As True as a Dream

“Sister, I’m sorry… I won’t do it again… If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have to go!” 

Hae-Joo laughed at the chestnut-haired boy’s crying and patted him on the head.

 “Gu Eun-ho, a boy doesn’t cry like that? It’s okay, your mom is worried about you, so let’s be more careful in the future. Okay?” 

Yi Ho stood not far away and watched the scene.

 

The woman who he thought only cared about herself was so devoted and loyal to others.

 “From now on, I’ll think of you as my person and I’ll be incredibly good to you.” 

He remembered what Hae-joo had said to him one day.

 

The corners of Yi Ho’s mouth lifted meekly.

 

‘Was he “her person” to her?’

 

First he remembered that he definitely wasn’t.

 

It was just lip service.

 

But now, the way she acted, her concern, her laughter, even her jokes were all real.

 

If he couldn’t see that, it wasn’t worth living for 400 years.

 “You’re tired, why don’t you go home and rest, why did you run here?” “Don’t worry, I know you won’t sleep unless you see me.” “Ew! You’re my sister… I’m your sister, you’re really…! I thought I was going to die of worry!” 

The short-haired woman hugged Hae-Joo again as if she couldn’t contain her emotions.

 

Yi Ho blinked his eyelids slowly as he looked at the two women.

 

He wondered what it was like to be someone’s favorite.

 

A long, long time ago, he must have longed for that feeling, but then he forgot all about it.

 

A curiosity he hadn’t thought about since he forgot reared its ugly head.

 

‘Is it really time to die?’

 

He wanted everything and wondered about everything.

 

Yi Ho stood for a moment and then turned to leave.

 

***

 

When Hae-Joo’s movements finally stopped, Yi Ho looked over.

 

Hae-Joo was asleep, her head tilted at an angle.

 

If he listened carefully, he could hear her snoring softly.

 

Just then, the car came to a sudden stop, jolting them forward.

 “Sorry, sir. Someone jumped out of nowhere.” “Never mind. Go.” 

Yi Ho gave a brief reply to his staff’s apology and looked down at Hae-Joo, who was leaning on his shoulder.

 

As the car came to a screeching halt, he leaned his arm against Hae-Joo’s sprawling body.

 

Her body was leaning towards him and her head was resting on his shoulder.

 

But something didn’t feel right, and she frowned and rubbed her head.

 

She grabbed his arm with both hands and leaned in close, sighing contentedly before falling asleep.

 

Yi Ho stared at Hae-Joo, who clung to his right side, hot and sticky.

 

Her fingers touched the inside of his palm as she held his right arm loosely in her own.

 

Her right hand rested lightly on the crook of his right arm.

 

Her fingerprints peeked out from under the slightly raised sleeve.

 

He pushed her sleeve up with his left hand to see the handprint again.

 

Just then, Hae-Joo’s head moved and her body turned completely to him.

 

His chin, tilted by the wind, touched her forehead.

 

The unfamiliar softness of the touch made Yi Ho unconsciously squeeze her right hand slightly.

 

A curled finger pressed gently against the inside of his palm.

 “…Hae-Joo.” “…Mmm?” 

He called out softly and Hae-Joo mumbled a reply.

 

Yi Ho’s brow furrowed slightly at Hae-Joo’s seeming unwillingness to open her eyes and turned her downcast face toward the car window.

 

The tiny fingers that lay still in his grasp moved slightly.

 

The feeling of light scratching and rubbing against the texture of his skin made Yi Ho look at Hae-Joo again.

 

She seemed to be still asleep.

 

He squeezed his hand to keep Hae-Joo’s fingers from moving further.

 

But the soft, boneless texture felt strange, and he retreated a little.

 

Whether she’s awake or asleep, she’s a nuisance.

 

Meanwhile, his chin and the bottom of his cheeks touched Hae-Joo’s forehead several times before falling away.

 

A pleasant, pungent scent that reminded him of sun-dried laundry wafted past his nose.

 

It was the smell of Hae-Joo’s flesh.

 

Yi Ho sighed absentmindedly.

 

So far, no one had dared to fall asleep on his shoulder.

 

But he didn’t feel like rejecting her.

 

He would grow out of it.

 

It wasn’t hard.

 

In a way, it was strange.

 

Lately, when he was with her, he found himself wanting to do things he hadn’t done before, wondering about things he hadn’t thought about, and doing things he knew would be a nuisance and a hassle.

 

Like today, when he picked her up at the police station.

 

Dropping his eyes, he looked at Hae-Joo’s wrist resting on his elbow, then at the driver’s seat.

 “Turn the car around to Song Yue.” 

Hae-Joo was right, it was ugly, but it would be fine after a few days of bruising.

 

It wasn’t broken and it wasn’t cut.

 

But it was annoying and unsightly.

 

This is also strange.

 

Other people get hurt.

 

He doesn’t know why he’s doing it, but it’s a simple thing if it were simple.

 

He doesn’t know if he’ll ever find Guishan Dao, if he’ll ever live, if he’ll die first, or if he’ll live a long time begging.

 

Yi Ho was tired and didn’t want to think about it.

 

Under the softly falling snow, a trace of emptiness had disappeared, replaced by a faint smile.

 

Yi Ho casually squeezed Hae-Joo’s delicate hand.

 

The unfamiliar touch of her forehead brushing against his cheek from time to time was no longer uncomfortable.

 

‘Do you want to know what it feels like to be someone’s favorite? Do you wonder?’

 

Then be someone’s favorite.

 

So in this long, long life, there was at least one person who loved and adored him very much. 

 

It would be nice if he could remember.

 

That’s what he wants to do now.

 

Hae-Joo’s back was to Eun-sil in the darkness of the alley and she ran without looking back.

 

Yes. That is what he wants.

 

***

  

Hae-Joo stared through bleary eyes at the red brick building outside the car window.

 

It was Yi Ho’s house.

 

‘Not Ikseonjeong? Why did she come here?’

 

All day long she’d been harassed about her engagement to Yi Ho, then in the afternoon she’d run around looking for Eun-ho, and afterwards she’d been harassed at the police station.

 

She fell asleep in a fitful sleep, but when she woke up, she was no better, just more tired and disoriented.

 

Hae-Joo leaned her heavy head back to where it had rested.

 “You go ahead, boss. I’ll try to get some sleep.” “I can’t get down.” 

Hae-Joo closed her eyes for a moment to collect herself, then opened them at the sound of Yi Ho’s voice in her ear.

 

The sleepy feeling fled in a flash.

 

She turned her face in the direction of the sound and there, in the darkness, was Yi Ho’s face, mouth set in a tight line, a fist’s length away.

 

Her eyes widened and she quickly lifted her head from Yi Ho’s shoulder.

 

His head almost hit her chin, but she ducked before it could.

 “Does your shoulder hurt? I’m surprised it’s so comfortable, there’s a good reason for that…” 

Hae-Joo quickly placed her hands politely on his shoulders, gently stroking and straightening them.

 

He looked at her disapprovingly, then opened the back seat door and got out.

 

As soon as his back was turned to her, the corners of his mouth turned down and he looked depressed.

 

‘No matter how tired you are, you should have found a place to lie down and rest your head, Hae-Joo!’

 

Look at his disgusted face.

 

‘Was her head really heavy?’

 

She got out of the car and touched her head as if to weigh it.

 

The employee who had been driving the car all day also got out, bowed to Yi Ho, and scurried across the courtyard.

 “I’ll meet you at Gyeongseong Station at 7am the day after tomorrow, right?”

Hae-Joo asked, not wanting to bring up the subject of sleeping on his shoulder as a pillow.

 “It’s a long trip, and I’m sure you’ll be tired, but it’s not just a train ride, it’s a bus ride and several changes of transportation, plus an overnight stay at an inn.” “I know.”

Yi Ho replied.

 “Or, if you don’t mind, we can drive and you and I can take turns driving.” 

It takes more than half a day to get from Gyeongseong Station to Jeomwon Station on the Gyeongbu Line.

 

Once they got there, they had to find a place to sleep at the end of the day, find out the bus time, and buy a ticket.

 

If they missed the bus, they could be stranded for two days instead of one.

 

A car, on the other hand, would take them directly to their destination, and given Yi Ho’s physical condition, a car seemed like the way to go.

 

But Hae-Joo’s careful consideration was undone by Yi Ho’s one word.

 “I can’t drive.”Visit my Ko-fi for discounted advance chapters!!