episode_0095

I am being surrounded by divine beings, kneeling in the grand hall, facing Okhwang Sangje.

Numerous divine beings lined up on both sides.

Glancing up, I see a splendid middle-aged man seated on the throne, presumably Okhwang Sangje. Below to the left, Heeseon and Sari are anxiously watching me.

How did it come to this?

Initially, it was almost exciting.

Riding the Du-rebak up, the Heavenly Realm that appeared was incredibly mystical.

It was pitch dark under the sky, but suddenly the world brightened, with fluffy clouds floating around, and above those clouds, strange buildings of unique architecture.

Feeling like I had landed in a strange land akin to the Wonderland that Hyunkyung used to read about, with its pastel-toned vibrant and dreamy atmosphere.

As we descended from the Du-rebak, marveling and holding Heeseon and Sari, the workers pulling the rope seemed shocked and bewildered.

Understandably so.

They had merely drawn water from the lake, but inadvertently ended up welcoming us, celestial beings, into the country. How surprised they must have been.

“Everyone, please calm down. It’s nothing serious. Just quickly inform Abamama that the fairy Heeseon and her husband have arrived in the Heavenly Realm.”

Amidst the chaos, Heeseon naturally steps forward, chin up like a princess, commanding the people, and as people rush to report under Heeseon’s authoritative aura, suddenly we find ourselves alone there.

At first, Heeseon’s haughty princess-like expression seemed so beautiful that I leaned in for a kiss, and it was fine until Sari, jealous, transformed into a human and received a kiss too…

Suddenly, the divine beings rushed in, dragging me away, Heeseon furious at them like fire…

It was truly chaotic.

Of course, I didn’t expect a warm welcome here,

Thinking that since we had the Mountain Spirit Grandfather’s approval, and with Heeseon present, we wouldn’t be treated as criminals from the start… Was I mistaken?

“Criminals, raise your heads!”

A divine being next to me orders loudly, and I slowly lift my head to look at Okhwang Sangje’s face.

It wasn’t the long-haired, white-bearded old man I vaguely imagined.

He was a middle-aged man with black hair mixed with golden and jade colors, wearing a luxurious silk robe, staring at me with green eyes and a cold expression.

“Heeseon resembles her father a lot…”

Even while being treated as a criminal, I couldn’t help but notice similarities between Heeseon and the wrinkles on Sangje’s face.

Finally, Sangje’s tightly closed mouth opens, and his deep, resonant voice begins to pressurize me.

“You changed the story.”

“….”

“Do you know how grave a sin that was?”

“Abamama! My husband is different from them…!”

“Fairy Heeseon, be silent!”

Despite Heeseon’s attempt to defend me with a bewildered face,

Under Sangje’s stern rebuke, Heeseon’s eyes quickly fill with tears, and she retreats.

Oh… Heeseon shouldn’t get so emotional right now…

“I will ask again. Do you understand how significant a sin it was to change the story?!”

“I do.”

“Hmm, not even trying to justify yourself. That must have been a regrettable tale for you as well… Was that why?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I speak of recklessly diving into the story to save a fairy, changing fate, relying on your insignificant strength!”

“…No. I only tried to save a woman being kidnapped. I didn’t even know I had such abilities back then. But…!”

The story has been distorted.

How could I not know about that sin?

Despite the words of the monk who assured me that I was different from them, and the encouragement from Grandfather who said the changed story looked good, the reason my heart continued to be uneasy.

Because I saw all of the deer’s offerings.

Whether the intention was good or the outcome was good, I couldn’t ignore the weight of it.

However, the sense of rebellion that rose within me involuntarily was unavoidable.

No matter how noble Heeseon’s father was, the fact that he made my wife, the mother of my child, cry, and… the fact that despite his high position as the Emperor, he did nothing about the misfortunes Heeseon suffered… made me very angry.

How much did my daughter miss and love her father! But he, as a father!

What I recall at this moment is Heeseon’s tender and longing sad face whenever her father’s story was told.

I felt Heeseon’s heart was being ignored, as if her feelings were being trampled upon, because I sensed how much she loved her father in a moment of jealousy.

“I have no regrets about my actions. Even if it was said that Heeseon’s fate was justifiable, I would never have let that frail woman endure such a miserable fate!”

[What?]

“Do you know how great a sin I committed? Yes, I know very well! How could I not know! However! Even if I were to go back in time! Even if my soul were to suffer terrible punishment due to the great burden accumulated because of that! I would without hesitation save my women again!”

Now, whether it was about propriety or etiquette, I didn’t care at all.

The furious gods around me tried to denounce my rude behavior, but the Emperor raised his arm to calm the crowd and scolded me again.

[Ha! You’re truly a selfish man! Do you not realize how contradictory your words are right now? You dare to boldly declare changing the twisted story will bring about what kind of disaster!]

“Yes! A hundred, a thousand times, I will save Heeseon again, and I will save Sari! I will use all my abilities. Weren’t all those things twisted stories by injustice from the beginning?”

[What! So, do you mean it doesn’t matter if another unfortunate person like Heeseon is born again because of you twisting the story once more!]

“…That.”

[Yes, surely Heeseon’s tragedy was caused by the sinner who stole the story! But the story itself was already destined! It wasn’t a fate that should be changed even by a hunter who should have just passed by!]

“Then! Are you saying that Your Highness should have left Heeseon to face that fate as it was? She was your daughter! You knew Heeseon’s fate too! Weren’t you even a bit sorry? Shouldn’t you have done something even if it wasn’t me! You call yourself the Emperor of Heaven! How can someone like you be so incompetent!!”

“I… such a foolish person..!”

“What are you doing! Quickly, without dragging out the Emperor, the sinner who has insulted you!”

The priests, who had barely calmed down at my statement, began to point fingers again with flushed faces, but I didn’t see any of it.

I just glared at the cruel father who abetted my daughter’s unhappiness.

“Enough!”

Once again, the Emperor raised his hand to calm the crowd.

“It seems that you are concerned about pursuing my sinner. All of you should leave for Daejeon. From now on, I will handle the interest and domination.”

“Y-Your, Your Highness! What do you mean by dominating and ruling over what the author might do!”

“It cannot be, Your Majesty! Even now, such impudent individuals…!”

“Oh! Can’t you hear the king’s command? Everyone, leave!”

As the king raised his voice to issue an order, the attendants began to shrink back and cautiously exit the hall one by one.

Heesun and Sari looked at me with worried eyes and left guided by the attendants.

After a brief moment, the once bustling hall fell silent in an instant.

“……”

A heavy silence filled the air.

The one who broke this uncomfortable silence was Emperor Okhwang.

“Incompetent… I see… Those are words that cannot be easily refuted.”

His voice, mixed with authority and anger, was slightly different from the scolding tone he had used before.

Something seemed to drain from him… a more worldly, contemplative voice…

“Even if my authority reaches from the heavens to the ends of the earth, I am not the Creator… I can only insert small narratives into the lives I have breathed into existence, oversee causality, and manage to prevent stories from falling into chaos.”

“……”

“What Heesun thought was evil… what she considered tragic and despairing might, in the grand scheme of causality, have been necessary. In the world of causality, good and evil are not always clear. Who under the sky can discern good from evil and change stories recklessly?”

“……”

“Do you understand what it means to have a predetermined fate? It is a story believed by thousands, even billions of people. Despite how absurd and unbelievable it may seem, it exists and can be real because they believe in it! The story you tried to change… that was it.”

“……”

“Yes, I could have struck down that foolish person with lightning to save my pitiful daughter immediately. I could have sent loyal deities and soldiers to ensure that not a hair on her head was harmed…”

As Emperor Okhwang’s suppressed voice conveyed his despair, I simply remained silent, listening to his words.

“But I… I did not do that! I couldn’t. Why? Because that would be a story that could never be accepted! Actions driven by emotions causing chaos in causality would ultimately lead to the collapse of the world! To me, that is true evil! Not just my beloved daughter, but the loveable sons and daughters living in this world… My people! The great evil that would make them all disappear!”

Only then did a deep sorrow begin to show behind the cold facade of the emperor.

‘Wasn’t it cruel…?’

Without further explanation, his desperate choice at that time became apparent.

And it was at that moment that the difference between his words and mine began to emerge.

My anger, which had been present, quickly softened.

“Now I understand clearly. I am not a manipulator.”

“……?”

“I have never twisted a story before. And I will not distort one in the future.”

“What…?”

It was as simple as that.

We all carry our small stories within the grand narrative.

And Ekgeun, like a puzzle piece, manipulated people’s small stories to fit his taste, making them unhappy.

And me?

“I am a writer of my own story. I do not change recorded stories; I embrace others’ stories within mine. It is not distortion; it is merely a new narrative.”

“That’s…!”

“Heesun, who should have been caught by the woodcutter, the mountain spirit who tested the woodcutters by sharing a golden axe in the lake, the millstone that spat out objects as spoken, and the immortal who should have died receiving people’s hatred. I have never changed their stories. They simply became the protagonists of the new stories I naturally created.”

“What is that..! That’s sophistry! Stories are not as simple as that! Who on earth acknowledged your story!”

“You did.”

“Yourself.”

“I, who wished for Heesun’s happiness more than anyone else, and… Heesun, Sari, Grandfather Mountain Spirit, Gil-yong the old man, Aunt, Dog Poop, and siblings…. Especially, I acknowledge my own story, wanting to love and protect them more than anyone else.”

“Large predetermined stories don’t need to be seen by thousands or billions. Just one person. Only one person is enough. Even if it’s myself, the story can progress sufficiently. The grand notions of good and evil are not important. Choosing only what makes each other happy is enough. I will always strive to write a story where no one I love gets hurt.”

“Of course, I may be inexperienced. Perhaps they could disappoint me…. Still… I will calmly take one step at a time. From one to nine, then eighty. And one hundred, eight hundred, a thousand! I will gradually increase. So they can hear my story. So they can enjoy it.. That’s how I will create.”

After finishing speaking, Okhwang Sangje’s face, which he looked at, had stiffened as if staring at me harshly.

Did I fail to persuade him after all?

Still, there is no regret.

Now that I could dispel the misunderstanding that Okhwang Sangje had cruelly abandoned Heesun, I was not so angry with him anymore.

Also, wasn’t it called Jininsadacheonmyeong (盡人事而待天命)?

Having poured out all my words clearly, now I just wait for the heavenly decree.

Thud thud.

The long jade-colored silk robe mixed with golden hues sweeps the floor as it slowly approaches me.

I bow my head and quietly await his decision.

Clang!

Huh..?

…Something feels strange..? A sensation of being embraced…? Huh? Suddenly, the bound ropes are loosening..?

*Sobbing…!*

…Huh?

Hello? Sangje-nim? Master? Are you, by any chance, crying right now?

*Sobbing…! Thank you…. Thank you…! *Sobbing* You saved the daughter of Jim… My daughter… I’m really grateful….”

Huh?