Birthday Eve
Recently, Dokgo Rin had been in an obviously good mood. If she used to give off a sharp, prickly vibe, now her personality had softened considerably. The odds were high that I was the reason. After suffering because of me for so long, finally having her feelings accepted must have cleared away two years’ worth of pent-up frustration in one go. The change in her heart was so obvious that even strangers could tell something major had shifted. A lot of people close to us asked me about it, but I played dumb as best I could. The moment it became public knowledge that Dokgo Rin and I were dating, her overprotective father, Dokgo Jin, might come for my head immediately. For now, we had to keep our relationship secret.
“Chilbok-ah, aah~”
“M-Miss. I don’t think it’s a good idea to act so affectionate inside the house.”
“Aah~”
“…I said, please don’t ignore me.”
Even as I spoke, I reluctantly accepted the walnut Dokgo Rin held out to me. It tasted good, but honestly I was nervous the entire time. If anyone saw us like this, we’d be in serious trouble.
“By the way, Chilbok-ah, why did you go back to calling me ‘Miss’? I told you to just call me Rin when we’re alone.”
“Because I spend most of the day here. I’m afraid I’ll slip up in front of other people.”
“Then just tell them we’re dating.”
“I still don’t want to get fired from my perfectly decent job.”
“Hmph.”
Dokgo Rin crossed her arms and radiated an entire aura of Hmph! I’m sulking! I looked at her awkwardly for a moment, then let out a small sigh.
“Don’t be mad. Rin.”
“Chilbok-ah! I love you so much!”
Like flipping a switch, Dokgo Rin immediately clung to me with her whole body.
“Miss, could you please give me a little space?”
“Why?”
“If you keep pressing against me like that… it gets difficult for me.”
When I scooted my hips back awkwardly, Dokgo Rin seemed to catch on. A catlike smile spread across her face.
“Pervert♡”
“No, I’m telling you, this is an involuntary reaction.”
I sighed again. Dokgo Rin just shrugged and admitted she was teasing. To clear the suddenly charged atmosphere, I changed the subject.
“Anyway, tomorrow’s your birthday. Is everything ready for the coming-of-age ceremony?”
“Yeah. Mother and the maids have been teaching me well, so I think it’ll be fine.”
“That’s a relief. It only happens once in a lifetime. We can’t afford any mistakes.”
“I’ll make sure it goes perfectly, so don’t worry. You know, Chilbok-ah, sometimes you really act like a mom.”
“Hahaha. Then I guess it’s nice to have two mothers, right?”
I’d meant it as a joke, but Dokgo Rin’s expression turned dead serious.
“Chilbok-ah. Even coming from you, that’s a bit much.”
“…Yes. I’m sorry.”
I apologized immediately. Guess that kind of joke was still too early for this era.
In the morning I helped Dokgo Rin with her “self-defense training” (which was really just an excuse for martial arts practice), and in the afternoon I assisted the other servants with preparations for the next day’s coming-of-age ceremony. The coming-of-age ceremony is a Confucian ritual that marks a child becoming a full-fledged adult, so it’s a custom spread throughout East Asia. The age at which it’s held varies by region and era, but in the world of The Heavenly Poison Witch it takes place on the day a person turns fourteen. The author probably just didn’t feel like researching actual Chinese customs and threw something together. Whatever.
Since my birthday came before Rin’s, I’d already gone through a simple version with Elder Eom Baek-hyeon’s help—bowing before my parents’ memorial tablets and pouring a bowl of water. Truthfully, grand coming-of-age ceremonies are mostly for wealthy families. For poor commoners like me, it’s usually just a day for the family to cook something tasty and share it. Not that I had any family. In the end I just quietly made myself some seaweed soup.
“Chilbok-ah! Can you move that table over here?”
“Yes!”
I lifted the table in one smooth motion at Gyeong-a’s request. The other maids working nearby began whispering among themselves in awe.
“Chilbok’s seriously built. Look at those veins popping on his forearms.”
“And those abs that keep flashing every time he moves something?”
“My husband’s been so weak lately.”
“I wonder how he is in bed?”
The aunties’ shameless bedroom talk flowed out as easily as breathing. My face turned bright red, and Gyeong-a, who had been watching, stepped in.
“Shoo! Shoo! Stop teasing our innocent Chilbok and get back to work!”
The group of women scattered like they’d been physically pushed away.
“Thanks for stepping in for me.”
I expressed my gratitude right away. Gyeong-a shrugged.
“You’ve helped me out with so many things before. This much is only natural.”
She looked around, then rubbed her chin between her thumb and forefinger.
“I’ve been decorating since morning, but it still feels like something’s missing. What do you think, Chilbok-ah?”
“I’m not sure…”
“No, no. Sometimes the person who knows nothing catches the core issue better. So open your eyes wide and take a good look.”
At her persistent request, I reluctantly surveyed the ancestral hall where the ceremony would be held tomorrow.
“Hmm. How about placing a large jar in that empty space over there? The hall is huge, but there aren’t many objects in it, so it feels a bit too empty.”
“Oh! That makes sense! I’ll do that right away!”
Gyeong-a immediately flagged down a male servant passing by and asked him to bring two decorative jars to the front of the hall. Her ability to turn an opinion into action instantly was honestly terrifying.
“Oh, that reminds me, Chilbok-ah. Did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“I’m quitting my maid position after tomorrow.”
“Suddenly?!”
My eyes widened. Gyeong-a smiled bashfully.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I can’t work here forever, and I’m getting older. It’s about time I find a decent man and settle down.”
“What about the second young master? If you asked, he might take you as a concubine.”
Gyeong-a waved her hand with a serious expression.
“No way. He’s not my type. I was his exclusive maid back when he was attending the academy, so I’ve seen every ugly side of him there is. Even if he’s reformed now that he’s met his wife, would you really like someone who could go off the rails at any moment?”
…It seemed Dokgo Seok’s evaluation from Gyeong-a was pretty low. I wondered what exactly had happened in the past.
“So I’m going to retire cleanly and return to my hometown. My little sibling is old enough to take care of themselves now, so I don’t have to keep working as a maid.”
“Oh right, you mentioned you had a sibling around my age. How old are they?”
“They turn fourteen this year. Same age as you and the young miss.”
Gyeong-a suddenly stopped talking and stared at me intently.
“It would be nice if my sibling could be even half as good as you, Chilbok-ah.”
“Huh? You think that highly of me?”
“Well… if it weren’t for the young miss, I might have kidnapped you as husband material and taken you back to my hometown?”
She looked at me with eyes that carried a hint of genuine expectation. …Was this her way of confessing?
While I was still processing it, Gyeong-a suddenly stuck her tongue out and said, “Just kidding.”
“What? So it was a joke.”
I let out a sigh of relief and patted my chest. Gyeong-a looked slightly offended.
“Even if it was a joke, that kind of reaction hurts your big sister’s feelings, you know?”
“It’s not that I dislike you. It’s just that I’m already seeing someone.”
Her eyes sparkled instantly.
“Who?! Is it the young miss?! Or someone else?!”
“It’s a secret. If I tell you, I feel like the whole neighborhood will know by tomorrow.”
“Aww~ I’m quitting after tomorrow anyway, so what’s the big deal? Just whisper it to me.”
She started tickling my sides with both hands.
“Ahaha! Ahahahaha! Stop! I’m really weak to tickling!”
“Take that! Is this the spot? Is this a good spot?!”
“Ahahahahahat! I said stop! Seriously!”
We were making a ruckus when a familiar voice came from behind us.
“Chilbok-ah?”
Both Gyeong-a and I froze like statues.
“I came by because I was curious how the preparations were going… but what exactly is this situation?”
Dokgo Rin stared at us with eyes darker than an abyss. Still rigid as if I’d become a mouse in front of a cat, I spoke in a hurry.
“Miss! There’s a perfectly good explanation for this!”
Gyeong-a was the same.
“Chilbok is right! We were just playing around!”
Dokgo Rin’s gaze moved to Gyeong-a’s hands, which were still on my sides.
“Ah! Sorry!”
Gyeong-a snatched her hands back in panic.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, Miss, but this is a huge misunderstanding. Gyeong-a and I are just close like real siblings.”
Dokgo Rin smiled only with her eyes, her mouth remaining straight.
“There’s no such thing as ‘just friends’ between a man and a woman.”
She’s gone full yandere!
After that, it took a very long time to clear up Dokgo Rin’s misunderstanding while her obsession switch was fully flipped. If Dokgo Seok hadn’t shown up at the perfect moment to take Gyeong-a away, it probably would have taken even longer.
After a day full of all sorts of chaos, the morning of her birthday finally dawned.