As True as a Dream Chapter 173

After using that stone, he didn’t want to see Hae-Joo feeling uneasy or depressed with guilt.

However, Hae-Joo only offered a faint smile, and he couldn’t sense the sorrow he had expected.

 

“The price for my life… I intend to repay it gradually from now on. As we live together, I want to repay it for the sake of those… who were recklessly sacrificed in this country.”

Yi Ho looked at Hae-Joo’s moist eyes and pressed his hand against her tear-stained cheeks.

Hae-Joo pursed her lips as if she were about to cry but forced a smile instead.

 

“The people I talked and laughed with yesterday… all the comrades who said we must meet again alive are dead. The crow who brought the Bloodstone is also dead. The Japanese soldiers are conducting random inspections on the streets, claiming they’re searching for those who attacked the Governor’s residence. Innocent people are getting hurt again.”

 

After pausing for a moment and bowing her head, Hae-Joo took a deep breath and added,

“I don’t want to be cowardly anymore. I want to carry on the will of those who bravely fell and continue fighting. Would that be alright?”

 

Yi Ho could see the pain of loss reflected in Hae-Joo’s eyes.

Though he didn’t know what she had been through in his absence, her gaze had grown firmer, yet it also carried a deep, sorrowful wound.

 

“I’ll always be wherever you go. Though I may not be as useful as before. And I too… this stone… I must repay the price for my life. Not you, but I should be the one to repay it. Thanks to you, I gained an extra life. That’s only right, isn’t it?”

 

At his words, Hae-Joo let out a soft laugh and tilted her face to gently press her lips against his forehead.

“First, let’s treat our wounds.”

“…Okay.”

 

Now, he no longer had the remarkable healing power unique to monsters.

The minor wounds inflicted by the Man Insa’s Sword and the Japanese soldiers covered his entire body, and even if they healed, scars would likely remain.

Most frustrating of all, he had never lived as a human before, so he had no idea how long it would take for these damned wounds to heal.

 

“Aren’t you hungry? I’m starving.”

“I’m hungry.”

 

At his response, Hae-Joo chuckled softly and left the room to find something to eat.

Outside the open door, he could see crows gathering in small groups.

 

“Hey.”

Yi Ho cleared his throat briefly and called out, and soon a crow in the form of a middle-aged man entered the room.

“What will you do?”

 

When Yi Ho asked abruptly, the stern-faced middle-aged man blinked dumbly.

“I’m nothing anymore. So, what will you all do?”

 

The middle-aged man turned to look behind him.

Crows were swarming like ants, perched all over the house’s inner courtyard.

After scanning them for a moment, the middle-aged man turned back to Yi Ho.

 

“Hongo told us to follow. We follow our master.”

After briefly glancing at the middle-aged man and the crows visible outside the door, Yi Ho faintly raised one corner of his mouth.

No wonder they were the birds Hongo had tamed—they were so foolish and obtuse.

 

“I see.”

Yi Ho gave a short reply and closed his eyes. The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before turning and leaving the room.

Yi Ho tried to move his body but gave up immediately as pain, as if his skin were tearing, shot through him. He slumped back down.

 

“…It hurts.”

 

It seemed he had truly become human.

The regret over losing his incomparably powerful strength was fleeting. If Hae-Joo could accept it happily, he thought it wouldn’t matter.

The only bother was that it would take considerable effort to train this weak and fragile body.

 

“Boss, there was some rice in the kitchen, so I made porridge. Can you get up?”

 

Not long after, Hae-Joo returned, carrying a metal bowl on a tray.

 

Yi Ho felt strangely relieved watching Hae-Joo bring him porridge she had made without even tending to her own needs.

This was how they would live from now on.

When one was hurt, the other would care for them. They would lean on each other, share their hearts, and love without reservation.

…Life seemed worth living.

For the first time in his life, Yi Ho thought that way.

That living truly seemed worth it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It took about a month for his wounds to fully heal.

In the end, Hae-Joo went out and brought a doctor to treat his severe injuries.

Of course, she explained to the Korean doctor that Yi Ho’s wounds were due to being taken by the police during an inspection related to the recent incident at the Governor’s residence and tortured before being released.

 

The excuse worked because there were countless others in similar situations.

 

While he and Hae-Joo holed up in this small courtyard to treat their wounds and recover, the outside world was turned upside down multiple times.

The assassin who killed Governor Saito was never found, not even a trace.

Only two independence fighters, Lee Min-byeong and Ahn Young-ji, who had infiltrated the Governor’s residence, were identified.

Of course, the Japanese military secretly searched for their independence group but soon closed the case after confirming that the group’s leader, Mr. Kim, had been executed by firing squad.

Their reckless inspections and investigations had drawn criticism not only from Koreans but also from foreigners.

If the situation escalated further, it would do Japan no good as they prepared for war.

 

As things settled down somewhat, Hae-Joo took action again.

She secretly met with Yongzhou, bringing materials about various incidents, including the Tokmak Village fire case discovered in Governor Saito’s study.

After leaving copies with Yongzhou, Hae-Joo requested that the information be widely publicized in foreign media and returned.

A few days later, articles condemning the beastly actions of Governor Saito Jiro and Japan were published extensively in Korea and abroad, including the United States, England, Russia, and China.

 

“…Former Governor Saito Jiro slaughtered Koreans as sacrifices to save his daughter, covering up his actions by blaming village fires on accidents and fabricating factory explosions as incidents. Furthermore, there are continued reports that Japan conducted drug experiments on some Koreans, raising questions about the appropriateness of Japan’s rule over Korea…”

 

Hae-Joo sat close to Yi Ho, a sly smile curling her lips.

Yi Ho, who was reading her the English-language newspaper translated into Korean, gently pinched her nose at her fox-like expression and let go.

“Are you that happy?”

 

“Of course. Although this won’t change anything immediately, it will expose one aspect of Japan’s unjust rule over Korea.”

As Hae-Joo smiled, her eyes narrowing, Yi Ho tilted his head and lightly kissed her chattering lips.

Hae-Joo’s eyes widened in surprise, but she soon pressed her lips back against his.

The softness of their brushing lips sent a tingling sensation down Yi Ho’s spine. As Hae-Joo tried to pull away, he held her neck and gently drew her closer.

When he parted his lips to taste hers and slipped his tongue in, Hae-Joo’s lips naturally opened as well.

 

They were sitting close together on the futon in the room, and as their tongues intertwined and their breaths mingled, Yi Ho felt a growing tightness in his lower body.

He had been careful with his movements for nearly a month due to his injuries and had only been declared fully healed by the doctor two days prior.

 

“Wait… Boss, not yet…”

“I heard I’ve fully recovered.”

Before she knew it, Yi Ho had laid Hae-Joo down on the futon and hovered over her, licking her upper lip lazily.

“But it’s still daytime, and we should be careful…”

“If I wait another day, I might not be able to use this thing.”

Yi Ho rubbed his hardened lower body roughly against Hae-Joo’s thigh.

Her face flushed instantly, and her eyes widened.

 

“If a man holds back too much, he’ll get sick. Understand?”

“N-No, I don’t.”

“Well, I’ve told you, so now you know.”

“No, wait a minute.”

“No, I don’t want to.”

Yi Ho immediately slipped his hand under Hae-Joo’s top, grasping her soft breasts and lightly teasing her nipples with his fingertips.

He then buried his lips in the nape of her neck, nibbling gently.

With his other hand, he busily unfastened her pants and pulled them down.

 

“Hng…! Ah…! Haah…!”

As his hand slipped between her legs and gently caressed her entrance, Hae-Joo’s breath quickened.

Her hands, which had been pushing him away moments earlier, now groped his waist and soon tugged his pants down.

Yi Ho pressed his fiery member against her thighs, rubbing gently.

Hae-Joo shuddered, arching her back and pulling him closer.

 

As Yi Ho pulled up her top and took her breast into his mouth, suckling eagerly, he followed her touch upward and kissed her lips.

The gentle friction stimulated Hae-Joo, and her femininity soon grew wet.

Yi Ho moved his hand down, stimulating her slippery entrance a little more.

Gasping for air, Hae-Joo clutched at his clothes, but her hands suddenly caressed the scars still scattered across his body.

Yi Ho looked down at her concerned expression and shook his head lightly.

It was okay.

 

It was true that his body had been flawless before.

That was one of the advantages of being a monster.

But now he was human, and he couldn’t be perfect as before.