With the Poison (2)
"Coming back like this again, I can't help but feel a wave of nostalgia."
A towering, majestic wall. A grand tiled-roof mansion adorned with violet roof tiles. Standing before it on two legs and gazing up in silence, I couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion in my chest. This was the very mansion I had burned to the ground in my previous life. I had left not even ashes behind, and after seeing the empty lot where it once stood drenched in blood, I had turned away for good. That had been the end of it. And since then, this was the first time I had laid eyes on the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Of course, with time reversed, I had expected it wouldn't be the pitiful sight of a pile of ashes. Even so, facing it directly like this stirred emotions far more subtle and complex than when I had confronted the Poison Dragon.
"Why are you just standing there staring?"
While I stood lost in thought, Namgung Seha approached and tilted her head up to meet my gaze.
"...It's just that the feeling is rather new, that's all."
It was a vague remark that no one else would understand, but only she could. — Poke.
Without any warning, Namgung Seha jabbed her finger into my side. When I turned to see what she meant, she instantly pinched and twisted my flesh.
"Ow!"
"I would appreciate it if you erased even that worthless sentiment."
Having delivered her punishment, Namgung Seha dusted off her hands.
"If I may be so bold, do not forget the past, but please do not let it bind you either. It is enough to simply look at what is new."
With that, she turned away from me. Muttering something under her breath, she walked off somewhere.
"What strange thoughts..."
Strange thoughts, she said. It was true enough. In a way, I had to admit I was overly, excessively bound to the past, but her words still stung a little. Even so, I lacked the courage to argue. I simply clicked my tongue inwardly, trying not to show it, when Namgung Seha's retreating figure caught my eye.
"Ah. By the way, why did you suddenly come here?"
Why had she personally come to this place? The quarters assigned to her were on the right side of the Tang Clan's main grounds, while mine were on the left. We had only just arrived, so if she had gone to unpack, there simply wouldn't have been enough time. As I nodded in understanding, she answered my question.
"Hm? I came to make a friend."
"To make a friend...?"
Suddenly she wanted to make a friend? I couldn't say how it sounded to her, but to me the choice of words was rather questionable. Not to meet a friend, but to make one. That meant she intended to meet someone she had never encountered in this life. Was there such a person inside the Tang Clan? While I was pondering this, she kindly answered first.
"Dang Heea. We haven't met yet in this life, though."
Dang Heea. The name felt somewhat awkward; I couldn't immediately place who it belonged to. Judging by the surname, she was likely a direct descendant of the current Tang Clan generation, yet I had no memory of her. It was strange. Come to think of it, I vaguely recalled hearing that the Tang Clan Lord had one more child besides the Poison Dragon—a much younger one.
"Was Dang Heea the second child...?"
Since I wasn't certain, I spoke rather vaguely. Namgung Seha nodded in confirmation and opened her mouth.
"It's not strange at all that you couldn't recall her right away."
Namgung Seha gave a bitter smile and added,
"Because Heea had no talent whatsoever."
"As someone bearing the Tang surname, she had no talent for poison, nor any talent for martial arts as a warrior. Sadly, she also lacked the insight to be called a strategist of the martial world. At best, she could refine pills—something anyone could do."
"She tried, but in the end, she never surpassed the Peak Realm until the day she drew her last breath. A dandelion that never saw the light."
An ambiguous talent that was neither present nor absent. In a way, it was the cruelest calamity for someone born into a great martial clan. Much like the Four Lives Divine Decree. In such cases, they usually lived quietly like mice, unable to raise their voice, and were eventually married off as someone's son-in-law or daughter-in-law.
"Heea was a truly good friend to me. The way she never lost hope no matter what happened was truly admirable, even now that I think about it."
Namgung Seha spoke, then suddenly bit her lip for a moment before continuing with a gloomy expression.
"...In my previous life, I was lacking, so I couldn't protect my friend. In this life, I want to meet Heea so I don't repeat the same mistake."
Until the day she drew her last breath. Couldn't protect her. The sinking, deathly atmosphere was an added touch. What they all had in common was that they were indirect signals pointing to death. In her previous life, Dang Heea had fallen quietly, like a passing breeze. I wanted to ask how she had died, but I held back, fearing the question would only carve deeper into Namgung Seha's already gloomy mood. Instead, I simply placed my hand on her head and returned her own words to her.
"Do not forget the past, but do not be bound by it. Erase the scars of past pain with new memories."
"...Hearing my own words thrown back at me, I have nothing to say in rebuttal."
She quietly nodded at my words, the gloomy look fading from her face. Soon a small smile appeared as well, and she extended her hand toward me.
"Shall we go together?"
"...Well, she's your friend, isn't she?"
At that, she threw my words back at me once more.
"That was in the past. This is something that hasn't happened yet."
Once again, she held out her hand. When I didn't react, she half-forcibly lifted my hand and placed it on top of hers.
"Let's go together. My meeting with the Tang Clan people is tomorrow, so today I'm free."
"...Alright. Let's go."
...
"That girl?"
After entering the Tang Clan's estate and giving Namgung Seha's name, no one stopped us from heading to Dang Heea's room. So we walked carefully, and there she was—a girl about our age lying on the wooden floor, playing with a cat in her arms.
"She's younger than I thought."
She was much younger than expected. Dang Heea looked exactly our age. Of course, that wasn't particularly strange. Everyone goes through the process of growing up after being born. What surprised me was the age of the current Tang Clan Lord and the Poison Dragon. The Poison Dragon was twenty-five, soon to be twenty-six. And the Tang Clan Lord was easily thirty to forty years older than that.
"...Did the Tang Clan Lord have a child after turning fifty?"
Moreover, the Poison Dragon was twenty-five. If there was an age gap, it would be ten to fifteen years. No one would ever believe they were siblings.
"It's a common remarriage in a prestigious family. The Poison Dragon is the son of the first wife who passed away, and Dang Heea is the daughter of the second wife."
After giving that brief explanation, Namgung Seha suddenly turned to me.
"But why are you so surprised about that?"
"Weren't you surprised?"
"Why would I be surprised by something I already knew?"
If you were surprised by something you already knew, that would be extremely strange. And since I didn't know, it was normal for me to be surprised. Sometimes Seha could be quite shameless. Her nature wasn't bad, and she was endlessly kind to others, so why did she only show that shameless side to me? I felt slightly wronged, but I held it in. We had a purpose, after all.
"...Should I try talking to her?"
"Please do..."
"Who?"
"...I'll go first."
When the moment actually came, even Namgung Seha, who had experience making friends before, grew slightly cautious. She took one step ahead of me and quickened her pace, yet still approached Dang Heea carefully.
".... Hello?"
Dang Heea hadn't yet noticed us approaching. Still playing with the white cat, she looked up as Namgung Seha spoke to her.
"Kyaaak!"
As if she had seen a ghost, she backed away several steps, hands on the ground. She let out a shriek and naturally dropped the cat she had been holding. The cat landed on the floor with a thud, meowed in place, and then returned to Dang Heea.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. You are Dang Heea, correct?"
"I am, but... who are you? No, who?"
Namgung Seha smiled gently and introduced herself.
"My name is Namgung Seha. I'm a guest from the Namgung Clan who arrived today."
At the perfect moment—neither too awkward nor too late, nor too early—she stepped behind Namgung Seha and introduced me as well.
"I'm Jin Sowoon, staying at the Namgung Clan. I've also come as a guest from the Namgung Clan."
"Uh... uh?"
Contrary to expectations, Dang Heea tilted her head in confusion and let out bewildered sounds. Then, clutching her white cat, she fled into her room.
"Hik!"
.... I didn't know exactly what, but something had gone wrong.