You Are Not a Monster
"Hiss!"
The cat dug its claws deep into the stone, refusing to be dragged out.
The shrill scrape of claws against rock echoed clearly through the cave, yet the cat ignored the damage entirely and only hissed more viciously in defiance.
But all its desperate resistance was utterly meaningless before Shin-wol.
With a single casual flick of his hand, the small body floated into the air and flew straight to him.
Shin-wol pinched the cat by the scruff of its neck between his index finger and thumb, the way one might handle something filthy.
"Hiss! Hiiiss!"
The cat thrashed wildly, claws fully extended. It seemed determined to scratch his face if it could, but its stubby legs had no hope of reaching him. The sight was almost pitiable.
"Kyaaak!"
Shin-wol regarded the violently struggling beast with icy detachment before speaking again, his voice slow and deliberate.
At his words the cat froze. Its turquoise pupils quivered, as though it had understood him perfectly.
By now Yeo-won had grown skilled enough to read even an animal’s expressions.
A torrent of emotions flashed through the cat’s eyes—helplessness, humiliation, self-loathing. Complex feelings rose and burst like bubbles, one after another.
She was about to intervene, wondering if he truly needed to be so cruel, when he hurled the cat to the floor.
Not set it down. Hurled it.
The cat struck the ground with a loud thud, staggered upright, then crouched low and puffed out its fur.
The sight reminded her painfully of Cheong-sil. It was almost identical to the day the eodukseoni had struck him and flung him aside.
Shin-wol stared down at the cat with open contempt, then spoke in a voice deliberately softened with false affection.
The moment the words left his lips, dark shadows began slithering from the cracks and corners of the cave. In an instant they encircled the cat.
It hissed threateningly at the shadows creeping toward its paws, but its body betrayed it, trembling with honest terror.
The shadows climbed its legs and seized its torso.
When the cat bucked wildly in an attempt to flee, Shin-wol smiled sweetly and issued a warning.
The small body shuddered violently. Moisture welled in its round eyes; its unfocused pupils flooded with fear. Shin-wol stood before it with his hands clasped behind his back.
The graceful curve of his eyes and the smooth smile on his lips created an image so malevolent that the word “sinister” felt inadequate.
An oppressive aura so thick that even Yeo-won struggled to breathe spread from the soles of her feet throughout her entire body. The air in the cave thinned. A quiet chill blanketed the wide space. Just as the pressure of simply standing became overwhelming, a languid voice slipped through her ears and stirred the inside of her skull.
Uttering gentle words that clashed with the violence of the scene, he slowly extended his hand.
The moment his fingers drew close, a spark of light returned to the cat’s darkened eyes. It raised its front paw high.
"Kyaaak!"
Four vivid claw marks scored the back of his hand. Shin-wol glanced down at them, then the corner of his mouth lifted.
When he clenched his fist in the air, the shadow serpents coiled around the cat writhed in displeasure.
"Gack! Gack!"
The cat flailed all four legs, gasping desperately beneath the crushing pressure of the shadows.
At that single low remark, gooseflesh rippled across her skin and cold sweat broke out.
That day. The face from her dream—the one that had killed a man without the slightest hesitation.
It was exactly the same.
Eyes utterly devoid of pity. A merciless gaze.
Seeing Shin-wol’s face wreathed in that chilling smile, the cat abandoned its resistance and went limp. It seemed to have realized further defiance was pointless.
The cat’s eyes squeezed tightly shut. At the pitiful sight of it awaiting death, Yeo-won reached out.
She seized the arm of Shin-wol, who still gripped the cat, and cried out urgently.
"Stop!"
Her shout froze his movement. Not missing the opening, she tightened her grip on his arm and spoke.
"Stop it, Lord Shin-wol. This is enough, isn’t it?"
The cat still floated in midair. At least the crushing pressure had eased; its choking gasps had stopped. Yeo-won glanced at the trembling little body, then looked up at him with fierce eyes.
"You said you wanted this to end peacefully. Where exactly do you see peace in any of this?"
"That wasn’t hostility. It was the bare minimum defense to protect its master."
He looked down at her with indifferent eyes. Though she clung to his arm, her grip was so feeble that the slightest exertion from him would fling her away. He could shake her off easily, yet he worried she might be injured in the process.
"So please… stop. I’m begging you."
Yeo-won gazed up at him with a sorrowful face, pleading. Shin-wol’s eyebrows twitched faintly.
The body wrapped around his arm was trembling. A trace of fear lingered in her brown eyes.
He did not entirely dislike the way she clung to him, but that did not mean he would indulge her every whim.
He shot the cat a murderous glance.
Despite the harsh words, Shin-wol smiled gently and placed a hand on Yeo-won’s shoulder.
When he applied the slightest pressure, Yeo-won’s face twisted in pain. The faint groan that slipped between her teeth made him release her at once.
Even so, she refused to let go of his arm.
"We came to ask for the path to be opened, not to fight. Behavior like this will only make the situation worse."
Yeo-won’s eyes widened as she glared at him.
Even if a body that looked as though it would snap with a single tap glared with such intensity, it held no threat whatsoever.
"Don’t change the subject. That is no reason for anyone to bleed."
At her resolute words, Shin-wol’s expression froze over. Her calm, unwavering voice overlapped with Mun-a’s voice from the past.
That is no reason for anyone to bleed.
The memory of that sad smile flashed through his mind. He clicked his tongue and withdrew the shadows suspended in the air.
The moment the shadows vanished, the floating cat plummeted to the ground. Yeo-won threw herself forward and caught it.
She examined the cat anxiously. There were no visible external wounds.
Behind the visibly relieved Yeo-won, Shin-wol spoke with clear displeasure.
"Its owner is ill. Of course it’s more sensitive than usual."
Yeo-won flinched and curled protectively around the cat. The sight of her trying to shield it made Shin-wol openly scowl.
Who was protecting whom?
He sneered, strode over, and hauled her upright from where she sat on the ground.
His eyes were sharp, yet the hands that brushed the dirt from her clothes were impossibly gentle.
After confirming she was unharmed, Shin-wol’s gaze returned to the cat in her arms.
The urge to snatch it away and hurl it down the mountainside was nearly overwhelming, but Yeo-won twisted her body slightly, as though she had read his thoughts.
Watching her display such meager sympathy, he exhaled in clear annoyance.
Yeo-won, carefully observing his mood, spoke softly.
"I do know."
He stared at her in silence. His eyes asked her to continue. She took one step closer.
"Because I am always receiving your consideration, Lord Shin-wol. Even now. You checked whether I was hurt, and on the mountain path you held my hand so I wouldn’t slip."
There were countless other kindnesses she had received from him, but Yeo-won suddenly felt shy and offered a gentle smile.
"At the very least, I hope you never find yourself in a position where you must harm someone."
Eyes soft with a trace of sorrow curved gently.
"So I’m asking you. Even if it’s only a little, please show others the same consideration you show me."
A face mingled with sorrow and pathos. Eyes that seemed to know something, wistful and distant. In that instant a faint shadow fell across Yeo-won’s features. A fragment of the past he had glimpsed in her dream flickered through his mind.
The side of him that had mercilessly slaughtered people. Her ancestor screaming in despair.
Curiosity about what had happened in the past bloomed, yet at the same time she realized she did not want to know.
As though denying everything, Yeo-won squeezed her eyes shut and whispered.
"...You are not a monster."
At that moment, something inside Shin-wol twisted violently.