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Chapter 19
“There was a ghost here. A Sa-ryeong Flower was blooming at the barn’s entrance too.”
“You saw the Sa-ryeong Flower and came in here to confirm?”
Heemun’s face hardened. Soha carefully nodded.
He looked again at the place where the pig lay. Truly, a murky aura was scattered everywhere.
“What happened to the ghost?”
“…It disappeared.”
There had been suspicious circumstances, but that was all she could say.
“That was dangerous. Why did you come here alone?”
“Ghosts appear and vanish in the blink of an eye. If you don’t check quickly, you never know where they’ll disappear to. That’s why I had to act immediately.”
“It was a rash thought. You should have called others.”
“…But as you know, I’m of the fox tribe. I have a faint talent for seeing and confronting ghosts.”
At her words, a troubled look crossed Heemun’s face.
“…I’m sorry for worrying everyone.”
For Soha, matters concerning ghosts were ones she couldn’t ignore. But having been discovered by so many people and making them worry left her with guilt.
“I only wanted to help.”
She had no other intention—only the heart that refused to turn away from danger.
“Soha!”
Arriving late, Chun Unseon ran up to her in alarm.
“Soha, dear, are you alright?”
When Soha nodded, Unseon pulled her into her arms. Warmth enveloped her. She faintly heard the pounding of Unseon’s heart.
Her heart had always been calm, yet hearing that frantic rhythm made Soha’s own chest tighten strangely.
Soha’s head rested in Unseon’s embrace while her hand was clasped tightly in Ihwan’s.
“For now, there’s nothing dangerous here.”
Myunghun finished checking the barn thoroughly and spoke. Heemun stood.
“No one was hurt, thank goodness.”
At his words, Soha lowered her head in silence.
Docheol clicked his tongue at the sight and slipped quickly out of the barn.
Soha felt deflated. Things hadn’t gone as planned—she hadn’t been able to finish secretly. She had forgotten about her bond with Ihwan through the Hyup-woon Sword.
“Let’s go. We shouldn’t linger here.”
Unseon helped her to her feet. Heemun nodded at Unseon’s words.
“We’ll take care of the clean-up.”
At his command, people began dealing with the pig’s corpse, while Myunghun erased the faint traces of the ghost.
“Mother, I’ll help too.”
“Being in your quarters is how you can help, child.”
And so, Soha went back holding Unseon’s hand.
Soha, worn out from the tension and sudden use of energy, fell asleep as soon as she returned to the hall. Sleep dragged her down like a bottomless swamp.
From the darkness of the pit, what pulled her was the past.
‘Tch, so weak. Do you think you’ll even last a year like this?’
Injured and bleeding, Soha heard the cruel voice of the Vermilion Bird family head.
‘Father, she’s bleeding badly.’
‘Leave her. The more she writhes in pain, the stronger the ghost will respond.’
Their merciless hands never showed compassion. They inflicted violence without blinking, all for their own gain.
One day she surrendered to fate; another day she ran desperately, wanting to live. But the survival instinct that always raised its head only tormented her more.
‘Summon the ghost!’
‘That’s your only value.’
‘Forget your delusions and accept your fate.’
‘Foolish thing. You cry and beg when you should be groveling, and now you earn the rod.’
‘Starve her.’
‘Lock her in solitary.’
‘Trying to run? Break her legs.’
‘That little power you gathered? Drag her to the ice ravine and throw her in!’
‘Crying? Do you think you’re human or something?’
‘Gather the ghost’s power!’
‘Even in death, you’ll never leave this place.’
The flood of vile, unforgettable memories crashed over her. She feared she’d open her eyes to that frozen hell again.
Was this really a dream? Or was the life she thought she lived now the dream, and waking would return her to hell?
Fear consumed her. She knew it was only fragments of broken memories clawing through her mind, yet the terror was absolute.
It took a long bout of suffering before she finally woke from the nightmare. She was drenched in sweat, her body as cold as ice.
Thankfully, Docheol woke her with a few worried nudges.
“What a mess you’re making out of nowhere.”
After that, Soha’s pounding heart kept her awake. Once she finally calmed down, she wandered slowly across the courtyard of Unjoru.
“Sure, it was reckless and short-sighted.”
Docheol teased her.
“I only meant to quietly drive it away.”
“Hmph. The moment you used your power, the little Vermilion Bird brat felt it, you know?”
He was right.
“I didn’t think that far.”
“Hm.”
Wagging his tail, Docheol padded around her.
To him, this fox girl was growing more and more interesting. A human who could endure the Hyup-woon Sword and even absorb his power was unlike anyone else.
“Where did you learn to absorb ghostly power? How do you refine it?” he asked slyly.
“Would anything change if you knew?”
He scratched his jaw with a claw.
“Well, no.”
“Then there’s no need to answer.”
“You’re pretty cold for a kid.”
Docheol was getting more curious about her past.
“Are you alright?” Soha asked.
“Fighting that ghost? If it had stayed fully ethereal, maybe there’d be trouble. But since you released your power, it shifted briefly, so I was fine.”
“Did the power return to you?”
“It vanished right away. Of course it would. The source of my power is inside you.”
He pointed at her body.
So the released power really does return…
Soha clenched her hand. This was different from the strength she had used in her past life—the mad, freezing cold was gone.
“What’s inside you belongs to me too, so don’t go using it recklessly, got it?”
He pouted.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Not listening at all…”
Snorting, he turned back toward the quarters.
“Kid, come in before you catch a cold.”
After he went inside, Soha walked on, deep in thought.
Her steps stopped suddenly under the eaves.
Chirp.
Birdsong.
Chirp, chirp!
She found the source nearby and crouched carefully.
Three tiny birds.
“Swallows?”
A swallow’s nest had fallen to the ground.
“….”
She looked up at where it had once clung to the eaves—so far above her.
“Wait. I’ll help you.”
Glancing around, she found some wooden boxes. Empty, easy to move.
Where were the parents? Why were only the chicks left? Her heart ached. At the very least, she wanted to put the nest somewhere safe, out of reach.
Grunting, she stacked two boxes and picked up the nest.
“Careful, careful…”
Though sturdy, she feared it might crumble in her hands. The chicks’ vigorous chirping reassured her.
“Hup.”
To her relief, she managed to place the nest on the boxes without trouble. Maybe the parents would come back and rebuild.
If they didn’t by morning, she would think of another plan.
Just then, a long shadow fell over her. Startled, Soha looked to the side.
“Swallows, huh.”
It was Heemun. She hadn’t noticed him approach so close. He draped a blanket over her shoulders.
“The night air is cold.”
His offhand words embarrassed her. Would he scold her for earlier? The thought frightened her.
“This isn’t cold to me.”
She had endured much harsher cold. The night breeze was nothing.
Heemun smiled gently.
“When you stand outside in the wind, it’s the hearts of others that grow cold.”
He wasn’t rebuking her.
