Chapter 46: A Story of the Past
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46: A Story of the Past
A heavy weight pressed down on Seo-jun’s stomach.
It was a steady, familiar pressure.
He cracked his eyes open and looked down to see Chun-bong, just as he expected.
"Oppa..."
Chun-bong mumbled in her sleep. The rims of her eyes were faintly red.
Suddenly, fragments of memory flashed through Seo-jun’s mind.
"Ugh..."
He knit his brows. Headache aside, he couldn't be entirely certain that his recent actions had been driven solely by his own will.
Clench.
He tightened his fist. A strange, overflowing power surged through him.
Seo-jun closed his eyes and looked inward.
The landscape within his Mental Imagery, which had just been regaining its vitality, was now a disaster zone—as if a massive storm had torn through it.
A rotting, decaying plum blossom tree had bloomed to a monstrous size, and an overflowing river had swept through the surroundings, leaving behind absolute chaos.
And yet, there was a strange, natural harmony to the devastation. It wasn't something he could simply dismiss as wrong.
"Haa..."
As he let out a hollow sigh, his stomach heaved.
Or, to be precise, Chun-bong had jolted awake and snapped her head up, bouncing on his gut.
"Oppa?!"
Huff... huff... Chun-bong panted for breath, her face crumpling as if she were about to sob.
"Wake up already, you idiot..."
"I'm awake."
"Eek?!"
Chun-bong jumped in shock. She came crashing back down, right toward Seo-jun's stomach. He braced himself for the impact, but she managed to catch herself at the last second with one arm and one leg, gasping for air.
"Are—are you okay?!"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
He grabbed Chun-bong, who was stuck in her bizarre landing pose, and set her down beside him before pushing himself up. She immediately leaned in close, her face mere inches from his.
"Stay lying down! Do you want some water?!"
"No, I'm fine. More importantly, what about the Martial Arts Tournament?"
"Is that what's important right now?!"
Fuming, Chun-bong huffed and puffed as she shoved Seo-jun back down onto the bed.
"So, what happened?"
"What do you think happened?! It's been postponed for three days!"
"Oh, that's good."
He offered a silly grin, but Chun-bong's glare only grew sharper.
"Hey, Lee Seo-jun."
"Yeah?"
"You can laugh right now? Do you even realize how close you came to a total disaster?"
"Ayy, it's fine."
"Fine, my foot! You could have died right then and there! I don't care how talented you are, charging at a Mount Hua Sect Elder like that—does that make any sense?!"
Seo-jun fell silent. After fuming for a long while, Chun-bong let out a heavy sigh.
"I can't deal with this. Forget the tournament or whatever; don't even think about getting out of bed for a while."
"No, really, I'm perfectly fine."
"......"
This time, Chun-bong kept her mouth shut.
But her silence wasn't empty. Her fierce glare said more than words ever could.
Eventually, Seo-jun settled back into a proper resting position and gave an awkward laugh.
"Did I look that weird?"
"Obviously. Did you think that was normal?"
"It happens sometimes."
He stared blankly at the ceiling, realizing it felt unfamiliar. It wasn't the ceiling of the inn they had been staying at. Judging by the faint scent of medicinal herbs lingering in the air, they were in some kind of infirmary.
"But I'm really okay. Even if I snap, I don't do things I wouldn't normally do."
It was the truth. He might have gone a bit overboard this time, but even if he had been in his right mind, he still would have charged at that Elder.
At Seo-jun’s words, Chun-bong’s eyebrows drooped.
"Stop worrying about me and worry about your own body first."
"I'm fine—"
"If you say you're fine one more time, I'll actually kill you."
"Oh..."
Seo-jun chuckled.
Chun-bong watched him for a moment before letting out a long sigh and scooting closer.
"So... are you hiding something from me?"
"Hiding something? Not really."
"Don't lie. I've thought you were a bit strange for a while now. About a lot of things. There's stuff you haven't told me, right?"
Nope, nothing! He wanted to playfully deflect and change the mood, but the words wouldn't come out. Chun-bong’s eyes were so painfully sincere that he felt like he would be hurting her if he joked around now.
"I'm not sure if it's related to my blackout, but there is one thing I haven't mentioned. It's not a big deal, though."
"What is it? Just tell me. Or is it something you can't even share with me?"
"It's not that. There's nothing I can't tell you."
Scratching his head, Seo-jun sat up abruptly. Chun-bong gave him a look that clearly told him to lie back down, but this wasn't a story he could tell while on his back.
"I told you before. I'm from another world."
"You did."
"I lived a pretty normal life there, but one rather peculiar thing happened."
It happened when Seo-jun was a child.
According to his hazy memories, his family had been happy. His parents got along well, and they doted on him, their only son. At least, that was what Seo-jun had thought.
"But my mom had an affair. Then, she just suddenly left home."
His father was devastated. He couldn't pull himself together for a long time. Even so, he never took it out on Seo-jun. If anything, he neglected his own health to take meticulous care of his son.
"A few years passed like that... and then one day, my mom came back."
She cried and begged his father for forgiveness. She said she was sorry. She asked to start over.
Seo-jun didn't know what his father had been thinking at the time, but he readily accepted her plea. He treated her with even more love than before. It seemed like their happy family had finally returned.
"How many days had passed? I don't think it had even been a month. Anyway, around that time, a woman came to visit."
It was late at night. Unable to sleep for some reason, Seo-jun had sat up when he heard the doorbell ring. He crept out and peeked toward the front door, spotting his father talking to a woman he didn't recognize.
He still remembered her clearly. She had a large chest and a pretty face—the kind of glamorous woman you'd normally only see on TV. As a kid, it was quite fascinating to see someone like that in person.
So, he stood there quietly, watching the two of them talk. And then...
"My mom came out. And that woman recognized her. They acted like they knew each other."
He had figured she was just an acquaintance of his mother's. Thinking that, Seo-jun prepared to head back to his room.
Would things have been better if he had?
Just as Seo-jun was about to turn away, his mother pulled out a hidden kitchen knife. While his father was still talking, completely unaware, she stabbed him in the back.
"What...?"
Chun-bong let out a gasp before quickly slapping a hand over her mouth.
"N-no. Keep going."
"That's the end of it. Nothing much happened after that."
His father had collapsed, and the strange woman had laughed out loud. She said something to his trembling mother, and then the two of them left the house together. After that, the police came. He was sent to an orphanage, and he just lived a more or less ordinary life.
"I still don't really know what that was all about. I don't know why they left me alive, or what they gained by killing my dad."
"Oh, no..."
Her eyes welling up, Chun-bong carefully leaned in and wrapped Seo-jun in a tight hug.
"Are... are you okay?"
"I told you, I'm fine. That was ages ago."
As Seo-jun chuckled, Chun-bong spoke in a choked voice, clearly holding back tears.
"I'm sorry..."
"For what?"
"If I had been by your side back then... I would have killed that woman in a single stroke."
"Oh, that's okay. I killed her."
It happened when he was twenty-four.
Right before he fell into the Murim.
He had happened to spot that woman while walking down the street. As if possessed, Seo-jun followed her. When they reached a secluded alleyway, he charged at her with a rock and smashed it into her head.
"She died after I hit her about ten times."
After that, he had gone into hiding, waiting for the police to find him. But when he finally came to his senses, he was in the Murim.
Sometimes he wondered: how was his mother living now? He was a little curious, but he didn't want to care anymore. He didn't even know how he would react if he ever faced that woman again.
"...Good job."
"Right?"
"Yeah. That bitch deserved to die."
As expected of the Murim. The moral sensibilities here were definitely different from the modern world.
Letting out a refreshing sigh, Seo-jun wrapped his arms around Chun-bong, who was still hugging him tight, and leaned back. Her warmth seemed to melt away his fatigue.
But for some reason, his sleepiness had vanished completely. He didn't think he'd be able to fall asleep even if he closed his eyes.
"Miss Geum, shall we go for a walk?"
"...Where to?"
"Just anywhere."
"...That's a surprisingly normal suggestion."
"So that's a yes?"
Seo-jun stood up and checked his clothes. His usual martial arts uniform was gone, replaced by thin, light patient garments.
That doesn't matter.
He drew the sword resting beside the bed. It was snapped in half.
Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun returned the broken blade to its scabbard and fastened it to his waist.
"Let's go."
* * *
"But Chun-bong."
"Yeah?"
The tiny hand holding his fidgeted. Seo-jun looked down at her, and her wide, round eyes looked back up at him.
It was strangely funny. As he let out a small chuckle, Chun-bong squeezed his hand tight.
"Now that I think about it, my story from earlier doesn't really have anything to do with my mind going blank sometimes, does it?"
"Why wouldn't it? Of course it does."
"Really?"
He turned his gaze to the sky. The moon was dazzlingly bright—a swollen half-moon. It looked like it would be full in a few days.
"Wait. How long was I out?"
"Not even a full day. Are you sure your body is okay?"
"I told you, I'm fine."
He walked aimlessly for a while, yawning, until a sudden tug on his hand brought him to a halt.
"What is it?"
"Are you really okay?"
"Seriously, Miss Geum. I'm fine."
"No. I don't think you are."
"What?"
As he scratched his head, Chun-bong stared intently at him.
"You're too quiet today. It's weird."
"And here you are, always telling me to stop acting out."
"That's... I just say that."
Hesitating, Chun-bong squeezed her eyes shut and thrust her face toward him.
"Here, go ahead!"
"Huh? What? You want a kiss?"
"N-no...?! I'm letting you pinch my cheeks, so cheer up!"
"Aha."
What a thoughtful kid.
Though she had lost some weight recently, her cheeks were still soft and plump. As he poked and squished them, he felt a profound sense of peace wash over him.
"Hoo... Is this what Nirvana feels like?"
"...What are you even talking about?"
Pouting, Chun-bong opened one eye slightly and looked up at Seo-jun.
"I'm not like that."
"Hmm? Like what, suddenly?"
"I will never betray you, Oppa. Never. I'd even stake my father's honor on it."
Her father's honor? It was a random thing to swear on, but he knew what she was trying to get at.
"I know, kid."
"...Then that's fine."
Anyway, Chun-bong was being sweet, and that was enough.
* * *
The next morning.
"Lee Seo-jun is resurrected...!"
Seo-jun bolted upright and stretched his arms wide.
"Mmm... so noisy in the morning..." Chun-bong mumbled.
"Aw, did our little Chun-bong wake up?"
"I'm gonna sleep more... don't wake me..."
"Alright. Sleep some more."
As he sat there blankly, letting Chun-bong drift back to sleep, he suddenly sensed a presence.
What was it?
Out of habit, he grabbed his broken sword and waited. Soon, a knock echoed on the door, accompanied by a voice.
"May I come in?"
It was a voice that felt strangely familiar, yet completely unfamiliar at the same time. It sounded like an older man. Who was it?
Tilting his head, Seo-jun replied.
"No, you may not."