Chapter 1205: The [Frostbearer], A Harsh Past in Modern Society

Day 382 - 7:02 AM - Yeo-U Sa-Won, Inner Central Section, Yeongdo Walled City, Yeongdo District, Busan

The Yeo-U Sa-Won, literally the [Fox Temple], was a shrine-like structure built at the center of the Inner Central Section. While not literally built at the center of the island, it was the center of Yeongdo Walled City’s protection. Because while it was called a temple, it was more of a residence for the city’s most important person, Lady Seolhee, the [Frostbearer].

Although the Chaebol Families owned the Yeongdo Walled City, its true power came from Lady Seolhee, who was even being worshiped as a Deity by the owners. After all, she was a godlike existence to them.

Most people were afraid of Lady Seolhee due to her being a [Gumiho], a mythological creature known to prey on people. But Lady Seolhee was not the same as those [Gumihos] in folklore.

In myths, [Gumihos] were fox spirits who lived for a thousand years, transforming into seductive women and preying on human livers and hearts.

However, Lady Seolhee was different from those [Gumihos] in folklore. After all, would a mere vile fox spirit be chosen by the [Eyes] as one of the [Saviours]? There was no way that would happen.

[Gumihos] were quite well known due to the number of literary and entertainment works related to their lore. But there was another mythological creature related to it that appeared very rarely, and not many people knew about it.

It was the [Cheonho], the Celestial Foxes. The higher being after [Gumihos]. A God-like being.

Lady Seolhee was never a fox spirit that turned into a [Gumiho]. She became a [Gumiho] due to her bloodline coming from descendants of a [Cheonho] and a human. A story that never saw the light of day, mingling in modern human society without anyone knowing.

But the coming of the apocalypse changed it.

Cheon Seolhee was just another modern South Korean woman. Going through the everyday fun and struggles of a person living in modern society. Well, it might not be as average as one would think, in Cheon Seolhee’s case.

Cheon Seolhee graduated from college a few years ago as a business major and ended up in a major company as a secretary due to her looks. Even so, she did her best in her first job to the point that she was praised as an outstanding employee by her co-workers.

But that ended up as a nightmare as her boss tried to force himself upon her one day.

Although Cheon Seolhee managed to escape the ill fate, instead of her boss being condemned for the act, the story twisted against her instead, condemning her as a seductress, a vixen. She was fired unjustly, and no one stood up for her.

Cheon Seolhee was devastated, but still applied to jobs as much as she could. But her past boss and company haunted her applications, leaving her unemployed for a long time.

On the verge of giving up and ending things herself, Cheon Seolhee gave herself one last chance.

"Just one more time, one more... Just one more..."

Those were the words Cheon Seolhee said to herself in front of the mirror that morning.

"We’re sorry, but your application has been cancelled. We cannot hire someone with your reputation in this company."

Those were the words that the receptionist told Ceon Seolhee the moment she arrived at the company she was applying to. There was no apology, and it was a straight-up disrespectful and nonstandard declination.

It was clear what happened. It was her past company again, haunting her.

Walking out with her rejected resume in her hands, Cheon Seolhee thought of eating lunch one last time, even though what she had left in her wallet wouldn’t be enough for a fulfilling meal at all.

"At least, I should go with an empty stomach."

Cheon Seolhee murmured to herself as she decided to end things at that time.

While walking around, looking for somewhere to eat, Cheon Seolhee looked around. Everyone was busy preparing for the holidays. Yet, here she was, preparing to depart from this world.

But those suicidal thoughts were interrupted.

"RUN!!! Run away!!!"

Screams echoed in her ears as she saw people running away from the direction she was going. And as she faced that direction with people running past her, it was not hard for her to see what was happening.

People eating people. A large group of crazed people were chasing after the ones running and biting and eating those they caught.

Cheon Seolhee, by instinct, turned around and ran with the crowd. As someone who had already thought of ending herself, she should have let herself be devoured then and there. Yet, she ran. She ran to survive.

The day Cheon Seolhee decided to end her life, the world ended instead, making her change her mind.

At the end of the world, there were no companies to reject her.

At the end of the world, there were no people to mock her for being unemployed despite not knowing the circumstances.

At the end of the world, there was no need to care for her parents, who always compared her to her brother and relatives who always compared her to her cousins.

At the end of the world, the people who twisted her life had no power any longer.

At the end of the world, Cheon Seolhee had the chance to change her life.

But the truth was cruel.

Betrayed by the first friends she made in the apocalypse, Cheon Seolhee became bait to a large horde.

Trapped by the wave of the [Infected] returning after scouring the land for living survivors, Cheon Seolhee was faced with the thoughts of death once more.

But fate has a different idea for her.

While hiding inside a building, blocking any possible entry and exit, a single [Infected] managed to break through a small gap in her defenses.

A small [Infected] that could fit through a dog-sized hole.

Out of all things it could be, it was a [Infected Red Fox]. And it was not just some ordinary red fox. It was an albino.

That red fox became Cheon Seolhee’s demise, or it should have been.

The entanglement between Cheon Seolhee and the albino red fox ended with her killing it but getting bitten on her right shoulder.

Cheon Seolhee’s next thought was to stab herself after that, since she knew the fate of those already bitten, and she would rather die a human than roam as an [Infected].

But the infection ended up being stronger than she had thought. The knife she held fell to the ground as she felt the effects of the bite and passed out afterwards.

It took a long time, but Cheon Seolhee opened her eyes to the same scenery she saw before she lost consciousness.

Surprise then followed. After all, Cheon Seolhee should have died there.

But after checking her body, Cheon Seolhee found out that something was not right. Her black hair had turned white, her already fair skin had become paler, and the comfortable but painful sensation on her back was because of her nine fluffy fox tails. She even had fox ears on top of her head. The mirror inside the building even showed her red pair of irises and her slightly altered facial features.

Surprise, confusion, and then realization, Cheon Seolhee felt a plethora of emotions at that time. And to her further surprise, she could turn back to her original appearance at will- well, not entirely. Her fox features could be hidden, but the color of her hair, eyes, and skin, and her face never turned back.

The most pressing thing was her sudden growth in physical strength and the unscientific power of ice she had suddenly awakened.

Thus, still trapped inside the same building surrounded by the [Infected], she spent days learning to control and stabilize her newfound powers.

Returning to the refugee settlement, no one recognized the new Cheon Seolhee. They all thought that she was a new survivor who had just arrived. And for some reason, Cheon Seolhee allowed the misunderstanding to continue, only introducing herself not as Seolhee, which meant pure brightness, but as Seolhee, meaning grace like snow.

People were surprised at first, but when she feigned ignorance of the reason, they told stories about her past self, who sacrificed herself to save her teammates. It was a completely twisted story. She was betrayed and used as bait, after all.

Seolhee also learned that it had been two months since she went missing. It was quite a shock to her.

She also learned what happened to her at the time. It was a mutation, they said. But Seolhee did not think so. Her circumstances were far too different to be a mere mutation.

As for revenge? Seolhee did think of it. After all, her former team betrayed her. But it seemed karma stole the chance of revenge.

Two weeks before her return, a gang of bandits appeared near their settlement. Seolhee’s former team were ambushed by them. The men were killed, and it was obvious what happened to the women.

Seolhee did not care anymore as those people got their just desserts, although it was quite a pity she could not do it with her own hands. Well, that was what she had thought.

The same bandits attacked the refugee settlement after hearing of a beautiful woman there, who turned out to be Seolhee.

It became the final gig of those bandits, as none of them returned to their base that day. Then, Seolhee raided the base instead, killing nearly everyone there, including the captured members of her former team, only keeping the innocent victims alive and bringing them back.

That day, Seolhee became the protector of that settlement. To her, she was just a leader, but to those people, she was their Deity.

It was likely why the [Eyes] appeared before her, choosing her as a candidate and providing guidance every now and then.

Nonetheless, as a single person, there was a limit to what she could do. Furthermore, the betrayals she experienced before left her unable to trust her back to anyone again.

As Seolhee’s exploits spread further and further, more people started joining their settlement, making it harder for Seolhee to protect them all.

It was when the word about her finally reached Yeongdo. The owners of Yeongdo sent a representative to invite her as the guardian of Yeongdo Walled City.

Normally, Seolhee would decline. After all, it only meant more work for her.

But the representative gave an offer she could not decline.

As the guardian, she only needed to step in when it was actually dangerous, while minor things would be left to the owners to deal with. Next, the residents of her settlement would be given proper relocation in Yeongdo. Lastly, and the most important of the offers, it was the proper explanation of what happened to her and why the owners of Yeongdo were willing to give in to her demands as long as she became their guardian.

The acceptance of the offer led to her learning about her lineage and likely ancestors. Seolhee was a far descendant of a [Cheonho], and the only person who managed to activate her bloodline in this era.

Seolhee was a descendant of a Godly being, and with her guarding Yeongdo, its prosperity and future were more or less secured, not to mention her status as the [Frostbearer], a savior chosen by the guardians of the world.

Seolhee, no, now Lady Seolhee, still had lingering regrets. Unfortunately, with the changes in her body, her temperament followed, allowing her to control her emotions more. Nonetheless, if some of the reasons for these regrets appear, she might end up having an outburst.

Still...

***

"This life isn’t that bad."

Lady Seolhee said while looking at the mirror.

"Did you say something, Lady Seolhee?"

The maid combing Seolhee’s hair heard her muttering, but failed to catch it clearly.

"Nothing, Ah-Young," Lady Seolhee said with a smile. "I’m just reminiscing about things in the past."

"But you look a little sad."

The maid, Ah-Young, replied, looking worried.

"My past is pretty harsh, after all," Seolhee said with a slight laugh. "I never thought I’d have a cute maid comb my hair in the morning."

"I see," Ah-Young nodded. "Don’t worry, Lady Seolhee, this cute maid will always comb your hair whenever you like."

That enthusiastic response sure made Lady Seolhee smile.

"I’ll ask you later, then," Lady Seolhee replied. "For now, just comb it quickly. We still need to meet with the Shin Family’s Guard Leader."

"You don’t have to hurry," Ah-Young said, frowning. "It’s their honour to meet you, Lady Seolhee."

"Don’t be arrogant, Ah-Young." Lady Seolhee glanced at her maid. "Park Sang-Hoon is a good person, worthy of respect. And his report might result in us having either a powerful ally or a dangerous enemy. It’s better to address the situation as early as possible."

"My apologies, Lady Seolhee."

The maid apologized and followed her lady’s instructions.

Afterwards, the two headed to the main hall of the temple, where the representatives of the four families were already present, and Park Sang-Hoon and his daughter, Park Yeon-A, had already arrived.