STVS 20

~Chapter 20~

When I came to my senses, I was climbing a mountain.

Sweat poured down my entire body. I brushed aside the small branches blocking my view and stepped over tree roots embedded in the ground, moving forward without a moment to think.

Then suddenly, I realized—

Ah. This mountain.

This was the mountain.

Nabu Mountain (羅浮山), where Seodan had fallen.

I didn’t know why I suddenly understood that. I had never been here before. I had only come to search for a place where a spiritual medicine might be found.

And yet, an odd sense of déjà vu washed over me. It felt as though I knew this place well. Even this path felt familiar…

That was when—

“Huff… huff…”

Strange visions began to appear.

I saw a small, skinny child climbing the mountain in a hurry. Her labored breathing and unsteady steps were clearly not normal.

As I studied her more closely, I realized it instinctively.

That’s me.

That familiar figure—

It was Seodan. The body I had possessed.

I’m tired. I’m really so tired…

Suddenly, countless memories flooded into me.

Memories of having to care for a sick mother since childhood. Of struggling day after day just to earn money. Of wandering from place to place, taking whatever work she could find.

Within all of that, Seodan had slowly been worn down.

She was exhausted from bowing her head, from begging, from being beaten.

One day, after being slapped across both cheeks by a drunken patron until her nose bled—

Seodan finally stole her mistress’s jewelry.

It was a purely impulsive act.

“How dare you steal the madam’s jewelry?!”

Of course, someone who had never stolen anything in her life was bound to be caught.

The moment the jewelry was discovered hidden in her bundle, Seodan was seized by two strong servants and forcibly shoved into a sack. She was then hung from a beam and beaten mercilessly with clubs.

The beating lasted for half a day.

As Seodan lay sprawled on the floor, covered in blood, one of the servants spat.

“We took you in out of pity, and this is how you repay us? You worthless beggar. Tch! If I ever see you again, I’ll make sure you regret it!”

Only after bowing repeatedly and thanking them was Seodan finally allowed to leave.

But even going home was no easy task.

Her body felt as if it were falling apart. She could barely stand, and as she dragged herself along, people merely glanced at her sideways and avoided her.

After only a few steps, Seodan collapsed and lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, the surroundings were already dark.

Staring up at the pitch-black sky, Seodan thought—

This is hard.

She staggered to her feet and started walking again. Along the way, she found a well and drew water, washing the dirt and blood from her face.

Then, looking at her reflection in the water, she thought again—

This is exhausting.

When she finally arrived home, her mother was thankfully asleep. Seodan slipped into the room like a rat and changed out of her tattered clothes.

The next day, when her mother reacted in shock, Seodan lied—saying she had been falsely accused and driven out.

Her mother believed her.

Watching her mother cry, Seodan muttered silently to herself—

This is too much…

For a while, Seodan went around looking for work. But rumors about her had spread, and everyone avoided her. Even though Old Madam Po from next door ran around angrily trying to explain things, it was useless.

In the end, Seodan went up the mountain to gather herbs herself.

Whether she truly went to collect herbs, she didn’t know.

There was only one thought in her mind.

…I want to stop now.

When she came to her senses, Seodan was standing atop a cliff.

She stared blankly into the darkness below. The darkness looked comforting. It felt like she could finally rest if she went into it.

And so, Seodan—

“Hah—!”

I jolted awake.

My entire body was drenched in sweat. I hurriedly looked around—and sure enough, I was standing on that same cliff.

My heart pounded wildly.

Why am I here…?

Only then did I understand why the sense of déjà vu had felt so strong.

I had been following the exact same path Seodan once took. Naturally, her memories had flowed into me, and I had arrived at the same place she did.

This place where Seodan threw herself down.

Where Seodan tried to end everything.

“Huh?”

That was when I noticed it.

A small medicinal herb growing near the edge of the cliff.

“Huh—?!”

I grabbed a tree trunk beside me and leaned forward. Stretching my neck as far as I could, a fragrant scent brushed my nose.

When I spotted the nine leaves growing along the stem, I was certain.

That was it.

The Nine-Leaved Purple Earth Herb (Guyeopjajicho).

Only then did reality fully return to me. Right—I had climbed this mountain for this. Subconsciously recalling the original story, I had come here searching for a spiritual medicine.

To save my young lady.

I have to get it.

The herb was growing in a dangerously precarious spot.

If I was lucky, my fingertips might reach it. If not, I would fall straight down.

I lay flat on my stomach directly above where the herb grew. I stretched out my hand, but it wasn’t enough. I needed to go lower. Just a little more.

There was a small tree jutting out beside me, so I grabbed it with my left hand.

Slowly, I lowered my upper body.

Blood rushed to my head, sweat gathered at the bridge of my nose—but all my focus was on the herb.

Bit by bit, my body drew closer.

I reached out again.

I’ve got it—!

If I grab it by the roots like this…!

Just as I was about to seize the herb—

Crack.

“Huh?”

The support in my left hand vanished. I quickly turned my head.

The tree I had been holding onto had snapped.

“…!”

As my body began to fall, my eyes remained locked on the herb.

I still hadn’t grabbed it.

If I was going to fall anyway, I might as well grab the herb on the way down—!

I squeezed out every last bit of focus.

And just as the herb brushed past my body, I swung my arm and snatched it—roots and all.

I saw the nine leaves clenched in my hand.

Just as I was about to shout in triumph—

“I got—! Ah?”

Whoosh.

Before I knew it, my body was suspended in midair.

Then, everything went dark.

* * *

When I regained consciousness, I was sprawled on the dirt ground.

Blink.

My dimmed awareness slowly returned.

I stared blankly, then jolted and looked at my right hand.

Nine leaves fluttered gently above my tightly clenched fist.

I let out a sigh of relief.

I barely survived…

I looked up at the cliff I had fallen from.

Now that I saw it clearly, it wasn’t a sheer drop. Beneath it was a high ridge. If it had been daytime, I would’ve noticed—but in the darkness, I hadn’t been able to see below.

On top of that, I must have been slowed down by branches catching me on the way down.

I tried to stand, but collapsed back down.

“Ah—! …Huh?”

My right ankle was badly swollen.

It didn’t seem broken, but it must have been twisted when I fell. The throbbing pain was far from normal.

I sighed deeply, then looked up at the sky to gauge the time.

It’s not dawn yet. There’s still time.

It was lucky I woke up quickly.

I looked around, picked up a sturdy branch, and used it to support myself as I slowly began to walk.

Cold sweat poured down.

My whole body ached, and every time I put weight on my right foot, it felt like my ankle was being stabbed with an awl.

I wanted to pass out right then and there—but I endured it.

Before I knew it, I was muttering to myself.

“It’s not hard. This isn’t hard…”

At some point, I found myself thinking about Seodan.

Maybe she had felt something similar.

When she walked home covered in blood. When she climbed the mountain to give up on life.

Had she felt this same pain and helplessness?

But I know now.

I know Seodan’s true heart—the feelings hidden beneath her despair.

That day, Seodan did fall from the cliff. That was the truth.

She tried to end everything through death. That was also the truth.

But in the moment she fell, Seodan instinctively grabbed onto a branch on the cliff.

Her small body trembled as it dangled there.

At some point, she had begun to cry.

I—I…

Watching that scene, I wanted to ask—

You didn’t really want to die, did you?

You didn’t want to give up, did you?

That must have been it.

That’s why you clung desperately to that branch, struggling with your body, crying your heart out in misery.

Even so, you couldn’t survive.

But if you regretted that choice—

“Hah… hah…”

Then I won’t give up—on your behalf, too.

In the distance, the gate of the So family estate came into view.

The gatekeeper must have recognized me, because he hurried inside.

Just as I barely reached the gate, I saw the head steward running out.

“Child—your body…!”

Looking at the horrified steward, I gave a faint smile.

For some reason, it felt like I could see Seodan’s apparition smiling faintly in front of me as well.

At last, I collapsed on the spot.

My right hand—still holding the Nine-Leaved Purple Earth Herb—was stretched forward.

Truly—

Everything went black.