
Their first meeting had been a little awkward, and yet somehow they had ended up raiding a bandit den together.
The time they had stood before an inn at Ohwahae and faced the men in black, putting righteousness into practice.
And finally, the matter that had tormented Ak Seo-ah so badly at Amipa had been brought to a close.
Looking back, it had been a great deal to go through in less than a month.
Enough, perhaps, to serve as strength while they waited for the distant reunion that would one day come.
By the time the conversation had finally run dry, pale sunlight had begun to seep through the cracks in the window.
The chirping of birds sounded as though it were announcing that the end had truly arrived.
The two of them said nothing more.
Instead, they held each other tightly and shared the warmth between them.
No matter where they went or what they did from then on, neither of them would ever forget that warmth.
“Take care of yourself. Until the day we meet again.”
And so, Cheongwol and Ak Seo-ah.
Their special journey, which had begun deep in the mountains of Sichuan, came to an end as they wove one another into memory.
---
It should have been such a beautiful farewell.
“Hngh... mm...”
But when Ak Seo-ah looked through the slightly open crack in the door, she was so astonished she nearly lost her wits. She had stayed up all night and, despite not having slept at all, had been watching over Cheongwol with concern when the other woman went outside, saying she would sweep the yard.
And then Seomun Hwi had suddenly appeared and pulled Cheongwol into a fierce embrace.
It was so rough it looked almost forced, and just as Ak Seo-ah was about to get up, Seomun Hwi’s head dropped to Cheongwol’s lips.
For a brief instant, she was only startled. Then something even more shocking happened right before her eyes.
...
Seomun Hwi bit at Cheongwol’s lips as if he meant to devour her, and then began to kiss her deeply, tongues entwining.
Without meaning to, Ak Seo-ah’s face flushed bright red.
Wasn’t that the sort of kiss lovers only shared in the privacy of their bedding, when their feelings had grown deep enough to spill over into the night?
No matter that it was early morning and few people passed by here—how could they be so openly affectionate outside?
What unsettled Ak Seo-ah even more was Cheongwol’s reaction.
Didn’t you say you were going to say goodbye to Seomun Hwi too...?
The sorrow from the night before had gone somewhere. Breathless, she was yielding to him so obediently that Ak Seo-ah could only stare.
At first, Cheongwol had even pretended to push him away, as if begging him not to do this.
“Nnh...”
But now she was trembling and clinging to Seomun Hwi all the more fiercely.
In truth, she had only lost too much strength in her waist to resist, but to Ak Seo-ah it looked exactly like that.
How passionately had the two of them gone at each other before Seomun Hwi finally lowered his voice and whispered to the dazed Cheongwol?
“That fiancé of yours. I want to see him once too.”
Fiancé? Cheongwol had never said anything like that to her.
As Ak Seo-ah frowned slightly in confusion, Cheongwol at last managed to turn her head and shove Seomun Hwi away.
“...What nonsense are you spouting? Why would you meet him?”
“Why else? Because I’m worried my friend might have fallen into the hands of some strange man.”
Listening to the two of them, Ak Seo-ah felt a strange sort of disappointment.
...So she must have told Seomun Hwi after all.
Last night, she had thought they had spilled out every single thing in their hearts.
But it did not take long for that disappointment to turn into curiosity.
“He’s the one Elder Hong introduced me to. Don’t speak carelessly.”
“He may only look decent on the outside. There are plenty of men like that in the world.”
“He’s kind. Unlike someone else.”
As Cheongwol touched her swollen lips, bitten and bruised, she let out a small laugh.
He really shouldn’t be saying things like that...
Just as Ak Seo-ah feared, Cheongwol’s words only served to provoke Seomun Hwi further.
“He must care for you quite a bit. Thanks to that, I got your first kiss, so I don’t mind.”
Unlike his words, however, his face looked as if he might lunge at Cheongwol at any moment.
“Lucky you. Stealing it by force and all. But this wasn’t your first, was it? You looked pretty used to it. Tell me—who was your first?”
Ak Seo-ah swallowed hard.
Cheongwol might have thrown out such words to wound Seomun Hwi, but to Ak Seo-ah it sounded nothing less than a lover accusing another of fooling around with a different woman.
In other words, whether she intended it or not, Cheongwol was only goading him further and further.
“Didn’t I tell you then? Everything about me is first with you. If you’d permit it, I’ll prove it right now.”
“...!”
At Seomun Hwi’s words, not only Cheongwol but Ak Seo-ah herself blushed.
Was that man truly the taciturn young clan leader of the Seomun family she knew?
“I-I’m warning you, if you touch me any more, you can forget about ever seeing my face again.”
Cheongwol even began to stammer as she struggled out of Seomun Hwi’s arms. Realizing he might no longer be able to restrain himself, he finally let her go without resistance.
“Don’t follow me!”
Keeping her head down, Cheongwol hurried away, and after letting out a thin sigh, Seomun Hwi followed after her. Before leaving, he did not forget to glare once through the narrow crack in the door.
---