Chapter 399
Exciting☆Private Lessons with Teacher Go Yuri!
It was as if a scenario straight out of a dated visual novel had come to life. The left and right atriums of my heart pounded eagerly in anticipation.
Pretending to be a spy infiltrating the heart of an enemy intelligence agency, I spent thirty minutes reading scriptures with Go Yuri, only to find myself perplexed by the unexpected outcome.
‘What is this?’
I was bewildered.
‘This is… an incredibly normal lesson!’
My inner monologue switched to a polite tone as I was filtering the experience through the perspective of ‘Cheon-hwa,’ immersing myself in the role of this young noble lady.
Even with my deep method acting aside, Go Yuri’s private lessons turned out to be… utterly ‘normal.’
All the anxiety I had about what strange doctrines might be brainwashed into the still-developing minds of the twin sisters seemed unnecessary—
“So, Lady Cheon-hwa,” she began.
“Yes?”
“There’s no need to erase your identity just because you feel your name is empty.”
“......”
“For children, parents hold all authority. But you, Lady Cheon-hwa, are wise. You not only know how to think for yourself but can also take responsibility for your actions, which makes you as mature as any adult.”
“Really… Teacher?”
“Yes!”
Go Yuri smiled warmly.
“Honestly, I’ve never met someone your age as intelligent as you. You should definitely have pride in yourself. Ah, but.”
She playfully crossed her index finger, signaling a hush.
“It would be troublesome if the master found out how astute Lady Cheon-hwa is, though.”
“......”
“Freedom is power. It is a natural right given to all humans from the beginning of time. So I hope you’ll keep your freedom under wraps until you’ve obtained enough power, with my apologies.”
Go Yuri’s advice was impeccable.
The private tutor’s counsel could not have been more appropriate.
I forced Cheon-hwa’s facial muscles to move, hiding the artificiality of the expression behind a natural smile.
“Thank you, teacher. I will remember that.”
‘This isn’t brainwashing.’
My thoughts operated on two levels simultaneously.
While my face and tongue engaged with the ‘teacher’ before me, my thoughts continued to delve inward.
“However, this mansion is like my father’s fortress. The helpers only appear to be housekeepers; they’re actually my father’s fervent followers. How can I, just a mere young girl, gain power here?”
“Oh dear, am I not here for you, my lady?”
‘It’s not brainwashing. It’s as if...’
As if she intended to liberate the twin sisters, Cheon-hwa and Yo-hwa, from the shackles of this cult.
“Are you saying you’re on my side, teacher?”
“Yes, ha-ha. With adorable siblings like you—especially as twins—how could I, as an adult with a sense of duty, not help?”
“......”
I turned my head slightly.
“Nyaa... Sister, I don’t like green chocolate...”
Beside me, my beloved sister Yo-hwa was drooling on my arm as she dozed off.
It couldn’t be helped. How many children her age could sincerely focus while reading the <Tao Te Ching>?
After patting my sister’s soft hair gently, I diverted my gaze.
“Teacher, I’ve heard many rumors about you.”
“Oh? What kind of rumors, dear?”
“That, even as an outsider, you quickly captivated my father’s heart and rose to the brink of an executive position in this storied hierarchy.”
Outsider or “외출 (oechul)” and insider “내출 (naechul)”—jargon unique to this old cult. Followers raised for generations were insiders, while new recruits were outsiders.
The cult’s history supposedly dated back to the Imjin War. Though unclear whether these claims were fact or mere propaganda, they even boasted executives who had served for twelve generations.
In this world, there were certain eccentrics—people who valued times they hadn’t lived over the time they had. Such was the fortress of time built by these eccentrics, into which the outsider had somehow slipped.
The presence before me was undoubtedly bizarre.
As had always been the case.
“Are your intentions to charm my father and seize the cult’s power and assets?”
“Oh dear.”
“By securing the heir’s trust, will you enjoy influence for the next fifty years?”
“A-ha-ha.”
With such sharp antagonism directed at her, one would expect hesitation, yet Go Yuri’s expression only softened further.
“Power. Authority. Ah, such sweet words—”
“......?”
“If only they could last, not just fifty but even twenty, or yes, just ten years.”
“......”
A chill ran up my spine.
‘She knows.’
This moment, this point in time.
Even as modern civilization confidently trusts and loves the laws of physics — the person before me already knows.
‘She knows the world is doomed. This being understands. She knows, already.’
How?
‘Could she be the cause of the impending void? A prophet? No. If she were a prophet, why is Go Yuri the only one with her wits intact?’
‘Assuming she knows the future, then every second of this time would be precious. Even for myself, let alone for the elderly Sho—how many times have I lamented not being able to return before the impending void?’
‘A restricted time as valuable as gold.’
‘Why then—invest this time in something as trivial as tutoring the twin sisters of a cult? Why?’
“Oh my.”
Her eyes gazed intently at me.
“Why the surprise, my lady?”
“......”
“I thought I was sharing ordinary tales.”
The cogwheels of my mind, as the “Undertaker,” accelerated desperately.
Rid of grime and noise, lubricated by the oil of performance, the gears forming the marionette, ‘Cheon-hwa,’ began to turn smoothly once more.
“Ordinary tales, you say?”
With the resolve to deceive even the gods, I acted.
“You basically just stated, didn’t you, that my family’s glory, the future of my sect, would last only ten years at most.”
“Oh my?”
“While I certainly dislike my father, it doesn’t mean I hate everyone who’s come under our sect’s care.”
“Hmm.”
Go Yuri’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“—Indeed, yes. From your perspective, Lady Cheon-hwa, it could have sounded like that. I apologize! I spoke too carelessly.”
“......”
“Sometimes adults foolishly pretend to know more than they do. Especially when we’re in front of someone as intelligent as yourself, young lady. Will you forgive me?”
“…Yes.”
“Thank you. I’m always remorseful at heart when it comes to you.”
A rattling noise interrupted us, causing Go Yuri’s smartphone to vibrate briefly. She picked it up gracefully, as if expecting a message right at that moment.
She glanced over at us.
“Ooh, it seems our time is already up.”
Go Yuri clapped her hands together enthusiastically.
“Huh?!”
With that, Yo-hwa, who had been enjoying a deep sleep, jolted awake. Smiling broadly, Go Yuri produced a handkerchief from her pocket.
Different from the one she used to wipe chocolate from our mouths earlier, she now used it to gently clean the drool from Yo-hwa’s cheek.
“Ah, oh no….”
“Then how about we review the passage from the Tao Te Ching we studied today before we wrap up?”
Go Yuri whispered softly.
“Tao follows nature (道法自然). Isn't it a familiar passage? Our master recites it most frequently after all.”
“Yes, yes! Teacher.”
“All things in the world are mere imitations. Oh, if I put it like that, it might be confusing with Plato’s philosophy… Let’s call them ‘unfinished works’ instead.”
Nodding in agreement, Go Yuri explained further as Yo-hwa mimicked her teacher’s nodding, seemingly oblivious.
“Why ‘unfinished works’? Because the very act of naming things is inherently flawed.”
“......”
“Humans are named based on the environment of the current age – You are a student. You are the child of certain parents… ‘Man follows Earth (人法地)’ indicates how humans are given names imperfectly, reflecting the era’s flow or a moment of destiny. And ‘Heaven follows Tao (天法道),’ implying even fate originates from a single path.”
“…Tao follows nature (道法自然).”
“Yes. Only the path progresses by itself, relying on nothing.”
Go Yuri smiled quietly.
“While your father believes that by discarding names he becomes one with the path... I interpret this passage differently.”
“How so?”
“The path ultimately converges to a human. So why then, I ask, shouldn’t that human change the path?”
“......”
The Tao. The path.
Route.
As ‘Cheon-hwa,’ I tilted my head as if puzzled, yet as the ‘Undertaker,’ I felt a shiver.
Why Go Yuri had chosen to infiltrate this cult remained a mystery, but it was clear that within the path she envisioned, this mansion was an indispensable stepping stone.
I was certain of that much.
“The sole way to reach that is to become a human as vast as the path, as vast as the universe.”
Silently, Go Yuri stood up.
“If I must put it into words, perhaps ‘Tao follows fate (道法因)”—at once human and fate. Ahaha, I’m so fond of these old-fashioned expressions; it’s quite troublesome.”
“......”
“Then, I’ll see you next time, Lady Cheon-hwa, Lady Yo-hwa.”
Yo-hwa sprang up and bowed deeply.
“Thank you, teacher! Goodbye!”
“…Goodbye, teacher.”
I also escorted the teacher to the door and bowed my head.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sounds of Go Yuri's footsteps slowly faded away.
As befitted this grand mansion, the long wooden corridor absorbed her presence until it felt almost ghostly.
‘Finally over.’
Internally, I let out a sigh of relief. Escorting the tutor meant I could keep my head lowered, sparing me the effort of maintaining my expression.
‘Still, SGNet's strategy guides were a huge help. By immersing in Cheon-hwa’s persona, and other characters’, I could engage with Go Yuri without alarm. Just proving this was a great gain for this cycle...’
“Oh, by the way.”
Thud.
Her footsteps halted.
I felt her gaze fixate on the crown of my head.
It lingered.
Even though she had left the room and stepped into the hallway, I could feel Go Yuri’s eyes focused on ‘me.’
The gaze was a smile.
“Now that I think of it—You didn’t call me by my name even once today, Lady Cheon-hwa.”
“......”
“I used to hear you fondly call me by my name every day, so it feels a bit lonely now that you’ve stopped. Hehe. While ‘teacher’ is nice, I really, really love when you say my name.”
“......”
“My name.”
A whisper.
“Would you say it just once?”
My heart thumped loudly.
‘I’m under suspicion.’
Countless responses formed routes and branches in my mind, only to hit a dead end. Go Yuri? Incorrect. ■■■? Incorrect.
Because—
“Yes?”
I raised my head from its bowed position. Smiling congenially like Cheon-hwa, I tilted my head in an inquisitive manner.
“I’m sorry, teacher! It seemed like you said something just now. What did you say?”
“......”
The correct answer was, ‘I didn’t hear you.’
It wasn’t about playing a character with poor hearing all of a sudden. As mentioned, Go Yuri had walked some distance from the room to the hallway.
And a little while ago, she had ‘whispered’ in a voice so low.
Naturally, hearing it was out of the question.
With this much distance, how could anyone discern a whispered word? Especially young ‘Cheon-hwa,’ who hadn’t yet awakened any aura or abilities to decipher such softness?
“Oh-. It’s nothing-.”
She waved her left arm while declaring in a louder voice.
“It’s nothing at all! My lady! See you next week-!”
“Yes! Teacher! Goodbye!”
Only then did Go Yuri finally disappear around the corner of the hallway.
I lowered the hand I had been waving.
'...If in my panic I had carelessly responded just now.'
What would have happened then?
“......”
I didn’t even want to think about it.
Leaving the returning housemaids and shadowy figures in the hallway to their own devices, I went back into the room and hugged Yo-hwa tightly.
“Hmm? Sister?”
“......”
“What’s wrong, Sister?”
Yo-hwa reached out her small hand to pat my head. Although it should have been the same size as mine, it felt so much smaller.
I murmured softly.
“I’ll protect you, Yo-hwa.”
“Huh?”
“From Father. From the followers. From the enigmatic outsiders. Even if the world goes awry, I promise, your sister will keep you safe.”
“......”
Please come quickly, senior (-me-).
To 'me' (Cheon-hwa), this world is still too vast and far too dark.