Vol. 1 - Ch. 5

Before I knew it, the sun had set and the early evening moon had risen.I sat in the chair next to the bed and began the morning invigorated. I asked Wang Dae-geon, who was not trustworthy due to my weakening body condition for the day, to finish the day and came up to the second floor early.

The idea was to just assess Ja-hyun’s condition and head home right away.

There was silence on the second floor.

We had a group of customers earlier, but seeing that they left without eating dinner, I thought they went to the bar.

I passed through the series of doors and stopped in front of the red-brown door.

I had no hesitation in my hand when I opened the door.

It was because I didn't think I needed to be very courteous to Ja-hyun because he was sleeping by himself inside.

I opened the door, walked a few steps into the room, and thoughtlessly turned to face the bed.

‘Uh?’

I opened my mouth in a daze.

This was because there was one more person besides me in the room where I thought there would be no one other than Ja-hyun.

‘That person…’

I saw a huge man standing quietly next to the bed where Ja-hyun was sleeping.

With the moonlight streaming through the window, it wasn't too hard to tell who the other person was, even though it was dark because the lights weren't on.

He was Mu Myung.

A few days ago, the same guy ran out of the guesthouse without even giving me time to speak.

“Don’t come closer.”

As I was about to step closer, Mu Myung warned me in a low tone.

A little later, I realized that he was holding something long in his right hand. It was this bronze statue hilt, which I had seen before.

As I moved my gaze along with the statue, I couldn’t help but believe what I saw.

This was because Mu Myung, and not someone else, was aiming at Ja-hyun’s throat with the end of the sword blade.

I blinked several times to see if I was seeing things, but the scene in front of my eyes refused to change.

The benefactor of MC was trying to kill him in front of me?

‘Just what happened…?’

I gulped without realizing it.

A desperate crisis, which didn’t appear in the novel, was happening here. And that too by the most unexpected person.

I can assure you that this was a scene that never appeared in <Return of the Heavenly Demon>.

“W-wait a minute.”

I hurriedly called out to Mu Myung.

“What is happening here?”

“…”

“But he is the one you saved. Then why…”

“…”

“Just calm down and put it aside. Okay?”

I tried my best to look calm, but Mu Myung never responded to me.

Mu Myung just stared at Ja-hyun without even looking at me.

But the tip of the stone sword seemed sharper as it aimed for Ja-hyun, so I couldn’t even get close to him.

“perhaps…”

Suddenly, Mu Myung opened his mouth.

I, who was the only one looking at the blade, suddenly raised my head. I could see that Mu Myung was really troubled with all this.

And after a while, Mu Myung spoke.

“Maybe I will regret this day for the rest of my life.”

“…”

The hoarse voice sounded as if someone had strangled him.

“But… he is still too young.”

Mu Myung took the stone blade.

The decorations on the hilt jingled as it moved.

“Hehe. I guess I am getting older too. I am also getting weak-hearted.”

Immediately, Mu Myung turned around and stood facing me with the moonlight on his back.

He said it with a determined face.

“I guess I will just have to leave.”

“…”

I was about to ask him why he threatened Ja-hyun, but I had the premonition that I wouldn’t get an answer back, so I just stared in silence.

“if I stay here any longer, my resolve might waver.”

“What is that?”

I opened my mouth, unsure, but Mu Myung didn’t answer it.

“Thank you. Please stay healthy and happy.”

Passing by me, Mu Myung added the word.

“That boy… Get him out of here as soon as he opens his eyes. It will do you good.”

“…”

“Good people should live long. Ahem, of course.”

I didn’t answer.

Instead, I just looked as he walked away.

Every time he took a step, a jingle sound came.

The sound that had been ringing clearly in the hallway gradually became quieter and soon turned inaudible.

Left alone in silence, I fell into deep thought.

What did Mu Myung mean by saying such a thing? It sounded like something meaningful was foreshadowing, and if it was ominous, I wanted to think carefully about what exactly it meant.

Mu Myung is the one who saves the life of the MC.

There was a time when I suspected that he was the dark side of the <Return of the Heavenly Demon>, but of course, that was a joke, and I firmly believed that if he were to reappear in the future, he would be an ally to the MC.

But he himself left behind just the hostile feelings toward the MC.

No matter how hard I wrecked my mind, I couldn’t even figure out what was happening.

“Ah, this is bad. What is…”

I sighed out, then went and stood in the exact same spot where Mu Myung had been standing a moment ago.

Looking down from that place, Ja-hyun was just sleeping there with a peaceful face like any other day.

‘Could it be that Ja-hyun realized that he was Jeok Mu-rin in the past?’

According to the Demonic Cult leader’s rules, he couldn’t be a good person at heart.

If Mu Myung were a monk in real life, he might have recognized Ja-hyun’s previous life as Jeok Mu-rin. So, I guess he was worried about whether or not to kill him.

Still, it wasn't a completely understandable conclusion, so I made more guesses in my mind and brought the chair, which had been pushed out far away, closer to the bed and sat down.

‘Sleeping well, I see.’

A steady breath could be heard.

‘… thank goodness.’

That alone gave me a sense of security that everything is going as it should. What came to me next was a sense of relief.

Ja-hyun must not die.

He was the MC of the <Return of the Heavenly Demon> for a reason, but more than that, I needed him for Eun-young's and my future.

Likewise, the content of the original work shouldn’t have been twisted yet.

When Ja-hyun is ready to leave the guest house, that is the exact moment when the twin is needed.

“…!”

I inhaled sharply.

As I was removing the back of my hand where I had placed it to measure his temperature, Ja-hyun’s eyelashes fluttered gracefully, and then he opened his blurry eyes and looked at me.

I was so surprised that I almost screamed.

“You are awake!”

But before I could even say it, Ja-hyun’s face passed over my shoulder. My guess was that it was in the direction Mu Myung vanished.

“…”

“That….”

“….”

Did he feel something that threatened him and was no longer present?

Ja-hyun, who regained his calm complexion, closed his eyes without time to stop him.

‘Uh?’

Uh? What? Is this really the end? That is all.

“Y-yah!”

“…”

“Open your eyes! Do you not hear me?”

I tried calling him desperately, but it was of no use.

Ja-hyun's eyelids remained tightly closed, and he didn't consider opening them again, even after a considerable amount of time had passed and I, saddened, had left the room.

It has already been 6 days since the MC, Ja-hyun, came to the guest house.

Under the ominous morning sun, I walked out of the modest one-story home where the Ju sisters and their fathers resided, holding Eun-young's hand tightly.

As I crossed the somewhat desolate yard, the back of the 2-story guesthouse came into view.

I stood in front of the tiny back door towards the kitchen, asked Eun-young to understand, and moved one hand. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NovᴇlFɪre .ɴᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

As I was unlocking the door with the bundle of keys I was holding in the other hand, Eun-young, who ran to the storage shed in the corner, was standing right behind me, making a charming voice.

“Unnie, unnie.”

“Yes. What?”

“Can I just not go over to Sun Young’s aunt’s home today?”

The lock was released with a clicking sound.

I asked the question as I gathered the keys and locks.

“Why? Don’t want to go?”

“Ugh, I don’t know… The lady is nice, but…”

“But?”

“Chu Sam keeps bothering me. I am tired today, so I will rest and go there tomorrow. Okay?”

She gets tired, no matter what she does. A thought like that occurred to my head, but I didn’t say it to her.

“Well…”

Chu Sam is the grandson of the family. He is around 6 years old, one year younger than Eun-young. And despite being young, he had eyes for beauty, and he really liked to follow Eun-young around, who looks exactly like me.

Unfortunately for Chu Sam, Eun-young seemed to find it annoying.

“What do you plan on doing at home alone if you don’t go there? You will get bored.”

I let Eun-young in through the door first. As I was following her in, Eun-young stopped, turned back to me,

“I want to stay with unnie today.”

“But I am busy.”

“No, not you, unnie.”

Eun-young shook her head, excited.

I couldn’t believe what she said-not unnie, but unnie? What did that even mean?

Eun-young slightly frowned at my look, but then raised her hand and pointed to the ceiling.

“That sick unnie up there. Since you are busy, I will take care of that sick unnie for today.”

“…”

Aha. So that is what it was.

Only then did I understand what Eun-young meant.

At the same time, I felt troubled. Where do I even begin to explain it to her? Since I caught her playing with a kitchen knife once before, I stopped her from entering the kitchen as much as possible, so I walked her to the first floor of the guesthouse.

When I looked around, there was no one in the kitchen.

That bastard, Wang Dae-geon, seemed to be at the bar with Ju Cheol-rim last night, so he would be coming late.

I noticed early that even the firewood wasn’t cut. I wasn’t even sure if he brought any water.

I clicked my tongue and looked at Eun-young, who was sitting on a chair, and wiggled her feet.

“Eun-young.”

“What?”

“First, that person is an oppa (referred to by women as men), not a unnie.”

“For real?”

“Yes.”

“But, um… He is prettier than unnie.”

“It has nothing to do with being pretty. He is a man, so just call him oppa.”

Ja-hyun seems attractive to the other kids, in my opinion. They wouldn't be saying this if they had ever seen his nude physique.

Ja-hyun was frequently mistaken for a girl up to the beginning of the book, before he completely matured.

When I saw that and his face, he did seem reasonably pretty.

When I saw him, I felt surprised beyond my imagination at how amazing he looked.

Although I was a well-known beauty in the Jang-yang village, I could never compare to Ja-hyun.

If I had to compare us…Wouldn’t it be possible to say that it is a firefly in front of the sun or a spring in front of the sea?

“And Eun-young cannot look after Oppa.”

“Why? You do it.”

“Unnie is an adult, but Eun-young is still a child. You are not going to nurse someone else already.”

“I am not a child.”

Eun-young puffed out her cheeks.

I looked down at her with the swollen round cheeks with a lot of affection.

‘This is what it means to be like a child.’

I could understand Eun-young’s desire to follow everything her unnie did, but it was impossible to leave a lively kid next to a sick person all day. This is especially true for patients who haven’t even opened their eyes yet.

“No.”

I shook my head firmly.

“Why?”

“How can you put yourself next to a suspicious person? What if he suddenly opens his eyes and does something bad?”

“He wouldn’t….”

“And how do you know that?”

Anyway, I knew it wouldn’t work out, and I emphatically spoke.

Eun-young fell on the table and ended up pretending to cry.

I passed by her, pretending not to see her.

“Unnie is going to check on that oppa’s condition, so wait here calmly, understand?”

“…”

No answer came back. It seemed like she was sulking.

But I had no time to comfort her, so I took the stairs to the 2^nd floor alone, leaving Eun-young alone on the first floor.