episode_0012

The night had deepened. The only light was the lamp that had illuminated the small room, which had long since been turned off, so the only light was the moonlight streaming in through the old window frames.

It’s hard to cross what you recognize as a line for the first time, but once you’ve crossed it, you can’t stop your next actions. I didn’t know I would end up saying the cliche line of just holding hands and sleeping, but you never know what will happen in the world.

‘… You can’t hear me, right?’

Her heart pounded violently. Yu Ye-hyang’s sensitive senses could hear her heart pounding uncontrollably.

Although he was a master who could freely control the veins extending to the extremities of his body, it was as if he was saying that the current situation was an exception.

In the darkness, Yu Ye-hyang slowly chewed her lips.

I couldn’t help but be conscious of it. Even now, I was worried that my hands would get sweaty as I held on to it in case I lost it.

‘What are you worrying about? It’s already been done, it’s just spilled milk.’

In the darkness, Yu Ye-hyang shook her head vigorously.

The truth is, it is a truth.

Didn’t they say that you can win the world with one gamble, leaving the success or failure of your work up to heaven? Since you’ve come this far, you’ve already thrown away all the cards you were holding.

‘Still, today I really just want to hold hands and think about it… … .’

I was swept up in the atmosphere and held her hand without thinking, but she had even made bold promises to me, telling me to trust her. If I had been swept up in a momentary lust and had even touched Yeonjin, I would have bitten my tongue and died, praying that there would be another regression.

“Jin-ah.”

“… … Yes?”

Yeonjin’s bewildered answer came back to Yu Yehyang’s soft voice.

In the darkness, the corners of her lips were pushed up, and a strange light flowed from her bright red eyes. It was an appearance that was enough to intimidate Yeonjin, contrary to her intentions, but Yu Ye-hyang opened her mouth, trying her best to appear calm.

“No, it’s nothing.”

It was not the usual polite way of speaking, but a slightly more feminine way of speaking. It was a warm and affectionate way of speaking, but it was definitely a sudden change.

There was a minor problem, however, that although her speech was friendly, her eyes sparkled fiercely without her even realizing it.

‘Anyway, I guess this makes it certain.’

At least, it was certain that Yeonjin also had a romantic interest in her. At least, that was what Yu Yehyang thought.

Even though there were unavoidable circumstances, I don’t mind sharing a room.

He even suggested that we share the same bed first.

And even though I held his hand, he didn’t even show any sign of disliking it.

It was different from Yeonjin’s actual intention, but regardless of the intention, it was rather strange for Yu Yehyang not to think that way.

Should we say that this happened because Yeonjin took the gap that came with the change in gender roles too lightly? In any case, Yu Yehyang, who had gained confidence, carefully placed her arm on her side as she lay down.

Still holding her hand tightly with his left, he stretches out his right arm and carefully places it on his chest. The distance between them is getting closer little by little.

‘We’ve already held hands. Is there anything more to avoid?’

Yu Ye-hyang, who had mustered up her courage, repeated that to herself.

It’s hard to cross a line at first. And the line that Yu Ye-hyang had drawn in her heart and that the world’s common sense had drawn was already crossed the moment they held hands.

It was only natural that once you crossed the line, it would be easier to cross the line again. Despite repeating that to myself, my actions were extremely cautious, but the distance between us was shortened.

As soon as his arm touched Yeonjin, she flinched, but other than that, there was no special reaction. Even though Yu Yehyang stretched out her arm and seemed to be hugging Yeonjin tightly.

‘……what.’

Yeonjin sorted out her messy, confused mind. When she came to, Yu Yehyang was holding her hand tightly and not letting go, treating her like a sleeping doll.

‘Is this a dream? Am I already asleep?’

If it wasn’t a dream, it wouldn’t be explained. It was a situation where it was natural to wonder if I was having a vivid dream, having fallen asleep without knowing it.

But the current situation was a clear reality.

As the distance grew closer and our faces got closer, the feeling of our breaths touching and the touch of our hands holding each other became so vivid.

An awkward silence flowed, and Yeonjin and Yuyehyang opened their mouths without saying who would speak first.

“Jin-ah.”

“Over there, that.”

The awkward atmosphere became even heavier. After a brief silence that reached the peak of awkwardness, Yu Ye-hyang, whose face was red, spoke first.

“… … Speak first.”

“That’s it, that’s why… … .”

Yeonjin hesitated.

No matter how much I think about this situation, there is only one conclusion.

“Sister, do you by any chance… …like me?”

“… … .”

Yeonjin had never dreamed that she would say such things with her own mouth. But if that were not the case, there would be no explanation at all.

He held her hand, and even now, Yu Ye-hyang was still holding her tightly. As if she would never let her go. In the first place, it was impossible to escape with brute force, and it wasn’t the kind of thing that could be escaped even if one tried.

Silence came in response to the direct question.

Yeonjin, who interpreted the meaning of the silence in a different way, added a few words.

“I’m sorry if I was the only one who misunderstood. It’s just, the current situation is a bit unusual, right? If it wasn’t my intention and I misunderstood or something like that, I apologize. ”

They say that when you’re pushed into an extreme situation, you actually become calmer.

Without stuttering or lowering her voice, Yeonjin finished speaking in a calm voice. Then, Yu Yehyang, who had barely managed to calm her breathing, nodded quietly and asked.

“So you don’t like it?”

It was a short, intense retort.

As a demonstration of her determination, she could no longer tremble and hesitate while saying a single word. Yeonjin blinked her eyes slowly a couple of times in response to the answer she received.

In his eyes, which had fully adapted to the darkness, he still saw Yu Ye-hyang staring intently at him. The first thing he saw was her red eyes through her flowing hair, and then his dense facial features and lips that seemed to want to say something more.

Confession is an act of final confirmation of mutual feelings. In some ways, it is more like a formality. It can be seen as literally just stamping a seal of approval.

In that sense, it would have been stranger if he had not felt a rational affection for Yu Ye-hyang. She was beautiful enough, had the nobility and dignity befitting her status, and was practically his benefactor.

“How could you hate it?”

It was a short answer, but it was enough. The corners of Yu Ye-hyang’s lips rose gently. It was not a smile that gave off a somewhat eerie feeling like before, but a gentle smile.

“Then that’s it.”

With a tone of voice as soft as the smile on his lips, his hand pulled Yeonjin into his arms.

* * *

And then I fell asleep in his arms, it would have been nice if it had ended the same way.

I could hear birds chirping outside the old window frame.

“Wow, it’s morning.”

He muttered in a soulless voice. I don’t know, but I knew he must have a blank expression. Or maybe his eyes had turned black like a panda’s.

I couldn’t sleep a wink all night.

Falling asleep in a woman’s arms was considerably more difficult than I thought. It wasn’t just that it was difficult, but I had been desperately singing the national anthem all night, so I was able to memorize the lyrics that had been fading away.

“That’s right, it’s morning.”

In contrast to me, who looked like a corpse, Yehyang, who had not been able to sleep at all all night, got up and stretched gracefully.

When you become one of the best in the world, staying up all night for a day or so is not a problem, as you can see, he looked very normal.

This is a bit unfair.

We talked about various things all night, but for some reason, my eyes became swollen and I looked at Yehyang gently. I also received something similar to a confession, and I accepted it.

So are you guys dating now? It’s a bit ambiguous.

Anyway, since we’re that close, I think this much is okay. As proof, Yehyang, who was giggling, caressed my head as if nothing happened.

“I guess I’ll have to work hard from today. There’s still a long way to go. And now, Jin-ah, I have to start checking out your swordsmanship.”

“That’s true. I couldn’t sleep at all yesterday because of someone, so I’m tired and exhausted, but I’ll try to walk hard.”

“That’s a statement that others might misunderstand if they heard it. This sister clearly promised to only hold hands while sleeping, and she really did sleep while only holding hands.”

“That’s because my sister didn’t let me sleep at all all night.”

I did it, I got a hit.

His speech changed as if he had let go of something and become enlightened, and he seemed strangely relaxed, which I didn’t like. I don’t mean to be really mean or anything, he was just joking.

Yehyang’s relaxed attitude cracked for a moment, she coughed in vain, and looked at me kindly.

“So, don’t say anything that could cause misunderstandings.”

Just a few months ago, this would have been unimaginable. Who would have thought that we would be sharing such a lame joke? When he snickered, saying he understood, Yehyang clicked her tongue and continued talking while putting on the coat she had taken off to change into comfortable clothes.

“First of all, you have to move diligently to the castle of Sacheon, so you may have to sleep out in the open for a few days on the way. Anyway, prepare well. You have to go over quite a few mountains. You might encounter bandits once or twice, right?”

“Green Forest… … ”

.

Traveling the world may sound good, but in reality, it was quite a difficult journey. In this era where the concept of travel was almost non-existent, it was a journey to a foreign land anyway.

And of course, as you pass through the mountains, you are bound to encounter bandits. Thinking of the green forest and taking a short nap, Yehyang added calmly as if she were taking a walk in the mountain behind the neighborhood.

“You’ll mostly meet people who aren’t worth dealing with, but it doesn’t seem so bad. You’ll be able to check your level when dealing with people.”

“I’ve never fought anyone except during training… …but I guess it’s okay. I won’t lose to bandits, after all.”

I had forgotten for a moment because of the events that happened last night, but she was the leader of the Cheonma Sect. And now, I am also a member of the Cheonma Sect. The Cheonma Sect, otherwise known as the Demon Sect.

The law of the strong is the rule that only the strong survive. As someone who has lived in the Demonic Cult for nearly twenty years, I quite agree with the Demonic Cult’s idea that perfecting a warrior is through actual combat.

‘It’ll be okay if we’re dealing with just bandits, I guess.’

Although he didn’t have any mysterious depth in his martial arts, after learning the Reverse Geunse Su-gyeong, his attack and defense speed became incredibly fast. Furthermore, he had a vague grasp of how to use his body, and he was quite confident.

No matter what, I can be confident that I will never lose to bandits.

In a sense, it was like coming out to the world of martial arts and risking my life for the first time in real life. Thinking about it that way, I was a little nervous, but it wasn’t that bad.

Because I’ve already risked my life many times, literally.

And my first real match came sooner than I expected.