Free Web Novel* * *
Seoryeong came down the mountain path as the sun was setting. And then, again out of habit, she thought of him. The face of Myungdo, looking down at her from atop a tree when they first met, was so vividly etched into her eyes. Unlike Seoryeong, he had faced the sunset head-on, his entire face glowing brightly. A man who had held Seoryeong in his gaze with honest, upright eyes.
He had driven his horse forward like a madman, charging straight ahead.
Seoryeong looked up at the sky. Where should she go now. She had already met Jeongan, and there truly was nowhere else that came to mind.
Seoryeong went down in the opposite direction. Different from the path she had climbed. For now, she would go to the riverside, take a ferry, and wander aimlessly wherever it carried her. That was what she thought.
The veins bulged sharply on the back of the hand gripping the reins.
Seoryeong descended the mountain path, her bundle clutched in her hand. Unlike before, the simple bundle was light. Thinking of the time she had been left alone, sprawled on the ground and flailing, a laugh slipped out.
Myungdo had been there then too. The man who had said it was only natural to help the weak, even while carrying a huge load on his back.
At last, a river appeared before her eyes, dazzling and shimmering. The sorrowfully glittering river must have flowed on just fine even while Myungdo lay unconscious.
Just as the sun had, just as the moon had, just as the indifferent leaves had, it would rise and set, bloom and fall.
Even without Myungdo.
Even without Seoryeong beside Myungdo.
“Then he’ll live well....”
Seoryeong took another step forward.
That was when it happened.
“Seoryeong!”
Seoryeong turned around. A man with what looked like a burning sun at his back came into view, shining more brightly than anything else.
From far away, Myungdo was coming toward her.
In that instant, all the noise of the world died down. She could hear nothing but the pounding of her heart.
Myungdo leapt off his horse and ran toward her in long strides. Seoryeong, who had been staring at him blankly, also began to move one step at a time, then broke into a frantic run.
The white heaven-blessing cord tied around her wrist came loose in the wind and fluttered away.
The two people who had stood at opposite ends slowly drew closer. Three steps, two steps, and finally one step.
The riverside, where waiting melted away, shone with a beautiful golden light. Each time the wind blew, small ripples shattered and trembled. The gentle sound of flowing water broke the silence.
Beneath the slanted sun, the two of them finally met again.
“...How did you come here....”
“Where are you going.”
Myungdo bent his knees, panting for breath. Seoryeong stared at him blankly. Tears fell, drop by drop.
“Did you come to see me off?”
At Seoryeong’s question, Myungdo let out a hollow laugh. Then he shook his head.
“As if that could be.”
“....”
Seoryeong tried to check with her eyes whether Myungdo was unharmed, but it was futile. Tears kept welling up, making it hard to look at him properly. Her vision, fixed on Myungdo, blurred and spread out of focus.
“What man would simply stand by and watch the woman he loves leave.”
She should stop. She should stop crying.
“His Majesty ordered me to serve as an inspector traveling the world. I am no longer an aide.”
Myungdo slowly reached out his hand toward the sobbing Seoryeong.
At last, he pulled love into his wide embrace.
Seoryeong wrapped her trembling arms around Myungdo in return. Her pale hands clenched his blue robe as if they would never let go.
As if there were only the two of them left in this vast world.
The two who met again by the shimmering riverside shared the stories they had yet to tell.
Their shadows overlapped neatly atop the calm waters. Without a single gap.
“So I intend to go with you.”
“...You don’t even know where I’m going.”
“Anywhere.”
Myungdo cupped Seoryeong’s cheek with one hand. With his thumb, he wiped away the tears flowing over her soft, tender skin.
Then, slowly—very slowly—he lowered his lips. His destination was Seoryeong’s forehead. It was a kiss that treated something precious with care.
Holding both her cheeks, Myungdo pressed his lips down as if making a vow.
“...What is that.”
At the plain, almost trivial touch, Seoryeong complained. Myungdo, his face reddening, tried hard to explain.
“We are not yet married, so it cannot be helped. We must follow proper procedures....”
He was needlessly honest even about a single kiss. But that, too, was what made him Myungdo.
An always upright man. The man who had held on to Seoryeong at the brink of death.
“Honestly! Who said I’d marry you anyway?”
Seoryeong kicked Myungdo in the shin. When he staggered for a moment, Seoryeong turned away and started walking. Myungdo immediately followed after her.
“Then will you marry another man instead of me?”
“Ah, I don’t know.”
“That would be unacceptable. Surely, while I was asleep, you did not consider bringing another man into your life....”
Without realizing it, Seoryeong burst into laughter. Myungdo, who had been looking at her anxiously, seemed to realize it was a joke and laughed along. Seoryeong took Myungdo’s hand. Their fingers intertwined tightly.
With her other hand, she wiped away the tears that had been flowing just moments ago. Very bravely.
“I’ll see how you behave.”
“How could there be any doubt. I always give my utmost sincerity.”
“Where should we go first?”
“Wherever your heart leads, you may go. I will follow.” freēwēbηovel.c૦m
The two walked side by side along the golden riverbank. Seoryeong’s yellow skirt fluttered in the wind, and Myungdo’s blue robe billowed alongside it. The sound of stepping on pebbles was soft and affectionate.
“In spring, let’s go to the Five Blessings Festival. And buy me a very expensive ornament! You remember how you snapped my five-blessing cord, right? If you ruined something I treasured for over ten years, you have to pay a fitting price.”
“Yes. I will do so.”
“This summer, let’s ride the ferry again. And in autumn, there’s a big market over on the western side, you know? Buy me pumpkin rice cake.”
“Yes. What else would you like to do.”
“And in winter—.”
Seoryeong rattled off countless promises without end. As if this was what she had wanted to do from the very beginning.
The two of them slowly grew farther away. Even as they walked forward, they kept glancing at each other, as if everything was wonderful.
What might be waiting for us beyond the horizon. Good things and bad things would surely come, but if it is with you, then anything is possible. Living together and writing many days side by side—what kind of story will they become. In this moment, when it feels as though wandering without a destination for an entire lifetime would be just fine,
perhaps it is because we are each other’s,
Chapter 16
Final Destination
after all.
The screen slowly darkened, and the plain sound of a ritual bell rang out. Letters announcing farewell slowly rose into view.
Thank you to all viewers who have loved and followed <Strange Tales>.
And so, <Strange Tales> came to an end.
Somewhere, a noise like the beating of a heart arose. Someone stood up and began to clap. Then one, two... the applause grew, resounding as if it would fill the entire theater.
Some audience members were crying, others were laughing. Their reactions were honest. The unique lingering aftertaste that comes from encountering a good work clung to them.
Yeoreum—no, Seoryeong—was drawn forward, walking toward the stage. She looked out at the audience with a dazed expression. The Director and Myungdo took her hands on either side.
The joined hands were raised up. Then they descended smoothly once more. As the actors bowed their heads before the audience, cheers mixed with thunderous applause poured out again.
When Seoryeong, who had kept her head bowed for a long time, finally straightened up, what appeared before her eyes was—
System
[100]% of the audience is focused on you!
Current audience: 270
►The stage has been successfully concluded.
Heat of the current space (100℃) [A]
It was a status window that felt like proof itself.
Beyond the sparkling status window, flashes kept bursting toward Seoryeong. The clicking sounds, so similar to her pounding heartbeat, stained her ears for a long, long time.
Even after the screen had gone completely dark, not a single audience member moved to leave the theater.
As if they simply could not accept parting with <Strange Tales>.
“Han Yeoreum! Just a moment!”
“The gutpan acting was impressive—could you say a few words...!”
The reporters who had been seated in the theater turned on their cameras and approached Yeoreum as if entranced. Guards waiting nearby stepped in front of her.
“We’re sorry. She has another schedule. The interview will be held another time! Thank you!”
Even as the <Strange Tales> cast was guided out of the theater, the reporters continued to follow. Outside the theater was even noisier.
Click—! Click—!
“Please look this way just once!”
“Han Yeoreum! Han Yeoreum!”
The reporters who had attended the <Strange Tales> photo wall had not gone home. Determined to capture even the ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) back of Yeoreum as she moved with a dazed expression, the shutter sounds exploded with fervor.
The shutter sounds did not stop until the elevator carrying Yeoreum closed its doors.
“...Did I really do well?”
Inside the elevator, Yeoreum tightly gripped the hem of Geum Bitgang’s clothes beside her. Her fingertips were trembling.
“You idiot.”
Geum Bitgang replied as if scolding her. She looked at Yeoreum with an expression that said she was asking the obvious.
“Open your eyes tomorrow. The world around you, chick, will have changed.”
Noh Jeongyeon said with a smile. It was a short, clear answer.
Inside the descending elevator, Yeoreum felt the illusion of endlessly rising.
The applause she had heard earlier, the countless gazes directed at her, the blinding flashes.
All of it came at her with overwhelming reality. Articles were being uploaded in real time, one after another. At a speed that made her dizzy.
[The heavy first blow of a rookie actor, Han Yeoreum’s possessed-level acting unleashed in <Strange Tales>]
[<Strange Tales> perfect until the very end, “now a cable drama you can trust and watch”]
[In the end, a happy ending... the adorable masterpiece scene of the <Strange Tales> Myungdo couple]
The click counts climbed rapidly. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the entire entertainment section of the portal sites was filled with <Strange Tales>.
The audience members who remained in the theater were still steeped in lingering emotion.
“...That was insane....”
“Does anyone have tissues. I can’t stop crying.” freewebnøvel.com
“Hey, conceptual posts are already going up. This is crazy, seriously.”
They held up their phones to look at Yeoreum’s photos saved in their galleries, shared their impressions with friends, or checked online reactions.
Watching all of this, Jegal Rok clenched his fist.
From now on, this was the real beginning.
