Gender-Reversed Folk Tale Fantasy (6)
I stayed wrapped in my sister’s arms for a long while.
Her warmth and the soft press of her breasts felt incredibly good, but every time I saw the anxiety in her eyes, the same unease crept into me.
I hope she doesn’t actually throw herself into the sea just because we need money.
Because I knew the original story, this was the first time I’d ever felt this level of dread. In the previous worlds I hadn’t known the future, so it had been more about bracing myself when the moment arrived.
But knowing the contents of this folk tale made me terrified.
I was scared she might really offer her body to the ocean. Of course I would meet the Dragon Queen and return, but there was no absolute guarantee it would happen that way.
“Noona, please don’t go far away. I’m scared too if you’re not here.”
I squeezed her hand tightly and looked up at her, doing my best to persuade her.
I didn’t want to take any dangerous gambles. Staying poor like this was fine as long as we could remain together.
“I’ll always stay with you, so don’t worry.”
“Yeah.”
The way Cheong-i noona stroked my back and comforted me was wonderful.
It felt like the first time familial affection was blooming in me rather than feelings of the opposite sex.
Having grown up an only child, gaining an older sister made me happier than I could say.
While we cleaned up the yard that had been trashed during the earlier commotion, I spotted another woman approaching from far off.
It was a girl with blue hair whose impressive chest was hard to ignore.
“I heard the rumors and came running. What on earth happened here?”
“Jeomsun… it just turned out like this.”
The rumor about our house must have spread quickly for her to come all the way from her distant home.
Along with the notoriety of that corrupt official, we had probably been branded as pitiful once again.
Still, maybe the village men or merchants will take pity and share some food.
Being stamped with a label wasn’t entirely bad. The real problem was how difficult it was to erase that stigma.
“So what are you going to do? Does your family even have the money to meet the ten-seok tax quota?”
“I haven’t come up with anything yet. I’ll try to scrape it together somehow, but if that doesn’t work… I might have to become a gisaeng or something.”
Since this was Joseon, working as a gisaeng would bring in plenty of money.
“Hey, a gisaeng? Are you insane? Don’t you know once you go down that road you can never come back? You won’t be able to marry any other woman either!”
“But I still have to pay the taxes. It’s better than dying, isn’t it?”
Jeomsun pounded on her own chest as if my words made her uncomfortable.
I watched the spectacular sight of her heavy breasts jiggling wildly and thought hard about why she was so angry.
It must be because she likes me.
If the person I liked said they were going to sell their body, I’d desperately try to stop them too. Especially if I came from a wealthy family, I’d want to keep them for myself.
“J-just come to me. I’ll pay it for you!”
“Why would you pay it? I have no intention of making a friend shoulder that kind of huge sum.”
“Agh, you’re so frustrating! Why do you keep refusing when I’m offering to help?!”
In the end she exploded, too irritated to hold back any longer. For Jeomsun, that was a lot of restraint.
I stopped teasing the cute girl and started helping her say what she really wanted to say.
“So why are you helping me? Do you like me or something?”
“T-that’s not— I just want to help because my friend is in danger. And you absolutely cannot become a gisaeng.”
“If I don’t pay up, I might end up living like one anyway. That corrupt official said he’d take me in lieu of the taxes.”
Jeomsun froze solid like a stone. I gave her a bright smile.
At this point she must have realized that if she didn’t act now, I might be taken by another woman.
Having steeled herself, she narrowed her sharp eyes and grabbed my shoulder.
It was the closest we had ever been. We stared into each other’s eyes, tension crackling between us.
“Sihyun. I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully.”
I nodded. Come to think of it, marrying Jeomsun might not be such a bad idea.
We were close in age, and that overwhelming chest of hers was so tempting I wanted to touch and knead it as much as I liked.
“The reason I want to pay your debt isn’t pure goodwill. I like you—”
But before she could finish, someone shoved between us and pushed us apart.
“Noona?”
“Sorry, Sihyun. Jeomsun, was it? The house is in no shape for visitors right now, so please come back another time.”
“I’ll just say this before I go. Please take care of him, sister.”
Jeomsun’s eyes burned with determination while Cheong-i noona’s gaze was ice-cold.
For some reason the ominous aura radiating from my sister made me feel like I might be sliced apart just by standing near her.
It was frightening. They glared at each other, both putting strength into their eyes, but Cheong-i noona’s spirit clearly overwhelmed the younger girl.
In the end Jeomsun was the first to back down. She looked at the ground with regret, kicking at an innocent pebble a few times before retreating.
“Let’s meet at the back mountain later, Sihyun.”
“Uh, yeah. See you later, Jeomsun.”
My sister kept glaring at Jeomsun’s retreating back until the very end, then turned and walked up to me.
“Sihyun, be careful the next time you meet her.”
“Why?”
“Women are all beasts. If you absolutely must meet someone, tell your sister or mother first before you go.”
“Okay…”
I prayed she didn’t know about my nightly “visits” to Aunt Ppangdeok.
After that we left the house and searched for ways to earn money.
My sister took a job helping at a small farm for daily wages, while I decided to become a herb gatherer.
As I climbed the mountain I kept thinking. Rather than watch my sister suffer through hard labor, maybe I should just marry someone and break this vicious cycle.
Of course living apart at first would be difficult, but it had to be better than spending every day drenched in exhaustion.
Then who should I marry?
The two who came to mind were Jeomsun and Lady Ppangdeok.
If someone asked which was prettier, it was hard to answer because their charms were so different.
Jeomsun was adorable the way she pouted and blushed easily, while the lady flaunted the rich, mature allure of an adult woman.
Choosing one was truly difficult, so my thoughts grew tangled. Before I knew it I had wandered deep into the mountain.
“Uh… this might be more dangerous than I thought.”
Looking around, there were nothing but trees and my anxiety began to pile up.
Getting lost in the mountains was dangerous. This was Joseon after all—plenty of wild beasts like tigers lived here.
After wandering for dozens of minutes I realized I had been walking in circles and collapsed onto the ground.
“A rabbit?”
While I sat there resting, a brown rabbit hopped over and rubbed its head against my hand.
When I looked closer at the familiar face, I remembered—it was the rabbit I had saved before.
“Long time no see, little guy. You’re still alive and well, so I guess you haven’t been caught by any hunters since then.”
The rabbit acting cute was so adorable that when I reached out to pick it up, it darted back and avoided my hand.
Wondering if it disliked being lifted, I pulled my hand back. It whined and pointed somewhere with its tiny paw.
I followed the rabbit that seemed to be guiding me deeper into the forest.
At this point I probably should have felt fear, but strangely I felt nothing at all.
Have I read too many fairy tales? Or have I simply gone crazy?
Following the small rabbit, I eventually came upon a cave.
It was leading me inside…
Just before I stepped into the deep cavern, something yanked me backward.
With a thud I fell onto my back. When I looked up to see who it was, I saw a fox tail.
“How dare you try to hunt in my territory? You must have quite the liver, you insignificant creature.”
Beautiful golden hair and ears. Multiple soft, fluffy tails.
Any Korean would instantly recognize the youkai.
“Gu…miho?”
“Sorry, but I don’t have nine tails yet.”
She held the orb in both hands and invoked a mysterious power, revealing the rabbit’s true form.
The animal appearance vanished, replaced by a beautiful short-haired girl with a smile.
She frowned, looking disappointed.
“If this had worked, I could have become a great youkai…”
“That’s nonsense. It seems you still haven’t realized that simply absorbing men’s vital energy isn’t enough to become a great youkai.”
Apparently she had no intention of attacking further. She fled, leaving only the two of us outside the cave.
In the awkward silence I studied the gumiho’s face carefully.
Where have I seen her before? The strong sense of déjà vu made me rack my brain again.
“Last time!”
“You remembered. Thanks to the vital energy I took from you that day, I’m one step closer to becoming a true gumiho.”
She wagged her tails and bowed her head in gratitude. The motion revealed her large breasts and deep cleavage.
“Coming this deep into the mountain—should I call you brave or just stupid? Are you not afraid of youkai that want to suck out your vital energy?”
“It’s my first time seeing one… By the way, that tail.”
As if she had been waiting for me to notice, the woman puffed out her chest and laughed proudly.
“I am the famous Palmiho. I am the fox spirit who rules this mountain!”
But my eyes were drawn more to her swaying breasts than to her words.
This is the appearance of the Palmiho who appeared at the end. Her outfit is quite lewd.