Chapter 446: If You Insist... Would You Like to Touch It Once?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 446: If You Insist... Would You Like to Touch It Once?
"Anything at all!"
Kang Ha-yoon emphasized her point once more, trying to persuade Sun-woo. Her eyes were filled with a fierce determination to repay her debt of gratitude no matter what.
As expected... she really is the type who can't stand being in someone's debt.
Seeing this, Sun-woo allowed a faint smile to play on his lips. He felt a sense of satisfaction seeing her act exactly as she did in the original work.
Right, let’s clear that emotional debt for her.
Sun-woo decided he would help lift the burden weighing on her heart.
"Anything?" Sun-woo asked, quickly wiping the smile from his face and replacing it with an incredibly serious expression.
"Yes! An-y-thing."
At his question, Kang Ha-yoon’s eyes sparkled with intensity as she spoke.
"Since you put it that way, I suppose I have no choice."
"Yes... please, tell me..." Kang Ha-yoon opened her mouth, her face full of anticipation.
"Then I shall receive it in cash."
"Pardon!?"
"Ten thousand Nyang should be sufficient."
"..............."
Upon hearing Sun-woo’s words, Kang Ha-yoon fell into a stunned silence. It was an answer completely different from what she had expected.
"Is it... only... ten thousand Nyang?"
"Yes, that much is plenty."
Sun-woo nodded with a satisfied expression. He thought it was a fairly reasonable solution. Ten thousand Nyang wouldn't be a particularly burdensome amount for her—after all, she was the Hall Master of the Phoenix Unit, one of the Cheonmu Alliance's elite forces, and the second wife of Lee Jae-won.
Besides, wasn't it great that he could pocket some personal spending money? Although the Tang Clan was overflowing with wealth, he had to submit a justification report whenever he wanted to use funds for personal reasons. While they usually gave it to him without fuss, he hated the feeling of having every cent he spent monitored and reported.
In such a situation, receiving ten thousand Nyang from Kang Ha-yoon would provide him with a nice little secret fund. How could he not be satisfied? Kang Ha-yoon could settle her life-debt for a bargain price, and he could line his own pockets.
Sun-woo was certain that Kang Ha-yoon would be satisfied with these terms as well.
"Um... Young Master."
Kang Ha-yoon called out to him cautiously.
"Yes, go ahead."
"Unfortunately, I have no money. From the moment my exile was decided, all my assets were seized..."
Currently, her entire fortune was under seizure. Because the extent of her alleged bribery and embezzlement was unknown, a full-scale investigation had been launched.
"Then I'll just put it on your tab. You can pay me back whenever you have some spare funds."
Sun-woo waved his hand dismissively. He hadn't really intended to take the money in the first place. It didn't matter when she paid him. It was merely a nominal amount to settle the life-debt.
"............."
Hearing this, Kang Ha-yoon’s fine brows furrowed slightly. A wave of annoyance washed over her at the situation turning out so differently from what she had envisioned.
...This isn't how it's supposed to go.
Reality was far too different from her dreams.
"B-but..." Kang Ha-yoon tried to continue.
"Ah, don't worry about interest. Since this isn't a loan, we'll say there's no interest."
But Sun-woo cut her off. With that, the situation was finalized: her life-debt was to be written off for a mere ten thousand Nyang.
Ah...
She wore a look of blank dismay. She was disappointed that things weren't going at all the way she had hoped.
"No... Young Master Jang!"
Just as she was about to say more out of lingering regret—
Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble!
Suddenly, the sound of the soup in the pot boiling over erupted.
"Oops, looks like I let it boil too long."
Sun-woo immediately turned around. He quickly pulled the pot off the fire and began to stir the contents slowly.
"Fortunately, it doesn't seem to have burned."
Sun-woo spoke with a bright, innocent expression.
"..........."
Watching him, Kang Ha-yoon bit her lip. Seeing his pure smile, she felt a surge of shame for trying to "taint" a young man who held such genuine goodwill with her own lewd thoughts.
What on earth... was I... thinking?
Whoosh.
In an instant, Kang Ha-yoon’s face turned bright red. She had confused dreams with reality and harbored ugly, dirty thoughts—and toward a young man much younger than herself, no less. How could she not feel ashamed?
Ugh... ugh... ugh...
Tap, tap.
"Hall Master, I think it's ready to eat now. Come over here."
Sun-woo called her over, patting the floor. In his hand was a bowl with steam rising from it, giving off a savory aroma that made her mouth water involuntarily.
"N-no... I... I'm..."
Kang Ha-yoon waved her hands in refusal. She felt that being near him would only double her embarrassment.
Grumbleeeee!
However, her tactless stomach betrayed her. It let out a sound loud enough to echo through the entire hut.
Whoosh.
Kang Ha-yoon’s already red face deepened into an even darker crimson. She was overcome with mortification.
"Come here."
Sun-woo spoke with a slight smile. He found her reaction quite adorable.
"......Okay."
Hearing him, Kang Ha-yoon hung her head low and moved slowly toward him. Though she was so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into, she realized she needed to fill her stomach first.
Soon, the two of them began their meal.
Slurp.
"Ah... it's delicious."
After taking a sip of the broth, Kang Ha-yoon let out a cry of admiration. The soup Sun-woo gave her was far tastier than she had expected.
"It's probably because of the meat. Generally, it's hard for anything with meat in it to taste bad."
"Meat? Where did you suddenly get meat from?"
Kang Ha-yoon asked, looking curious.
"On my way to fetch water, I saw a mountain rabbit. So, I snatched it up."
Sun-woo made a playful chopping motion with his hand as he spoke.
"So this is rabbit soup?"
Kang Ha-yoon pointed at her bowl.
"You could say that... Ah, do you perhaps not eat rabbit?"
"No... it's not that I can't eat it... it's just my first time."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. If I’d known it was this delicious, I would have tried it sooner."
Kang Ha-yoon spoke with a beautiful smile.
"I'm glad you like it."
Seeing her smile, Sun-woo looked satisfied. To a cook, the greatest compliment is being told the food is delicious. That single phrase instantly washes away all the hassle and tediousness of the cooking process. Furthermore, it triggers a surge of positive emotions and satisfaction—enough to make one want to do it all over again.
Sun-woo was no different. Hearing her praise, he felt a deep sense of contentment.
"By the way, how did you do it?"
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Kang Ha-yoon spoke with a serious expression.
"Do what?"
"I mean Salhon."
She asked out of pure curiosity. She wanted to know how Sun-woo had dealt with him. Salhon had the ability to hop between bodies. That meant he could essentially resurrect endlessly, no matter how many times he was killed. She was dying to know how he had handled such a foe.
"Ah, that guy."
Sun-woo nodded in understanding.
"He's over there."
Sun-woo pointed toward a corner of the hut. Kang Ha-yoon followed his finger and saw it: a large burlap sack that looked as if a person were stuffed inside.
"That... burlap sack?"
"Yes. Luckily, it seems a hunter left some things behind. I was quite fortunate."
"Did you subdue him and put him in there?"
"Yes. Since he just resurrects if I kill him, I figured I might as well keep him alive and torment him instead."
Sun-woo spoke with a mischievous, boyish grin.
"That certainly is the most appropriate method for someone who resurrects constantly."
Kang Ha-yoon nodded. She agreed that Sun-woo’s approach was correct. If someone was going to keep coming back to take your life, it was better to suppress them and keep them alive.
"But why is the sack over his head?"
"Because he’s become quite hideous to look at," Sun-woo replied calmly.
"Hideous?"
"I slipped him some poison to break his mind, and he turned into something resembling a total wreck."
Sun-woo explained, recalling Salhon’s transformed state. Trapped in a cycle of unimaginable agony, Salhon had undergone significant physical changes. Not only was he soiling himself, but most of his hair had fallen out, and he had become skin and bones—a truly gruesome sight. Sun-woo had stuffed him in the sack simply because he didn't want Kang Ha-yoon to have to see such a thing.
"I... I see."
"Do you want to see?"
"No! That's quite alright... Based on your description, I don't particularly want to see him."
After hearing Sun-woo’s detailed explanation, Kang Ha-yoon shook her head vigorously in refusal.
"A wise choice. Honestly, it's not a sight one should see while eating."
Sun-woo spoke with a playful look.
"Just the description alone... is making me lose my appetite..."
"Then I'll eat the rest myself."
Sun-woo said, reaching for the pot.
Grab.
Kang Ha-yoon quickly grabbed Sun-woo’s hand.
"........I said... I was losing my appetite... I didn't say... I wasn't going to eat."
She mumbled, looking embarrassed.
"Understood. Let's eat together."
Seeing her like that, a bright smile spread across Sun-woo’s face. Her cute behavior naturally brought a warm smile to his lips.
Why is this married woman so cute?
And so, the two of them sat around the pot and shared the meal amicably, engaging in pleasant conversation.
*
"I think I'm full now."
Sun-woo spoke with a satisfied smile. The feeling of fullness brought him a sense of contentment.
"Me too... I couldn't eat another bite."
Kang Ha-yoon added with a clear laugh. Being full made her feel a natural sense of happiness.
"I hope I don't end up gaining weight like this."
Sun-woo said, patting his stomach.
"Weight? Young Master Jang, where on earth do you have any fat?"
Kang Ha-yoon glanced at Sun-woo’s midsection. Far from fat, all she could see were rock-solid abdominal muscles.
"If anything, I'm the one who should be worried about gaining weight."
Kang Ha-yoon looked down at her own lower belly.
"Oh, come now. Where would a Hall Master like you have any fat?"
Sun-woo waved off her concern. No matter how he looked at her, he saw nothing but a slender waist and firm abs. Why was she worried about gaining weight?
"Young Master Jang... you just don't know... For a woman... what you see on the outside isn't everything."
Kang Ha-yoon blushed with embarrassment.
"I know that, but no matter how I look at it, you seem very slim, Hall Master."
"......It's troublesome that you won't believe me."
Kang Ha-yoon looked troubled.
"That's what people call 'deceptive.' If a woman who is actually overweight heard you, she’d feel so discouraged."
"Deceptive? I'm just saying what I feel..."
Kang Ha-yoon protested, feeling wronged.
"In my eyes, it's deception. If other women heard you, they’d probably throw stones at you."
Sun-woo spoke with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"It's true... unlike before... as I get older... I suppose you'd call it 'middle-age spread'... my skin has started to sag a bit and it just won't go away."
Kang Ha-yoon stammered, hesitating.
Pinch.
"Look... see? You can... grab it like this..."
She pinched her side slightly as she spoke.
"Oh, that's just skin. It's not fat."
"No... it's fat. It's not just skin; I can feel something filling it out."
"Is that so? Hmm... it looks like just skin to me..."
Sun-woo looked at the spot she was pinching with a skeptical expression. It looked far too thin to be called fat. He simply couldn't see it as such.
"If you insist... would you like to touch it once?"
"Pardon!?"
"Since you keep doubting me... wouldn't you know for sure if you touched it yourself?"
"...........No... even so... putting my hand on your body is a bit..."
Sun-woo looked flustered. Even if they had become closer, direct physical contact felt burdensome. Moreover, for a woman, the belly was an intimate and private area that they often wanted to hide even more than their chest. How could he possibly go around touching Kang Ha-yoon there?
"No..... I want you to touch it."
Hearing Sun-woo’s hesitation, Kang Ha-yoon spoke while blushing deeply. She looked incredibly shy.
"Excuse me?"
Sun-woo looked even more bewildered. What was she saying? She wanted him to touch her?
"That way... it will be proven... that I... was right."
She spoke, her face full of embarrassment.
"No... I believe you... I'll believe you..."
"No... I can't accept that."
Kang Ha-yoon looked at Sun-woo with a burning intensity in her eyes.