Webnovel

Chapter 1: Goodbye To You

Chapter 1

The hour of the Joseon Dynasty

was 1797.

Everyone is guilty. No one can stay clean in this world, regardless of how hard you try to go straight, and they wouldn't let you. This world is designed to distract you, to make you filthy, and to keep you dirty for a long time.

Even minor sins are included in the circle of sins. You can't run or escape, but only you can save yourself.

If You are standing in the middle of the cyclone, which is impossible because the cyclone would kill you if you don't move, or you will fly with the cyclone, which you can't avoid.

Even if you run, you will perish because you cannot outrun a cyclone. You will face difficulty in every situation; there is no need to resist.

But we thought we knew the solution and spent our entire lives looking for it; this is called hope, the only thing that can keep us alive. How can you stay alive when you lose hope?

In Hahoe, Individuals gathered early in the morning at the funeral, the last goodbye to the dead, and misfortune in Kim's family. They have suffered a great loss, a family member whom they will only be able to see in their dreams.

From the distance, Kim Shik looked at the grave with lament and worry in his heart. His dry eyes were tired of the tears, however. There was nothing left to empty rather than emotions.

He was not good at expressing himself or would have preferred not to show it. How could he? He was the royal commander and maintained his image as brutal throughout the years. The people who realized his thoughtful nature turned out to be close to him.

He was broken on the inside, and his mind was blank. He just couldn't feel any sympathy, he just couldn't hear them all or he didn't want to, the destructive noise was driving him away from his blank space where he was for the time being.

He didn't want to accept reality, but he had to watch everything in front of him, and he couldn't deny that he lost someone today.

Kim Shik watched his daughter So Hyun sitting a good way off, away from individuals. She wasn't looking great yet and is feverish.

She appeared to be on the verge of collapsing. She sat under the tree in the bright sky, with her long entangled hair and red puffy eyes, dressed in a black hanbok.

Her brother Ma Jun made her sit away from the crowd because she was nervous around people. Ma Jun appeared broken, but he tried to control his emotions even though everyone else was crying.

They weren't speaking to Kim Shik because they knew he didn't want to show his emotions in front of them. They felt sorry for Ma Jun and So Hyun.

She shook her head and looked up at Ma Jun as he extended an apple to her.

"You haven't eaten anything, and you require energy," Ma Jun explained.

"I'm not hungry," So Hyun said slowly.

Ma Jun was overcome with emotion and turned away from her as a single tear fell from his eyes.

"I'm right there, let me know if you need anything," Ma Jun said with a broken voice.

So Hyun grabbed Ma Jun's black hanbok from behind and couldn't let go as he walked away.

"I want to go home, Brother." With a shaky voice So Hyun stated

"All right, we'll go home soon, you rest, I'll be back," Ma Jun said, his eyes welling up and unable to look her in the eyes.

So Hyun let go of his hanbok, and Ma Jum walked away from the crowd that had gathered to console him. So Hyun sat against the tree, looking sick and tired.

4 hours of flashback Prior.

Around midnight, 17 years old Ma Jun, placed a wet towel on the forehead of his 14-year-old sister Kim So Hyun to keep her fever down.

"Mother... Mo..." So Hyun said quietly.

She was calling her mother in her sleep. Ma Jun had no real reason to play other than to meet her inflated expectations.

"Don't worry, Mother will be here soon," he reassured her but he couldn't say when she would return.

Ma Jun was about to leave the room because the bowl was empty and he needed water to cool her temperature down.

"Where are you going?" So Hyun said slowly, her eyes half-closed, as she held his hand, refusing to let him go.

"I'm not going anywhere; don't worry, I'm still here." Ma Jun said softly as he sat back down next to her.

"I want father; mother, is she here?" So Hyun asked the same question she had been asking nonstop for two hours.

"I told you to rest, so why aren't you sleeping?" Ma Jun stated that he wanted to change the subject because he was struggling to control his emotions.

"If I sleep, you will leave me alone" So Hyun said, her voice broken, as a single tear fell from her eye. She clutched his hand tightly, afraid of losing him.

"I promise I won't leave you," Ma Jun said softly, holding her hand back, making her feel safe.

So Hyun closed her eyes in peace, and Ma Jun's presence brought her satisfaction. He was suffocating and tired of masking his emotions to keep her calm.

After 30 minutes. He came out of the room, anxiously trusting that his father would return with the uplifting news about his mother.

He was a handsome young man dressed in traditional Korean attire (Hanbok) His hair was pulled into a topknot and held in place with a managedon headband.

His looks were more similar to his mom's; large earthy-colored eyes, and a long molded face with a sharp facial structure. His thyroid cartilage made him more alluring.

Kim Shik entered the house with bloodstained armor and a bloody sword, a few dry blood drops on his face, and visible wounds on his body.

His hair was tangled in a managedon bun. He realized he needed to respond to his son but couldn't think of anything to say.

However, Ma Jun was more concerned about his mother

"Where's Mother?"

"She is coming," Kim Shik said in a dead voice.

Ma Jun was taken aback by Kim Shik's red puffy eyes when he dropped the sword.

"Father, Are you all right?" Ma Jun inquired

A few military officers carried his mother to the deathbed and laid her body down.

Ma Jun was going insane and couldn't process it because he couldn't tell if it was true or a lie. His heart was pounding like it was about to burst.

As the heart rate increased, time slowed. Every second was crucial, and the clock was ticking like a time bomb. Every minute seemed like a decade. It was no longer possible for him to appear sober.

"Why is she covered in sheets?" Ma Jun inquired with a trembling voice

His legs tremble as he walked toward his mother. The primary thing he had seen was the thumb of his mother's foot. There was a blood drop on it. He halted there before pushing ahead to the finish.

Ma Jun lost his energy abruptly. He couldn't inhale, and his chest turned out to be heavy as he was crying openly.

Kim Shik didn't express a word 

while standing at a distance. After hearing Ma Jun's scream, So Hyun exited the room. She appeared frail and miserable. She approached her mother.

So Hyun was speechless She was taking a few steps back while tears were raining from her eyes. Meanwhile, Ma Jun was oblivious to everyone around him when their mother died, rendering him blind.

So Hyun was disturbed by the noise and sobbed with both hands on her ears. After she collapsed unconscious on the ground, Kim Shik, who had been motionless for a few moments, rushed over to her and embraced her.

"Bring the physician! Hurry," Kim Shik yelled.

One soldier dashed out the door to bring the physician. So Hyun was carried to her room by Kim. He forgot about his wife and his wound when his attention was drawn to So Hyun.

Kim's family felt a lot of pressure that night. After saying our final goodbyes to Kim Sun Ah.