“I don’t like you.”

That was the first thing I heard when my past life came back to me.

I heard that from the girl I liked and took a big hit.

Thanks to that, I realized my past life.

What kind of shock could a kid not even ten years old have had, to the point that getting dumped by a girl made him awaken a past life?

It’s ridiculous, but that’s what happened.

Before I could even open my eyes and get my head straight—

“So don’t come near me from now on.”

I turned toward the sharp voice. The one in front of me was, by anyone’s standards, a pretty kid.

“I really hate stupid people.”

The way she looked at me with contempt, like she genuinely loathed me, was... fascinating.

What, barely a kid in her early teens can make a face like that.

I stared at her like it was curious, and the girl spoke to me.

“Answer.”

“Ah.”

Right. She was talking to me. Remembering that, I answered.

“Okay.”

“No matter how much you cling, I won’t... what?”

Her eyes widened at my answer.

“I’ll do that.”

“...What did you say?”

“I said I will. I won’t come near you—not in front of you, not even by your side.”

I smiled brightly.

“Good now?”

“......”

It was just that kind of exchange. I don’t know what I was like in this life.

After I got my past-life memories back, that’s just how it was.

To chase that small, pretty kid—

The memories smothering me were far too thick.

So I gave her what she wanted.

I definitely did.

Thinking about it now—

I think something went wrong starting then.

****

Glossy black hair.

So well-kept it didn’t just sway; it poured down like silk.

She let it fall to her back, and as if she knew her white skin was her greatest strength, she framed herself to showcase it.

What set off that white skin even more were her features.

A cold impression like snow could fall even in high summer.

Eyes so chill it felt like she would never smile—her whole air made that obvious.

With a face packed full of frost, she wasn’t someone you’d find easy to approach.

But everyone passing by stared at her.

They couldn’t help it.

A woman that beautiful is not something you see often.

Beautiful.

As if beauty had been personified—an alluring, refined aura that turned even her coldness into a maximized charm.

When the woman lifted a hand to tidy her hair with a light gesture—

Those nearby let out involuntary breaths of admiration.

“Hmmm.”

At the soft nasal sound, the corners of the woman’s eyes twitched.

Her gaze was pinned to the back of a young man sprinting away like a madman in the distance.

Haa.

Watching that, the woman sighed.

At the same time, as if something tired her out, those slender jade-like fingers pinched the bridge of her nose.

“...Honestly.”

He’d always been like that, but seeing him bolt at the drop of a hat annoyed her every time.

“How can there be not a shred of hesitation.”

If you see me, at least say hello—what’s with just running?

It was absurd, and yet she let out a thin laugh.

That faint smile made those around her flinch.

On that expressionless face, even the smallest hint of a smile was beautiful to a violent degree.

But—

“I came all this way to see a person.”

The look that followed wiped that smile away and made everyone flinch again.

Not because it was beautiful.

Because it was terrifyingly eerie.

“...And he runs again?”

CRRRRUNCH.

A harsh sound came from the fist she clenched.

“Just let me catch you.”

Looks like this time I’ll have to make sure the leash goes on.

The woman decided that and moved—only for—

“...Young Lady Murong?”

A voice from the side made her turn. There stood a beauty with skin a shade more tanned than the woman’s.

Tang Yeran was looking at her in surprise.

“My.”

Confirming the owner of the voice, the woman arranged her expression. Whatever she’d been wearing a moment ago must have been an illusion; she’d returned to her natural face.

“Young Lady Tang. It has been a while, hasn’t it?”

“...How is it that Young Lady Murong is here...?”

“Ah.”

At that, the woman let a smile bloom again.

“...Because the person I’m looking for, of all places, happens to be here.”

“......”

Hearing that, Tang Yeran swallowed dry.

Was it a mistake? For some reason, Tang Yeran heard it as:

Because there’s someone I need to kill.

“Anyway. Since I’m in Sichuan, I’ll have to pay a visit to the Tang Clan. I’ll see you properly later. Right now that brat—no, that way is more urgent.”

“Pardon? Wait—”

Tang Yeran tried to add something.

But the woman was already gone.

“......”

Watching the spot where she vanished, something nameless rose in Tang Yeran’s eyes.

Unease.

****

“Fuck.”

I ran.

“Ah, damn it.”

Cursing under my breath, I ran again. I pushed through a sea of people and kept running like that for a long while.

My body wasn’t all healed, and the arm wrapped in bandages was screaming.

Even so, I didn’t stop.

[Boy. Why are you running like this.]

Yoo Cheongil drifted beside me, talking as if he couldn’t make sense of me.

This wasn’t a time I could answer.

One more step mattered more than saying anything.

[Is she a girl you know?]

A woman I know?

I know. Goddamn it.

I knew her far too well.

“I’d rather not know.”

It would’ve been a million times better not to.

Knowing too well—that was the problem.

“Why is that lunatic here?”

A woman who should be in Liaoning, working hard at what she should be doing—

Why the hell did she come all the way to Sichuan?

I ran, trying to think of a reason.

“...No way.”

Thinking, I recalled the first thing that lunatic said the moment she saw me.

“Found you.”

“Fuck.”

She looked at me, smiled in that scary way, and said it.

Which meant—

“She came to find me?”

To find me.

No—she came to grab me, all the way to Sichuan?

“How?”

If so, what did she learn? I definitely did things thoroughly.

I made sure it couldn’t be known.

I even—

“I even went and spoke with her Clan Head.”

I clenched my teeth and had a talk with that terrifying man.

“That crazy woman shouldn’t be here.”

Something that should never have happened was happening.

“Where do I go?”

Where the hell do I run? I rolled my eyes everywhere.

An alley? Slipping into an alley won’t mean anything.

No—at the root—

“Is there any point to this?”

I knew running like this right now was pointless.

But I had to run.

My instincts were just telling me to.

“Hide the body first.”

Hide my body first.

Think about the rest after.

I decided that and was about to push the pace a bit more when—

[Oh.]

Yoo Cheongil let out a sudden sound of admiration.

And right then—

WHOOSH—!

“Kh!”

Something grabbed me and yanked me up into the air.

My body flew, knifed into an alley off to the side, and before I could hit the ground and roll, I forced a breakfall.

“My.”

The moment I landed, a fine voice brushed my ear.

Hearing it, I knit my brows. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

“You didn’t roll?”

“......”

As if surprised I hadn’t rolled.

I slowly lifted my head.

A woman stood there with her arms crossed, eyes narrowed, looking down at me.

I looked at her and said,

“Young Lady Murong...”

At my words, the woman gave a little laugh.

“Long time, isn’t it?”

Gooseflesh ran down my back the instant I saw that smile.

It was real.

It was really that lunatic.

Sway.

She stepped lightly toward me, and I backpedaled.

I tried to turn and go ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ back the way I came, but my back was already against a wall.

A dead end.

Ah, for fuck’s sake. Not even going to help me with this?

The thought barely formed before I shook my head.

“...No, it’s not that she isn’t helping.”

She arranged things so it would turn out like this.

I was sure.

Then—

“Our clever little raccoon wouldn’t fail to notice, but you’re strange today.”

The woman spoke.

“You know full well that, once I came this far, you can’t run.”

“......”

Right. I knew.

I ran anyway.

As she kept coming, I sent my hand to my waist.

Ah, hell—I didn’t even bring a sword.

“I’ve heard so much in passing, I’ve got a mountain of questions.”

The closer the distance, the more the scent reached me.

A scent that now made my skin crawl.

“But I should say this first, shouldn’t I?”

She smiled sweetly.

It was a maddeningly beautiful smile. On that face, though, all I felt was fear.

“I missed you. Did you miss me too?”

If another man heard that, he’d die of excitement.

But—

“...Why are you here?”

I wasn’t that man.

“You should be in Liaoning. How are you in Sichuan, Young Lady?”

I knew too well who that lunatic was to feel anything like excitement.

“Why ask? You already know all the answers.”

“...I’m asking because I’m praying it isn’t so.”

“I came to see you. Give me some praise—I worked really hard to find you.”

“Ah, fuck.”

I prayed it wasn’t, but of course my shitty hunch never misses.

“You came to see me? From Liaoning to Sichuan?”

“Mm. No, that’s not right.”

A hand came close. Slim fingertips tipped up my chin.

“Liaoning to Anhui. Anhui to Henan. And Henan to Sichuan.”

“......”

Cold sweat slid out on its own.

What she just said was exactly the route I took.

“You got around a lot, huh? You even stirred up a lot of trouble.”

“...I had my own reasons...”

“Sure. You’re not someone who moves without a reason. But tell me.”

The hand lifting my chin dropped, then slid up toward my eyes.

“What does ‘the Sword Saint’s successor’ mean?”

“......”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“And what’s ‘Blue Moon Sect’? And these eyes?”

As if determined to make me open them, she forced my eyelids apart.

“Where did your pretty brown eyes go, and what’s with these blue ones?”

Heat seeped into her formerly soft voice.

I said nothing.

Faced with it now, I needed to work my head somehow—

“...Nothing’s coming.”

Trouble was, my mind had gone blank white.

What do I do? Every time I meet her, I end up like this.

While I kept a half-forced silence, the woman’s eyes narrowed.

Then she suddenly slid a hand into her bosom and pulled out a letter-looking thing.

“Fine. If you won’t talk, I can just find out myself.”

That was even scarier.

And she held the letter out to me.

“...What is that?”

A letter out of nowhere? I stared at the paper, baffled, and she added,

“When I said I was going to see you, Father told me to deliver this to you.”

“What?”

My eyes narrowed.

“Yeongsun, you—did you meet my—”

BOOOOM—!!!

CRRRRACK...

“......”

I didn’t move my head; I only rolled my eyes to the side.

A white hand was lodged in the wall.

From that point, cracks spread like a spiderweb.

Stone dust pattered down like it would collapse any second.

Then—

“...Hey.”

A voice full of killing intent wrapped around me.

The owner of the hand—no—

“I told you not to call me that. Want me to rip your tongue out for real?”

Murong Yeongsun looked at me with a murderous face.

“...Sorry.”

I barely squeezed out an apology.

Murong Yeongsun, age twenty.

Direct bloodline of the Murong Clan, one of the Five Great Clans.

With her outstanding looks, called Liaoning’s First Beauty.

And also—

“...Wow, this lunatic, seriously.”

My first love, and my “former” fiancée.