“Do not approach it with the intention of digging into it or breaking it. Circle around it, look for an opening, and seep in as if you’re getting closer. Even if you don’t want to, for that moment, you have to accept it as a part of you. Once it becomes yours, naturally, you will be able to look into it fully.”

…Upon reflection, it was advice I really didn’t want to take.

The notion that I had to accept that eerie, clearly non-human ‘something’ as a part of me.

Especially since I had learned that this ‘something’ was preparing to root itself inside me and manipulate me, my feelings about it had worsened.
“Even if you accept it, you won’t be controlled by it just yet. The act of it putting down roots to dominate you, and your act of recognizing it, are distinctly different matters. Remember, you can reject and cast it out at any time. Take control. Otherwise, you risk being consumed by it. You might not wake up, irrespective of being controlled.”

Frankly, the words were rather vague, but the problem was that they felt meaningful in an unsettling way. It felt even more serious because the words didn’t seem to be intended to scare me. Perhaps the curse being referred to as if it were a living entity heightened my sense of revulsion.

Still, I had to do it. Only then could I break this curse.

Naturally, a life being controlled by others is something anyone would dislike. Moreover, given that it had taken over someone’s body without their owner’s permission, this was not entirely unrelated to me. I had to resolve this to some extent.
I suddenly recalled the face of my master before I entered this room.

‘…He looked particularly distressed.’

It was clear that his complexion showed his heartache over not being able to do anything.

It’s strange, but both in the original work and now, his life becomes significantly complicated because of just one disciple.

‘So I can’t drag this out any longer.’

I know that he’s not the type to regret having taken me in as a disciple just because this happened. However, I didn’t want him to face any more hardship, even if I felt guilty for causing it.

That goes for Grand Master, and perhaps even Ha-hyun, who might be worried about me somewhere.

To do that, I have to leave this room intact, unharmed, without a single thing out of place.

I pondered again over my conversation with Master Jemungakju.

‘If you manage to take control and delve in, then you’re already halfway there. The remaining half is overcoming it.’

‘Overcoming it?’
‘Yes, the method to break it is surprisingly simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. This curse digs deep into the subject’s heart as if it has its own ego. Even if it hasn’t fully taken root, it’s clear that it has been embedded in you for a year, reading your mind. If you succeed in delving into it, there’s a high likelihood that it will show you the memories you least want to see, distort your spirit, and try to expel you from your own heart.’

By that point, I couldn’t maintain my expression and looked disgusted. Master Jemungakju, rather than chastising me for that, let out a deep sigh as if understanding my feelings and concluded his words.

‘It’s such a vile curse that not many people know about it. It’s essentially based on soul absorption.’
Both Master and Ambassador, who were listening to the conversation, seemed worried that I might recall the memories of the moment when my family was extinguished.

But I wasn’t ‘Haheun,’ so I could be more composed.

Memories of family annihilation? I had none. I only knew that the Baek family was “extinguished,” and that was all in print.

‘What will it show me?’

I retraced my past life. Because it was simply an ordinary and uneventful life, memories I’d want to avoid didn’t come to mind right away.

‘Maybe the last car accident?’

Would I have to see the moment that led to my death again?

With that thought as the last, I slowly closed my eyes.

Perhaps it was because I had been inhaling the incense that filled the room; my heart was beating at a very stable rate. It was a pulse much slower than usual.
My heart was beating so slowly that sleep should have been imminent, yet perhaps there was an awakening component mixed in the incense, as my mind remained clear.

‘I think I understand why Ambassador didn’t include this.’

In this peculiar sensation where my body and mind seemed to operate separately, I slowly sank into my inner self. A sensation beyond words, and a moment that seemed fleeting, passed by.

I was again confronted by the unpleasant veil covering my inner self. Seeing it again after a day had passed, it felt even more unpleasant and damp than before, perhaps because I now knew its identity. The feeling that it should not be touched remained unchanged.

‘So this is what I have to acknowledge as part of me…’

Holding back the sigh I wanted to let out right then, I made my utmost effort. Following Master JeMunGakJu’s advice, I slowly approached it, refraining from recklessly reaching out like I had done the day before.