Chapter 1
It Hurts So Much…
The morning sunlight settled softly, and everything was quiet.
In a small forest a few li away from Pungjeong Town (楓亭鎮), two shadows staggered forward, running desperately ahead. The dawn dew clinging to the tips of the leaves soon soaked their clothes through.
“Big brother Daho…! I can’t run anymore….”
So Cheong-yeong (蘇青媖) staggered, gasping for breath.
So Daho (蘇大虎) glanced back, listening intently to the sounds around them. Without hesitation, he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward.
“Just hold on a little longer! We’ll see the city gate soon! Once we reach the relay station, we can get a carriage!”
Cheong-yeong nodded and let herself be pulled along by him. But her legs felt as heavy as lead, and her mind was completely blank, unable to think of anything. Overwhelming exhaustion washed over her, leaving her utterly drained.
With one hand, Daho tightly gripped the luggage they carried on his back; with the other, he held Cheong-yeong’s hand firmly as he ran. Even so, he couldn’t hide his anxiety and kept glancing back.
“Cheong-yeong, just a bit more! We’re almost there!”
When the gates of Pungjeong Town finally came into view in the distance, a flicker of hope rose in his chest.
“Mm…!”
Cheong-yeong forced her unsteady body to follow his steps mechanically. Branches and leaves brushed against her skirt, tangling through her loose hair.
Then—
“There! They’re over there!”
“Hurry! Chase them!”
Voices echoed from all around the forest. The chaotic sound of footsteps crunching dry branches and fallen leaves rang out clearly.
“Brother, they’re chasing us!”
Cheong-yeong turned her head at the sounds behind them. In that instant, her heart sank, and fear flooded her entire body.
“Cheong-yeong, run faster!”
At that moment, Daho cursed the fact that he had only two legs.
The two of them sprinted forward with all their strength, running like mad. The town entrance was only a few dozen steps away. Once inside the village, the narrow alleys would make it much safer to hide.
“Hmph! Let’s see how far you can run!”
The pursuers closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
“Brother! Go! Hurry!”
“Cheong-yeong, you run first—”
Thud!
Cheong-yeong was struck hard on the back of the head and lost consciousness on the spot.
“Cheong-yeong!!”
It was a very long dream.
In the dream, she ran and ran, her throat burning with unbearable anguish. She could clearly hear her own ragged breathing in her ears. Then someone desperately called her name—there was deep sorrow woven into that voice.
Finally, unable to endure the thirst any longer, she woke from the dream.
Her throat was bone-dry and stinging. Only after swallowing several times did she manage to slowly open her eyes.
“Ugh…”
She had barely moved when a violent pain throbbed through the back of her head. Overwhelmed by the agony, Cheong-yeong shut her eyes tightly again, unable to move. The pain spread from the back of her head to her face, making her cheek twitch several times.
Why does it hurt this much…?
After calming her breathing for a while, she reached back with her eyes still closed and felt the back of her head. It was swollen. A faint heat rose to her fingertips. She pressed it gently.
“Ow!”
A sharp pain shot through her, enough to make her teeth chatter.
Cheong-yeong endured the pain and carefully rubbed her scalp with her fingertips. Rough, dry strands of hair tangled between her fingers. She lightly pinched the hair and rubbed it, then spread her fingers wide and pulled it forward.
Huh? Why is it so long?
Her hair had originally been a neat bob that reached her shoulders. Cheong-yeong’s eyes flew open as she stared blankly at the long, coarse hair tangled in her hand.
Just then, several irritating voices came from outside the room.
“Mother, please, I’m begging you. You’ve known Daho since he was a child—you know what kind of person he is…!”
“Hmph! Can a person’s character feed you or clothe you? Fine. If that brat Daho can bring me fifty nyang, I’ll throw away my pride and personally go to the Yeo family and cancel the engagement, then marry Cheong-yeong off to him immediately!”
“Mother, how could Daho possibly come up with fifty nyang….”
“If he can’t even manage that much, then keep your mouth shut!”
“Grandmother, that’s too much!”
“That’s not too much? A pauper with nothing to his name wants to take someone else’s daughter for free? Hmph—dream on!”
“Mother, please!”
“Grandmother, please!”
“Enough! All of you, move aside! Instead of wasting time here, go work in the fields! The sun is already high—what kind of laziness is this? How long do you think an old woman and an outsider should keep feeding all of you?!”
Listening to the commotion outside, Cheong-yeong felt her head begin to throb again. Her already parched throat now stung painfully. Yet the noise outside showed no sign of stopping.
Her brows knit tightly from the pounding headache. A fly could have landed between them and been crushed. Finally unable to endure it, she kept her eyes closed, reached out, grabbed whatever was within reach, and hurled it toward the door.
Bang!
The sound was shockingly loud.
The noisy voices outside fell silent instantly.
And just like that, Cheong-yeong fainted again.
* * *
Several days later, after being forced to swallow bitter medicine again and again, Cheong-yeong finally managed to open her eyes once more.
Creak—
The wooden door opened carefully, and a small head peeked inside.
“Sister…”
Turning her head, she saw her youngest sister, So Cheong-haeng (蘇青杏).
Lying on the bed, Cheong-yeong smiled softly at the sight of her. Cheong-haeng’s face immediately lit up, and she ran straight over to the bed.
Then another small head cautiously appeared behind her.
It was a young boy holding a rough porcelain bowl carefully with both hands. Only after confirming that Cheong-yeong was awake did he let out a sigh of relief. Without taking his eyes off the bowl, he followed behind the girl step by step into the room.
“Sister, have some porridge.”
It was Cheong-haeng’s twin brother, So Cheong-yang (蘇青楊), speaking in a surprisingly mature tone.
“Alright.”
Cheong-yeong smiled and accepted the bowl from him.
Cheong-haeng leaned against the edge of the bed, her eyes sparkling.
“Sister, brother and I blew on it to cool it down. It’s not hot—it’s just right. Hurry and eat!”
Cheong-yeong smiled again at her innocent tone. Watching nearby, Cheong-yang added quietly,
“Sister, don’t rush. Eat slowly.”
Cheong-haeng pouted at her twin, then spoke again,
“They said you have to eat the porridge before you can take the medicine.”
Cheong-yang nodded solemnly.
“You’re not fully healed yet, so eat slowly. If you move too much, it’ll hurt.”
At her brother’s words, Cheong-haeng looked at her sister with worry and added softly,
“That’s right. Eat slowly. After the porridge, take your medicine. Mother’s been boiling it since early morning. Brother and I stayed right there watching. If you take the medicine, you’ll get better soon!”
Even as she said that, Cheong-haeng stared at Cheong-yeong with lingering tension on her face. After days of seeing her sister lie silent without speaking, the child had clearly been frightened.
Cheong-yeong nodded quietly and brought the bowl to her lips, drinking the porridge slowly. Just as the children said, it had cooled to the perfect temperature.
As she ate, she studied her siblings. Though they were six years old, they looked more like four or five—small, with thin limbs and gaunt faces devoid of baby fat. Yet these frail children had been helping their parents care for their injured sister with such devotion.
The twins sat side by side at the edge of the bed, their large eyes fixed on her without blinking for even a moment.
Cheong-yeong sighed quietly inside, but outwardly she smiled and finished the porridge slowly.
When she emptied the bowl, the twins beamed, quickly took it from her hands, and hurried outside. Soon, they returned carrying another bowl filled with medicinal decoction.
Cheong-yeong took it and swallowed the bitter liquid in one go. The bitterness spread through her mouth, making her squeeze her eyes shut. Even her breath seemed to taste bitter.
When she opened her eyes again, the twins were staring at her with clear, unblinking eyes. Their small faces were scrunched up just like hers, as if they themselves had swallowed the bitter medicine.
Seeing that, Cheong-yeong couldn’t help but laugh.
She reached out and gently stroked their heads. The twins brightened instantly and scooted closer, nearly pressing their faces against hers.
“Sister, hurry and eat this! If you eat it, the bitterness will go away.”
Cheong-yang held out a small piece of malt candy wrapped in paper.
Cheong-yeong looked at his tiny hand. The brown candy piece, barely bigger than her thumbnail, was wrapped in rough yellowed paper.
Just then, she noticed Cheong-haeng quietly swallow her saliva as she stared at the candy. Without hesitation, Cheong-yeong brought it to her sister’s lips. But Cheong-yang quickly pulled his sister aside and said,
“Sister! The medicine is bitter, so you should eat it! Big brother Daho gave it to me secretly. Grandma doesn’t know. So hurry and eat it. We’re fine.”
Cheong-haeng also forced her gaze away from the candy and shook her small head repeatedly.
“That’s right! Sister, I’m fine. You eat it.”
She pressed her lips together tightly.
Under her brother’s reproachful look, Cheong-haeng lowered her head and quietly scraped the floor with the tip of her shoe, as if she had done something terribly wrong. The sight made Cheong-yeong’s heart ache.
Inside the paper was only a single small piece of candy. After a moment of hesitation, she finally put it in her mouth. The sweetness spread, slowly washing away the lingering bitterness.
“Is there more candy? If there is, you two should share it later.”
Cheong-yang shook his head at first, then nodded again.
“There’s more. But Cheong-haeng and I don’t need to eat it now. After you finish taking your medicine, then we’ll eat it. Big brother Daho said he’d buy more once it’s all gone.”
He said this while clutching the yellow paper bag tightly in his hand.
Cheong-yeong spoke softly,
“From now on, don’t accept things from big brother Daho. His family isn’t well-off either.”
“I didn’t want to, but he forced it on me….”
Cheong-yang hesitated after speaking, then glanced at her.
“Sister, don’t worry! Mother said she’ll send big brother Daho more vegetables next time!”
Cheong-haeng quickly chimed in.
Cheong-yeong thought quietly for a moment, then nodded.
Later… I’ll find some way to repay him.
