Chapter 57
Translator: uly
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Black Thread of Fate - 5
A cold voice from behind instantly sent a chill down my spine.
I haven't done anything wrong, so why do I feel like I've been caught red-handed?
I merely thought about dating, marriage, raising children, and retirement regarding a woman who showed me some friendly words. Isn't that quite common?
It's funny that I even thought her voice was cold. That was just her tone when we first met. I simply thought she had become softer lately compared to when we first met.
"Okbun. You're here."
"I asked what you were doing."
I was being hit on.
Since coming to this world, the only times I've been hunted were by guys trying to take my money, so this feels a bit different.
"I was just having a brief conversation with an audience member who was deeply impressed by my story," I said, instinctively choosing words that could smooth over the situation.
Even as I said it, it felt like the awkward excuse a group leader would make after getting caught by his girlfriend while having an after-party at a bar with a female group member. Brother, you shouldn't do that at a cheap pub near the school; you should've gone somewhere with a better atmosphere.
Thanks to that, I drank two beers without any snacks.
"That's not it."
Cheon So-hee looked at me, raising her eyes slightly. I thought she'd softened up lately, but today her gaze felt particularly sharp.
I didn't lie. She was so impressed she wanted to have dinner together.
And if you heard everything, then just don't ask.
I have nothing to feel guilty about, but being in a situation where I have to make excuses is quite awkward.
"Hmm. Your lover?"
The woman who had been watching me and Cheon So-hee let out a strange, knowing laugh as she looked up at me and asked.
"Ah! She's my client."
"Lover?"
The woman ignored my answer and this time asked Cheon So-hee.
"... She's my client," Cheon So-hee said after staring at me silently for a while before answering the woman's question.
"Hmm. So that's your relationship for now."
The woman smiled meaningfully at Cheon So-hee.
Seeing that smile, Cheon So-hee's cheek twitched momentarily.
"It's dangerous. Step back."
Cheon So-hee drew her sword, sheath and all, and pushed the woman back with the scabbard.
"Hoho. What could be so dangerous, I wonder?" The woman obediently stepped back from the scabbard but continued to smile at Cheon So-hee.
"Okbun. This is impolite." We're at a stage where we could have dinner together, brother. A second and third round aren't confirmed yet, but with luck, we could make history tonight.
"..."
After creating distance from the woman, Cheon So-hee stared intently at me.
What's wrong? At least tell me why.
"Nothing is uglier than the jealousy of a plain woman," the woman remarked, watching our standoff.
Jealousy? Who? The Heaven-Slaying Star?
This woman has gotten the wrong idea, and it's a big one.
Cheon So-hee's current disguised face, Okbun's face, is the kind of plain face you'd find in class 1, class 2, and class 5 of a girls' high school. So ordinary it probably wouldn't even stick in your memory.
She probably thinks Cheon So-hee is jealous because she showed up as a rival where she and I have something going on.
What a colossal misunderstanding.
"I'm sorry. It's not with ill intent; she's just a friend who isn't yet familiar with the culture here."
"It's fine, Gongja. I'm quite familiar with the jealousy of plain women. So, how about dinner tonight? Of course, leaving the nuisance behind..."
The woman glanced at Cheon So-hee briefly, then smiled slyly at me as she spoke.
Of course, sounds good.
But what about Cheon So-hee?
Should I say, 'Brother has an urgent matter, go inside first'?
Or, if you're bored alone, brother can teach you a fun game.
Bondage abandonment play, perhaps?
"You."
Before I could answer, Cheon So-hee called out to the woman.
"Huh? What is it, cli.ent?"
"You have a husband."
Unexpected words came from her mouth.
"Wh-what kind of strange talk is that?"
The woman's relaxed face crumpled for the first time.
Really? Judging by her reaction, it seems true.
"I saw you a few days ago. You came with your husband."
"You must have seen someone else. This is my first time here today."
"An old man with gray hair. That's your husband, right? I saw him calling you 'wife' next to you, but you were only looking at Yun-ho."
"Hohoho. Gongja, this woman is so jealous she's talking nonsense. Let's just leave the nuisance..."
"Get lost."
"Eek!"
At Cheon So-hee's single word, the woman's complexion instantly turned pale. Did she unleash her killing intent? Why would she unleash the kind of killing intent that even the likes of the great hero Yun would be startled by on a civilian?
"I-I'll go now!"
In the end, the woman hurriedly turned and ran away.
If it wasn't true, you could've at least left your contact information.
Contrary to my wishes, the woman disappeared without looking back.
Farewell. I even thought about marrying you. Damn it.
"Yun-ho."
As I was regretfully watching the direction the woman disappeared, Cheon So-hee called me.
"Huh?"
"Let's go."
Cheon So-hee said that and started walking in the opposite direction from where the woman had vanished.
"So-hee! We have to go that way!" We'll have to take a detour if we go that way.
Throughout the evening, Cheon So-hee was strangely in a low mood.
"Haejangguk is here!"
Even when Jeomso-i placed the hangover soup before us with a smiling face, Cheon So-hee didn't pick up her spoon.
Maybe I should've ordered tteokbokki instead of soup. But you had tteokbokki for lunch, didn't you?
You need a hearty soup for dinner.
"Thanks to you today, So-hee, I narrowly avoided a major crisis."
To lift Cheon So-hee's mood even a little, I said something I didn't really mean.
"..."
Cheon So-hee silently looked at me.
Is this not enough?
"How could a woman with a husband do such a vulgar thing? If you hadn't told me, things could have gotten really messy."
I almost ended up making a child.
"That woman. Actually. Came three times."
"Three times?"
"Once with her husband. Once with another man. Today."
Wow. Madame has quite the wandering eye. Was her husband away?
"Huh. What has the world come to? Do you remember all the audience members, So-hee?"
"I only remember people with suspicious movements."
Does a woman who swaps men count as having suspicious movements?
Well, as an assassin accustomed to fake identities, a situation where the party changes unusually would probably stick in her memory.
"Haha. I didn't know you paid that much attention, So-hee."
"I said I'd be a guard warrior."
It seems Cheon So-hee's idea of guard duty is broader than I thought. So that's why she shows up late every time after the performance ends.
"Thanks to you, So-hee, I can do my storytelling work with peace of mind every time. Thank you so much."
I bowed my head slightly with an admiring expression.
"Mm."
Perhaps feeling a bit better from my thanks, Cheon So-hee started eating her soup.
Relieved by the sight, I also picked up my spoon.
By the way, the hangover soup here isn't great.
Next time, we should go to an inn that serves premium hangover soup.
------
"Yun-ho."
As we entered the room, Cheon So-hee, sitting on the edge of the bed, called me.
"Huh?"
"Is this face ugly?"
Cheon So-hee pointed to her disguised face, Okbun's face, as she spoke.
"Are you asking because of what that woman said today?"
"Just asking."
"It's a plain face, I guess. If I had to say, it might be on the slightly ugly side. But it's a disguised face, so does it matter?"
About a 4 out of 10. An ordinary face that wouldn't stick in your memory.
"How about this?"
She covered one of her eyes briefly with her hand and slightly altered her face.
"Your eyes got a bit bigger. Definitely, that level is plain, no, it seems okay."
It feels like getting subtly prettier from a discount procedure at a mediocre plastic surgery clinic during college entrance exam season.
How much did you pay for that? You paid that much? Just go to Gangnam. That kind of feeling.
It was still an ordinary woman you wouldn't remember if you passed by, but her impression had improved somewhat.
"Then I'll go around like this from now on."
"Sure."
It wasn't a major issue, so I just agreed.
"Yun-ho. Bring out the Chil-yaseung."
Is it already time to sleep?
I took out the black rope from a corner for the final routine of the day.
These days, she doesn't lose her mind from the Chil-yaseung like on the first day, but sometimes she does lose her balance.
Helping her up and laying her on the bed marks the end of the day's routine.
"Here it is."
To finish the routine, I handed her the Chil-yaseung as usual.
"..."
"So-hee?"
Cheon So-hee just stared quietly at the black rope and didn't take it.
"From today, you tie me up."
What's this about now?
As the demands continue, she's starting to make requests like Dooly living in the big forest.
Times like this call for a firm refusal.
"So-hee. I told you before, it's not good for your older brother to tie up the body of a grown, unmarried woman."
"My pay. I won't accept it from tomorrow."
"Just tie my neck then?"
Cheon So-hee stared at me for a moment, as if my answer was ridiculous.
What? For the price of one serving of tteokbokki you eat, I could get several bowls of hearty soup. I'm even paying for the room.
"... Do my neck first."
Cheon So-hee lifted her bobbed hair with both hands and thrust her snow-white neck forward.
I carefully tied the rope around her neck, like a bride tying her husband's tie.
"Is this okay?"
"Eut!"
"Oh, I guess I tied it too tight."
I hurriedly loosened the knot. It's harder than I thought.
"Yun-ho."
"Huh?"
At her call, I answered without looking up, focusing on the knot.
Standing too close to tie her neck, making eye contact would make the situation quite burdensome.
"My memories of you still haven't come back."
"I know."
They'll never come back, so why emphasize it?
"I haven't acknowledged you as my childhood friend's older brother."
"That's a shame."
I answered half-heartedly and focused on the knot.
Why is this so difficult?
Even though I've diligently observed her being tied up before, trying to make each knot myself is quite cumbersome.
Cheon So-hee seemed to have more to say, but I paid no mind and continued tying the rope.
Suddenly, Cheon So-hee grabbed my wrist, which was busily handling the rope.
"So-hee?"
What's wrong? Did I tie it wrong?
I raised my head slightly and met her gaze as she looked at me with a slightly narrowed expression.
Was I too nonchalant?
I can't exactly wail about how sad I am that you don't remember me, our So-hee.
Standing at a distance where we can feel each other's breath and making eye contact is a bit burdensome.
Though it probably won't happen, it's a distance where if either of us leaned in, we could kiss.
If you have something to say, say it quickly.
"But..."
As the eye contact dragged on, she turned her head to the side and spoke.
"Huh?"
"... I wouldn't ask a client to do something like this."
Cheon So-hee spoke to me in a voice so soft it was almost crawling, even bowing her head.
"I know you're entrusting me with this because you trust me, your older brother."
It's precisely because we have mutual trust that we're doing this.
"Mm. As long as you know."
She nodded slightly and answered. The strange sharpness in her voice that had been present all evening seemed to have softened.
It was my first time doing the turtle-shell binding myself, so it was a series of trials and errors.
"So-hee. Is this okay?"
"Tie it tighter."
"Like this?"
"Euut! Untie it."
"Okay. Okay."
Doing it step by step for the first time, I'm not sure about the proper tension.
It needs to be tight enough to feel pressure, but not so tight that blood circulation is cut off.
"Heuut!"
"Haa!"
A strangely excited moan when being tied seems to be the passing grade, but every time I hear the moan, my mood gets weird.
I know the Chil-yaseung effect is intense, but can't you hold back a bit?
You don't usually moan this much. Why are you doing this when I'm the one doing it?
"..."
As I busily tied and made knots, I could feel her gaze on me. Unlike the first day, she doesn't lose her mind after being tied, which actually makes it more embarrassing.
To finish up, I pulled the rope around her chest area with all my strength.
"Heuhut!!!!"
'That's too loud.'
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!
"Hey!! Hey!!"
A voice calling out could be heard from outside the door.
I hurriedly stopped what I was doing and opened the door just enough to show half my face.
"Who is it?"
Opening the door, I saw a man and woman standing there, looking very angry.
"We're staying in the room to the right."
"I'm in the left room."
"What brings you here?"
"Look! We know you're in your prime, but can't you keep the noise down a bit? What's the harm?"
The angry woman crossed her arms and confronted me.
"I came to say the same thing. I usually let it slide, but today it's especially loud and long."
"I'm sorry."
So they've been hearing it all this time.
I feel so embarrassed I think blood is rushing to my face.
I bowed my head to apologize to them, opening the door just enough for my head to stick out.
"A simple nod is enough! Come out! Oh, for heaven's sake!"
The angry woman flung the door open wide and peeked inside. The woman from the next room made eye contact with Cheon So-hee, who was in the middle of being tied up, and jumped in surprise before quickly closing the door again.
"We're not doing anything dangerous, you see."
How should I explain? Should I say it's Joseon's traditional culture of loving and cherishing ties?
"Yeah, yeah. Have a good night!"
"Sorry! Enjoy yourselves!"
No! We weren't enjoying it! Actually, after doing that lately, I've been suffering all night!
The man and woman had no intention of listening to my excuses and hurriedly retreated into their respective rooms.
"..."
Turning to look at Cheon So-hee, she was staring at the door crack with a slightly absurd expression.
"So-hee."
"Mm."
"Let's change inns starting tomorrow. To a place with better soundproofing."
"...Mm."