Chapter 5
As I walked toward my quarters, I felt as though my feet were floating in the air, my mind hazy and unfocused.
Jade-Faced Lightning… If that was his nickname, was he really that handsome? No—no, that wasn’t the important part.
I had returned to life inside the very novel where I had died. I couldn’t even tell whether this body truly belonged to the original me or to someone else entirely.
Then again, that wasn’t surprising. I barely remembered anything from my previous life.
Perhaps because I had been in such a blank, empty state, I had managed to live quite well as Hee-o….
As far as I could remember, this book, like most martial arts novels, centered on the conflict between the orthodox sects and the Demonic Cult.
That aside, I still couldn’t figure out which character I had possessed. No matter how hard I searched my hazy memories, there was nothing. Judging from that, I was probably an extra with a “0% importance level.”
“Extra or not… how did the story even go again?”
My memories of my previous life were faint, and the contents of the novel were just as blurry. I couldn’t even guess which part of the story I was currently in.
“Something should happen soon…”
If I could identify the episode, I might at least figure out where we were in the flow of the story.
Lost in thought as I walked, I heard the murmur of a quiet conversation. When I turned my head, I saw a tall man and a middle-aged woman standing in front of a shabby residence.
I stopped in my tracks.
The man had to be at least 190 centimeters tall. Even from a distance, his skin looked pale.
He wore plain-colored clothes, yet that only made his face seem even more radiant.
His mysterious hair carried a faint bluish hue, and his eyes were an unusually deep blue.
His features were so sharply defined and orderly that they were almost intimidating. Still… could a human face really shine like that?
I rubbed my eyes. When I looked again, the beauty was unchanged.
Ha… this is on a completely different genetic level.
Shaking my head, I was about to pass by when I suddenly remembered what the Head Steward had told me.
No matter whom I encountered in the Inner Court, I must greet them.
Startled, I quickly bowed my head in greeting—even though I wasn’t sure whether they were looking at me or not—then hurried toward my quarters.
They said only distinguished people resided in the Inner Court… Were they all that inhumanly beautiful?
The thought made me a little afraid.
Sure, I had been captivated by that handsome man, but the middle-aged woman standing across from him was also elegant and beautiful.
They had warned me to be careful not to make mistakes in the Inner Court. If I lost my senses staring at faces like that, it would surely lead to a major disaster.
A chill ran down the back of my neck.
Be careful. Just like Danso had told me—see, but pretend you didn’t see. Hear, but pretend you didn’t hear.
When I returned to the quarters, Chuseol and Danso still weren’t back. As I started tidying my belongings, something rolled across the floor with a clattering sound.
It was that bamboo tube with a stopper.
What on earth is this?
I pulled out the stopper, turned the tube upside down, and shook it.
Paper?
It was a blank sheet of paper with nothing written on it.
Wasn’t paper quite valuable in this era? Then why was it empty?
“What are you doing?”
Startled, I immediately tossed the paper I was holding into the sleeve of my robe.
“Oh—it’s you, Danso.”
“Organizing your things?”
“Yeah. Is Chuseol still not back?”
“Seems like it… I’m worried.”
“Me too.”
I suggested that Danso wash first while I arranged the bedding—not just mine, but everyone’s.
Creak.
The door opened.
“You’ve washed already?”
When I turned around, it wasn’t Danso—it was Chuseol. Her shoulders were slumped, her expression dark and heavy.
“Did something… happen?”
“I don’t want to talk about it….”
Without even washing up, she crawled straight into the blanket I had prepared.
What in the world had happened to that usually sharp-tongued girl?
*
The next morning, the kitchen in the Inner Court was far busier than the Outer Court’s had ever been.
Considering the high status of the people who lived here, meals couldn’t be late, nor could they fail to suit their tastes. Everyone had to move quickly.
Working here also allowed us to gauge the health conditions of the important residents.
For instance, if the Grand Elder of the household had been suffering from constipation recently, stir-fried vegetables would be added to his meal. If Lady Yeo-hye had developed acne on her face, bean sprouts—known to expel toxins—would be included in her dishes.
“Sansan, bring more firewood.”
“Yes!”
I hurried to the storage area for firewood.
But there were only a few pieces left.
“Sir, this is all the firewood there is.”
“What? Already?”
The man rushed over in surprise.
“You’re right. At this rate we’ll run out by tomorrow evening. I should have checked yesterday, but I was too busy.”
“Is there anything I can help with? I don’t mind going out even at dawn.”
“In that case, I’ll ask you a favor. Tomorrow at dawn, go to the hill behind the rear garden and gather mostly small branches.”
“Yes!”
“We’ll manage with that for now. Meanwhile, I’ll request that they bring over some larger logs stored elsewhere.”
Inside, I was cheering.
In the Inner Court, maids weren’t allowed personal movement outside of the time spent in their quarters.
But this meant I could move around on my own.
It was the perfect opportunity to test the hypothesis I had been thinking about.
“By the way, do you know where the rear garden is?”
“Ah…”
Come to think of it, I didn’t.
The directions I had heard before didn’t match well with the actual layout of the place.
“I thought so. If you hadn’t asked, that could’ve been a problem.”
While preparing the dishes, the man continued explaining the directions.
The rear garden had a large bamboo grove and felt somewhat eerie.
As soon as I heard the description, a certain place came to mind.
Please… let that place send me back to the world outside the novel.
*
That evening, after returning to the quarters, I stood in front of the girls who were preparing to sleep.
“Um… if I’ve ever made you feel hurt or neglected, I wanted to say I’m sorry. And thank you so much for helping me. I won’t forget it.”
Danso blinked at my sudden words.
Chuseol, who had roughly washed up and was crawling into the blankets, frowned.
“Did you catch some terminal illness or something?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then why are you talking like we’ll never see you again?”
Her words made my chest tighten.
Because… we really might not.
“Just hurry up and sleep. Thinking about serving Lady Yeo-hye tomorrow already makes my future look dark.”
Recently Chuseol had been speaking less and less. Perhaps because she was finally letting out her true feelings for the first time since coming here, Danso looked at her with concern.
“Is she… that bad?”
“Don’t even ask. If she slaps you right here, you’ll fly all the way over there.”
“Oh my…”
Even in the Outer Court, it wasn’t unheard of for maids to be beaten. But lower maids like us usually only did menial tasks and rarely stood before important people.
However, if we had served directly beside branch disciples or influential heirs even in the Outer Court, such things would have been commonplace.
That was why both Chuseol and Danso had warned me—especially since I had no memories—to be extremely careful.
“People who practice martial arts know exactly where to strike to damage bones and muscles.”
“Really?”
They even told me about a maid who had been injured so badly she could no longer work and was eventually thrown out.
“More importantly… are you okay?”
I asked, worried Chuseol might have suffered something similar.
“Me? I just keep my head down as much as possible.”
Chuseol shifted her position and continued.
“In the Outer Court it was mostly men, so I didn’t realize, but the young ladies here… they’re pretty temperamental.”
After hesitating for a moment, she beckoned Danso and me closer.
“Something happened to the young lady’s face recently.”
That reminded me of what Uncle Chanbi had mentioned earlier about Lady Yeo-hye’s acne.
“The atmosphere in her residence is like thin ice.”
“Did she see a physician?”
At Danso’s question, Chuseol suddenly seemed to remember something.
“You know who the most famous physician in Liaoning is, right?”
When I stared blankly, Chuseol shook her head in disbelief.
“Look at her—she doesn’t know again. The Byun Physician Household, of course. Their young master has been famous as a prodigy since childhood, and lately people are even calling him a Divine Doctor. They requested treatment from that household, but apparently they keep refusing.”
Chuseol poured out one story after another like a broken dam before finally declaring she was sleepy and going to bed.
Because of the nature of the work she did, Danso remained mostly silent, simply listening.
The lights went out, and we lay down to sleep.
Tomorrow… I might not be here anymore.
I thought I would feel relieved, but for some reason, sleep wouldn’t come.
*
When I opened my eyes again, it was dawn.
The darkness hadn’t fully lifted yet, and the cold air sent shivers down my spine.
Quietly dressing, I slipped out the door and hurried toward the rear garden with the bamboo grove.
The winter buds that had once clung to the branches had already fallen, and pale green shoots were sprouting everywhere.
If things went well, this body would become a corpse.
That part bothered me a little.
So if possible, I wanted it to look like an accident—like I had slipped.
That way the shock for those left behind might be less.
As I walked, picking up small branches, my arms gradually filled with them.
Standing at the highest point of the rear garden, I looked down.
“High….”
The dizzying height made me swallow hard.
What if something goes wrong? Then what?
As one thought led to another, my heart pounded and my palms grew damp.
“Just do it. Don’t think. Just do it.”
I stepped back hesitantly.
I had to jump in one go.
Just as I tensed my body to start running—
Rustle.
Behind me, I heard the dry sound of leaves being crushed.
I was so startled that it felt like my heart dropped.
Slowly, I turned my head.
Someone was standing there.
