Keeping in mind that I had to take control, I approached cautiously. It still gave me chills, felt eerie, but maybe due to the effect of the incense, my senses were dulled enough to make it surprisingly bearable.

Thanks to that, after much effort, I was finally able to push through the veil and enter.

‘Done.’

Not vomiting was half the battle won.

Yet, the feeling of success was quite strange. It felt like I was densely surrounded by something formless.

‘Now, I have to deal with this…’

It was a fleeting thought.

As Master JeMunGakJu had said, perhaps trying to expel me from within, I felt something foreign forcefully invading my thoughts.

Like forcibly screening a movie, or perhaps like dreaming, something began to unfold in my mind…

A memory.

Not knowing what would happen next, I tensed up momentarily, but not long after, I found myself feeling a bit absurd.
‘Isn’t this the memory of this body’s original owner, not mine?’

That was it.

The images being forcibly screened in my head appeared to be memories belonging to ‘HaHeun.’

Those vague details I only knew in print.

Losing a mother at birth, growing up semi-ostracized for about ten years.

‘The memories I didn’t want to see?’

This?

I couldn’t understand why. I even wondered if there might be some workings at play that even Master JeMunGakJu didn’t know about.

Even though I’m the one residing in this body and using this mind, the me currently using the body doesn’t know these memories, but some magic read them all?

Questions arose, but nothing could be definitively concluded. Only ‘HaHeun’s’ memories continued to unfold.

The unknown time of ‘HaHeun’ flowed continuously until it reached the point of the family’s downfall.

It was the early hours of a dark dawn.
No one came to wake him, and ‘HaHeun’ woke up alone, sensing the unsettling atmosphere through screams. He confirmed the flickering crimson flames outside the window and hastily ran out of the room in his nightclothes.

〈What on earth is this…〉

His confusion lasted only for a moment; ‘HaHeun’ already knew how he was treated in the household. Unable to think of anyone who could help,

He ran blindly, mouth sealed shut, dodging the flames.

Then, as he turned a corner, he came face to face with a large adult wearing a black mask. Instinctively, ‘HaHeun’ recognized him as one of the assailants.

Being only twelve years old and untrained, he froze on the spot. However, the unexpected assailant scrutinized ‘HaHeun’s’ face for a moment, then left as if he had seen nothing.

Bewilderment, confusion, relief.
With a mix of emotions, ‘HaHeun’ covertly and hurriedly fled the estate and hid in a nearby forest.

‘…Is this truly a memory that the body holds?’

Perhaps because everything was proceeding from ‘HaHeun’s’ perspective, I could vividly feel the emotions ‘HaHeun’ was experiencing as if they were my own.

The flames consuming Baekga Estate were clearly visible even from a distance. There was no place to return to. No one to ask for help. Tears flowed due to fear, but fearing that his sobs would reveal his location to the enemy, ‘HaHeun’ gritted his teeth.

‘I feel like I’ve seen this scene before…’

It must be an illusion. Yet it felt strangely familiar.

Why is that?

But there was no more time to think about the reason.

Watching the raging flames with a sense of despair, ‘HaHeun’ suddenly sensed a presence and looked up. At the edge of his vision was…

His master.
‘HaHeun’ bolted from the bushes solely because his master was wearing white, had an uncovered face, and wore a crown on his head.

His master looked surprised. Staggering toward him, ‘HaHeun’ grabbed the hem of his garment and pleaded desperately.

“Master, please help me… My family, no, my house…”

His master, who had looked startled, soon hardened his expression and embraced ‘HaHeun’. Although a stranger, perhaps it was from the sensed warmth that ‘HaHeun’ immediately lost consciousness.

I forcefully kept watching until everything stopped.

Even after seeing it all…

‘What am I supposed to do?’

That was the only thought that came to mind.

Of course, it was painful, and I felt sorry for the owner of this body. The scenes were difficult to witness directly. Objectively, ‘HaHeun’s’ life was unfortunate. It was compassion I had no choice but to feel, being human.
However, at the same time, I felt uncomfortable and incredulous. It was as if I had witnessed someone else’s misfortune without permission. Even the emotion of compassion was soon overlaid with guilt.

‘Why are you showing me this?’

Did they expect me to become paralyzed with discouragement after seeing this? Really? While it’s true that I didn’t want to see these memories, I didn’t feel like I couldn’t escape from here.

Of course, because these aren’t my memories to begin with.

Rather, a sense of rejection from deep within was only growing.