When Wijihoyeon opened his eyes, Lee Sungmin was the first to find her. He was crouching next to her and they just stared at each other wordlessly. He wanted to listen to what she wanted to do first before moving or making further plans. Wijihoyeon just frowned at him as they kept staring at each other.
“You must have a bad habit of staring at others.”, Wijihoyeon said.
“What the hell are you talking about now?”
“I think it’s quite embarrassing to make such an unsightly face while looking at others”
“Do you really have to put it that way?”, Lee Sungmin replied, irritated.
“You’re not completely at fault though, who wouldn’t want to look at my beautiful face?”, Wijihoyeon chortled at Lee Sungmin.
Wijihoyeon then groaned lightly and rubbed her mouth.
“Did I, by any chance, drool in my sleep or snore?”
“Yeah I had to wipe your mouth because your snoring got too loud and you ended up drooling like an orc, princess.”, Lee Sungmin smirked, in a sarcastic tone towards Wijihoyeon.
“That can’t be right.”
“Yeah, well it was a lie.”
When Lee Sungmin admitted the truth about lying, Wijihoyeon smiled. Lee Sungmin smiled back at her, happy at the fact that she was happy, even if it was just for this moment. They continued to crack sarcastic jokes at each other, smiling at each other enjoying the space they had.
“I’ve thought about it.”
Wijihoyeon said, changing her expression to a blank yet serious look. She glanced down looking at her hand as if examining how weak her state was.
“I’ve always been independent, always at the top… For the first time I’m realizing just how weak and pampered I really was. It’s new… and I can’t describe it…”
“Do you hate it?”
“No, I have a strong sense of resilience. I want… to be stronger than you again. Or at least similar to you. But now, I’m weaker than you. Without your help, I can’t survive.”
“I don’t care about any of that. I’ll be here regardless.”
“I care.”, she said, shaking her head and then continuing to speak.
“…I don’t want to put you in danger because of my presence. I don’t want to trouble you. So… I intend to accept the offer that the Samaryunju offered for protection.”
Lee Sungmin’s mind went blank and he couldn’t answer. If he could, he wanted to hold onto Wijihoyeon. It didn’t matter to him how weak she was or how helpless of a state she was in. He just wanted to be with her. But, how did she feel about it? She couldn’t bear to be seen as a weak person even to her only friend she had. Her pride wouldn’t allow it. But regardless, Lee Sungmin cared for her and just wanted her to be happy. So in the end he couldn’t find a reason to rebuke her decision.
“How long have I been sleeping?”
“…every day.”, Lee Sungmin responded
“Then the people sent by Samaryunju will come today as well. That means… I’ll be going with them and leaving you guys. Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”
“Because you were sleeping too deeply.”
“Hoo-hoo! It seems like you really do enjoy staring at others, seeing how you must have been staring at my sleeping face yet again!”
Wijihoyeon gave a low laugh. She then blinked and looked over at Lee Sungmin. He put his hand and caressed her cheek.
“You’re feeling pretty good right now, aren’t you?”
She felt embarrassed that he could say words like that with such a straight face.
“You said that you didn’t even know me in your previous life. You said I even acted and was known as a man back then, I know my life will be one of a Heavenly Demon, but I’m trying my best to change everything that will happen and live this life as my own.”
Wijihoyeon never did her hair, she didn’t even wear makeup. Although she had been learning how to do those things secretly. She felt there might be a day when she might have a need to do so. She even wore clothes that revealed her body’s curvature so she could be openly seen as a woman. She didn’t artificially enlarge her breasts using elixirs, but she seriously thought about growing them that way.
“I wanted to show you… That I would be different than the Wijihoyeon of the past life.”
Wijihoyeon still had a question in the back of her mind that resurfaced just now. She had imagined what it would be like when they met again. Would Lee Sungmin be happy to see her? Would he have become stronger? Would she be able to speak her mind freely with him again?
“Answer me.”
Wijihoyeon locked her gaze fiercely with Lee Sungmin’s,
“Do you think I’m beautiful?”
The makeup she had secretly been learning. The reluctance to wear skirts and other feminine clothing. Doing her hair in fancy patterns.
‘Yeah I wanted to do this… because it was for you…’ She thought to herself.
“I thought you were beautiful even when I saw you last year.”
“hehe..”
Wijihoyeon chuckled lightly and blushed. She reached out with her hand to touch Lee Sungmin’s and then placed it around the back of his hand.
“In my eyes, you were quite handsome as well..”
She said in a meek voice, her cheeks growing redder from the blushing.
“Ten years ago, you were a nobody. You weren’t a big deal in my eyes at the time. There must have been a million guys like you everywhere in the world… but it felt a bit unusual. For some reason, with you, I was happy to be your friend. There were so many new things I was able to experience being with you. You didn’t treat me as a title or object of recognition. You saw me… as me…”
She gently closed her eyes.
“Are we still friends?”, she asked.
He was dumbstruck at the question.
What kind of answer should I give? What does this mean? Oh god.. I don’t know. She laughed slightly, somewhat expectant at Lee Sungmin’s flustered yet silent manner.
“I…”
“No, it’s okay.”
Right as he was about to come up with an answer, she cut him short. Wijihoyeon shook her head. She grinned as she removed her hand from the back of Lee Sungmin’s hand.
“Don’t give me an answer.”
It was a short reply, but the meaning was heavy. Lee Sungmin looked at Wijihoyeon, and in return she looked right back at him staring into each other’s eyes. Wijihoyeon smiled bitterly and shook her head.
“Your left eye has changed color. Did you want to become some kind of playboy?”
“It’s not like that. It just happened.” Lee Sungmin said in a curt manner, but his body betrayed him as his cheeks reddened from the slight embarrassment at the remark.
“I’m glad to hear that. Those eyes… They don’t look natural.”
She said smiling.
In the middle of their conversation, they had to stop because of the two remaining people that had entered the cave. Rubia and The Crazy Heavenly Demon had returned from outside and came over to the two of them.
“Here come the guests.”, said The Crazy Heavenly Demon, “They aren’t from the native tribes residing in the forest. So, it must be the Samaryunju forces.”
“Probably, let’s get ready then.”
Lee Sungmin helped Wijihoyeon out of the cave. Beyond the luscious, green forestry, movements could be seen as if the very shadows of the forest itself were moving. Since they hadn’t confirmed yet, whether it was the Samaryunju forces or another party, Lee Sungmin and the Crazy Heavenly Demon kept their guard up.
Finally, more than ten people emerged from the clearing with a small carriage behind them led with a stout horse.
“The Lord has sent me here for assistance to whatever you may need.”
The woman standing beside the carriage spoke with a firm and resolute, but not arrogant tone. Looking closely, every one of the members sent by Sima had been women. Lee Sungmin made a guess that it was out of courtesy for Wijihoyeon.
“Have you made up your mind?”
The woman turned to face Wijihoyeon and asked. Wijihoyeon gave a faint nod in response and the carriage door opened.
“We will protect you while we escort you to the place where the Lord is residing. It may be a long journey, but I can promise your safety.”
The woman said while bowing respectfully.
“And, for Ghost Gun. I have a message from Lord Sima. ‘Don’t come now. Finish the work you have in the South and the other side of the field. Take some of the hair Minor Heavenly Demon. You will need it in the South.”
“Hair?”
He couldn’t quite understand why he needed Wijihoyeon’s hair let alone the meaning of ‘the other field’.
[You will need it when we go South most likely as the medium for curing the curse placed on that Minor Heavenly Demon. We’ll also be needing to learn the force that is practiced by the tribes in the South. Using the hair as a medium along with killing the caster of the curse will help you in your search.]
Heoju clarified for Lee Sungmin because he was mostly lost in the cryptic message Lord Sima sent him.
The woman handed a dagger to Wijihoyeon. She took it and sliced a part of her hair and handed the dagger back to the woman. Then she turned to Lee Sungmin and handed the hair to him.
“Don’t smell it or anything.”
“I’m not a pervert.” Lee Sungmin replied with an annoyed tone.
She spoke to him with a smile on her face even though he replied with a blank expression. He then took the hair and put it in the spacial pocket.
“I’ll see you again soon hopefully.”
Wijihoyeon said while stepping onto the wagon.
“Even if you don’t come to see me. Someday, I’ll visit you again. There are many things we haven’t done together yet.”, Wijihoyeon continued.
She didn’t want to say anything too weird so she tried to choose her words carefully, but Lee Sungmin chuckled slightly and they looked at each other with smiles across their faces.
“I’ll see you again if fate allows it. Don’t die on me though.”, Lee Sungmin said in a somewhat sarcastic but serious undertone.
Wijihoyeon continued to smile and closed the carriage door.
‘When we meet again Lee Sungmin, what will we do then? Will we still be friends again? This hurts too much to say goodbye, but it’s for the best.’ She thought to herself. She then groped her breasts and looked down at them, ‘Will these grow any bigger? It wouldn’t kill to have a little bit more appeal hehe.’
But, more than anything she was conflicted as she couldn’t identify one of the emotions she felt. It wasn’t the feeling of saying goodbye or feeling desperate. It was feeling like she wanted… no she needed to be with him.
‘Not now.’ , she said to herself trying to comfort her emotions, ‘I can’t put him in any more danger because of my weak state. I have to trust in him that we’ll be able to see each other again. And… I’m sure we will’, She then smiled rubbing her red cheeks and fixing her gaze at the departing view of Lee Sungmin
Lee Sungmin looked at the carriage and felt the pain of losing her again.
‘10 years ago we made a promise… to meet again… and now because of them.. No, because of my weakness, we can’t stay together.’ He strengthened his resolve and looked out once more to the departing carriage moving away in the distance.
‘I’ll get stronger.. Enough that nobody can stop me.’