As True as a Dream Chapter 163

Hae-Joo, hidden behind a tree, lowered her voice as she spoke, and the crow stared at her with shadowed eyes. For some reason, her chest felt heavy.

“…Why?”

“The master has collapsed. He’s fallen. Man Insa is drinking his blood.”

Hae-Joo frowned.

Though the words were clearly in Korean, their meaning didn’t immediately register.

“Man Insa dragged the master away. He’s unconscious.”

“…What are you saying…?”

Hae-Joo’s voice trembled like a leaf in the wind.

“He was taken to the Governor-General’s residence.”

The crow’s words struck her ears like thunder. For a moment, Hae-Joo couldn’t breathe.

Images of Yi-ho collapsing—weak, bloodless—flashed through her mind, scenes she had witnessed too many times before.

“He’s… he’s alive, isn’t he? Tell me!”

The crow nodded.

“The Governor-General received the independence group’s note. But Man Insa already found Saito Mao. The Governor-General attacked the lumber company. Everyone’s dead. Only the daughter was taken.”

The crow continued, recounting the events that had unfolded.

“Man Insa saw us spying. Many crows were killed by that snake. The snake went to the location in the note. The master lured them… but then he collapsed.”

Hae-Joo’s mind went blank. Her heart pounded violently.

Yi-ho had been taken.

He had collapsed suddenly, struck by another episode, and was dragged away.

Man Insa had drunk his blood.

Memories of those who had died because of Man Insa surfaced in her mind.

A chill ran through her body.

“No… This can’t be… Ah—!”

Her legs felt unsteady, as if the ground itself were shaking. The world seemed to crumble around her.

Yet she forced herself to grip the tree beside her and stand firm.

The crow had said Yi-ho was alive.

As long as he was alive, that was enough.

She didn’t know how long it would take for him to recover, but even a sliver of time would suffice.

Hae-Joo struggled to regain her composure, mentally lashing herself to focus.

Though it felt like an eternity, only a moment had passed.

Her eyelids fluttered as she clawed at the tree bark, her nails breaking without her notice, trying to steady her emotions.

“Is there… a crow watching the situation there?”

“Yes.”

“…Good. Can you pinpoint exactly where the Boss is?”

The crow hesitated briefly before nodding.

“Do you have a plan?”

“…The mission isn’t over yet. I need you to gather details—the layout of the Governor-General’s residence, the number of entrances, the soldiers guarding it… everything.”

Hae-Joo muttered the instructions, and the crow nodded before transforming back into its avian form and flying off.

Watching it go, Hae-Joo gritted her teeth.

The mission wasn’t over.

Too many lives had been lost needlessly.

Some were people she knew; others were strangers. But no life was insignificant.

And now, the man she had staked her life on was inside the Governor-General’s residence.

She had always clung to survival, cowardly at times.

But not anymore.

Even in the independence movement, she had fought to survive—because she had Yi-ho, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

But now Yi-ho was in that mansion.

She had no way of knowing if he would be unharmed until she reached him.

If Yi-ho… if his breath had been cut off, she would not spare her own life either.

And if he was still alive, she would throw herself into danger without hesitation to reach him.

But one thing was certain:

She would kill Governor-General Saito.

And she would reunite with Yi-ho.

Too many days had already been lost.

Hae-Joo reached behind her back, feeling the cold weight of the hidden gun.

Now, she would raise her weapon—for this country, for Joseon.

For the man she loved.

Even if her life ended wretchedly, it would be the right thing to do.

 

Her chest tightened.

In the face of this bleak reality, she didn’t know what else to do but fight.

Even if it meant throwing herself into flames like a moth, she would do it willingly.

There was no room for resignation.

Hae-Joo steadied herself and stepped out from behind the tree, heading back to the car.

By then, Min-byeong had returned.

“What do we do now? Should we retreat to Manchuria first?”

Min-byeong rolled his shoulders as if loosening his muscles.

“I’m going to kill him. Even if I have to strap bombs to my body and charge in, I’ll cut off Saito Jiro’s damned head…!”

Young-ji, who had stepped out of the car, spoke with venomous resolve.

“Are you insane? You think you can storm in alone?”

“With these bombs, I could take out half of Gyeongseong.”

“And you’ll be turned into swiss cheese before you even get close!”

Min-byeong shouted, his voice strained with frustration.

 

“I’ll go with you, Comrade Ahn.”

Hae-Joo’s voice cut in as she climbed into the car. Min-byeong stared at her in disbelief.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“How can anyone survive in Joseon without going mad?”

Hae-Joo’s calm reply left him speechless.

“Can you drive us to the Governor-General’s residence?”

“Comrade Yeon’s contact will bring us intel. Charging in blindly is suicide. Comrade Ahn’s bombs are a last resort, but we can’t rely on them alone.”

Hae-Joo spoke coolly, her icy hands clenched tight.

Inside, she was a storm of fear and anxiety, but she forced herself to stay composed.

“Wait—so the two of you are seriously going to the Governor-General’s residence?”

Min-byeong frowned, pointing between her and Young-ji in exasperation.

Neither answered.

He dragged a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Why are you both like this?!”

“My brother is dead. My mother, my father, my older brother—all killed by those bastards. And now my younger brother is gone too. What else am I supposed to do?”

Young-ji’s voice was sharp with barely contained rage.

Hae-Joo lowered her eyelids and added quietly,

“My mother was tortured by the Japanese army and died fleeing in the streets. My biological father was taken when I was a baby. And now… the man I want to spend the rest of my life with is trapped in that residence. What else can I do?”

Min-byeong opened and closed his mouth, but no words came out.

“How long until Comrade Yeon’s contact arrives?”

Young-ji asked. Hae-Joo looked up at the sky.

“…It won’t be long.”

She pressed a hand to her chest, her fingers brushing against something hard—Yi-ho’s pocket watch, modified into a necklace with a long chain.

She gripped it like a lifeline.

Stay alive, Yi Ho.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Yi-ho’s Perspective:

 

His entire body burned as if on fire.

A searing heat spread from his core, parching his throat.

Yi-ho writhed weakly, but he couldn’t move.

His limbs were bound tightly.

With effort, he lifted his head.

The darkness was absolute—he couldn’t see an inch in front of him.

Blinking slowly, his irises flickered gold in the gloom.

He seemed to be in a prison cell.

His limbs were shackled to iron locks embedded in the walls, and beyond the bars, a faint light flickered at the end of the hallway.

The small space was filled with sinister tools—a water bucket, a whip, and other instruments of torture.

Yi-ho turned his head, struggling to recall his last memory.

He had been fighting Man Insa when a sudden heat erupted in his gut, blood rising to his throat.

The orb inside his dantian had shattered, draining his strength—the last thing he remembered before collapsing.

“Haah…!”

A sound—somewhere between a sigh and a scoff—escaped his lips.

He strained against the shackles, but they didn’t budge.

Helpless, he let his head drop, then glanced down at his abdomen.

His expression darkened.

Shards of the shattered orb were scattered inside his body, sending waves of gnawing pain through him, like rats chewing at his flesh.

Yi-ho spat out a mouthful of blood and took a deep breath.

The only light came from the far end of the hallway, barely visible through the bars. His cell was sealed on all sides.

His last memory was of broad daylight—how much time had passed?

And most importantly—

‘Hae-Joo… Is she safe?’