Why did anger well up like this? It felt like she had just been betrayed in the worst way. She tried to reason with herself, but it was impossible.
He followed that woman?! After sending me on a coffee errand?
It was shocking enough that he had disappeared while they were together. But when she finally found him, he was with some strange woman.
She felt like throwing the coffee in her hand onto the ground.
Hae-in barely managed to restrain her rising fury.
Maybe it was just someone he knew by chance… No, but even so—he left me behind?
She didn’t know if she had the right to sulk about this or if she was just being petty. Torn between feelings, her eyes met Si-yul’s. Immediately, she started backing away step by step.
Hae-in spun around quickly and walked off in the opposite direction from him.
Sensing that he was following her, she quickened her pace. Of course, he caught up with her in no time.
“Wait, it’s not what you think.”
“…”
“It’s really not what you’re thinking!”
“…”
Without a word, Hae-in puffed out her cheeks. She kept inflating them, bigger and bigger, until it looked like they might burst.
When she grumbled, it meant she was a little upset. When she raised her voice, it meant she was really angry. But when she resorted to silent protest like this… it meant things were serious.
Si-yul admitted his fault right away and began with an apology.
“Sorry, for leaving you like that. I thought I could come back quickly.”
But Hae-in, already fully prepared to sulk, avoided his gaze.
“…It’s really my fault. That woman… she looked exactly like the one we ran into on the walking trail before.”
“…?”
What woman? The walking trail… Ah, he must mean that elementary school classmate.
At that, Hae-in peeked around his shoulder to get another look at the stranger.
Sure enough, the resemblance was strong. Same type of tracksuit, same build, same cap—and even the face looked alike, to the point that she had to admit it.
It seemed Si-yul had grabbed the woman just to confirm she wasn’t the same person.
“Sorry.”
He knew full well the chances of it being the same woman were slim. What were the odds of running into her again, here of all places?
And yet, he couldn’t ignore the faint hope.
In a place with this many people, he couldn’t help thinking maybe. That thought alone was enough to shake him.
After all, when he thought back to the day Hae-in had collapsed, it felt like that woman must have held some clear clue.
She had even seemed like she was about to say a name back then.
“I’m sure… it was something like… hmm, maybe your name was Kim…? No, not Kim. What was the surname? It was unusual, something distinctive…”
If Hae-in hadn’t collapsed mid-conversation, he would have gotten her contact information, or at least arranged to meet again.
But in the chaos of her fainting, he had panicked so badly that he forgot the woman existed entirely.
By the time he came to his senses, she had vanished.
It was, without question, the most humiliating failure of his life.
He still regretted it. Whenever he saw a woman dressed like that on the street, his eyes automatically followed.
“Sorry.”
Si-yul wrapped his arms around Hae-in’s stiff shoulders and whispered his apology again and again.
It carried more than one meaning. He was sorry for abandoning her just now. And he was sorry for letting that woman slip away back then.
But what could he do? To find her again, he needed information. All he knew was that she used the walking trail nearby, but he couldn’t stake out the place endlessly.
He had tried going back, but too many women dressed alike—there was no way to pick her out.
He even tried posting flyers, but since it wasn’t about a missing person or traffic accident, they were deemed illegal and torn down.
The more time passed, the more obvious it became that that moment had been his one big chance. After all, she had said leaving traces would only bring pain.
If she had collapsed so completely, then that woman must have been—
But how could I have thought of anything else, when you were right in front of me, unable to breathe? There was no way I could have been rational then.
His chest ached with bitter regret. All he could do now was live with the frustration.
This time, he hadn’t wanted to make the same mistake. Instead, he had made a different one.
Hae-in, still sulking, slipped the coffee into his hand.
“…Hmph.”
Then she turned and marched toward the car. Thankfully, it seemed she had decided not to stay mad. Si-yul followed with relief.
The coffee was still faintly warm.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
Busan International Passenger Terminal.
He had never realized so many people left the country by ship.
It was a weekday, but with Christmas right around the corner, the terminal was packed with travelers.
There were peddlers hauling heavy bundles, and men in suits flipping through documents as though heading off for work.
Because she herself was about to embark on a trip, Hae-in thought everyone around her looked cheerful.
To board the ship, Hae-in had transformed into a cat and now sat quietly in a carrier, her tail flicking, while Si-yul handled the paperwork.
Peering out through the semi-transparent front of the carrier, she was watching the terminal bustle when suddenly a child’s face popped into view.
“Doggy?”
“…Nya-nya.” (You scared me!)
“Oh! It’s a kitty!”
Normally Hae-in would have ignored such a thing, but today she was in a good mood. She decided to answer back.
“Miya.” (Hello.)
“Wow, Mom! Look, there’s a cat! Right here!”
“Oh my, maybe the kitty’s traveling too.”
“Yeah!”
The carrier sat on top of a big suitcase. When the child leaned against the trunk to get a closer look, the carrier wobbled dangerously.
The moment Hae-in sensed danger, Si-yul swooped in, grabbing the entire trunk and pulling it away.
“Kitty!”
“Nya-nyang.” (Bye-bye.)
The child, who had only met her ten seconds ago, was already heartbroken at the farewell. But Si-yul didn’t even glance back, and Hae-in forgot about it just as quickly.
In truth, she wouldn’t remember anything after boarding the ship anyway.
Her happy memories ended right there.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
“Nya, nya-nya…” (Sa… save me…)
Everything had gone smoothly—boarding procedures, immigration checks, even getting onto the ship. Nothing was unusual, aside from the fact that he was carrying a cat.
Being a thorough man, Si-yul had prepared all the documentation for a companion animal. As long as the paperwork was in order, no one paid extra attention to an ordinary cat.
The problem was that Hae-in suddenly began to suffer extreme seasickness.
Now the idea of being stuck on this boat for three hours was unbearable. The only silver lining was that it was a high-speed ferry.
No, that’s worse—it just shakes more!
She couldn’t even scream. After only an hour, she was curled up, groaning like she was dying. It was her first time experiencing motion sickness on water.
If she had eaten even one more bite of udon earlier, she would have thrown it all up inside the carrier.
“You never said you get seasick.”
Si-yul spoke in a low voice. After all, talking to a cat in public looked strange.
But Hae-in couldn’t manage a proper reply. Her eyes spun dizzily, her whole body shuddering like a broken machine.
“Uuugh… uuehh…” (I didn’t knooow… What is this…)
“…Want some water?”
“Uuugh…” (I hate boats…)
Barely conscious, Hae-in thought it would be easier just to faint. Seasickness was pure torture.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
So much for the start of a happy trip to Japan.
The moment they reached land, the first thing Si-yul did was run. He had to get to the rental car quickly and let her out.
Inside the carrier, she was still making strange noises.
Anyone listening would think he was smuggling some kind of monster.
“Hey, pull yourself together!”
“Uuugh…” (I’m gonna throw up…)
“What?”
“Uuuugh…” (I wanna puke…)
She wanted to throw up—but first, she had to transform back. If she vomited in this state, she would never be able to face him again.
Clawing desperately at the carrier walls, trembling, she struggled to protect her last shred of human dignity.
Hurry, hurry…!
“We’re almost there, just hold on!”
His urgent voice didn’t help. The world still spun wildly before her eyes.
Why is this body so weak to seasickness? Have I really never been on a boat before?
Her hypersensitive senses felt every rise and drop of the ship riding the waves, and the overload made her body shut down.
“I’ll cover you.”
The next stretch was a blur.
The next thing she knew, she was in the car, shoved inside with a pile of clothes.
She transformed in a hurry, grabbing clothes at random and throwing them on.
Buttons undone, stumbling out of the car, she searched for a bathroom—but this was unfamiliar Japanese soil.
“Uugh—”
Her stomach lurched, but all she saw were unreadable kanji signs and endless greenery. In the end, she gave up and ran to the bushes at the edge of the parking lot.
And there, humiliatingly, she had no choice but to vomit while Si-yul patted her back.
The pain of her stomach heaving, combined with the shame, brought tears to her eyes. What kind of beginning to a trip was this?
“You okay?”
Not every trip could start perfectly, sure. But this? She had never wanted to start a journey by vomiting in front of the man she loved.
“…I need… water…”
Using water as an excuse, she pushed Si-yul a little away, only to double over with more dry heaves. Thank goodness she had only tasted the udon. If she had eaten more, it would have been even more disgraceful.
He was back by her side in no time, holding out bottled water and a handkerchief.
“A lot of people get seasick. There were even bags ready on the boat.”
“…Uugh.”
“I’m serious. You were too out of it to notice.”
She knew his words were meant to comfort her, but the damage was done. He had seen everything.
“It’s fine. I’m a vet—I see this kind of thing all the time.”
“They’re animals!”
Tears still brimmed in her eyes, a mix of nausea and humiliation.
Honestly, heaven is cruel. A girl only wants to show her pretty side to the man she likes—why crush me like this?
She pressed the handkerchief to her mouth and muttered weakly, but it was far too late to undo the disgrace.
“I… I never used to get motion sickness. I swear!”
It felt so unfair. As Park Hae-in, she had never been on a ship this big, but she’d ridden small boats, buses, subways—never a problem.
She could even read books on long bus rides without the slightest nausea. She had lived her whole life untouched by motion sickness.
So why was this body, sharp and capable in every other way, so absurdly weak to it?
“You… maybe it’s morning sickness—”
“No, no!”
“…Really?”
“Absolutely not. Impossible.”
Even in her dizzy, miserable state, that much was certain. She shook her head firmly, while Si-yul looked slightly disappointed.
Excuse me? This isn’t some fairy tale about a woodcutter and a heavenly maiden. That’s never going to happen.
She felt sorry, yes, but what was hopeless was still hopeless. After all, this body was a Sasin-tal—a death god’s vessel. It was anything but ordinary…
“Hm?”
“Are you feeling a little better?”
Not ordinary… Normally, it flew. Or, more precisely, it teleported. Hae-in recalled the specialty of a Sasin: appearing here and there in an instant.
If the Sasin could do that, then I must have done the same when I used this body before…
Of course, it would never have had a reason to board a ship. It was only natural this body would be vulnerable to motion sickness. It usually teleported instead. Yes, teleportation—so convenient.
Teleportation…?
“Hm…?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Huh?”
“…Are you still dizzy?”
Si-yul pressed a hand to her forehead, wondering if she might have a fever. But Hae-in was lost in thought, her expression vacant.
The Sasin uses a bird-shaped talisman to teleport so easily… Could it be that I can, too…?
Then, with a start, she shook her head hard.
No way. The soul is different… right? But then again, I can shapeshift. That’s this body’s innate ability. What if teleportation is the soul’s innate ability…?
Wait. Had she just stumbled upon something enormous?
Hae-in froze, her expression stricken with shock. Si-yul, assuming she had completely zoned out, tugged her along toward the car.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
Once Hae-in fell into thought, she was useless for anything else. Si-yul knew that well. By the time she came back to herself, they had already reached the inn.
He had checked them in according to schedule and was about to take their luggage to the room.
“Huh? When did we get here?”
“Just now.”
“…What?”
“While you were off in your head.”
Hae-in blinked, still bewildered by how she had arrived without noticing.
But the faint scent tickling her nose told her exactly where they were—the traditional Japanese inn with a hot spring, the ryokan, which Si-yul had been so insistent on.
“Come on. Focus. They said to pick out a yukata.”
“…Then I’ll take this one.”
As expected of a ryokan, they provided yukata for their guests. Hae-in chose a soft, pale-pink one. Then, just as quickly, she lapsed back into silence, trailing after Si-yul while her thoughts ran rampant.
It wasn’t until she suddenly snapped out of it that she realized they had already crossed the narrow lobby and entered the traditional courtyard.
“Wow…”
There it was: a neat, tranquil Japanese garden enclosed by the inn’s clean but weathered buildings. A rather large pond glistened in the center, with a graceful cherry blossom tree beside it—though bare now in winter.
While Si-yul headed into the room, Hae-in lingered in the middle of the courtyard, captivated by the view.
It must be exhausting, being so distractible.
Si-yul let her be, knowing she enjoyed the fresh air, and went ahead to unpack. The garden was a closed structure, visible from their room’s window. Leaving her alone for a few minutes wouldn’t be an issue.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
Should I try…?
Alone at last, Hae-in sensed carefully, making sure no one else was around. Si-yul was nearby, but he wasn’t someone she needed to hide from.
It was the perfect chance.
Standing in the garden’s center, she shut her eyes.
She focused. Imagined herself moving into the open doorway of their room. Willed that when she opened her eyes, she’d be inside, not out here.
If she just concentrated hard enough, like she did when shape shifting, maybe she could teleport too…
SPLASH.
Huh, wasn’t there a big koi in that pond—
SPLASH.
“Kyah!”
“What the hell?!”
“…Kang.”
“…Why are you in the pond?!”
He had only looked away for a second, and in that short time she had managed to fall—or teleport?—straight into the middle of the pond. Si-yul’s voice was incredulous.
“Ah-choo!”
The pond water was freezing in the middle of winter, and it tasted foul. Shivering, sneezing, Hae-in realized something: she had teleported. She had just failed miserably at aiming.
Why had the Sasin never told her this ability existed?
If she’d known earlier, she wouldn’t have worried about travel expenses. Or maybe they had hidden it because careless use might draw suspicion.
“You reckless idiot!”
“C-cold…”
“Of course it’s cold, you fell into ice water!”
“Hehh-chhoo!”
Sitting in the bone-chilling water, Hae-in’s teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.
“Seriously, how do you always manage to give people heart attacks? Teach me that trick, will you?!”
Hauling her out of the pond, Si-yul’s frustration boiled over into anger.
Still dripping and trembling, Hae-in trudged toward the warmth of the hot spring.
Well… I guess if I were them, I’d have kept it secret from a scatterbrain like me, too.
