TSIT 08

Chapter 08

To be honest, I didn’t remember clearly.

Only the major things I had done, fragmented across my patchy memory, remained vivid.

Was he angry?

In Soram’s clear eyes, his expression was unreadable.

An ordinary person might grit their teeth or furrow their brows to show irritation. But the man in front of me was different.

His gaze was icy, his expression unflinching, and his voice steady, making it impossible to discern what he was thinking.

No matter what I said, he wouldn’t forgive me.

Should I make her write a letter of repentance? Should I give her the academy’s prescribed punishment? The entrance ceremony hadn’t even begun, so he wouldn’t throw her out immediately, right?

Soram’s heart shrank to the size of a bean.

With no words to speak, she lowered her head completely.

Strangely, seeing her like that made Cheong-yeon even angrier. Normally, he could maintain composure, but now his mind wavered.

“Geum Soram.”

Even he didn’t know how to deal with her. Suppressing his emotions, he merely called her name sharply.

“Y-yes…”

Her pale little face looked like a blank sheet of paper.

She must know she was at fault. After all, she had dared to do such a thing, so of course she was scared.

Soram answered briefly, biting her lower lip. The soft, red flesh pressed and wrinkled under her teeth.

Seeing that instantly revived the sensations of last night in Cheong-yeon’s mind. He quickly averted his gaze to the floor.

An awkward silence stretched between them as they avoided each other.

Only the mountain doves, excited by the bright spring day, cooed incessantly.

“…Why did you run away?”

Cheong-yeon finally spoke, calming his deep thoughts.

“You left your clothes untidy, went out without permission, and stayed out overnight. You’ve already broken the rules before the entrance ceremony.”

She had to say something. Soram, who had been silent all this time, trembled at the sudden realization. Staying here forever was clearly not wise.

Humans advance through words, and even debt could be repaid with a single phrase.

The seniors at the courtesy rituals had said the same: speak openly about everything. Try to maintain the atmosphere.

“I—I was in such a hurry last night… I had no choice but to be rude. I swear it’s true…”

“What was so urgent?”

“Th-that… um… I wasn’t feeling well! Doctor, you saw it too, didn’t you?”

A crisis. Soram bit her lips to stop herself from saying something even more disastrous.

Cheong-yeon may have seen drunken otters, but probably not humans.

Unable to withstand the silent pressure, she ruined her chance to explain, and her face fell. Her clenched hands fidgeted anxiously.

Cheong-yeon stared at the scratches on her pale hands.

“When did you enter the inner room?”

“I… I wasn’t paying attention, so I don’t know the exact time…”

“Did you see the otter inside?”

Soram nearly choked. She could only weakly shake her head while avoiding his gaze.

Outside, the mountain birds chattered again.

She desperately wanted to leave the temple as soon as possible. At this point, she had to retrieve the lost item.

“O-oh… the jade token… could I have it back?”

“It’s not yours.”

“Just one…”

The response to her plea, uttered with her eyes tightly shut, was colder than ice.

“I-it’s very precious to me…”

Precious, indeed.

Cheong-yeon looked at the timid woman with displeasure. How could she have dared such a thing last night with such meager courage?

“Do you know who owns it?”

“I—I…”

Soram pressed her lips together again.

She realized she was terrible at lying.

She had only recently begun speaking, so eloquence was out of the question. She must not reveal her desperation again.

Finally, the man turned away from her silent form.

“I will keep it until you have truly repented.”

“D-Doctor!”

Soram called after his back in panic. He glanced briefly at her, but had no answer.

“Please… take care of yourself.”

With a faint greeting, he left without hesitation.

Left alone, Soram collapsed in front of the Buddha statue.

The birds’ cries seemed to mirror her confused heart.

What does it mean to truly repent…!?

Soram returned to the dormitory completely drained.

Her face alone showed so much worry that the other dormmates couldn’t ignore her.

“Soram, after you left, Doctor Nak was looking for you…”

“Was nothing wrong?”

Nothing wrong…

She muttered as if her mind had gone blank.

Kyung-hwa and Yu-ran exchanged glances.

“Did the doctor find out you slept outside?”

“If only that had been the worst…”

Seeing her so thoroughly exhausted, the women became seriously concerned.

“Were you scolded badly?”

“Did he give you a punishment?”

“No… He told me to repent.”

She was told to atone on her own. Since it wasn’t as severe as she feared, the dormmates relaxed.

“Do you know how to truly repent?”

“Soram, true intentions cannot simply be shown. What matters is to present your repentance as sincerely as possible.”

Yu-ran, experienced in contrition, insisted she could be trusted.

Since the situation wasn’t too bad, she advised Soram to submit her letter of repentance first. If that didn’t work, she could attempt other visible acts of contrition.

With Kyung-hwa and Yu-ran’s help, Soram began filling the sheets with her writing. Parts she couldn’t confess to them were quietly added later.

She carried the completed letter with her, intending to deliver it to Cheong-yeon.

However, no matter what, he never appeared. Even when she bravely went to his study, he was always absent.

As the entrance ceremony approached, Soram grew more desperate but still couldn’t meet him.

He was nowhere in the study, his quarters, the temple, or the dining hall. At this point, she even wondered if he was avoiding her on purpose.

By day, she roamed the academy; by night, she hid under the veranda. The tiny otter had no moment of relief.

Soram ultimately faced the entrance ceremony without retrieving the jade token.

The freshmen, dressed in school uniforms tailored to their size, gathered in the expansive courtyard of the Munmyo. These were the talents who would attend classes for hundreds of days and eventually take government positions.

The head of Baekryeon Academy, along with the teachers, doctoral instructors, and assistants, all gathered in one place.

Among them was Cheong-yeon, whom Soram had been desperately seeking.

He wore his usual indifferent expression.

Surrounded by excited and nervous freshmen, his dry demeanor stood out even more.

Where had he been hiding all this time?

Regardless, now that he was in the academy, she could finally hand over the letter she had kept close to her.

Soram had to quickly exchange the letter of repentance for the benefactor’s jade token.

The entrance ceremony proceeded like a small festival, accompanied by gentle music.

Master Baek read the scriptures on behalf of the freshmen, and the others joined in. The students swore they would uphold Baekryeon Academy’s honor.

“It’s not yours anyway.”

Soram recalled Cheong-yeon’s words and felt a pang in her chest.

Indeed, she was unworthy to set foot in this pure place. Humans feared and rejected impure beings.

Humans feared anyone who thought like them. Hiding among humans while concealing one’s true nature was even more horrifying to them.

Creatures like goblins or fox spirits were considered evil. Tales of vanquishing them and becoming heroes were everywhere.

“….”

The impure beings that must be eliminated—Soram’s situation was no different.

Even when she rejoiced at having a conscience, it brought her suffering.

Suppressing her rising guilt, she focused on the ceremonial rites.

Afterward, the students all bowed to their teachers.

“Please allow us to inherit your teachings, Master.”

After bowing three times to ask for guidance, the teachers returned the respect.

When the short entrance ceremony ended, a few assistants guided the students.

The freshmen were divided into several groups according to the roster. Soram was grouped with Kyung-hwa, Yu-ran, and four male students.

“Finally, we’ll know which master we belong to.”

Yu-ran whispered to her and Kyung-hwa.

As the saying “The bond between teacher and student lasts through three lives” goes, the connection between master and student is extremely close. Especially for a teacher who guides a small group within the same class, the bond is even deeper.

The students entered Myeongnyundang and took their seats.

Amidst the awkward silence and excitement of the first meeting, time passed. Finally, the master who would lead the seven appeared.

The sun, hidden behind clouds, poured brilliantly behind him.