‘Could it be that the darker the egg’s color, the more severe the trauma?’
Sim Seowoo examined his surroundings while formulating a hypothesis. Since the Hyeong Akgui wasn’t visible nearby, he speculated that perhaps it had entered the egg to intensively attack and break down Cheon Yijae. The black Ghost Energy slowly flowing out around the egg was precisely the evidence for that.
However, just because the Hyeong Akgui wasn’t there didn’t mean he could approach the Dangmok. The Ghost Energy it had mixed and spread while using the key earlier thickly surrounded the tree. It seemed to have deployed measures in advance to prevent anyone from approaching the Dangmok even if they awakened from their trauma.
“Grrr…”
The complexions of the members trapped inside the eggs gradually paled. As if their stamina also gradually dropped the more they faced their traumas, they panted, and after much deliberation, Sim Seowoo moved his steps.
The most important combat power in this field is Cheon Yijae.
So following the judgment that he needed to wake him first, he approached the pitch-black egg. Also, wasn’t he his dedicated Purifier? Whether purifying the egg or handing over the Dangmok Spirit to embrace, he extended his hand with the thought to somehow wake Cheon Yijae up…
Sluuurp—
As soon as he put his hand into the pitch-black egg, his arm was pulled in as if being devoured, followed by his entire body. Staggering at the unexpected suction and finally falling over, Sim Seowoo was flustered.
‘Wait, this isn’t what I wanted.’
Along with a dazed lament, his vision went dark.
***
Chirp chirp…
The sound of birds faintly came from far away. Though a very small cry, Sim Seowoo didn’t miss it. Not only was the sound heard amid the complete silence welcome, but the fact that it was quite peaceful grabbed his consciousness.
And starting with recognizing that sound, Sim Seowoo’s senses gradually returned. Until now, all his body’s five senses had distantly blurred as if falling into a deep dream, but the scenery before his eyes gradually became clear.
The appearance emerging from beyond the dark curtain was…
“…A two-story house?”
Sim Seowoo looked up bewilderedly at the imposingly situated two-story house. Around the extremely antique detached house, a garden was also extensively landscaped. A magnificent exterior like the textbook definition of a rich person’s house you’d only see in media.
Didn’t I enter into a trauma?
Naturally, if it was a memory that plunged people into despair, it would have been created in a harsh or desolate background, so he’d expected such scenery, but a sparkling scene completely different from expectations appeared. Though it was also because he’d woken up puzzled by the bird sounds ringing too peacefully in the first place.
Sim Seowoo tilted his head, then soon discovered someone entering the mansion and followed. A middle-aged woman dressed neatly like a servant headed to the side door, and he swiftly entered inside taking advantage of the gap while she opened the door and organized luggage.
Whatever it was, his intuition told him he needed to look inside this house. Thinking he was infiltrating quite a lot today, Sim Seowoo carefully regulated his breathing. Just as he hid by the stairs positioned beside the door, took a deep breath, and was about to examine the space further, footsteps were heard from right above.
Another person was coming down.
‘Was I caught… no?’
But though he flinched and pressed against the wall, meaninglessly that person passed by Sim Seowoo. Not pretending not to notice, but left the stairs as if unable to see his existence at all.
Sim Seowoo looked down at his body bewilderedly. Though not in a translucent state like a ghost, he confirmed he had no shadow.
Perhaps because he’d entered into a memory? Since it was the past, he could only view this place like a spectator.
While formulating various hypotheses, the conversation of servants was heard.
“Is meal preparation all complete?”
“Yes. I made it as you instructed last time!”
The man who’d come down from the stairs earlier, perhaps high-ranking among the mansion’s servants, busily walked around the kitchen checking dishes. Saying the time to send it up was almost here, he repeatedly said several times that today especially must be without mishap.
The man looked around at the servants while adjusting his glasses.
“If we serve food that doesn’t suit Young Master Yijae’s taste at this meal, it’ll be a very serious matter. Since the master and mistress have firmly instructed this matter, everyone keep it in mind!”
Following the instruction to review the food one more time finally, the servants moved in unison. Watching that scene, Sim Seowoo was engulfed in a slightly, no, quite bewildered feeling.
‘…Young Master Yijae?’
Among the various words the servant uttered, that one thing stuck in his ears. Since he’d entered Cheon Yijae’s memory anyway, that title must undoubtedly be an expression referring to Cheon Yijae, but even so, he was surprised enough to think perhaps a person with the same name existed.
Could this memory be from the past before Cheon Yijae came to Heun? Come to think of it, though he’d heard stories after he joined Heun, he’d never encountered any information about before that.
So Cheon Yijae stayed in such a magnificent two-story house in the past and was revered as a young master. While finding it fascinating, an abruptly random thought came to him.
‘He originally had picky tastes.’
He’d heard that Cheon Yijae disliked eating food because he had Aguidō abilities, but from the beginning it seemed he had fussy tastes. Though there may have been influence from the ability making him more reluctant to consume, a scene unfolded before his eyes that couldn’t be seen as only that reason.
“Here, the fruit is mushy! I told you not to serve things like this!”
“I’m sorry! I’ll prepare new ones right away!”
Nagging poured out for reasons like the fruit’s tip was bruised, discolored, etc. Sim Seowoo increasingly came to feel the tremendous weight of the incident when he’d just shoved chocolate into Cheon Yijae’s mouth in the past. It had even been cheap chocolate…
Only after the noisy inspection ended were the dishes loaded onto a serving cart. Sim Seowoo moved following the servants while touring the mansion’s interior. Though he’d been surprised at how grand it was when viewing from outside, the interior scenery was decorated like a castle and was very admirable.
His childhood had also been quite affluent, but he felt he couldn’t even dare present his business card to this place. Just as he gained the realization that there was an inherent background to Cheon Yijae’s somewhat arrogant personality—
Sim Seowoo finally discovered the past Cheon Yijae.
Sitting in a chair with a long-rising backrest inside a dining room decorated like a banquet hall, Cheon Yijae appeared to be about six years old. His fine jet-black hair was neatly groomed, and he wore young master-like clothes of a white shirt and black suspender pants.
The slightly upturned eye corners seemed to create a sharp impression even from before, but nevertheless, a clear light circled the child’s small face.
‘…He’s cute though.’
Sim Seowoo couldn’t kill the impression that suddenly arose. Though he knew he himself was weak to young children, Cheon Yijae’s childhood appearance boasted a particularly cute exterior.
The child’s round cheeks receiving sunlight pouring down from the window sparkled with vitality, especially catching his gaze. The gray eyes were also clear without faded energy. Actually, the atmosphere was so very different that if not for the two moles under the left eye, he couldn’t have been certain it was Cheon Yijae.
Unconsciously, Sim Seowoo looked for his hat. Though he’d experienced that nobody in the mansion recognized him, he wanted to cover his face anyway and fumbled with his hands, then belatedly realized he’d dropped the hat. It must have flown away earlier when the Hyeong Akgui caused the strong wind.
As he instead pulled up the robe’s hood, an adult man and woman approached beside Cheon Yijae. Those presumed to be his parents wrapped the child’s shoulders from both sides with very affectionate hands and said.
“Our precious Yijae.”
“The person joining this meal is very important, you see. You can do well today too, right?”
Though affection was abundantly contained in those voices, Sim Seowoo suddenly felt an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu. Clearly the parents’ actions were gentle and the hands straightening the child’s clothing were also careful, but…
“What Yijae needs to find out today is the story about when and where the things around the guest attached. You need to listen to everything without missing a single one and convey it.”
“…What if there are too many? It might be difficult to hear them all.”
“But will you find out everything for our sake?”
“That’s right. And this is all ultimately for our Yijae’s sake. If Yijae wants to live well with us, you need to read them all.”
Young Cheon Yijae moved his lips a couple times, then soon nodded silently.
Watching the parents’ smiles deepen at that compliance, Sim Seowoo sighed quietly. While a middle-aged businessman who entered the banquet hall afterward sat facing the family of three, laughing haha hoho and eating, it wasn’t difficult to realize what young Cheon Yijae’s gaze turning behind the man meant.
Cheon Yijae was looking at the ghost attached to the man right now.
Around the man Sim Seowoo also confirmed, ghosts had gathered in a seething mass. It seemed he’d bought resentment extraordinarily. Rather than his spiritual sight activating, since it was inside Cheon Yijae’s memory, he seemed to be sharing his vision accordingly, and from childhood his spiritual sight had properly opened so the ghosts were seen very clearly.
And it was certain that those appearances weren’t something a young child should see. One ghost had livid bruise marks on its neck as if strangled to death, another had twisted limbs as if beaten to death all over, and even a ghost swollen up as if drowned in water was visible.
However, the child estimated to be only about six years old didn’t take his eyes off the ghosts. They also recognized the living person who noticed them and wriggled wildly as if wanting to convey stories to him.
