By Zephyria 
“Well, aren’t you a pervert who prefers spying on others having sex over doing it yourself?”
“You really… I am quite clearly a male, why do you think of me only in such a way?”
With a light flick of Ji Seo-gu’s hand, Young-pa’s head snapped to the side with a sharp slapping sound. The powerful blow sent Young-pa staggering before he collapsed.
Back when Young-pa lived in the snake cave, the serpents often engaged in mass mating. Watching those scenes from the darkness was one of Ji Seo-gu’s hobbies.
When he felt spirited, he would strip Young-pa naked and throw him into the middle of the mating frenzy. Of course, the attention of the swarming male serpents was directed only toward the females, so for Young-pa, it was nothing more than torture—being bitten and strangled. Black Tortoise watched the spectacle with satisfaction.
“You’ve spent three hundred years in vain. Had I known you liked a man’s phallus, I would have played with you in other ways… then again, it is not too late even now.”
The black dragon, which had been flying mischievously around Young-pa’s neck, transformed into the shape of a penis. Even as it bobbed and tapped against his cheek, Young-pa’s expression did not change.
“Do you think I, who have endured every kind of torture, would fear such a thing? Just give the order. I can shake my hips with great enthusiasm even beneath you.”
Young-pa continued with a sneer.
“However, show some mercy and cover my eyes. I’ll likely retch if I have to look at your disgusting face and rotten cock, you son of a bitch.”
The spit Young-pa spat landed at Black Tortoise’s feet. Ji Seo-gu, who had been smirking until then, suddenly froze with a cold expression.
“You are as fearless as ever.”
“Fear isn’t a bean sprout; it doesn’t grow that easily.”
Ji Seo-gu vanished, slipping into the shadows inside the iron cage in the blink of an eye. He grabbed Young-pa’s hair and wrenched his head back. A sensation like a raging torrent surged through him, tearing flesh and burning veins. Young-pa writhed and screamed.
“You are a doll I created. Have you forgotten that fact!”
“Aaaagh!”
“Do not provoke me. Do not struggle. Do not even think of escaping!”
Black Tortoise continued the severe torture, letting go only when Young-pa seemed on the verge of passing out. Young-pa rolled on the ground, gasping for air for a long time. It took a while before he regained consciousness.
“If you were going to do this… why did you… leave me alive?”
“What?”
“After creating Immortal Flower… you chose the one who provokes, struggles, and causes chaos… that was your choice.”
It was said that Black Tortoise was the wisest among the Four Symbols. Young-pa could not understand why he hated him so much after creating him. If he wanted an obedient servant, why had he so readily given Immortal Flower to White Tiger? Did he expect there to be no conflict while keeping the dregs left over from sculpting a perfect being?
Black Tortoise did not answer immediately. Young-pa could feel his heavy breathing close by.
“It is a matter of regret.”
Hatred seeped from every syllable he uttered.
“I wanted a flower that understood words. I did not want a demon who exerted every effort to be malicious.”
“How utterly foolish.”
Young-pa curled his body, expecting immediate retribution after saying those words, but the shadow only trembled slightly, as if lost in thought.
“Though you are broken now, three hundred years ago you were a hero possessing unparalleled talent and beauty. White Tiger took note of your appearance and skill, but what I was curious about was that uniquely human nature of rebellion.”
“Nature of… rebellion?”
“From the day you opened your eyes, you defied me. Not for a single day were you obedient. At the time, I believed I could break you. I thought it would be a pleasure to tame a wild horse like you, to stain a field of pure white snow with my own colors.”
Ji Seo-gu laughed lowly. It was a cold laugh devoid of any hope.
“You did nothing but rebel, as if mocking me. I grew utterly sick of you.”
Even the one who created Young-pa’s existence and purpose was stubbornly denying him. No one in the world wanted Young-pa. But now, he felt neither sad nor angry at that fact.
As Young-pa lifted his head, the dullness in his eyes was replaced by a sharp intelligence.
“This is a meaningless conversation now. You swore by blood, so no matter how much you hate me, you cannot kill me. Use me instead.”
The shadow wavered slightly. Young-pa had not been captured and dragged underground. He had come of his own volition, and Black Tortoise knew this.
“Impudent brat, loathsome wretch, a man who doesn’t know his place.”
The black shadow trembled violently, unable to contain its rage.
‘Yes. And you are the one who made me this way.’
Young-pa sneered silently while watching him.
“You must have come prepared if you returned to me. What is your scheme?”
The dark voice asked sharply.
Black Tortoise might be gloomy and emotional, but he was not stupid. Young-pa had come all the way underground keeping that fact in mind.
“You must have guessed that my relationship with Azure Dragon has soured.”
The shadow paused, then swayed gently. A twisted smile spread across Young-pa’s lips.
“That man played with me and then threw me away. My ploy to ride his back and command the world, like Yeon-hwa, failed.”
“Yeon… hwa?”
“Azure Dragon’s former lover. I heard you lured him in and killed him. Do not pretend not to know.”
Ji Seo-gu laughed as if it were amusing.
“Azure Dragon’s former lover… that is not incorrect.”
“Azure Dragon still longs for him. Because I was discarded, I have returned to borrow the power of you, my creator and master.”
Black Tortoise shifted uncomfortably within the shadow.
“Borrow my power? Who is there that does not know you think of nothing but opposing me day and night?”
“How could a mere human oppose a deity? I only escaped because I desired freedom, but things reached this state because I was caught by White Tiger while going to speak with Immortal Flower.”
Young-pa looked directly at the shadow.
“I wished to show goodwill because we share the same roots. However, Immortal Flower rejected the hand I held out, and so my heart seethes with a desire for revenge. I wish to use your power to kill him.”
‘And in the end, I will kill you.’
Young-pa muttered firmly to himself.
“You wish to kill White Tiger’s servant?”
The shadow brushed gently against Young-pa’s cheek, as if probing his intentions. Young-pa felt goosebumps, but he pretended to be composed.
“Do you think I am unaware of your tricks? Your scheme is to sow discord between me and White Tiger to make us fight.”
The quick-witted Black Tortoise accurately guessed Young-pa’s intention. However, Young-pa was brazen enough to deflect without batting an eye.
“You have misjudged. I only wish to kill my enemy. He is Po Ui’s trusted subordinate, so removing him would also benefit the underground. Please consider it.”
White Tiger and Black Tortoise were long-time rivals. A weakening of White Tiger’s power meant a strengthening of Black Tortoise’s influence.
The shadow paused, and silence descended upon the Black Temple. The darkness scattered, appearing and disappearing in various places. It was similar to a human pacing while lost in thought.
“That mouth, which did nothing but scream curses and shrieks, is bringing up an interesting story for the first time.”
The shadow poured over Young-pa’s head, and the iron cage that had imprisoned him shattered. As the dark vision brightened again, Black Tortoise was sitting in a chair. His vermilion eyes gleamed with suspicion, conspiracy, and a certain kind of ecstasy.
“It is quite pathetic that you attempt to trade with me as an equal, but…”
Young-pa stood still and glared at him. In the past, he would have lunged at him and been imprisoned again, but now was not the time to be swayed by anger. Ji Seo-gu raised an eyebrow with interest.
“Come closer.”
A secret voice submerged in darkness. Suppressing his disgust, Young-pa moved across the smooth floor. Ji Seo-gu watched Young-pa’s every move, never letting down his guard.
As Young-pa drew near, he whispered with cold, shining eyes.
“Kneel.”
The rebellious spirit within him tried to rear its head, but Young-pa gritted his teeth and obeyed. Then, Black Tortoise extended his foot. It was a snow-white foot revealed between fabrics that looked like flowing darkness.
‘This son of a bitch doesn’t know when to stop.’
Young-pa gently pulled the foot toward him with both hands. An anklet was fastened around the ankle. Young-pa’s gaze could not leave the black bell attached to the anklet.
Barely suppressing the desire to snatch the object and the impulse to bite into the skin as smooth as scales, Young-pa kissed the top of Ji Seo-gu’s foot. A satisfied laugh followed.
“You have come well-prepared.”
“If I can kill Immortal Flower, I would even suck your asshole.”
Ji Seo-gu’s finger touched Young-pa’s hair. Young-pa flinched instinctively but soon steadied his breath.
The cool fingertip dug into his parting and slid over his cheek. Young-pa felt an intense sense of humiliation, but he endured it, knowing this was a test. Ji Seo-gu tickled Young-pa’s nose and lips, then suddenly gripped his chin firmly and forced his head up.
“Lies do not work before me.”
The vermilion eyes he suddenly met were terrifyingly fierce. Looking into those eyes, murderous intent naturally welled up in Young-pa. He gritted his teeth and growled.
“I’m offering to kill Immortal Flower, so why are there so many words?”
“If you are so confident, you should go kill him yourself; why did you seek me out?”
“I failed once, didn’t I? That bastard has White Tiger. I need a backer too.”
As if he liked those words, Ji Seo-gu’s lips formed a subtle arc.
“Almost killed by White Tiger, abandoned by Azure Dragon, and you came to me because you had nowhere else to go?”
“Since everyone hates me, you are the only one I can lean on.”
Young-pa said exactly what the enemy wanted to hear. Ji Seo-gu’s mouth opened wide, and a soft laugh leaked out.
“Yes. In all the world, I am the only one who can embrace you. Have you only now realized that?”
“Yes.”
As Young-pa answered gloomily, Ji Seo-gu released his chin and leaned back into the throne.
“It has been a long time since I began to hate Immortal Flower; as expected, you are truly my human.”
Young-pa gave a bitter smile. Even if he hated to admit it, he was a human more suited to the underground than the heavenly realm, to darkness than light. It was simply laughable that he had struggled to entwine himself with a being above the clouds.
Young-pa saw that Black Tortoise’s eyes were full of greed. As long as he fit into the picture Black Tortoise was drawing, Ji Seo-gu would follow Young-pa’s wishes.
That was Young-pa’s aim and his gamble.
“Immortal Flower is one who has received White Tiger’s blessing. I cannot face him with my strength alone, so please give me a weapon to execute him.”
“That is only natural. What do you need? A shield that blocks sorcery? A poisoned dagger?”
Young-pa pointed to Black Tortoise’s ankle, hidden by the black fabric.
“If you grant me the bell that hides one’s footsteps, I shall assassinate him.”
Black Tortoise’s eyes narrowed. As he emitted killing intent, the once-still air turned hostile and pressed down on Young-pa. Though he crouched, Young-pa did not avoid the enemy’s gaze.
“A wretch so greedy it’s disgusting. You dare covet every divine artifact there is.”
Ji Seo-gu’s gaze was sharp, as if it could see through his insides. However, Young-pa knew that he could not read a person’s heart.
“Then did you intend not to pay even that much of a price to deal with White Tiger’s servant?”
“What?”
“If you wish to embrace me, should you not have grander ambitions? Give me the annihilation command.”
Ji Seo-gu glared at Young-pa and burst into a sharp laugh. His eyes did not smile at all, making him look eerie.
“I had forgotten that you were such an interesting human.”
Young-pa did not answer those words and instead stared at the smooth floor.
From then on, a heavy silence stretched out. Black Tortoise sat motionless and said nothing for a long time.
One interval, two intervals, and it felt as if several time units had passed, but in the dark cave, the flow of time was unknowable.
“It seems the work I have prepared and your method… will align.”
Ji Seo-gu finally spoke after a long time.
“What have you prepared?”
“A way to make the underground prosperous. A method for serpents to take the place of humans and cover the mortal realm as they did in the past.”
“Then… do you intend to fight White Tiger?”
“I have no intention of directly confronting that ignorant tiger, but there is a way to suppress him. If you step forward…”
Ji Seo-gu’s pale face glowed with longing. Young-pa, who had observed that serpent up close, knew the scale of his ambition. He was a man who would not be satisfied with merely ruling the underground. Splitting and grafting animals had likely not been done out of mere curiosity.
“Young-pa, my goal is not White Tiger.”
A flash of fear crossed Young-pa’s eyes. He lowered his head to avoid revealing his inner thoughts.
“The arrogant one who despises the underground from on high. I intend to finish off that insolent dragon who dared touch my property this time.”
Young-pa bit his lip. Although his relationship with Azure Dragon had soured, he did not want him to be embroiled in this. He only hoped that the indifferent man would loftily look down from the clouds at the commotion he would cause.
“The Vermilion Bird has not been awake for long, so they will not interfere. The problem is White Tiger, who meddles in everything. However, if you kill Immortal Flower, the story changes… he will go mad.”
Ji Seo-gu added in an excited voice.
“After killing Immortal Flower, lure Azure Dragon to the wilderness. Once I put White Tiger and Azure Dragon together, I will handle the rest.”
Before Young-pa could answer, he added, “Before that.”
Looking up, Ji Seo-gu’s eyes were gleaming with conspiracy. As Black Tortoise lowered his upper body, his sleek, serpent-like face drew close.
“Azure Dragon has a fatal weakness. Do you know what it is?”
Young-pa’s heart thudded at the secret words. If it was a weakness that could deal a fatal blow to him, he didn’t want to know, but he replied quickly, feigning composure.
“I do not.”
The orange eyes examined Young-pa slowly. Ji Seo-gu whispered with amusement.
“There were four in the whole world who knew that secret, but two died a thousand years ago. Are you not curious, Young-pa?”
Young-pa only glared at the floor and did not answer.
“As you said, Azure Dragon gave his heart to Yeon-hwa and bears the sin of flooding the mortal realm. It was because of a spell he cast upon himself back then. I remember the day that human came to find me.”
A chilling laugh settled over the temple.
Black smoke flowed from Ji Seo-gu’s fingertips and took the form of a human woman. She was dressed in high-ranking official’s robes, wearing an ornate crown and dangling earrings.
‘Lately, he is not like he used to be, and I think he believes I am obsessed with power. The people around him all hate me… will he leave me at this rate?’
The shadow in the form of Yeon-hwa spoke gloomily. Young-pa stared at him with wide eyes.
‘It is not as if I am doing this for my own selfish greed. Power is needed to rule a vast kingdom; why can’t he understand? I do not know what to do.’
Another shadow formed the shape of a human man dressed in a neat outer robe. Young-pa noticed that he bore a striking resemblance to Ji Seo-gu.
‘It is a pity. It is a known fact that Your Highness sacrifices day and night for the kingdom… Ah! Come to think of it, there is a spell that could resolve this matter.’
‘Really? What is it?’
The Ji Seo-gu within the shadow smiled deeply.
‘It is to link Azure Dragon’s wish-fulfilling jewel to Your Highness. If so, he can never leave. Furthermore, Your Highness can call him whenever his power is absolutely necessary.’
Yeon-hwa’s face brightened.
‘If such a method exists, that would be good. But it… won’t hurt him, will it?’
‘Of course not. It is merely a light spell to temporarily bind the wish-fulfilling orb. You may withdraw it whenever Your Highness wishes.’
‘Yes. A short while should be fine. Only until he trusts me again.’
The shadows all vanished. Young-pa, who had been watching the play, had a frozen expression.
“I granted the wish of a foolish person. I bound the wish-fulfilling jewel to a mere human, allowing Azure Dragon to be handled like a beast.”
“Azure Dragon… Azure Dragon… let such a spell be cast on the wish-fulfilling jewel?”
“At first, he refused. However, when that human wept, saying he was anxious and asking for a promise of his heart, he reluctantly agreed.”
He was a man who had not even taught me how to call his name. Just how much must he have adored Yeon-hwa to grant such a dangerous spellcasting technique and lend his power?
A bond so deep and poignant it was almost desperate. A single lover he wished to revive even if it meant waiting a thousand years.
‘There was never a place for me to intervene from the start.’
Young-pa let the meaningless jealousy and sense of defeat flow away.
Ji Seo-gu was smiling, looking utterly satisfied. Young-pa glared at him as if he wanted to kill him.
“Why are you bringing up this story?”
“Do you truly think I brought up an old tale just to incite your jealousy?”
A chillingly soft laugh tickled his ears.
“Young-pa, my human. That sorcery is still alive.”
“The sorcery from a thousand years ago… you mean?”
“Yes. The bond was severed when that human kicked the bucket, but the spellcasting technique remains within the wish-fulfilling orb. Since I was the one who wove it, it is only natural that I know how to reconnect it, is it not?”
Only then did the picture Black Tortoise was drawing become faintly visible. Young-pa shook his head, but it was already too late. The eyes of a serpent, digging into the enemy’s weakness, flashed maliciously.
“Simply offer and mix the blood of two people, then call Azure Dragon’s name. You would know how to call his name, wouldn’t you?”
A precious name given to bless the future of a hatchling dragon. A mysterious name imbued with power and hope. A secret name revealed only to those trusted.
‘It has been a long time since I was called by that name. No one calls me that anymore.’
‘You said you tell people you’re close to? Do you perhaps not trust me?’
‘I said no.’
No matter how much Biryoo was pleaded with, he never taught Young-pa how to call his name. Young-pa had heard it from someone else.
“As I thought, you know it.”
Ji Seo-gu smiled deeply, studying Young-pa’s face. Young-pa shot him a glare.
“Blood and a name? Are you mocking me?”
“What?”
“You said this is a sorcery that allows a human to command Azure Dragon as they wish. Do you mean such a powerful binding can be cast so simply?”
“It is not simple, my human. Not simple at all. To begin with, that sorcery cannot be cast by just anyone.”
Black Tortoise chuckled, speaking as if unable to contain his excitement.
“Blood and names are merely secondary; the most important ingredient for this spellcraft is Azure Dragon’s heart. Only one to whom the King of the Heavenly Realm has given his heart can bind him!”
Young-pa’s expression darkened.
Azure Dragon’s heart. How anxious had he been to win the affection of that noble being? Yet, even after a thousand cheonchu, that heart belonged to a former lover, and not a single fragment had fallen to Young-pa.
Sorrow and resentment, which had been submerged, rose up and blinded him. It took only a moment for that grief to spread into rage.
“How many times do I have to tell you I was abandoned, you fucking piece of shit!”
Young-pa screamed, not even realizing what he was saying.
Slap!
As Ji Seo-gu swung his arm, Young-pa was sent flying.
“Foolish brat. Azure Dragon is on the verge of losing his reason and becoming an evil dragon. Why do you think that is?”
Young-pa slowly pushed himself up. He could no longer feel the stinging pain on his cheek from a moment ago.
“What… what do you mean?”
“Do you know what that dragon did first after you disappeared?”
In Young-pa’s mind, an image formed of the noble King of the Heavenly Realm opening his eyes. Also, the expression of a beautiful man struggling to accept an incomprehensible situation.
“I heard he wandered like a madman, searching for something.”
A vile laugh filled the temple.
“In the places where he sought your traces, there must have already been corpses torn apart by crows. Do you want to hear what Azure Dragon did?”
He had thought that Azure Dragon, having regained his divine power, would have returned to the heavenly realm. He might have been enraged to see Young-pa, who knew the whereabouts of the somyeonghwan, disappear, but was that dragon not of a nature to let things go rather than obsess over the inevitable?
Was he feeling deep frustration? Was he shedding tears of blood because a thousand years of waiting had come to nothing?
“My little dagger must have torn Azure Dragon’s heart to shreds. Hehehe… how truly amusing.”
Young-pa didn’t want to hear any more. Regardless, as long as he didn’t reveal the story entwined with the somyeonghwan, there was no way to clear up Ji Seo-gu’s misunderstanding.
“Fine. Since you are so certain, I have no choice but to go to Azure Dragon and dig up that old sorcery. Just know that if this fails, I will be the one torn to shreds.”
Black Tortoise looked at Young-pa with a contemptuous smile.
“Despite how it looks, you are the doll I cherish most in the world. Would I let you lose your life to Azure Dragon?”
At a gesture of his hand, darkness coalesced into a sharp arrow and lunged toward Young-pa’s neck. A sharp pain passed, enough to bring tears to his eyes, and two black dots resembling serpent bites remained on the nape of Young-pa’s neck.
“I shall watch over you and intervene at the appropriate time, so be at ease.”
Black Tortoise vanished into the shadows, and black energy rose around Young-pa. Young-pa closed his eyes and murmured.
“One last thing… I wish to ask.”
“Huhu, let us hear it then.”
“When you divided Immortal Flower and me… did you… leave any feelings of love for me?”
A sharp laugh.
“Did you mistake that for affection? What a vivid dream.”
The shadow swirled softly, enveloping Young-pa. Then, a voice laced with malice bound him.
“Why on earth would I give such a thing to you? The only emotions permitted to you are hatred and loathing.”
“But I… I certainly believed… that I loved him.”
“It was likely lust.”
Young-pa lowered his head and closed his eyes.
While playing house with Biryoo, he had felt as if he were walking on clouds. The memory of being so happy his heart felt like it would burst was nothing more than a fleeting dream. The emotions he believed he shared with that man were no different from a phantom.
The perfect shadow of a human. A dark facet. The dregs of evil that should vanish from the world. Young-pa confirmed his place once again.
He clenched his fists, clinging to the only asset he had left. The single path given to him from the start.
“My wicked human, are you ready?”
Ji Seo-gu asked from within the darkness. Young-pa straightened his back and stood with his legs wide apart.
“I am ready to cause great chaos, so just give the order.”
With a whispering laugh, black smoke enveloped Young-pa. As the shadow spiraled, his hair fluttered and flew. The laughter, imbued with conspiracy and malice, grew louder. Amidst the chaos, something fell into Young-pa’s palm.
It was a glistening black bell. Young-pa curled his fingers and gripped the divine artifact of the underground. A faint smile appeared on his lips, only to vanish quickly.
A heavy shadow rose and coiled around Young-pa’s body. His feet were lifted, and he was swiftly dragged away.
‘Ji Seo-gu, you will regret leaving me with only hatred and loathing.’
While passing through a tunnel that seemed endless, Young-pa vowed, grinding his teeth. He left all lingering attachments behind and closed his eyes. Now, only one thing remained.
The only string he had held onto from the beginning, and his everything.
Betrayal.
The rain fell heavily. Dark clouds covered the entire sky, punishing the mortal realm with menacing Thunderclaps. The sound of thunder striking as if to split the earth felt as though it would deafen him.
The land he stepped upon again was darker and damper than the underground. The whole world was the color of ink. Young-pa looked up at the place where the black clouds were particularly concentrated. He would be there.
‘Why do you ask such a thing?’
‘I want to know everything about you.’
‘I… like rainy weather.’
Drenched in a short span of time, Young-pa shook his head to brush off the water. Using a spellcasting technique to scatter the raindrops around him, he dashed forward.
During his movement, he saw a long procession. Due to the flooding, humans living nearby were evacuating with their belongings; there seemed to be at least several hundred of them.
Even as Young-pa moved against the crowd, people failed to notice him until he was right in front of them, at which point they often jumped in surprise. This was because of the bell dangling from his ankle. Black Tortoise’s divine artifact had the ability to erase one’s presence.
“Good heavens! Where did you come from all of a sudden?”
“Move.”
“Young man, you can’t go that way. The village and the roads are all submerged.”
A kind-hearted woman spoke.
She was carrying luggage in both hands, leading two children, and had a baby strapped to her back. The children wore vacant expressions with large bundles on their backs, and the baby on her back was so exhausted that it snored while soaking wet.
‘What on earth have those who call themselves deities done for us? Have they ever protected us? Do they not just unleash disasters according to their whims?’
A familiar anger reared its head in his heart. Within him coexisted the hero who had walked this land three hundred years ago and the foolish man who had wanted to be the partner of the divine dragon. Even if he couldn’t solve the problems of the exhausted woman and children, Young-pa wanted to at least carry their burdens for them.
“Where is this path leading?”
“They say Noble Immortal Flower is distributing food over that hill….”
Young-pa’s hand, which had been reaching for the luggage, stopped in mid-air.
Immortal Flower, the guardian of humans who suffered for their pain and helped them personally. One who did not conflict with the four spirits yet carried on Yeongparang’s will to protect humans. His role was not something the vile shadow of a hero could aspire to.
‘Helping them is Immortal Flower’s role. It is not for me to worry about.’
As Young-pa stepped back, the woman passed him with a weary face. Young-pa turned around with difficulty and walked away.
The procession of refugees was endless. Young-pa saw children wailing loudly. He passed an old man walking slowly with a cane and those who could not even move and were carried on their children’s backs. He encountered those sobbing as they buried deceased family members in the ground. Soaked cows and dogs were also part of the procession. Both beasts and humans wailed mournfully in the pouring rain.
‘Even now, three hundred years later, the fate of humans is like willow down scattering in the wind.’
How easily a peaceful daily life can be shattered. Even the safe world Immortal Flower had built over three hundred years could be ruthlessly overturned by the whim of a single divine beast. Earthquakes, wildfires, droughts, and floods were all calamities that could trample a human life just by brushing past. Even if countless humans lived happily osundosun, what use was it if my own life was ruined?
‘Useless thoughts. If there is anything I inherited from the hero, it is only the will to exorcise those beasts.’
Moving against the tragic procession, Young-pa approached his destiny step by step. A solitary path, unrelated to anyone, including those who each held their own heartbreaking stories. Since Young-pa was born at the moment he was miserably broken by the hand of a god, his fate had been decided on that day.
‘I was destined to become like this.’
The long procession ended when he reached the mountains where the water was waist-deep. Passing a hill where several corpses lay scattered, the entire world was submerged in rainwater. Young-pa looked toward the front, surrounded by mist, and dove into the water.
Amidst the deafening sound of torrential rain and thunder, there was a roar. It sounded like a giant boulder splitting, or perhaps a cry of agony. As he swam forward, the sound grew closer.
Ji Seo-gu believed that Young-pa possessed Azure Dragon’s heart and could bind him. However, what Young-pa would soon face was likely a mad dragon, eyes overturned with rage after losing a thousand-year dream.
What should he say upon meeting him? Should he maintain his pride, saying that he, too, had merely enjoyed things lightly with him? Or should he kneel and beg for forgiveness?
Young-pa shook his head. He was to do neither. Conversation was unnecessary. It would be enough to obtain Azure Dragon’s blood by any means and call his name. If the sorcery failed to activate, Ji Seo-gu would give up on this absurd plan.
‘My fate was decided from the start, so you are merely an obstacle.’
An existence that cannot affect the main current, like a side branch of a tree or a tributary of a river. Young-pa repeated this countless times as he kicked his limbs vigorously.
After swimming for an unknown amount of time, Young-pa stepped onto land again, entering the middle of a thick mist. He shook his head to brush off the water.
Since everything in all directions was a sea of water, the place where he stood was no different from a lonely island. Until a moment ago, merciless thunderbolts had been striking the surface of the water, but this place was unnervingly quiet. Not a single drop of rain fell, making it seem like a place protected by the heavens.
The mist was so thick it felt tangible. The visibility, unable to see even an inch ahead, felt exactly like his own situation. His feet, climbing the sloping hill, felt heavy as if weights were attached. His skin, already damp from rainwater and mist, was soaked with sweat. With every step forward, a pressure like a boulder crushed his heart.
As he reached the top of the hill, his vision cleared, and ruins unfolded before him. Shattered rocks and uprooted trees were scattered chaotically. Torn stems and exposed roots were covered in dust, making it impossible to tell what they originally were.
He was in the center of the devastation. A heavenly being who stood out amidst the carnage. The dragon, so beautiful it made his heart ache, had his eyes closed as if dead. Mysterious blue scales glistened with moisture, and his mane fluttered as if alive.
Young-pa forced his trembling legs to move forward a few steps. Azure Dragon was curled in a circle, holding something in the center. The moment he realized what he was shielding, Young-pa’s steps stopped.
The remains, butchered and blood-stained, were those of a human. Black hair, white robes stained with blood, and a few severed body parts were scattered. Two blood-stained ribbons lay over the carnage. Azure Dragon, with his face pressed against those remains as if they were a precious treasure, was shedding tears of blood.
The moment he faced that sight, Young-pa intuited that things would go as Ji Seo-gu intended.
‘Blood and names are merely secondary; the most important ingredient for this spellcraft is Azure Dragon’s heart. Only one to whom the King of the Heavenly Realm has given his heart can bind him!’
‘My little dagger must have torn Azure Dragon’s heart to shreds.’
His heart throbbed, and his vision went dark. He had left him under the pretext of betraying him first rather than being betrayed. But in truth, he had held the very thing he had craved so much.
‘I told you the human heart changes like flipping a palm. A few words of yours that will change by tomorrow mean nothing to me.’
Why had Biryoo been like that? Why had he been so cold to the one who loved him? The lingering attachment he thought he had cleanly discarded seized his entire body like a thunderbolt.
Inside him, the hero who hated the gods and the man who looked at Biryoo with sweet eyes fought. The happy memories of asadal mountain, now unreachable, clouded his vision.
‘It’s my fault.’
He had not tried to trust the one he loved even a little. The taciturn man had shown his heart through warm gazes and affectionate touches, but Young-pa, filled with doubt and anxiety, had needed a certainty he could grasp. It was his own choice to flee out of fear.
Black Tortoise was right. There was no romantic love for Young-pa. All he possessed were lust, obsession, jealousy, and possessiveness. Thus, it was only natural that his relationship with Biryoo had soured.
‘Then again, if I think about it, it’s not entirely my fault.’
Young-pa curled one corner of his mouth into a smile.
There was a reason why he was so distrustful and prone to betrayal. The culprit who made him this way. Because some insidious person had stripped away all his noble qualities and left only the vile ones.
Young-pa’s cold gaze turned toward the nape of his neck. The serpent’s bite marks embedded there were watching like two pupils. His resolve to exorcise that man was stronger than ever. To do that, he had to go where fate pushed him. There was no other way.
Since the annihilation command had hidden his presence, Azure Dragon did not notice him until Young-pa drew close. Only when Young-pa intentionally kicked a stone to make a sound did the dragon’s eyelids slowly lift.
Azure Dragon’s expression distorted, a strange mixture of sorrow and joy. Young-pa watched with a miserable heart as shock, rage, and relief filled those blood-stained eyes.
Everything was silent as if time had stopped. It was then that light flickered from the dragon’s body, and he transformed into a human shape. He walked forward unsteadily, with an expression of disbelief.
“Am I looking at a phantom?”
The man’s face was before his eyes. As he blinked, tears of blood streamed down his cheeks. Expectation and fear flickered within those deep blue eyes. Young-pa’s heart beat so fast it felt as if it would burst through his skin.
“I thought it was impossible… I thought there was no way you could have died.”