Chapter 26
Unintentionally causing the security around the estate to tighten, Ellen raced toward the Karzelga territory.
Her heart was in such a hurry that she galloped even through narrow paths. But when she spotted a horse approaching rapidly from the opposite direction, she had no choice but to slow down.
“Ellie?”
As the distance between them closed, the rider called out to her. Only then did Ellen snap back to reality, her eyes finally regaining focus after spacing out.
“E—Roy oppa?”
She had been thinking only of Eunho since last night. She almost blurted out, “Eunho?” but managed to correct herself in time.
“Where are you going?” Roy glanced back at the path he’d come from and asked. “Were you heading to my place?”
“……”
He asked again, but Ellen didn’t answer. She just kept staring at his face.
It’s different. Of course it’s different. There’s not a trace of Eunho in that face. And yet, why do I keep thinking you might be him? Am I going crazy?
A cool breeze swept between them as the two faced each other from horseback.
Roy had never seen Ellen like this before. It was as if her emotions had completely consumed her—so unlike her usual self.
Catching onto her unusual demeanor, Roy asked again, this time more gently.
“Were you on your way to see me?”
Nod.
She wanted to say yes, but her throat felt tight, as though it would let out a raspy clang if she tried. So she simply nodded in silence.
“Then let’s go to the lake.”
The path was too narrow for two horses to go side by side. Roy waited for Ellen to turn her horse around and take the lead before following behind her.
What am I supposed to ask now?
All Ellen had thought about on the way was whether Roy could be Eunho. But now that she was facing him, she was confronted with a new dilemma—how to bring it up.
If I just blurt out, “Are you Eunho?” it’d be weird, right?
And so, another round of worry began.
How could she phrase it in a way that wouldn’t sound insane, even if she was wrong? What could she say that wouldn’t raise suspicion if Roy really was “the real Roylet”?
What the hell have I been doing since last night, not figuring this out?
“Ellie!”
As Ellen marched forward, lost in thought, Roy called out from behind.
“Huh? What?”
He pointed to a side path.
“This way leads straight to the lake.”
“Oh, really?”
Ellen turned her horse, and Roy went ahead, guiding her.
Just as he’d said, the path quickly opened up to the lakeside.
“There was a path here?” Ellen murmured in awe. The view of the lake from this slightly different angle gave it an entirely new atmosphere. She slowed Jenny’s steps and took in the scenery.
Roy, already off his horse, tied his mount to a tree near the water and let it drink. Then he stood nearby, absentmindedly toying with the dagger at his waist.
Ellen tied Jenny next to Roy’s horse and glanced at him. Something about his expression seemed… off.
“Roy oppa?”
She was so focused on him that she instantly sensed it—he was hesitating about something.
He hadn’t suggested practicing with their daggers like usual. She hadn’t brought hers in her rush, but Roy always wanted to train at least a little, even when she asked to just relax.
But today, he didn’t.
Looks like your heart’s noisy today too, huh?
She felt a little bad about planning to throw a bomb into that noisy heart. But it had to happen eventually.
Depending on who Roy really was, it could either be a harmless dud—or a full detonation.
They walked the lakeside in silence, going a third of the way around before turning back. Not a single word passed between them.
Ellen was so lost in thought—How can I ask without sounding crazy?—that she didn’t even notice how far they had walked, or when they began returning the way they came.
They passed the spot where they’d tied the horses. Roy stopped walking. Ellen took a few more steps, then turned around when she noticed.
“Ellie.”
Roy hesitated, then finally spoke.
Okay. I’ll hold off on my bomb. Let’s hear yours first.
Ellen, having sensed his inner conflict all this time, listened intently.
“There’s this story,” he began, “about the heirs of two noble families falling in love. But it turns out their families are mortal enemies. The lovers, torn with agony, eventually decide to abandon their families and run away together. But things go wrong, and they both end up… taking their own lives.”
Ellen’s eyes narrowed. Her heart pounded. Her hands began to tremble, and she clenched her fists tightly.
“If the guy’s name is Romeo, what do you think the girl’s name should be?”
Without missing a beat, Ellen answered.
“Juliet.”
Roy’s eyes flickered.
The bomb Ellen had been preparing to throw was instead hurled by Roy, and it landed squarely. She stared at his face again, stunned.
“Then it’s your turn,” she said. “I’ll say a word, and you say the first thing that comes to mind.”
She drew a deep breath.
“Kim Cheom-ji.”
“……”
Roy stared deep into her eyes, then finally responded.
“…Seolleongtang.”
No way.
You really are Eunho, aren’t you?
They looked at each other, eyes trembling.
And Ellen spoke first.
“You’re Korean, aren’t you?”
It was a question in form, but a statement in essence.
After all, who other than a Korean would instantly associate Kim Cheom-ji with seolleongtang? Most people wouldn’t even know either name.
She had already been halfway convinced he was Eunho. This was just the final confirmation.
It was time for reintroductions.
Roy took a moment to consider how he should introduce himself. Ellen stood silently, waiting.
Finally, Roy said,
“My name is Kim Eunho. I was twenty years old in the year 20XX.”
Ellen closed her shaking eyes. Her voice trembled as she replied,
“My name is Kim Hyeseo. I was twenty… in the year 20XX.”
Roy froze in place.
Ellen, unable to look him in the eye, kept her eyes shut tight. Her thoughts were a whirlwind.
No way… no way.
But just a name and age—that wasn’t enough proof. There had to be countless people with the same name and age in Korea.
Even though she had been hoping—believing—that Roy was Eunho, now that he said it aloud, Ellen was terrified.
What if this is all just my delusion? What if I wanted it so badly, I fooled myself?
She opened her trembling eyes and pressed her lips shut with her hand, trying to steady herself.
“I had an older sister,” she said.
“…Hyerim. She wasn’t your sister, she was your younger cousin. And that dog you drew once—the one with the black crescent on its butt—was your grandfather’s mutt.”
“Right. The day I brought him to your house, he broke one of your family’s soy jars. Mom ended up giving you half our soy sauce stash.”
Their gazes tangled violently in midair.
Once again, “no way” had proven deadly accurate.
“You… you’re really…!”
What they both dismissed as delusion had just become reality. They stared at each other in disbelief.
“Ha… hahaha… it’s really you?”
“And what about you—are you really you?”
They had expected this reunion, but it still felt unreal.
As tears welled in their eyes, Ellen stepped forward and hugged him tightly.
“How are you here? Since when? I… I’ve been…!”
Her words were lost in sobs. And Roy—though silent—was just as overwhelmed. They didn’t need words to understand each other now.
After the accident, everything was terrifying, unfamiliar, and tense. They often wondered why they were here. Even in this world where new families loved them dearly, guilt lingered.
They feared being exposed as imposters, terrified of how their loved ones would look at them if they found out.
That fear—wasn’t it the same for both of them?
Even though we were so close, together… weren’t we both unbearably lonely?
Ellen sobbed into Roy’s shoulder.
“Hyeseo… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
As she cried, she suddenly realized he was murmuring those words over and over again through his own tears.
What?
She tried to lift her head, but he gently pressed it down, stopping her.
“I’m sorry… truly, I’m sorry…”
“What are you sorry for?”
She leaned into his shoulder, gently patting his back.
“I was driving… that day…”
Understanding his words, she shouted,
“How is that your fault? Some lunatic slammed into us from behind!”
She had never imagined he had blamed himself all this time. For over five years?!
“I insisted we follow your parents’ car… If I’d just listened and taken another lane…”
“I don’t even remember the lanes. You still remember all that?”
She could imagine it vividly—the guilt he’d carried all these years. Her heart ached deeply.
She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.
“How is that your fault? If anything, I was the one who nagged our parents to leave early…”
She had always wondered if the accident would’ve been avoided if not for that.
Now, saying it aloud, it really did feel like it was all her fault.
She remembered begging her parents to reschedule the trip. And Ellen buried her head in her hands.
