If Silk Flowers Bloom by the Water’s Edge Chapter 99

The sound of crashing waves could be heard from the open window. Sunlight woke Yirok up, tickling his cheek like an alarm. Tossing and turning, Yirok opened his eyes and encountered the dark silhouette of a woman first thing. She was a woman with no eyes, nose, or mouth, leaving only a blurry outline like a ghost. She was sitting demurely as if visiting the sick, looking down at him.

The words Who are you? did not come out of his mouth. Despite her terrifying appearance, which was shocking enough to cause a heart attack, Yirok’s gaze remained calm. He had seen this gentle woman somewhere before, acting as if she had no intention of causing any harm. Immensely yearning, immensely sorrowful. It was a familiar feeling, as if she had been watching over him for a very long time.

“You’re awake.”

However, at the single remark that reached Yirok’s ears, the woman scattered like black ash and vanished. Suppressing his desire to exchange a few words, he turned his heavy head. An elderly woman dressed in a silver-colored hanok sat beside the bed.

“There is no need to get up. Your body has not recovered yet. Still, is it because you are young? You woke up quite quickly.”

The pillar of Nanjubeol welcomed him with an awkward smile. No matter how much of a patient he was, she was the great elder of the household to which he was indebted. Though his vision was dizzy, Yirok sat up straight, bracing his waist.

“Drink this first.”

“Thank you…”

“Do not speak much. Chaehwa came to see you ten times a day to restore your stamina. Thanks to that, your complexion looks good, as if you just woke up from a deep, peaceful sleep.”

The Grandmaster’s gaze felt like a bed of needles, so Yirok gulped down the black medicine without even breathing. Seeing his brow furrow out of dislike for the bitter taste, he was bound to live instead of die. Emptying the medicine in the blink of an eye, Yirok wiped his mouth without relaxing his grimace.

“Seeing that you are healthy will make Chaehwa feel good. How about it? Your body must feel heavy, but would you like to walk out front with me for a moment?”

“…Right now?”

“Wash up and come out. Since you have been continuously fed restorative medicine, you won’t feel very dizzy.”

It sounded like a tender invitation, but it was semi-compulsory. New clothes and even underwear for Yirok to change into had already been brought in advance. Yirok, who hadn’t completely shaken off the effects of the vision-grass world, stood up while feeling a chill despite the spring weather.

Thinking it impolite to keep the Grandmaster waiting long, Yirok washed up and changed his clothes as quickly as possible. Stripping away the appearance of a patient completely in just ten minutes, he hurried his steps and went out of the medical ward.

He had no time to care about his arms, which looked a bit thin. His eyes, catching sight of the brand-new sneakers placed on the stepping stone, carefully directed themselves toward the Grandmaster.

“It is a gift from me. I heard you helped Chaehwa a lot. Your shoes looked quite worn out, so I bought a pair, but if you do not like them, you may exchange them.”

“No, thank you.”

His stomach felt completely hollow, likely because he had survived solely on medicine. Walking down to the Grandmaster’s side after putting on the shoes, his insides felt burning and sore. However, as always, Yirok started the walk alongside the Grandmaster with a face showing absolutely nothing.

Contrary to her words that she didn’t intend to walk around much with a sick person, the Grandmaster left the medical ward. Yirok, who was in no position to offer an opinion, silently kept to the Grandmaster’s side. Yirok, who was inherently sparse with words, walked while looking only at the toes of his new sneakers. As if it were somehow such a waste for the white sneakers to step on the dirt path. Even though the person who bought them for him was right beside him, he wanted to change back into his old sneakers. The sneakers the Grandmaster bought him were too white and too pretty.

“You are truly taciturn. Unlike the other haenang, you are mature, calm. And…”

Whatever Chaehwa had said about him to flatter her, the attitude of the Grandmaster, who used to be like a tiger, had softened. It was fully evident that she even carefully chose the words she brought out as compliments. Yirok, whose stomach had been uncomfortable from the moment she personally brought the medicine, merely cast his eyes down. If he were told that she was in league with the culprit who trapped Chaehwa in the vision-grass, he would want to chop off the hand that bought him the sneakers.

“Do you see this plum blossom tree? It was planted in the year Chaehwa’s mother, that is to say, my daughter, was born.”

The place where she had dragged Yirok after putting a leash on him under the guise of a walk was the backyard of Chaehwa’s quarters. Thinking it was a good thing he had washed with soap before coming, Yirok looked up at the plum blossom tree. It was a tree that looked incredibly desirable and beautiful, having grown while feeding on the resentment and stories of Nanjubeol.

“I made a vow on the day my daughter died. That I would absolutely protect Nanjubeol, and raise my granddaughter to be the absolute best. So that I would never lose her to anyone ever again.”

By this point, Yirok couldn’t help but think that she had set up a place to demand a confession from him as a spy. While he was lying down defenselessly, the Grandmaster could have investigated as much as she wanted, couldn’t she? However, the Grandmaster’s eyes looking at the plum blossom tree were merely sorrowful without any other concern.

“I miss her. She was so beautiful, so kind, a spring that will never come again in my life.”

He had never had a daughter, but he had lost family before. Yirok’s white socks that he couldn’t wear were like the plum blossom tree to the Grandmaster. Because he knew the sorrow of those left behind, Yirok could not say a single word.

“Therefore, I am grateful to you, Yirok. For saving my Chaehwa. That is virtually no different from saving me.”

At the hand that suddenly took hold of his without warning, Yirok was silently startled. The Grandmaster’s hand, where the passage of time could be felt, was very rough yet tender. In the backyard where a floral fragrance vibrated as if Chaehwa had been planted there, the Grandmaster’s clear voice echoed.

“I know that you are special to Chaehwa. I want to ask one thing. My foolish granddaughter aside, but… are you the same?”

Feeding him medicine, gifting him clothes and shoes, coming out for a walk, and even introducing her beloved plum blossom tree—there was a reason for all of it. The voice asking was warm, but her gaze was not. The hand held affectionately could be dropped at any moment.

“Seeing that you cannot answer. It seems you are the same way.”

Yirok could not answer yes or no as if picking an apple at a fruit stand. His heart, which was directed toward Chaehwa, was not that simple. It was a feeling akin to self-harm. The more he felt that Chaehwa was pretty, lovely, and cute, the more he felt like a germ himself. A germ that must be quickly shaken off and cleared away from Chaehwa. Therefore, the thought that he must possess Chaehwa as much as possible before truly being cast away also existed. The end of his volatile heart would likely be his own ruin. Strangely enough, he wasn’t afraid of ruin. What he feared was a weeping Chaehwa, a Chaehwa who ends up suffering.

“Chaehwa suffered quite a lot while you were collapsed, Yirok. Something must have happened with Shinwoo. While she frequented your place constantly, she didn’t cast a single glance toward Shinwoo. What on earth happened in the vision-grass?”

“…Did Chaehwa not tell you?”

“She didn’t. Although she says she was merely caught up in something the Maeng shamans perpetrated… I don’t find that matter refreshing at all. How did the Maeng shamans know the day Chaehwa was going out, and how did a vision-grass gatherer emerge in a department store where there has never been a single accident until now?”

“Even if you press me, I have no answer to give.”

There must be a good reason why Chaehwa wasn’t disclosing it. He didn’t feel upset about her not disclosing Shinwoo’s guilt either. He thought of Chaehwa, who had wept loudly while applying pressure to stanch his wound with her palm. With that single memory, Yirok could smile even after returning to the Bansi clan.

The Grandmaster looked displeased with Yirok, who had placed a lock on his mouth. There was an unsettling point to view it as the eyes looking at Chaehwa’s faithful haenang. Letting go of Yirok’s hand which she had been holding, the Grandmaster let out a long sigh.

“Shinwoo is practically out of the picture. If there’s one thing I know, once Chaehwa says she dislikes something, she hates it to death. I do not know what kind of mistake Shinwoo made, but I cannot stop her. Even though Chaehwa looks that gentle, she is stricter than I am.”

Choosing to keep his mouth shut, Yirok refrained from replying that she didn’t look gentle at all.

“You are a tender and thoughtful haenang, Yirok, so you will understand. The Maeng shamans have effectively thrown down a gauntlet to the orthodox shamans right now. They dared to kidnap Chaehwa, who will lead the orthodox shamans in the future, for three months. It is not a light matter. We will select skilled haenang and hold a major strategy meeting.”

“Yes.”

Though he himself wasn’t tender or thoughtful at all, Yirok nodded his head. He was just thinking that the Grandmaster’s calling would pass like nagging in this manner. Yirok’s gaze faltered at a voice drifting over into the backyard. Two people crossing over toward the flower bed caught his brightening vision.

“Hence, I wished to hasten Chaehwa’s engagement. Since that fellow Shinwoo seems to be shouting that he is disqualified, no matter what.”

Unaware that someone had arrived before them, the appearance of the man and woman leisurely admiring the flower bed was like a pair of mandarin ducks. The man gently looking at the flowers while holding one of Chaehwa’s hands was a face he was seeing for the first time. The Grandmaster had gone to great lengths to display this picture-perfect pair. Yirok’s gaze dropped quickly, as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

“It is a family we have known for a long time, and since he is older than Chaehwa, he will be mature. Do they not suit each other beautifully?”

The scene made vivid by the Grandmaster’s words floated over his new sneakers. It felt as though the afterimage of the two people he saw earlier remained in his eyes exactly as it was. Yirok bit his lip painfully. Try as he might, words saying it was good simply would not come out.

“I trust you now, Yirok. I will not disregard you as an outsider. Please look after our Chaehwa well by her side.”

The Grandmaster, who knew how to judge a situation like a seasoned, sly old fox, was an extremely wise person. Because she knew exactly who was lingering around the most precious plum blossom tree planted in her backyard, and how to chase them away.

Signaling that she had finished the walk, the Grandmaster pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her forehead. Unable to watch any further, Yirok offered a silent greeting and then departed from the backyard. His hand, which perfectly resembled his unchanging expression, trembled only after slipping into his pocket. Whether that was due to anger, disappointment, jealousy, or all three. Yirok, with a sorrowful scab of blood settled on his lips, did not want to know.