Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Yandere Fairy's Gaze is Strange
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‘W-what the hell? Is she crazy?’
It was a reasonable thought.
What kind of normal person sneaks into someone else’s rooftop bath, strips naked without permission, and takes a dip?
Yeah, you’d have to be insane to pull that off.
“You...”
For a split second, he started to raise his voice in anger but clamped his mouth shut.
But what if she really was crazy?
If that woman screamed in shock, the whole neighborhood would come running.
This was a remote mountain village with only about twenty houses, but in emergencies, their unity was unmatched.
It was the perfect setup for misunderstandings.
Sure, he could calmly explain the whole situation, but why bother creating unnecessary trouble?
‘Haa...’
In the end, he decided it might be wiser to just leave her be.
Under the assumption that she was nuts, he figured he’d treat her to some good old rural hospitality.
She wasn’t coming every day anyway—it was just for one night.
Still...
Even as she leaned back against the edge, the subtle movements revealed the side profile of her face—a perfect embodiment of beauty.
Her smooth skin glistening with water, her elegant motions... Was she really crazy?
‘Tch.’
Despite himself, saliva pooled in his mouth.
They said men, no matter how old, get fresh ideas whenever their little friend stands at attention...
To think he’d be eyeing up a crazy intruder in his own house.
Swoosh—!
No matter how much he screamed internally, “Don’t look, damn it!!”, his gaze drifted back.
Was it because he’d been divorced and buried in work, making it ages since he’d seen a naked woman?
Crossing that forbidden line gave him a thrilling sense of taboo, making his heart race even more.
Thump-! Thump-! Pound—!!
He tried his hardest to shake off the guilt of peeking at her in secret.
There’s an old saying: What goes around comes around, right?
He’d poured so much effort into building that bath over the past few days.
His sense of entitlement was kicking in full force.
Gulp—!
Even crouching low and staying on high alert for any sign of getting caught, the urge to see her face properly surged up.
He already knew from the side profile she was stunningly beautiful—what must her front look like?
That curiosity gnawed at him fiercely.
By now, any worries about her being crazy had long been tossed aside.
All that remained was a man, faithfully following his instincts, standing frozen in place.
‘Damn it!!’
He shook his head vigorously side to side.
He felt like he might actually do something stupid if he stayed.
Just because she’d stepped into his bath didn’t make her his, right?
Thud—! Thud—!
Steel ing himself, he tiptoed down the stairs heel-first to avoid making noise.
Her naked form still floated around in his mind, but that didn’t mean he could turn into a criminal.
“Urgh...”
Back in his room, under the fluffy blanket, sleep still wouldn’t come.
His poor little guy down there was excited too, showing no signs of calming down anytime soon.
He’d burned so much energy building the bath that he’d been sleeping like a rock without booze these past few days—why were his eyes wide open now...?
‘No way it’s a ghost, right?’
Actually, thinking of it as a ghost made the pieces fit.
Unless she was truly deranged, who climbs someone else’s stairs, strips buck naked, and hops into the bath?
Earlier, in the heat of the moment, he’d pegged her as crazy, but reconsidering calmly, ghost was a real possibility.
And given her apparent age, a virgin ghost at that!
In that case...
A quick peek wouldn’t hurt, would it?
If she was a virgin ghost unable to pass on due to resentment, he could sacrifice his body to help her find peace. If she was just crazy, he could talk her down—or call the cops if she wouldn’t listen.
Yeah.
This had absolutely nothing to do with curiosity about her face.
He was just wondering if she was a ghost or human.
Swoosh—!
With steely resolve, he threw off the blanket.
Not even a soldier heading to war would look this determined.
He stepped outside and climbed the stairs.
From then on, his heart pounded like it might burst.
Thump-! Thump-!
But...
“W-where’d she go!?”
She’d apparently finished bathing and left already—the rooftop was empty.
Disappointment washed over him.
His frantically pounding heart had settled into a gentle rhythm.
“A mirage?”
But the rooftop floor was still slick with water, clear signs of her presence.
Maybe she’d heard him coming up and hidden? He searched every nook and cranny, but...
Nothing.
“Tch...”
Regret over not seeing her face properly?
He cleaned up the mess she’d left on the rooftop and headed back inside.
The night in his hometown carried an indescribable bitterness.
On the way back from shopping in town...
He’d forgotten to buy water, so he stopped by the local convenience store. Grandma Choi stood there, hands behind her back, nodding her chin at him.
“You were out since morning—where’ve you been till evening?”
“Oh, a friend’s coming over the weekend, so I went into town for meat and stuff.”
“Got rice at home?”
“Plenty left.”
“Alright, let me know if you need side dishes.”
He thanked her, grabbed his water, and turned to leave when last night’s events resurfaced.
Rubbing his chin, he slowly turned his gaze back to Grandma Choi.
“Oh, right! Pretty much all the young folks in the village have moved to Seoul, yeah?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.”
“Let’s see...”
Still hands behind her back, Grandma Choi’s eyes darted around as she thought.
Then they lit up.
“You remember Soeun-i?”
“Of course. Her parents even came to my dad’s funeral and paid their respects.”
“Yeah, she quit her job in Seoul a few days ago and came back home.”
Yoo Soeun.
His four-years-younger neighborhood little sister, remembered only as a ‘cute kid.’
Back in elementary school, she’d thrown tantrums about marrying him...
He’d heard rumors that after she grew up and her looks blossomed, all the local guys lined up for her.
But he’d been busy serving the nation in the military.
And then...
After discharge, he met Kang Jua, got married, and divorced...
His life had been too rough to keep track of Soeun-i.
But... did she have that kind of figure?
Even setting that aside, Soeun-i would know his house—would she really head straight to the rooftop for a bath? Buck naked?
He cleared his throat awkwardly and nodded.
“I see... Uh, did Soeun-i ever have any head injuries or anything from her time in Seoul?”
“You’ve got a real talent for spouting nonsense. Want me to curse you out?”
“N-no, I was just wondering how she’s doing.”
Grandma Choi pondered for a moment, then narrowed her eyes slyly.
“How old are you this year?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“You’ve been around once... That’s no big deal these days...”
“Pardon?”
“No kids, right?”
This...
If he kept talking, the conversation would veer off into the weeds.
He’d only asked because he was curious about the woman bathing on his rooftop last night.
He chuckled and waved his hand dismissively in the air.
“It’s not whatever you’re thinking, Grandma.”
“Thinking what?”
“Anyway! Have you seen Soeun-i lately?”
“Yep.”
“Long hair?”
“Nah, she’s got a bob.”
Huh?
The woman from last night definitely had long, straight hair down to her waist.
He hadn’t seen her face front-on, but he’d stared at her back endlessly—her hair length was unmistakable.
He rubbed his chin again and tilted his head up.
“No other young women around besides Soeun-i?”
“Why? Not satisfied with her?”
“...What are you even saying? I saw a young woman in the village yesterday and was wondering if it was her.”
“Tsk tsk. What’s your definition of ‘young’? Perky breasts a must?”
He’d forgotten amid city life.
Grandma Choi had always loved crude jokes like this since he was a kid.
He was the fool for falling for her kindness with the side dishes.
He shook his head and sighed.
“I’ll head out now, Grandma.”
“Tsk tsk, there aren’t any.”
“Huh?”
“Only young woman around is Soeun-i.”
“Then maybe someone from out of town?”
“Why would anyone come to this backwater? Must’ve been a ghost.”
She’d meant it as a joke to tease him, but a chill ran through his body.
Had he really seen a hallucination last night?
No way.
Then how do you explain the water left on the floor after she vanished!?
Back home after chatting with Grandma Choi.
The sticky memory from last night still lingered.
“Screw it, whatever!!”
Pondering it wouldn’t solve anything—just needless stress.
To clear his mind, he sorted the groceries from town into the fridge and freezer.
‘Hmm, meat should be fine in the freezer for a day, right?’
Finished organizing, he lay in bed looking forward to meeting Junseok tomorrow, feeling light-hearted.
Exhausted from the morning’s hard march, he felt sleep coming fast.
Splash—!
Splash splash—!
Splish.
But then...
It started again.
The sound of someone bathing on the rooftop...