The Love That Remains

Bae Ri Na squints her eyes. She's standing on the cliff. There are enormous mountains in front of her. The tips of the mountains are surrounded by fog. She tugs the red string tied around her pinkie finger. Nothing happens. She can feel Reis' presence on the other end of the string, but there is nothing else.

Where did he send her in anger?

"You are the new challenger?"

She turns around and looks at the man dressed in blue robes. If she hadn't been obsessing over Reis for years, she would have fallen hard for this man's looks.

He smiles at her politely and says, "You are here to train as the sage?"

"Sage?" Bae Ri Na doesn't remember doing anything like that. After receiving training from her uncle Sung Jun, She did cross hell to become an immortal. After that, she has been chasing Reis. She didn't plan to come to heaven or go to the devil's world. Just like Choi Min Ho, being immortal has been enough for her.

"There are ten perfections of the sages that you must master. The ten perfections are generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation, wisdom, skills, resolution, strength, and knowledge" The man activates his professional mode and explains it to the challenger. "If you cross all the eight mountains of perfections, you will become a 10th rank sage and become eligible for the test to become a god. If you receive heaven's approval, you might even become a god."

Bae Ri Na can already imagine that she's going to fail. "What if I want to quit?"

"We cannot stop you from quitting, but you will end up with the rank of an angel." The man looks down at the paper. "In that case, you will start working right away under the will of heaven."

"Wait." Bae Ri Na frowns deeply. "Why would I work for heaven? I want to go back on earth."

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"That's not possible." The man shakes his head lightly. "Ms. Bae, you should have thought about it hard before taking the path of light. If you quit, you will become an angel. Angels cannot go to earth without heaven's permission. If you decide to continue and manage to cross even one mountain, you will get the rank of a sage. Then, you will get the opportunity to go to earth and help mankind."

Bae Ri Na only wants to find Reis. Her mission isn't over yet. They just got married. What about the honey moon? How does she, the newly wife, stay here? But, becoming an angel is not a choice. She must become a sage."

"Tell me the details." Bae Ri Na won't jump into the fire without information. That's what her uncle taught her. "What are the privileges that come with the different ranks?"

"The higher ranks of sage gets the most autonomy."

"So, I am free if I become the 10th rank sage?"

"10th rank sage have nearly the same powers as a minor god." The man stares at her. "Challenger, tell me your decision."

***

At the bottom of the mountain, Bae Ri Na rolls the sleeves. She looks up at the mountain and points at it. "To meet my husband who threw me here to test my love for him, I must overcome you at any cost."

The 10 mountains don't answer her. She grumbles to herself as she climbs the first mountain of generosity.

If she is generous, then the meaning of the word 'generous' is just wrong.

She fails the first climb after 10 minutes.

Angry and hurt, she tries again.

She loses the count of trials.

In the sage realm, the sky is always bright. There is no night. Bae Ri Na thinks about her hellish training. Crossing the mountain is easier than going through that training again.

With determination alone, she reaches the top. She has become generous enough. After all, money is not as important as being with Reis.

The mountain of discipline has been easy. Under Sung Jun's training, she has already mastered discipline.

The mountain of patience? Ha! She has been patient for such a long time for Reis to turn around and look at her. She did make a blunder by forcefully tying the red string of marriage around his neck. This mountain did give her difficulty. She defeats it anyway.

The mountain of exertion, meditation, wisdom, skills, resolution, strength, and knowledge are overcome one by one.

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She arrives at the top of the 10th mountain and laughs like a maniac.

"You have arrived." The man is already there, waiting for her. "Congratulations, you get the title of the 10th rank great sage. You are also eligible for the test to become a god. Your god rank will be decided in the test. Are you willing?"

He looks up and finds the girl gone.

"...?"

Bae Ri Na is already back on earth to find Reis.