Cracks in the Guardian Post
Shin-wol examined the well-carved wooden guardian post with open admiration, turning it this way and that. After studying it for several seconds, he slowly stroked his chin. The red lips visible between his long fingers curved upward in a graceful arc.
[How tiresome. You never grow weary, do you?]
Even though he was merely smiling, goosebumps prickled across her skin. In an instant, the atmosphere turned as frigid as a sheet of ice, and a cold golden light flickered through his eyes.
Sensing something ominous, Yeo-won abruptly grabbed his hand. His gaze shifted away from the guardian post and onto her.
“Shall we go inside?”
She spoke as casually as she could manage, but the fingertips clasped in his were trembling faintly.
When Yeo-won looked straight at him, Shin-wol stared back with indifferent eyes. The gaze that met hers was hazy like mist, making it impossible to read his emotions.
Still, she could tell he was clearly holding something back right now. It almost seemed as if he wore the faintest expression of weariness.
Yeo-won didn’t know what that meant, but she felt certain she shouldn’t leave him here any longer.
Shin-wol lifted his head once more to glance at the guardian post, then quietly lowered his eyes.
And with a serene smile that bloomed like snowflakes, he laced their fingers together.
[Very well.]
Yeo-won smiled along with him, gripping his hand tightly as they entered the village. The moment Shin-wol passed the guardian post, a sharp crack rang out from its once-flawless surface, and a small fissure appeared.
Oh dear. Shin-wol sneered inwardly. He had tried to suppress his energy, but it seemed he hadn’t held back quite enough.
At the faint sound, Yeo-won turned her head to look behind them, but they had already walked far enough from the entrance that she couldn’t see the crack in the post.
She stared at it with a puzzled expression for a moment before deciding it was nothing important and continued walking deeper into the village.
*
The village of Samwol where Yeo-won had grown up was quite different from the city—lacking many things—but it still had a marketplace-like street lined with marts and old clothing shops scattered here and there.
After passing through that area and walking for about ten minutes, wide farmland appeared, dotted sparsely with old private homes.
To reach her house, they had to pass through the marketplace street. The problem was Shin-wol.
If I walk with Shin-wol, everyone’s going to stare.
Yeo-won glanced at Shin-wol, who was walking slowly to match her pace, and already felt exhausted. Before entering the marketplace street, she quietly slipped her hand from his. Simply walking together would draw attention; she didn’t want to add fuel to the rumors by holding hands.
The moment Yeo-won let go, Shin-wol’s expression turned icy. She deliberately flashed an exaggerated smile and pointed at the marketplace street with feigned nonchalance.
“Now that I think about it, since you live on Mount Inwol, you must be familiar with this place. Do you come down often?”
Shin-wol narrowed his eyes and stared at her before answering with the air of someone graciously letting it slide.
[I rarely descend to the marketplace.]
As they walked slowly, they soon entered the marketplace street. Today it was livelier than usual, and unusually crowded with people.
He swept his gaze around at a leisurely pace and murmured.
[It has been several hundred years since I last came down. How much it has changed.]
Yeo-won was stunned by his words. Not decades—hundreds of years. The very concept of time seemed different, and a faint dizziness washed over her.
“Ten years is enough to change mountains and rivers, after all. What did they mostly sell back then?”
[There were many food stalls and trinkets, as I recall. Occasionally merchants would bring in curious items from the western regions.]
His eyes deepened with a subtle gleam. It seemed he was recalling some day she knew nothing about. Her chest ached for no reason, but she answered lightly.
“They still sell a lot of food now. Would you like some?”
[No need.]
“But you can eat, can’t you?”
[Being able to eat and actually enjoying it are two different things.]
His refusal was so firm that she felt a little embarrassed.
As they walked through the marketplace, just as expected, people’s gazes began to gather one by one. His refined, urban appearance was rare here, and the marketplace crowd buzzed with whispers without exception. In some ways, the countryside was even more shameless than Seoul.
“Goodness, is that a celebrity?”
“Right? He looks just like that trot singer!”
“No, why does this lady think every man she sees looks like him?”
Whether they heard it or not, the grandmothers’ chatter filled the street along with the oily, savory smells unique to the marketplace. As they continued on, a small rice cake shop came into view.
In that moment, she remembered her grandmother asking her to buy injeolmi. Yeo-won grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the shop.
“Ah, I’ll just stop by the rice cake shop for a moment.”
[Are you hungry?]
“No. It’s because Grandmother asked. Will you wait here?”
At Yeo-won’s call, an elderly woman who had been sitting inside slowly came out with a groan.
“What’ll it be?”
“One pack of injeolmi, please.”
“Alright, one injeolmi.”
The moment she answered, the grandmother lifted the large plastic sheet covering a big tray. Inside lay a mass of white rice cakes. She sliced them into large chunks with a knife, then cut them again into bite-sized pieces, tossed them in the soybean powder in a bowl beside her, and roughly packed them into a bag.
Yeo-won watched the clean, efficient process in a daze. The grandmother handed her the bag along with two leftover pieces of injeolmi skewered on toothpicks.
“Try one. They’re fresh, so they’re delicious.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Yeo-won quickly took the two pieces and popped one into her mouth. It was warm and chewy, probably because it had just been made.
Come to think of it, Grandmother preferred sirutteok over injeolmi. She was debating whether to buy another pack when the shop grandmother let out a hearty laugh.
“What kind of wife eats alone? You have to share with your husband.”
The rice cake in her mouth instantly lodged in her throat. She thumped her chest, finally swallowed it, and sneaked a glance at the man beside her.
“……Would you like some?”
She lifted the rice cake to his lips, but he answered with his expression alone.
If it had been any other time, he would have eaten it, but he seemed to dislike rice cakes; his firmly closed lips showed no intention of opening.
Yeo-won didn’t want to force him, but with the grandmother staring intently, she felt pressured. She smiled awkwardly and mouthed the words.
Just play along.
Shin-wol looked down at her with an expression that said this was ridiculous. The strange standoff ended with the grandmother’s mediation.
“Looks like the husband doesn’t like injeolmi.”
After shooting him one last glare for not eating it, Yeo-won put on a polite smile.
“He’s not my husband. I’m sorry, but could I also get one pack of sirutteok?”
The sirutteok must have been pre-made; the grandmother immediately took it out and began packaging it while asking curiously.
“Not your husband? Then who is he?”
“Just a colleague from work.”
“Ah, I see. I thought maybe…”
The grandmother seemed to lose interest at the carefully chosen answer. During that exchange, Shin-wol’s eyebrows arched like a bow. Yeo-won, unaware of this, was about to put the remaining injeolmi in her mouth when—
He snatched her hand and bit into the rice cake.
“……”
His lips moved slightly, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. As she stared blankly at the sight, he flashed a wicked smile and licked his lips.
[I don’t particularly like sweets, but if my wife offers it, I must eat.]
The surroundings fell silent in an instant. The people who had been secretly watching him all drew in a sharp breath at once.
She might have forgotten for a moment. Though it was often overshadowed by his overwhelming power, Shin-wol was originally a being of such devastating beauty that he could topple a nation.
“……”
In the silence that followed, he smiled sweetly and lifted Yeo-won’s hand, deliberately lacing their fingers together for all to see. No one questioned her earlier claim that he was merely a colleague. All that remained was the lingering afterimage of his breathtaking face.
[Here, we mustn’t forget this.]
Shin-wol took the black bag from the frozen Yeo-won and personally handed it to her. By the time she came back to her senses, they had already left the marketplace behind.
Yeo-won opened and closed her mouth in disbelief.
“Have you lost your mind…?”
[Not at all.]
He smiled shamelessly and muttered to himself as if the sweetness had left his mouth dry.
“Why would you do something that’s obviously going to start rumors…”
[Weren’t you the one who called me your beloved in the car? It would be strange to change your story now.]
“That was someone who already knew! Who would come all the way here with a mere colleague?”
[Then introduce me as your beloved. While we are here, I shall act the part of your beloved for you.]
On the surface it sounded considerate, but in truth it was nothing but selfish words. Yeo-won let out a sigh and slowed her steps slightly.
“There’s no need for that. And you shouldn’t act that way in front of Grandmother.”
[Why not?]
Once they left the marketplace street, a quiet farm road stretched ahead once more. Thinking of her house, which would appear soon, Yeo-won spoke in a low voice.
“She’s very old-fashioned.”
Grandmother held the typical values of the old generation. In fact, even now her head ached at the thought of how to explain Shin-wol. Introducing him as someone she was going to marry felt too heavy, but calling him her boyfriend might make Grandmother wonder why she had brought such a person home.
Or maybe not? Perhaps she won’t care?
With a frustrated sigh, she racked her brain until they arrived in front of the house.
And there stood Grandmother, staring blankly at the gate.
Wondering why she wasn’t inside, Yeo-won quickened her steps a little. Just then, their eyes met.
As if she had been waiting, Grandmother strode briskly toward them.
The closer she came, the clearer her expression became, and Yeo-won froze on the spot.
Because Grandmother’s face looked exactly like it had in her childhood—when she had been furious with her.