NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
Chiririr.
On a late night where only the sounds of insects flowed through the wooden bars.
It was well past midnight, approaching dawn, and two figures lay under a shared blanket on one bed.
A silver-haired woman rested her head buried in the man’s embrace, breathing softly, while a dark-haired young man gently caressed the red marks—not quite wounds—around his neck and collarbone with one arm.
“…….”
That young man is me.
Without a doubt, every man would envy me.
They say a beauty is beautiful even when asleep, and that must surely apply to this woman.
The world’s number one beauty, Mo Yongseol.
The daughter of the world’s number one person must herself be the pinnacle of beauty, and it wouldn’t be strange for many women to envy her looks.
Yes.
It wouldn’t be strange to envy her.
In other words, right now, no one is envious.
Why?
‘No one would envy a woman who, no matter how wicked, is afflicted by Sickness of Absolute Meridians and is destined to die before reaching adulthood.’
She is not an enemy.
Her beauty might be enviable, but what use is that beauty if she dies shortly after becoming an adult?
Marriage and childbirth.
If she finds a handsome, fit man from an illustrious family, she’ll share love and have children in her most beautiful years, only to lose him later.
But what if she dies before even having a child?
—The only feelings one can give to a woman suffering from Sickness of Absolute Meridians are sympathy.
In the various clans and sects of the Martial World, they cannot expect to fulfill the ‘role of a woman’ they idealize.
In brutal terms, if Sickness of Absolute Meridians guaranteed a lifespan until forty, or even thirty, women would certainly be jealous, feeling that they would lose an excellent husband due to just a few years of life before succumbing to fate.
Therefore, many women will mourn Mo Yongseol’s death while secretly sighing in relief.
So that I don’t steal the heart of the handsome man they wish to marry.
That’s the kind of woman she is.
Many men had thought, ‘If only she didn’t have Sickness of Absolute Meridians.’
Her father being the world’s number one person likely influenced the young man to pursue Mo Yongseol with fervor.
Such is the nature of Sickness of Absolute Meridians.
It is such a severe, incurable illness that handsome men would give up on this world’s number one beauty simply because of it.
Yes.
What I’ve learned and studied about Sickness of Absolute Meridians confirms that.
If one were to ask why I keep thinking about Sickness of Absolute Meridians in the presence of such a beauty, it’s because everything I once knew is falling apart in real-time.
“Uuung….”
She let out a soft sound.
It felt like she was whining while pressing closer to me.
“……..”
Thanks to that, the blanket that had already slightly risen to her ankles now looked poised to creep up to her knees.
I must endure.
Right now, I need to utilize all my medical knowledge to assess Mo Yongseol’s condition.
Sickness of Absolute Meridians is a disease caused by excessive yin energy.
The more severe it is, the more it decreases body temperature.
I gently grasp her shoulder with the hand holding Mo Yongseol.
Though I’m not far from her heart, I could still feel a hint of the icy chill unique to Sickness of Absolute Meridians.
Warmth.
I can feel a warmth that shouldn’t be there.
Not merely because we’re under the blanket, but the warmth of human heat flows through my hand from beneath her skin.
I pulled her wrist with my other hand.
Since her hand rests on my chest, it’s sufficient for Mo Yongseol to assess her pulse even without waking.
Thump, thump, thump.
Is that the sound of my heartbeat? I hope so.
I would like to believe that my body is reacting wildly because of the warmth of the woman touching my armpit and waist.
But I know.
This steady heartbeat, calm yet rhythmic, belongs to Mo Yongseol.
“…It’s a job hazard.”
Mo Yongseol slowly opened her mouth.
“To be examined right after waking up.”
Though her eyes are still closed, there’s a growing vitality in her voice.
“Do you wish to save me, perhaps?”
“That’s—”
“Shhhh.”
Mo Yongseol placed her finger on my lips.
“Don’t fall in love with me.”
Looking directly at me, Mo Yongseol spoke gently with a sad look in her eyes.
“I know very well how hard you’ve worked for me. When your mentor was killed by that heinous Demon Cult, you took care of me while organizing his funeral.”
“L… Lady. So, that means—”
“Shhh.”
Mo Yongseol completely covered my mouth with her hand.
“Stop it. If you keep this up… I might sway too.”
Her blue eyes, unique to a woman afflicted with Sickness of Absolute Meridians, shimmered with tears.
“I was barely determined to die, and here you are making me want to live again.”
“L…”
“Just last night. No, even tonight.”
Mo Yongseol pressed closer, bringing her face nearer to mine.
“…Do you know how sad I am that I can only do this one last time?”
“So—”
“Forget it. Think of it as a fling before dying. After all, I promised you that’s why you were allowed.”
“That…”
I held Mo Yongseol’s hand.
“Please, please… If you keep talking, I’ll genuinely want to live…”
I grasped her slender wrist, trying to remove her hand from my mouth, but it wouldn’t budge.
“I want to die without any regrets, but if I keep wanting to live because of you…! Before it causes my father and others more heartache, I want to smile and part ways with everyone…!”
She is the daughter of the world’s number one person, and Sickness of Absolute Meridians is caused by excessive yin energy.
“If I could fall asleep thinking of this happiness, I would deeply appreciate it. Or else…”
Mo Yongseol glanced outside.
“It’s almost dawn, so there should be some time for breakfast. If we do it just once more…”
She averted her gaze from me.
“Ah… What a relief. It wasn’t just me after all. Hehehe…”
Her eyes fluttered downward, and with a cheerful smile, she began to stroke my abdomen from my chest.
“Look. You’re quite honest, aren’t you? Yes?”
“L… Lady.”
“So, that means—”
“Please.”
I grasped her chin to secure the opening of her mouth.
“Ah…!”
Tears spilled from the corners of my eyes.
“Yes. Please take care of me for this last morning.”
As she closed her eyes, Mo Yongseol slowly parted her lips, stretching her head toward me.
“With this heart, let me die.”
Mo Yongseol closed her eyes and waited.
She looked as if her eyes were shut but opened them just a bit to watch my movements.
Swish.
As I fully turned my head and approached Mo Yongseol, she finally closed her eyes completely.
“L… Lady.”
“Yes….”
Now is the time.
“Sickness of Absolute Meridians seems to be alleviating.”
“……?”
I explained the pulse result, standing so close our noses nearly touched.
“While I’d need to examine all your blood vessels for details, your body seems to be ‘healthy.’”
“……What?”
“W-well, I honestly don’t know why this is happening.”
It feels silly, almost impossible, but—
“It seems like a miracle has occurred.”
“A miracle.”
The symptoms of Sickness of Absolute Meridians were fading away.
“So, um, does that mean… I’m cured?”
“It looks like that.”
“……Why?”
Mo Yongseol’s face contorted as she gazed at me.
“All that happened between last night and now was just spending a night with you…? How could that be?”
“W-well, yes. I’m confused too. I have no clue how this is happening…”
“…Hehe.”
With a hint of laughter that sounded like crying, Mo Yongseol buried her face back in my chest.
“Dreams can be so cruel. To toy with a person’s heart like this.”
“So, my lady. This isn’t a dream—”
“If it were a dream, I could do whatever I want, right?”
“N-no—”
Trying to correct her misunderstanding, I sprang up.
“Lady. Whether it’s a dream or something else… you can’t resist anymore.”
As Mo Yongseol pointed out, I couldn’t suppress my desires.
“If I could, I would have pushed you away long ago.”
Mo Yongseol’s crescent-shaped eyes rose over me, slowly connecting our bodies more closely.
“Before waking from this dream, I’ll experience this happiness once more.”
“W-wait—”
“Oh, really.”
Mo Yongseol held my face with both hands.
“Don’t you even grant my wish to do it one last time before I die?”
Leaning closer, she silenced me with her mouth.
“Since it’s a dream… if I can continue living and savor this happiness…”
Mo Yongseol cried, smiling.
“I love you, Physician.”
* * *
Even with a limited time to live, no one can definitively say ‘I will die then.’
While those who grow old and die from natural causes usually have signs indicating their impending death, the typical death occurs suddenly without warning.
When one dies due to illness, the timing remains unknown, unlike those who die from accidents or murder.
In that sense, Sickness of Absolute Meridians allows one to somewhat predict the timing of death.
Especially for those suffering from ‘Sickness of Absolute Meridians,’ the pattern becomes clearer.
Most women who suffered from Sickness of Absolute Meridians died shortly after reaching adulthood.
Typically, this tragedy occurs not long after their ‘birthday,’ with some even meeting their deaths on their birthday.
Why does this phenomenon occur?
—It’s said to stem from chronic illnesses passed down from those who have mastered martial arts.
It is because of martial arts.
If a child is born of martial artist parents, possessing excessive ‘yin energy’ from their mother, the child might not withstand that energy’s pressure.
In essence, they are born with the disease from birth.
Thus, one can infer when those born with Sickness of Absolute Meridians may ultimately pass.
Their hair may turn white, or their eye color influenced by their parents’ martial prowess might appear different from ordinary people.
Although they inherit excessive energy at birth, lacking knowledge to control it like their parents, they end up living in constant suffering from an early age.
As women, they have a definitive end without experiencing many things.
There’s no cure.
If someone has survived Sickness of Absolute Meridians, she would be the first in the history of the Martial World to overcome it.
Which is effectively impossible, leading those afflicted to quietly accept their fates.
To live as painlessly as possible and savor every moment of happiness during their short time—this is the fate designated for such women.
Yes.
That should have been the end.
“…….”
“Are you finally coming to your senses?”
Morning light broke, and Mo Yongseol awakened.
No, she had already been awake.
She was merely lost in her self-induced illusions and delusions.
“……Physician.”
Mo Yongseol covered her face with one hand.
“Why am I alive?”
Her look was filled with confusion, her face tinted red as if from a ripe persimmon, staring at me.
“Why is my face flushed right now?”
“That’s because as the symptoms of Sickness of Absolute Meridians are lessening, your blood is circulating properly throughout your body.”
“Then….”
“Even if your symptoms of Sickness of Absolute Meridians have been miraculously treated—”
One thing is certain.
“I’m going to die.”
“What?”
I gestured with my chin toward the door.
“There is someone outside.”
“……Who is it?”
Mo Yongseol steadied her voice as much as she could.
Creek.
A sound like something cracking echoed through the room.
Considering the room’s layout, that was likely the sound of a metal doorknob breaking.
[Why.]
“……!”
[Your voice is coming from the physician’s room. My daughter.]
The world’s number one person.
The hero of the Martial World who defeated the Heavenly Demon of the Demon Cult with one sword.
[Don’t tell me right now….]
“Ah, Father!! I’m cured! Of Sickness of Absolute Meridians!!”
[?!?!?]
“After spending the night with the physician, my Sickness of Absolute Meridians—”
Thud.
Kyaaaaaaaak!
Lord!!
Quick, help the lord!! Hurry!!
On the morning of his daughter’s birthday, he fainted in front of the physician’s room.