Chapter 103
“What? Drink death potion?”
Not a medicinal tonic, but a death potion.
He had been curious about the taste since everyone looked so blissfully happy drinking it, as if they were gulping down that mysterious elixir, chocolate milk.
But once he learned what it really was, his appetite vanished and his stomach turned queasy. Eun-hwi quickly pulled himself away from the window where he had been pressing against the glass to peer outside.
“What crime did they commit to receive a death potion?”
What heinous crime could these people have committed to be drinking death potion in groups right in the middle of the street?
The half-dokkaebi glanced at the ordinary-looking men who didn’t seem like the type to commit serious crimes.
Seeing how calmly they drank the death potion with death staring them in the face, they seemed to inhabit a different mental world from ordinary humans.
It was also strange how other people simply went about their business without even acknowledging these criminals.
This was an unimaginable situation in Wolhwa, where people loved to meddle in everything down to how many pairs of undergarments their neighbor Kim owned. Hanyang was truly a different world, both then and now.
“You see, dokkaebi sir, the ‘death potion’ is merely a figurative expression. The ingredient called caffeine…”
Dr. Hong, who seemed itchy to speak, thrust his face forward from the back seat, but Yeo Moon-beom casually pushed back his forehead with his hand and answered the question.
“The crime of being a salaried worker.”
“…Huh? Salaried worker?”
What’s that?
Is it like the colored-eyed people?
Eun-hwi’s small head tilted in confusion at this puzzling crime. Though he was a Joseon dokkaebi born in Joseon land, he suddenly became afraid that he too might receive a death potion since his eye color differed from others, like the colored-eyed people.
“A salaried worker refers to people who have become members of society and work under others. Look there. They’re all wearing necklaces. It’s a mark that they’ve become someone’s servant.”
“Oh? They really are!”
Indeed, they all wore necklaces with square objects hanging from them.
“But why is that a crime?”
“In a capitalist society, the very act of economic activity is a crime. You have to voluntarily become a servant and drink the death potion daily.”
“D-daily? What if they die from it?”
It was such a terrifying punishment. His already pale face grew even paler, as if drained of color.
“It’s diluted with water, so they don’t die immediately. However, the poison gradually accumulates in their bodies and slowly suffocates them…”
“Has Yeo Moon-beom ever drunk it?”
Though he had quit by now, he too had been a constable working under others—a salaried worker—so he must have drunk the death potion before.
Instead of answering, he quietly nodded with a meaningful expression.
“Oh no. I don’t think I could drink it even if I became human. Something so frightening…”
Though he was naturally curious, he wasn’t brave enough to try something knowing it was so cruel.
But it seemed he couldn’t become human without being prepared to drink the death potion every day.
He had finally set foot in the human world, only to feel his long-cherished dream slipping further away. Eun-hwi gazed at the men outside the car window with a deeply dejected expression.
“It’s okay. I’ll take care of you and feed you for life, so you don’t have to drink such things.”
Yeo Moon-beom casually remarked as the traffic light changed and he started driving again. Though it was clearly a significant statement, his tone was so calm and casual that the half-dokkaebi blinked and asked:
“…For life?”
“Yes. For life. I told you I’d teach you how to live from now on, didn’t I? You don’t need to experience a criminal’s life, toiling away like others. That’s not a lifestyle that suits you. And.”
After briefly checking the side mirror and changing the car’s direction, Yeo Moon-beom continued with a hint of amusement in his voice:
“It’s a bride’s duty to take care of her husband.”
I see…
It seemed that when you became someone’s lover, you should take responsibility to ensure they didn’t suffer.
Having gained this insight, Eun-hwi smiled broadly at Yeo Moon-beom, completely freed from his fear.
“Mmm. Thank you, Moon-beom. I’ll work hard and take responsibility as your bride too.”
He was still in a position of needing protection since he knew nothing about the human world yet. But he thought that by learning one thing at a time like this, someday he would be able to fulfill his duties as a husband.
The half-dokkaebi eagerly absorbed the scenery outside the window and the passing people. What he could do now—no, what he needed to do—was to accept the ways of the world.
Rather than being vaguely afraid.
“I can’t tell if he’s being sincere or not…”
Dr. Hong, who had been quietly listening to their conversation from the back seat, muttered softly, almost inaudibly. For some reason, his tone suggested he was quite confused.
“Welcome, sir.”
The car stopped in the basement of a building as large as what they called a hotel. Despite being underground where no sunlight penetrated, the artificial lighting was so bright that it didn’t feel dark at all.
Eun-hwi opened the car door, bowed politely to the staff member who greeted them courteously, and stepped out of the passenger seat. Just as his feet touched the ground—
“…Ah!”
His waist wobbled and his legs buckled. Instinctively, he squeezed his eyes shut and clutched his hat tightly to keep it from falling off.
But instead of feeling the pain of hitting the ground, he first felt a firm chest supporting him. The mint scent he had been inhaling to intoxication all night tickled his nose.
“Careful.”
It happened so suddenly that he couldn’t help being startled. He hadn’t expected Yeo Moon-beom, who had been some distance away, to rush over and catch him, even pushing aside the staff member.
“Can you stand up?”
“My legs won’t… support me, mister…”
Yeo Moon-beom wrapped his arm around his waist to help him up as his body was collapsing. Then he placed his other hand under Eun-hwi’s knees and lifted him up in his arms.
Eun-hwi, who had been slightly squirming as his body was suddenly lifted, wrapped his arms around Yeo Moon-beom’s neck and looked down at things that had been above his eye level just moments before.
He saw the expression of the somewhat bewildered staff member standing awkwardly, and Dr. Hong’s face smiling with narrow eyes. He couldn’t hide the feeling of embarrassment that came over him. A reddish flush spread across his exposed neck as he buried his head.
“Is, is it okay to go around like this?”
“It’s fine, so hold on tight.”
Yeo Moon-beom replied nonchalantly, as if it didn’t matter at all. He seemed completely unconcerned with the glances of people looking their way.
“Ahem. Let’s go up. They’re waiting for you in the personal shopping room.”
The staff member spoke into a small device attached to his chest, telling someone that the VVIP had arrived, as if making a phone call.
What is VVIP?
He wanted to ask Yeo Moon-beom right away, but he couldn’t ask such a naive question while already looking so embarrassed. The half-dokkaebi simply hugged the thick neck tightly.
“This way, please.”
The department store was completely different from what Eun-hwi had imagined. Based on Dr. Hong’s description that it was a place where they sold everything, with nothing you couldn’t find, he had expected something like a general store at a marketplace, but there were only incomprehensible pictures hanging on dry-looking white walls.
Just as he was trying to hide his rising disappointment, the staff member ahead opened a door marked with curly writing. The scent of strong flowers, along with clothes hanging abundantly on racks, entered Eun-hwi’s view. And then—
“Moon-beom!”
A female Kim dressed in clothes that looked calm like hanbok despite being a bright forsythia yellow greeted Yeo Moon-beom. With her large features, she had such an exotic appearance that one might think she was a colored-eyed person, but rather than seeming unfamiliar, it inspired likability. Moreover, her mature atmosphere instilled trust in others.
“It’s been a while, Auntie.”
After setting Eun-hwi down on a plush leather sofa, Yeo Moon-beom greeted Choi Eun-young, an old colleague of his mother to whom he had previously entrusted Eun-hwi’s clothes.
“Is this from that package?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve been a personal shopper for ten years and met all kinds of clients, but… this is unexpected?”
Choi Eun-young raised her hands and shrugged her shoulders. This was understandable since he had never brought any of his previous pretend lovers here.
“Say hello, Eun-hwi.”
“Ah, hello. I’m Kim Eun-hwi.”
Standing up awkwardly from his seat, Eun-hwi looked around nervously before bowing.
“So you’re Kim Eun-hwi. Nice to meet you. I’m Choi Eun-young. I’ve brought lots of clothes that would suit you, so please choose whatever you like.”
After exchanging greetings with Dr. Hong as well, Choi Eun-young nodded to her assistant. The staff member immediately brought a hand-drip coffee pot and poured coffee into ice-filled glasses on the table.
“…Oh? It’s the death potion!”
On the table, various colored fruits and desserts from famous boutiques in the department store were arranged on a three-tiered tray.
One might have been drawn to the chocolate-coated eclairs or rabbit-shaped cookies, but the half-dokkaebi just stared at the three cups of coffee with a helpless expression.
“Would you like to try it?”
“Th-this?”
Afraid of drinking the poison, Eun-hwi gulped down a dry swallow. The small wave of his bobbing Adam’s apple was extremely cute.
“Mmnn…”
His high yet adorable nose twitched right in front of the cup. The unfamiliar scent of acidic coffee made his soft, rosy lips tremble.
“Should I bring you another drink? We can customize anything you want, just tell me.”
Choi Eun-young quickly spoke up as Eun-hwi hesitated, unable to bring the cup to his lips.
“Um…”
His expression was unreadable under the brim of his hat. Just as they were about to comfort him, thinking they might have scared him too much, the half-dokkaebi carefully put down the cup he was holding and asked in an earnest voice:
“May I have chocolate milk please…”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
