EP.18 Wei Xueya, The Memory of That Day.
Wei Xueya occasionally had strange dreams, like the one today.
A dream where she wielded a sword on a night with a fading moon.
Wei Xueya considered such dreams to be nightmares.
Too many people died by the sword she swung. Yet, she seemed entirely unfazed while watching it.
It was terrifying to see people so consumed with anger, but the her in the dream didn't seem to care about such things.
It was a pretty sword.
It looked just like the one her grandfather had shown her a long time ago.
Grandfather hated me holding a sword. I imitated it in front of him hoping for praise, but got scolded severely.
And that day, Grandfather cried.
It was my first time seeing Grandfather cry.
Seeing that, I promised I would never play with swords again.
Only then did Grandfather stop crying.
He stopped crying, but Grandfather is always crying.
Others use difficult words like benevolent? Gentle? But only I knew.
Grandfather is always crying.
Grandfather always tells me he's sorry. What could be so sorry about? Seol-ah is happy.
Is it something like what the older sisters tell me every day: 'You're still young, so you don't need to know'? I don't want to be young...
The her in the dream is tall. Her hair is much longer, too.
Unlike me with black hair, her hair is white.
Her face was pretty, too.
The older sisters and brothers tell me I'm pretty, but the me in the dream is too pretty.
Can I become like that too?
So, suddenly, I thought of the Young Master.
'The Young Master never tells me I'm pretty...'
After tying my hair, everyone said it was pretty, so I hurriedly went to boast to the Young Master.
But the Young Master quickly avoided my eyes.
Am I not pretty in the Young Master's eyes...?
The Young Master is a kind Young Master.
He was the first friend my age I met after living only with Grandfather.
When I first saw him, he was a friend, but Grandfather said I should now call him Young Master.
He said we couldn't be friends. That I'd get in trouble...
So, he is the Young Master.
The Young Master looked scary when I first saw him, but when I gathered the courage to talk to him, he was a good person.
He ate my potato, told me it was delicious, and even gave me yakgwa. I was amazed when I ate yakgwa for the first time.
Yakgwa was much tastier than potatoes. I haven't eaten potatoes since.
The Young Master gives me yakgwa every day.
It would be good if he ate some too, but the Young Master says he hates sweet things.
But when I asked the older sisters, they said the Young Master likes sweet things.
They said he ate them every day before I came. Then is he lying now just to give them to me?
He seems to like mandu, though...
Yesterday, he brought yakgwa and mandu too. I also saw the Young Master smile for the first time in a while.
Seeing the Young Master smile made my heart hurt for some reason.
When I went and told Grandfather, Grandfather stared at the Young Master with scary eyes. It was my first time seeing Grandfather make such eyes.
Yesterday, the Young Master smiled at me and said that as I kept snacking, my face was getting rounder.
....Meanie, I'm not going to eat yakgwa anymore.
'....'
Ah, it's not that I won't eat them, I'll just eat tw-two of them.
Such a Young Master occasionally, very occasionally, makes the same expression as Grandfather when looking at me.
Even when he first saw me on the street.
Even when the big doggies appeared while riding the carriage.
The eyes looking at me held the same face as Grandfather's.
Why is that? I am happy.
Do the Young Master and Grandfather think I'm unhappy?
I don't know.
The dream continued, but today's nightmare was a bit different. I usually wake up around this time, but this time it was a place I'd never seen before.
The nightmare kept going on and on, and then I entered a house.
Inside, there were many angry people just like the ones I was fighting earlier.
I fought again.
Blood was smeared all over my body. I seemed to be hurt a lot. Am I not in pain?
I must be very strong. Even though an incredible number of people rushed at me, I defeated them all and went forward.
It felt like the stories Grandfather told me before bed. In Grandfather's stories, Grandfather was the strongest.
It was the kind of story where he said hundreds came and he defeated all the bad guys... I thought it was a lie, but was it real?
Like that, I went forward for a long time and met a man.
A kind-looking man. But unknowingly, he was somehow scary.
'Why did you do that?'
The me in the dream spoke. A pretty voice matching her pretty face. Can I really become like that when I grow up too...?
At my words, the scary man who looked kind spoke.
'Seol-ah... You came to save me...'
'Shut up, don't call me with that filthy mouth, tell me, since when was it?'
'What...'
'I know everything so don't play tricks. I'm holding back the urge to split you in half and kill you right now. Answer me straight.'
S-scary...!
To look so pretty and yet speak so terrifyingly... I must never speak like that when I grow up.
Is it because of my words? The face of the scary man, who looked kind, changes.
Now he's become a scary-looking scary man...!
'Ah, did you notice this...? What a shame, it would have worked if I just had a little more time.'
'You...!'
'It's still fine. This much is enough.'
Crack crack-
A strange sound came from the scary man. His body gradually changing was too grotesque.
'It's too late, Seol-ah. You should have noticed sooner.'
The man's body grows bigger and bigger. I rush at him, intending to fight.
It was the same pretty sword as before, but it didn't work on the man.
'What...!'
I was startled. Then, something shot out from the man's body...!
Gasp!
It pierced my body...!! Something sharp pierced through my body.
Unlike my fast movements earlier, it seems I couldn't dodge the man's attack.
The man threw me aside just like that. Boom! I flew and crashed into a wall.
It was so scary. It was so grotesque that I didn't want to see it, and I wanted to wake up from the dream.
Hurry up and wake up...! I don't want to see this... Please...!!
Why am I having such a dream? It was too scary of a dream.
The me in the dream with a pierced body slowly dies.
I wanted to call Grandfather. Grandfather might be able to save me. Grandfather is strong.
Then, the me in the dream says something.
What is she saying?
'...I won't.'
It was a voice too small to hear.
The scary man approaches from afar. What do I do? What should I do...?
The scary man came in front of me and said.
'Truly stupid, right? You, Seol-ah, and that bastard too. Especially that bastard is the most idiotic, putting someone above himself for mere scum like that.'
At the man's words, I shed tears.
Who is that bastard? Who is he talking about? It's my dream, but I hated that I couldn't do anything.
The man tries to do something to me again. It was something like the blade that pierced me earlier.
'If you get to see him, tell him. That you lived a truly trash-like life.'
'I'm sorry... I'm sorry.'
At the man's words, I apologized. But it didn't seem like I was apologizing to the man.
Who am I apologizing to...?
Then, the man swings something sharp at me.
I squeezed my eyes shut because I didn't want to see.
"Heek!"
Fortunately, I woke up from the dream like that.
My back was damp. It felt like it was all sweat.
Looking to the side, Grandfather's spot was empty. He must have already gone out to work.
The dream was too scary. It felt like something I had actually experienced, so I didn't want to be alone.
Was that why?
....Strangely, I suddenly wanted to see the Young Master.
******************
It was the next day after returning from the Hao Men.
Since the amount of dumplings I ate was a bit much, I was just thinking about doing some lower body training after waking up.
"I am Gu Juelie. I request a sparring match with a blood relative of the main family."
But who is this guy again...?
As soon as I opened the door, a strange guy abruptly said.
Measuring his age, he seemed to be around my peer, and a sharp jawline along with the insolent eye shape unique to the Gu family caught my eye.
What was irritating was that he was extremely handsome.
His surname being Gu, his eye shape, or his red pupils seemed to prove he was a blood relative of the Gu family, but...
He was not the Patriarch's blood relative, at least.
For a moment, I wondered if he was my father's hidden son, but as far as I knew, there wasn't any.
"Who are you?"
So who is he. He looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn't remember well.
When I expressed my questioning, not knowing who he was, the face of this guy named Gu Juelie or whatever slightly frowned.
Did I make a mistake? But I really don't know...
My question was resolved by the Second Elder who abruptly appeared.
"Isn't it Juelie? Why are you here?"
Why are *you* here, you old man...
I was bothered by the Second Elder who seemed to be appearing often lately, but it was obvious he wouldn't even listen if I brought it up, so I didn't bother.
Gu Juelie showed respect to the Second Elder.
"I greet the Second Elder."
"Yes, it's been a while, has it been about a year?"
"Have you been well in the meantime?"
"This old man is always doing well, hahaha! Have you been well too?"
"...No, don't suddenly start having a chit-chat in my room."
So who is he.
As I kept tilting my head, the Second Elder looked at me with a pathetic expression.
"Yang Chen, do you really not recognize him?"
"So I've been wondering about it for about the third time now."
"What should we do with you, your memory is worse than a fish's."
Why is this old man picking a fight first thing in the morning...?
"Who else is Juelie? He's the First Elder's grandson."
At the Second Elder's words, I looked at Gu Juelie. First Elder, you say...
'That strict and irritating old man.'
Duiling Rejian (兌零熱劍) Gu Changjun. He was an uncle to my father, and a granduncle to me, but...
He wasn't someone I held particularly good feelings for.
The Second Elder, who came to see me right away, was burdensome at the forefront, but behind that, he was definitely someone I held gratitude towards.
Because he was one of the few who never gave up on me until the end.
But the First Elder was different.
He had a lot to say, but he was someone I didn't particularly want to remember.
"Anyway, the First Elder's grandson?"
"You must have seen each other a few times, do you not know?"
Even if he said that, it was a distant memory. The other party seemed to remember me, but I didn't have it in my memory.
Perhaps feeling bad about that, Gu Juelie's lip corners trembled slightly.
Seeing that, I quickly apologized.
"No, I'm sor..."
"Of course you would. After getting beaten so severely, it makes sense you'd want to forget out of shame."
What the fuck, this bastard?
"However, for you to be exactly the same as you were back then even after time has passed... I came after hearing the rumors, but it's still disappointing."
"Second Elder."
"...Why?"
"Looks like this kid is indeed the First Elder's grandson, they're exactly the same! Totally."
"...."
The Second Elder didn't answer, but looking at his expression, it felt like he deeply resonated.
He was exactly the same as the First Elder in my memory. Regardless of what I said, he continued speaking as if he didn't particularly care.
"Huuuuu, tormenting the weak does not fit my nature, but this too is unavoidable... Once again, I request a sparring match with a blood relative of the main family..."
"Young Master...!!"
The one who interrupted Gu Juelie's words and appeared was Wei Xueya.
"Crazy."
I didn't know why, but Wei Xueya was half-soaked. Her wet clothes revealed Wei Xueya's skin.
Whatever was so urgent, she was even barefoot without any shoes on.
I immediately grabbed a blanket and wrapped it tightly around Wei Xueya.
"What are you doing! What if someone sees you?"
"Young Master! I'm here... I had a dream, you see..."
"First Young Master."
Gu Juelie interrupted Wei Xueya who was about to continue speaking. Shifting my gaze to Gu Juelie, the bastard's two eyes were fixed on Wei Xueya.
Gu Juelie's shaking pupils and slightly reddened face caught my eye.
"W-who might this person be?"
...Look at this bastard?