Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Yandere Fairy's Gaze is Strange
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"Ha... I know everything that's going on, you know?"
Swish.
I gathered strength in my lower body and cautiously lifted my head.
'Guh!'
Sometimes, when you come home, you feel this chilling atmosphere, right?
You think maybe a burglar snuck in, so you bluff like, 'I know you're hiding there. Come out.'
I figured it was something like that self-muttered line, running my imagination wild, but no—she was really looking right at me.
Was she planning to punish me for peeking at her naked body in secret?
If she's noticed all this time with that kind of perception, then why pretend not to know?
Countless thoughts raced through my mind.
And amid it all, the woman called out to me in a voice thick with irritation.
"If you keep not answering, you're gonna get scolded by me?!"
"Y-Yes!?"
Scolded?
I had no idea what that meant, but her threatening tone made me reflexively respond and bolt upright.
I was shocked once again.
There she was, submerged up to her neck in the bath, only her face peeking out with a shy expression.
Up close like this, even her bashfulness shone with an alluring charm.
"Who the hell are you to peep on me while I'm bathing?"
"I-I'm the owner of this bathhouse?"
"Huh!?"
"The bath you're soaking in right now? I made it."
With no good comeback, I blurted out the first thing in my head without filtering, and she dunked half her face underwater before lifting it back up.
"This pond is yours?"
Pond?
Was Junseok right after all? Was she really some kind of fairy?
Well, if so, at least she wasn't a ghost...
Needing a bit more confirmation, I cut straight to the chase.
"Yes, I'm the owner of this pond. Let me ask you in return—are you human?"
"Wh-what...?"
"Are you human?"
"I'm not human, no?"
"Don't tell me... a ghost?"
"A ghost? If you mean a spirit of the dead, then no, not that either."
Okay, not a ghost. Half-relieved already.
I clasped my hands behind my back as casually as possible and slowly circled the bath.
"Not human... But even if you're beyond the reach of the law, you can't just use someone else's bath without permission!"
"I just thought it was a clean pond..."
"Ha!! This is ridiculous!"
Did it work?
Seeming genuinely sorry, she scratched at her flushed cheek with a finger and continued.
"S-sorry."
"If you're not human or a ghost, then who are you?"
"In the human world, they call me a 'fairy.' I'm one of the fairies who serve King Yama."
"Ha... In the human world, they'd say to a shameless guy like you, 'What the hell's King Yama doing? Why hasn't he dragged this one off yet!'"
Sometimes, even nonsense sounds convincing if you say it with flair.
I raised my voice like a wild horse off the reins, and she yelped 'Eek!' in surprise, flinching back.
"H-how can I make it up to you..."
Make it up?
The idea that a fairy straight out of folklore was real left my mind blank as a white sheet.
And now she was offering compensation?
My eyes began to gleam like bubbling magma.
"Well, I'm not asking for much—just bath rental fee would be great..."
"I can't give you what humans call 'money.' But in exchange, I'll grant you one wish. Anything you desire."
"A-anything I want?"
"Yes, anything..."
Why did the fairy's voice sound so suggestive?
...
...
...
...
...
Han Haeseong, snap out of it!
No matter how long it's been since the divorce without sleeping with a woman, you thinking of wishing for something perverted!?
Ha...
Let's think calmly.
There's no way she'd grant something like that.
If she gets offended and whooshes off to the heavens, I'd blow a golden opportunity.
Most guys would wish to be a chaebol, but money's off the table, so pass.
Then what should I ask for?
My mind went blank white again.
I could see just how much 'money' touches in the human world.
Nothing else came to mind without it.
"Hmm..."
"I have to head back to the heavens soon, so if you could decide quickly..."
A chance like this, and my mind's blank!?
It felt like fire on my feet.
Plus, the fairy's urgent gaze urging me on ramped up the tension even more.
Then, out of nowhere, a conversation with Kang Jua popped into my head.
-You're not coming to the college reunion this time, right?
-Yeah.
-Good thing. It'd look weird if we showed up together. And...
-What else?
-Don't steal good memories from the girls.
-What does that mean?
-Back in college, a lot of girls in our department liked you. Seeing you all worn down by time might disappoint them pretty bad.
I felt like I could get revenge faster than expected.
Kang Jua's misfortune—that was one thing I wanted.
But just wishing 'Make Kang Jua unhappy' felt like wasting a precious chance.
'Hmm...'
A wish should prioritize me first and foremost.
Tie it to Kang Jua's misfortune and my happiness...
One stone, two birds.
"Time's really running out now, so hurry u—"
"Make me handsome."
"Huh!?"
"Make me attractive and handsome!"
"That's... your wish?"
"Yeah! Money's no good, so looks are next in line!"
"Ha..."
For some reason, the beautiful fairy's face twisted in displeasure.
She adjusted her posture and tilted her head.
"Doesn't the fairy's world value looks?"
"N-not really, but..."
"The human world is all about looks supremacy. Some might even pick appearance over money."
"Ha... Anyway, you want to change into an attractive, handsome face?"
"Exactly. But don't make it too obvious—something that won't raise suspicions."
"You say that after seeing me?"
"...Pardon?"
Suddenly, she pressed her temple like she had a headache, then her eyes lit up as if struck by an idea.
"Th-then! Could you hand me my celestial robe hanging on that clothesline over there?"
"Celestial robe?"
"Without it... I can't fly back to the heavens. I'd have to stay here. So, please, quick!"
Following her pointing finger, sure enough, the celestial robe hung on the clothesline.
Without it, she couldn't fly back, like the fairy in the woodcutter tale?
Why spill this crucial info to me all of a sudden?
...
...
...
...
...
Was it a test?
Most folktales have a moral.
Like in 'The Gold Axe and Silver Axe,' the woodcutter gets both by honestly admitting the iron axe is his.
In 'Heungbu and Nolbu,' Nolbu breaks a swallow's leg out of jealousy to get rich like Heungbu.
In the end, good deeds bring blessings, greed brings calamity.
Now I got it.
If this was a fairy tale, most men would pick stealing the robe over improving their looks.
The fairy's beauty was peerless enough to warrant it.
'Can't be swayed by the fairy's beauty.'
I clenched my teeth hard and stepped toward the clothesline with the celestial robe.
Then, gingerly pinching it between thumb and forefinger to avoid touching it much, I handed it to the fairy.
Finally, I turned away so she could dress comfortably.
And then.
"Thank you... Ha..."
For whatever reason, a sigh leaked from behind me.
What did I mess up now?
Before I could dwell on it, the fairy called out again.
"All dressed now—take this."
Turning as she said, she had straightened her clothes and was offering me a peach held in her hand.
"What's this peach?"
"It's a Heavenly Peach that only ripens in the immortal realm. Your wish is infused in it—eat it, and it'll come true."
"So if I just eat this, I'll become attractive and hands—"
"Whatever! I'm going!"
"A-already?"
"It's time to return to the immortal realm for real."
The initial shyness was gone, replaced by a curt, grumpy expression.
She gave me a quick glance, then whipped her head away.
"My name is Eunhwa."
"Eunhwa?"
"Yes, Seol Eunhwa."
I couldn't make sense of the sudden name exchange, but I bowed in thanks anyway.
As the fairy said, if this Heavenly Peach in my hand was legit, I'd gotten top-dollar bath fee.
"I'm Han Haeseong. Safe travels back to the heavens, guest—the path might be dark."
"...Can I come again sometime?"
Come again...?
Well, she's a paying customer—no reason to chase her off.
I bowed as politely as possible once more.
"The bathhouse is always open, guest."
"Then next time, have some drinks ready too. My throat gets so dry after bathing."
"I'll prepare something refreshing."
Satisfied with my reply, she answered with a faint smile.
Was there any human this gentle and pure-looking?
With that insane beauty to boot?
No way.
That's why she was a fairy.
"...See you next time."
With those words, the Silver Fairy floated up—poof—and soared into the sky.
I gaped at the sight.
"Holy shit...!!"
...That stunning woman would visit my rooftop again?
To bathe naked, no less!?
Swish.
In a hazy daze, I stared at the Heavenly Peach still clutched in my fist.
Crunch!
I chomped down hard, and the peach's rich aroma spread smoothly through my mouth.
Chomp! Chomp!
Forgetting the ecstatic encounter with the Silver Fairy just moments ago, I devoured it like a madman for days' worth in minutes.
I even sucked the pits clean of every last bit, leaving them spotless.
Tossing them into the rooftop flower bed without regret, I dashed inside.
"What the—!?"
Brimming with anticipation, I rushed to the mirror—and my face looked exactly the same.
Turning side to side, nothing had changed.
"Ah... Did she scam me?"
They say you go blind to scams until after—they weren't kidding.
Should I have grabbed the celestial robe and blackmailed her?
Nah, she'd probably curse me, and I'd lose even the principal.
'Tch, at least the peach tasted divine...'
I was grinning like an idiot, reminiscing the rooftop peach and Silver Fairy's looks, when suddenly my eyelids grew heavy.
Even straining, exhaustion flooded in.
"Wh-what's..."
My head spun, vision blurring.
Somehow staggering to bed, consciousness vanished like sucked into a black hole.
And so.
I woke the next morning.