Runaways, Part Two
As I fretted over how to soothe Hyang and Bin’s hurt feelings, I decided for the moment to wait until Cho finished molting.
For arthropods like centipedes and spiders, the moment of molting is when they are at their most vulnerable, so I absolutely had to stand guard.
Until the new shell filled with fluid again and the outside dried hard, their bodies stayed incredibly soft. If anything pressed, bent, or struck them in that state, they would set exactly as they were. Then they would have to live with that deformed shape until the next molt. Even if the next molt fixed it, there was a high chance trouble would strike again. A bent or crushed section often refused to pull free of the old shell, raising the odds of a failed molt—what they called molt failure. An arthropod’s body was like a tin can; once dented, the contents inside had a hard time getting out. If they couldn’t shed the shell completely, old cuticle piled on the surface, fluid circulation slowed, and the body started to rot. Seoli had nearly died that way once before. With bodies growing this huge, the chance of failure only climbed higher. I had to watch over him.
—Slurp.
Two of his legs had torn off, so I was a little worried, but Cho pulled completely free of his old shell without a hitch. The legs that emerged from the translucent husk had already regenerated. His body definitely felt bigger too. With every heartbeat his chest swelled; every breath made his whole frame rise and fall in soft, bulging waves. When I stroked him lightly the texture wasn’t the firm, springy shell of a normal centipede—it was soft and moist. All that remained was to let him dry.
I would have to leave for a short while, so I decided to leave Yo-hwa with him. An ordinary adult centipede needed about a day to molt and dry; as a spirit beast Cho might take longer, so I planned to prepare for spending the night right here. I gazed a moment at Cho sprawled in the grass, already starting to dry himself, then asked Yo-hwa for the favor.
“Yo-hwa, big brother’s going to get things ready so we can sleep here. Keep an eye on Cho for me, okay?”
Kishi!
I headed straight for the lodging where Seol-noona and Hwa-eun were resting. I needed to tell them I would be staying the night out here, check on their injuries, and also report where Hyang and Bin had gone. That morning Hwa-eun had sent someone asking if the girls were with me—they had vanished after sleeping beside her. And, if possible, I wanted advice on how to win back two sulking hearts. A woman’s heart was best understood by another woman, after all.
I can handle most things, but how to soothe a sulking heart? I haven’t got a clue.
“Seol-noona, Hwa-eun, I’m coming in.”
When I called from outside Seol-noona’s quarters, welcoming voices answered at once.
“Come in, little brother.”
“Please come in, So-ryong.”
Inside, Seol-noona and Hwa-eun sat at the table in comfortable clothes, sipping tea. I had expected them to stay bedridden a few more days, but apparently things weren’t that serious.
Coo-coo!
Coo!
As I approached to greet them, Seoli and Bingi—who had been hugging Bing-ok on the table—launched themselves into my arms.
“Hey, hey, you two. Been good? You didn’t bother Mom while she was hurting, right?”
Coo-coo-coo!
They wagged their plump little tails like puppies. Seoli’s tail had only grown back halfway, but reclaiming its old length was only a matter of time. I scratched under their chins while they clung to my chest and asked the two women,
“Are both of you all right? You’re already up and moving around?”
“Mm, it’s internal damage. My ears are still ringing, though.”
“I’m fine too. The internal injury wasn’t that bad, and the wound’s just a big bruise.”
They seemed well enough for daily life. Relieved, I took an empty seat and told Hwa-eun that Cho had recovered. She had been fretting over him; the good news would cheer her up.
“I just finished regenerating Cho’s lost legs.”
“You regenerated them?”
“Yes. The Flying Divine Snake left a little of its inner core behind. I used that to induce a molt. Legs grow back during molting.”
“Thank goodness. I was so worried when the legs came off. When I saw him hurt, my chest ached worse than my own wounds. This must be how a mother feels when her child comes home injured. From now on I have to grow stronger as a mother. If I can’t protect the children, I don’t deserve to be called one.”
After a brief flash of joy at Cho’s recovery, Hwa-eun poured out her distress and ended with a vow to become stronger. She seemed to believe that, as the mother, she had to protect everyone.
“D-disqualified is a bit much…”
“No. A mother has to be strong!”
She’s getting way too deep into the role-play…
I worried she was overdoing the mommy-and-daddy game, yet her next words made me think diving in headfirst might not be so bad after all. In fact, I decided full immersion would be perfect.
“Husband, you have to get stronger too. You’re the father. Next time we will protect the children, no matter what.”
…This might not be so bad for me either.
She was so deep in the role that she didn’t even notice she had called me “husband.” In this world’s speech, sanggong was something like “my lord husband”—a respectful endearment for one’s man. Hearing a beauty like Hwa-eun say it made the reply leap out of me automatically, as if the word were hard-wired into my genes. Even if she wasn’t my wife yet, the reflex still fired.
“Understood… my wife.”
Beside us Seol-noona wore an utterly dumbfounded expression.
“Haaah?”
At Seol-noona’s flabbergasted reaction, Hwa-eun finally realized what the two of us had just said. Her face flushed scarlet. Still glowing pink, she asked after Hyang and Bin. She had sent someone that morning when they vanished; of course she wanted to know if I had found them.
“By the way, what about Hyang and Bin? So-ryong, since they didn’t come with you, does that mean you couldn’t find them?”
“I found them. They were with Grandfather.”
“With Grandfather? Hyang and Bin?”
Why would they go to Grandfather? I scratched my head and answered.
“Yeah. Looks like they’re sulking at us. I think they figured out the killing-intent story was a lie.”
“R-really!?”
Hwa-eun’s eyes went wide at the news that the children had learned the truth. I imagined this was exactly how a mother looked the day her kids discovered Santa wasn’t real.
“Last night they wandered around and blasted killing intent at the beasts of the Beast Palace. Nothing happened, so they realized we lied.”
“Th-this is serious. The children must have been so hurt.”
Seeing both Hwa-eun and Seol-noona flustered, I asked,
“Do either of you have a good way to soothe their hearts? Last time I barely managed by promising to get them inner cores. This time I don’t even have a clue.”
“Hmm…”
Hwa-eun rested her chin in her hand, thinking hard.
“Maybe if we just leave them alone it’ll blow over?”
“And if it doesn’t, Seol-noona?”
“Surely not. They’re just a little disappointed right now.”
“You think so?”
“Of course.”
Seol-noona made light of it, saying time would fix everything, but a parent’s heart couldn’t rest that easily. I pressed for a method.
“Seol-noona, how do you usually cheer yourself up when you’re upset? No—how did Father soothe you when your feelings were hurt?”
“Huh? Me? Well… I’m different, aren’t I? Those kids are centipedes, after all… For me, a good piece of meat always fixed my mood…”
“Meat? Food, huh…”
While we were talking, a servant’s voice floated in from outside.
“Young Miss, a guest has arrived.”
“A guest?”
Seol-noona called back, sounding as if no one should be visiting an injured woman. Then an unexpected name came through the door.
“Lord Changryong has come to call.”
“Changryong?”
Seol-noona and Hwa-eun exchanged glances. Seol-noona frowned slightly.
“Tell him it is improper for a man to visit a lady’s private quarters.”
She and Changryong weren’t especially close, and inviting him into her rooms would break etiquette. Besides, Geombong had thrown herself into the path of a spear to save him; Seol-noona probably worried he still harbored feelings and wanted to refuse him on that ground alone.
Don’t tell me that dense idiot still hasn’t noticed?
He had dragged his injured body here for a sick call. Just as I wondered whether he truly remained oblivious to Geombong’s heart, Changryong’s voice rose outside.
“S-So-ryong, young hero, help me! They said you were here so I came looking!”
Hwa-eun’s and Seol-noona’s eyes swung to me. At the sudden plea I blinked. The voice sounded desperately urgent; I needed to go out.
I opened the door. Changryong waited, face pale as a sheet. He clutched my pant leg and begged in a pleading tone.
“P-please help me, So-ryong!”
Because his neck bone had cracked, I had wrapped it with Yo-hwa’s silk; he stood stiff as a board while he clung to me.
“Calm yourself, Changryong. I need to hear the reason first if I’m going to—”
When I said I couldn’t help without knowing why, he answered with an expression of pure disbelief.
“G-Geombong, Geombong!”
“Is Young Lady Geombong’s condition that grave!?”
I had heard her internal organs were damaged, so I knew she was badly hurt, but it sounded as if recovery might be impossible. Fearing she was at death’s door, I hauled him upright.
“If it’s that urgent we should call Mandokshin-gun Grandfather and the Beast Palace physicians—”
Then came the absurd reply.
“Geombong says she… she likes me!”
“?”
“G-Geombong says she likes me, and I have no idea what to do! Young hero So-ryong, even though you’re younger you’re the… the experienced one, so p-please help me!”
I had thought Geombong was dying. Instead he wanted love advice. I had to slam a hand on my own thigh to stop the soccer kick that nearly launched itself.
What the hell am I supposed to do with this guy?
While I was still scrambling for words, the door flew open and Seol-noona strode out, face alight with glee.
“You came to the right place. Of course we’ll help.”
“N-no, I came for Young Hero So-ryong—”
She simply grabbed the flustered Changryong and dragged him inside. Other people’s romance stories clearly sparked her curiosity.
“S-so, when I heard Geombong had woken, I stopped by her rooms just to check how she was. I couldn’t help asking why she had taken the spear meant for me.
“And then she looked at me like I was the biggest fool alive and let out a long sigh.”
I had expected a fun romance story; instead it felt like force-feeding myself sweet-potato purée. My chest tightened, but I held on and asked,
“So what did she say? Geombong.”
“After the sigh she turned the question back on me.”
“Changryong, why do you think I did it?”
“As a friend? Or as a comrade who shared a secret mission?”
—Thwack!
“Guh—! Why throw a wooden pillow at me!”
He had only answered with the thoughts he already held; the pillow still smacked him square in the forehead. While he rubbed the sore spot and protested, Geombong muttered, embarrassed,
“Y-you idiot! Isn’t it obvious? I can’t watch the person I like die right in front of me…”
“Like? Who likes whom? Geombong… likes me?”
When he asked again in pure bewilderment she exploded.
“G-get out! You moron! I should have just let you die! Ugh…”
“And that was how you got thrown out?”
“Y-yes.”
The atmosphere turned icy once the whole story was out. Hwa-eun and Seol-noona proceeded to tear into Changryong right to his face.
“Truly pathetic. How can he be so different from our So-ryong? That pillow should have been a flying dagger and ended him on the spot…”
“Right. And it should have been coated in poison too.”
Changryong’s spirit visibly wilted under their words, so I first calmed Seol-noona and Hwa-eun before pressing him further. I wanted to add my own barbs, of course, but held back.
“Both of you, please settle down. Save the scolding until the story’s finished. All right—what exactly do you want help with? You already received a confession. I don’t see what more I can do.”
Changryong fidgeted and answered,
“I’ve never had a woman confess to me before… Wh-what am I supposed to do!? P-please help me, So-ryong!”
He had the confession in hand yet had no idea how to respond. I asked him straight,
“Do you like Geombong?”
He looked startled, thought for a long time, then shook his head.
“I… I don’t know either.”
The sudden confession had clearly thrown him. I grabbed his arm and pulled him along. We had crossed the line between life and death together; I couldn’t just leave him floundering. He felt a bit like a dense younger brother.
“Then let’s confirm that first.”
“C-confirm?”
I took him to the spot where Yo-hwa was still watching Cho’s shell dry. Carefully I made my request.
“Yo-hwa, I know you won’t like this, but could you take just a little of this mister’s yang energy and tell us who he thinks is the most beautiful woman?”
Kishit!? Kishishishishi!
She clearly hated the idea, but after I begged a few times she reluctantly nipped the back of Changryong’s hand, her expression pure distaste. Yo-hwa’s form—still wearing Hwa-eun’s face—slowly shifted into Geombong’s.
Apparently one confession was enough for a quick-faller like him; his ideal beauty had already changed.
“Th-this is…”
I explained to the stunned Changryong,
“Yo-hwa can take the shape of whatever woman the man whose yang energy she tastes finds most beautiful. Since she became Geombong after tasting yours, we can safely say you like her.”
“H-how is that possible! So I… I liked Geombong all along!”
He spoke as if it were someone else’s story. I smacked him on the back.
—Slap!
“A man who’s received a confession ought to go give his answer, don’t you think?”
Changryong nodded. As he started toward the lodging I called after him,
“That’s three times I’ve saved your life.”
He nodded again, offered a grateful clasped-fist salute, and quickened his steps.
Still, this is no time for me to be standing around.
Watching him disappear, my thoughts returned to Hyang and Bin. Changryong’s interruption had made me forget them for a moment.
“First I should visit Grandfather and check the kids’ mood.”
I fed Yo-hwa a little yang energy so she returned to Hwa-eun’s appearance, then prepared to go find Grandfather. That was when—
—Thud.
Something caught my foot. Looking down I saw the shed skin Cho had left behind, and Seol-noona’s earlier words floated back into my mind.
For me, a good piece of meat always fixed my mood…
Cho’s molt still carried the aura of the Flying Centipede. Wouldn’t that shell hold the same energy? And if they ate it, could they absorb it? Centipedes sometimes ate their own shed skins after molting, after all.
Could this be it…?