Chapter 07
Dongbaek’s eyes trembled. Her hands clutched her pants. Her eyes were red and swollen as she tried to hold back tears. The crow had no words seeing Dongbaek trying so hard not to cry.
Although Dongbaek knew she had become younger, she believed everything would return to normal once she went back to her original world.
No, even if she couldn’t get her original body back, even if it took years… she just wanted to be able to go home…
“They only had me. They said they raised me because I was their everything. What are my mom and dad supposed to do now?”
“…They’ll be fine.”
“I didn’t want such meaningless comfort!”
Dongbaek shouted. The sight of her small, childlike form glaring at him with anger in her eyes was heart-wrenching.
The crow wanted to embrace her, to offer comfort, but instead of arms, it only had wings. Hiding his bitterness, he pushed back harshly instead.
“So what? You would’ve died if you hadn’t come here. Either way, your parents would have been hurt.”
“At least leaving a corpse would’ve been better! Then they could move on more easily!”
“So Dongbaek!”
The crow’s wounded gaze caused Dongbaek’s own eyes to waver.
Yes, she knew. No matter how much she threw tantrums at the Crow, no matter how much she whined, it wasn’t the Crow’s fault that she came to this world.
Honestly, even though the Crow had always pestered her about dimensional travel, it wasn’t the type to send her without her consent. Dongbaek knew well that it was largely her own fault for getting drunk and ending up in the wrong place. She just didn’t want to admit it.
Dongbaek desperately clung to the Crow.
“What about their memories? In those stories about dimensional travel, they always erase the memories of the parents or friends, right? It’s the same for me, right? You said I wasn’t even originally a soul from that side. It’d be better if my parents…”
“Just because you disappeared doesn’t mean Earth erases your information. The life you built there for 22 years remains intact there.”
The crow’s calm words broke her resolve, and Dongbaek couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.
She had never thought about it seriously before. Even when the Crow talked about dimensional travel, she never dreamed it would turn out like this.
It was the same after coming to this world. She thought she could return to her original world if she defeated the Queen.
“Damn it…”
Dongbaek clutched her head.
The crow watching Dongbaek couldn’t remain emotionless either.
This wasn’t how it wanted things to go—hurting Dongbaek like this had never been its intention.
But the crow didn’t show any of this.
Dongbaek would endure well. She would overcome any sadness, pain, or fate… The crow repeated this to himself. Perhaps he was just comforting himself to rid his guilt for bringing Dongbaek to this world.
Dongbaek understood her situation well. She couldn’t just stay frustrated and sad about not being able to return to her original world. It’s a common and cliché story, but time doesn’t wait. She had to move forward.
“No matter how much I cry and struggle, nothing will change, right?”
“…..”
“I have to survive here anyway, right?”
“…Yes.”
After a long pause, the crow finally answered. Dongbaek wiped her tears, and a fierce determination flashed in her reddened eyes.
They abandoned her when it suited them, and they would call her back when it suited them. If this was God’s love, Dongbaek was ready to throw it away anytime.
A chosen soul destined to reach the summit. If this was God’s will, Dongbaek would defy it.
She would survive until the end and write an ending to the story that God never wanted…
Grinding her teeth, Dongbaek shouted fiercely at the crow.
“Tell me more about the Queen and Alice. Everything you know. Every last detail!”
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
“The Queen will entangle herself in every aspect of your life, dragging you down at every step. You’ll be the same to the Queen. If there’s a mortal enemy in your life, it’s the Queen. But remember this. As long as God’s blessing remains, neither you nor the Queen will die easily. No matter how perfect the death planned, you’ll miss it by a hair’s breadth.”
“God’s blessing? Then how do I kill the Queen?”
“Though God’s love seems infinite, since it’s being poured into human vessels, there is a limit.”
“So, in the end, it’s about how quickly you can deplete each other’s blessing.”
“That’s right. Of course, the Queen won’t sit still either, so you need to be careful.”
Dongbaek pondered the Crow’s advice repeatedly, but it still felt vague. It was natural since nothing was certain—who the Queen was, who she would ally with.
But when that day came, to seize the opportunity, she needed to hone herself. Dongbaek’s dedication to studying was partly out of necessity, but also because it was all she could do right now.
Thanks to her busy days, Dongbaek was able to regain her composure and return to reality without much difficulty.
After leaving the bookstore, Dongbaek wandered through the marketplace, looking at various items.
The cries of a pig slaughtered beneath a sturdy young man’s knife, the chatter of young women gathered in groups, gossiping—amidst the lively market scene, Dongbaek felt an unbidden sense of joy.
‘Since my body became younger, did my mind become younger too… If only my feet were more comfortable, I’d walk around everywhere.’
The shoes of this era were so crude that Dongbaek’s tender feet, accustomed to sneakers, struggled to endure. There wasn’t even any ointment to apply to her soles, and since she couldn’t avoid walking, her feet were constantly wounded.
Still, she was fortunate that Geum Danyo had provided her with good shoes. Otherwise, she might have had to go barefoot. Thinking about this, she couldn’t thank Geum Danyo enough.
“I’m back!”
Dongbaek called out clearly as she entered Geum Danyo’s house. Geum Danyo, hands covered in dirt as if she’d been tending the garden, welcomed her.
“Welcome back.”
Geum Danyo greatly enjoyed Dongbaek’s greetings of “I’m back” and “I’m leaving.” It had become routine for Dongbaek to report to Geum Danyo whenever she went out.
The garden was near the pond behind the house. Geum Danyo not only enjoyed viewing the pond from the pavilion but also loved tending to the nearby flower beds.
Wiping her hands on her apron, Geum Danyo removed her dirt-covered apron. Dongbaek habitually took the apron while briefly relating today’s events.
“Yes, I bought The Six Teachings today. No matter how many times I read military strategy, it’s never enough, so I plan to focus on this for a while.”
A look of concern crossed Geum Danyo’s face. She was a bright and clever child. At first, she was clumsy at almost everything, but somehow she had absorbed everything Geum Danyo taught her and made it her own.
Though Geum Danyo acted nonchalant about being able to buy books for Dongbaek, at this rate, her wealth would soon become insufficient.
Dongbaek probably knew this and was trying to be as frugal as possible. A parent unable to fully support their child couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Though anxious, Geum Danyo changed the subject without showing it.
“Actually, Housekeeper Wang said she had something to ask of you.”
“In that case, I’ll drop off my books and head over right away.”
Dongbaek was much bigger than boys her age. Not only that, but she was so strong that she often accomplished tasks that women in the household couldn’t do.
Beyond just carrying loads, her skill at fixing roofs and broken items suggested she had experience with such tasks. Normally, they would have had to ask a male neighbor for help.
As soon as Dongbaek entered, Housekeeper Wang welcomed her.
“Oh, young master. This closet door hasn’t been opening well lately. Could you fix this too?”
“Just need to adjust the hinges a bit.”
Dongbaek tapped the wardrobe door with a hammer to open the misaligned door and examined the hinges carefully. Then she quickly fixed them to their original position.
“It’s really convenient having a man in the house!”
Housekeeper Wang praised Dongbaek enthusiastically. Her initial grumpy attitude about the cross-dressing had completely disappeared.
Geum Danyo also quietly marveled.
“How do you know how to do such things? Your skill with tools is remarkable!”
“Anyone can do it with enough practice.”
“What would have made a girl familiar with tools?”
Self-assembly furniture and DIY interior work were essential skills for someone living alone. But since she couldn’t explain such circumstances, Dongbaek just smiled and omitted the details.
“What can’t women do just because they’re women? It’s the prejudiced view that women can’t do things that stops them from trying in the first place.”
“I always learn so much from you.”
Housekeeper Wang admired quietly. It was something she had never considered before.
“Is anyone home?”
Just then, someone was heard knocking on the main gate of Geum Danyo’s mansion.
“Oh my, is it that time already?”
Housekeeper Wang clicked her tongue as she got up from her seat.
In Geum Danyo’s house, which had no butler, Housekeeper Wang handled all household affairs alone. Opening the door for guests was also her duty. She hurried out to open the gate.
The visitor knocked again, as if to hurry her. Housekeeper Wang unlatched the gate and opened it slightly, responding curtly.
“Of course, she’s here. How many times do I have to tell you once is enough?”
“Once isn’t enough to get an immediate response.”
The person knocking was an old man. His face was covered in wrinkles, and he entered the house leaning on a cane. When Housekeeper Wang said, the lady was in the back garden, the old man chuckled and walked forward with familiar steps.
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
Thank you for reading! ♡
