As True as a Dream

“[The Korean maid in my house said that if you eat the ears of rice cakes on the first day of the New Year, you’ll give birth to a boy.]” “Actually, I wonder if the first three murders were also caused by superstition? Honestly, Western ghosts, can you believe it?” 

The men spoke in a mixture of Korean and Japanese, raising their voices very loudly for others to hear.

 

As Hae-Joo walked by, she glanced at the men.

 

She couldn’t tell if they were Korean or Japanese by the color of their clothes, but the very fact that they thought that way showed their narrow-mindedness.

 

Murmuring a silent prayer for patience, Hae-Joo left the dining car and opened the door to the next compartment.

 

A child crouched in the narrow space between the compartments and looked curiously at something.

 

‘What was on the floor?’

 

Hae-Joo crept up beside him and looked down.

 “A lizard?” 

Two dark green lizards, each smaller than the palm of her hand, lay at her feet.

 

Hae-joo was happy to see them, as they were rarely seen in Gyeongseong.

 

The child looked at the stranger warily, then ran to the next cabin and called out,

“Daddy!” 

Hae-Joo crouched down in the child’s seat.

 

She was now afraid because she had seen every insect, bug, and reptile she could find while running around in the wilderness of the small village.

 “How did you all get on the train?” 

Hae-Joo laughed and looked at the cute little creatures, then suddenly had an idea and looked back at the dining car.

 

She hummed a little tune and grabbed two lizards.

 

Yay, taste the snakes, guys!

 

***

 

“Yuck! What is this! A snake! A lizard! What is this? Get away from me, get away from me!” “[Get away! Disgusting! Evil! Get out of the way!]” 

The screams of the frightened men echoed through the dining room, shaking the entire compartment.

 

Hae-Joo pushed her way through the crowd of onlookers and made her way back to her seat.

 

Her face brighter than when she left, she pulled a notebook and pencil from her bag, placed them on the table, and sat down.

 

She flipped through her notebook and glanced at Yi Ho, who was still sleeping soundly.

 

Come to think of it, he looked groggy when she saw him at the station.

 

‘Did he not sleep last night?’

 

Hae-Joo rested her chin on her hand.

 

She glanced over at Yi Ho, who glowed in the sunlight streaming through the train window.

 

A man so beautiful that he could drive you to ecstasy at any time, at any moment.

 

She should be used to it by now, should have a history, but she still felt dizzy when 

she saw him.

 

Before it was only his face that made her dizzy, but now it was the man himself.

 “…Too much, you.” 

Hae-Joo muttered to herself and picked up her pencil.

 

How long had it been since she started drawing squares and rectangles in her notebook for her future jewelry?

 

Hae-Joo’s hand slowly stopped.

 

She looked at Yi Ho, who hadn’t moved, as if he had been frozen in time.

 

A mischievous grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.

 

Hae-Joo closed her notebook and stared at Yi Ho again.

 

Then she held her pencil at an angle, unlike when she drew the jewelry, and stretched her back.

 

First, she drew a branch of a colorful plum blossom blooming at the top of the notebook.

 

Then she began to draw a man under the branch, who was even more beautiful than the plum blossom.

 

Starting with a delicate jawline, the man’s face was shaped by a well-groomed, masculine forehead, long, densely lined eyelashes, thin, pale cheeks, and red lips…

 

Soon, the handsome side view of the man sleeping in his notebook began to take shape.

 

Hae-Joo’s hand stopped tracing the outline of his lips.

 

She raised her eyes and looked at Yi Ho.

 

‘It’s strange. He’s a sensitive man. If she bothered him so much with her eyes, he should have at least shed a tear. Is he sick?’

 

Her heart sank unnecessarily.

 

Yi Ho slowly opened his eyes, covered his mouth with his hand, and started to cough.

 *Cough, cough, cough, cough!* 

He leaned forward from his loose position on the backrest and coughed a few more times before the sound subsided.

 

The unexpectedly violent coughing startled Hae-Joo, who was still nervous.

 

She quickly sat up, opened her bag, and pulled out a bottle of water.

 “Are you okay, please drink some water?” “Hah… Mmm.” 

Yi Ho frowned and grabbed the canteen she held out to him.

 

The sight of his outstretched hand stunned Hae-Joo.

 

His white hands were stained with blood.

 

Her heart began to pound painfully in her chest.

 “Your hand… Is that blood on your hand…?” 

Yi Ho, who had stopped drinking the water Hae-Joo had given him, raised his head and looked at Hae-Joo, whose face was blue and puzzled.

 

Then he saw the blood on his hand and understood her reaction.

 

For him, it was nothing more than a cough with a little blood, but for her, as a “human”, it was not.

 

Yi Ho hated the taste of blood in his mouth, so he took the canteen from Hae-Joo’s hand and unscrewed the lid.

 “Surprised?” 

Yi Ho drank the water from the canteen and looked at his bloody right hand before looking at her.

 

Then he spoke calmly as if it was no big deal.

 “I told you, I’m not feeling well.” “What… What’s wrong with you? If you are bleeding heavily…what is it?” 

Hae-Joo asked stiffly, clutching the canteen in her hands as if she wanted to crush it.

 

***

 

Yi Ho had said earlier that he wasn’t feeling well.

 

He had also said that he had to find Guishan Dao.

 

That his life was at stake.

 

It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him.

 

She just didn’t think it was bad enough to make him cough up blood.

 

Hae-Joo’s mouth went dry at the thought of all the bad things running through her head.

 

A bottomless, unfathomable fear crawled under her feet and made her think of nothing.

 

He sighed with a small, sickly sigh, oblivious to Hae-Joo’s condition.

 

His body had been sluggish for days, but last night it was at its peak.

 

His throat was hot and a sharp burning sensation spread from his stomach to his entire body.

 

He’s been feeling like this every few months since he started feeling unwell, but this time it was a scheduling conflict.

 

Of course, he wasn’t so sick that he couldn’t move.

 

It’s just that he’s so sluggish that everything feels like a chore.

 “Hey, can you travel for that long? I don’t think it’s good for you. Shall we go back to Gyeongseong? No, no, no… I have to find Guishan Dao… Or should I do it alone? You should go back first, I can go to the village by myself, I know what to do.” 

Yi Ho smiled slightly at the concern in Hae-Joo’s tone and expression.

 

To be honest, there wasn’t much to worry about except that he was tired and wanted to sleep.

 

But that much concern made him want to be sick enough to be willing.

 

It told him that he meant a lot to her, and basking in that feeling was all he wanted to do these days.

 “It’s not like I’m dying, it’s okay.” “How can it be okay when you’re coughing up blood…!” 

Hae-joo said nervously and then stood up and rummaged around in her bag, not knowing what to do.

 

Yi Ho looked at her with a clenched jaw.

 

A grin appeared under his eyes.

 

This is really good.

 

So this is what it feels like to be spoiled by someone.

 

A lustful feeling of satisfaction rose in the pit of his stomach.

 

Meanwhile, she pulled out a handkerchief and poured water from her canteen on it to moisten it.

 

Then she took his hand from his lap, placed it on the table, and silently wiped the blood from his hand.

 

Gradually, red spots spread across Hae-Joo’s white handkerchief.

 “Are you worried?” “Of course.”

Hae-Joo sighed as she bent her head to wipe his hand.

 

Those two words sounded more special than anything else.

 

The corners of Yi Ho’s mouth turned up.

 

The woman’s concern, which had seemed so strange at first, was now so sweet.

 

It filled him with excitement to see her impatient, angry, and relieved at the same time.

 

‘What am I going to do? I want to hurt her more, to make her worry more.’

 

That was it.

 

He looked down and saw a notebook pressed against Hae-Joo’s elbow.

 

It was someone’s face.

 

He tilted his head to look at the drawing and soon realized that it was him.

 

Slightly surprised, Yi Ho looked away and stared at the top of Hae-Joo’s head, who was concentrating on wiping his hands.

 

The drawing looked as if she had drawn it in his sleep.

 

A sharp jawline, long dark eyelashes, a high bridge of the nose, a flat forehead.

 

And the painting itself exuded an air of restraint and estrangement.

 

What’s unique is the branch of a flower draped over his head.

 

‘What kind of flower is it? Is this how Hae-Joo feels? Am I a madman with a flower on my head?’

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