Chapter 56
Translator: uly
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Black String of Fate - 4
This is the worst possible situation.
If she's constantly trying to stimulate her lost past memories through my existence, there's a chance her lost memories might resurface.
It's not something I didn't anticipate.
To survive, I boldly used the original work's setting, but if this becomes a long-term battle, I don't know what might happen. I was worried. I just hoped it wouldn't happen.
But I never thought her memories would resurface this quickly after just a few days.
"I see. Sometimes forgotten childhood memories pop up out of nowhere. Do you remember anything else?"
Rather than trying to find the best response to this sudden situation, I decided to wait and see for now.
How much do you remember? Hurry up and tell me everything.
"I heard a voice in my dream."
"A voice?"
"My mother's voice, worried, wiping my sweat and holding my hand."
As if trying to etch the precious memory she regained into her heart so she wouldn't forget it, she placed her hand on her chest.
But that's something all parents do for their kids when they're young. I did my part as an 'oppa' diligently last night too.
I still lack information.
If I pretend to know something here and it turns out to be different from her memory, I'll immediately become Kang Yun-ho split into five pieces.
Nothing more? Tell me if there is.
My mouth feels parched.
As I waited, listening intently for her to speak, she opened her mouth again.
"I heard a voice from outside. A young boy's voice."
No, why! Why did you hear that voice! You should have focused on your mother's voice!
This is bad.
The protagonist of that voice is, of course, not me. If she saw the owner of the voice in her dream, she might suspect me.
'We were supposed to be close, so why was there a different boy in the dream?'
What should I say?
'So-hee. It seems you were playing both fields even back then. Confessing now, of all times. No wonder you didn't remember oppa. It seems I was just a passing man to you, So-hee.'
If I say that, she'll make me walk on all fours starting tomorrow.
First, let's quickly lay down some safety measures.
"I don't remember exactly when, but I once visited your house when you were sick. By any chance, was it me you saw in your dream?"
If the dream isn't certain, let's claim it was me.
If she says it was someone else, let's U-turn and say it means she used to play with another boy too.
So-hee. Actually, oppa was your second choice.
"I didn't see the face. I just heard the voice."
"What did he say?"
"From outside the door, 'Is So-hee okay? Give me So-hee.' A boy's voice, worried."
Huh?
Could this be...?
"It must have been me in the dream. I went to see you when you were sick, bringing some candy. I wanted to give it to sick So-hee."
I smiled nonchalantly and spoke in a nostalgic tone.
"I think I heard something about bringing something... I can't remember that far."
Cheon Sal-seong frowned slightly as if trying to recall the dream once more, but it seemed the memory wouldn't come.
"I was worried about you all night while you were sick, and what I brought the next day was candy. I hoped you'd get your strength back by eating something sweet."
"I don't remember."
Cheon Sal-seong slowly shook her head from side to side, then closed her eyes quietly, her hand still on her chest as if trying to cherish the memory she had recovered.
I smiled at her with closed eyes, as if proud.
That was a close call.
I never thought you'd create a memory.
Cheon Sal-seong. That's not your memory.
It's the fake memory I told you before you fell asleep yesterday.
'It wasn't a recovered memory; it was a lucid dream.'
I never thought you'd create a memory.
The dream she had must have been a kind of lucid dream.
If a child watches a horror movie before bed, you often hear stories about the murderer from the movie appearing in their dreams.
Or, if a certain university student Kang gets hooked on an idol group and watches their music videos and fancams all week, he dreams about that idol appearing.
Overwhelmed with emotion, he might say something like, 'I can't believe this dream-like thing is happening to me,' only to wake up right before the end and scream in despair.
Cheon Sal-seong had that kind of lucid dream.
Last night, she was tied with a strange rope and was mentally weakened. Thanks to that, the fake memory I whispered to her in her sleep invaded her sturdy psyche.
Having fallen asleep right after hearing my story, she dreamed a dream connected to my actions and words.
My actions of wiping her sweat and holding her hand became her mother, and the story from the past transformed into the voice of a young boy.
If it were someone else, they would have dismissed it as just a dream, saying they had no such memory. But she has no memories, so she mistook even a simple dream for a forgotten past.
I thought it was a major crisis, but it turned out to be a huge gain instead.
"Now it feels like you're really starting to remember oppa."
I spoke to her, who had been closing her eyes and ruminating on the memory for a while.
I can't miss this opportunity.
Kang Yun-ho is So-hee's oppa.
It's time to stamp the seal firmly.
"It was just a voice. And the candy part is wrong too."
No, this woman.
It's not wrong. You just don't remember it.
Can't you just acknowledge it now?
If I had said 'Rose Tteokbokki' instead of 'candy' before bed, would you have remembered?
"Sigh. Fine then."
I sighed deliberately, pretending to be exasperated in front of her.
"But."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you. For making the memory... come back."
She suddenly bowed her head to me. The first expression of gratitude I'd received from her.
"No, So-hee, there's no need to thank me for that."
As I flustered, Cheon Sal-seong raised her head again.
"You keep this from now on."
Cheon So-hee held out the rope she had placed beside her to me.
"So-hee. This is for you to use."
Why should I be bothered with keeping this? I waved my hand slightly, showing my refusal.
"I'll only use it when I sleep with you."
"Huh."
If you want to live, keep it yourself. It's a hassle for me. Is this how it is?
"Keep it until my memories of you come back."
"I wish your memories of me would come back quickly."
With a reluctant expression, I reached out my hand for the rope and said something I didn't mean.
"Me too... I wish that too."
Cheon So-hee handed over the black rope, looking not at my hand but at my face.
Maybe it was because the morning sun was dazzling my eyes.
For some reason, her smile, laughing with the joy of finding a precious memory,
looked as if she was smiling at me.
Time passed after that.
Since the day she was tied with the black rope, Cheon Sal-seong's gaze toward me had softened considerably.
The fake memory must have caused some change of heart within her.
If I planted more fake memories in her using the black rope, couldn't I achieve a dramatic improvement in our relationship? With that in mind, I subtly tried a few times but soon stopped.
Unlike the first day she was tied up, from the next day onward, she wasn't in a state of losing her mind, so it was ineffective. Plus, I was afraid that continuing might actually trigger her real past memories.
Honestly, it's a shame.
If it had been possible, I would have said things like, 'When we grow up, if we hold hands and enter Sungkyunkwan together, I'll be happy,'
or that I changed the sad ending of a story So-hee was upset about to a happy ending and we exchanged promise items. I wanted to insert those clichés of promise children too.
Still, even one fake memory had a good effect.
Since that day, while she still maintains some wariness toward me, she doesn't sharpen her blades against me in every situation.
And as we spent more time together, a slight change came to our relationship.
"Yun-ho. Order this."
"Yun-ho. Follow me."
The way Cheon Sal-seong addresses me has been upgraded from 'you' to 'Yun-ho'.
She still doesn't acknowledge me as 'oppa', but it seems calling me 'you' all the time felt awkward too.
Thanks to the improved relationship, I'm no longer in the tense situation of walking a tightrope every day.
----
"The Joseon storyteller is coming!"
"He's here to listen again!"
"Hurry up and get on stage!"
As my relationship with her improved, the storyteller work also progressed smoothly.
No big hits like the first few days, but no disasters either—just everyday life.
At this rate, it seems I won't have to return to a shanty house where the rain leaks in and mice run over my head while I sleep.
While continuing with this storyteller work, something interesting happened.
"Storyteller. Seeing you up close, you're quite handsome. Take this."
A beautiful woman in silk clothes praised Ha Moo-rin and handed over some money.
"Come to my side every time you come down."
The woman gave me a sidelong glance as I was about to return to the stage and handed me more money.
No reason to refuse.
"You speak well too."
"You're tall."
"Seeing you up close, you have a good physique too."
Even though she whispered, her words were clear in my ear.
The woman kept saying embarrassing things, but since she kept giving money, I had no reason to refuse, so I accepted it every time I came down.
"That's all for today's story. Thank you!"
"Wooow!"
"That was fun!"
After bowing to the audience at the end of the story, I came down from the stage.
'Where is So-hee?'
She always disappears, making her hard to find.
"Young Master."
While I was looking for Cheon So-hee, the beautiful woman who had been talking to me earlier addressed me.
"Ah! You're the one who complimented me earlier. What can I do for you?"
The title 'Young Master,' which I hadn't heard in a while, was quite pleasing, considering I'm usually called a barbarian, storyteller, Joseon person, or even a Goryeo bastard.
She was a beauty, though not as stunning as Cheon So-hee, but still, having such a beauty show me favor made me smile as I spoke.
"By any chance. Could you tell today's story... at my house?"
The woman smiled with the same sidelong glance she gave earlier as she spoke to me.
"Ah! Are you inviting a storyteller for a banquet at your place?"
Is there a banquet at some wealthy house? I'd be more than welcome to perform at a wealthy household.
"No."
The woman suddenly stepped right in front of me. A distance where I could hug her if I stretched out my arms.
Maybe because of our height difference, which was about a head. A pleasant scent of spices wafted from the crown of her head.
"Huh?"
"Hehe. I'd like to invite you personally, for my own reasons."
The woman gave a seductive smile and gently scratched my chest with her finger. The sensation of her fingernail grazing my chest gave me a strangely pleasant shiver.
Oh.
Could this be... is it that?
"Young Lady, if you have elderly parents and that's why..."
No. Get a grip. Such good fortune doesn't come easily.
No matter how seductive a woman seems, to me, they are all virtuous maidens.
She placed the finger that had been grazing my chest on my lips.
"How cute. But I don't have parents, you know."
Really. Is it that?
This is happening to me?
"Young Lady. If you do this, it's misleading."
This is the first time I've encountered a woman who's this aggressively forward right after meeting, so I'm flustered.
"It's not misleading... Hehe. If you feel burdened, how about having dinner with me?"
Dinner sounds good.
Instantly, the first steps for dating, marriage, and even raising children with this beauty flashed through my mind.
First, go to a place with a nice atmosphere, order food that isn't too noisy, start with light jokes, and take the first step of getting to know each other.
If the atmosphere remains good, then go for a second round.
Deliberately go to a place with dim lighting, have a drink, make a touch, have another drink, hold the waist once...
And if the mood really ripens between us...
"Yun-ho. What. Are you doing right now."
My pleasant imagination was shattered by the icy voice that came from behind.