Even My Life Is Yours Chapter 54

Hongyo gripped the vine stalk and tore at it with force. The vine came tumbling down with a rustling sound. Hongyo twisted several long stalks together, making them thick and strong. Since the instructions were to get the pouches by any means necessary, it was only right for her to compete using what she did best.

As she twisted the thin stalks, they soon became as tough as a rope. Was this enough? It was far too flimsy for hunting, but her target wasn’t a swift rabbit or a powerful beast, so this should suffice.

Hongyo tied it across the path where she was told was the only way to escape. Fortunately, there were trees all around, making it easy to hide the snare. After quickly setting the trap, Hongyo hid behind the bushes, concealed her presence, and waited for her prey. No matter how skilled in martial arts one was, rushing in recklessly without a weapon and without even knowing the opponent’s strength would be fortunate to end with just losing a pouch.

But what if no one passed by this way? If she wasted precious time for nothing, there could be nothing more terrible. However, for some reason, Hongyo felt a sense of certainty. After hunting for a long time, there were moments when she had a gut feeling that she would catch an animal at a certain spot. Hongyo decided to trust her instincts.

The wind was chilly, as if a downpour could start at any moment. I need to catch someone before that. Hongyo stared at the ground where the snare was hidden with an anxious face. Not even an ant was passing by, and from beyond, she could already hear the cheers of those who had snatched pouches.

Hongyo bit her lip. There was no rule that said one had to bring exactly two pouches, so even if someone got caught in the snare, there was no telling if they would have a pouch or not. The bell signaling the halfway point of Haesi had just rung, meaning there was only half a shijin left. Her mouth felt bone-dry with every passing moment.

Please get caught. Please. She was so anxious she couldn’t think of anything else. It was then, as she was biting her lip, that her desperate wish seemed to have moved the heavens; she heard footsteps nearby. Hongyo hid herself even more tightly and watched the man walk toward the snare. As the shadowy figure, which had been shrouded in darkness, drew closer, her heart pounded fiercely.

And the man who finally revealed his identity was one of the brutes who had surrounded her earlier. Hongyo’s expression hardened upon confirming his face. If this guy is here, does that mean the big one is nearby? But the man’s purpose seemed to be elsewhere.

“Ugh… gotta go, gotta go.”

He was rummaging through the bushes, apparently looking for a place to relieve himself. But before he could even untie his trousers, he cried out, “Whoa!” as his foot got caught in the snare. Hongyo was not one to miss this chance. As she pulled hard on the stalk in her hand, the snare tightened, gripping the man’s ankle firmly. Simultaneously, the man’s body flipped over, and he was left dangling upside down in mid-air.

“Aaaargh!”

The man screamed and flailed his arms. In the process, the pouch hidden in his chest fell to the ground with a thud. It was a big catch. Before others could be drawn by the scream, Hongyo quickly picked up the fallen pouch. At that, the man dangling in mid-air shrieked.

“Who are you? Huh? Aren’t you going to give that back? Do you know who I am!”

Being hung upside down, the hem of his robe covered his face, so he apparently couldn’t recognize her. Even in that state, he seemed to have realized the pouch had fallen out of his clothes and was screaming for her to give it back. But screaming in such a predicament was not threatening at all.

After quickly stuffing the pouch into her clothes, Hongyo turned to leave, but then, as if remembering something, she came back. She then kicked the man’s butt with all her might. The man let out a cry as if he were dying.

“You hooligan! You should be thankful I didn’t smash your face in!”

She then quickly left the spot. Now she had to guard the pouches well for the remaining time. If she went to the front courtyard right now, the brutes already camped out there would surely attack her. But if she hid the pouches, she had to consider the possibility that someone might find them, or even that she might not be able to find them herself. In that case, the best option was to safely protect the pouches and arrive at the front courtyard just in time.

But this was her first day at Hwayoungkyung, and she had no idea where such a place might be. As she dithered, people started to gather, drawn by the man’s screams. Hearing the approaching sounds, Hongyo quickly opened the window of a nearby pavilion and slipped inside. It was a good thing she was agile; otherwise, she would have ruined everything at the last minute.

The air inside the pavilion was stuffy, suggesting it was used as a storage room. Hongyo sat in a spot with the least amount of light and held her breath. She heard someone exclaim, “Oh my!” as they found the man hanging from the tree, followed by the sound of him being brought down. Even then, the man was fuming, vowing to find and punish her, which was utterly absurd.

‘If I knew this would happen, I should have kicked him a few more times.’

She felt a tinge of regret for only kicking his butt once. But if she had, she would have been caught by now, so there was no need for any unnecessary risks.

Eventually, the sound of the gathered people scattering grew fainter and more distant. Hongyo, who had been holding her breath and monitoring the situation, finally relaxed. It wasn’t over yet, so she shouldn’t let her guard down until the end, but the coziness of the space, so completely different from the outside despite being separated by just a wall, helped her forget her worries.

Hongyo leaned her head against the wall and was lost in thought for a moment. It was her first day at this place called Hwayoungkyung, yet it felt like a week had already passed. What kind of hazing ritual was this harsh? It seemed designed to enforce discipline from the very first day, and she felt completely drained. Come to think of it, would that fellow Gamyoung also participate in the hazing ritual? It was unlikely, but even if he did, there wouldn’t be anyone audacious enough to aim for the Hwayoungkyungjang’s pouch. At that thought, a sudden surge of resentment welled up inside Hongyo.

Hey, I’m going through all this trouble because of you, and you get to sit this one out?

Although she had entered Hwayoungkyung of her own volition, even daring to stand up to Mohyun, it was Cha Gamyoung who had recommended her for this official post, after all. The thought of him, probably sleeping soundly with his feet up while she was burning with anxiety about her identity being revealed, was infuriating. The next time she saw him, she felt a surge of motivation to… well, not quite punch that slick, pretty face of his, but to give him a good kick.

“Haah…”

And yet, he was also the person she wanted to see the most right now. Her current situation was hiding in a dusty place after enduring such a ridiculous hazing ritual, but in this unfamiliar place, the only person she could trust was Gamyoung. The reason she had decided to come here, even in a situation where she could face death if she was discovered to be a woman, was purely because of what Gamyoung had said.

She didn’t know if the path she had chosen was the right one, but she, too, wanted to learn, to study military strategy. So she couldn’t give up here. Just then, the bell rang, signaling that there was one gak (15 minutes) left until Haesi. Hongyo stood up. It was time to run.

Landing on the ground as carefully as when she had entered the storage room, Hongyo ran swiftly without looking back. She ran and ran, feeling as though if she looked back, people aiming for her pouch would grab her by the scruff of her neck. As she got closer to the front courtyard, people were running from all directions. Some of those who hadn’t yet secured a pouch were guarding the front courtyard and attacking those who had pouches, engaging in a brawl.

Hongyo dodged and weaved through the men who reached out their hands like demonic claws. Her oxygen-deprived lungs ached as if they would tear, but she couldn’t stop. Just as the torches lighting up the front courtyard came into view, a voice shouted, “Get him!” right from behind her. Her legs trembled with the feeling that she was about to be caught at any moment, but she had no energy to look back.

Finally entering the front courtyard, Hongyo saw Yeoryeong, who must have arrived at some point, waving his hand, and she ran with all her might. It was over once she crossed the white line drawn inside the courtyard. Just a little more… As Hongyo took a step to make that last stride, someone grabbed her from behind by the scruff of her neck. Thanks to having run a step faster, she avoided the humiliation of being caught by the back of her neck, but instead, the robe she wore over her uniform was pulled off completely and fluttered in the air. A surprised Hongyo turned to look back and saw the large brute she had encountered on the path, clutching the torn-off robe tightly. At that sight, even though she hadn’t actually been caught, the rough grasp on her collar made her skin crawl as if his hand were on her neck.

“What the. It’s not there?”

The man holding the robe looked at Hongyo. At his impassive gaze, Hongyo unknowingly took another step back. Seeing her, the man took another step closer. His massive frame cast a shadow over her, and his sheer size was intimidating. The man looked at Hongyo and said,

“Let’s see if you’re lucky this time too, shall we?”

Then, as if to prevent her from escaping, he grabbed both of her arms roughly. At the terrifying grip, Hongyo couldn’t even scream and just winced, but the man, as if he couldn’t care less, seemed ready to search her trousers to find the pouch. The pouches he had already snatched from others dangled from his waist like a boast, but it seemed his heart wouldn’t be satisfied until he had them all.

It felt similar to facing a tiger. Caught just a few steps from the white line, Hongyo struggled, unable to move. Annoyed by her movements, the man’s eyebrows twitched, and he reached for her neck. Not missing the opportunity, Hongyo slapped his hand away. At the same time, she grabbed the man’s collar and, with all her strength, pulled him toward her.

Caught off guard by the unexpected move, the large man was pulled forward sharply and was about to fall to the ground with Hongyo. Hongyo, who had lowered her stance, wrapped her arms around the man’s waist and pushed him sideways as if charging. With a heavy thud, the man fell to the ground. At the same time, the bell signaling the end of Haesi rang out loudly.

Hongyo, still on the ground, looked up at the man and tapped the white line with the tip of her foot. She was clearly inside the circle. Panting for breath, Hongyo took out the two pouches from her clothes and tossed them onto the man.

“You lost.”