I pulled on the door of the underground prison. The room I was in was apparently not locked, as the iron door creaked open with a soft sound.
– Clink! Clink!
Chasing the sound of rattling chains wasn’t too difficult. After all, there weren’t many rooms in this terribly cold underground prison.
So, I headed towards the innermost part where the sound was coming from and found it behind a firmly closed door.
Chaejin, bound by dozens of chains.
She looked exhausted.
Her head was hung low, hanging limply from the chains, far from the cheerful and confident figure I knew.
Nevertheless, she was indeed the one I was looking for.
A glance at the floor revealed several broken chains.
If this prison was a manifestation of her mental state, could those chains be her Simma?
I pushed the iron door.
– Creeeak…
Even the chilling sound produced by the rusty hinge didn’t make Chaejin lift her lowered head.
I approached her and asked,
“Chae Soja. Are you okay?”
But there was no answer. She hung limply, unresponsive as if she had fainted, and I placed my hand on one of the chains holding her body.
– Chaejin cannot be trusted.
At that moment, a voice spoke.
It was a voice I had never heard before. Was it a memory of Chaejin’s?
Before my eyes appeared a younger Chaejin. The girl with black hair hung her head with a withdrawn expression, while adults were harshly speaking to her.
– Those who want to rise above must study properly.
– How can you lead Moonjeong if you can’t even do this?
– If only Chaeran had been up there…
Resentment, jealousy, contempt.
The words of those who didn’t recognize Chaejin’s efforts and dismissed her achievements formed cold chains that bound her.
– It’s only martial arts, right? That’s all you’re good at.
A slightly older Chaejin emerged. In front of her lay a fallen woman.
The woman with a sword, who looked older than Chaejin, spoke with a scornful face.
– There are plenty of people who only excel at martial arts. Do you really think someone like you can be the successor of Moonjeong? Oh, I hope that’s the case. Then the reputation of Moonjeong will soon drop!
Other things were weak. But martial arts was her pride. So she honed her skills and wanted to showcase them, to prove herself.
But all she received in return was disdain, ridicule, and jealousy.
Though she laughed off the cold words from everyone,
When she was alone, she cried.
Desperate to hide her weakness from anyone, she wept silently.
Yet, she couldn’t afford to give up.
I couldn’t give up.
So, I guess that’s why I’ve been holding on like this.
I leaned in towards Chaejin’s bowed head and whispered in her ear.
“Chae Soja.”
Her slumped shoulders twitched in surprise.
As her head slowly lifted, her dazed eyes met mine through her flowing black hair, and light returned to those black eyes.
“Ahaha… it’s the Innkeeper this time… Thank goodness. You’re not here to curse me like everyone else, right? So, did you come to save me?”
I wanted to crack a joke like, “No. I got caught too,” but her eyes were filled with such desperation and longing.
Facing her gaze that yearned for rescue, I shook my head.
“Actually, using the Simhonggyeong, you can enter someone else’s mirror realm. But that’s not what’s important.”
I crouched down to meet the mournful gaze of Chaejin looking up at me.
“I’m not here to save you. You know what they say: you can only save yourself.”
“Ahaha…”
“All I can do is cheer you on to get back up yourself. If it really comes down to it, I’ll help you, but… this is your heart’s realm, and that chain…”
After a brief silence, she responded as if it were a bitter pill.
“…It must be my Simma. Pathetic, right? This is me.”
“I’ve never thought of you that way.”
“…The Innkeeper always sees people in such a high light. Yet I can’t even shake off a single chain…”
I pointed at the ground. There were already quite a few chain fragments scattered on the floor. It was proof that she had tried hard and succeeded.
“But no matter how much I’ve grown, I’m still an unreliable Chaejin…”
“I trust you.”
-Ting!
The moment I finished speaking, the chains snapped and flew off. She stared blankly at the broken chains before turning her eyes to me.
“I’ve said it many times, but I trust you. And being an unreliable Chaejin? That’s just the chatter of those who don’t truly know you. Were they really important to you?”
Chaejin, who had been silent for a moment, gently shook her head.
“You can’t satisfy everyone in this world. Neither can I, nor can the Doje, nor can you. What matters is how much you can assert your own will.”
Yeah.
The Sayoon Corps always got beaten here and there, but we never gave up and always fought back.
And in the end, didn’t I come here to bring smiles to Sayoon?
“Others’ slanders are nothing. And I believe you will realize that.”
“…Is that so?”
-Ting!! Ting!!
Two chains snapped off. I stared at them for a moment before reaching out my hand to Chaejin.
“See? It’s nothing.”
“That’s not the case, you know.”
“…Haha. Well, that’s because the innkeeper was right next to me.”
“Thanks for thinking that. Now, let’s go.”
Chaejin, staring at my hand, lowered her head. After bursting into laughter, she suddenly looked up.
Just a moment ago, her face was twisted in despair and pain, but now it had returned to the confident Chaejin I knew.
“You’re right. I’m such a fool… I forgot again. You’ve always trusted and supported me, haven’t you?!”
– Ting!! Ting!! Ting!!
The chains began to break. Her smooth arms flexed with strength, and the taut chains couldn’t withstand the pressure.
“Ah!!”
With a fierce shout, the chains binding Chaejin completely snapped.
All that remained was a single chain hanging around her neck.
But it wasn’t connected to anything, so it just hung there limply.
“Hoo.”
Letting out a sigh, Chaejin began to easily remove the restraints from her body. As she became unburdened, I pointed to her neck.
“Don’t you want to take that off?”
“Uh… um. Maybe later.”
Chaejin stroked the chain as if it were precious and smiled softly.
Unlike the visions of Hongryeon, this place wasn’t that big. Although it was called a dungeon, there were no guards.
Climbing the stone stairs, we reached a door to signal the end of the miraculous scenery.
“It’s smaller than I thought. Is it because my imagination is limited?”
“It might not be that.”
“Hehe. Still, just the fact that you were in my heart makes me satisfied. Ah, and by the way, innkeeper, can you do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
Saying that, Chaejin slowly approached me. Her face was flushed, and her smile seemed a bit off.
“Wait. As I said before, I’m real, not an illusion. I came here using the Spiritual Mind Mirror…”
“The illusions that appeared until now claimed they were real too! Just earlier, my father said he came to insult me using the final technique of the Moonlight Sword, and Ryun used the key of the Moon Palace to laugh at me, and my uncle…”
Has she already made her move?
I was flustered, and she gently slipped into my arms. Then, she tied the chain resting on my hand around my wrist.
Then, like before, an illusion appeared.
– I trust you.
In response to what I said.
– I’m always cheering for you.
Chaejin, delighted and happy.
She happily watched it before turning her gaze away.
“…Someday. I’ll ask the real you for a favor, but please lead me.”
“………”
“Let me be solely yours, so I can think only of you.”
Chaejin looked up at me with teary eyes, hoping I would seize the chains.
“The other chains were taut and tormented me, but none were as much as this one. The memories with you, the hope you gave me, made me recognize who I am and drove away the despair that appeared before me. So, please…”
Leaving that aside, it felt like I was grabbing a leash.
She proudly shook her body, revealing the chain still around her neck, laughing away.
“The day it feels natural for me to be next to the innkeeper, I’ll do the ‘excuse’ I couldn’t do after defeating Chaejeokyo and her group at Yangweseong. If it’s you from reality, who has always encouraged me… surely you’ll allow it, right?”
…What kind of ‘excuse’ are you planning?
Winking cheerfully, she left without even thinking of unbinding the chain around her neck, and in that moment, everything around turned white.
“…”
Snapping back to reality, I stood up.
It had only been a moment, just like when I entered Hongryeon’s vision.
I put the two shattered gems of the Heart-Soul Mirror into my pocket and looked at them. Unlike before, they were peacefully sleeping, and Doje approached me.
“Nothing unusual happened?”
After pondering, I replied, “Ah, yes. I confirmed that both have exited the secret realm.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief…”
At that moment, Hyunhwi, Sayoon, and Chaeran came out from another room. They must have heard the moans earlier.
“Innkeeper…”
“Are you alright?”
“I thought I heard a scream just now…”
Curious, they looked at me, so I waved my hand with a smile, and they eventually went back inside.
“Um, regarding this…”
“I know. Let’s keep it a secret for now.”
“Thank you. Then I’m a bit tired…”
With that, Doje and I went outside. I asked for his understanding since I needed to rest, and as I returned to my room, I began to think.
The way they treated me had been quite friendly since the last martial arts contest, so I couldn’t help but wonder.
But could it be real?
What is going on here?
No, that aside, I’m sure they both thought it was just an illusion in their hearts.
And they had said they would reveal their feelings when they were ready.
But what happens if they find out I know?
Would they just be embarrassed?
Or maybe…
I quickly erased the thoughts that came to mind and started pondering again.
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