This Puts Me in a Difficult Position (6)
She forced a smile as she answered my question.
"I know my fate. I won't live long. So..."
Fate meant she wouldn't live long?
Such a thing doesn't exist.
If what Sojeo said was true, then in my previous life, my miserable death at the hands of Nangong Gang, the head of the Nangong Merchant Group, had been my fate.
But I believed that fate could change as much as one willed it to.
Thanks to Investigator Josa's sacrifice, I myself had defied fate and lived another life.
And there were others whose fates had changed because of me.
I reached out and wrote Ja-ryeong Sojeo's name in the snow with my finger. Truth be told, it was a bit impulsive.
"This snow won't melt until the new year. So you, Sojeo, will live past a hundred."
She smiled faintly.
"Thank you for saying that."
As she spoke, she extended her hand and gently touched her name etched in the snow.
I read the longing in her eyes.
It was a thirst for life.
A desperate craving to live, even as she accepted death as her fate.
I opened my mouth for her sake.
"Sojeo, I believe fate changes based on what people do. Who knows? Maybe just by writing your name in the snow like this, your fate will shift to one where you live past a hundred."
"I want to change my fate too. But what if no matter what I do, it doesn't change?"
Her question carried a note of resignation.
I answered with conviction.
"Even then, I won't give up on changing fate. It's not over until it's truly over."
At that moment, her mother approached from behind.
"Aren't you tired? Shall we rest now?"
But she lightly shook her head.
"I'm fine, Mother. Looking at the snow like this... I don't feel as weary today."
Indeed, a faint color had returned to her cheeks.
Wait... color to her cheeks?
"Is this all the snow?"
"No!"
I quickly shook my head.
"There are five more just like this. Shall I bring fresh ones?"
"Yes. This time, I want to pack the snow myself."
I carefully placed the first tray back in the box and brought out another, setting it before her.
"Packing snow might make your hands colder than you think."
"I'll be careful."
She gathered the snow with both hands and packed it tightly.
"Ah! The snow is really packing!"
Ja-ryeong Sojeo's eyes widened, sparkling with delight. She beamed.
"Father, thank you so much for this gift of snow."
Her smile was utterly beautiful.
Even I was left dazed by it.
Not because of her looks, but because it stemmed from genuine gratitude that made her shine.
"Sojeo, as beautiful and wondrous as it is, don't touch it too long. Frostbite is no joke."
"Holding back is harder than it seems."
Even as she said it, she promptly pulled her hands away.
"I'll leave the snow box and the chilled vessel here, so you can touch it anytime."
"Thank you."
She bowed her head with a bright smile.
She certainly looked healthier than when we'd first met.
She'd passed out from poisoning and just woken up—how could her complexion improve?
Was that even possible?
After Eun Seo-ho withdrew, Ja-ryeong gazed as the servants moved the snow-filled box.
"Ja-ryeong, aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"
Her mother looked worried beside her. In truth, Ja-ryeong could barely stand for a moment.
A year ago, she could manage a short walk in the garden, but now even five steps from her bed left her exhausted.
Standing this long was nothing short of a miracle.
"I'm fine."
Her mother sighed in relief, noticing the improvement.
"It must feel good to see the snow."
"Yes, Mother."
She tilted her head.
"Strangely, I feel stronger. I was so tired just moments ago."
It was a mystery to Ja-ryeong too.
Her breathing had grown labored, her chest tight. Yet now, impossibly, it came easy.
Soon after, her mother left the room to attend to household duties, leaving her alone.
She sat on the bed, gazing at the garden.
True to its purpose for her sake, it bloomed with the most beautiful flowers.
"Ah!"
Something appeared before her eyes.
Was it... spring? White petals drifting...
No.
Whiter, sparkling brighter than petals. Piling softly on the ground.
It was snow.
Not here, but somewhere else—and behind it, her father stood in winter clothes.
Facing the handsome young man she'd met today.
Both wore troubled expressions.
She couldn't help but smile at the sight.
Moments later, her vision returned to the garden.
A single tear traced down her cheek.
"My fate... changed? How?"
In truth, Ja-ryeong possessed the ability to glimpse the future.
Brief flickers, beyond her control.
Through it, she aided her father.
And she knew her interventions could alter futures.
But not her own illness.
No method changed her fate of dying this autumn.
So she'd abandoned all hope.
"I want to change my fate too. But what if no matter what I do, it doesn't change?"
Her earlier question to Eun Seo-ho had been a resigned lament for her unchangeable doom.
A sudden thought struck her.
Was it this power that doomed me to a short life?
Yet that very fate had shifted.
Snow meant winter.
And her traveling north, where snow piled high.
Meaning she would recover.
Realizing this filled her with such joy that tears flowed.
Who would choose to sicken and die?
She wanted to live—desperately so. Her changed fate was pure bliss.
Then Eun Seo-ho's words echoed in her mind.
"Sojeo, I believe fate changes based on what people do. Who knows? Maybe just by writing your name in the snow like this, your fate will shift to one where you live past a hundred."
And that it wasn't over until it was truly over.
She smiled unwittingly.
"It really happened. But why did my fate change? I didn't do anything."
She couldn't fathom how.
But the turning point was undoubtedly Eun Seo-ho.
Two days passed after that.
In the meantime, I'd closely observed everyone in this residence, searching for Murim Alliance affiliates.
But none seemed to fit.
Had they already fled?
Given Ja-ryeong Sojeo's condition, they might have vanished, figuring she'd die without further interference.
To clear my cluttered mind, I read in my quarters.
It was to prepare conversation topics for natural chats with others.
People warm to those they click with conversationally.
And that rapport was key to sealing deals.
Then a servant from Pojeongsa arrived.
"Young branch leader, Pojeongsa calls for you."
"Understood."
I followed him, but not to Pojeongsa's office.
It was the inner quarters.
"Can I enter here?"
"Yes. I was ordered to bring you inside."
Tilting my head, I stepped in and soon spotted Pojeongsa in the garden.
"You summoned me."
"Come in. Sorry I haven't attended to you properly."
"Not at all. I've been quite comfortable, thanks to you."
Lately, Pojeongsa had been swamped dismantling the Oseong Merchant Group.
The bribery case exposed by my planted artifact theft had uncovered real document forgery. Oseong was being thoroughly investigated.
What would become of Oseong?
Would it collapse like in my previous life?
But a group that size likely had contingencies.
Probably, only a few like Mae-yeom, Pyeongtak's associate, would face punishment.
Unless something bigger surfaced.
"Busy today?"
I smiled at Pojeongsa's question.
"No."
"Good. Care to have tea with my daughter?"
"Pardon?"
What was this about?
Murim and merchants were lax on such matters, but officials were strict.
Pojeongsa was imperial kin, no less.
In such circles, unmarried women avoided close contact with unrelated men.
I couldn't guess his intent.
As I eyed him puzzled, he waved it off.
"No ulterior motive."
"I see..."
"She just asked to see you again, so I'm granting her wish."
A maid emerged then.
"The refreshments are ready."
Pojeongsa nodded and told me, "Follow her."
"Understood."
"And about the tea and jujubes... keep it secret."
So it was under wraps.
"I'll remember."
I followed the maid inside.
This was the reception room, some distance from Ja-ryeong Sojeo's quarters.
Could she walk here?
Then a familiar sound.
Creak, creak.
Wheels of a wheelchair.
Soon, Ja-ryeong Sojeo entered in the wheelchair Gongbal and I had made. Seeing it here felt gratifying.
"Please, sit."
"Thank you."
As I sat, she asked softly, "Does the tea suit your taste?"
"It's excellent."
"The physician said my usual teas harmed my health, so I'm trying new ones."
"I see."
Pojeongsa had mentioned keeping the tea and jujubes secret.
Fair enough.
Sometimes ignorance was the better medicine.
Knowing of poisoning might worsen her condition with worry over the culprit.
"I heard your merchant group is famous for tea."
"Ah, yes."
We chatted idly over tea, the talk turning to my journey for the snow.
"So you went all the way to the North Sea for this?"
"Yes."
"Amazing!"
I chuckled awkwardly, glancing aside.
Sigh...
Pojeongsa was an incurable doting father.
I'd noticed when he commissioned summer snow for her.
Suppressing a laugh, I smirked inwardly.
This reception room hid a secret space where Pojeongsa eavesdropped.
Imagining him crammed in there, straining to hear—it was comical.
Our tea time lasted about half a shichen.
Then I returned to my quarters.
After Eun Seo-ho left for his quarters, Ja-ryeong returned to her room and removed her outer robe.
A faint vitality glowed on her face.
Just like two days ago when she'd met him.
"Ja-ryeong."
Pojeongsa entered and asked, "I granted your request, but what are you thinking?"
"Father, my fate has changed."
"What?"
He was stunned. Her fate had resisted every treatment.
Yet it had changed!
Does that mean Eun Seo-ho was right—it's poisoning?
He cautiously checked her complexion.
Definitely rosier.
And she seemed unaware of the poisoning.
His gag order held.
Her visions were fragmentary glimpses, involuntary instants.
They aided him greatly, but his love for her was simply as his daughter.
"I'm certain it's because of Eun Seo-ho, the young branch leader."
She continued earnestly.
"It's not just my ability—I've felt it myself. Meeting him eases my pain somehow."
"I see."
"And Father, I saw another future just now."
Her expression turned serious.
"We should grow close to Eun Seo-ho."