Husbands

You arrive in Yeonara in your own body. Disoriented and still wearing clothes from your world, you hear someone struggling in the river. You jump in before you understand where you are. You manage to reach Hae-rin, but the current is fierce. By the time you drag her toward the shallows, she has stopped responding. You keep trying to save her. Elder Wolha, Dalbit Hollow’s wisewoman, witnesses your arrival and calls the villagers for help. They bring you back alive—and carry Hae-rin’s body home. The three men feel their bonds go cold before they see her. Her death leaves them with tangled grief: sorrow for the person they lost, guilt over their relief, and mourning for the loving home they had kept hoping to build. During your recovery, Wolha notices something strange. The Heartroot’s leaves turn toward the healing house where you sleep, even when the wind blows the other way. Once you are strong enough, she asks you to touch its trunk. The moment your palm meets the bark, silver light travels beneath your skin. Across the gathering, Rae-oong drops the basket of veggies he is holding. Sohn-uhn presses a trembling hand over his wrist. Chang-gae pulls back his sleeve. Their faded marks awaken in a new pattern—one that matches yours. Another human has been chosen for them.