A Scolding for the Ages
A shout torn from the very depths of her being suddenly fixed both their gazes upon her.
The fierce wind and the ground-shaking tremors halted in that single instant.
Yeo-won seized the chance and opened her mouth at once, but her throat—unaccustomed to raising such volume—promptly rebelled. A coughing fit burst out of her.
“Cough, cough!”
Once started, the coughing refused to stop. As Yeo-won doubled over in clear distress, Shin-wol tilted his head and extended a hand, clearly intending to rub her back.
[Breathe…]
Slap.
She struck his hand away the moment it touched her shoulder. It fell without resistance.
A sharp gasp came from the side. Mu-ho’s eyes had gone perfectly round as he stared, visibly stunned by her action.
Yeo-won ignored him entirely. She glared at Shin-wol and hurled her words like daggers.
“Cough—did we come here to fight?”
Tears shimmered at the corners of her eyes from the force of her coughing.
Shin-wol glanced down at the hand she had slapped, then arranged his features into an expression of perfect innocence.
[They were the ones who—]
“If you’re about to claim they started it, you can stop right there.”
[From the very beginning—]
“I know it goes back further than that. What I’m asking is why the two of you are fighting over it right now, of all times.”
When Yeo-won cut him off yet again, Shin-wol blinked slowly, as though truly startled.
He stroked his chin and let out a tiny sound of surprise. The reaction was not one of shock, but of someone discovering an unexpectedly refreshing development.
“I understand perfectly that the two of you are ready to tear each other apart. I understand. But is it truly necessary to bring that up in this situation? Why do you keep provoking him?”
Had she ever raised her voice like this since becoming an adult? She never had, and likely never would again.
Yeo-won had never been one to express her emotions openly, and she hated nothing more than inserting herself into other people’s conflicts.
Yet even she could not remain silent in the face of this.
She had been holding her breath, unable to join the conversation, but the more she heard, the more unbearable it became.
“We simply entered the Mountain God’s domain while returning home. All you had to say was ‘I’ll open the path, so leave,’ and we would have gone. Instead you talk about killing or not killing. Is that how conversations always go between the two of you—pure violence?”
[……]
Yeo-won stamped her foot in open bewilderment. Had she ever become this angry before?
In front of him she had always been cautious, watchful, tiptoeing around his moods. Shin-wol found himself moving past mere surprise; her furious little huffs were beginning to amuse him.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
When she glared at him in accusation, a languid chuckle rolled from his throat.
[You would not have listened even if I spoke.]
Only then did Yeo-won realize what she had done. Her momentum faltered and her voice dropped.
“…I’m sorry for interrupting you.”
A moment ago she had been snarling like a cornered wildcat; now she was apologizing with perfect sincerity.
Well. If she was going to lose her temper, at least she had the courage to own it.
The sight was so ridiculous that the corner of Shin-wol’s mouth twitched upward.
No. It was not ridiculous.
He had been confused by the long absence of the feeling, but this was something else entirely.
A slow, smoldering heat pooled in his chest, and with it came a sharp thirst.
When Yeo-won bit her lip in frustration, a sweet fragrance like crushed fruit spread through the air.
The scent was so intoxicating it could easily paralyze reason. Shin-wol’s eyes narrowed to slits.
Crude desire surged in his fluorescent golden irises.
For one fleeting second he considered devouring that mouth, but he decided against it while Mu-ho was watching. It was not out of concern for appearances or prying eyes. He simply did not want anyone else to witness the way her face would soften.
Though he burned to shatter the insignificant barrier between them and carry her away, Shin-wol chose instead to make use of the moment.
He schooled his expression.
Adopting a look of wounded sorrow, he lowered his gaze.
[How unjust. It was that one who first insulted me when I came only to speak. Yet you cut my words short and rebuke only me.]
“……”
Yeo-won’s face stiffened. He offered a gentle smile and whispered, stroking her cheek. She lifted her head almost instinctively. From the side Mu-ho muttered a curse under his breath, but Shin-wol ignored it completely.
[I gave both that beast and the dull-witted mountain god several warnings. Were they not the ones who crossed the line?]
Yeo-won pursed her lips and protested.
“You also provoked the Mountain God, saying his spiritual power was weak and that he was overreaching.”
[I did not provoke. I merely stated the truth.]
“Truth or not, saying it to someone’s face is bound to hurt their feelings.”
[If the words of another wound you, it is only because they are true. The weak are culled—it is the law of nature. To us, that is simply how things are.]
The arrogant, ice-cold tone could only belong to one who had never been weak a day in his life.
Yeo-won knew this. She knew Shin-wol’s values were radically different from those of humans.
If one had to compare, his worldview most closely resembled the brutal law of the jungle.
That was precisely why she worried even more.
“It isn’t simple to me. I told you—I don’t want to see you hurt anyone.”
She knew how selfish the request was. She knew, yet she could not stop herself from saying it. Otherwise the lives around him would seem unbearably insignificant.
But when she remembered the gentleness and consideration he showed only to her, the request no longer felt unreasonable.
[If I do not act, I cannot protect you.]
The murmur was so soft it was nearly lost on the wind. A heavy stone dropped into Yeo-won’s chest.
Only then did she realize that every time he had used his power, it had been because of her.
Shin-wol studied her deeply furrowed expression, then slowly curved his lips in quiet satisfaction.
[Then let us do this. If you dislike it when I use my strength, you need only remain at my side. That way I will have no reason to exert myself.]
“At your side?”
[Yes. You may watch over me for the rest of your life.]
The word rest of your life had been deliberately emphasized. Yeo-won froze for a moment, then fell into troubled thought.
She was not leaving his side now, and she had already made a promise. In all likelihood she would remain with him until the day she died.
He had even vowed to call her name when that day came. Using the phrase “the rest of your life” was not inappropriate.
After long deliberation, Yeo-won spoke.
“Can you promise that while I am by your side, you will not harm anyone?”
[I can.]
Shin-wol accepted without hesitation. A small measure of relief washed over Yeo-won.
The conversation had drifted, but now she steered it back to the main point.
“Then apologize and let’s go home.”
Yeo-won let out an exhausted sigh.
It felt as though they had wandered in circles for ages only to arrive at this moment.
[Apologize?]
He repeated the unfamiliar word as if tasting it. Yeo-won’s face crumpled.
“…What exactly have we been talking about all this time?”
[Mu-ho should be grateful to me for sparing his life. Moreover, thanks to you he has preserved his dignity as a mountain god. He should be bowing his head in thanks, not standing there defiantly.]
Yeo-won’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly. Had no one been watching, she would have clutched her hair and screamed.
How could any being be so arrogant and shameless?
She stared at him for a long moment before the unfiltered words finally slipped out.
“…For someone of your advanced age, it’s rather unseemly to be so petty about your pride.”
[Advanced age.]
Shin-wol repeated the phrase with a momentarily blank face. From the side came a sound like a balloon bursting.
[Pfft—!]
When she looked over, Mu-ho was doubled over, shoulders shaking with laughter.
[Ah, sorry—I really couldn’t hold it in. I guess I have lived a long time. Never thought I’d live to see that great and mighty Shin-wol make a face like that.]
He was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, slapping his thigh in delight. Watching him, Yeo-won’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“You’re not without fault either, Mountain God.”
[What?]
Mu-ho stopped laughing and let out an incredulous scoff.
[Hey, I’m the victim here. You two are the uninvited guests who barged into my territory without permission!]
“We didn’t come on purpose. Our paths happened to cross while we were returning home.”
[Oh, so it wasn’t on purpose. My mistake, how regrettable. Shall I send you off with a nice gift then? You should be explaining yourselves and begging for passage, yet you keep picking at my nerves. And I’m supposed to just let that slide?]
Conversing with Mu-ho was exhausting in an entirely different way than speaking with Shin-wol. If Shin-wol felt oppressively difficult to deal with, Mu-ho felt like an overgrown, sulky boy.
More importantly, she could sense Shin-wol’s mood sinking with every passing second. She needed to end this quickly.
“I know. If someone said those things to me, I’d be angry too.”
[Right! How could anyone endure that!]
Mu-ho thrust his chin out triumphantly and looked at Shin-wol. See? This human is on my side. His expression practically shouted it. Shin-wol’s face was turning glacial when Yeo-won spoke again.
“But that doesn’t mean I would deliberately dig at someone else’s wounds.”
The cocky look on Mu-ho’s face froze into awkwardness.
[Ah, that’s…]
“No matter the reason, I would never do that.”
Her words sounded less like they were meant for him and more like a solemn vow to herself.
He had hundreds of retorts ready, yet something in her forlorn expression tightened his throat until no words would come.