Investigation
Since I’d been invited, I might as well accept.
If I checked things out for myself, I’d know what the problem was soon enough.
By evening, I headed back to the Jegal Clan estate with Cheongha.
I needed to sort out the mess in my head.
But the moment we reached the front gate, we were greeted by those same bewildered looks again.
“Who are you, lingering around the front of the estate?”
“Huh? I was invited here. The Young Master said to come for dinner….”
“The Young Master said that? We haven’t heard anything about it.”
I was left speechless by the gatekeeper’s firm, suspicious glare.
What on earth was going on?
They said I’d been invited, and this was the reaction?
When I looked at Cheongha standing beside me with her eyes wide as saucers, a throbbing started at my temples.
Just as I was about to confront him, a familiar figure emerged from inside the estate.
“Oh, Miss Song Hyeon?”
“Young Master Jegal.”
It was Jegal Hyeon.
He came toward us with a bright smile.
“What brings you all the way here?”
“I was told you invited me. But the gatekeeper says he never heard anything about it.”
I shot the gatekeeper a look, as if to say this was all his fault.
He bowed his head low.
Hmph.
But Jegal Hyeon only frowned in confusion when he heard me.
“You’re saying I invited you?”
“Yes?”
This time, the gatekeeper lifted his head and glared at me.
Well.
I ignored his stare and vented my irritation at Jegal Hyeon instead.
“No, a member of the Jegal Clan clearly said I’d been invited.”
“Might I ask who that was?”
Jegal Hyeon’s gaze sharpened.
I was angry enough that I’d been made to make a pointless trip, but if I named whoever it was here, it felt like he might actually kill somebody.
“…I didn’t catch the name.”
“Spreading rumors like that. We’ll have to give them a proper lesson.”
As I half-listened to his muttered words, I exchanged a look with Cheongha.
“You really didn’t invite me?”
“Tonight is a family dinner with the clan head. Why would I invite an outsider?”
“But we had dinner together yesterday!”
“Miss, I think there’s been some misunderstanding. I was busy inspecting the formation around the city all day yesterday and never even made it back to the estate.”
Wow. I was going insane.
Were they all in on it, just to mess with me?
Or was I really the only one carrying a different set of memories?
I pressed hard at my temples.
Even while looking troubled, Jegal Hyeon smiled faintly and asked me,
“Miss Song, if you’d like to have a meal with me so badly, I can make arrangements for today. Since Cheongha is here as well, perhaps we could—”
The hopeful look in his eyes irritated me to no end.
Who do you think wants to eat with you?
“No, it’s fine. I guess there was a misunderstanding.”
I turned on my heel, grabbed Cheongha’s wrist, and headed straight for the inn.
Anyone watching would’ve thought I was the one doing the chasing.
Sitting across from each other in the inn dining hall, eating a late supper, I barely managed to hold back the anger bubbling up inside me.
“This is too weird. Everything’s weird! Everyone’s memories are all scrambled.”
“It does seem that way. I suppose I can’t really claim to be normal either.”
It’s not that you can’t be normal—you’re not normal either!
Watching Cheongha sit there blankly with a spoon in hand, clearly shocked, I stabbed at my food with my chopsticks and shoved it into my mouth.
It wasn’t just one or two people. Everyone I met was acting however they pleased.
So that’s how they wanted to play it?
This wasn’t curiosity or some detective game anymore.
If I alone wasn’t being affected, then this was a blatant provocation aimed right at me.
Fine. If it had come this far, then I’d do this properly.
I set my chopsticks down with a sharp clack and clenched my fist.
“Starting tomorrow, I’m investigating for real. No more fooling around like today!”
“Unnie, so today really was you fooling around.”
Cheongha narrowed her eyes.
Ahem, why did she have to fixate on something like that?
**
Early the next morning, I headed down to the inn dining hall with grim determination.
I was pissed off. Today, I wasn’t going to be led around by anyone anymore.
Just then I spotted Cheongha, who was eating breakfast, and flopped down across from her.
Feeling my presence, she looked up and smiled brightly.
“Good morning, unnie.”
“Yeah. I’m going to start investigating in earnest today. Eat up and get some energy.”
I dropped into the seat across from her and ordered breakfast.
Cheongha watched me with a pleased expression, then leaned in and asked cautiously,
“But investigating what? Did something happen?”
I had no words.
Cheongha looked at my stunned expression and tilted her head.
“What did we do yesterday?”
“We went sightseeing with Ryeon unnie.”
I was going to lose my mind.
I just collapsed face-down onto the table.
“Unnie, what’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?”
“I am.”
“Oh no! I know a physician. I’ll take you there.”
It’s you, Cheongha.
It seemed her memory had gone missing again.
This time, not just pieces of it—all of it.
And yet I was the only one unaffected.
Which meant this was mine to solve.
I shot to my feet and grabbed her wrist.
“Come on.”
“Huh?”
“Just follow me.”
I dragged her out into the street.
Cheongha still looked utterly lost, but obediently followed after me.
We’d revisit the places where the strange incidents had happened yesterday.
I needed to confirm whether everything had been reset.
We were hurrying along when Cheongha said worriedly,
“You’re skipping meals, unnie. Nothing’s wrong, is it?”
Was that really the image she had of me?
Quietly wounded, I dragged her to the teahouse we’d visited yesterday.
“Just as I thought.”
Cheongha nodded as if she’d expected as much.
I left her at the entrance and went inside to look over the patrons.
Before long, Cheongha followed me in and sat down.
“Should I order some sweets first?”
“That’s not the point.”
Her laid-back attitude drained a little of my energy, but I shook my head.
Maybe because the timing was different, they weren’t the same people I’d seen yesterday.
So verifying things this way would be hard.
I sat down too and listened closely.
Just as before, the conversation was different from the one I’d heard yesterday.
“Two should be enough, right?”
“…Four.”
Leaving Cheongha smiling as she placed the order, I kept watching them.
The sight of her calmly ordering sweets only made my stubbornness burn hotter.
I felt like the only audience member trapped inside this bizarre performance.
But at the same time, my resolve to uncover the secret behind this confusion only grew stronger.
Then the teahouse door opened, and women in familiar robes came in.
Pale pink garments embroidered with plum blossoms.
They were Mount Hua disciples.
As it happened, I was wearing the same outfit I’d first worn when I’d entered the martial world—the one I’d been given by Mount Hua.
Uh-oh. Is this a problem?
Surely no one would recognize me, right?
Probably just outer disciples.
Mount Hua was famous for having a lot of them.
I tried to keep my head down and stay out of sight.
But the youngest-looking girl among them spotted me and her eyes went round.
Without any hesitation, she walked over and pointed at the clothes I was wearing.
“Um… pardon me, but those robes… where did you get them?”
The worst hunch was never wrong.
I gave her an awkward smile and offered her a half-truth.
“I got them from someone I know by chance.”
Even after hearing my excuse, she continued to inspect the robe with sharp eyes, looking over every detail.
“That pattern on the tie is embroidered by a famous artisan. And that design on the sleeve is something I embroidered myself. So the person you said gave you these robes was you.”
Her eyes lifted from the robe to me.
Damn pedo pervert girl.
The fit was perfect even though our builds were completely different, so I should’ve known—she’d just handed over someone else’s clothes, hadn’t she?
There was no excuse for that.
Of course, I wasn’t the one at fault; it was that woman. But still, I couldn’t exactly say I had no part in it at all.
I gave the girl an apologetic, sugary smile.
“I’m sorry. I got so excited after receiving them because they were so pretty… could you forgive me?”
Her eyes went even wider.
Seeing her cheeks tint slightly red, it looked like my apology had gotten through to her.
Ah, the power of a pretty face.
Life really was easy.
“Ahem, well, if you put it that way, I suppose I can’t help it. Since my senior sister has already paid the price, I’ll let you keep the robes.”
With that, the mood became much warmer.
We exchanged names, and soon she and the other Mount Hua disciples naturally joined our table.
We chatted happily while eating sweets together.
From what they told me, they’d arrived in Yangyang yesterday to participate in the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly.
“So you’re participating too, Hwayeon?”
“No, I’m just planning to watch. My senior sister Hwarin is the one who’ll be competing.”
Hwayeon puffed out her cheeks and answered with her mouth full of sweets.
Because her words were all mashed together, it was hard to catch exactly what she meant.
“If you mean Hwarin, then you’re talking about the Falling Flower Sword, one of the Four Beauties of the martial world and Mount Hua’s elite disciple.”
“Sounds like she’s impressive.”
Fortunately, Cheongha, who knew the martial world well, added an explanation.
Thanks, Cheongha!
At her explanation, Hwayeon nodded, and Cheongha looked genuinely surprised.
Meanwhile, Hwayeon kept staring at me, oddly calm, as if she were the one being examined.
“Why did you all come together, anyway?”
“Well, the martial alliance specially sent invitations this year. Since our sect master was going to attend, he said we might as well all come out for a trip together. I think the other sect masters will be participating too.”
“That’s amazing.”
Cheongha straightened up in surprise at her answer.
Our little reaction bot always acted like that, so it was hard to tell how serious any event really was.
Still, if even the sect masters were attending, this Dragon and Phoenix Assembly was probably going to be a major affair.
Hwayeon’s gaze was still burning into me.
I’d only just entered the martial world, so I don’t really know much about this stuff.
“Unnie, which sect are you from?”
“I’m a wanderer.”
I wasn’t really affiliated with any sect, so that seemed like the right answer.
At my reply, Hwayeon grinned and held out her hand.
“Then why don’t you come to our Mount Hua Sect? Someone like you would definitely be welcomed by everyone.”
Ah. Sinner that I was, I’d ensnared another woman.
Her smiling face practically dripped with ulterior motives.
I shook my head politely.
“I don’t really plan to join any sect.”
“Tsk.”
Huh?
Right as I refused, I heard Hwayeon click her tongue softly.
Just in case, I added,
“And if I joined Mount Hua now, wouldn’t that make me your junior sister?”
“Oh? Unnie’s surprisingly sharp.”
Ah. So that kind of personality?
I gave a small smile back at her, amused by the way the corners of her mouth lifted as she beamed at me.
It was the usual rule of the world: the cute youngest disciple was a little menace.
At the very least, this confirmed I would never, ever join Mount Hua.
I rinsed my mouth with tea, reaffirming my resolve.
Thanks to Hwayeon acting so shamelessly interested in me, I somehow felt a little less guilty about what I was planning to do next.
“More importantly, when did you arrive in Yangyang?”
“Us? We got here just yesterday. Yangyang’s a pretty lively city.”
Perfect. Just perfect.
I decided to ask the next question for my investigation.
“Then was anything unusual?”
“Huh? Well, besides being in the city for the first time in a while….”
She tilted her head.
Good.
I’d been wondering about something just then.
I’d have to try an experiment with these people.
I opened my mouth toward them.
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