GTHWCS~03

CHAPTER~03

Cold sweat broke out all over Yeong-won’s body.

The already frigid night air seemed to drop several more degrees in an instant.

Clink, clink.

Somewhere in the distance, the faint yet weighty sound of bells echoed through the mist.

While she darted her eyes around in fear, a streak of deep crimson suddenly appeared within the endless white fog.

Yeong-won, already on edge, froze at the sight of the figure emerging from it.

The man’s hair, black as mountain ink, was loosely gathered and pinned with a simple hairpin. His pale, flawless skin contrasted so sharply against it that he seemed almost ethereal.

His face was both soft and sharply defined — long, striking eyes slanted slightly upward, their shape refined and beautiful.

At the end of his elegant nose was a tiny black beauty mark, the kind one might see in a painting of a divine being. The corners of his thin, red lips curved faintly, as if mocking the entire world.

But what struck her most was his gaze — deep, cold, and detached, yet inexplicably stirring something inside her.

The daze lasted only a moment.

Yeong-won’s dirt-streaked face drained of color.

Because behind the man, through the pale fog, things were moving.

“A… ah—!”

She almost screamed, but quickly slapped both hands over her mouth.

Men with half-severed necks.
Men bleeding endlessly from the seven orifices.
Men whose knees twisted in the wrong direction, bones jutting out, limping forward.
Men dragging their tongues along the ground.
Men with swords buried deep in their shoulders, their bodies dangling like broken puppets.

Some looked whole, but most were grotesquely ruined.

Their clothes varied — peasants, nobles, commoners — all mixed together.

But one thing was clear.

They were not living beings.

No trace of vitality.
Pale, bluish skin.
And that suffocating, chilling silence between them.

They were… ghosts.

Yeong-won bit her lip hard, holding back the scream that threatened to burst out.

She didn’t dare make a sound — afraid that even a breath might draw their attention.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands of them drifted endlessly through the fog, led by the soft, haunting ring of bells.

Ghosts… they’re ghosts!

Yeong-won trembled violently, like a leaf in a storm.

Her heart pounded out of control, and her blood turned to ice beneath the creeping dread that crawled up her spine.

They were coming closer.

And then, the man — that impossibly beautiful man — turned his gaze toward her.

At first, he seemed to glance over her indifferently. But then, his eyes returned to her again, sharp and penetrating.

That gaze froze her in place, her thoughts wiped clean as if her soul had been caught in his.

He stood at the head of the ghostly procession.

He looked human… but couldn’t possibly be.

And yet, he didn’t seem like a ghost either.

Who is he… to command all these spirits?

A thought struck her like lightning.

Could he be… a reaper?

Her eyes fell to the long bronze staff in his hand — about nine spans long — from which dozens of black bells hung. The soft, echoing chime was coming from there.

It has to be. He’s a reaper.

In the ghost tales she’d read, it was said that if you ever met a reaper’s gaze, they would drag you to the afterlife.

Her knees buckled.

Am I… going to die here?

—They say no one who enters this mountain ever comes out alive.

—No matter what, everyone dies here.

Sorae’s voice echoed in her head, low and trembling.

Crushed under the weight of fear, Yeong-won’s breathing turned ragged. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead, and the cold seeped deep into her lungs.

Ghosts…? A reaper…?

Meanwhile, the reaper casually slung his bronze staff — the one strung with bells — across his shoulder, then began to walk toward her.

“S-sir Reaper… please… please spare me…”

Yeong-won could barely form words, her body trembling too hard to run.

Then, for the first time, the man’s expression changed.

“Reaper?”

“I-I didn’t see anything, sir! Truly! I saw nothing at all! Please, have mercy!”

As she babbled, the reaper — tall enough to tower a head and a half over her — leaned down slightly, and she clamped her eyes shut in terror.

“…What did you just call me?”

His voice was deep, calm… and chillingly close.

“S-sir Reaper, I— hic!”

Startled by her own hiccup, she slapped her hand over her mouth — and accidentally met his gaze.

Her heart dropped.

This is it. I’m going to die.

Images flashed in her mind — her father’s severed head displayed on a pike, his eyes still open. Her mother’s body reduced to ash. The servants of the Ha family who had cared for her. The great trading company her father had built with his life’s work.

—I will uncover the truth behind it all. I won’t rest until my parents’ vengeance is complete.

—My lady, you are all that remains of the Ha family. But what can we possibly do? The master and madam would only wish for your safety now.

She remembered Sorae’s tearful pleas.

No matter how much she had studied, how many ledgers she could balance, or how much she had learned about running inns — she was still just a flower raised inside the Ha family’s walled garden.

What could an unwed girl under twenty possibly do — alone, without family or allies?

All these thoughts collided in her mind as death loomed close.

“I… I want to live, sir Reaper! Hic! Please, let me live! I still have things I must do! Take my soul later—hic!—just not now!”

Yeong-won clenched her fists, tears brimming.

“I must live! I can’t die yet!”

Her voice broke as she shook her head over and over — and suddenly, the reaper grabbed her chin.

Blinking away the sting in her eyes, she looked up — and the man, expression caught between disbelief and annoyance, spoke.

“Hey. When did I ever say I was going to kill you?”

“…Huh?”

He released her with a flick of his hand, as if brushing away something dirty. The black smudge left on his fingers told Yeong-won it had come from her own grime-covered face.

“Th-then… you’ll spare me?” she asked, voice trembling.

“That depends,” he replied coolly, “on what you are.”

Before she could ask what that meant, he continued.

“I’ve got business to take care of first. Wait here.”

Wait here?

The words made no sense — but before she could react, the reaper reached toward her.

For an instant, it felt like he was reaching for her very soul.

His hand brushed the side of her neck — and her vision went black.

Her limbs went limp.

No… not yet…

Am I really dying like this? Just like that?

No… I don’t want to…!