As True as a Dream

Hae-Joo glanced over Mr. Hongo’s shoulder, but the train was running late, so she nodded.

 “I have some business and I’m going back to my hometown for a while. Please tell the master, or rather the boss.” 

Done. She unconsciously patted his arm as she said it.

 “What?” “I’m not running away.” 

That day, she would never forget the itching and stinging sensation of the rash that covered her entire body.

 

Whether it was a curse or a coincidence, it was better to be clear.

 “Yes, I’ll tell him.” 

Mr. Hongo blinked in confusion, then smiled and replied.

 

After Hae-Joo left, Hongo stayed behind and admired the unusually beautiful Hae-Joo.

 

Her slender figure and white skin, her feline upturned eyes, her flaring nose, and her full red lips were as vivid and beautiful as apricot blossoms in spring.

 

But what he admired even more was the satchel she carried on her back.

 

The way she walked briskly with a bag bigger than her size made him laugh.

 “You’re… coming back, aren’t you?” “What do you mean?” 

Hongo looked around in surprise as he heard the answer to his own question.

 

A pine cone flew from above and hit him on the head.

 

He looked up to see Yi Ho sitting in a tree.

 “How long have you been up there?” 

Yi Ho threw himself out of the tree and landed on the ground.

 “That girl, she’s so pretty. I almost didn’t recognize her.” “Really? Isn’t the age difference too much?” 

Hongo’s face quickly turned grumpy at Yi Ho’s unexpectedly casual remark.

 “Why do you bring it up again? 

He’s been around for over 300 years, but he really doesn’t know what’s going on in that fox’s head.

 “She’s leaving Jingsheng for a while to go back to her hometown. She asked me to let you know that she’s not running away. I guess she was afraid the same thing would happen again because of her previous lesson.” “Yes. If she brings me the Guishan Dao, do you think she will run away if the reward is ten thousand?” 

Hongo silently agreed with Yi Ho’s words.

 

He had only met the young lady a few times, but he could definitely tell that she loved money as much as he did.

 “Where are you going?” 

Hongo asked Yi Ho curiously as they walked across the garden and out the door.

 “For a walk.” “Oh, go.” 

***

 

The next afternoon.

 

The sound of the cart’s wheels hitting the dirt rumbled softly.

 

Even as Hae-Joo sat in the carriage, she smiled softly at the nostalgic scenery.

 

They crossed a few ridges and soon came into view of a cluster of thatched huts at the foot of the mountain.

 “Thank you. If you’re back here by noon tomorrow, this is for tea, and I’ll have the other half tomorrow.” 

When the cart came to a stop, Hae-Joo jumped out with her bag and handed the money to the old man who had driven her there.

 “See you tomorrow.” 

The old man, who was not a man of many words, smiled kindly with his thin face and retraced the path he had taken to pull the cart.

 

It took Hae-Joo two long days to reach the small village.

 

It was so remote and mountainous that even in Gongju there was little outside influence.

 

Occasionally, a government official would come out to survey the land, or a foreigner on a ship would pass by.

 

But that was it.

 

The place was so poor and inconspicuous that it did not attract the attention of outsiders, perhaps because of its misfortune.

 

Yangbu and her had deliberately settled in this remote village.

 

Since they were being hunted, they hadn’t dreamed of settling in an area large enough to be overrun by Japanese soldiers.

 “Sister Hae-Joo?” 

Someone called her name as she made her way to the thatched hut where she and Yangbu lived.

 

Hae-Joo turned with a broad smile on her face.

 “Sambok!” “Mom! Mom, Hae-Joo is back! It’s Hae-Joo!” 

Hae-Joo, who had thrown her bag on the ground to hug her child as tightly as she could, ran to the other side and looked at the screaming sambok with a stunned expression on her face.

 

The black pants, gray jerkin, and worn straw shoes she’d worn so many times still hurt, but her voice was no worse than it had been a year ago.

 

A year ago.

 

Sambok ran through the village shouting, and soon people came out and surrounded her.

 “Oh my God! Who is she? What kind of modern girl is she? “Is it you?” “Why are you so pretty, where’s the girl who used to shoot acid like a wild boar?” “Are these the rubber shoes worn by every poor person in Gyeongseong? Oh my God!” “How did they make these clothes so pretty? Look at the color, hee hee!” “Have you been eating? Why are you so skinny? If your father sees you so skinny, he’ll cry himself to the ground!” 

Hae-Joo laughed and babbled, spitting out words as she answered.

 

The corners of her eyes watered.

 

Although she was not born here, this small village was her hometown.

 

When she lived with her mother, she was always restless, timid, and afraid that she might die at any moment.

 

But when she settled down here with Yangbu, she regained her childlike fierceness, running wild in the mountains and getting into trouble.

 

And Yangbu took good care of her, even though he was always bossing her around.

 

Thinking back to that bizarre first encounter with Yangbu, she hadn’t expected him to be so devoted to her.

 

***

 “What? Kid, how old are you? I asked your mother.” 

She didn’t answer this time, wary of the stranger who suddenly appeared from the bushes.

 “Are you mute? Why don’t you talk?” 

Instead of answering, she clutched the bag she had put aside to bury her mother.

 

Her swollen eyes were frightening to look at, for she had been crying all the time, overcome with grief and fear at the loss of her only family.

 “Do you have any money? How much?”

Yangbu asked her with a serious face.

 

He reached into the bag she was holding, rummaged through it, and pulled out 12 yuan, her entire life savings.

 

She was only 7 years old, but she was fascinated by his rash behavior and later ran after him to try to get the money back.

 

No matter how young and helpless she was, she knew she would die if she didn’t have the money.

 “Will you give it to me? I’ll raise you instead. I needed a daughter.” 

Yangbu stroked the stubble on her chin and nodded as if possessed by a benefactor.

 

She was only seven years old.

 

In this desolate place with nothing but trees and grass, he didn’t know what to do next.

 “Why do you need a daughter?” “I’m in some kind of trouble and need to fake an identity. Having a daughter would make it more plausible, wouldn’t it? Look at you. You look a bit like you and me. People will believe me if I say we’re father and daughter.” 

Yangbu’s face was dark and broad, with unkempt eyebrows and a thick beard.

 

Hae-Joo thought at the time that they didn’t look alike, but she kept her mouth shut for fear that he would leave her behind.

 “Will you come with me” “Will you really raise me? You won’t abandon me? You won’t beat me? You won’t starve me?” 

As she asked, Yangbu gently wiped the tears from her face with a delicate, pretty hand that belied his rugged appearance.

 

She realized later that she had bought him as a father for 12 yuan.

 “If I met my father now, I would have run away a hundred miles, you know?” 

After distributing Gongsheng’s gifts to the villagers, Hae-Joo arrived at the empty thatched hut where he and Yangbu had once lived and muttered, “I’m sorry, but I won’t do it.

 

Everywhere in the thatch were memories of her stay with Yangbu.

 

After standing there for a moment, red-eyed and dazed, Hae-Joo threw her bag into the great hall.

 

She went straight to the storeroom behind the thatched roof, picked the lock, and opened the door.

 

The musty smell that lingered in the room wafted into her nostrils.

 

It was piled high with things her parents had left behind, things she couldn’t exchange for money and couldn’t throw away.

 “…should be here somewhere.” 

Hae-Joo went straight inside and began rummaging through the dozens of wooden crates stacked in disorder.

 

Guishan Dao is here.

 

She remembered seeing it when she was packing up after her stepfather died.

 

She thought she had sold it long ago, but was surprised to find it still in the warehouse.

 

Hae-Joo wondered how long she’d been looking for it.

 

Soon she found it in the corner of the largest box, stored in a long wooden frame.

 

Hae-Joo removed the red cloth wrapped around the painting and unfolded the old ruler.

 

It depicted the landscape she had described to the Guishan Dao seeker.

 

After studying the painting for a moment, Hae-Joo frowned and closed it.

 

She doesn’t know why Mr. Hongo was looking for this painting, but it’s definitely not a pretty picture.

 

Looking at it gave her a bad feeling and sent a shiver down her spine.

 

Especially the black snake that calls itself a greeter, which is only a drawing, but it gave her goosebumps just looking at it.

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