A Letter from Baek Sun-Ho
(found tucked inside a travel-worn notebook, pages marked by ash, pressed leaves, and dried ink)
To those who've walked alongside us—seen, unseen, and those watching from beyond the page,
There are many things I'm good at: remembering formations, controlling qi flow, enduring pain. Writing letters isn't one of them. But this feels… necessary. Like taking a deep breath after a long climb.
Season 1 ends here.
When I first opened my eyes in this life, I carried only regret. It weighed more than steel. I remembered fire devouring everything. Choices I made too late. People I couldn't protect. And a blade that remembered my hands, even when I didn't deserve to wield it.
I didn't plan to return to the world. I planned to observe from the sidelines. To stay small. Quiet. Harmless.
Then I met So-Ri, who saw through masks with terrifying ease. Ma-Rok, who fought with his heart louder than his hammer. Yul-Rin, whose poisons were sharp but her loyalty sharper. Ji-Mun, who somehow made me laugh even when I didn't want to. And Yeon… a boy whose silence echoed my own.
And Master Jang Cheol-Oh, who pretended to guide us with tea and riddles but carried more weight than he let on.
I didn't deserve any of them. I still wonder if I do. But the truth is: they've changed the path. I've changed because of them.
We've fought cultists in the dark, sidestepped sect politics, and stared down monsters both human and otherwise. I've been called a ghost, a myth, a masked sovereign, a heretic. But they don't know me.
Not yet.
I am Baek Sun-Ho. I was a sword. Now I'm trying to be something more.
Not to prove I'm worthy.
But to ensure no one else has to carry what I did in the life before.
To the readers—whether you've followed every step or just glimpsed us through the trees—thank you. Your presence is felt. Every time a chapter is read, it feels like someone lighting a lantern along the path.
This isn't just my journey anymore. It's yours too.
As we step into Season 2, the world will change. Factions will rise. Betrayals will cut deeper. Past lives will whisper louder. I will grow stronger, yes—but strength without clarity is just another weapon waiting to be misused.
So I promise this:
I will not rush.
I will not burn blindly.
And I will not walk alone.
Even when storms gather, even when choices tear at the heart—I will protect those beside me. Even if the path costs everything.
After all… this time, I got a second chance.
And I won't waste it.
With steady breath and open hands,
—Baek Sun-Ho
P.S. If you see Ji-Mun's cooking in future chapters, don't eat it. Even fire and lightning can't purify ghost pepper lotus stew.
P.P.S. Thank you, truly. For reading. For remembering. For walking with us.
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