ushernet Chapter 33
Chapter 33
In the end, only after chasing out Hyuk Dojin, who was acting like a slippery eel, was I able to change my clothes and finish a simple grooming session.
Joo Hwarin lightly tied my side hair, letting it flow down, and surveyed the accessories. I silently watched her through the mirror as she hummed a tune.
Looking very pleased, Joo Hwarin picked up a butterfly-shaped pin, examined it from various angles, and then stuck it into the side hair she had tied, smiling brightly.
“Hwarin.”
“Yes?”
“Did something good happen today?”
“Something good? No, nothing.”
Joo Hwarin replied with wide-open eyes, looking puzzled.
“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
“No, you just seemed to be in a good mood. You were even humming, which you don’t usually do. I thought maybe something good happened.”
“Oh, no, nothing like that. I’m always the same. If there’s anything different, isn’t it you, Miss?”
“Me?”
I furrowed my brow at the arrow that unexpectedly turned to me.
I’m different? In response to my reaction, Joo Hwarin smiled and nodded. She brought over other accessories and tried them on a few more times to confirm.
“Today, your expression seems a bit more lively than usual. I know it might be rude to say this, but normally you had no change in expression, like an old person who had seen it all, and you seemed a bit depressed. But today, it’s as if something good happened. You’re smiling, and even when you’re sitting still, I can sense vitality from you.”
Joo Hwarin made a satisfied expression after checking the final accessory and attaching it to my hair.
“More than anything else, seeing you with such an expression, I think it naturally brightens my mood too. I, Joo Hwarin, wish for you to be healthy and always happy, Miss.”
She placed her hand on my shoulder and faced my reflection in the mirror with a cheerful expression.
‘Happiness...’
It was a word that had always felt distant. But recently, that word didn’t feel so unfamiliar. Since coming here, countless things I couldn’t have before seemed to flicker in my mind. Like a dream of a single day.
* * *@@@@
“You’re here?”
As I finished getting ready and stepped outside, Hyuk Dojin, who had been leaning against the wall, asked lightly. He glanced at me, rolling his eyes as if examining me, and raised his eyebrows. Meeting his gaze, I smiled slightly, and Hyuk Dojin’s lips parted gently.
“It suits you very well. I should have Cho Hong make a few more outfits for Sowol.”
“Is there really a need for that? I think I have more than enough already.”
“There is a need.”
I approached his side. Leaning away from the wall, Hyuk Dojin walked in the same direction as me and spoke.
“If you have many pretty clothes, you’ll want to go out and wear them, won’t you? So we should have more made.”
Hyuk Dojin lightly opened the door. It wasn’t the main entrance I had used when I first arrived here. As he opened the door, a refreshing breeze blew in.
Through the open door, I could see the scenery Hyuk Dojin had mentioned – a stone path with a canopy of shade.
It was a beautiful landscape, small and cozy, with a small pond in the center where sunlight shone down. It was my first time learning about this place, so I paused slightly, and Hyuk Dojin gently pulled my hand.
“What do you think? You can walk on this stone path, can’t you, Sowol?”
“...”
I slowly nodded. That’s right, walking on this kind of path wouldn’t be a problem. Although I lacked stamina, I wasn’t so frail that I would collapse after just a few steps.
I moved my foot and firmly stepped on the first stone of the path. The sensation of the hard stone felt pleasant under my feet, and I smiled faintly.
Meanwhile, Hyuk Dojin received something from a maid standing nearby and handed it to me.
It was a small cup. Inside, a purple liquid was contained. Wondering what it was, I stared at it blankly until Hyuk Dojin spoke.
Hyuk Dojin hesitated, unable to part his lips. I could see his eyes rolling towards me. I let out a short sigh. Realizing the reason for his hesitation, I spoke with a small smile.
“Go ahead.”
“...Wife.”
“It’s alright. I’ll take a short stroll here and then go inside. Hwarin is here, and there are other people around, so there won’t be any problems.”
“...”
Hyuk Dojin bit his lip and rolled his eyes before sighing.
“I understand. Then, I’ll be back soon, so don’t overexert yourself.”
I nodded with a smile. Hyuk Dojin glided past the prostrating man, smiled at me, and then disappeared back the way he had come. I followed his departing back with my eyes and let out a small sigh. It couldn’t be helped.
I couldn’t hold back a busy person.
I turned my head. The stone path where Hyuk Dojin had been standing just moments ago seemed strangely wide. It didn’t seem that wide earlier. I quietly gazed at the stone wall and slowly moved my legs. I approached the pond, looking at the sunlight shining upon it.
Sunlight descended through a hole in the ceiling, illuminating the pond.
As I drew closer, I could clearly see the sight of the not-so-wide pond. Perhaps because the sunlight was shining on it, I could see the carp living inside.
Fascinated by the sight of the carp shimmering in various colors, I stood still and observed them. Their tails, swimming freely in the water, seemed to sway, as if tempting me to enter and find comfort there.
Their fluttering lips were so cute that I also fluttered my own lips.
“If you sprinkle this, they will gather.”
A voice came from beside me, and a palm rose.
I tilted my head to the side. Standing there, smiling, was Man Do, who had arrived without my noticing.
Surprised by his appearance, I slightly widened my eyes.
Man Do smiled and scooped up the powdered feed on his palm, scattering it over the pond.
As the powder created tiny ripples and floated on the surface of the pond, the carp gathered and swallowed the feed.
“Would you like to try?”
Man Do offered again. I raised my hand, scooped up some of the feed on his palm, and sprinkled it as he had done. The carp came up. Finding their appearance amusing and fascinating, I smiled, and Man Do’s voice reached my ears.
“You came out for a walk today.”
“Dojin recommended it, and I felt too suffocated. But fortunately, there’s such a beautiful path in the backyard. It’s difficult to take a walk in the morning when the sunlight is strong...”
“In the past, there was no ceiling here either.”
“Is that so?”
Come to think of it, compared to other places, the ceiling looked very clean and not worn out in various spots. I thought it was simply well-maintained, but was that not the case?
“And this stone path was just a bare ground with pebbles rolling around and dust flying.”
“Is that so?”
“It was like that just ten years ago. But now, it has become a splendid garden with a ceiling, a pond, and even grass to prevent sand from scattering, all being managed.”
Man Do glanced around and then turned his gaze to me with a gentle smile.
“This place was created for only one person and cultivated by that person’s hands.”
He shook off all the remaining feed on his palm into the pond. Following his gaze as he quietly observed, I shifted my eyes.
As I was intently watching the fish eagerly swallowing the feed, Man Do’s words continued.
“Even after losing their owner, the reason these little ones are so healthy is probably because they were loved.”
I lifted my head. Man Do looked at me with subdued eyes and spoke softly.
“This place was created for my niece and the Young Cult Leader’s mother, Geum Soso.”