A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 43

43. Farewell (2014.01.28.)

Krrrrrr.

Everything was collapsing. Not just the snowfield, but the entire snow mountain seemed to be shaking.

The blue sky and the silver snowfield intertwined, then white obscured everything.

‘Huk.’

He couldn’t even scream. He couldn’t even breathe properly. He could only helplessly be swept away.

Just as that unique sense of loss, as if floating in the air, spread throughout his body, someone grabbed Sohn Bin’s shoulder.

Tuk.

‘Saja Hyuk.’

Though he couldn’t see, Sohn Bin knew it instinctively. That the owner of that large hand was Saja Hyuk.

The moment he realized that, Sohn Bin felt a deep sense of relief. If Saja Hyuk was with him, it would be alright.

Because in any situation, he would surely achieve what he intended.

“Sohn Bin.”

Saja Hyuk’s voice reached his ear.

Amidst the chaos of everything collapsing with a roar, his voice was so clear in Sohn Bin’s ear.

“There were quite a few things I wanted to say to you.”

Though he couldn’t see it, Sohn Bin felt that he was smiling. And at the same time, an unknown anxiety crept in.

It was an anxiety about a deeper and greater loss than being caught up in the chaos of the collapse.

“Yes. You are right. If no one knows, it will be as if it never happened. But even if it is forgotten and disappears, and no one knows, am I not here? Even an incomplete stance has meaning in itself, and even a life that will eventually end has value in itself, so isn’t it enough that I am here and you are here?”

Krrrrrr.

The roaring sound of the collapse didn’t reach his ears.

He desperately tried to turn back and see Saja Hyuk because of the endless anxiety, but his falling body couldn’t even do something as simple as turning around.

The only thing visible in Sohn Bin’s turning head was Saja Hyuk’s large hand holding his shoulder.

“I’ll give you the book. Do as you wish. Write if you want, or throw it away if you think it has no meaning.”

Saja Hyuk’s voice flowed quietly into Sohn Bin’s ear.

“It is enough for me to leave you behind.”

The anxiety became certainty and pierced his heart.

“Take care of Yeon-ah.”

‘No!’

Before Sohn Bin’s lips could open, an enormous force pushed Sohn Bin away.

Bang!

As if a giant hand had thrown him, Sohn Bin tore through the air and shot out.

Piles of falling snow and small pieces of ice collided sharply with Sohn Bin’s face and body, and huge falling ice blocks collided with each other and poured down from all directions.

Sohn Bin cut through the chaos like an arrow.

Thud.

He collided with a slightly larger pile of snow, and his body spun around.

At that moment, Sohn Bin saw it. The figure of Saja Hyuk looking at him from afar.

Though he couldn’t see him properly, he was definitely smiling.

Krrrrrr.

But that figure disappeared in an instant.

The collapsing giant ice chunks and the countless piles of falling snow swallowed Saja Hyuk and soon completely obscured Sohn Bin’s vision.

Bang!

A heavy resistance struck Sohn Bin’s back, and soon his vision cleared.

As if by a lie, the blue sky and the white snow mountain came into view. And the sight of ice and snow pouring down like a giant waterfall.

He had finally escaped from that terrible white torrent.

Whooong.

Sohn Bin’s body was floating in the air. When he looked down, he saw a vast forest stretching far below.

But this was no time to be looking at the forest. Right in front of him, a steep ice wall was rapidly approaching Sohn Bin.

Thwack.

‘Keuk.’

Sohn Bin’s body collided with the rough surface of the cracked ice wall, and intense pain ran through his body. But Sohn Bin desperately reached out his hand.

His fingers brushed against the rough ice surface several times, and finally, Sohn Bin was able to stop falling.

Krrr.

A huge pile of ice and snow poured down right in front of Sohn Bin with an eerie sound.

A short distance, a truly small distance, separated life and death.

“Heok, heok.”

Forgetting the pain, Sohn Bin couldn’t take his eyes off the scene in front of him. But the next moment, a sharp sound came from above his head.

Shhh.

The moment Sohn Bin raised his head, a chunk of ice fell down.

Thwack.

‘Aaaagh!’

It was fortunate that he avoided his head. But instead, Sohn Bin’s shoulder was hit, and his arm lost strength.

And Sohn Bin’s body began to fall straight down.

Whooook.

‘Ah.’

If he fell from this height, he couldn’t avoid death. A steep ice wall was passing right next to him, but it was not within reach even if he reached out his hand.

The moment he realized that, all the strength in his body disappeared. And the time he had spent so far quickly flashed before his eyes.

From the difficult Seowon [private Confucian academy] life to the many people and scenes he had met with Saja Hyuk vividly came to his mind.

The beautiful Hyeoncheon Swordplay unfolding under the moonlight, and Sasu Yeon’s gentle Hyeoncheon Swordplay with a smile.

But the last thing that was clear in his eyes was the figure of Saja Hyuk smiling at him just a moment ago.

‘I’ll see you soon.’

It was just as Sohn Bin, thinking that, slowly closed his eyes.

Thud.

Something soft collided with Sohn Bin. And a slender arm strongly embraced him.

‘What!’

Before Sohn Bin could even realize it, his body was already rapidly approaching the ice wall.

The thing Sohn Bin felt at that moment was the soft scent of a woman permeating the tip of his nose.

Thud, thud.

The woman who embraced Sohn Bin lightly kicked off the ice wall a few times and went down.

It was a light and nimble movement as if she had no weight. And finally, the woman set foot on the ground.

Thud.

The last landing was rough. Sohn Bin was thrown into the snow as if he had been flung away.

After rolling a few times in the snow, Sohn Bin stopped and jumped up without even thinking about the impact of the landing.

“Miss Sa!”

It was Sasu Yeon who saved Sohn Bin. She was half-collapsed with her long hair disheveled on the snow.

She was forcibly raising her upper body, but her distorted face was pale.

“Fa, Father……”

Sasu Yeon asks in a trembling voice. Sohn Bin couldn’t say anything to that voice, clinging to a faint hope.

But Sohn Bin’s eyes answered her without him even knowing it. Sasu Yeon turned her head following Sohn Bin’s gaze.

Krrrrrr.

The torrent of white despair was pouring down mercilessly, engulfing everything.

“Ah……”

Sasu Yeon’s eyes are filled with despair. But that was only for a moment, and she soon got up.

Her eyes, standing up against despair, shine with determination. But her body was already exceeding its limits.

Stagger.

Black hair rippled like waves, and Sasu Yeon collapsed forward as it was.

“Miss Sa……. Ugh.”

Sohn Bin, who was trying to approach her, crouched down with the pain rising from his chest. Not only his chest but also intense pain was running through his whole body.

“Haa, haa.”

Sohn Bin took a few breaths. And he gritted his teeth and started walking.

Swish, swish.

The snow makes a sound under Sohn Bin’s feet as he drags himself along.

The sound of the huge torrent was gradually fading away, but small pieces of ice and piles of snow were still falling from above.

Snowflakes glittered and scattered in the air like dust.

“Miss Sa.”

Sohn Bin, who had approached, collapsed and sat down next to Sasu Yeon and called her. But she didn’t move.

Instead, what came into Sohn Bin’s view was the figure of a short metal fragment protruding from her back.

‘Oh my god.’

Sohn Bin frowned without realizing it. It was clearly a part of the broken blade.

A part of the ice sword that had pierced her was still there.

Rustle.

Very carefully, Sohn Bin wrapped his arms around the fallen Sasu Yeon.

Only after confirming that her red lips were continuing to breathe faintly did Sohn Bin feel a little relieved.

And he checked the appearance of the ice sword shining with that sharp tip below her chest.

Sasu Yeon was still pierced through the chest by the ice sword.

‘The bleeding is not severe.’

Fortunately, the blood was spreading slowly, no matter how she did it.

But if he pulled out the embedded blade, she would die. Even if time is delayed as it is, the result is the same.

‘I have to take her to a doctor as soon as possible…….’

Sohn Bin, who was examining the wound on his chest, suddenly found a familiar-looking object in her arms.

‘This is!’

A small bead-shaped hwandan [a medicinal pill] appears inside the red silk. Sasu Yeon had not yet used the hwandan that Sohn Bin had given her at the last moment.

‘Why on earth…….’

He was confused. Sasu Yeon’s complexion was pale to the point of being blue, and she had even lost consciousness.

Why hadn’t she swallowed the hwandan until she was in this state?

‘Could it be because of us…….’

The reason was quickly apparent. Sasu Yeon couldn’t use the hwandan.

This hwandan may be the last hope for Saja Hyuk or Sohn Bin. Because of that very possibility, she did not swallow the hwandan even though her body was in this state.

“Hoo.”

Sohn Bin let out a long sigh. He raised his hand and gently swept away the hair covering the face of the unconscious her.

“I’m sorry.”

Sohn Bin said quietly. He thought that maybe she would have frowned slightly if it were her usual self.

Because she was not a person who was used to being thanked or apologized to.

Rustle.

Sohn Bin picked up the hwandan with his fingers. And put it in his mouth.

He could feel the hwandan slowly melting in his mouth with a refreshing scent. Sohn Bin slowly lowered his head.

Swish.

Sasu Yeon’s pale lips are as cold as ice. But soon that thought disappeared.

Krrr.

The sound of collapse was heard like thunder rumbling in the distance.

Snowflakes were quietly falling on Sohn Bin’s shoulders, who had lowered his head, like silent snow.

∴

Even though he made her swallow the hwandan, Sasu Yeon did not regain consciousness easily. Sohn Bin forcibly raised his body and began to grope down the mountain, supporting her.

Just taking one step was as hard as dying, but what was more dangerous was that his consciousness kept trying to cut off.

This was because Sohn Bin’s body had already exceeded its limits long ago.

Tingling

When Sohn Bin heard the familiar bell sound, he wondered if it was a hallucination.

But it wasn’t a hallucination. That shabby little horse he had sent down earlier was standing in the middle of the forest path.

The horse’s appearance of leisurely grazing on the grass looked so relaxed that it didn’t feel real.

Using his last strength, Sohn Bin put Sasu Yeon and himself on the horse.

And feeling the leisurely swaying, he lost consciousness as it was on the horse’s back. The sound of the bell he heard in his ear was slowly fading away.

*

*

*

“Are you awake?”

When Sohn Bin opened his eyes, he heard an unfamiliar voice. It was a soft voice with a slightly peculiar pronunciation.

‘Unfamiliar ceiling.’

His vision slowly became clear, and a uniquely shaped ceiling came into view. And soon an emaciated old man’s hand covered Sohn Bin’s vision.

“Hmm. It seems you’ve come to your senses.”

Sohn Bin turned his head. An old man with wrinkles all over his face was smiling and looking down at Sohn Bin.

“Where is this…… Keuk.”

Sohn Bin, who was trying to raise his body reflexively, felt pain in his chest and fell back down.

“Ah, be careful. You’re not completely healed yet. But you’re okay. You’ll be able to make a full recovery if you rest for a few days.”

Sohn Bin could feel a hint of uneasy shadow in the old man’s words.

“Miss Sa, what happened to her?”

Sohn Bin asked, distorting his face with pain. His head was dizzy just from raising his upper body.

“If you mean the girl who was with you… she’s okay. For now.”

The old man’s face darkened.

“Fortunately, she didn’t damage her organs much. It was a very exquisite position. If the sword had twisted just a little, she would have died on the spot. After that, it seems she took some kind of elixir, and thanks to that, she survived. When I first found you in that village, I thought I had found another corpse.”

“Vi, village?”

“Didn’t you know?”

The old man clicked his tongue.

“The village where I found you was already annihilated. Whether it was the return of the Blood Demon or something, no one survived, whether it was people or animals. Still, I’m just a mediocre doctor, so I went there hoping there might be someone I could save, and fortunately, I found you. Heaven helped you.”

It was a confusing story, but Sohn Bin calmly gathered his thoughts.

‘That horse brought us to the village.’

Perhaps it came to find his stable.

But that village had already become a place where no one could live. It was stained with blood, as Okryong had said.

If it hadn’t been for this doctor who happened to find the village, neither Sohn Bin nor Sasu Yeon would have survived.

“Thank you for saving my life.”

Sohn Bin put his hands together and bowed politely. The old doctor waved his hands, saying there was no need to do that.

“Miss Sa…….”

“I somehow managed to remove the blade.”

The old doctor’s expression darkens.

“But she has damaged too much vitality, and her internal injuries are not light. She regained consciousness faster than you, but she is not recovering easily because the cold air has penetrated deeply. I’ve done what I can, but if I don’t show her to a proper doctor soon, her life may be in danger.”

‘Miss Sa is…….’

Sohn Bin’s expression hardened. Her life is still in danger.

“That girl said she had to see you regain consciousness. But for me, as soon as possible…….”

Click.

The door opened, and someone came in. Still with a pale face, she was looking at Sohn Bin, and she was Sasu Yeon.

“You’re awake.”

She said with a faint smile. Her big eyes looked more sad than ever.