As True as a Dream Chapter 84

Saito pursed his lips and nodded to his subordinate.

 

The subordinate dutifully assured him that he had seen and heard nothing and left the study, closing the door firmly behind him.

 

Saito looked back at the smiling young man.

 

He had heard that the child was only about three or four years old when Man Insa entered his body near the abandoned well in the Shintang Town Hall.

 

Once inside, the child immediately grew into the body of a fifteen-year-old, perhaps due to the effects of the bloodstone, which had consumed quite a bit of blood.

 

But now, in just a few days, he has grown to about eighteen years old.

 

“Father, I want to draw!”

 

Kyung-in suddenly shouted out of nowhere and jumped up on the desk in the study.

 

He grabbed any piece of paper in front of him, picked up a black pen, hummed a melody, and started drawing.

 

Saito shrugged off the sight of such a young man and looked down at the plan for the provincial tour on his desk.

 

This provincial tour would be a short two weeks, but it was just the right amount of time to clean up the mess.

 

No one was crazy enough to take Kyung-in’s sudden growth for granted.

 

With the exception of a few loyal servants who had served him and Mao for generations in the Saito family, everyone in the residence had to be replaced.

 

To avoid any unnecessary noise.

 

He also needed to fill the stomach of the bloodthirsty Man Insa who had grown up so quickly.

 

Any more conspicuous behavior in Gyeongseong would work against him.

 

There was only so much he could do to silence public opinion.

 

He also had to deal with Na Jung-ae, who had dared to use the Guishan Dao to offer him a deal.

 

Eight years had passed and she seemed to have forgotten who he was.

 

Just as she wanted him to deal with Ban Yi Ho’s fiancée for her own sanity, Saito couldn’t let Na Jung-ae, who knew everything about the Guishan Dao like the back of his hand, get away with it for his own sanity.

 

He also had to use this time to send someone to Song Yue Pavilion to learn more about Ban Yi Ho.

 

Only by knowing the enemy would he be able to plan a strategy.

 

Narrowing his eyes, Saito looked down at the head of Kyung-in, who was still drawing intently with his head down, mentally organizing the tasks he needed to accomplish one by one.

 

The Guishan Dao, the house of all people, was jaggedly drawn on the paper.

 

“Only 7728 people in eight years. I’m hungry, Father.”

 

Kyung-in, who had been drawing chaotic lines at the beginning of the mountain, suddenly looked up and said sullenly.

 

The countless lines at the beginning of the mountain.

 

It represented the number of people he had killed.

 

And looking down at the tiny heads, Saito sighed as well.

 

For the first three years after he returned to mainland Japan with the Guishan Dao, he was unable to make ends meet and let Man Insa starve.

 

The shaman he had with him had cast a spell on the Guishan Dao to save the weakened man.

But even the shaman knew that this wouldn’t work for long.

 

The life force was too strong.

 

He soon found a solution.

 

Saito was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army.

 

He had taken Man Insa with him in several battles over the years, including the destruction of the rebel bases.

 

He ended up with 7728 men.

 

But he still needed 2,000 more lives to reach 10,000.

 

Two thousand.

 

It was a number that was far, far away and very near.

 

The corners of Saito’s eyes creased slightly.

 

Maybe this provincial tour is their chance.

 

* * *

 

She didn’t know if it was relaxation or exhaustion, but she finally opened her eyes after sleeping until almost noon the next day.

 

Hae-Joo’s vision was blurred by a pale glow that penetrated the snow-white blankets and curtains.

 

As she stared at the scene, memories of the past two days flashed through her mind.

 

In the forest, running around all day, trying to survive.

 

Yi Ho’s miraculous appearance when she was about to give up in despair.

 

And his unexpected confession.

 

“I was nervous and worried. Nervous because I couldn’t see you, nervous because I thought something had happened to you and it would be ugly if I didn’t admit it”.

 

Her heart, which had been beaten to a pulp by the constant tension and fear, was revived by Yi Ho’s words, as if it had never been so tired before.

 

“It can’t be a dream, can it?”

 

Murmuring to herself, Hae-Joo sat up and pinched her thigh.

 

“Ouch, that hurts…!”

 

Hae-Joo muttered absentmindedly, but soon the corners of her mouth lifted.

It hurt like hell, but she couldn’t help smiling.

 

This was no dream.

 

The stupid man finally admitted it and raised his hands and feet.

 

Hae-Joo lifted the hand that had pinched her leg and touched her own lips with the fingertips that Yi Ho had so passionately desired last night.

 

She remembered her hot breath and his dry hands caressing her body.

 

“…Aah, wake up. Hae-Joo. What kind of indecent idea is this?”

 

She tugged at her reddened earlobe and puffed up her cheeks.

 

She held her breath for a moment to calm her racing heart.

 

Only when her heart regained its natural calm did she turn her eyes to the room.

 

As she remembered from yesterday, the room was sparsely furnished with a bed, cupboards, drawers and a table.

 

Climbing down from the bed, Hae-Joo immediately opened the curtain covering the glass door.

 

When she saw the sun high in the sky, she was overcome with emotion.

 

Since coming to Gyeongseong, she hadn’t had time to be lazy, living like a worker ant every day, screaming for money, money, money.

 

She doesn’t know how long it’s been since she slept so deeply and for so long.

 

After standing there for a while, Hae-Joo turned around.

 

Her bare feet padded across the carpeted floor and she opened the door to find Yi Ho.

 

Along the railing of the hallway overlooking the lobby on the first floor, she could see a few tightly closed doors.

 

Hae-Joo stood in front of the door closest to Yi Ho’s room and knocked.

 

Soon, a large door that opened on both sides swung open, revealing a red-faced Hongo.

 

“Ah, hello… Master Hongo, good morning.”

 

“Are you awake? If it’s the master, he’s inside.”

 

Compared to Hae-Joo’s somewhat panicked complexion, Hongo was in a nonchalant mood.

 

“If you’re in the middle of something important, I’ll come back later.”

 

Hae-Joo rolled her eyes and watched Hongo’s eyes carefully.

 

She was too afraid to speak when he heard Yi Ho’s voice from inside.

 

“Come in. You too.”

 

Hongo glanced behind him, then smiled benevolently, opened the door wide and stepped aside for her to enter.

 

Hae-Joo smiled and flipped her hair to greet Hongo, then stepped inside.

 

As in the bedroom, the first thing she saw was a glass door leading to the veranda.

 

There was a huge bookshelf lined with books along one wall, a large desk and chair in the middle, and a low table, an armchair, and a long bench-like navy blue velvet sofa on the other.

 

Yi Ho was leaning against the desk at an angle, and behind him, for some reason, were several stacks of newspapers.

 

Hae-Joo, who had been looking around the study with one eye, froze when her eyes met his.

 

Suddenly feeling very awkward and out of place, she couldn’t find a place to put her eyes, so she looked away and fiddled with her loose hair.

 

She stared at him, unsure of how to treat him now.

 

‘Maybe they had become lovers… but what was a lover?’

 

Suddenly her head was a mess.

 

This wasn’t like being a fake fiancé on purpose.

 

Suddenly, being friendly seemed too much, and being casual seemed inappropriate.

 

Yi Ho, who had been looking at her awkwardly as she stood there, suddenly blushed.

 

“Master Hongo, start from the beginning.”

 

“Yes, I’ll start with the results of yesterday’s hunt for the men who were chasing Lady Hae-Joo at Bonggae Mountain.”

 

Hae-Joo, who had been absentmindedly reading the titles of the books on the bookshelf, was startled out of her daydream by Master Hongo’s words.

 

She snapped her head around and looked back at Master Hongo.

 

“Those men yesterday were not from the government.”

 

‘Not from the government? You mean it wasn’t Mao Saito?’

 

Hae-Joo pursed her lips to ask a question, but Yi Ho nudged her to listen.

 

Hongo’s choice of words was a little awkward, but he was too focused on what he was saying to notice.

 

“Where did you go on the main street?”

 

Hae-Joo asked and Hongo turned to her and answered calmly.