If Silk Flowers Bloom by the Water’s Edge Chapter 95

“Hello, Hyun.”

The sound of the wind howling and thrashing across the winter wilderness surrounded the mountain cabin. At the name “Hyun” called out by Shinwoo, Chaehwa’s expression froze stiffly. Having grown up together like inseparable siblings, Shinwoo had consistently used the title “Young Lady” until now, even when disgusting talk of a betrothal came up. He had always acted completely subservient, saying that the status of the Nanjubeol successor and an apprentice haenang were strictly different.

An expensive winter fur coat and a fur hat that did not suit young Shinwoo’s face. Furthermore, the gun he had started loading from the moment he walked in was aimed straight at Yirok’s head. Chaehwa reflected on her own mind, which had unknowingly harbored prejudices. She had believed that the one who summoned the vision-grass gatherers and turned the department store into a total mess was Jangsi, whose reason had been stripped away by Janghui.

That was why she hadn’t sent Yirok out alone, fearing that perhaps Jangsi would turn into a tiger-like beast and come looking for her. Couldn’t the resentment Park Hyun harbored be from being bitten and carried away by a tiger while waiting for her lover, becoming a changgwi? But the moment she saw Shinwoo, who had immersed himself as Park Hyun’s lover, she realized it. For the culprit who called the vision-grass gatherers was Shinwoo, whom she had trusted and relied on. As proof of that, her nose was on the verge of being paralyzed by the potent scent of medicinal herbs wafting from his every step. His eyes were turning a pinkish hue; it seemed he was undoubtedly poisoned by the vision-grass.

“Shinwoo.”

“Who is that man? Why are you, who decided to run away with me, with another man? And… a Japanese soldier at that.”

“Do you really not know who I am?”

“Of course I know. My fiancée who agreed to exile herself to Russia with me. I shook off the Japs with all my might, and yet. What on earth is this situation?”

“Shinwoo.”

“Who is that again? Looking at it now, there isn’t just one or two men.”

The face belonged to Shinwoo, but the voice belonged to a despicable, strange man. Upon hearing the voice of the man claiming to be the fiancé, she felt she could understand Park Hyun’s inner circumstances without even having to pry into her resentment. Talking about exiling to Russia, yet not a shred of affection being felt in his voice, the existence of a spy who embezzled independence funds, and even the extravagant spending of the fiancé—it all connected into a single line of a story. He must have intended to marry her, inherit Park Hyun’s fortune, and then sell her out to the Japanese army before crossing over to Russia, or commit a similar betrayal.

Having heard so many stories of vengeful spirits and bizarre demons caught by the Maeng shamans, she had practically become a half-shaman herself. Because in the love stories of vengeful spirits, a fiancé was usually either an object of extreme affection or an object of extreme hatred. The man Shinwoo had immersed into was on the side of hatred, judging by either his impression or his vulgar speech.

“Yirok. Don’t move.”

She finally realized now that a vengeful spirit worse than a changgwi had been born, not because she was bitten by a tiger, but because she was bitten by her fiancé. She grabbed the shoulder of Yirok, who was shielding her from the gun with his bare body. Since the face was Shinwoo’s but the words were someone else’s, Yirok looked extremely perplexed, not knowing what to do.

To avoid provoking the man wearing Shinwoo’s shell, Chaehwa raised both arms and slowly walked forward. Putting the figure in front of her to sleep and waking Shinwoo up was the fastest solution.

“Shinwoo, put that gun down first. If you shoot me with that right now, all three of us will be trapped and die here. We might get stuck in this filthy story for the rest of our lives and never get out.”

“What are you talking about? Are you talking nonsense right now just to cover up your unchaste mistake? Hyun, do you actually love that man? Huh?”

“You like me too. Don’t you?”

That Shinwoo had overly immersed into the role of the fiancé was most likely due to two candidates: because there was a commonality with himself, or because he felt sympathy for the character’s emotions. Chaehwa hid her hand behind her back and extended three fingers. She was signaling to Yirok that she would count to three.

“Shinwoo, didn’t you come all the way here because you care for me too? You said you would live for me all your life. It’s not right for someone like you to be aiming a gun at me right now.”

“What… nonsense.”

Chaehwa approached with an unwavering stride, feigning composure. The longer the conversation dragged on, the more disadvantageous the battle became for Shinwoo. He should have shot her or Yirok the moment he entered the cabin.

It was Shinwoo who had entered the tiger’s den. If it was Yirok, who had grown quiet upon realizing that the state of Shinwoo entering the cabin was strange, he must have understood her intention. They would take down Shinwoo, who had summoned the vision-grass gatherers, and conversely redirect the deadly curse toward the one looking down on this illusion from above. Chaehwa put on a gentle smile and folded one finger.

“Shinwoo, put the gun down. You know I cry even when I just see someone getting hurt by a gun in a movie, right? If you make me upset, you wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully either, Shinwoo.”

“Stop talking bullshit.”

“If it’s bullshit, then try shooting me. Try shooting your fiancée, whom you believe committed infidelity.”

Yirok played a role so insignificant that he had somehow been dragged in and immersed as a Japanese soldier without a specific part. Yet, Shinwoo’s burning gaze and the muzzle of his gun were directed solely at Yirok. To complicate matters according to the plan of the one who engineered this, it would be correct to shoot Chaehwa herself, not Yirok. Unless Shinwoo’s personal feelings of resentment toward Yirok had intervened.

Bewitched by her words, the fiancé’s soul tried to move the muzzle toward her with trembling hands, but it didn’t seem easy. Seeing Shinwoo’s eyes distorted with confusion and jealousy, she couldn’t help but feel pity. Her own heart, which remembered his bright and tender days, was the only obstacle.

“Shinwoo, put it down. We have to go home.”

“Young Lady….”

She did not want to find out about the affection of Shinwoo, who was like a childhood friend and an older brother, in front of the muzzle of a gun. Clutching his own head with two egos battling inside him, Shinwoo slowly lowered the muzzle of the gun. At that, Chaehwa, letting go of the tension that felt like a heavy boulder, stopped counting.

“Are you back to your senses?”

“No, no… I… this wasn’t me doing it….”

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of it, so just sit quietly. And….”

“But, Young Lady.”

Firewood was burning beneath their feet, but her sharp chest felt as chilly as if she were standing in a snowfield. Shinwoo’s polite tone remained the same, but a sickening sneer appeared on the corners of his mouth.

“You know I love you, right?”

Weaponizing the words of love maliciously, Shinwoo’s gun pointed toward Yirok once again.

Perceiving that movement in slow motion, Chaehwa secretly bit the flesh inside her mouth. Given the immense power of Nanjubeol, she had proudly obtained permission to go out, conceitedly thinking that even if the Maeng shamans touched the people around her, not a single hair would be harmed. It was her own arrogant delusion and pride.

Even Shinwoo, who had lived and rubbed shoulders under the same roof for over ten years, had broken free of control. It was her fault as the successor of Nanjubeol. She should have wiped out their kind long ago. Looking at Shinwoo, who had degenerated into a puppet of the Maeng shamans, her throat burned hot.

“I’ll save you, Shinwoo.”

“Those are sweet words, Young Lady. But why….”

“No!”

Bang!

The sound of the loaded pistol firing echoed loudly through the cabin. A silence, where not even a groan could be heard, carried the lingering aftertaste of the fierce gunshot. Her mind reeling, Chaehwa turned around as if she were about to collapse.

“Yirok!”

Yirok, whose left thigh was stained with crimson blood, was grimacing. With black eyes that seemed in pain, Yirok slowly shook his head even in the midst of it.

“Ha.”

Having lost her mind, Chaehwa clenched her molars, rushed at Shinwoo, and grabbed him by the collar.

“Why did you kiss that guy?”

“Are you crazy?”

“Don’t provoke that bastard, Kim Chaehwa!”

The screams and shouts of the three clashed in the air, creating a dissonance. At the smell of blood and the clicking sound of the pistol being loaded, Chaehwa lost her reason and dragged Shinwoo down by his collar. However, this time, the muzzle of the gun was pressed against Shinwoo’s own head. Seeing Shinwoo hook his finger around the trigger without hesitation, her hand that was gripping his collar limply let go.

“Don’t do it.”

“Anyway, looking at the future we will face in a winter cabin like this, Yirok will slowly die from his thigh injury. I will die like this here. And you, Young Lady, will most likely meet a bad end in the freezing winter.”

“Ha….”

“I like it inside this dream. Once we go outside, you two are just going to love each other anyway. Rather than watching that happen, wouldn’t it be better to trap us in the vision-grass and have the three of us suffer for the rest of our lives?”

dishonesty. “Don’t make an irreversible choice swayed by mere emotions.”

“Do you like Yirok?”

“Shinwoo!”

“As a man?”

In Shinwoo’s mind, having witnessed the kissing scene, the part responsible for reason broke down. He had inherited the memories and emotions of the character he immersed into, becoming a completely different person. The desire to hurt Yirok, the desire to deny reality—yet, Shinwoo was also a victim afflicted by the vision-grass. He was a family member and a colleague who had been toyed with by the evil plan of the Maeng shamans. If she didn’t think that way, she felt she would end up slapping Shinwoo across the cheek.

Chaehwa took a step back and spread her arms wide like a merciful woman. Whether it was not easy to pull the trigger against his Young Lady, Shinwoo’s pupils shook violently.

“Then shoot me first. Because there is nothing worse than starving to death here while hugging yours and Yirok’s corpses. Let’s kill everyone and start over from the beginning. How about it?”

She had to gather all her remaining reason to avoid becoming conscious of the smell of Yirok’s blood. Hoping her eyes wouldn’t turn red, Chaehwa calmed her ragged breathing. Even after hearing her words, Shinwoo apparently couldn’t bring himself to shoot. It was just then, when Chaehwa’s expression turned cold upon feeling his abominable affection.

“Get down!”

Yirok, who had been sitting leaning against the wall as if unable to move, kicked his right foot forward. Shinwoo, who changed his aiming direction too late, also pulled the trigger.