Change – 4
After finishing my training, I went to the women's dormitory ahead of Lady Cheon and knocked on the door.
"Lady Cheongyeon, are you inside?"
In truth, I already knew she was there.
I could sense her presence with my perception.
Still, I pretended not to know, knocked, and waited outside for a moment.
Since she must also feel that I was standing outside, I decided to wait until she was willing to talk.
A moment later, a voice came.
"What is it?"
It was a dry voice, with no emotion to read.
But at least she had responded—that alone was meaningful.
Her answering me meant she had some willingness to converse, didn't it?
I thought for a moment about what to say, then chose to be honest.
"I just wanted to have a little conversation with you."
After another pause, her voice came again.
"I'm sorry, but I don't feel like it right now."
The tone was flat, yet her refusal left no room.
In the past, I would have surely faltered and backed away at this point.
But not now.
I knocked once more at her heart, refusing to give up.
The slight delay in her answer earlier, I chose to interpret as hesitation.
"It doesn't have to be now. Please talk to me whenever you feel like it. I'll be waiting."
I waited a little longer after saying that.
But no reply came.
It seemed I'd have to wait much longer.
With a small sigh, I turned to leave.
And then, her voice reached me.
"After dinner… let's talk then."
Her voice somehow sounded less cold than before.
It even carried a faint trace of emotion.
I smiled faintly.
"Very well. After dinner, in the training hall."
As I walked away, I thought:
When I actually tried it, it wasn't as hard as I imagined, was it?
Maybe reaching out to people was always like this.
I'd simply been too afraid all along.
If I'd had just a little more courage in my past life, might I not have lost them?
My father… perhaps even my brothers?
I found myself looking forward to the conversation with Lady Cheongyeon after dinner.
And also to meeting Lady Na again.
I felt I could speak with more confidence this time.
Not long after, as dinner time came and I was heading to eat with Bi Sayeong and Bae Jonggwan, I overheard voices from nearby squad members.
"What? Three Iron Ghosts appeared at the Fifteenth Squadron?"
"Yeah, our vice-captain said he heard it from the main commander."
We were startled and listened closely.
"Damn! So what happened? The Fifteenth doesn't even have Hwagolsan supplies yet, right?"
"Exactly. That's why, with the sacrifice of some members, they lured the things away from the Fifteenth's base. Their current whereabouts are unknown. I heard the Flying Dragon Headquarters dispatched a subjugation unit carrying Hwagolsan, but who knows how it'll go."
"Damn! That's a relief, but still worrisome. Three of those monsters… nothing better happen."
"No kidding."
Three Iron Ghosts appearing…
It was about that time indeed.
In my past life, after they first appeared in our Thirteenth Squadron, it wasn't long before they started showing up in other squadrons in succession.
Back then, because our Thirteenth Squadron took heavy losses and failed to make a proper report, other Flying Dragon units suffered enormous casualties.
At least this time, our swift report had allowed headquarters to prepare a response.
And until the other Flying Dragon squadrons secured Hwagolsan, the decision to avoid rather than confront them had been made.
In truth, all of this was thanks to my return.
The thought wasn't unpleasant.
Then Bi Sayeong suddenly asked:
"The Fifteenth Squadron… that's further north, toward Heung-in, right?"
Bae Jonggwan answered:
"No, more like Heung-ui. It borders Guangxi Province, remember?"
At that moment, my steps froze.
Sayeong frowned and asked:
"Heung-ui? Didn't someone say before they were from there? I think I heard that…"
With a grim face, I muttered:
"Lady Na."
"Hm?"
"Lady Na's family estate, the Na Clan, is located in Heung-ui, Guizhou."
At my words, Sayeong's face hardened instantly.
"…No way?"
But it seemed very likely.
If the Iron Ghosts passed beyond the Fifteenth and pushed north, Heung-ui—where the Na Clan was—was right there.
I quickly spoke to the two of them.
"Sayeong, Jonggwan. Listen carefully. I'm heading to the Na Clan immediately."
Sayeong's face grew anxious.
"But how? You don't even have Hwagolsan!"
Indeed, almost all of our Thirteenth's Hwagolsan had been taken by squad leaders to guard the main force.
I had none available.
"Even so, I have to go. If things turn out as we fear, it'll be better if I'm by Lady Na's side."
"Then I'll come with you!"
"Me too…"
They naturally wanted to follow, but I shook my head firmly.
"No. Sayeong, you must find the squad leader. Ask them to bring Hwagolsan here immediately."
No one knew exactly where the scouting squad leaders were now.
That meant Sayeong, the fastest, had to go.
"I'm counting on you, Sayeong. Our lives—mine and Lady Na's—may depend on how fast you reach him. Jonggwan, you must inform the squad and Lord Pungyang right away. After that, if you can, help Sayeong search from another direction."
If we had to move at full speed, Jonggwan could never keep up with me or Sayeong.
This was the most logical plan.
They both nodded gravely.
"Got it. Be careful."
"Jin, please protect Lady Na."
"I will. Trust me."
Then I dashed off.
Given when the news reached us, there was no telling when the Iron Ghosts had slipped past the Fifteenth.
Not a moment could be wasted.
***
Inside her dormitory, Hae Cheongyeon gazed into a bronze mirror.
It reflected her face, her bangs falling down to cover her eyes and nose.
It was a familiar look, yet somehow felt stifling today.
After some hesitation, she swept her bangs aside.
Her concealed eyes and features were revealed.
The face praised by all as beautiful, though she herself had always found it bothersome…
She whispered to her reflection:
"Today… maybe like this?"
Just for today, she wanted to speak with him as herself.
She already knew he wasn't swayed by her appearance.
But still—what if?
Perhaps she could create a small variable.
She was tying her exposed hair when, suddenly, Cheon Jueun burst in, breathless.
"Cheongyeon unni! Something terrible happened!"
Cheongyeon's face remained expressionless as she waited.
Jueun blurted it all out:
"They lost track of three Iron Ghosts at the Fifteenth Squadron! If they head north, they'll reach Lady Seoyu's family estate, the Na Clan! That's why Lord Seonu left immediately for the Na Clan, and Lord Bi went to find the squad leader! Shouldn't we move too?!"
Cheongyeon's face, blank until then, grew grave at the mention of Lady Na Seoyu.
But the words that slipped from her lips were different.
"Lord Seonu… has left?"
Hae Cheongyeon's bangs, which she had brushed up, softly fell back down over her forehead.
***
Two days earlier, Naseoyu had set out in the afternoon and, forcing herself to continue even through the night without rest, managed to reach the Na Clan in Heung-ui, Guizhou by the following afternoon.
She had been far too worried about her father to stop even for a moment.
But when she finally arrived at her family estate in such desperate haste, she was told she would not be able to see her father.
Horrified, Naseoyu cried out:
"What?! What do you mean I cannot see Father?!"
The woman sitting at the seat of honor across from her, wearing a haughty expression, answered:
"The physician says he requires absolute rest. That is why no one but myself and the physician are allowed into his chambers. I understand your concern for him, but what if seeing you caused him to lose his composure and worsen his condition?"
The cold, arrogant woman was none other than Madam Min, Naseoyu's stepmother.
Three years ago, she had been the very one to send Naseoyu to the frontlines, saying it was for the sake of the Na Clan, while keeping her own son safe.
Naseoyu could not accept her claim that she was not allowed to see her ailing father.
She pleaded instead:
"Then… at least let me see him while he sleeps, just for a brief moment. Please, I beg you!"
But suddenly, Madam Min erupted in anger.
"How dare you raise your voice before me?! Do you mean to trouble your already-ill father with such insolent behavior?! Do you want to shame the honor of the Na Clan, to disgrace even your dead mother?!"
Those words had always been like a magic spell, used by Madam Min since Naseoyu was young to break her spirit and force her compliance.
Because Naseoyu loved her father more than anything and never wished to worry him, she had endured all of her stepmother's mistreatment silently, time and again.
And this time was no different.
Even though Madam Min gave no reasonable explanation, Naseoyu could only bow her head deeply once more.
"…No. Forgive me, Mother."
Though she was now a top-tier martial expert of the first class, Naseoyu still could not oppose her stepmother.
It was a kind of learned helplessness.
With her head bowed, Naseoyu clenched her eyes shut.
She had suffered Madam Min's abuse long enough to know what would come next.
Whenever Naseoyu refused to submit, Madam Min always invoked her father as a weapon, then launched into verbal abuse that lasted nearly half an hour.
The wounds and fear from that long history were still etched deeply into her heart.
So she braced herself for the same.
But surprisingly, Madam Min did not.
Instead, she spoke with an unnaturally soft voice.
"Hmm. Since you are repentant, I will leave it at that."
Startled, Naseoyu's eyes flew open.
It was stranger that her stepmother did nothing.
Then Madam Min smiled like a snake and asked:
"Now then… Seoyu, how old are you this year?"
"…Twenty-five."
"Already? Shouldn't you have been married by now? I've been far too negligent toward you."
She spoke with exaggerated theatrics, pretending to be regretful.
Her behavior grew ever more suspicious.
A sense of foreboding welled up in Naseoyu, but she still answered politely.
"For a martial artist, twenty-five is not considered late. Besides, I am still serving with the Flying Dragon Division."
But Madam Min sneered.
"Hmph! Do you plan to remain there forever? Since you're home, this is the perfect time to arrange your marriage."
"…What?!"
Naseoyu's eyes widened in shock.
But Madam Min ignored her and continued without a care.
"Whom shall I choose? Ah! Since the Black Serpent Gang has collapsed, the Killing Hand Gang is on the rise. Yes, one of their young masters would be perfect! It would benefit both you and the Na Clan's standing."
"Mother!"
"Think about it. You would marry before it's too late, and our clan would gain a powerful ally. What could be better?"
At last, Naseoyu realized why her stepmother had blocked her from seeing her father and summoned her here.
Her true purpose had been to arrange a political marriage.
Naseoyu's face hardened completely.
But Madam Min, indifferent to her feelings, pressed on.
"Wait here. I will send a proposal to the Killing Hand Gang immediately—"
"No. I have no intention of marrying!" Naseoyu declared firmly.
Marriage?
And not just marriage, but a political arrangement?
All her life since her teenage years, she had sacrificed everything not to trouble her father, even taking her younger brother's place at the frontlines.
But this, she could not endure.
This was not just her youth but her entire life being sold away.
Madam Min's face twisted with fury.
"How dare you glare at me and raise your voice?! Do you want me to tell your father of your defiance? He is already so ill—"
But this time, Naseoyu refused to yield.
She stared directly at her stepmother and asked:
"You said Father is too ill to even see me, and yet now you claim you'll tell him of this? Is he so well that he can discuss matters like this?"
Madam Min flinched.
Indeed, if Naseoyu, a top-class martial artist, truly revealed her aura, Madam Min—who knew only a bit of self-defense—would be helpless.
Sensing the danger, she quickly looked away and deflected.
"W-When did I say I really would? It was just a figure of speech! Just words!"
Then she forced a gentler tone again.
"And… think carefully. If you marry, won't you be able to see your father then?"
"…What?"
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime event. No matter how ill he is, he cannot avoid attending his daughter's wedding. Perhaps the joy of hearing such news would even improve his condition."
In other words: only if she agreed to marry would she be allowed to see her father.
It was outrageous.
But it was entirely in line with Madam Min's past behavior.
Gritting her teeth, Naseoyu said:
"I will never marry."
For a long moment, Madam Min glared at her coldly. Then she finally spoke.
"I see. I had forgotten. You have always been selfish, ever since you were a child. To think you cannot even do this much for the parents and clan who raised you with blood and tears… How grieved your father would be if he knew. Begone! If you will not lift a finger for this family, then why remain here at all?!"
Naseoyu felt as though a stone had been pressed upon her chest.
Selfish?
Not lift a finger for her clan?
From childhood she had given up everything for her stepmother's son, even going to the frontlines in his place.
And yet she was accused of selfishness?
Her chest was so tight it was hard to speak, but at last she whispered:
"…Mother."
But Madam Min would not listen.
"You refuse to leave?! So now you will defy me as well? Fine! If you won't leave, then I will! To think a daughter could drive her own mother out!"
With that, she stormed out.
Bang!
The door slammed so hard it seemed it would break.
From outside, Madam Min's shrill voice carried:
"A shameless, unfilial girl who dares defy her mother! I cannot live with such disgrace!"
As if for the whole world to hear, she shouted as she walked away.
In despair, Naseoyu closed her eyes.
That was what had happened on the very first day of her return.
And it was the last.
After that, Madam Min refused to see her again, and with the entire household under her sway, no one offered Naseoyu any help.
All Naseoyu could feel was helplessness.
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