Before I End Up as Rabbit Stew - Chapter 19

Baekho stood up awkwardly.

“W… wait……”

He stuttered in shock, flicking his fingers in the air two or three times. Actually, it seemed like he only needed to flick once, but his fingers kept slipping, perhaps because he was so dazed. When a crisp sound finally rang out after several attempts, his head palace guard appeared in the middle of the room. Baekho said in a dazed voice.

“Open a door to the Black Dragon Palace.”

Whether they only chose people who were like boulders to be head palace guards, the head palace guard of Baekho Palace was just as massive as the one from Black Dragon Palace. Nevertheless, he was incredibly cautious and meticulous when summoning the door. While he was drawing out his spiritual power, Yimae turned to face Heukryong.

“Where’s the money pouch?”

“Buuuuuin.”

“I’m asking where the money pouch is, you husband-to-be.”

Yimae groped Heukryong here and there. She didn’t see it when she took off his ceremonial robe, so it seemed like he had put it somewhere even deeper. She finally found the money pouch tied near the seam of his pants, and the complexions of Baekho and Jujak, who were watching, turned even paler.

The Heukryong they knew was a person who extremely disliked being touched by others. Not to mention handshakes or putting arms around shoulders, he always kept a certain distance from people, as if he didn’t even like his breath mixing with theirs. Even they, the other Four Symbols, had never touched Heukryong. He was several years younger than Baekho and Jujak, but his personality had twice the weight and maturity.

How could a person change this much just from being drunk? Heukryong, who was just smiling with a loose face while Yimae groped all over him, was no longer the person they knew.

“Wrap those up in the blanket.”

Yimae turned back to the bed. Heukryong immediately hugged her so she couldn’t get away and held on. Yimae, who had already given up on getting the drunk him off, wasn’t even surprised by the strong embrace. She said to Jujak.

“Put this on the table.”

She took out some money and gave it to Jujak. Jujak put the money down as Yimae said, and wrapped the bundle of saplings and Heukryong’s ceremonial robe in the blanket.

“Give it here.”

Just as Jujak was about to hand the bundle to Yimae, Heukryong suddenly pulled her back from behind.

“No.”

Because his voice suddenly changed to a cold and low tone, the people in the room thought for a moment that Heukryong had woken up.

“Just give it to her quickly.”

Yimae hurriedly reached out her hand. But Heukryong raised his arm and knocked between Jujak’s and Yimae’s hands.

Heukryong, who was staring silently at Jujak with a cold and inscrutable face, rubbed his nose against Yimae’s cheek again.

“Noooo.”

Just do one thing, just one!

Yimae gnashed her teeth. All of her teeth were destined to become powder today.

“Ah, how about this?”

Baekho nodded as if he had gained a great realization. He took the bundle wrapped in the blanket and stepped back a few paces, then threw it to Yimae from where he was. Yimae didn’t know what was going on, but she caught the flying bundle as if she were playing catch. Heukryong didn’t say anything even after seeing that.

“Hmm.”

Baekho smiled slyly.

“Open it.”

The door made of spiritual power opened in the air. The head palace guard of Baekho Palace stepped back a few paces and requested. Yimae moved as one with Heukryong, who was playing with the end of her braided hair, twirling it around and around. Heukryong was like a turtle shell.

“I’m going.”

Yimae opened the door. Early sunset was already settling on the neat and clean courtyard of Yongju Palace. She took a step inside the door.

“I’ll write a letter.”

Baekho said as if he was very sad to part.

“Sure, sure.”

Yimae, who was returning to Yongju Palace while answering vaguely, suddenly stopped in her tracks. Many palace people were gathered in the palace courtyard. It seemed like it was the regular cleaning time, as they were sweeping. The eyes of the palace people began to focus on the door that had suddenly appeared in the air, but the problem was Heukryong’s drunken mouth.

“My wife, have I told you?”

Heukryong’s voice was as soft and tender as a love poem.

“That I truly cherish you. Such beautiful color and such beautiful figure……”

“Not figure, retreat, retreat!”

Yimae stepped back and re-entered the door. The door made of spiritual power quietly scattered like a gentle breeze.

“Would you open another door? To a place with few people.”

The head palace guard of Baekho Palace looked at Baekho as if asking for permission. Baekho nodded, then suddenly burst out laughing.

“Isn’t this getting interesting?”

Yimae wanted to pick up a table and block Baekho’s snout.

“If it’s so interesting, why don’t you carry him on your back!”

“He wouldn’t like being carried on my back.”

Baekho’s keenly shining eyes scanned Yimae slowly.

“Well, I can’t say you look like a rat-eyed bean.”

Now that the surprise had subsided, Yimae’s appearance finally came into clear view. Her hot-tempered and quick-tempered nature was no different from when she was a rabbit, but her appearance was literally worlds apart. Even if you searched all of Jeokto Realm and the Heavenly Realm, this level of beauty would be rare. Baekho thought that even the daughter of Seo Wangmo, who was called the goddess of beauty, could not be compared to this beauty.

The lines that made up her features were slender and elegant, yet the challenging heat reflected in her eyes captivated people’s hearts.

“I told you not to call me that.”

Yimae clenched her teeth at the words “rat-eyed bean.”

“I can’t even call you that on purpose now.”

While Baekho was laughing, a new door was completed. This time, Yimae opened it only slightly first. The heavy cry of a bird was heard from a very distant place. It was a darker and quieter place than the courtyard of Yongju Palace.

“I’m really going!”

Yimae passed through the door quickly, lest the other palace people see her. Baekho and Jujak slowly waved their hands at the door that was disappearing like smoke.

And as soon as Heukryong and Yimae completely disappeared, Baekho started rolling around.

“I have to follow them and keep watching, aigo, aigo.”

He was literally about to laugh his head off. Laughter was contagious, so Jujak also smiled faintly because of his laughter. Even so, he couldn’t understand at all, so he tilted his head.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Don’t you know? Don’t you know?”

Baekho sat on the bed without blankets and continued to giggle.

“Think about when we first met our wives.”

Then he suddenly stopped laughing like a madman and looked at Jujak.

“Ah, you had a marriage arranged by your clan.”

Jujak smiled knowingly. Baekho waved his hands up and down and started laughing again. His head palace guard supported him, who was about to fall off the bed. Baekho slapped the head palace guard’s shoulder and burst into laughter.

“I wonder if we’ll hear news of flowers blooming in Black Dragon Palace soon.”

Why did you open the door here of all places?

“Even though I asked you to open it in a place with no people……”

She should have retreated as soon as she took her first step. Yimae lowered her head in the middle of a backyard where mud was knee-deep.

It was certainly deserted. More than deserted, it was completely empty. She had already visited Bipamung today, and met her old friends. Now even the backyard she had first entered. Yimae somehow felt like she was taking a trip down memory lane.

“At this rate, there’s no point in taking off the ceremonial robe.”

Heukryong’s pants hem, soaked in mud, caught her eye. Yimae resolved to secretly burn everything he was wearing today, including the ceremonial robe stained with seasoning and the pants stained with mud. The clothing pavilion seemed to have a lot of ceremonial robes anyway.

“Be careful where you step.”

As soon as she said that, Yimae staggered first. Heukryong was holding on tightly, so she didn’t plunge into the mud, but she felt a throbbing in her ankle. Her skinny ankle, without any muscles, had endured as much as it could.

“I have to find the way.”

Which way was it to Yongju Palace? Yimae didn’t know the way from the backyard to Yongju Palace. When she thought about it, she had first run wildly to get out of the mud. To avoid the sword of this drunkard behind her.

“Do you know where we’re going?”

Heukryong let go of Yimae’s hair, which he had been holding onto all along. He also lowered his arms that had been holding her shoulders tightly. Yimae looked back at Heukryong, who hadn’t answered for a long time.

And she realized. That Heukryong’s condition was strange.

“Heukryong?”

It was on a different level from when he was acting cute and charming. Heukryong suddenly put both hands over his eyes. And he dropped his head and drooped his shoulders.

“Don’t tell me……”

Yimae immediately felt where the human liver and gallbladder were in her stomach. Her liver and gallbladder were not only chilled, but also felt stinging and painful as if they were being sliced with a knife. And Heukryong finally began to heave his shoulders slightly.

Yimae couldn’t believe it.

“Are you crying now……?”

Why is today so long?

While looking at Heukryong’s chin, where large teardrops were falling, Yimae blankly let go of her mind as if she were letting go of a kite string.

Why do I feel like I’m getting screwed every time I come to this mud field?

Support Before I End Up as Rabbit Stew