The Nature of Possession

427 – EP.15 The Noble Soul

***

Chunhyang smiled brightly as she looked into Kang Inho’s trembling eyes.

Even with the sweet scent coming from her, Kang In-ho’s heart showed no sign of calming down. She was very sorry about this fact.

“It was the 522nd spring since I was born and started counting the seasons.”

Chunhyang, who understood her lover’s feelings, stroked his face and explained.

“My body felt heavy as if it weighed a ton, so I just closed my eyes for a moment, and a space I had never seen before unfolded before me.”

Chunhyang recalled the distant past. But she did not forget to caress the face of the man she was holding in her hand.

I could clearly feel the emotional turmoil being transmitted through my palms.

“A rather arrogant being with white wings told me that I had a noble soul. A noble soul… At first glance, it sounded like the moral human beings spoken of by the adults of the Dan-i tribe, but the noble soul that the winged being spoke of was not that.”

Kang In-ho’s eyes opened wide. Chun-hyang continued speaking while checking his reaction.

“What form does God take in your mind? What kind of personality does God have?”

Chunhyang asked. Kang Inho vaguely felt that the question did not require an answer.

Chunhyang raised her hand and began to stroke Kang Inho’s black hair.

It was almost like someone who was very stressed and was petting a doll.

“Do you think it is possible to judge God through the eyes of a mere mortal?”

Chunhyang narrowed her eyes and smiled.

“When they say ‘nobility’, they mean ‘having the potential to become a god.’ Haven’t you heard that?”

“…….”

“I guess you’ve met an unfriendly dimensional manager, unlike me.”

Chunhyang, who noticed Inho’s frowning expression, chuckled.

“Ah… Of course, I haven’t met such a kind being. I just met a clumsy one. I was lucky.”

Chunhyang’s golden eyes sparkled.

“You must be wondering how I, a mere mortal, can know the knowledge of the Absolute.”

Chunhyang swept the area under Kang Inho’s eyes with her thumb.

“I was sacrificed to restore the balance of dimensions. Perhaps, you too, Master.

But the being who had just come out of the training center was more naive and innocent than expected. To the point where he was intoxicated by the scent of the golden grass.

Of course, it was only a brief hypnosis that blinded them, but at least it succeeded in making them believe that there were no noble souls in this dimension.”

“How about the Dimensional Management God…?”

“I think it’s because my soul’s level has been established. I heard that the soul’s level increases through experience, time, and trials.”

If my life had not been 100 years, I would not have been able to fool you.

Chunhyang added.

“In order to balance the dimensions, if you died, wasn’t it impossible to return to your original world?”

“I know there were differences in the method for each individual. I don’t know the exact principle, but I was able to come back.”

“…….”

Then couldn’t I have gone back too?

Kang In-ho felt dizzy.

Chunhyang continued to talk to Kang In-ho, whose face was dying by the minute.

“Anyway, I’ve lived in silence ever since. I’ve spent countless springs worrying that I might fall under the gaze of the Absolute.”

Chunhyang’s eyes darkened.

“But why….”

“Why did you do something like this?”

Chunhyang smiled faintly. Her hand brushed Kang Inho’s chest.

“Don’t you already know the answer?”

“I lived for a long time in a swamp of loneliness. I had no joy in life, but I was greedy enough to give up on life. I wandered around looking for someone who would understand me.

He traveled around the eight provinces of Joseon in various forms, and traveled around the world twice, meeting many people.

But not everyone was like me, and I felt even more lonely.

It was during this time that I met the master.

Same class as me. Same situation as me. A being who carries the curse of an imperfect eternal life.

That’s why I wanted to meet you, Master.

I wanted to talk to you, and I wanted to look at the world with you.

Also, I wanted to know the joy of being a woman by coming into contact with you, my lord.”

Chunhyang’s hands on Kang Inho’s shoulders trembled slightly.

“Your Majesty, I have already found a way to overcome the difference in lifespan.”

Chunhyang met his eyes.

Those eyes, half fear and half anticipation, resembled the countless gazes that Kang In-ho had seen while traveling through dimensions.

And Kang In-ho could easily predict what Chunhyang would say.

Chunhyang stands up.

I close my loose clothing and take a couple of steps back from Kang In-ho.

Kneel down and place your forehead on the ground.

“So please, stay with me… for the rest of my life. I beg you.”

***

“Your Majesty, please stay by my side.”

Kang In-ho didn’t feel like he had taken the initiative even though he looked down at Chun-hyang, who was lying face down and shaking.

Perhaps, even if Chunhyang had tied up his limbs and put a knife in Kang Inho’s hand, he would never have thought that he had the upper hand over Chunhyang.

“It’s already too late. Not only can you not trust someone whose name you don’t even know, but this relationship is already off to a bad start.”

“My name is Chunhyang. In the world of the Jang people, the pronunciation is different, but the meaning is the same.

However, Your Majesty, I cannot agree that the beginning was wrong.”

“What does that mean?”

“Even if I had told you everything from the beginning, you would have rejected me.”

“No, that’s not true….”

“Is that really so? When women from various dimensions approached you with sincerity, did you ever sincerely accept their hearts?”

When Chunhyang asked, slowly getting up, Kang Inho closed his mouth.

“…….”

Kang In-ho remained silent in response to Chunhyang’s question that hit the nail on the head.

“Your Majesty, you like obedient women. You are also interested in s*x, so you want a woman who is compatible with you. I know all about this. I am confident that this will fit your tastes perfectly.”

“Aren’t you secretly attracted to me?” said Chunhyang.

“You said it was a messy start from your point of view. But in reality, it depends on how you think about it.”

It’s like it felt like spring even though it was summer.

“……”

But the answer that Chunhyang was expecting did not come.

The look in her eyes was a mixture of distrust, wariness, and anxiety.

“…Do you really have to do that?”

She let out a long sigh.

“What are you going to do?”

“How did the women you met while crossing dimensions act when they were rejected?”

“It was violent and coercive.”

“I am the same. If you reject me like this, there will be nothing left but coercion and oppression.”

Even while we were talking, the scent of flowers lingered in the room.

“Even in the midst of all this, hypnosis…”

Kang In-ho frowned at the smell that upset his mood.

“Don’t you try your best to win the affection of the person you love? Sometimes with gifts, sometimes with sweet words and promises. I am the same. Please don’t tell me that I am wrong when I try to win love by any means at my disposal.”

Chunhyang lowered her eyes.

“Then please understand if I refuse.”

“Of course, this is a familiar situation to you, my lord. Well then, I will set the stage.”

When Chunhyang clapped her hands, the dark night turned into day.

“…It’s not surprising anymore.”

“Aren’t you curious about whether it’s actually night or day?”

“Okay, let’s check.”

Kang In-ho threw his fist straight at me.

***

The fight between Chunhyang and Kang Inho did not last long.

It was embarrassing to even call it a fight. Chunhyang was constantly changing her position and shaking Kang Inho, and Kang Inho, who was just imitating martial arts from the past, was unable to escape the tricks of the Zhang family that had lived for thousands of years.

Kang In-ho, whose limbs were tied to a tough tree trunk, walked away from Namwon while resting on Chunhyang’s shoulders.

“Life in Namwon was enjoyable, but I think it would be better to spend the rest of my life in a more cozy and secret place. Also, for a long-legged person like me, the forest is better for my health. I’m sure you’ll get used to it soon.”

Chunhyang walked into the mountain with light steps, chatting cheerfully to the man on her shoulder.

They left the path made by the herbalists and woodcutters and went on for a while, and when they finally entered the territory of the Jang tribe, Chunhyang tilted her head.

“hmm….”

Broken branches, arrows stuck in trees, and broken giant trees.

And the faint scent of blood filled the mountain.

“It looks like there were passengers.”

Chunhyang, who recognized the approaching being at the end of her distant vision, muttered as if she was displeased.

A single person, dyed entirely in black, caught her golden eyes.

The rippling figure was like a shadow.