...Who is she?
I wondered if I'd misheard, so I cautiously glanced at Cheongwol.
She was smiling brightly at Gayeong-i, as if she hadn't said a word to .
It was like she was completely ignoring .
...No, if you're going to ignore , why co over here?
If you have no business, why follow around...!
Is this just pure harassnt?
At the sa ti, I mulled over what she'd said.
...Did she really ask who she is?
Who is who?
Gayeong-i?
Is she asking who Gayeong-i is?
Why are you curious about that?
And if you're curious, why not find out yourself?
Everything was confusing.
Gayeong-i hastily clasped her hands together in an awkward posture.
"Ch-Cheongwol junior sister. It's our first ti eting like this, right? I'm Ga Yeong."
Gayeong-i introduced herself first with her usual amiable personality.
Her face was full of excitent.
She must have been thrilled to et the most popular person on Mount Ei.
Cheongwol replied, once again donning that mask.
"I rarely co down from the main temple, so it's a sha our paths crossed so late. I'm embarrassed. Our Ei Sect is always receiving help from the villagers..."
I'd been fooled by that smile and deanor too.
That's why I thought her heart demon hadn't taken hold yet.
If I'd known, I would've been more careful even when entering the back mountain.
...But it turned out everything was just a facade.
Oblivious to that, Gayeong-i brightly responded.
"No, no!! You're training, so it's unavoidable! And, well, our dumplings do have at in them..."
"Thank you for understanding."
"O-Of course!"
Right after, Gayeong-i turned to and shouted.
"Han Seojin!"
Cheongwol's body stiffened slightly.
"Here, take twenty coins and go buy so snacks next door to give to Cheongwol junior sister as a gift."
"..."
"Hurry!"
She was treating like her personal maid.
I reached out to take the coins Gayeong-i was fumbling out...
Clack!
Cheongwol grabbed Gayeong-i's hand to stop her.
"I'll just accept the sentint. I only stopped by briefly since our paths crossed, but I'm not hungry. I have to eat when I return to the sect, so having a snack now would be a bit burdenso."
"Ah, ah! R-Right, I see. I was being presumptuous... I just love eating, so I thought you'd like it too..."
"Next ti we have the chance, let's have so sweets together. And you should take care of the young master here first..."
...Young master?
What a young master. When did she start using such polite speech?
Gayeong-i seed to think the sa and shouted.
"Y-Young master? This guy's just... just treat him casually! You're not soone who needs to humble yourself like that for Cheongwol junior sister!"
Only then did Cheongwol glance at .
After fidgeting with her lips for a mont, she asked.
"...You two seem close."
So instinct told I needed to cut this conversation short.
"Gayeong, give my dumplings quick. I'm busy."
"Oh, right!"
Gayeong-i excused herself to Cheongwol and turned back to the stear.
"..."
"..."
Cheongwol and I were left alone again.
An awkward silence settled in.
With Cheongwol standing beside , my stomach kept churning.
Part of wanted to skip the dumplings and leave.
But that would tip off Gayeong-i first.
That sothing was up between us.
"...Shopkeeper."
Seizing the mont, Cheongwol whispered softly again.
"...Aren't you going to answer my question?"
I finally accepted that I couldn't avoid her and replied.
"...W-What question..."
"...Who is she?"
What kind of question is that?
"G-Gayeong-i? Di-Didn't you hear her yourself?"
"..."
But Cheongwol still looked dissatisfied, her body rigid.
She continued.
"...Why did you avoid ?"
I wanted to ask her the sa thing.
"Re-Really? Did you forget our agreent? Not to seek out for ten days...!"
"...I never sought you out. We just ran into each other at the market. Or are you saying I should avoid you? If you climb Mount Ei, should I flee from it?"
...Don't nitpick words, you bitch!
You know you're twisting logic too!
"...And why ignore people?"
She didn't hide her displeasure.
Unlike in the basent, where her wide, anxious eyes had brimd with tears.
Now, her half-lidded eyes were sharp and icy cold.
It was the sa gaze I'd seen in the back mountain last ti.
At that human slaughter scene.
Was the location this important?
Like how eting a teacher in the classroom feels different from eting them at a restaurant.
Or how encountering a military senior inside the barracks differs from outside in civilian life.
Seeing Cheongwol in the basent felt worlds apart from seeing her outside it.
Here, Cheongwol was an untethered beast.
...Scary.
"...You're all sweet and gentle with the other villagers, but why keep this attitude with ? Didn't you think your blatant disregard would upset ?"
"...Did it upset you?"
Cheongwol let out a cold laugh.
"...Of course, being ignored by a beggar makes anyone upset."
...Wow.
Listen to this bitch talk?
Was she deliberately provoking , or did she really feel that way?
"...Is it okay for an Ei Sect nun to say such things?"
"..."
Cheongwol turned her head away, as if refusing to answer.
I scratched my head.
Then sighed.
Yeah. I'm the idiot.
I avoided one problem and walked into a bigger one.
A greeting's nothing.
I looked straight at Cheongwol.
She flinched noticeably and pulled her body back.
"...What are you-"
I cupped my hands in a fist salute and said.
"-Greetings, Cheongwol junior sister. Thank you for always putting in the effort."
...Good enough?
****
"Greetings, Cheongwol junior sister. Thank you for always putting in the effort."
The greeting I'd so desperately wanted to avoid happened so absurdly.
But my mood didn't improve much.
Why was that?
...Maybe because the greeting was so stiff?
And as soon as it ended, Han Seojin started waiting for his dumplings again like nothing happened.
Gayeong-i cheerfully said.
"Han Seojin, just so you know, don't get any weird ideas about Cheongwol junior sister. Even that would be rude."
"Just bring my dumplings quick. No nonsense."
"Oh, right. But the leather gloves you made last ti are all..."
Han Seojin and Gayeong-i were soon deep in their own conversation.
Cheongwol quietly watched from the side.
"..."
...What is this?
Cheongwol couldn't identify the strange frustration boiling inside her.
She'd gotten the greeting from Han Seojin as planned.
There shouldn't be any more awkwardness.
If negative feelings lingered, she could just cut ties like she always did with her senior brothers and go her own way.
Yet Cheongwol's feet wouldn't move.
There was no reason to stay here anymore, but she kept watching Han Seojin and Gayeong-i talk.
It felt like their world was separate from hers.
...That familiar, lonely feeling.
As her master had said, exceptional beings are destined to be lonely.
"..."
She might have accepted it normally.
But today, strangely, she didn't want to.
As she stood there quietly, Han Seojin belatedly asked.
"...Junior sister, do you need sothing?"
...Translation: Why are you still here?
Cheongwol tried to speak calmly, but even to herself, she sounded petulant.
"...It's none of your concern, shopkeeper."
...Translation: I don't know either. But I don't want to leave.
Standing there alone felt odd, so Cheongwol turned around as if to watch the crowd.
She gazed at passersby, looked up at the sky once, and nodded greetings to those whose eyes she t.
But her attention was entirely on Han Seojin.
Suddenly, she recalled her conversation with her master.
'...Wh-What kind of relationship is a friend?'
'Soone you enjoy being with, perhaps?'
"..."
She glanced at Han Seojin.
His presence wasn't pleasant. She was annoyed even now.
Probably not a friend...
'Cheongwol. It's not my place, but... the first step to making friends is doing things the other person likes. Think about what they enjoy and accommodate it.'
"Here. Eat up."
Gayeong-i brought out the dumplings.
Han Seojin glanced around before starting to munch on them.
Cheongwol twisted her hair, gathered her courage, and whispered to Han Seojin.
She didn't really want to, but the words ca out.
"...Let buy those for you."
"Cough!!"
Han Seojin choked on his dumpling.
"Eek!"
Gayeong-i jumped in surprise.
Bits of food splattered everywhere.
Han Seojin raised a hand apologetically while wiping up his ss.
Cheongwol frowned.
Was that such a shocking thing?
She'd watched him all day and thought he was stingy, so she just wanted to help.
Han Seojin spoke without looking up at her.
"Wh-Why would you buy this for , junior sister? We're not that close."
"..."
"Pl-Plus, this has at. It wouldn't be ethical for you to buy it..."
"..."
His words were all correct, but a spark of anger flared again.
Sothing felt unresolved.
She just waited for him to finish his dumplings.
Then he'd have to move... and she could pretend not to and follow behind.
"..."
Even Cheongwol couldn't understand it.
What did she want?
She didn't know either.
But like in the basent, being near him sotis naturally eased this frustration.
Hoping for the sa now, she simply stayed by his side.
Han Seojin soon finished chewing and swallowing.
Cheongwol glanced at him again.
So did Han Seojin.
Though unspoken, a bizarre ga of gauging each other began.
Then, Han Seojin, who'd only been glancing, spoke up.
"Ah.... Uh, these dumplings are good. Give one more."
"Sure."
As Gayeong-i turned to respond.
"Th-Then, junior sister, you're really not leaving?"
Han Seojin asked again.
Cheongwol replied once more.
"...I told you it's none of your concern."
****
To kill ti, I stuffed three dumplings in my mouth and ordered a few more before realizing.
Ah, Cheongwol this bitch has no intention of leaving.
She was just sticking by my side with that awkward attitude.
I had no idea what she wanted.
She wouldn't tell even if I asked.
The problem was, the longer I dragged this out, the worse her expression got.
She'd just been standing quietly by my side, but now she was making noises like ha, heh, hmph—clearly signaling 'I'm pissed.'
...So why exactly are you pissed?
What do I need to do...!
"...Junior sister, are you upset about sothing?"
Cheongwol used polite speech when Gayeong-i could hear, casual otherwise.
Gayeong-i was watching now.
"...? Why would I be?"
"..."
At this odd attitude, even Gayeong-i seed to sense sothing and glanced at .
Her look said: I don't know what you did, but grovel!
Staring at the two more dumplings placed before , I finally decided.
Stuffing more dumplings to stall wouldn't change anything.
"...Gayeong, pack these up for to take."
"For the uncles?"
"...Yeah."
"I'll throw in one for free then."
With three dumplings in total, I left Gayeong-i's shop.
Step...
Only then did the stiff Cheongwol finally follow behind .
She was already glued to my back.
I quickly circled the market.
I bundled up all the items I'd planned to buy and headed ho afterward.
Throughout, Cheongwol kept following .
Might as well parade it all over the neighborhood...
...I wanted to cry.
"...You speak casually to Ga Yeong junior sister?"
Maintaining a set distance as we walked, Cheongwol asked whenever no one was watching.
"...We've known each other a long ti."
Hoping she'd leave, I kept responding indirectly.
"...I've known you a long ti too, shopkeeper."
"We only knew of each other's existence—you didn't even know my na, junior sister...?"
"..."
Finally, at the edge of the market, I turned to face Cheongwol.
When I properly turned to confront her, she hesitated instead.
"Junior sister, what is it you want?"
"...Huh?"
"Speak clearly. You've been following all day—what is this?"
It was scary, but if I didn't end it here, it'd drag on.
Cheongwol's face was a sight.
Her eyes flickered anxiously, lips twitched, she looked angry then puzzled...
No words, but it felt noisy.
Finally, she pointed at the dumplings in my hand.
"...Those. You said you're taking them to those beggars."
"...Yes."
They were just to kill ti originally... but since that failed, I figured I'd give them to the uncles.
Cheongwol hesitated before asking.
"...Why didn't you offer any?"
"...Pardon?"
"I was right beside you the whole ti."
"How could you eat these, junior sister? They have at."
She raised her voice incredulously.
"Ei Sect forbids killing, not eating at."
Oh, really?
I didn't know that.
So she got mad because I was eating deliciously beside her without offering any?
...She could've bought her own, so why expect instead of Gwak Du Uncle to—
No.
Stay calm.
Lose emotional control and you're dead.
I keep forgetting—this is Cheongwol.
The one who beca one of the Demonic Cult's Seven Heavens, killing tens of thousands at least.
A murderer with human kills already under her belt.
Think again.
Right, she even offered to buy dumplings?
I was the only one eating.
Of course she'd be upset.
That's probably why she followed all day—she wanted dumplings.
No reason not to give her so.
Cheongwol continued.
"No greeting. Ignoring people. Now you won't even offer to share with soone right next to you?"
"...Would you like to try so of these dump—"
"-I don't eat at!"
Cheongwol yelled that, then suddenly turned and stord off.
I watched her retreating back.
"..."
My fist clenched tight.
...For real.
A sudden thought hit .
...Just co to the basent.
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