As True as a Dream Chapter 161

No, this was no longer a company.

Due to the nature of the lumber business, it required vast land, so it was situated far from residential areas. As they drove further, an eerie atmosphere began to loom.

And the moment they passed through a narrow path flanked by towering stacks of lumber, Hae-Joo had no choice but to stop the car.

The strength drained from her hands gripping the steering wheel.

Young-ji, who had been in the back seat, stumbled out of the car in a daze, screaming as she ran forward.

Blood and corpses were everywhere.

 

People riddled with bullet holes lay scattered like worthless trash.

Living in these turbulent times, she had seen countless corpses before.

But no matter how many times she witnessed it, she never grew accustomed, never numb.

Suppressing the fear tightening her chest, Hae-Joo stepped out of the car.

Min-byeong, So-hwa, and the boy, who had already exited the vehicle, followed suit, walking ahead.

From somewhere, the crackling sound of flames reached her ears.

Passing dozens of corpses strewn across the wide premises, they saw a building engulfed in roaring flames.

And there, on one side, was Young-ji, weeping as she cradled the lifeless body of a child.

“Ah—!”

Hae-Joo covered her mouth with both hands and collapsed to her knees.

No survivors.

Not a single one.

 

 

* * *

 

Yi-Ho gasped for breath like a madman.

While fighting to keep Man Insa away from where Hae-Joo was, he had unknowingly ended up near the Governor’s residence.

Perhaps from suddenly exerting explosive force, he could vividly feel the orb inside his dantian cracking apart, fissures spreading relentlessly.

Gritting his teeth, Yi-Ho suppressed the metallic blood rising in his throat and deflected another swift dagger thrust from Man Insa.

The moment his feet touched the garden, the blood he had been holding back finally surged up, forcing its way out.

“Kkh—! Ugh!”

“Heh? Does it really hurt that much?”

Man Insa sneered as he watched Yi-Ho crouch, hands on the ground, retching as if he would vomit his own organs.

Compared to Yi-Ho, Man Insa—his body slashed in places, bones exposed—was filled with madness.

Seizing the opportunity, Man Insa lunged with his dagger, aiming for Yi-Ho’s head, but even in that state, Yi-Ho twisted his body to evade.

‘Damn it! A worthless snake like you!’

 

Yi-Ho gnashed his teeth, wiped the blood from his lips, and tried to rise.

But then, once again, the orb in his dantian cracked violently, as if the earth itself were splitting apart.

“Wouldn’t you just die on your own if I left you?”

Yi-Ho swallowed the blood in his mouth and faced Man Insa.

 

“That’d be boring.”

Man Insa glanced at his own leg, the kneecap twisted unnaturally, and smirked coldly.

“I’ll do the same to your kneecap. And I’ll slice your throat halfway. Most die from that, but will you survive?”

Man Insa touched his own neck, which was barely hanging on, then pushed off with his good leg and charged at Yi-Ho.

Yi-Ho realized that if he didn’t kill Man Insa in this next defense, he would truly die.

His body was pushed to its absolute limit.

He had been too overconfident in his own abilities.

Yi-Ho grabbed Man Insa’s dagger with one hand and tried to seize his throat with the other.

But in that instant, the mouth of the child’s body Man Insa wore split open, and the head of a black snake shot out with a hiss—sinking its fangs into Yi-Ho’s neck.

Yi-Ho tried to grab and fling the snake away, but the moment he exerted force, the barely intact orb in his dantian shattered with a visceral crack.

By the time he broke free, Man Insa had already retreated into the child’s mouth and was now strangling Yi-Ho’s throat.

The whites of Yi-Ho’s eyes flooded red—then his body collapsed.

“Huh?”

Man Insa, now standing on the ground, stared down at Yi-Ho’s fallen form.

“What’s this? Fox?”

Yi-Ho didn’t move.

Man Insa reached out, grabbing Yi-Ho’s hair to lift his head.

A scorching heat radiated from Yi-Ho’s body.

Bewildered, Man Insa’s gaze fell on the neck he had bitten earlier.

Two round holes gushed blood in thick pulses.

Man Insa licked his lips.

Then, remembering his own exposed bones—his leg and neck—he grinned.

He scooped up the blood dripping from Yi-Ho’s neck with his hand and brought it to his mouth.

Above, the cawing of crows echoed chaotically.

 

 

* * *

 

The peaceful blue sky, untouched by wind, was a stark contrast to the lumber company isolated in Yongsan.

The acrid stench of fire, the half-collapsed building, the gruesome corpses littered everywhere…

The hellish scene left the shabbily dressed onlookers in shock.

They were nearby residents who had rushed over after seeing the smoke belatedly. Only after desperately extinguishing the flames could they fully grasp the horror before them.

“Those gunshots earlier… I thought it was just military training, but this…! How could this—?!”

“Quiet! One wrong word, and you’ll be punished!”

“Wasn’t this just a lumber factory? What the hell happened?!”

“Heaven’s wrath… All these precious lives, how could they…?”

 

“Gong-myeong! Gong-myeong? Move aside! My son worked here! Gong-myeong! Where are you?!”

“Father! Has anyone seen my father? He was a laborer here! Has anyone seen him?!”

The silence shattered as voices erupted like ripples in water.

Dozens of people, frantic, began sifting through the corpses.

 

“Ah…! Teacher Kim! Over here—it’s Teacher Jeong! They’re all gone…!”

“What? Teacher Kim? Teacher Kim…! Why would he be here…?!”

So-hwa, who had been tirelessly fighting the flames, suddenly turned and sprinted toward the building’s front yard.

Min-byeong and Hae-Joo followed.

When they approached, they found So-hwa on her knees, sobbing before a gray-haired man lying in a pool of blood.

Hae-Joo’s legs nearly gave out, but she forced herself to stand.

Just days ago, this man had smiled kindly at her, warning her not to take life lightly. Now, not a breath remained in him.

“Over here—it’s Comrade Yang!”

“Dr. Jeong is here too!”

A few people searching through the corpses cried out, their faces pale.

So-hwa and Min-byeong exchanged glances—likely recognizing them as fellow comrades.

“Most of the elders were gathered here. A young woman in a patient’s gown was brought here this morning… They said she was important. Ugh…!”

Hae-Joo, standing blankly, turned at the boy’s voice—the one who had led them here.

Tears streaming down his face, he kowtowed before Teacher Kim, wailing.

“The important person… It was Saito Mao.”

Hae-Joo murmured.

Young-ji, clutching the lifeless body of a boy no older than twelve, raised her bloodshot eyes.

Her gaze burned with an unquenchable fury.

“I’ll kill them… Every last one of those bastards…!”

Her words dripped with venomous hatred.

Hae-Joo bit her lower lip hard.

‘Where has it all gone wrong?’

Governor Saito hadn’t fallen into the independence army’s trap.

Instead, upon realizing Mao was missing, he had immediately turned his attention here.

‘How had he known?’

‘When had he noticed?’

 

“…Did you see the newspaper this morning?”

“I did. I didn’t want to believe it, but… it’s all true, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Otherwise, no matter how much the Japanese military runs wild in this land, this… this massacre makes no sense…”

“They mean to kill us all. Just like the newspaper said—they plan to exterminate us…”

Whispers spread, thick with terror.

Then—

“[Move! You damned Joseon dogs! If you don’t disperse, we’ll arrest every last one of you as anti-Empire rebels! Scram!]”

 

A sharp voice in Japanese rang out, accompanied by the sound of approaching vehicles.

“[Scram!]”

“[O-Officer! P-Please explain! Why are all these people dead…?]”

“[Shut up! This isn’t just a lumber company! It’s a den of anti-Empire rebels! How dare they kidnap the Governor’s daughter! They deserved to die!]”

“[B-But… Not all of them were rebels…]”

“[You! Come here! Are you one of them? Hey! Arrest him!]”

“[N-No, no! I’m not!]”

In an instant, chaos erupted.

“[Sir! My son had nothing to do with the independence movement! He was just a laborer trying to survive! Why did he have to die—Ahhk!]”

Japanese soldiers poured out of military trucks, indiscriminately beating civilians blocking their path with rifle butts and blades.