Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 239: Registration (2)

Before I could even react, my vision was flooded with white.

At the same time, my mind went blank—then slowly, sight returned.

What came into view was a boundless field, overflowing with roses as red as blood.

Like the plains of Qinghai, the horizon stretched endlessly, filled with lush, crimson roses blooming as far as the eye could see.

The scent of roses hit me with such intensity it made my head throb.

Judging by the surroundings, it felt like I’d been pulled into Hwa-eun’s mental realm.

An ocean of roses like this—only her mind could conjure something so extravagant.

‘Wait... this actually works on people?’

I’d wondered if it was even possible, and now I was stunned that it actually was.

More than that, I was worried—what if there were side effects?

No one had ever tried the Beast Heart Art on a person before.

I had to find Hwa-eun.

She must be just as confused and looking for me too.

First step: find a landmark.

In any mental realm, the dominant feature or terrain usually reveals where the owner’s consciousness is centered.

I scanned around, trying to spot anything unique in this sea of roses.

“Where...?”

It was a vast plain, and all I could see in every direction were red and green.

Just as I was stepping forward and craning my neck to see further, I spotted something poking out between the waves of red and green.

‘What is that?’

Rising above the sea of roses was something unmistakably red.

I focused my sight, pushing my inner vision as far as I could—

There, in the far distance, I saw it: a giant rosebud.

A massive, closed bloom standing high above the others.

“That must be it.”

Even from here, it looked huge—how big was it really?

Excited, I used lightfoot technique and soared toward the gigantic rose.

But after a short distance, pain flared in my ankles.

I stopped, looked down—my ankles were covered in tightly embedded thorns.

I examined the nearby roses. Sharp thorns, everywhere.

The roses reached up to my knees, and underneath their lovely petals, vicious thorns bristled like jaws.

“Wow... I thought this was just a beautiful field, but it’s terrifying.”

I had thought only the lava pond where I met Huayang, or the desert where I found Cheongwol, were dangerous—but even a field of blooming roses could be a deathtrap.

And it made sense.

These rose thorns didn’t care about beauty—they’d stab right through anyone.

No way I could continue like this.

I unwrapped the forgotten cloth band from my wrist and tied it around both ankles, then moved forward again.

With the thick cloth shielding me, I was finally able to run properly again.

As I moved forward, the massive rose grew steadily larger in my vision.

Step by step.

Before long, I arrived and looked up.

The rose stood as tall as a three-story building.

‘What kind of rose is this huge? Must be at least three stories tall.

Anyway—focus. I need to find Hwa-eun. Hwa-eun! Hwa-eun!’

I circled the giant rose, calling for her, but she wasn’t in sight.

She should’ve been nearby—but even after circling twenty meters around, there was no sign of her.

“Hwa-eun?”

I called again—but no response.

Just as I began to wonder if I was in the wrong place, a shadow loomed above me.

I looked up—the rosebud was slowly blooming, its giant petals unfurling one by one.

Petal after petal peeled away until a stunning rose came into full bloom.

And then, I heard the voice I’d been searching for.

“So-So-ryong!”

“Hwa-eun?”

I backed away to get a better angle—and saw her, perched adorably on one of the giant petals, looking down at me.

“Hwa-eun, are you okay?”

“So-So-ryong! I suddenly blacked out and ended up in this weird place—it scared me!”

She shouted, her face anxious and afraid.

“It’s alright. Don’t be scared. This place... it’s like your inner world.”

“My inner world?”

“Well... how do I explain this? You said you wished you could hear the kids the way I do, right?

So I thought... since Beast Heart Art connects minds with beasts, maybe it could work on humans too. And then suddenly—this happened...”

At my explanation, Hwa-eun’s eyes went wide.

“You mean I’m connected to you through Beast Heart Art?”

I had already told her about how the art worked—

But she shook her head and said,

“No... we’re not fully connected yet...”

To form a complete connection, physical contact was needed. We hadn’t done that yet.

As I spoke, Hwa-eun looked down at me—then suddenly shouted,

“So-ryong! Catch me!”

“Eh?!”

She was going to jump—from a height of three stories?!

Even for a martial artist, this was—

‘Can I even catch her?!’ flashed through my mind.

But Hwa-eun didn’t hesitate for a second.

She leapt straight down from the rose.

‘N-no! At least give me a second to brace myself—!’

Falling from the petal, Hwa-eun wore a flowing, translucent crimson silk robe.

It looked just like the first time I saw «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» her—like a fairy descending from the heavens.

As I stared, dazed, she drifted toward me like something out of a dream.

My brain scrambled through hundreds, thousands of ways I might catch her.

But Hwa-eun was just smiling.

Her face glowed like a rose in full bloom.

Without thinking, my arms reached out to catch her—

And we both tumbled into the center of the giant rose.

- Thud.

The soft petals swallowed us. The scent of roses enveloped me so deeply it nearly made me dizzy.

I was worried about thorns—but strangely, I didn’t feel any.

Maybe because of Hwa-eun?

“So-ryong...”

Lying atop me in the rose’s heart, Hwa-eun gazed at me with glowing eyes full of affection.

“Thank you...”

And then came the words that followed—gratitude.

I blinked, caught off guard, and Hwa-eun, still smiling, continued.

“Please grant my wish.”

I thought I’d messed something up—but she was just thankful.

Thankful that she could finally hear the voice of my heart—like the kids did.

Her eyes shimmered with dew, brimming with emotion.

She looked truly moved.

But I still had to check with Sister Seol—make sure there weren’t any side effects. I gave a regretful smile and said,

“We should ask Sister Seol first if it’s safe for people. This might not be something to celebrate just yet.”

But Hwa-eun shook her head and replied,

“It’s okay. No matter what happens. What matters to me is that now... I never have to be apart from you again.

Even if our bodies are apart, our hearts will always be connected, right? That alone is enough for me.”

...Hhhuuuh?!

As soon as I heard those words— I had one thought: I’m completely screwed.

Back when I was curled up in Hwa-eun’s arms last evening, I remember thinking: If this is what complete physical closeness feels like... I don’t mind it at all.

But apparently, it wasn’t just about physical closeness.

It turned out... I had basically become permanently connected to her through some kind of spiritual 24-hour open-channel soul-messenger service.

“So-ryong, when are you coming back?”

“So-ryong, where are you right now?”

“So-ryong, what are you doing?”

“So-ryong, are you sleeping?”

Messages from Hwa-eun popped up non-stop inside my head, filling it to the brim.

And inside, I couldn’t hold back the silent scream that erupted from my soul.

“Gaaaaah! I need boundaries too, damn it!”

While I was still reeling from the horrifying realization that I had just lost all personal space in life—

Hwa-eun, overwhelmed with joy, pressed her lips against mine.

• Chup.

“I love you, So-ryong.”

Soft and moist, the feeling of her lips touching mine blurred my vision again—

Her kiss felt like a seal of ownership, a mark branded onto my mouth like a slave’s crest.

***

“Uuhng...”

“Hwa-eun, are you waking up?”

“Sister Seol...”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Hwa-eun? Are you awake yet? Hwa-eun? She’s still not up, huh?”

My father-in-law had opened his eyes. My mother-in-law was there too. So was Grandfather Tang Mu-seong and Sister Seol.

All of them were gathered around us, wearing deeply concerned expressions as they stared down at me and Hwa-eun—

—who were still gently wrapped in each other’s arms on the bed.

With our lips... still slightly touching.

WHAT THE HELL?!

I freaked out and tried to pull away from Hwa-eun in a panic—but Sister Seol shouted quickly,

“So-ryong, don’t move! Stay still! Just in case. Hwa-eun hasn’t fully regained consciousness yet.”

Apparently, we'd gotten drawn into her mental world right in the middle of a kiss.

So I had no choice but to freeze in place.

Still—kissing in front of Grandfather, and both my in-laws?

Cold sweat poured down my back.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Trying to ease the tension, Father-in-law gave an awkward chuckle and said,

“No need to worry, son-in-law. Just stay where you are. A little... uh... mouth contact between fiancés isn’t a big deal. That’s not the problem here.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and asked the question I was most afraid of:

“H-how long has it been?”

Usually, it would be ten days or more, so checking the date had become habit.

“Ten days. You feeling alright?”

“Yes, I’ve gone through this a few times. But how is Hwa-eun?”

“She’s waking up gradually. Hwa-eun? Hwa-eun?”

“Uh... Sister...”

As Hwa-eun’s lips moved, mine separated from hers, and she opened her eyes—

Only to realize what position we were in.

Startled, she jolted back from me.

“S-sorry!”

I had no idea who she was apologizing to, but she just apologized to everyone all at once.

Her face flushed red as she adjusted her clothes, and then Sister Seol turned to me.

“What happened, So-ryong? Don’t tell me... you connected her to the Beast Heart Art on purpose? Why would you do that?”

She probably thought I’d gone nuts and just decided to forcibly link Hwa-eun to the technique.

I quickly gathered my wits and explained what had happened.

We were lying in bed, had a kiss, and because of something Hwa-eun said, Beast Heart Art reacted on its own—and the connection formed.

‘But still... this is really awkward to explain out loud.’

After I finished explaining, Father-in-law asked,

“So... is this something that works on humans too?”

“I... We’ve never tried it. We didn’t know it could. Even the Five Venoms Sect probably hasn’t tested it on humans before...”

“Neither of you are experiencing any side effects?”

At Grandfather’s question, I closed my eyes and checked my internal state.

No problems.

“I’m fine.”

But things were a little different for Hwa-eun.

“There’s... something unfamiliar stirring in my mind. Like it’s not my own thoughts. Words like Zhen, Xun, Dui, Gen...”

“Wait—stop! Those are Beast Heart Art incantations!”

“W-what?”

It seemed that, just like how the technique could transfer knowledge from the children to me, Beast Heart Art had been passed into Hwa-eun too.

“What do we do...?”

I’d originally promised to be the only one to learn the technique.

Hwa-eun, now realizing she had inherited it, looked completely flustered.

“Don’t worry. You’re part of the family. I’ll explain it to Father myself. You didn’t do it on purpose, after all.”

“S-sorry, Sister Seol...”

“I’m sorry, too...”

Both of us apologized.

Then Sister Seol turned to me and sternly warned,

“Don’t try this with anyone else. Ever again.”

Yeah... no way I’d even dare try that.

If I even thought about doing this to someone else, do you think Hwa-eun would let it slide?

Absolutely not.

I nodded earnestly, swearing it would never happen again.

Satisfied, Sister Seol asked one last question.

“But Hwa-eun... how’s your heart? Beast Heart Art usually causes even wild beasts to bond deeply with the person they’re connected to. How do you feel?”

Hwa-eun answered with a shy smile.

“I... really, really love So-ryong.”

“...Th-then... isn’t this kind of a huge deal?!”

This was like proposing to someone on the spot.

My hands were sweating now.

As I stared at her with alarm, the rest of the family all answered nonchalantly.

“Of course. That’s normal.”

“Nothing unusual about that.”

“Thank goodness. Everything else seems fine.”

No, seriously—how is any of this normal?!

I shot them all a serious look.

“This... this isn’t normal!”

But everyone just smiled and replied in unison.

“Son-in-law, you didn’t know? Hwa-eun’s always been like that.”

“Yeah, she just never said anything until now.”

“She’s always been that way.”

And at that exact moment, her voice echoed in my mind:

‘So-ryong, now we are one forever.’

The whole family might be acting like this was no big deal—

But I knew, without a doubt...

This was definitely not normal.