Seven Years of Longing
There was no reason for him to be late. "Um... Baek the warrior. What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Baek the warrior? What's with the sudden formal title?"
"You're the girl who saved my life, so of course I should show proper respect."
"If you were gonna act all proper for that reason, you should've done it from the first time we met. Why now?"
"...Ugh, can't a person just be polite without you nitpicking? You mood-killing jerk!"
"Hahaha, there she is, the real Jin Seoryeong."
"Anyway, so what are you doing tomorrow?"
"...Tomorrow? Hmm, tomorrow. Nothing special. Time to rest."
"Really? Well then, uh. How about... going somewhere with me?"
"Where to?"
"Argh, does it matter? Just come with me!"
"Hahahaha! Alright, alright. Let's go. Now that everything's over, what's a trip or two?"
"For real!? Yes! Get ready, Baek Jincheon! I'll show you what a real city is like!"
"Sure, whatever. You've worked hard all this time. Sleep well."
"Yeah! See you tomorrow!"
"..."
This was the last conversation Jin Seoryeong had with Baek Jincheon seven years ago.
On the day of their promise, at the promised place, Jin Seoryeong waited for Baek Jincheon until the sun set and the moon rose, well past the appointed time. But he never showed.
Afterward, fuming that someone dared to stand her up, she stormed to his quarters. But he had vanished without a trace.
She desperately grabbed people around and asked where he'd gone, but no one knew.
Even when she begged her father to find him, all she got was, "That's not possible."
Baek Jincheon had disappeared from Jin Seoryeong's life overnight.
Once she realized he was gone, Jin Seoryeong first exploded in rage.
Now that everything's over. All that's left is to enjoy peace happily. We even promised to meet tomorrow, and yet you vanish without a single note... I absolutely won't forgive you.
Her fury toward Baek Jincheon peaked—she even thought that if she saw him again, she'd break both his legs so he could never leave.
But rage is like a fierce flame; it doesn't last forever.
After three days of raging wildly, the anger cooled. What followed was sorrow.
Baek Jincheon, where the hell did you go? The debt I owe you is deeper than any ocean I could drain, and I haven't even repaid a fraction of it. I planned to spend my life making it up to you. Why did you leave like that? If you just go away, how am I supposed to live...?
Facing the reality that Baek Jincheon was no longer by her side, Jin Seoryeong shut herself in her room, refusing food and water, sobbing uncontrollably.
As the tears of grief flowed, what came next was terror.
What if... I never see Baek Jincheon again? N-no, that can't happen. It can't. Life without him is unimaginable now... If he just disappears like this. Then... I... How am I supposed to go on?
Baek Jincheon left without even a single letter.
If he'd wanted to see her again, he would've left something.
But he hadn't. He'd left her with nothing.
As if he had no intention of ever seeing Jin Seoryeong again.
No. Why would Baek Jincheon do that? There's no reason. It can't be... It isn't...
Whether Baek Jincheon truly had no desire to see her again, leaving nothing behind, or if there was some other reason—no one knew. But that mere possibility filled her with dread.
The fact that he wasn't there right now was nothing compared to the horror that he might not want to see her.
Any ordinary woman would've broken there.
Baek Jincheon was a warrior, the Central Plains were vast, and there were no clues to find him.
Finding a hidden martial artist in the murim was harder than finding a needle in a desert.
It was a dizzying situation, but Jin Seoryeong wasn't ordinary.
She was a genius with solid backing, and she wouldn't rest until she got what she wanted.
...I'll find him. I'll track down Baek Jincheon and ask him myself. Did you ever plan to see me again? Did you even want to?
Why he'd left didn't matter to Jin Seoryeong anymore.
That was in the past; no amount of questioning would turn back time.
What mattered was the present and future—especially the future.
To secure a future with Baek Jincheon, Jin Seoryeong resolved to find him.
Right away, she mobilized every resource at her disposal and commissioned every intelligence network in the Central Plains.
And so, seven years after she'd done everything she could to search for him...
"...Found you."
Jin Seoryeong had finally located Baek Jincheon.
Even if you don't want to see me, I won't let you go this time.
She harbored emotions grown deeper and stickier over those seven years without him.
※
"Baek Jincheon, when we met again at the matchmaking table yesterday, you looked happy to see me. Seeing that face put me at ease. It meant you hadn't left because you hated me."
A month ago, when Jin Seoryeong found Baek Jincheon in Cheonbaekhyeon, she learned he was thinking of starting a family.
Baek Jincheon starting a family? Hearing that made her heart stop.
Imagining him marrying someone else was her worst recurring nightmare.
When that nightmare became reality, her blood froze solid.
But only for a moment. Jin Seoryeong double-checked the info and smirked.
It was a clear crisis, but also a massive opportunity.
Yes—a chance to build a family with him.
"The moment you looked glad to see me, I could forgive breaking our tomorrow promise, leaving without a word—everything."
Recognizing the opportunity, Jin Seoryeong didn't hesitate. She bribed every matchmaker in Cheonbaekhyeon.
If the man named Baek Jincheon wanted a blind date, they were to introduce her immediately.
Thus, she successfully reunited with him at the table.
He recognized her right away, and that thrilled her more than anything.
It erased seven years of rage, sorrow, and fear in an instant.
"Baek Jincheon, I was so happy to spend time with you again."
After reuniting with Baek Jincheon and banishing her regrets, Jin Seoryeong slept deeply for the first time in seven years.
No more dreams of him leaving; she passed out completely.
Meeting him had finally freed her from the nightmares that tormented her for seven years.
"But what? Cancel our promise? Pretend we never said we'd get to know each other again?"
Yet now, Baek Jincheon was trying to leave again.
Having endured seven years without him, Jin Seoryeong knew too well how horrific a world without Baek Jincheon was. She couldn't accept his words.
"You think... I'd allow that?"
She had no intention of living without Baek Jincheon anymore.
She needed him.
She'd use any means to stay with him—even force.
Rumble.
Groan.
Rumble rumble rumble.
The inner energy Jin Seoryeong unleashed shook her quarters.
The table warped, cracks spiderwebbed the windows, and the calming tea in her cup sloshed wildly.
The manifestation of her will, infused with seven years of pent-up emotion.
"Baek Jincheon, I'm never letting you go now."
Jin Seoryeong declared it with deep blue eyes like the lightless ocean depths, staring at Baek Jincheon.
Facing her unshakeable resolve, he met her gaze and slowly opened his mouth.
"...Cough."
"Huh?"
But what came from Baek Jincheon's mouth wasn't words—it was blood.
"Gahk..."
Baek Jincheon spewed blood overflowing a teacup, his face draining to pallid white as he looked at Jin Seoryeong.
"Hah, hah. Urk, urgh..."
Then, his eyes lost focus, and he collapsed face-first onto the table.
"Wha—what? N-no. No, no... No!"
As Baek Jincheon passed out, his face buried in the pool of his own blood, Jin Seoryeong paled and rushed to him.
Crash!
The chair toppled and skidded across the floor, but Jin Seoryeong didn't care.
Right now, nothing mattered but Baek Jincheon's well-being.
With trembling hands, she checked his pulse. Feeling her blood turn ice-cold, she screamed desperately.
"Healer! Someone get a healer!!!"
It was internal injuries. Severe ones.
※
"...Hm, he's late."
Yeon Wol, rummaging happily through Baek Jincheon's bedroom with its open ceiling, suddenly realized her master was overdue.
"No reason he should be late."
Yeon Wol gazed down the mountain path where Baek Jincheon had gone, her red eyes cold.
"..."
Her eyes darkened as she stared down the path.