As True as a Dream Chapter 75

Hae-Joo didn’t know how long she stood there, staring at the box in disbelief.

 

She let out a small sigh, realizing that she couldn’t stand like this forever.

 

‘What am I supposed to do with this box?’

 

She was too afraid to bring it into the house and too afraid that it would attract attention.

 

After a moment’s hesitation, she picked up the box and placed it neatly by the door.

 

She thought she would find a good place to bury it on her way out tomorrow.

 

With a heavy face, she went into the house and put the box in the corner.

 

Then she cleaned the house, which was dusty after a week without anyone, and opened the windows to air it out.

 

Then she took the notebook with the new jewelry designs out of her bag and put it in the attic, where she uses it as a craft studio.

 

After a while, she went to the water fountain in the courtyard with a basin to wash and rest.

 

She put the basin down, crouched down, and was about to reach for the water when she heard the sound of shuffling footsteps.

 

Thinking it was another cat, she craned her neck to look toward the mouth of the alley and saw a long shadow in the bright moonlight.

 

“This way. Don’t let the rats or birds see you. Do you hear me?”

 

“Didn’t you say the girl lives alone? Why do you keep nagging me?”

 

Hae-Joo’s somewhat girlish tone made her stomach turn.

 

She stood up and poked her head around the corner of the building, hiding in the shadows.

 

“Can I have some fun after I catch her, giggle! At twenty, she’s not so young anymore. If I’m lucky, she’ll still be a virgin.”

 

“I don’t care, as long as you never let her set foot on a hard floor again.”

 

‘Twenty? A girl living alone?’

 

The blood ran cold in Hae-Joo’s veins.

 

She realized that the twenty-year-old girl they were talking about living alone was most likely herself.

 

For the shadows of the men stopped in front of her apartment building.

 

“This is it? Nice place. I heard taxi drivers make so much money, and she’s lucky. Let’s take some money, big brother.”

 

“Keep your voice down.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Hae-Joo’s temples jumped.

 

‘Are they here to get me? Who are they? Why?’

 

‘Did he just tell him to make sure I never set foot on a hardwood floor again?’

 

“Huh? The door is open?”

 

The men whispered as they quietly opened the door to her house and one of them stepped inside.

 

In a panic, Hae-Joo saw the shadow of one of the remaining shadows walking in front of her house and realized that she had to run.

 

No matter how cowardly her self-defense skills, she was no match for two hulking men who looked as tough as they sounded.

 

The best thing to do was to run.

 

Too afraid to take another step back, the cat that had startled her earlier stood not a few feet away from her, meowing and meowing.

 

Then the man standing outside the door looked in the direction of the cat’s cry.

 

It was very close to where she was standing.

 

Hae-Joo’s heart leapt when she realized that the man’s eyes were on her, as if watching her from the shadows.

 

“Brother, there’s no one inside.”

 

“No one?”

 

The man who remained outside shifted his gaze back to the corner of the building he’d been watching a moment ago.

 

Hae-Joo knew that if she moved now, they would surely see her.

 

But she wasn’t the best at hiding like that.

 

Desperately racking her brain, she took a deep breath as the man began to move toward her.

 

Then she stretched and walked lazily around the corner of the building.

 

“Uh, who are you? I don’t think we… I don’t think you live in this building. Who are you looking for?”

 

As if she had just seen them, Hae-Joo asked with a puzzled look on her face.

 

“You live in this building?”

 

“Yes, I live in the house behind this building. With my mother.”

 

“Do you know the lady who lives in that house?”

 

Hae-Joo looked at the house the men pointed to and nodded.

 

“Ah, you are looking for the lady of the house, and how do you know her…?”

 

She asked, confused, and the men exchanged glances.

 

“We work for the same taxi company.”

 

“Oh, I see, the lady just got out.”

 

Hae-Joo jerked her chin toward the mouth of the alley, trying to look casual.

 

If these men didn’t recognize her face, she could get away with it.

 

“You don’t know where she went?”

 

“I’m not sure, but she’ll be back in a few minutes. Apparently she left the door open, so I don’t think she went far. I’ll leave you to it then.”

 

Hae-Joo shrugged and shook her head slightly, then turned on her side and walked across the courtyard and out into the alley.

 

The moment her back was turned, the smug expression on her face vanished without a trace.

 

A cold sweat ran down her back in case they followed her out.

 

But fortunately, there was no sign of them following.

 

After turning her back on the house and entering the alley, Hae-Joo’s pace quickened.

 

She began to run frantically down the deserted alley.

 

“Over there! Shit!”

 

A disheveled male voice shouted from far behind.

 

She’s been spotted!

 

Hae-Joo’s legs moved faster and faster and she was out of the alley.

 

Even if she wanted to call for help, it was too late and the area was deserted.

 

Besides, the people who happened to see her were obviously frightened by the two rugged looking men chasing after her.

 

“You idiot! That’s Hae-Joo! You saw the picture and don’t remember her?”

 

“I’m not the only one who didn’t remember, neither did you, and besides, the picture was so blurry…!”

 

Hae-Joo gritted her teeth at the sound of approaching footsteps and ran frantically across the dark night street.

 

* * *

 

Same time, Song Yue Pavilion.

 

Yi Ho stared at the shattered moon jar and the blackened hagiography in the display case with a faint smile on his lips, then turned to Hongo standing behind him and asked, “Where is Saito Mao?”

 

“The raven I sent to inspect the governor’s residence said that Mao Saito was taking a walk in the garden. Apparently, the boils caused by the sea snow are in remission, as she couldn’t even get out of bed before.”

 

“Tsk.”

 

Yi Ho clicked his tongue at Hongo’s report.

 

He had expected this, but it had come to this.

 

“Master, there must be something in the governor’s house, right? That’s why I have a theory…”

 

“Ask with knowledge, I’m sure you have your own suspicions.”

 

“Could it be a shaman or shamanist, or is there a powerful spirit that we don’t know about that has entered the grounds of their mansion?”

 

Instead of answering, Yi Ho turned to Hongo, the corners of his mouth twitching upward.

 

“Whatever it is, we’ll find out when we go check it out.”

 

“You’re… going to… see for yourself?”

 

“I think it’ll be inconvenient if I leave it alone. It’s easier to nip anything that might cause trouble in the bud, don’t you think?”

 

Yi Ho thought of Mao Saito, whose humanity had been severely damaged.

 

Given her behavior at the party, she was sure to be a nuisance if left alone.

 

But he couldn’t bring himself to touch her for fear of stirring up a hornet’s nest because of her status.

 

He hoped she’d just die of a boil, but that plan was thwarted.

 

Knowing that the Guishan Dao was probably in Jingsheng, he didn’t want to waste time on such a trivial matter when he had so much work to do.

 

Whatever was in the governor’s residence could be dealt with quickly.

 

“Are you sure you want to check it out today?”

 

“I’m afraid not today.”

 

At Hongo’s cautious question, Yi Ho swallowed a sneer and looked down at his body.

 

After traveling long distances for so many days in a row, as well as several bouts of beriberi and fever, he felt quite dull and heavy.

 

The fatigue piled up.

 

If he tried to sneak into the governor’s residence in this condition, he might even be spotted by the lone Japanese soldier guarding it.

 

“Are you all right, sir? Are you feeling any worse?”

 

Hongo’s forehead wrinkled as if he understood the situation from Yi Ho’s expression.

 

“When have I felt good in the last few years?”

 

Yi Ho said lightly as he left the room, and Hongo’s complexion turned dull.

 

“Shall we send the crows out first to see how things are going?”

 

“If it’s okay for your crows to die, then so be it.”

 

Yi Ho looked at Hongo and said casually.

 

He’d even burned them when he realized what they were doing.

 

If it’s only for a short time, but if the crows have been hovering near the residence for a long time, there’s no way they won’t notice.

 

Hongo muttered to himself as if he understood what he was saying, but he couldn’t say anything more.

 

Just because he was a Crow Demon didn’t mean that he could command all the crows in the world.

 

A bird called a crow usually lives for twenty years if it leads an uneventful life.

 

The crows that Hongo commanded were demons that had survived beyond their average lifespan.

 

Each of them had a better intellect than the average bird, and some of the older ones could even pass for humans.

 

This meant that Hongo’s ravens were harder to raise than one might think, and their numbers were limited.

 

Therefore, it was a waste to use them up and discard them as needed.