The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea(59)

I curl my hands in my lap. Where once the Red String of Fate sparkled, my palm is now bare, as if the tie between Shin and myself never existed at all.





27


On Kirin’s orders, I’m confined to the room for the rest of the day, though I’m allowed visitors. Mask and Dai visit with Miki in the morning, and in the afternoon, Namgi and Nari, separately. But not Shin. The possibilities as to why are endless, plaguing me all day and distracting me from my well-wishers. Does he feel guilt for his harsh words the night of the storm? Is he angry with me for fleeing when I knew the assassin was still out there? I not only put myself in danger, but him as well …

There’s a light tap on the door. I sit up as it slides open, and Cheong steps into the room. I blink in surprise.

She’s changed out of her ceremonial wedding gown from last I saw her, now wearing a simple dress of blue and white. Her black hair is braided and coiled behind her head, like that of a married woman.

“Mina!” She glides across the room, settling gracefully beside my pallet. “I wanted to come sooner, but I wasn’t allowed inside. How are you? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” I say, suddenly overcome with shyness. Even though we grew up in the same village, I never truly spoke to Cheong. She was older and intimidating in her beauty. Really, no one spoke to her except for Joon.

People told stories about her and praised her devotion to her father, whom the villagers called Shim the Blind. Some even envied her; I know I’ve been guilty of that. But not one of us paused to ask her how she felt. Until now, it never occurred to me how lonely her life must have been.

Cheong puts to the side a cloth-wrapped package she’s brought with her, gazing around the room at the paintings on the walls, the stitched notebooks and the scrolls stacked in neat piles on the desk. She moves her hands to her lap, smoothing down each pleat of her dress, a gesture my sister-in-law, Soojin, often made when she was nervous. Through the window, the sky outside is bright and clear.

“Forgive me, Mina,” Cheong says. “Will you let me talk a little bit? There are some things I’d like to say to you.”

“Yes, of course,” I quickly reassure her.

She nods, hesitating a moment more before finally speaking. “In my life, there are two women I respect the most. One is your grandmother. She is the strongest person I’ve ever met. She defended Joon and me when others berated us for choosing love over duty. I was chosen to be the Sea God’s bride, but she taught me that my life was my own, and no one else’s. She made me believe that I could have a life beyond the one that was expected of me, a life … that I wanted.”

Cheong stops fiddling with her skirt to take my hand. “The other woman I respect most in the world is you. When you took my place, I was filled with so many emotions. Relief. Gratitude. Guilt. And yet, that moment when you jumped onto the prow of the boat, I was filled with an emotion I’d never felt before: hope. You make me believe in wonders.”

I don’t know what to say, feeling both overwhelmed and incredibly honored.

“I’ve never had a sister,” she says softly. “I’m so glad that I have you now.”

“And I, you,” I whisper, swallowing thickly.

She reaches for the package she set aside and gracefully unties the silk knot of the ribbon. The cloth folds back to reveal a dress with a skirt the color of peach blossoms and a yellow jacket embroidered with small pink flowers.

I gasp. “It’s beautiful.”

“Do you like it? It’s a gift. From Lady Hyeri. She was going to bring it over herself, but I asked if I could be the bearer, and have a moment alone with you. May I?”

I nod, and she takes my arm to help me stand. Careful of my shoulder, she wraps the peach blossom skirt around my body, tying the string secure at my chest. She then holds the yellow jacket up for me, and I slide my arms into the sleeves. She moves behind me, and I feel the gentle tug of a comb as she sections out my hair and braids it in a long plait, securing it with a pink ribbon. Finally she turns me to face her. Taking the two ribbons at the front of my dress, she makes a knot, looping one ribbon and slipping the other through the hole. She adjusts the length until it falls elegantly across the front of my dress. Finished, she steps back to admire her work.

“It’s a lovely dress, Cheong,” I say. “But what is the occasion?”

“There’s to be a festival in the city tonight, to celebrate the ending of the storms.”

I remember Dai at my bedside. The storms have stopped. There’s a feeling in the air, as if they’ve stopped forever.

Could it be true? But what has changed? The last I saw the Sea God, he was in despair.

Cheong lifts her gaze, her eyes bright. “You must go. After all, there are rumors in the city. They say the Sea God’s storms stopped because of you.”





28


Walking with Namgi and Nari in the city later, I’m struck by the change in the atmosphere. The city is always brimming with warmth and light, but tonight, it’s as if the people have released their joy onto the streets. Acrobats jump and leap to the beat of barrel drums. Food cart sellers hand out sweet rice cakes and silk candy. The aftermath of the storm is visible in the broken rafters and missing beams, though cleaned and patched up in the last few days. I jump back as two young girls run by carrying a large barrel. One opens the lid to release hundreds of golden carp with bells tied to their fins. As the fish dart away, a chorus of chimes peals throughout the city.