Over My Dead Body

Flames were lunging toward Ji An’s back. Spurred by a surge of anger, Cheong Hyeon’s hand drew a massive half-circle in the air. Instantly, colossal roots erupted from the ground, blocking the flames. As the fire began to climb up the roots, a sudden thunderclap roared across the sky, and an immense downpour of water cascaded solely over the barrier.

[Shim Ji An!]

Cheong Hyeon shouted, but Ji An’s eyes were completely vacant. Left with no other choice, Cheong Hyeon delivered a light slap to Ji An’s cheek. Only after the sharp slap resounded did the light return to Ji An’s eyes.

“Who, with whom…”

Just as Ji An was about to ask while trembling violently, his master came sliding across the water-logged ground. The moment he arrived, he pushed his chief disciple Cheong Hyeon aside and inspected Ji An’s cheek.

“Are you all right?”

It was merely a single strike. However, Cheong Hyeon’s hand was quite sharp, leaving a faint red mark on Ji An’s cheek. The master immediately whirled around to glare at Cheong Hyeon the moment he spotted the mark.

“Why did you suddenly strike the boy!”

Cheong Hyeon blinked his eyes slowly, utterly dumbfounded. Although the master bragged to everyone far and wide that Cheong Hyeon was his chief disciple, his favored disciple was undoubtedly Shim Ji An. From the moment Ji An kicked away the Vermilion Bird Sect and chose the Azure Dragon Sect, he had become the equivalent of a hard-won youngest grandchild in the master’s eyes. Was it not said that if a grandchild is adorable, one would forgive them even if they yanked on their grandfather’s beard? Even so.

Cheong Hyeon raised his hand and pointed at the half-burnt roots. The master’s brow furrowed.

“This island will not suffer from something minor like that!”

The master of the island, the Azure Dragon, squirmed against Cheong Hyeon’s wrist. Whose permission did you have to say it wouldn’t suffer…? Its irritation was palpable. Cheong Hyeon gently stroked and pacified the Azure Dragon before shifting his gaze back to Ji An.

The fox-like junior martial brother quickly composed his state, prostrating himself flat against the ground.

“This disciple… committed an error in a moment of lapse. Please hand down a punishment.”

At that, the master dropped to one knee and comforted Ji An.

“What punishment, nonsense. It is fine.”

However, when Ji An showed no intention of standing up easily, the master had no choice but to speak.

“Then as your punishment, you shall prepare this evening’s meal.”

Cheong Hyeon’s eyes widened. Even upon seeing Cheong Hyeon’s face, which clearly asked who exactly was being punished here, the master merely let out a snort.

Ji An remained completely spaced out during the entire meal preparation. How, how could this happen? As long as he stayed far away, Hae Won should not have approached the Shim family. Of course. All of those past events had unfolded because he had pitied Hae Won, cared for him, and ultimately fallen in love with him. If he hadn’t adamantly insisted on marrying Hae Won, none of it would have happened… It shouldn’t have happened.

Ji An went to open the cauldron to fluff the rice. However, he was held back by a strong force and couldn’t open it. When he looked up, Cheong Hyeon expressed his intention to help.

[Since I was also in the wrong, I will look after things here.]

Ji An didn’t bother to reject Cheong Hyeon’s offer to help. Lacking the noble nature to insist on doing it himself just because it was a punishment, Ji An walked past the cauldron, deeply lost in thought. Until now, just thinking about Prince Hae Won made him feel so nauseous and full of self-loathing that he had consciously blocked it out, but today, for the first time, Ji An began to think about him carefully.

No, as he kept thinking, his thoughts weren’t actually about Prince Hae Won, but about himself. In the first place, had he truly loved Prince Hae Won? Which part of him? He had never thought anything other than that the man was pitiful, so why had he insisted so fiercely on marrying Prince Hae Won? Since when had he held such an idea?

Since it was his first time liking someone, he had taken everything for granted. Yet looking back now, it was riddled with anomalies. He had never thought Prince Hae Won was beautiful, impressive, or lovely. If anything, his senior martial brother Cheong Hyeon—who was Hae Won’s older brother and currently washing the seasoned herbs Ji An had prepared—was vastly more beautiful.

To say he was impressive was an understatement. How could Hae Won, who whined every single day about having a low-born mother, and Cheong Hyeon, who became the master of the Azure Dragon without a single word regarding his own disability, even be mentioned in the same breath? Lovely? His senior martial brother, who was warily watching him while adding salt to the soup, was far more lovely.

“Senior Brother.”

Cheong Hyeon, who had been frozen holding a jar of sesame seeds because he wanted to add them along with the salt, stiffened. As he slowly turned his head, he realized Ji An—whom he assumed was staring blankly elsewhere in deep thought—was looking at him intently. Left with no choice, Cheong Hyeon set the sesame jar down.

[I respect your cooking… I just…]

When Ji An continued to do nothing but stare at him, Cheong Hyeon lowered his head.

[Sorry, An.]

“That is fine. But Senior Brother, what do you think of your younger brother?”

Cheong Hyeon lifted his head. Cheong Hyeon’s eyes, which seemed to sparkle as if holding slightly more moisture than others, shifted softly.

[My brother? Do you mean Prince Hae Won?]

“Yes, that younger brother.”

[You really must not speak like that outside the Eastern Island.]

“Senior Brother, I am also a member of the nobility. I know the basic etiquette, Your Highness.”

It would have been more trustworthy if he had claimed not to know. Nevertheless, Cheong Hyeon spoke further without any more complaints.

[He is a child who turned the fact that his mother is low-born into an advantage.]

“An advantage?”

[Because anything that goes well is his own commendable achievement, and anything that goes wrong is due to his mother’s low birth.]

The expression on Cheong Hyeon’s face as he spoke was so tranquil that Ji An could tell he didn’t even harbor contempt for Hae Won. And since Ji An knew Hae Won quite well, it wasn’t difficult to guess that because Cheong Hyeon didn’t even offer him contempt, let alone hatred, Hae Won must have detested him all the more.

“He does not possess any mana, correct?”

Cheong Hyeon fell into thought for a moment. If Hae Won possessed mana on the level of Ji An, he wouldn’t have needed to hate his mother’s background. Their royal father would never have neglected such a useful son. Thus, even if he did have mana, it would be at a pitifully negligible level. Recalling how Hae Won used to sneak into his library during their childhood, Cheong Hyeon answered.

[Probably not.]

Ji An returned to the capital along with Cheong Hyeon. Since flying through the sky on the back of the Azure Dragon could be a terrifying experience, Cheong Hyeon checked on Ji An’s condition multiple times. However, Ji An felt no fear, as if something deep inside his body had broken down. No, perhaps because he was facing a far more terrifying matter, trivial things like this didn’t matter at all.

His brother Ji Un was trying to marry Hae Won. It was impossible. Unless Hae Won’s circumstances had miraculously improved, the family’s opposition must have been severe. How on earth did Ji Un—who was always obedient, unlike a rebel like himself—manage to obtain permission for an engagement with Hae Won? The moment he stepped into the house, he felt he understood the reason.

“They say the quiet cat tastes the cream first, and now Ji Un claims he will enter a monastery if we do not allow him to marry.”

His father’s face, whom he hadn’t seen in two years, was haggard. Looking at that face, Ji An couldn’t help but wonder. What must his father’s face have looked like when he died in prison? It must have been far more horrific than this. Recalling his own time locked in prison, his father must have undergone similar torture, so surely…

‘Even if I couldn’t forgive you, I intended to live while turning a blind eye.’

Ji An bit the inner flesh of his lip. He had buried himself on the Eastern Island, repeatedly telling himself that nothing had happened yet, and look at the result of that. Ha, the price for playing the scholar and pretending the opponent was still innocent was truly atrocious.

‘Fine. No one gets away now.’

Ji An decided to discard his reservations. He resolved no longer to live according to the natural order and reason. Even if the heavens were to hold him accountable for the crime of reversing time, could it possibly compare to the agony he had endured? He was now perfectly willing to throw himself away if it meant saving his family.

As Ji An abruptly stood up, Shim Mu Yeong waved his hand, saying, “Ah, I told you I already gave permission,” assuming his free-spirited son would take Ji Un’s side just like his other siblings. However, Ji An spoke entirely different words.

“Father.”

At the chilling voice, Mu Yeong looked up at Ji An with a bewildered, “Huh?”

“Even if dirt enters my eyes—even if I have to gouge my own eyeballs out alive—I will never watch my brother enter this kind of marriage.”

Shim Mu Yeong bolted upright. The tone of Ji An’s voice was by no means ordinary.

“No, I already gave permission—”

“Father.”

Ji An glared fiercely.

“Uh?”

“What kind of family is our clan?!” Ji An roared.

For nearly half a double-hour, Ji An unleashed a grand speech detailing just how magnificent the Shim clan was, pressing down on Shim Mu Yeong. Most of those stories were things Shim Mu Yeong himself had nagged Ji An with whenever the boy returned for holidays. Shim Mu Yeong was utterly dazed, wondering if he had truly delivered such intense lectures in the past.

“Therefore! The conclusion is! I will absolutely never! Sanction this marriage!”

The world is coming to an end… The second son, who was a noble and not a commoner, was foaming at the mouth in front of his parents, claiming he would decide his own marriage, while the third son was throwing a furious fit, claiming he couldn’t permit a marriage his parents had already sanctioned.

‘What kind of sins did I commit in my past life to end up with sons like this?’

While Shim Mu Yeong stood blankly, completely overwhelmed by his son’s aura, the third son spat out the rebellious words, “Father, you stay out of this!” and marched out of the guest house.

The room suddenly fell quiet. Peace had returned… as if! Coming to his senses, Shim Mu Yeong rushed after Ji An. Before he knew it, Ji An had already reached the pavilion where Ji Un was staying. Mu Yeong hurried across to the pavilion situated in the center of the pond.

Right then, a declaration that felt like the heavens collapsing echoed.

“If you go through with that marriage, Brother, I will die right here.”

With that, Ji An pulled a dagger from his robes and slashed his own wrist. He sliced so deeply that blood splattered into the air. A sharp vitality instantly flared within Ji Un’s eyes, which had been vacant and glazed over lately.

“Shim Ji An!”

“Decide. Is it me, or is it that marriage?”

Ji An’s eyes gleamed with a frantic light. He sliced right next to the wound once more. Ji Un rushed forward to stop him, but a translucent blue barrier was already enveloping Ji An’s body.

“Shim Ji An, clear this right this instant!”

Ji An bellowed.

“Is it me?! Or is it that man?!”

Ji An’s hand holding the dagger rose into the air once more. In that exact split second, Ji Un cried out inadvertently.

“It’s you, it’s you, it’s you! I’ll call it off, I’ll really call it off! I swear!”

At that moment, a brilliant blue barrier instantly tore through Ji An’s translucent shield. The barrier then elongated, wrapping tightly around Ji An’s arm to stop the bleeding while pinning his hand holding the dagger in midair.

Only then did Shim Ji Un rush over, screaming, “Are you insane?!” while Shim Mu Yeong collapsed onto the ground.

Why are things causing such a terrible curse lately?

Ji An stared at Cheong Hyeon, who was walking across the bridge at a pace that was neither slow nor fast. Just looking at him made the heat rushing to his head drain away, as if he had swallowed a few cups of refreshing, cold water.

Cheong Hyeon quietly looked down at Ji An. Cheong Hyeon possessed the ability to reattach Ji An’s limbs at any time as long as his breath hadn’t ceased, but it bothered him to see the boy acting so recklessly. He had always been a sharp and self-centered child, but he never possessed a habit of self-harm, so what on earth was going on? Strange anomalies kept catching his eye.

[Stay at my palace today, if only to receive treatment. …Will that be acceptable, Minister?]

Only when Cheong Hyeon asked did Ji An realize that the voice currently echoing inside his own mind was also resounding within the minds of his father and brother. Shim Mu Yeong was startled, but he managed to stand up, offered his respects, and spoke.

“Please do so, Your Highness.”

The moment he received the answer, Cheong Hyeon gathered Ji An into his arms and drew up the water from the pond. The pond water formed a whirlwind, enveloping Cheong Hyeon and Ji An. Soon, as the water lost its force and cascaded back to the ground, the two individuals who had been inside vanished without a trace.