GTHWCS~02

CHAPTER~02

Twenty-eight days later.

Yeongwon and her maid So-rae were wandering through Mount Jeokbyeok, a mountain so rugged it was infamous even within Jo-won (趙瑗).

Towering peaks hid themselves among the clouds, their jagged ridges cutting sharply into the sky. Strange, twisted trees grew in chaotic patterns, and eerie, otherworldly plants sprouted in places that defied reason.

The fog drifted like a living creature—creeping close, then vanishing, only to appear again. It was mystical… and yet, chilling.

When night fell and the mountain was swallowed by darkness, the cold sense of dread deepened.

There is nothing more dangerous than walking a mountain trail at night.

So Yeongwon and So-rae decided to make camp beside a nearby stream.

So-rae filled a water flask from the creek, then climbed back up the rocks with a sigh. Her gaze landed on Yeongwon, sitting blankly on the dirt, staring into nothing.

After leaping from a cliff to escape Wi Jeong-mun and nearly drowning in the river below, they had been swept ashore by the current—barely surviving.

When she came to, Yeongwon had stared up at the dim gray sky and quietly declared that she would head to Mount Jeokbyeok, where Jeojado was said to be.

But saying so was far easier than doing it. The mountain lay nearly a thousand li away.

For a maiden who had known only the comfort of silk blankets and perfumed chambers, the journey was merciless.

Yeongwon’s beauty was well-known—even her late father had feared her looks would bring misfortune. Her soft, ink-black brows curved gracefully; her round, bright apricot eyes were pure and gentle; her lips were soft and pink like peach petals.

Her slender form moved with quiet poise, and though she was but a merchant’s daughter, the elegance she carried rivaled that of any noble’s child.

And when she smiled—ah, it was like spring itself bloomed across her face. The crescent curve of her eyes, the playful tilt of her lips—it all made her shine with life.

So-rae, on the other hand, was a year younger—her skin tanned from labor, her body small but sturdy, with long, narrow eyes and a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks that gave her a spirited charm.

Two young women traveling alone through dangerous lands—it was peril stacked upon peril.

To hide their identities, they had scavenged rags from refuse heaps, wrapping themselves in torn, dirty cloth.

They smeared mud and soot over their pale skin, tangled and tore their hair, even pressed crushed rice grains into it for good measure.

After a month of sleeping outdoors, they smelled so foul that even a stray dog might steer clear.

So-rae didn’t care about her own rough skin or calloused hands—but to see her lady, her radiant young mistress, reduced to such a state—each glance made bile rise in her throat.

Yet, she had to admit, it was Yeongwon’s courage and disregard for dignity that had kept them safe.

Her heart, however, ached for more than hardship.

For at first, Yeongwon had seemed all right. She smiled. She spoke. Sometimes, she even teased.

Until one night, when So-rae woke to the sound of quiet, trembling sobs—Yeongwon weeping silently under her blanket.

Since then, she often caught her staring blankly into space, lost in grief so deep it seemed to consume her whole.

Worried, So-rae made a noisy show of climbing up the rocks, trying to break the heavy silence.

“My lady, that place you mentioned—it’s really in this mountain, right? We really are going to Jeojado?”

Pulled from her thoughts of her lost parents, Yeongwon blinked and nodded. She took a dry branch in her hand, bracing it against a pile of leaves as she prepared to start a fire.

“Yes. It’s said to be somewhere near this mountain—and we’ll find it.”

“I still don’t understand,” So-rae muttered, pouting. “Why would Master tell you to go to such a dreadful place? Isn’t Jeojado known as a paradise for criminals?”

“Such rumors do exist,” Yeongwon replied calmly.

At that, So-rae’s long-held questions came spilling out.

“My lady, everyone in Jo-won knows Jeojado is somewhere in Mount Jeokbyeok—but no one knows where. So how did Master even have a map of it? A real leather map?”

She tilted her head in confusion, then added,

“And if it’s true that the island is crawling with dangerous fugitives, what will we do? They say even the greatest generals won’t chase criminals into Jeojado, because it’s said to be a dragon’s lair—a Yongdam hole. My lady, are you listening?”

When Yeongwon didn’t answer, So-rae glanced down. Her mistress was furiously rubbing two sticks together.

“My lady… are you sure that’ll work?”

“The book I read said it would,” Yeongwon said firmly. “We don’t have flint or steel, so this is our only option. Without fire, we’ll freeze to death.”

The night deepened. The wind threading through the trees grew sharper, and though there was no rain, the air grew damp and heavy.

Yeongwon looked at her reddened palms with frustration.

Why won’t it catch?

The book had made it sound simple.

“Shall I try, my lady?” So-rae offered.

“You take that stick. Rub it hard. They say even beggars must work together to fill their sack.”

So the two of them squatted side by side, rubbing the sticks together again and again.

Time passed. Somewhere in the distance, a crow cawed.

As So-rae worked, she spoke softly, almost teasingly,

“My lady, did you know people also call Mount Jeokbyeok Ghost Gate Mountain?”

“Ghost Gate?”

“Yes. They say no one who enters ever comes out alive. Whether eaten by beasts, falling from cliffs, or lost in the fog until they die… everyone who climbs this mountain ends up dead. That’s why they say it’s the threshold of the underworld.”

Her whisper brushed Yeongwon’s ear like a cold wind, making her shiver without realizing it.

“I think that’s why no one’s ever found Jeojado,” So-rae went on. “Because it’s hidden here, in Ghost Gate Mountain. Who’d dare climb it if everyone dies trying?”

A chill swept over Yeongwon’s nape. She turned sharply.

“We haven’t seen a single person all day,” So-rae murmured, her voice trembling slightly.

Yeongwon swallowed hard. Indeed, they hadn’t seen anyone. Not even a single animal.

Was it luck—or something far more sinister?

“And my lady,” So-rae continued, lowering her voice, “doesn’t this fog feel… alive to you? What if it really is ghosts, like I said earlier?”

The words had barely left her mouth when a sudden gust swept through the brush—its sound eerily like a woman’s wailing.

“Mother!” So-rae squeaked.

Startled, Yeongwon snapped the branch in her hands.

Seeing her lady’s wide eyes, So-rae forced a grin. “You’re scared, aren’t you, my lady?”

“Scared? Me? Don’t be ridiculous! Ghosts don’t exist. Stop talking nonsense and light the fire!”

Her heart pounded wildly, and sweat trickled cold down her back, but she kept her chin high.

Of course, So-rae—who had served her since childhood—saw right through her act.

With a cheeky grin, she bent back to her task.

Time passed. So long that Yeongwon began to think their hands would catch fire before the sticks did.

Then, suddenly, her vision blurred.

A white haze rolled in, thick and suffocating, until even So-rae—just a few steps away—disappeared from sight.

“Fog again…?” Yeongwon whispered.

She dropped the stick and stood, her pulse racing.

They had run into this strange, living fog many times while climbing. It appeared and vanished without warning, swallowing all sense of direction.

Even with a map, they hadn’t been able to find Jeojado because of it.

“So-rae? Stay where you are!” Yeongwon called. “Don’t move—it’s dangerous! The fog will pass soon!”

No reply.

The silence was absolute.

Except… not quite.

There was a faint sound—like a snake slithering through grass, or fabric brushing over leaves.

It came from somewhere nearby.

—My lady, this fog… what if ghosts are moving it?

So-rae’s words echoed faintly in Yeongwon’s mind.

And for the first time—she wondered if they were true.