Reincarnator’s Stream

Chapter 209

Under the moonlight, Baek Lidan closed his eyes with a boulder as large as a house on his shoulder.

Despite the cool weather, his body was drenched as if he had been caught in the rain. He had been in this state for several hours already.

*Tap, tap.*

Though his surroundings were silent and his eyelids were shut, he felt as though he was in flames.

The burning manor. The heat of the flames. Blood blackened by the searing heat.

And a man looking down at him amidst that hell.

This man spoke, as Baek Lidan lay prostrate on the ground.

“Why didn’t you resist?”

Un Cheon-guk.

The Lord of this fortress and the one responsible for destroying his sect.

As a young novice, there was only one thing Baek Lidan could say to him.

“Sa-, save, save me.”

He had begged for his life.

Even as he watched his sect burn and his senior brothers and master perish, he hadn’t dared to resist.

From the moment the battle began, he had known the outcome.

“You have good eyes. No, perhaps good intuition?”

“Save me…”

“There is only one way.”

*Swish.*

Feeling a presence drawing nearer, he looked up.

There, he saw a blood-stained hand extended by Un Cheon-guk.

“Come to me.”

With the hand smeared with the blood of his brothers.

“If you swear to be a dog that eats my pay, does the work I assign, and shows absolute loyalty, I will spare your life.”

He had invited him to the Divine Dragon Group.

*Swish.*

Slowly, Baek Lidan’s eyes opened. Once again, he had replayed the events of that day.

He must not forget. The moment he forgets that day, he would become a living dead man.

*Crack, crackle.*

*Crack.*

Fissures began to form in the boulder on his shoulder. Bits and pieces of the fragmented rock began to fall to the ground, then it exploded.

*Boom!*

The boulder, as large as a house, was crushed in his hands, and Baek Lidan’s eyes glowed bright red.

“Un Cheon-guk.”

Amidst the rising dust, he muttered two names.

“Un Hyang.”

He would make them miserable.

If Un Cheon-guk was difficult to reach, he would bring ruin to everything related to him.

Even if she was the Heavenly Demon’s daughter, it didn’t matter.

No.

Because she was the Heavenly Demon’s daughter, he had to do it even more.

Un Hyang’s downfall would surely drag Un Cheon-guk into the abyss.

His moderately heated body screamed for action, telling him it was just the beginning.

But despite his urges, there was a reason he had to suppress his immediate desires.

‘Soon, maybe tomorrow. At the latest, within two days.’

Un Cheon-guk would return soon.

Thinking about the life he had lived for this day, this small amount of patience was nothing.

He had turned half of the warriors of the Divine Dragon Group, including the White Wolf Division, into his followers.

Most importantly, Un Hyang was now in his grasp.

Now, he really had a chance.

Just imagining cutting Un Cheon-guk’s throat and desecrating his corpse brought indescribable joy to Baek Lidan.

At that moment, his sharpened senses detected a group approaching.

“What is it?”

If they were interrupting his training, it must be significant.

One of the warriors from the White Wolf Division handed him a dry towel and replied.

“The lady has disappeared.”

“That bitch wandering off at night isn’t the first time.”

“Lee Suhyuk is also missing.”

At these additional words, Baek Lidan’s expression changed dramatically.

“Those damn wretches…”

He had anticipated this possibility.

From the moment Lee Suhyuk had arrived at the Divine Dragon Group, he had predicted something like this might happen.

That’s why he had left a warning.

If they entertained any foolish ideas, he wouldn’t let it slide.

“Find them.”

The passion he had barely contained began to boil over again.

It had bothered him for a reason; eventually, they caused trouble.

“Find them immediately. Bring them to me.”

* * *

Time seemed to pause under the moonlight.

Lee Suhyuk, his mask half removed, smiled at her for the first time.

Though he didn’t say it aloud, she knew.

He was extending his hand to her once more. Asking her to come back with him.

“This is probably the spot with the best view.”

Putting his mask back on, Suhyuk sat next to Un Hyang.

He looked around slowly and nodded.

“Indeed. The higher places are still the best.”

Un Hyang, who sat side by side, trembled slightly.

It was her first time sitting so close to Suhyuk. No, it was also the first time they sat side by side.

“How did you find this place?”

“I diligently searched for it.”

Suhyuk, who had answered nonchalantly, changed his words as if embarrassed.

“Actually, Cheon Ryang told me. I asked him to help me find you, Un Hyang.”

At the mention of Cheon Ryang, Un Hyang’s eyes trembled finely.

Did he hear anything? What would Suhyuk have thought upon seeing Cheon Ryang trapped in that dark and damp prison?

Suhyuk said nothing. He was still looking down at the view of the Divine Dragon Group.

“The view is nice, but it’s a bit noisy.”

Somewhere inside the fortress, it was noisy.

The warriors of the Divine Dragon Group, including the White Wolf group, were roaming inside the fortress with torches.

The atmosphere was tense.

“Do you really like this house?”

“Yes.”

Un Hyang answered in the same way as before.

“I like it. Because it’s my house.”

But Suhyuk didn’t believe her words.

“Only someone who lies says something like that. If you push an unreasonable lie too far, it becomes obvious, you know?”

Are you really going to keep insisting?

Suhyuk’s eyes behind the mask asked. To not lose against those eyes, Un Hyang clenched her fists tightly.

“It’s not unreasonable.”

“What do you like about this house? Tell me.”

“That’s…”

Even though she tried to answer, she found it difficult to find words. It was hard to make up something that didn’t exist, and even harder to speak it out loud.

“I knew it.”

Suhyuk spoke as if saying ‘see?’

“See, you can’t say a single word.”

“…If you ask so suddenly, of course I can’t think of anything.”

“Isn’t it because you have nothing to say?”

“Is it that strange that I like my own house?”

“You know who I met, don’t you?”

At Suhyuk’s question, Un Hyang recalled that he had met Baek Lidan during the day.

What conversation did they have?

What kind of conversation made Suhyuk so certain?

“Is it really so bad that you don’t want to be my manager because you like this place so much?”

Suhyuk did not back down. Persistently, he clung to his resolve.

Do you really hate it that much?

No way. That couldn’t be.

Yes, I really don’t want it. She needed to answer that, but she couldn’t say this above all else.

Why was he doing this? Did he really need a manager? If it was for that reason, he could easily find someone better.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

If he truly considered her as a comrade.

And if he could save her from this cruel fate, she would be willing to do anything.

Suhyuk kept letting her dream. But dreams could never last forever.

So she needed to answer. Yes. I don’t want to.

But before Un Hyang could give a hesitant answer, Suhyuk spoke first.

“You don’t have to say anything. True feelings often come out in facial expressions before words.”

Feeling unfair from having her feelings revealed, Un Hyang spoke.

“…And yet, Suhyuk-nim, you always hide behind a mask.”

“Maybe I want to hide my true feelings, too.”

As he said this, Suhyuk slightly lifted his mask.

“That’s why I showed it only to you, my manager, didn’t I?”

The face behind the mask was brightly smiling.

And more than any persuasion, Suhyuk’s words and expression shook Un Hyang’s heart.

With each conversation, what she believed was firm resolve began to melt. Trembling, Un Hyang closed her eyes tightly.

‘I can’t win.’

She gave up.

In truth, she always knew.

Maybe others didn’t know, but she could never beat Suhyuk with words.

The more they talked, the more it became clear that she couldn’t face him with lies anymore.

So now, she had to be honest.

That was the only way to send him away.

“…I didn’t come here because I wanted to. I came here because I had to.”

For the first time since returning to the fortress, Un Hyang spoke her true feelings.

The two people, who had been running in parallel, finally started talking while looking at the same place.

“Because you had to?”

“Yes. Anyone has something they need to take responsibility for, don’t they? It’s the same for me.”

“What is that?”

“Everyone except me.”

That everyone, of course, included Suhyuk.

“That is much more important to me than myself.”

Worried that she might cause concern, Un Hyang hurriedly added.

“Oh, but don’t worry too much. You wouldn’t understand, Suhyuk-nim. This has always been my life, and it has always been my fight.”

Un Hyang believed in fate.

From the moment she was born as the heir of this grand fortress, and from the moment she discovered the secret that she was the daughter of the Heavenly Demon, she was pushed by fate.

She couldn’t resist or oppose it.

“It’s nothing new. It’s a fight we’ve been having for a long time. We can get through it. So, Suhyuk-nim.”

So.

“Until now… Really… Thank you.”

Now, it was really time to say goodbye.

*Plop.*

Tears fell from Un Hyang’s eyes as she bowed her head in farewell. She bowed deeply, not just as a gesture of respect but to hide her tears.

Once the tears started, they didn’t stop, continuously streaming down.

She tried not to think about it, but the more she did, the more good memories floated up like pictures.

It had been so enjoyable. The times with Cheon Ryang and Lee Suhyuk had been wonderful.

She was grateful just to have had those times.

So, she believed she could endure. She believed the time spent with them would always lift her up.

“Why…”

Lee Suhyuk looked down at Un Hyang, who was shedding tears with her head bowed.

“…do you think you are the only one making sacrifices?”

He recalled Cheon Ryang, whom he had seen in the prison.

The two were sacrificing themselves for each other. One was giving up his entire life, while the other was ready to throw away his own.

Because they were friends.

But their directions were gravely mistaken.

If they were friends. If they were comrades.

They should never do that.

“Why do you think it’s all Un Hyang-ssi’s responsibility? Who decided that?”

“That’s because…”

“Have you thought about fighting?”

Suhyuk’s words struck Un Hyang’s heart like a stone.

“Have you thought about fighting?”

It was a thought she had never considered.

It was understandable.

Un Hyang wiped her tears away with her sleeve and shook her head.

“… There’s no chance of winning.”

“If there were, it sounds like you’d want to come back.”

Suhyuk’s voice softened.

Un Hyang, who had been avoiding his gaze, finally raised her head.

Even with the mask on, she could tell what expression Suhyuk had just by looking into his eyes.

He was smiling.

“Then just say that. I came here to hear those words.”

Suhyuk extended his hand.

“If it’s hard to do it alone, I’ll fight with you. If there’s no chance of winning, we’ll make one.”

As always, he spoke in a confident voice.

“Even if Un Hyang-ssi can’t do it, I can.”

“…”

Un Hyang stared at his hand.

Could it really be possible? Was it okay to take that hand?

Suddenly, she recalled a dream she had not long ago.

As always, Un Cheon-guk and the Heavenly Demon had appeared in her dream. When she was tormented by them, Suhyuk appeared in that dream.

He defeated Un Cheon-guk and the Heavenly Demon and saved her.

“Manager-nim.”

Even in that dream, he had said the same thing, just like now.

“Let’s go back.”

“There they are!”

At that moment, the warriors of the Divine Dragon Group, who had been searching the fortress frantically, discovered them.

*Clang, clang, clang.*

The exposure of their location caused the warriors to quickly converge.

Suhyuk glanced down.

The warriors were moving in an orderly fashion under commands. They were forming a siege to prevent them from escaping.

There were a lot of them. He wondered how many of the fortress’s warriors were mobilized just to find them.

‘This is excessive.’

Even if they had ignored the initial warning, this was excessive.

They hadn’t caused any particular incident, nor had they shown hostility towards the Divine Dragon Group.

Yet, hundreds of fully armed warriors had been deployed.

‘Is it not working?’

Suhyuk glanced at Un Hyang’s expression.

He couldn’t read what she was thinking. It seemed like she had been persuaded, but she hadn’t answered immediately.

There was no time.

He couldn’t just drag her along without hearing her answer.

Choosing one’s life was always a personal decision. If Un Hyang ultimately didn’t want to come, there was nothing more he could do.

“It doesn’t have to be now.”

Suhyuk stood up from where he had been sitting beside her.

“If you ever feel like fighting and change your mind, I’ll come back for you. Until then…”

*Zzt.*

Sparks sprung from Suhyuk’s fingertips.

“I’ll fight alone.”

Of course, regardless of Un Hyang’s intentions, he planned to take Cheon Ryang away.

Leaving him here was not an option. The two were injuring each other due to their deep concern for one another.

The warriors of the White Wolf Division were closing in fast.

Suhyuk placed his hand on his sword and prepared for battle.

And at that moment.

“I’ve decided.”

Un Hyang held Suhyuk’s hand.