ALL NOVEL Chapter 61
What food does he like?
‘If it’s not a deadly sin, go forgive him, hold his hand, and buy him his favorite food.’
Cheon So-hee’s mind was still echoing the words of the Salmak branch leader.
I don’t know why I need to hold his hand, but I at least want to buy him his favorite food.
While looking at the money pouch containing the mission fee, she wondered what food to get him.
What did Yoon-ho usually eat? Cheon So-hee tried to infer his preferences based on the dishes he ordered.
‘He only ordered cheap food.’
He typically chose inexpensive meals. If cheap food wasn’t what he liked, it would be impossible to guess his taste from his usual orders.
‘What should I buy?’
Should she order two servings of her favorite food? It was a tempting thought, but she soon dismissed it.
That was her favorite; it wasn’t what the man liked. Even if he did like it, he would probably insist that she eat more.
What food does he like?
As she pondered, a memory suddenly flashed in her mind; it was a time when he had muttered about the food they ordered at the inn.
“Jukyeopcheong… where did the dumplings go…?”
Jukyeopcheong.
Yoon-ho had never once drunk alcohol in front of her. He might not like it, but if it was a drink he liked enough to mutter about, it was worth searching for.
Crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside, biting into a dumpling soaked in Jukyeopcheong.
Cheon So-hee pictured his face filled with happiness savoring well-made dumplings and a cup of Jukyeopcheong. She didn’t realize that her lips were strangely curling upward at the thought of Kang Yoon-ho’s happy expression.
It would be expensive to fetch the Jukyeopcheong from far-off Shanxi Province, but she would do it.
Cheon So-hee turned her steps towards the inn to find a place that sells Jukyeopcheong.
—–
In Cheon So-hee’s hands as she ascended to the guest room were the Jukyeopcheong she had gathered and the dumplings she ordered from downstairs.
As she opened the guest room door, she figured she would see a sorry-looking man with a face full of regret. Cheon So-hee briefly pondered how to hand this to him.
Should she stand there stone-faced and hand him the drink, warning him to be more careful next time? Yoon-ho would definitely be pleased by that.
Maybe he might suggest they drink together? She didn’t usually drink, but it wouldn’t be bad to try having a drink with him this time.
“I’m back!”
Cheon So-hee opened the inn door with an unusually cheerful voice. However, the expression of the man she had expected wasn’t there in the guest room.
‘He’s not here.’
Kang Yoon-ho was gone. She couldn’t believe he wasn’t waiting for her.
Where did he go? Maybe he didn’t want to come straight to the inn like she did. But where could he be? Did he go to the Wang-shee’s fabric shop to exchange money?
Would he return if she waited here?
‘What if the man grew tired of you?’
For some reason, the phrase she heard at the Chilgok branch suddenly popped into her mind. She also recalled the face of Kang Yoon-ho, who had shown a goofy grin to the married woman.
‘Let’s find him.’
She felt an unsettling sensation. Whether it was a woman’s intuition or a feeling from the Heavenly Killing Star, she thought waiting in the guest room was not an option.
‘The qi of Cheonri Chujonghyang still lingers.’
The energy of Cheonri Chujonghyang she had sprinkled on Kang Yoon-ho still remained in his body. Certainly, it had weakened over time, but since she had used a considerable amount, it would be easy to locate him within Chilgok County.
The Heavenly Killing Star set out to find Kang Yoon-ho.
—–
One word from the Heavenly Killing Star froze the entire area.
“So, So-hee.”
I struggled to call her name.
“Yoon-ho!”
It took only a breath for her, who was at a distance, to arrive right in front of me.
She helped lift my upper body, which was lying down.
I gazed at her blankly.
I had expected her expression to show a ghastly prayer and a face full of wrath, but her expression looked like it would burst into tears if I touched it lightly.
You can make that kind of expression too.
“So, So-hee.”
Should I poke her cheek? It was a thought that came to mind as everything felt foggy from the pain.
“I’m… sorry. I’m sorry.”
She kept apologizing, as if everything was her fault.
“It’s not your fault, So-hee.”
I felt like she would cry immediately if I touched her face, so I placed my hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
Who could have known that the Cheon Sal-pa, which had vanished in Chilgok County, would suddenly appear?
“What the hell?”
“What kind of year is this?!”
As all attention from the Cheon Sal-pa shifted to me, the murderous intent shocked the stunned Cheon Sal-pa members into action.
One of the Cheon Sal-pa members who had been beating me tried to grab Cheon So-hee’s shoulder.
“Who are you? Do you know this barbarian bastard? Arrrgh!”
The arm of the one trying to grab the Heavenly Killing Star fell to the ground.
It was so unreal, it looked as if the arm of a lousy toy robot had fallen off.
“She’s no ordinary girl!”
“Draw your swords!”
The guys surrounding me hurriedly drew their swords. The Cheon Sal-pa members all focused on us, preparing for battle in unison.
This is dangerous.
“Arrrgh!”
“My leg!”
“My hand!”
What on earth is happening?
While So-hee kept looking at me, all those who drew swords around me lay on the ground with severed wrists and ankles.
“G-Great master?”
“What the hell! She’s a great master!”
Some of the Cheon Sal-pa began to notice the Heavenly Killing Star’s prowess and started to back away.
“D-Don’t be scared! If we all rush in, she’s just an ordinary girl!!”
“The girl hiding that! First, target the barbarian bastard!”
The Cheon Sal-pa leader’s voice, remaining the calmest amidst the chaos, rang out with commands.
“Kill that barbarian first!”
The Cheon Sal-pa members slowly began to encircle us with their swords drawn.
“Who do you think you’ll kill?”
So-hee, who had been gazing at me, suddenly had a fear in her eyes. She turned around without blinking.
“Heek!”
Did she sense the murderous intent like a viper waiting for prey? The man who had said to kill suddenly wet his pants and collapsed on the ground.
“Anyone who points a sword at Yoon-ho dies first.”
Her usual voice was laced with a threat that felt as though it came from the depths of hell.
“Ugh!”
Maybe they realized her words weren’t just hot air. Even though they were many, like ants being slowly crushed under a human hand, all the Cheon Sal-pa froze in place.
“Yoon-ho, I’ll take a look at your body for a moment.”
So-hee spoke to me in a voice filled with genuine concern, unlike before.
She carefully examined my body, touching different areas as she checked my condition.
“Thankfully, your bones are fine.”
Cheon So-hee inspected my body a few times and smiled with relief.
Yet, the Heavenly Killing Star’s gaze didn’t smile at all.
It looked like my mother when I almost got hit by a truck, examining my well-being before fighting the truck driver like she was going to kill him.
“Yoon-ho, I’ll hold you.”
She gently lifted me into her arms.
A princess carry? I never thought I’d experience this.
Holding me, she slowly started walking towards the encirclement of the armed Cheon Sal-pa.
Is this okay?
As she gazed at me and then cast a chilling gaze toward the Cheon Sal-pa members, the members of the Black Knife obediently stepped aside.
The Heavenly Killing Star passed the Cheon Sal-pa members who couldn’t move freely and stood in front of the villagers who were being extorted.
“Everyone, look at me.”
“Four!”
Did they realize the situation had flipped? The terrified villagers of the makeshift homes hurriedly focused their eyes on her.
“Take this man and get out of here.”
The Heavenly Killing Star extended me towards them.
“Soc, So-hee, you can’t kill people.”
I looked up at the Heavenly Killing Star with difficulty.
It’s not that I’m saying revenge is futile or some nonsense like that.
I also wish those bastards would die. I want them to die brutally. The Heavenly Killing Star could easily kill them.
But what happens after she kills?
Until now, all my worries might have been unfounded, but this time it really feels like it’ll be serious.
“I’m going to kill.”
She said firmly.
“So-hee.”
“I’m going to kill.”
“So-hee!”
“I’ll crush their ankles, cut off their arms, slice open their bellies, pull out their insides, and tear their throats before extracting their hearts.”
Her face was expressionless, but her eyes burned like never before. A rage emanated from her words that stung my cheeks.
‘I can’t stop this.’
I instinctively realized.
This cannot be allowed.
I can’t stop her.
No matter what I say, she won’t listen at all.
“So-hee, please put me down.”
“Okay.”
I was set down from the Heavenly Killing Star’s embrace and leaned on a villager trying to help me.
“So-hee.”
If I can’t stop her with words, I can only make one promise.
“Okay.”
“I’d be happy if So-hee was by my side when I’m hurt. So please… come back safely.”
The Cheon Sal-seong I remember from the game is a mass murderer.
But the Cheon Sal-seong I’ve met in this world is the assassin Cheon So-hee.
So, after conducting a massacre today, will she still be Cheon So-hee? Or will she become Cheon Sal-seong?
I cannot be sure.
If she awakens as the Heavenly Killing Star, it won’t be the end at the Cheon Sal-pa.
If I can’t stop her having made her decision, the only thing I can say is this.
Return as Cheon So-hee, not Cheon Sal-seong.
“Okay.”
Did she understand my words? Or did she just think of it as a farewell? She slightly nodded her head and turned her body back towards the Cheon Sal-pa.
“Thank you! Let’s go!”
“I’ll help! Barbarian friend, let me use your shoulder!”
Before leaving this place, I turned to look at her one last time.
She didn’t look back.
I hope my worries are just groundless.
*
Memories I don’t want to recall.
Memories I can never forget.
“Wae-gu [Japanese pirates] attacked! Run away!”
“Mama! Papa!”
“Please, just spare my life! Please save me!”
The memory of a village burning and people being slaughtered. The memories of precious people dying to overwhelming violence.
The overwhelming sense of powerlessness felt as a child in front of it all.
Driven to escape the punishment of heaven and seeking to break free from that powerlessness, I trained all my life.
“If that barbarian bastard crawls to Chilgok County extorting good people’s money, he should pay taxes!”
The end of Cheonri Chujonghyang.
I came to find him, who was walking the streets with a sorry expression to see him again. But there he was, being sacrificed to overwhelming violence.
The memories I long to recall no matter how hard I try elude me, while the memories I want to forget come back to haunt me.
That overwhelming sense of powerlessness from that day returned to her.
“It’s the first time.”
She confessed to the immobilized Cheon Sal-pa thugs.
“Due to the mission. Due to the urge to kill. I’ve killed before.”
She stepped into the perimeter established by the Cheon Sal-pa warriors, taking one step and then another as she smiled at them.
Her mouth smiled, but her eyes were not. The Cheon Sal-pa members watching her were filled with the feeling of seeing a ghost in broad daylight.
“But you know… I’m angry. This is the first time I’ve killed someone out of anger.”
It’s strange. She’s angry, yet her blood isn’t boiling. It’s as if her fury has frozen solid due to overwhelming anger.
The Heavenly Killing Star was momentarily grateful for this.
Thanks to this, she could let him escape.
“What the fuck is this bitch talking about!”
“Hey! Even if you run, you’ll die! Just charge in!”
“Who cares if she’s a master? Just stab her!”
“Hey! Let’s tear her apart together!”
The Cheon Sal-pa warriors prepared to charge at her, all drawing their swords.
But none of their words reached her ears.
Only one man filled her mind.
“So-hee, if you kill people…”
The one who was frailer than anyone else. The man who worries about her hands being stained with blood more than revenge. The man who always wants to protect her.
“When Hyung is hurt, I want So-hee to be by his side. So please… come back.”
The man who worries she might disappear somewhere. The man who would greet her with a soft smile when she returned home.
A moment’s mistake.
“So, So-hee.”
Because of a moment’s mistake, he was being trampled and bleeding out, dying in front of her.
She could have lost someone who might become precious, who could turn out to be her only existence in this world.
She said she would protect him.
She couldn’t protect him.
She had gained power, yet she was still powerless and incapable.
That reality hurt, saddened, and infuriated her.
“Get your ass together! What are you all doing! Charge!”
The anger hidden beneath the eternal snow surged forth, seeking a target.
Crush their ankles, cut off their arms. Slice their bellies open, pull out their insides, rip out their hearts. Tear their throats and explode their heads.
Before she could unleash her anger, she declared in a chilling voice.
“Since we can’t let them escape, let’s start from the legs.”
The Heavenly Killing Star appeared in Chilgok County.