Chapter 4
“It’s okay, Miss. You can just relearn it.”
Even with Yoo Eunseol’s gentle reassurance, Geum Seolha’s expression remained gloomy.
“You already learned the Thousand Character Classic early before, so it won’t be difficult.”
Seolha made a pitiful face.
That was the original Geum Seolha, not me…
Her situation was completely different.
Thousand Character Classic? I barely memorized the few Chinese characters needed for exams…
And even those were long forgotten.
She sighed.
Do I really have to learn all of this…?
As she absentmindedly moved her foot, pain shot through her splinted ankle.
The vivid sensation reminded her—
This was reality.
It’s been over a week, and nothing has changed.
This wasn’t a dream.
She let out another sigh.
She couldn’t live as someone who couldn’t even read.
“Read it one more time, Eunseol.”
“Of course. Let’s try again.”
Like teaching a child, Yoo Eunseol slowly wrote out each stroke of the characters.
Seolha watched carefully and began memorizing.
Fine. The Thousand Character Classic… I’ll master it quickly.
Seeing her determination, Eunseol smiled.
“Eunseol, you should rest too. You’ve barely slept taking care of me.”
“Being by your side is rest for me.”
Seolha shook her head.
“How is that rest? I’ve never even seen you properly lie down.”
She looked at her with concern.
From the moment they met, Eunseol and Ha Dowoon had been overly devoted.
But they don’t take care of themselves at all.
“You need to look after your health. At this rate, you’ll collapse too.”
“Then you should stop studying for today, Miss. You’re not fully recovered yet.”
“I feel fine.”
Eunseol firmly shook her head.
“You still have a fever.”
“I don’t even have a headache or dizziness anymore.”
By modern standards, this felt normal.
Honestly, I feel better than before.
She opened and closed her small hands.
Maybe it’s because I’m younger now?
“Miss.”
At Eunseol’s stern voice, Seolha quickly thought of a way to persuade her.
I can’t just lie around all day…
Then her eyes lit up.
“Listen, Eunseol.”
“Miss…”
“I have amnesia, but it’s better if people don’t know I forgot basic knowledge too, right?”
Of course, rumors were already spreading.
“That doesn’t mean you should overexert yourself.”
“I’m only doing this because I have nothing else to do. If it were hard, I’d have stopped.”
She shrugged casually.
“If I want to avoid being bullied or harmed by my lovely cousins, I should at least know how to read.”
She smirked.
This topic always made Eunseol weak.
“You told Dowoon you almost didn’t recognize me the other day, didn’t you?”
Eunseol covered her forehead.
“That was just an expression…”
“It’s fine. I looked like a beggar.”
Seolha nodded seriously.
Eunseol’s face flushed.
“Miss!”
“That was all because of my cousins’ schemes, right?”
She raised her arms, revealing scratches all over them.
“They bullied me even when I was fine. If I’m seen as a fool now, it’ll be worse.”
“….”
“What do you think?”
“…At least eat first.”
Finally, Eunseol surrendered.
“Okay.”
“I’ll go check on your meal.”
“Take your time.”
After she left, Seolha sighed deeply.
***
“So… my name is Geum Seolha. And this is the Geum family.”
She knew this name.
From a martial arts novel.
“…This looks exactly like Heavenly Martial Emperor.”
Her face darkened.
Out of all novels—
Why this one?
Stories like that always had bloody wars and revenge.
And of course—
A male protagonist surrounded by many women.
“Geum Seolha is just one of the girls in his harem…”
In the novel, she fell for the protagonist, Yeon So-cheon, and supported him financially.
“Well, I don’t care about giving money…”
The problem was—
She got involved in martial conflicts.
And eventually died.
“After all that suffering… he ends up with someone else anyway.”
The protagonist’s true partner was Sun Woohee.
Seolha sighed deeply.
“I wish this were all just coincidence…”
But too many things matched.
“My grandfather is the guild master.”
“My name matches.”
“My family background too.”
She counted them one by one.
“The Geum family. The Geumrin Merchant Guild…”
Everything lined up.
“…I’m screwed.”
She laughed bitterly.
“Maybe the only good thing… is that this seems earlier than the novel.”
But even that wasn’t comforting.
“I’m eight years old… so I probably already met the protagonist.”
She frowned.
Then suddenly—
“…Wait. Do I have to follow the original story?”
Her eyes lit up.
“If I follow it, I die… so…”
“Can’t I just run away?”
She thought seriously.
This was a dangerous martial world.
People killed over grudges.
“Yeah… no. Absolutely not.”
She shook her head.
Avoiding martial artists was the key to survival.
But running a merchant guild in such a world?
“Bandits in the mountains. Pirates on the rivers.”
“And arrogant martial sects everywhere.”
Even merchants weren’t safe.
“Best case, they just look down on you.”
Living as a merchant here meant abandoning pride.
“…No thanks.”
She firmly decided.
“I’ll take my inheritance and run.”
Better to stay far away from danger.
“And I’ll give Eunseol and Dowoon their share too.”
She wouldn’t abandon them.
“If this really is the novel… I’m escaping before the story begins.”
Once the original plot starts—
Neither she nor the Geumrin Guild would survive.
And she had no intention of dying.
