My birthday and Dokgorin’s are just a tiny bit apart.
I was born on January 17 and Dokgorin on February 8, meaning our birth dates are less than a month apart.
An old man who was going to tell our fortunes asked for our birthdates and then puzzled over his book multiple times before muttering, “This is quite strange.”
“Is there a problem with something?”
Then, lifting his hat slightly and looking at my face, the old man asked, “Are you sure you’re not mistaken about your birthday or something?”
“Me?”
Honestly, I don’t even know if January 17 is my real birthday. Since everyone who could confirm that is dead, if Elder Eom Baekhyun remembered it wrong, I’d be wrong too.
“Could you tell me why that is?”
The old man pressed his temple softly with his brush and said, “When I look at the fortune based on what you provided, it shows that you are already dead as of two years ago. But here you are, walking around just fine, aren’t you? Unless you’re a zombie, that can’t be true.”
I got chills upon hearing that.
Two years ago is exactly when I took over Ichilbok’s body.
Hearing this, Dokgorin, who was listening to the old man’s words with me, jumped into the conversation.
“I heard from Chilbok that he fell into amnesia due to the shock of his parents’ death then; could that be the reason?”
“Amnesia? Hmm, that probably isn’t it. The heavenly mandate doesn’t change so easily. Even if the person doesn’t remember, the heavens would still recall it. Thus, it’s more likely that you misunderstood your own fortune.”
Anyway, it seems impossible to predict your future for such reasons.
“I’m sorry, young man.”
“No, it’s my fault for not knowing my own birthday, Elder.”
Saying this with a forced smile, I realized once again that the old man in front of me was ‘real.’
I understood from our previous conversation that he was different from the charlatans who just spout sweet words and trick people for tips.
“Now it’s your turn, young lady.”
Saying this, the old man began to flip through his book again and raised an eyebrow, starting to write something with his brush.
Then he exclaimed, “Oh!” and looked straight at Dokgorin, saying, “Do you know the term ‘heavenly mandate leak’?”
“Heavenly mandate leak?”
“In Daoist philosophy, this usually refers to the heavens, typically meaning the Primeval Heaven or the Jade Emperor. A heavenly mandate leak refers to the act of going against a fate already determined by those heavens.”
When I looked at the girl’s fortune, I saw, “I can see a reverse fate.”
“…….”
At those words, Dokgorin adjusted her posture with a serious expression.
“Could you give me a small piece of advice regarding that, Elder?”
The old man sighed softly and said, “You will probably face a great trial soon. Even if you prepare in your own way, it won’t mean much. An established future isn’t so easy to change.”
However, “Even if you face trials, don’t bend. That’s all I can say to you.”
“…Thank you for your advice.”
After saying this, Dokgorin lightly bowed her head and handed the elder a few coins as a fee.
“Let’s go, Chilbok.”
“Yes, Miss.”
I nodded at Dokgorin’s call and stood up but suddenly paused and asked the elder, “Elder, what should I call you when we meet again?”
The old man laughed heartily, as if that was what I was curious about, and replied, “If we meet again, I’ll let you know then.”
*
On our way home, with the unfortunate fortune weighing on her mind, Dokgorin suddenly asked me with a somber expression.
“Chilbok, can I ask you one thing?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“You said I keep getting rejected by you due to our status difference. So, if I were to leave my family, would you then accept my confession?”
“…….”
It was quite a difficult question to answer.
If I said “yes” here, it seemed that Dokgorin would genuinely take action toward that.
I had fully realized by now that her feelings for me were not merely gratitude for saving her life.
Sometimes, her affection felt heavy, but I also understood that she was considering me a lot.
Honestly, despite her slight flaws, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she’s the perfect bride candidate.
Beautiful, capable, wealthy, and well-endowed.
Any heaviness of love would be offset by those outstanding qualities.
But I hesitated to accept her heart easily because I feared it would lead to her unhappiness.
“If you marry me, you’ll have a really tough time.”
I’d watched closely from very near before.
How far an incompetent husband could drive a devoted wife.
“And the elder is not ignoring your request out of bad intentions.”
Compared to my father, who was an alcoholic and couldn’t even fulfill his role as a father, Dokgojin was generally a decent father, except for being somewhat stubborn.
If I were in Dokgojin’s position, I would adamantly oppose the marriage of Dokgorin and me.
I wasn’t sure if she understood the meaning behind my words, but Dokgorin let out a small sigh and nodded.
“Alright, Chilbok. For now, I’ll respect your opinion.”
“…For now?”
“That’s because I won’t give up until the end.”
Dokgorin, who said this with a mischievous smile, continued, “If we can’t marry due to status, then I just need to become someone incredible enough for my parents to accept it. In that case, they’ll end up acknowledging our marriage.”
“Is that possible?”
“You won’t know until you try. And as the perfect wife, I’ll support you in every way.”
What if things get really tough? Maybe we could just elope?
“Hahaha, what’s that?”
Honestly, I had been thinking a lot about whether someone like me deserved her love.
Whether I could make her happy.
Whether I deserved to be happy myself.
But now I felt a sense of clarity.
If I like her, I just need to say so honestly.
“Miss.”
“Yes?”
With the glow of the sunset behind her, and her face obscured by backlight, I mustered my courage and said.
“I like you.”
“…What?”
Her expression turned blank, looking at me as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
She appeared completely taken aback by such unexpected words.
After a moment of being frozen like a statue, Dokgorin quickly regained her senses and asked me urgently, “D-did I hear you wrong? Could you say that again, Chilbok?”
I nodded and willingly obliged her request.
“I like you.”
I didn’t want to lie to myself any longer.
I might have nothing and still struggle to take care of myself, but if I worked hard and became a great person as Dokgorin said, then I could surely take responsibility for her.
Hearing me confess again, Dokgorin suddenly burst into tears.
“Eh? Why is this happening?”
She hurriedly wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face, as if she didn’t expect it herself.
But the tears kept flowing, and before long, when her emotional dam burst, Dokgorin cried inconsolably in front of me.
Although I didn’t say anything, it seemed I had caused her a lot of mental anguish lately.
I patted her back and kept telling her it was okay.
However, her tears showed no sign of stopping, and reluctantly, I could only hold her awkwardly until she calmed down.
After about half an hour, I asked the girl still in my arms, “Are you feeling better now?”
Instead of answering, Dokgorin nodded.
It was a somewhat impromptu confession, and looking back, I thought I should have done it in a better atmosphere.
Releasing Dokgorin from my embrace, I took a handkerchief and wiped her eyes as I asked, “So why did you ask that earlier?”
Dokgorin chewed her lips for a moment before replying in a small voice.
“Well, I was just thinking it might be easier to give up everything and run away to the mountains with you.”
“I appreciate that you like me that much, but you can’t do that.”
Family should be treasured.
When I said this with a stern voice, Dokgorin nodded slightly, looking a bit intimidated.
Perhaps Dokgorin suddenly showed this attitude because of the fortune we had seen earlier.
“If you’re worried about the bad fortune earlier, there’s no need to be too anxious. Fortune-telling is just for fun. If you become too absorbed in it, you risk making things worse.”
“I got it.”
After hearing my words, Dokgorin nodded silently and then asked me, “So when are we having our wedding ceremony?”
“…Huh?”
“Since I like you, and you like me, there should be no issue now. Oh, by the way, I’d prefer to have two or three kids, because being alone is lonely.”
I stared at Dokgorin, who was way ahead of herself, with a dazed expression and quickly waved my hands.
“We’ve just started dating. Plus, we can’t have a wedding until I’m settled.”
“That’s a pity.”
Saying that, Dokgorin extended her right hand.
“Then can you at least hold my hand?”
“That much, sure.”
I took her outstretched hand without hesitation.
Her hand was warm and soft, a world of difference from my roughened hands due to intense training.
Even though we practiced the same martial arts, could the difference be because she’s a girl?
Unconsciously pondering this, I held her hand tightly until we reached the Dokgo family estate.
