ARWFF 02

Chapter 2

Seol-ah bit her lip, feeling a little troubled. Of all places, she had come into the mountains at night and ended up in such a predicament. It felt like something had possessed her—otherwise, there was no explanation. She knew better than anyone how dangerous the mountains were at night, having lived here all her life.

Fortunately, the man before her did not act threateningly. He kept his distance, observing the situation carefully.

After a moment of confusion, he seemed to understand.

“Have you lost your way, miss?”

His tone suggested he already grasped her circumstances.

He looked down at her quietly. At least on the surface, he appeared like a well-mannered scholar.

But a man appearing suddenly in the depths of the night mountains was not someone to trust easily. Seol-ah knew very well how cruel men could be toward women.

Still uneasy, she clenched her hands.

If he were not a bad person, perhaps she could ask for shelter for the night and return safely in the morning.

In truth, she must have looked quite strange herself—standing alone in the mountains at midnight. Had someone with a timid heart seen her, they might have mistaken her for a ghost in a white shroud. So the man’s polite question was a great kindness.

After glancing down at herself, Seol-ah answered cautiously.

“Yes… I didn’t know what to do, so I was just standing here.”

“It is not easy to find one’s way in the forest at such a late hour.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to trespass on someone else’s land… truly.”

“It’s fine. It happens often.” He paused. “More importantly, this is a bad night…”

Tzzt…

Once again, the strange sound echoed in Seol-ah’s ears. She flinched, shoulders stiffening. Her body trembled.

“Miss?”

Behind the man’s questioning voice, the sound came again—more distinct this time. It was like something dragging, a sharp static-like noise. The sound struck her eardrums, and she swallowed.

Even if others had heard it, they probably would not have noticed. Only she could perceive sounds and presences like this. Seol-ah had spent her life seeing and hearing things she wished she never had.

She turned her head stiffly and glanced to the side.

There it was—something strange. A dark shadow, a being not of this world. A chill swept over her.

“Why do you look like that?”

At that moment, Seol-ah swayed and collapsed. The man hurriedly caught her.

She could not regain her senses. Her knees felt as if they were melting. The man, with no other choice, pulled her close and supported her.

The sudden warmth of another person made Seol-ah blink. She struggled to breathe.

It was approaching. The icy coldness of its presence drained her strength.

Of course, the man would not notice it. But in the corner of her vision, it drew nearer.

“….”

Trembling, she raised a finger and pointed beyond the man’s shoulder. He could not see it, but she had to tell him.

To her surprise, the man turned and looked directly at the location she indicated.

After meeting his gaze, the shadow did not move.

It seemed he had recognized its presence. Seol-ah had never seen anyone besides herself acknowledge such a thing.

“No wonder I felt uneasy.”

The man muttered softly. The shadow remained still.

Seol-ah felt the strength in the man supporting her harden. She could not understand how he saw it. Yet she lacked the energy and time to ask.

“It came… to take me.”

Her voice was barely a whisper.

“To take me.”

To drag her into the abyss.

The dark thing stood motionless, but Seol-ah instinctively sensed its intent.

The man adjusted his hold on her. Her slender body sank into his firm arms. He exhaled deeply, then suddenly kicked off the ground.

A cold wind scattered her hair. Sweat dampened her back.

Seol-ah felt the presence of those things more clearly than ever. They were not one, but many—behind, beside, far and near, all pursuing her.

At one point, a black breath brushed past her ear. The man’s large hand swept through the air, dispersing the oppressive energy.

Clinging tighter to his neck, Seol-ah buried herself in him. It did not matter who he was or where they were.

The man was skilled in martial arts—a reclusive master of the mountains, the kind of person only spoken of in stories. Even the impact of his movements was barely noticeable.

Whenever the sharp, cold energy approached, the man waved his hand and it retreated—only to return again. Seol-ah’s arms around his neck felt as if they were freezing.

“Just endure a little longer,” the man whispered.

Like an arrow, he launched forward. The sensation of leaving the ground was strange.

Seol-ah could not tell whether this was a dream or reality. The eerie, dark sensations against her skin were horrifying.

Only the warmth of the man’s body felt real.

“It is a night of the new moon… they are running wild.”

The man muttered.

A dark shadow lunged at him, and a gust of wind swept past. Supporting Seol-ah, he struck out with his free hand. A grotesque wail echoed as the shadow scattered into fragments.

But in that instant, when his hand left her support, a cold, claw-like grasp seized Seol-ah’s ankle. She cried out in surprise.

“Ah—my foot!”

“This is troublesome.”

The man clicked his tongue and reached out, grabbing the claw-like hand.

“A-ah, ngh—ah!”

Seol-ah gasped in pain. A sharp, bone-deep agony shot through her. From her ankle, a pale hand—only the wrist and fingers—floated in the air, a sight that made her skin crawl.

“Impudent thing.”

Rubbing his index finger and thumb together, the hand crumbled into dust and vanished. Yet the cold, binding sensation on her ankle remained, continuing to hurt.

“Ugh… ah…”

She could not help but groan. Even a mere touch had sent pain to her bones.

“Are you all right, miss?”

“….”

Seol-ah bit her lip. The pain in her ankle was severe. Her foot felt as if it were turning icy. She shrank further into his arms, burying her face against him. In the grip of fear, his embrace was the only place of safety.

Above them, the new moon hung in the sky with a strange, distorted glow. It should have long since set, yet the warped moon watched them with cold mockery.

Soon, a small light came into view—faint but warm, unlike the moonlight. Holding Seol-ah, the man moved faster toward it.

It was a small hut. A tiny yard surrounded by a stone wall, with light seeping from the window.

Without hesitation, the man opened the wooden door and stepped inside, quickly bolting it shut. The heavy sound of the latch echoed.

Behind the closed door, a soft pattering noise followed—like raindrops striking the walls.

The man laid Seol-ah on the bed and secured the windows. He even locked the back door before returning to her.

“Are you all right, miss?”

“….”

She wanted to say she was fine. But her right ankle was growing cold, and pain radiated through her bones. She let out a small groan, curling her shoulders.

“My… ankle…”

“…That is the place the thing touched.”

The man’s sharp brows furrowed. Seol-ah gritted her teeth and pulled her leg in. It was difficult to stretch it out in front of a stranger who was not a physician. After catching her breath, she shook her head.

“I am fine… you need not worry, benefactor.”

Besides, he had saved her life in that brief moment. She could not burden him further.

“But—”

“It is only my ankle. When morning comes… I will go down to the village and see a physician.”

“…”

The man’s expression darkened. Seen in the light, he was an extraordinarily refined and handsome man. Yet his long brows were now slightly creased.

“It is only my ankle that hurts…”

Seol-ah repeated, enduring the pain as she sat upright on the bed.

It would be improper to appear disheveled before a stranger. It was not as if the ankle were broken—this would heal. Perhaps it would require some hardship, but she would recover.

Drawing her legs together, the thin skirt tangled between them.

“Thank you for saving me. My name is Seol-ah, from the village halfway up the mountain range.”

She lowered her head.

Even now, sweat soaked her back, and fear had not fully faded.