Chapter 57
“…….”
I shook my head and quickly cast those thoughts aside. Rather than dwelling on negative thoughts, it was better to hurry and keep moving.
As time passed, strength gradually returned to my body.
I woke Pyeonghyeon, who was still sleeping soundly, and we prepared to leave. We filled our stomachs with some fruit and immediately set off.
We didn’t make it out of the mountains until almost noon. It was later than I had expected.
Normally, we would have left the mountains much earlier, but my poor condition had delayed us considerably. I had to keep stopping to rest because I became exhausted after walking only a little.
‘Am I actually helping her, or am I just being a burden?’
I was almost embarrassed in front of Pyeonghyeon. Maybe she would have gotten farther if she had just walked by herself…
“Unnie, are you okay? Are you feeling really bad?”
Of course, Pyeonghyeon didn’t blame me for it. Rather, whenever she saw me sitting on a rock and panting, she would ask worriedly,
“Hm? Yeah, I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with me. It’s just… you’re surprisingly heavy.”
“What?”
“Ha, got you. You looked so skinny that I thought you’d be light as a feather, so I offered to carry you. But now that I’ve actually picked you up, you’re pretty hefty. Is it all muscle? Let me see, even your arms look pretty firm…”
“N-No, they don’t…!”
Seeing Pyeonghyeon hurriedly pull her arm away, I grinned.
“I’m kidding. Anyway, keep telling me what you were saying earlier. You said you’ve lived alone with your grandmother since you were little. What about your parents? Have they been gone since you were young?”
Pyeonghyeon looked at me disapprovingly, realizing I was trying to change the subject, but soon sighed and obediently answered.
“My mother died not long after I was born, and my father died a few years ago. Both of them were naturally rather frail…”
“Oh, we’re similar. Both of my parents died too. My father, well, he wasn’t around from the moment I was born, and my mother was sick for a long time before she passed away.”
“Really? But didn’t you say you were with your family? I thought you meant your parents…”
“Ah, that.”
I awkwardly explained,
“Technically, she’s someone like family. If I had to put it into words, I guess you could call her my older sister?”
“Your older sister?”
I smiled faintly and nodded.
“Yeah. Someone who helped me a lot. Honestly, she was incredibly difficult to get close to at first. She had a distrust of people, so she couldn’t trust anyone. She disliked me so much, too.”
“But you became close?”
“I just kept pestering her. I stuck by her side, kept talking to her, and teased her just like I do with you. She absolutely hated it at first.”
“Ah… I think I understand.”
“What do you understand, you little brat?”
I playfully pinched Pyeonghyeon’s cheek before continuing.
“Still, she gradually opened her heart to me. It was strangely rewarding, and I liked it too. Eventually, we became almost like family.”
“…You must really like her.”
“Of course I do. If I didn’t like her, I wouldn’t have made her family. Why? Are you jealous?”
“Yes, I am.”
I was surprised by how readily she answered and looked at Pyeonghyeon. She seemed somewhat depressed.
“I’m… an only child. Since I’ve lived in the mountains ever since I was born, I’ve hardly ever met anyone my age. And when I did, they were always intimidated by me…”
“Really? That’s strange. You don’t have a difficult personality…”
“M-Maybe I am a little like that. Anyway… there was a time when I wished I had a brother or sister. It looked nice, watching siblings bicker and play together. Being alone is lonely…”
“…….”
“I was just… jealous. You said you have a family, too… I wish I had an older sister like yours…”
Seeing Pyeonghyeon trail off, I suddenly said,
“What are you talking about? Why look for an older sister like me somewhere else? I can be your older sister, can’t I?”
“Huh?”
Pyeonghyeon blinked.
“Bickering? What have we been doing all the way here? Playing together? How about I play with you from now until you get sick of me?”
“Huh? Really?”
“Family isn’t anything special. If you get along and want to keep being together, then you’re family. You don’t have to be related by blood to become a family. Just like my older sister and me…”
‘And like my mother and me.’
I swallowed the rest of the thought for a moment. Then I grinned and vigorously ruffled Pyeonghyeon’s hair.
“Anyway, if you want, I can be your older sister whenever you want. Actually, I’ve always wanted a younger sibling too. It’s nice to have one now, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“Oh, or should we become sworn sisters right now? How about the three of us sisters?”
“Ahaha.”
“What? Is that a yes or a no? Stop laughing and give me a proper answer. Don’t tell me that’s a silent rejection because you don’t want to be my little sister?”
“No, I want to. I’ll be your little sister, Unnie.”
Even as she said that, Pyeonghyeon continued smiling. Somehow, her smile looked genuinely happy.
I put Pyeonghyeon on my back again and set off. As we traveled, we talked about all sorts of things. Sometimes we made silly jokes, and sometimes we talked seriously. I didn’t know whether Pyeonghyeon was enjoying herself, but I found that time genuinely enjoyable.
After walking for quite a while, Pyeonghyeon suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around my neck. Then she quietly said,
“Unnie.”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you. And…”
Just as I was about to answer with a smile,
“…I’m sorry.”
I froze.
Somehow, Pyeonghyeon’s voice sounded damp with emotion.
***
We didn’t make it to a village that day either. Partly because my pace was so slow, and partly because the sky had grown gloomy in the late afternoon, as if it were about to pour.
After thinking it over, I eventually decided to look for somewhere we could take shelter from the rain. If I were alone, I would have ignored it and kept going, but with Pyeonghyeon on my back, it would be difficult to continue while getting soaked. Fortunately, I spotted a building that looked like a house nearby, so we headed straight toward it.
And that building was…
‘An abandoned shrine.’
The shrine wasn’t in very good condition.
It seemed to have gone without maintenance for a long time, as spiderwebs covered various corners and all the gold leaf had peeled off the signboard. Still, the roof was intact, so it looked like we could spend a night there.
I took Pyeonghyeon inside the shrine.
When I opened the door, I saw a dusty room. There was an altar directly ahead, and an unidentified statue sat atop it.
I set Pyeonghyeon down beneath the altar.
Not long afterward, I heard the sound of rain pouring down. It really had started raining. I looked outside the door and muttered,
“I knew there was something strange about the sky. It’s pouring. Good thing we got inside before it started, otherwise we’d have been completely soaked. Right?”
“…….”
“Pyeonghyeon?”
“Yes, yes?”
At my call, Pyeonghyeon lifted her head in surprise. Then she slowly nodded.
“Yes…”
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at her.
‘She’s doing it again.’
Pyeonghyeon had been like this for a while.
Ever since we had that sincere conversation… or, more precisely, ever since she had said that mysterious ‘I’m sorry’, she had gradually become quieter. Now she was practically absent-minded.
No matter how much I spoke to her, she either listened absentmindedly or answered only after a delay. I scratched my head.
‘Is she worried about something?’
If things were really difficult, she could tell me. It would be better if we thought about it together… I was about to say that when I looked back at Pyeonghyeon and was startled.
She was on the verge of tears.
“Pyeonghyeon, what’s wrong? What happened?”
“Unnie…”
Pyeonghyeon muttered in a trembling voice,
“Unnie, I, actually…”
“Yeah. Tell me.”
“Actually, I…”
Just then.
“Excuse me!”
I turned around.
A rough voice came from outside the door.
‘What?’
I didn’t answer right away and instead watched the situation. Then I heard other people speaking.
“See? I told you, it’s obviously an abandoned shrine. Let’s just go inside already.”
“Do we really have time to stop here? Wouldn’t it be better to just hurry back?”
“In this rain? Let’s take shelter for a bit and rest before we go. Damn it, we’ve been wandering around all day because of that woman. I’m exhausted…”
I swallowed dryly as I listened carefully to their conversation.
I had a bad feeling.
They could simply have been travelers seeking shelter from the rain, but judging from the rough voices and manner of speech, they somehow didn’t seem like ordinary people.
Above all,
‘Pyeonghyeon?’
Pyeonghyeon was trembling. From the moment she heard the men’s voices, she had gone pale and was shaking.
Just like when she had first met me…
‘No way.’
I hurriedly looked around. But there was nowhere suitable to hide inside the empty shrine. Other than the altar and the statue, there was nothing…
The altar?
“Fine, let’s take shelter here for a while and then go.”
Step, step.
The footsteps drew closer.
I hurriedly grabbed Pyeonghyeon’s arm and whispered,
“This way…!”
Then I pushed Pyeonghyeon’s body beneath the altar. Fortunately, Pyeonghyeon was small enough that there was still room beneath it even after she crawled inside. Once she was in, I quickly squeezed myself underneath as well.
Just as I tucked my head inside,
Bang!
“…Hm?”
Someone asked,
“What’s wrong? Is someone there?”
“I don’t know…”
The man walked around inside the shrine for a moment.
Thud, thud, thud.
The man’s heavy footsteps echoed beside my ears. My heart pounded like mad in rhythm with them. It felt as though my heart would burst.
After a while, the man stopped walking.
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