NTH 21

Park Dohong sneered, his lips curling coldly. There wasn’t the slightest trace of urgency in his expression about Manbong’s life being in danger.

“Lead the way, now!” Ilwoon barked, roughly releasing Park Dohong’s collar.

Park Dohong brushed off the part of his clothing Ilwoon had grabbed, as if it were dirty, and started down the mountain path. Ilwoon called over a few nearby beaters, ordering them to bring a rope, and hurriedly followed. The thought of Manbong trapped in the freezing valley water in this cold weather made him dizzy with dread.

He raced through the forest and reached the valley. Pushing through the snow-covered, barren underbrush, he saw a figure in the middle of the frozen valley.

It was Manbong, half-submerged in water up to his chest, precariously holding onto the ice with his arms.

“Manbong! Manbong!” Ilwoon shouted, forgetting all decorum.

In that life, Ilwoon had undergone several reincarnations, his senses far sharper than those of ordinary people, so he could see Manbong’s face clearly even from a distance. Manbong’s face was as pale as a corpse, his lips blue. His body heat seemed to have been completely sapped by the icy water.

A large falcon circled above Manbong’s head. Ilwoon shouted to the beaters with him, “Listen! Tie the rope around me! I’ll go rescue him myself!”

“My lord, it’s too dangerous! Even if you go, your weight could crack the ice further. The boy would sink into the water instantly!” one of the beaters protested.

“So I should just stand here and watch?”

“A boat, or maybe a raft…”

“Stop wasting time and tie the rope!” Ilwoon snapped, snatching the rope from the stammering beaters and securing it tightly around his waist.

At that moment, a faint voice reached him. “Don’t come…”

“What?” Ilwoon looked up, searching for the source of the voice.

It was Manbong. Ilwoon immediately shouted back, “Hold on just a bit longer! I’m coming to you now!”

“It’s too late… You’ll be in danger too, my lord…”

Ignoring him, Ilwoon stepped onto the ice. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when he felt cracks forming beneath his feet. But he didn’t care. If only the ice would hold until he could reach Manbong, even if it all broke apart afterward.

“Stop… please…” Manbong’s fading voice came again, barely audible as Ilwoon carefully moved forward, balancing as if on a tightrope.

“My lord… Thank you for saying we could go to Hanyang together… I’ll never forget your kindness, even in death…”

“What?” Ilwoon looked up, staring at him in shock.

A faint smile seemed to flicker across Manbong’s frozen face. Then, he let go of the ice he’d been clinging to.

“No!!!” Ilwoon began to run.

At the same time, the ice split rapidly with terrifying cracks, and Ilwoon’s body plunged into the valley water with a splash.

“Manbong! Manbong!” he shouted.

The startled beaters frantically pulled on the rope tied to Ilwoon. As he was dragged back to shore, he kept calling Manbong’s name. The piercing cold stabbed through his body like needles, and he lost consciousness.

Manbong sank forever into the unfathomably cold depths of the water.

*

• Nana: Cleaning, laundry, and preparing dinner, right?
• Yeah.
• Nana: How much can I spend on groceries each day?
• Whatever you want.
• Nana: What? There’s gotta be a card limit.
• There isn’t.
• Nana: No limit? None at all? Infinite?
• Yeah.
• Nana: You sure you can afford that?
• Nana: What if you can’t pay the card bill, become a credit delinquent, and end up sniffing around loan sharks?
• Nana: Mr. Cheon loves those types. Says he can trap them forever since they can’t even pay the interest, let alone the principal.
• That won’t happen. I’m heading to class.
• Nana: Okay! Teach well! I’ll have the house spotless!

Jeha’s house was already so tidy there wasn’t much to clean, so he chuckled and headed to the lecture hall. The thought of Nana being in his home felt strangely comforting.

On the way to the classroom, Jeha spotted Queen and Tsar, the campus stray cats who always stuck together like twins. A few students were calling to them, placing cat treats on the grass, but the cats just watched from a distance, showing no sign of approaching.

The memory of Nana effortlessly calling and petting them a few days ago overlapped with the image from his past-life dream of Manbong with a wild falcon perched on his arm, flashing through Jeha’s mind.

Like the three figures from his previous dreams, Manbong’s existence hadn’t left a trace in Jeha’s memory, as if he’d never existed. A person died before his eyes, and Jeha himself had fallen into icy water in the dead of winter—yet it felt as foreign as if someone had deliberately cut that part out of his memory.

After finishing his two-hour lecture, Jeha checked his phone and saw messages from the credit card company and Nana.

[Web Notification]

Korea Card VIP Approval

Kwon *ha

141,290 KRW lump sum

9/18 15:27

C-Mart Everyday

• Nana: Hey
• Nana: Do you check the water or electricity meters every day or something?

What’s this about? Jeha tilted his head and replied.

• No. I don’t even know where the meters are.
• Why? Something up?
• Nana: Oh, nothing, lol
• Nana: How was the lecture? When are you coming home?
• Nana: I’m gonna make dinner and leave before you get back.

It seemed Nana had used a ton of water and electricity and was feeling guilty. As Jeha walked toward the faculty building, he saw birds perched on a tree take flight with a flutter at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Jeha decided to skip his planned gym visit and head home early. He was curious about how well that seemingly careless guy had handled the housework and what he’d prepared for dinner.

• I’m heading home now. I’ll be there in an hour.

Jeha sent the message, tidied up his office, and left work immediately.

When he arrived home, Nana emerged from the kitchen to greet him. “Welcome back.”