Chapter 160
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 160
“Cotton Ball, are you mad?”
“Young Lady, are you sulking?”
Ga-yul and Su-ri asked simultaneously as they noticed So-ya’s pouting lips.
“N-No! I’m definitely not mad or sulking!”
So-ya denied it, her face flushing slightly.
She’s definitely mad, Ga-yul thought.
She’s definitely sulking, Su-ri thought.
“I-I’m serious! It’s fine if Seol-yo doesn’t need my help. Why would I get mad or sulk over something like that? I’m not a baby…”
So-ya’s explanation grew longer and longer.
She’s really mad, Ga-yul thought.
She’s really sulking, Su-ri thought.
Though they both had the same thought, neither dared to say it out loud. They had a history of teasing her about sulking shortly after she first arrived at the White Tiger Palace, which had ended with So-ya in tears.
“Now, now, Young Lady. Why don’t you head over to the pond?”
Yeon-jeong, who had been watching the exchange with a giggle, made a suggestion.
“But Seol-yo said he wanted to be alone. I don’t want to disturb my friend.”
“It wouldn’t be disturbing him if you were delivering a very important message, would it?”
“An important message…?”
So-ya looked up at Yeon-jeong, her interest piqued.
“Yes. The day of our return to the White Tiger Palace is fast approaching. We need to start organizing our luggage, so could you tell him to come back early today?”
“…!”
So-ya’s eyes sparkled. She finally had a perfect excuse to go find Seol-yo.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that same moment.
Seol-yo was searching for Light Beads near the pond.
However, the image of So-ya’s face from this morning kept flickering across the surface of the water.
So-ya looked hurt.
It weighed on his mind and kept bothering him.
But he couldn’t help it. While he did want to find a Light Bead to give her as a surprise gift, there was a more important reason.
This pond is dangerous. She got so sick last time. What if she falls into the water again because of me?
Seol-yo remembered the day So-ya had fallen into this pond. His heart sank into gloom at the memory of her soaked body, her face deathly pale, unable to open her eyes.
Seol-yo quickly shook his head to clear the thought and dove into the water with a splash.
Today, he intended to go all the way down to the bottom.
Strangely enough, Seol-yo found it easy to breathe underwater. He had a vague idea of why that was.
It was likely because he…
Maybe it’s because I’m an Imoogi beastkin. The mother who gave birth to me was the Chief of the Black Imoogi Tribe.
Of course, that was only a guess. While his mother was the Chief of the Black Imoogi Tribe, he had heard that his biological father, Hyeon Ra-baek, had led the Black Turtle Tribe before becoming the head of the Black Tortoise Clan.
So, perhaps he wasn't an Imoogi beastkin, but a Black Tortoise beastkin like his father.
Even so, Seol-yo hoped he took after his mother rather than his father. He didn't want to have anything in common with the man who had tried to kill So-ya.
But why can’t I undergo Beast Transformation?
The question sprouted in Seol-yo’s mind as he swam toward the bottom of the pond.
I can turn into a tiger, a wolf, and even a small bird… so why can’t I turn into an Imoogi?
Though Seol-yo could transform into almost any animal, he strangely could not transform into his own true form. As the years passed, the questions regarding his existence grew larger within him.
At the White Tiger Palace, he was still publicly known as a wolf beastkin, but he knew he wasn't a wolf. He wasn't a tiger either, nor was he a baby bird.
What exactly was he? If he truly was an Imoogi, why couldn't he take that form?
Occasionally, these questions tormented him. Whenever they did, Seol-yo recalled something So-ya had told him long ago.
[Seol-yo is just Seol-yo!]
Whenever his heart wavered, those words gave him strength.
That’s right. I’m just Seol-yo, So-ya’s best friend, and the warrior who protects her.
Reminding himself of that fact, Seol-yo bravely reached the bottom of the pond and began searching the area.
However, the visibility was poor, making it difficult to find any Light Beads. The day they had to leave the Imperial Palace and return to the White Tiger Palace was drawing near. Just as the fear that he might have to leave without finding a bead began to overwhelm him—
—Want me to help?
Seol-yo froze in shock at the strange voice echoing in his ear.
This voice…
Seol-yo tried to remember where he had heard it before.
—Can you really do anything?
It was two years ago, when he was searching for the missing So-ya in the Land of the Blue Dragon.
—Well, now. I wonder if things will go the way you want?
And again, when he had returned from the Northern Land with So-ya and resolved to keep his father’s identity a secret.
It was the exact same strange voice he had heard back then.
—Hey, you heard me, didn't you? Why are you pretending you didn't?
The voice sounded somewhat sly… like a common street thug.
The elders of the White Tiger Palace had always said that nothing good came from getting involved with people who spoke like that. Thus, Seol-yo tried to ignore the voice.
—I said I’d help. You want to find that bead to win that girl’s favor, don’t you?
“W-Win her favor…! No, I don’t!”
Despite his resolve to ignore it, Seol-yo shouted back in surprise, feeling as though his innermost thoughts had been laid bare.
His voice rang out clearly through the pond, without any air bubbles escaping his mouth—just like the aquatic beastkin who could speak freely underwater.
However, rather than being surprised by that fact, Seol-yo’s entire focus was on the sly voice that had whispered his secret thoughts.
—Don't lie. You want to win her favor so you can look good in her eyes.
“…”
Seol-yo’s face turned bright red.
What a strange thing to say. He wasn't trying to win her favor, nor was he doing this to look good to her.
“I just… I just want to see So-ya smile…”
—Heh. Sure, let’s go with that. Anyway, I’ll help you. What do you say? You’ll find it in a heartbeat. In exchange, later on, you’ll…
“No. I’ll do it myself without your help.”
—Tsk. Taking the hard way when there’s an easy one right there.
The voice grumbled in dissatisfaction.
Ignoring the sound, Seol-yo continued to rummage through the pond floor. After a long while, he finally succeeded in finding a Light Bead.
“I found it!”
Just as Seol-yo was smiling brightly in delight, something shimmering in the dark water caught his eye.
Huh? What’s that?
Seol-yo looked toward it instinctively.
—Wait, wait, wait! Hey, be careful! Don’t go near that! You’re going to get something nasty stuck to—
But before the voice could stop him, a shimmering dark energy surged forward and engulfed Seol-yo’s body.
Screeeech… Screee…
A sharp sound scraped against Seol-yo’s ears.
His vision blurred, and a scene flashed before his eyes.
It was a night with a full moon. He saw So-ya talking to a boy with platinum-blonde hair through a window.
So-ya was smiling beautifully as she conversed with the boy. Her cheeks were slightly flushed—an expression she never showed in front of Seol-yo.
The scene wavered and dissolved, replaced by a bright afternoon.
So-ya, in the form of a small bird, was frolicking with that same boy on a high tree branch. As she chirped and sang through her tiny beak, she looked happy, and perhaps a little shy.
You told me not to keep secrets from you.
Seol-yo’s heart began to churn.
Then why are you keeping secrets with that boy?
He felt a strange urge to cry.
As Seol-yo’s eyes began to darken and a rising sense of loneliness threatened to consume his heart—
“Seol-yo!”
Seol-yo blinked slowly, snapping out of it.
“Seol-yo, where are you?”
It was So-ya’s voice.
“So-ya…?”
In that instant, the illusion clouding his eyes vanished, and Seol-yo regained his senses.
Splash!
Seol-yo immediately burst out of the water to find So-ya.
“So-ya!”
Dripping with water, Seol-yo ran toward her.
“Look at you, I knew you’d be here… Huh? Seol-yo, that…!”
So-ya’s eyes widened as she spotted the Light Bead in Seol-yo’s hand.
“Have you been coming to the pond alone all this time to find this for me?”
“U-Uh? Oh, well…”
Seol-yo’s voice trailed off as he glanced at her nervously.
He hadn't intended to give her the Light Bead while looking like a drowned rat. He had wanted to present it in a much more impressive way, accompanied by some cool words.
“We decided to have a festival under the Light Beads this summer. I was just so excited for the festival…”
He couldn't bring himself to say he did it because he wanted to see her smile. As Seol-yo, unable to think of anything cool to say, scrambled to find any excuse—
HUG!
“Seol-yo…!”
So-ya pulled him into a tight embrace.
“Thank you… thank you so much.”
Seol-yo’s expression was far too transparent for her to believe he had done it just because he was excited for a festival.
Seol-yo hadn't been coming to the pond every day for a festival; he had done it for her. He had done it to find this Light Bead and bring it to her.
“And here I was, sulking all by myself because I thought you were excluding me. I’m sorry I misunderstood you.”
Embarrassed by her childish behavior, So-ya apologized with a slight blush, realizing she hadn't understood Seol-yo’s devotion.
Seol-yo stood frozen, staring blankly at So-ya’s face.
“…”
It was strange. Just a moment ago, he had felt an odd, churning urge to cry…
But the moment he heard So-ya’s warm voice, a cozy sense of peace washed over him.
Yes. This was what he wanted—to see So-ya smile like this. He wanted to see her happy; he wanted to see her beautiful smile.
Then, noticing too late that her clothes were wet because of him, Seol-yo cried out in surprise.
“O-Oh no, So-ya! Your clothes are wet because of me…”
“I’m fine. You’re much wetter than I am.”
“But…”
“Oh, right! This is no time for this! Lady Yeon-jeong told me to bring you back. Let’s go, Seol-yo!”
So-ya smiled brightly, her eyes crinkling beautifully.
“Y-Yeah!”
Seol-yo nodded and grabbed the hand So-ya held out to him. So-ya burst into laughter at his clumsy reaction.
On the way back to the pavilion, So-ya and Seol-yo walked with light, bouncy steps, swinging their joined hands. The dark emotions that had briefly taken root in Seol-yo’s chest vanished without a trace, replaced by the fluttering excitement of a bright heart.
Meanwhile, back at the spot where Seol-yo had just been.
A single black thread snake slithered out of the water and muttered as it watched Seol-yo walk away.
—This is bad. Something nasty did stick to him, but…
The black snake’s eyes narrowed as it stared at Seol-yo.
The writhing, dark, evil energy had vanished in an instant. However, that dark energy hadn't been destroyed.
In its attempt to seize the boy’s spirit core, it had been swallowed instead.
—A beastkin who can swallow evil… I knew I didn't misjudge him. If it’s him…
After staring at Seol-yo for a long time, the black thread snake shifted its gaze to So-ya.
—…
Her hair, as white as fluttering snowflakes, held its gaze for a very long time.