As True as a Dream

They were already in the same boat.

 

As long as the Japanese knew him and Hae-Joo as a married couple, she would have to accompany him to Gyeongseong.

 

Yi Ho looked down at the child on his leg.

 

There were many curious eyes in this compartment.

 

The

“three families”

stunt had to go on, if only to avoid the trouble.

 

So he would have to hold the child until Hae-Joo arrived.

 

That cunning woman must have known that and acted accordingly, right?

 

A wry smile deepened in the corners of Yi Ho’s enchanting eyes.

 

***

 

Luckily, the bag was still there.

 

After stalling for time to avoid the Japanese soldiers and finally retrieving her bag, Hae-Joo made her way back to the first class compartment.

 “Aaah, you crazy bitch!” 

Hae-Joo, who had been walking silently with her mouth agape, finally gave up and pounded her fist on her forehead.

 “Crazy bitch, crazy bitch…!” 

The Japanese soldiers told them to prove they were married so there would be no legal problems.

 

Hae-Joo thought she understood.

 

Their eyes met and he bowed his head.

 

She was convinced it was for the best in this situation.

 

The sparkling sunlight streaming in through the train window illuminated his pale face even more brilliantly.

 

She tilted her face up, thinking he was approaching at the wrong angle.

 

His lips met hers.

 

The look of surprise in his eyes.

 

It’s not as if they had an agreement beforehand, so it’s possible to misinterpret his intentions.

 

Of course, she couldn’t deny that she had gained an advantage.

 

After all, Ban Yi Ho’s humanity is such that it is rare to see such a handsome man once in a lifetime.

 “…But it’s not that cheap, right? And even if it’s unfair, it’s even more unfair to me. It was my first!” 

She grimaced and made a small face.

 

It wasn’t long ago that she thought he was a ghost from her nightmares, a face she wanted to avoid so much!

 

She thought he was an asshole who took advantage of her money by running up huge debts!

 “…Forget it, let’s not talk about what happened before.” 

Whatever was going on in his mind, he helped her without asking her what was wrong.

 

That alone was enough to make her forget all the unpleasant things that had happened before.

 

Hae-Joo approached the dining car, saying to herself that she had never seen such a generous heart.

 

She had just opened the door when a crumpled paper was thrust into her hand.

 

Stunned, Hae-Joo reflexively grabbed the paper and turned around.

 

The person who had just passed her was a woman wearing a red pleated skirt and heavy makeup.

 

Tassels. Thick, dark eyebrows, thick freckles, and a red mouth.

 

The woman also looked back at her.

 

The mother of the child!

 

It was a far cry from her shabby appearance before, but the drooping corners of her eyes, the contours of her face and the worry in her eyes couldn’t be faked.

 

As Hae-Joo turned to follow her, she saw that there were still some soldiers on the train.

 

When she reached the first class car, she took the sleeping child back from Yi Ho and cradled it in her arms before looking at the paper the woman had handed her.

 

—Take the child to the abandoned well in Sindang Jeong Tomok, and I will wait for you every night at dusk until you come. I’ll pay you enough.

 

There was a hint of desperation in the hastily scribbled words. After a moment’s pause, Yi Ho took the paper from Hae-Joo.

 “Isn’t your life the most important thing?” 

Hae-Joo looked down at the child in her arms at Yi Ho’s question.

 “Why did you get involved?” 

The tone was that of a child who could have walked away.

 

It was a tone that said it could have been anything.

 

Hae-Joo didn’t know what to say, so she let her lips curl into a futile smile.

 “You saw… she will pay well.” “You mean she told you she would pay you to take care of the kid?” “No, she just… I’ve been having wild dreams lately, and I thought maybe if I did something good I could get some sleep.” “So you risked your life? You did?” 

He said in a tone that suggested he knew her incredibly well, even though he’d only seen her a few times.

 

Of course, he was right about what he’d seen.

 

She wouldn’t risk anything, especially not her life and money.

 “You don’t believe me? Then what about this?” 

The corners of her mouth twitched as if she was asking a joke question.

 “I went through the same thing as this kid when I was a kid, over and over and over again, so I’ve got a damn sympathetic heart, for God’s sake.” 

Her lips curled at the end of her sentence, but Hae-Joo soon spoke again.

 “Doesn’t that make more sense?” “It makes more sense.” 

Hae-Joo, who had been staring at the child the whole time, lifted her face at the unexpected answer.

 

Yi Ho sat loosely in his chair, his head resting wearily on his hands.

 

When her eyes met his, the depthless, cold eyes of a man of unknown depth, a smile appeared under his eyes, as was his habit.

 

It was a mesmerizing smile that sent shivers down her spine and made it impossible to look away.

 “Why does that make sense?” “Your uncharacteristic stupidity, your nervousness, your stiffness, and even your assurance that his mother would pick him up if he just stood still. Considering all that, you make more sense.” 

Hae-Joo’s face twisted strangely.

 

‘Was being unusually stupid an insult or a compliment?’

 

Everything she said and meant was pointed.

 

But this man had gotten her through the day’s misfortunes.

 

And he’d even smuggled her into an expensive first-class compartment.

 

Hae-Joo calmed herself by reminding herself that she had decided not to bring up the past.

 “Thank you for your help today. I’ll make sure to repay this debt when I get to Gyeongseong.” “How?” “How?” “They say that a debt of a lifetime is usually repaid with a lifetime, right?” 

His smile was very gentle, but Hae-Joo’s heart sank.

 

She knew the sharp thorns in that smile.

 

A sense of foreboding rose from the ground beneath her feet.

 

As if grasping at straws, she knitted her eyebrows in pity and spoke carefully.

 “My life is very insignificant to you, isn’t it? My neck is precious to me, but it won’t be of much use to you. Even if you put a price on it, it won’t be much.” “I see. But now this neck is also a little important to me.” “What?” 

Without realizing it, Hae-Joo stroked her neck with her left hand that wasn’t holding the child.

 

She just felt a huge chill on her neck.

 “You’ll see.”  

She doesn’t want to know.

 

Hae-Joo swallowed hard.

 

***

 “What kind of walk have you been on for four days?” 

Hongo came running into his bedroom not long after he returned to his courtyard on the outskirts of Song Yue Pavilion.

 “I was just walking.” “Just walking…? Since when do you like to walk like that?” “I didn’t say I liked it.” 

He replied while unbuttoning his shirt, and Hongo whined,

“That’s not what you said, is it?” 

Yi Ho, of course, pretended not to hear.

 

The older he got, the more worried he became, and if he answered every single one of Hongo’s questions, it would be endless.

 

Instead, he said what he had to say.

 “Find out more about Yeon Hae-Joo.” “By Hae-Joo, you mean the taxi driver?” “What she did before coming to Gyeongseong, who she lived with, and what kind of person she was.” “Everything?” “Yes.” 

The shirt came off, revealing Yi Ho’s snow-white torso.

 

Though thin, his broad shoulders and well-proportioned muscles gave a glimpse of the strength that lay within.

 “I’ll wash up and put on some snow, then you can go out.” 

Yi Ho crossed the bedroom barefoot and opened the door to the guest room.

 

A pure white bathtub sat in the middle, flanked on one side by a twelve-wide mountain map and a simple rack for hanging clothes.

 

He turned on the faucet above the tub and sat down on the floor beside it.

 

As he closed his eyes to the sound of the rushing water, the fatigue of four days of travel washed over him.

 

A few years ago he hadn’t noticed he was tired, but now he looked ridiculous.

 

Yi Ho rubbed his forehead with his hand and suddenly leaned forward.

 Cough! Cough! Cough! 

When he finished coughing violently, there was a lot of blood on the floor and on his hands.

 

As he absentmindedly rubbed his thumb over his lips, Yi Ho’s hand stiffened at a sudden thought.

 

He remembered the unfamiliar feeling on his lips.

 

Despite his thick skin, he hadn’t expected his face to blush so much.

 

He’d gone on and on about how he’d profited from the subject, how he’d called it an accident.

 

He couldn’t, because he hadn’t profited.

 “How do I calculate this debt?” 

As he pondered, Yi Ho’s low mood began to dissipate.

Visit my Ko-fi for discounted advance chapters!!