episode_0022

Acheong emerged from the cave.

The weather was clear, with the sky bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

Having spent a whole day inside, she looked like she had just pulled an all-nighter.

In her heart, she wanted to crumple up and escape, but her stomach growled and her throat was dry, so staying longer would only drain her energy and increase the risk of danger.

Moreover, someone as frail as Jinjangmyeong couldn’t endure like Acheong.

Feeling exhausted, sore, and in pain all over, now was the perfect time to make another escape attempt with her energy fully restored.

As the sun set in the west, the north lay ahead.

She decided to run north for a while, then head west until she saw a large mountain, assuming it would be the Musan.

However, Acheong underestimated the mountains of Jungwon.

To a cultured modern Korean, a mountain would be a large hill with gentle slopes and rounded ridges.

But to the people of Jungwon, a mountain was a formidable obstacle that humans dared not conquer.

Furthermore, Musan was originally part of the Musanhyeop, a long stretch of river flanked by cliffs on both sides.

For this reason, at some point between the forest and the fields, a barrier-like obstacle appeared, partially blocking the view.

“What is that… a mountain range? Where is the Musan in there? How do I find the Shinnyeomun? Do I have to search the mountain range?”

For a moment, everything went dark.

“Excuse me, do you know where the Musan is?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I guess so. Should I go that way then?”

At the foot of the mountain, there were clusters of black roofs.

It was a typical village in Jungwon.

“Miss, those neighborhoods are not friendly…”

The remote villages of Jungwon were not gatherings of people quietly living the same day as today with a light-hearted and rural heart.

From the appearance of the village, it was clear.

Perched on the mountainside, with houses built below forming a makeshift wall, and above, a small fortress-like structure serving as an outpost and command post.

According to Jungwon’s long tradition, if a village lacked people, they would raid neighboring villages and kidnap them.

Women were married off to single young men, and men were enslaved. The treatment of slaves varied from friendly subordinates to dolls used for venting frustrations, depending on the relationship with the village.

In the surrounding villages and cities, people would laugh it off, saying, “That used to happen in the past, who lives like that now?” But in some remote areas, it still happened.

It was a shocking reality that Acheong had experienced during her travels.

Acheong approached the village front slowly.

A large gate connected the houses, like a castle gate.

The elder sitting on top of it suddenly stood up.

“Oh my, who is this? A ghost or a person!”

“I’m a person.”

“A ghost, a ghost, what nonsense!”

“Then what should I say?”

“Go away… hmph. A suspicious person!”

Acheong sighed deeply.

“Enough. Are there outsiders here?”

“Outsiders? None. Who would come to a place like this?”

Acheong felt relieved for now.

It seemed the black figures hadn’t come this far.

“Can you let me in now that I’ve arrived?”

“Make a fuss and you won’t get in, young lady.”

“Miss… can you tell me where the Musan is?”

“Musan? Why are you looking for that so far? If you go that way, you’ll see the highest peak, Shinnyeobong. The Musan is around there.”

“Oh, Shinnyeobong.”

Shinnyeomun. Shinnyeobong. It was a perfect fit.

“But, can I rest for just one day before I go?”

“Oh my.”

“Or could you give me a few cold dumplings? My child is very hungry.”

“Hmm… is that a child on your back? Isn’t it a monkey?”

It was the first impression of a Jungwon person seeing a K-Podae. The muttering of the elder reached Acheong’s ears.

“The ghost with a child is a vicious one…”

No, why do they keep calling perfectly fine people ghosts?

Acheong didn’t even know what she looked like and she was being criticized.

Rolling in the mud, getting soaked in the rain, she stumbled into a burrow and found herself face to face with a ghost.

By common sense standards, she was closer to being something other than human.

But by fate, that ghost won over her heart.

It was because, in general, the common people were more lenient towards ghosts than towards humans.

Even if there were no dumplings for the beggars, there was always meat to offer to the Buddha.

Humans would leave if you chased them away, but if ghosts latched onto you wrongly, they would torment you for generations.

“Just stay there! Do you have my money?”

“If there’s some warm soup, that would be nice. It’s been cold all night.”

“You’re asking for too much!”

“Oh. And if there’s some alcohol too.”

“Let me see what I can do!”

As Jangjeong disappeared into the village, Acheong untied her apron and plopped down in her spot.

As if it was only natural, Jangjeong nestled into Acheong’s arms and made herself comfortable.

“What’s this. You’re heavy.”

“It’s cold.”

“Tsk. With a body this weak, what use are you?”

Acheong embraced Jangjeong and rested her chin on her forehead.

“I wish we had something delicious to eat.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Me too.”

At first, it was just casual, but soon the mention of food caused a riot in their empty stomachs.

-“Grandma, they said it’s a ghost with a child, a ghost! A ghost with a child!”

-“A ghost, you say? I don’t see it anywhere. If it’s a harmless ghost, just let it go on its way.”

Acheong’s ears perked up.

If it’s a lowly ghost, let it go on its way.

If it’s not a lowly ghost?

Acheong blew into her palms.

A faint glow emanated from her fluorescent hands.

Come to think of it, even though she was called a detective, the title of inspector, master, or investigator didn’t sound quite right.

Self-illuminating palms were the realm of the saint.

The figure of a sickle-wielding reaper was at the level of sticking glow-in-the-dark stars on a child’s bedroom ceiling.

-Oh my, that’s no ordinary ghost.

-Grandma, you’re crazy!

-Prepare a grand feast. We’ll offer it to the spirits. If those brats make a fuss, they’ll be in trouble. They’ll be amazed by what they see. They’ll be scared to death.

Wow, this is working.

Acheong smiled contentedly.

And the result was somewhat satisfying.

The chopsticks stuck in the rice bowl seemed to be a signal to quickly ignite the flames.

Rice with pickled vegetables.

And more pickled vegetables on the side.

And the fish stew, boiled with herbs, was hot broth in an empty stomach, soothing the body.

After her stomach was somewhat full, Acheong sipped the strong liquor served to her.

Acheong didn’t know about side dishes.

Rice was rice, and liquor was liquor.

A few baked cookies appeared as a treat for the child ghost, and Jangjeong happily munched on them in Acheong’s arms.

But there was something else that caught Jangjeong’s attention more than the glasses of alcohol going up and down.

-Hands… Are you okay?

“It’s not that I’m not okay.”

The two fingers that were dangling somehow managed to stabilize. They were swollen like balloons, unable to move freely, but they were fixed.

After a long pause, Jangjeong spoke.

“If that’s not okay…”

“Right. It hurts like hell. But since everything hurts at the same time, I’m not paying much attention to it.”

There was a hole in her thigh, and the wound on her arm that had been stitched up before had burst open again, blood oozing out. The tingling sensation, the mud seeping in, was irritating and itchy, but it wasn’t a big deal.

There wasn’t a single joint that didn’t ache, and dirt clung to her hair.

Ironically, the chaos made her feel at ease.

The roughness of the reservists.

When you put on a military uniform, the sky becomes a blanket and the ground becomes a bed, which must be the reason for lying down and resting.

Her stomach was full and she had relaxed a bit, so her vision had darkened without her realizing it.

Acheong wrapped Jangjeong back up.

On the way to the rural village, it would take two days, but Ahcheong could reach it in half a day by running.

If we go a bit slowly, we should arrive around dawn.

Then we should head towards the highest peak.

“I guess we’ll arrive around dawn. Ahga should sleep. To become a beauty, one must sleep well, so Ahga should sleep all day.”

“What are you saying? Then, then, Unni should hibernate.”

Ahcheong was taken aback.

It was an unfamiliar form of address.

A sense of awkwardness was felt through her back.

Even though she was a martial artist, her neck didn’t turn back, so she couldn’t see her expression.

It was a kind of question or something similar.

Whether it was okay to call her that.

Unni was more of a term used among men, but in modern times, even men used the term Unni among themselves.

Ahcheong burst into laughter.

So what? We’re destined to go to the Divine Maiden Gate anyway.

Once we arrive, she might miraculously become healthy and become a companion. It can’t be helped.

After all, once she’s brought there, they might not see each other for a while.

“Hurry and sleep. Don’t drool on my back.”

—-

The pitch-black sky had turned into a deep blue.

The chirping of birds.

Even though the sun was still below the ground, it painted the dawn with its presence.

I was worried she had run too far through the night.

But upon seeing the Divine Maiden Peak, I realized it was unnecessary to worry. With such a tall peak alone, there was no need to worry about passing it.

But how do humans get up there?

It was more of a Divine Maiden Tower than a peak.

Even that tower barely stood out against the greenery.

The rest was vertical reddish-brown cliffs.

Still, there must be a way up for people, so I continued to look for a hiking trail.

As I reached the edge of the mountain, a steep terrain between two ridges appeared.

And there was a path trampled solid by people and horses.

At the end of it, two people stood.

A member of the Shinchang? Someone.

I didn’t bother to remember their names.

And a ninja with a puzzled expression.

When Ahcheong saw them, they also saw her.

Something about abyss and abyss.

Ahcheong recalled Nietzsche’s famous words that everyone knows.