SSIDNC 136

Chapter 136

It didn’t seem as though much time had passed since she collapsed.

Beyond her hazy senses, Yeoil became aware that her body was suspended in midair. She was fully prepared to draw up her inner strength and counterattack at any moment—but once she heard Yuyu’s quiet sobbing, she chose instead to circulate her energy and focus on neutralizing the poison.

After all, no matter what, Yuyu wouldn’t be able to harm her.

“I—I really tried my best… you know that, right? You must know… I ignored those voices that kept tormenting me from all sides, because I wanted you to enjoy your freedom, Lady Yeoil… I—I really did…”

Watching Yuyu cling to excuses until the very end, desperately trying to justify her own foolish actions, filled Yeoil with a deep weariness.

You really never change.

Not in the slightest.

[You know… to you, I must have been nothing more than livestock… To me, you were everything. My father, my mother—utterly useless. As long as I had you, that was enough… I believed that promise—that we’d be together forever—and because of that, I even married that filthy, stinking old monster!]

Several years ago.

Yuyu’s hands, flailing as she wept and thrashed, were soaked in fresh blood.

Clutching the body of her half-sister, Yuyu muttered incoherently without pause. Only when her eyes met Yeoil’s did she finally confess what lay in her heart.

[She died because she looked down on me.]

[…]

[I—I’ll stuff her and keep her in my room. I’ll look into her eyes once a day and ask her… why she rejected my love…]

Yuyu was the illegitimate daughter of the master of Cheonggeum Pavilion, one of the wealthiest families across Honam and Hobuk.

Aside from his sole legitimate child—his only trueborn daughter, Yugi—the Pavilion Master had seven illegitimate children. Yuyu was the only girl among them.

Whenever Yuyu spoke of her childhood with Yugi, she would always say the same thing.

[Lady Yugi said she liked me because I was gentle… She said that unlike my brothers, I didn’t covet her wealth, that I was dull and obedient, so she liked having me around… That I was useless—but precisely because of that, she could keep me by her side.]

That was precisely why Salmak chose Yuyu.

Gentle and foolish since childhood, Yuyu was the perfect pawn—easy to manipulate, ideal for devouring Cheonggeum Pavilion’s wealth from within.

And so Salmak sent Yeoil to her.

To stand quietly at her side as a bodyguard, watching—waiting for the right opening.

At heart, young Yuyu was no different from countless other girls hopelessly in love with someone they adored.

[You’re telling me to sleep now? N-no, I can’t. I promised to massage your legs all night. You said they’ve been hurting lately… You asked me to do it at dawn because it helps ease the pain.]

To Yeoil’s eyes, Yuyu was treated no better than a servant—sometimes worse. Yet Yuyu didn’t seem to see it that way. Her faith bordered on madness.

But once Yugi’s “needs” dictated Yuyu’s marriage—

Yugi stopped looking for her altogether.

And Yuyu began to lose her mind.

[I haven’t seen you for 189 days already… b-but it’s fine! Tomorrow, you’ll definitely come see me. I’m sure of it… You’ll hug me, smile at me, apologize for being too busy to visit…!]

Her nerves stretched to the breaking point, Yuyu grew jealous of the siblings who remained in the main household with Yugi—and eventually sent Yeoil to assassinate them.

Yeoil never provoked her. Never interfered.

She only watched.

And watched.

Until the day finally came.

The day Yuyu killed Yugi with her own hands.

[I’ll make you regret abandoning me… r-regret it…]

As always, Yeoil quietly disposed of Yugi’s corpse and erased the traces of Yuyu’s actions. She then drove the remaining siblings—now reduced to just three—out of Cheonggeum Pavilion.

A few days later,

Yuyu tried to take her own life.

Standing atop her bed, sword pressed to her chest, gasping for breath as hollow laughter spilled from her lips—her eyes were empty.

[I… I killed my sister with my own hands. She’s gone now. There’s no one left to protect me. No one on my side anymore. I have no reason to live.]

She repeated the attempt for three consecutive days.

That was the day Yeoil, for the first time in a very long while, felt true irritation.

[Stop spouting nonsense. What’s so significant about killing Yugi? The only one who’s ever protected you—who’s ever been on your side—has always been me.]

She considered abandoning persuasion and using another surviving sibling instead. But recalling the effort she’d already invested, she endured.

Strangely enough, after that day, Yuyu’s suicide attempts ceased.

Yeoil’s sharp, irritable words had tethered her to life.

Instead, Yuyu began to suffer even worse auditory hallucinations each night.

[S-sister… Lady Yugi… p-please don’t say that. I’m sorry. I really am… But I didn’t want to follow you… I really didn’t want to…]

To keep watch over her, Yeoil stayed by Yuyu’s side every night until she fell asleep. Sometimes she even restrained Yuyu’s convulsing body and forced her into slumber.

Yuyu soon mistook that surveillance for protection.

She believed—firmly—that Yeoil was guarding her, staying with her.

Even after Yeoil vanished.

Even now.

Every time Yeoil faced Yuyu’s smile—coated in innocent affection and twisted obsession—she would sometimes sense it:

That one day, she would end up just like Yugi.

Like today.

Should I kill her?

Then what of Hangryong Sect?

Originally, Hangryong Sect had been a minor, obscure sect even before Cheonggeum Pavilion’s era. But in Yuyu’s hands, it had been reborn—and risen to greatness.

Most of those holding key positions within the sect were women who had once wandered the gutters with no ties, only to be saved by Yuyu. For that same reason, they pledged her absolute loyalty.

Even if Yuyu were dealt with, someone capable of inheriting her position and leading Hangryong Sect would be needed…

What a hassle.

At some point, all surrounding noise vanished.

Darkness and calm enveloped her. Yuyu’s sobbing lingered beside Yeoil for a while, then gradually faded.

Soon, the soft sound of steady breathing—like that of a child—followed.

She’s asleep.

By then, the poison clouding her vision had dissipated. Yeoil struggled upright and surveyed her surroundings.

This was Yuyu’s room.

It seemed Yuyu had forcibly dragged her here to sleep, utterly distrustful of Yeoil’s earlier boast that she would only stay one night.

Killing Yuyu here would spare future trouble, but—

…I should focus on recovery first.

Thus, for three days, Yeoil spent the daylight hours circulating her energy, and the nights reading beside Yuyu’s bed.

On the third morning, Yuyu—who had avoided speaking a single word while Yeoil trained—suddenly addressed her.

“My people will escort you outside for a moment. Please wait while I prepare.”

By then, Yeoil had largely recovered, so she left the room under her own power.

She stood for a long while, gazing at the small garden atop the snow-covered mountain peak, until Yuyu returned.

“I’m here to give you an answer regarding your request.”

Perhaps because she’d slept deeply for three days without nightmares or hallucinations—

Yuyu’s complexion had changed.

The gloom lingering over her face remained, but her hands no longer trembled, her speech no longer stuttered, and the anxiety in her gaze had softened.

At Yuyu’s gesture, a woman veiled in gauze stepped quietly forward from behind her.

“The identity I’ll lend you belongs to this girl. Her name is Jang Ru—former proprietor of Chwihyangwon. She suffered severe facial burns, so I brought her into Hangryong Sect.”

At Yuyu’s explanation, the veiled woman bowed deeply.

“The reason Hangryong Sect plans to send Jang Ru to the Heavenly Demon Cult is simple: through a deal with the Cult Leader, we intend to establish Hangryong Sect’s tenth branch in Xinjiang… Will this suffice?”

“It will.”

“Then please hear my condition.”

As expected, Yeoil nodded. Yuyu clenched her fists and spoke.

“I’ll go with you to the Heavenly Demon Cult as well. If I accompany you, it’ll be easier to conceal your identity, so…”

In a single stride, Yeoil closed the distance and seized Yuyu’s fragile neck.

“Choose one.”

“…!”

“First—hand over only Jang Ru’s identity and stay put.”

“……”

“Second—die here.”

Gasping in terror, Yuyu slapped Yeoil’s hand away and staggered back.

Muttering, “J-just a moment… just give me a moment…,” she suddenly fled.