Chương 136: S.05 Time to Fly 11(03)

Scene 03_02. When the door to the back seat of a large sedan was opened for her, Seung-eun stepped down from the back seat, wearing shoes with a somewhat high heel. Seung-eun's leisurely yet dubious expression turned toward the lobby beyond the upscale hotel parking lot. Fitting for an early-spring evening, a chill wind came sweeping in.

As Seung-eun drew the collar of her coat a little tighter and, leaning on a bamboo cane, faced forward, she saw one of her own underlings — who had gone up ahead — come fleeing frantically from the lobby, his face gone pale. Having confirmed the frantic, terrified look of the blood-drenched hulk, Seung-eun turned back toward the car without the slightest hesitation. It was not the hulk that had frightened her.

It was after she'd seen, behind the hulk, someone with a bobbed cut moving their steps far too leisurely and unbothered. Back inside the car, Seung-eun cried out in a rush. Seung-eun: G-Go, hurry!!! Hurry!!! Seung-eun's voice rang loud and clear through the car's interior, without a doubt. But the halted car could not move an inch. The one in the driver's seat had already surrendered his wits, his head tilted toward the car's ceiling.

Just as Seung-eun, gripped with terror, was about to hurry back out of the car, a whisper carrying no sound at all came to her. Tell them to come. More. Many more. All of them. Every one. And then, Seung-eun's frantic gestures froze in an instant. Have them stay wherever I tell them to go, wherever I send word — everywhere I wish. She barely managed to move her trembling hand. She tried to resist, but it was a whisper she could not push back in the slightest. All of them. Dead.

With her head still lifted toward the ceiling, Seung-eun drew the phone from her coat and brought it to her ear. Scene 03_03. The road-sight of the people So-hui had been watching closed, one by one. Each person's own self — the shape they had held and lived by — was being overturned by the whisper, as if wiped from memory. As they began to lose their sense of self, the road-sight So-hui watched through closed one by one.

So-hui, examining the other road-sights with her eyes still shut, deftly worked her hand, drawing lines one by one to erase the roads. So-hui: Where are you trying to shape it? Where do you mean to lead it? It was a sigh So-hui muttered in frustration. Moving her closed eyes rapidly, she tried to chase down another road. If it went on like this, she believed countless people would die. It was a road of despair. So-hui had no intention of ever facing that road. Scene 03_04.

The SUV Ji-young rode let out a ferocious engine roar. On a road less clogged than she'd expected, as if heedless of any speeding ticket that would cut her off, Ji-young pushed the speed as hard as it would go. Deep in the night, it was the instant she was passing the Sung-ui tollgate to the northwest. A car that had been parked beside the tollgate booth came charging in and rammed hard into the rear of the car Ji-young drove. Ji-young's car flipped violently, drawing a great arc through the empty air.

As it overturned and was about to roll noisily, black streaks of light scattered in every direction and blew her vehicle wide apart. Scraps of metal tore to ribbons all around as the flipping chassis shattered to pieces. Ji-young spilled out and shot up into the empty air ahead. In the deep night's streetlamp glow, the wire unspooled from Ji-young's bracelet flashed black. Grinding the wreckage of her car to powder, Ji-young slid to a landing and spread her bracelet even finer.

The 현사(Hyeon-sa_Black Wire) that spewed from Ji-young's bracelet drove sharply into the concrete and asphalt. The embedded Black Wire caught Ji-young so she would fly no further. With the recoil of hauling it in with one hand, Ji-young skidded onto the ground, and the Black Wire passed her just enough control to hold up on her two legs. Enough that smoke rose from Ji-young's 수화자(Suhwaja_Korean Traditional Battle boots), she braced the inertia driving her forward with the wire's elasticity.

A car that had hidden behind another booth wall came rushing in. After checking the vehicle that meant to charge in on top of that, Ji-young swept her free arm and unfurled the latter half of the 나비춤(Na-bi-chum_Butterfly Dance); the vehicle that had deftly dodged the wreckage her shattering car had scattered helplessly blew its own tires, failed even to hold its bearing, wobbled, and flipped over. From the horrifically wrecked car, the people who had targeted Ji-young came tumbling out.

They weren't familiar faces, but she could guess from their builds alone. Something was off. The hulks who came fumbling out, with no one to stop them, were busy drawing knives from their coats and stabbing at their own throats. Struck with an oh-no thought, Ji-young re-gathered the Black Wire and tried to sustain their lives. Regardless of Ji-young's will to keep them from dying, the hulks grew cold, rolled to the ground, and died. As if targeting the dying, a black shadow bearing a hot shimmer of heat crept in.

Right after the hulks' deaths, the black shadow took eerie shape and began to devour the dead. Watching a moment, Ji-young made out the identity that had seized the breath of the great hulks. Their intact two legs burst, and a single leg took their place. They were the 독각귀(Dok-gak-gwi_One-legged Specter)s that had once spied on the 본청(Bon-cheong_Headquarters). Using the dead as cocoons, the One-legged Specters nested within burst out and multiplied into countless numbers.

Ji-young hauled in the wire she'd scattered around her and cast the paused dance back out in every direction. The Black Wire fluttered sharp and fierce, slaughtering the One-legged Specters that lunged at her. Ji-young worked her battle boots and unfurled the temple-drum dance with the swaying Black Wire as if flinging it. The dance, heedless of her high heels, soon flung Black Wire in every direction, then seized every One-legged Specter that had begun to surge up high like an enormous wave.

Ji-young gripped hard with both hands the black wire that had stitched and burrowed in like sewing a quilt. Holding the wire that had pierced through the great wall shaped of One-legged Specters, she hauled both arms far back, and countless One-legged Specters burst apart at the root. Ji-young let out a slightly ragged breath and clutched her chest for a moment. Breath wasn't the problem. She struggled first to master the pain she felt.

At the highway exit turned to bedlam, a great many cars were tangled together in one mass. At the sudden accident, a few vehicles stood halted, unable to move either way, blaring pointless horns. Past the deep night, it was fortunately a quiet highway where not many cars had been coming and going. She couldn't just leave it like this. Having barely mastered the pain, Ji-young began to knit a 괘(Gwae_Divinatory Trigram) onto the highway floor. She set her stance as if to pluck the wire into place.

The eight-bladed strands of wire hooked on her fingers plucked off her fingers in order, snuffing out all the black light knit into the trigram. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Scene 03_05. Before the 자격루(Jagyeongnu_The Water Clock), lit by 인불(In-bul_Ghost Light), two officers of the 지원관(Jiwon-Gwan_Directorate of Support) sat and checked the water clock filled with 검은 물(Geomeun-mul_Black Water).

Upon a 두루마리(Durumari_decree), they recorded in detail the two facts of the short spans of time that had been turned back. Black Sand, four minutes, caster Doe Yeon-su. Black Wire, three minutes, caster The Oldest. The two reversals of time — 逆時 — did not overlap; seven minutes expended in total. Scene 03_06. Fortunately, from the house she'd been watching and keeping under surveillance to the hotel she had to pursue was not so far.

Having driven the car swiftly and hurriedly parked it in the hotel's surface lot, Yeon-su stepped out fast on her 수화자(Suhwaja_Korean Traditional Battle boots) and headed for the hotel lobby. Just as she'd been able to arrive quickly, she reckoned Yu-seok, who had faced her, would arrive soon too. Before that calculation of Yeon-su's could finish, a rough hand snatched Yeon-su by the scruff and flung her hard to the ground.

Sprawled on the floor, Yeon-su, who hadn't even made it into the hotel, hurriedly looked at the hulk who had thrown her. The wound of the severed neck lingered now only as a scar. Watching the hulk's departed wits and pupils, she was certain. It had already been seized. Once certain, Yeon-su did not rush. She slowly raised her fallen body. Yeon-su: Ah, SSibal, I should've run the light and tailgated through.

With a small grumble, Yeon-su gently spread her hand and set her long, coat-like 두루마기(Durumagi_Traditional outer coat) in order as if drawing it closed. Having reset her stance, Yeon-su softly shut her eyes and offered a small voice. From Yeon-su's dry hand, 검은 모래(Geomeun-morae_Black Sand) shaped itself like a dagger. Yeon-su: The path on which I send you forth, Yeon-su darted out fast and drove the black sand she'd shaped in her hand hard into the eye of the hulk who had knocked her down.

Yeon-su: May you, I pray, walk it without loneliness, I beseech. Scene 03_07. I beseech. Ji-young, who had stepped from her own car — returned whole because she'd turned back time — had paused her dance for a moment. Long past the highway tollgate, even on the road that had brought her near the upscale hotel that was her destination, those who blocked Ji-young's way stood piled in her path. At an intersection near the upscale hotel not far off, Ji-young warily scanned her surroundings.

The sorrow of you, who wandered the road ahead with nowhere to rest, Letting me lay out your road, I shall tend the path you must walk — As if she'd already fended off one storm that had poured down, beads of sweat clung to Ji-young's brow. The hulks packed in her way took their own breath and burst their own backs, spilling out countless 독각귀(Dok-gak-gwi_One-legged Specter)s and 그슨대(Geu-seun-dae_Shadow Fiend)s.

Ji-young re-gripped with her other hand the 현사(Hyeon-sa_Black Wire) stretched from her bracelet, gathering it in, and glanced at the not-far hotel. She reckoned dragging out the time like this would put Yeon-su in danger.

Having surveyed the underworld things lined up in greater numbers than she'd seen on the highway, Ji-young left all the burst-out things where they were, flung out the Black Wire she'd scattered around her body as if dispersing it, and drove the Black Wire into the outer wall of the high-rise building. Ji-young hauled her arm hard and flung her own body high into the air. Follow the steps we lay before you, And bar not the steps we mean to take — Scene 03_08.

Yeon-su's ragged breath had by now reached the hotel's upper floor. She couldn't tell how many had come to block her, already dead. But just as So-hui had said, she never sent off the already-dead first. She didn't burst or break them. Erasing something already dead wasn't easy either, but she couldn't tell whether that was the reason. Subduing those who blocked her and carving a path, she headed for the café on the hotel's upper floor. There was no time to catch the breath that had risen to her chin.

When Yeon-su planted her foot on the last stair and turned her body toward the café, Yeon-su's body flinched. I wish it, and wish it again, I pray. Yeon-su frowned and swept her hand, blowing out 검은 모래(Geomeun-morae_Black Sand) as if bursting it. Because she'd seen through it fast, Yeon-su could avoid a fatal wound. Gripping hard the knife that had meant to stab her belly, Yeon-su finally severed the neck of another hulk who'd blocked her path.

The hulk's body, rolling to the ground, burst to pieces, and the underworld things nested within shot up in an instant with a dull thud of motion. Yeon-su still gripped the blade that had meant to stab her belly. Flustered, Yeon-su turned the blade slightly in her grip and stabbed it into the single eye of the first 독각귀(Dok-gak-gwi_One-legged Specter) to spring up, bursting it. Yeon-su: Ha, this SSibal. So this is why? Another One-legged Specter plunged from the ceiling to the floor and landed behind Yeon-su.

Its single horn stabbed deep into the back of Yeon-su's thigh. In the moment Yeon-su grabbed and tore out whole the single horn of another One-legged Specter lunging from the front, at the wound she took, Yeon-su dropped one knee with a short scream. She twisted her dropped body and barely dodged another single horn. When Yeon-su's 철릭(Cheollik_Traditional coat-dress) sleeve tore and sprayed blood, another One-legged Specter's single horn and grisly teeth loomed right before Yeon-su's eyes.

The upscale hotel's outer window let out the sound of shattering to pieces. Because we know your sorrow, Because we shall lay out your road for you — Black wire fluttered, tore out whole the single horn bearing down on the collapsing, dropped Yeon-su, and ripped off the jaw of yet another One-legged Specter lunging at her. Ji-young's ragged breath blocked the space right before Yeon-su's face. From below came a scampering more grisly than any beast's.

Ji-young, barring the way before Yeon-su, swung both arms hard, wound Black Wire around her arms, burst her own blood directly, then split the Black Wire soaked with her blood fine and flung it as if firing it out. Leave your anguish with me — Both the underworld things that had pursued and the underworld things newly taking shape were torn to ribbons in an instant by the fine, sharp chime-sound of the Black Wire soaked in Ji-young's blood.

Having dealt with all the underworld things, Ji-young lightly shook her wrist and instantly recovered the Black Wire she'd scattered everywhere. Letting out a slightly ragged breath, she carefully clutched her chest. While Ji-young, standing with her back turned, caught her breath, Yeon-su drew the 잿가루(Jaet-garu_Grey Ash) held in her bosom and calmed her wounds. Rising to her feet, Yeon-su stood before Ji-young. Yeon-su: I'm late. My apologies. The Oldest.

At the apology that spilled out laced with Yeon-su's ragged breath, Ji-young let go of the chest she'd clutched and lightly frowned as if it were nothing. Shaking her head, Ji-young looked a moment at the corridor and stairs drenched in blood and black water. Moving the remaining steps with Yeon-su, Ji-young opened the firmly shut café door and stepped inside. The hulks tied to Seung-eun glared at Ji-young and Yeon-su as they entered. They were people already dead.

Seeing the bloodstains on the necks or heads of those hulks, Ji-young looked around at the others. Fortunately, all the rest stood still without a single wound, staring only at the ceiling. But the person she'd meant to secure before things broke out had already left the spot. Ji-young let out a small sigh and faced the four hulks glaring at her and Yeon-su. Ji-young: Secret Agent, go to the train station now, as you were guided. The morning market will open soon. Yeon-su: Understood.

Yeon-su bowed deeply at the waist. As one of the four hulks flinched, meaning to chase the swiftly departing Yeon-su, Ji-young stepped out her battle boot and blocked even the one trying to pass her, barring the four hulks a little more firmly. Ji-young: Even if they were wicked, I did not wish it to come to this. Ji-young bowed politely at the waist. Ji-young: My apologies. Ji-young slowly straightened her waist again, finishing her apology toward the hulks who couldn't even remember what any of it was about.

She slowly reset her straightened waist. She carefully drew out her battle boots and closed her two feet. Having readied her dance, Ji-young softly shut her eyes, set both hands out front and back, and settled into place as if in full bloom. May you follow the road laid out without regret, I beseech. I beseech.