Chapter 135 – Blurry, Suddenly (5)

Late evening.

Cheondo, who had bathed somewhat late, entered the room and dried her hair. It was because she had received training late into the night due to Heavenly Demon acquiring a new disciple.

“Whew…”

She patted her hair dry with a towel.

White steam rose from her pale skin, which was still damp. Her whole body felt warm, and she was in a good mood.

The newly acquired soap from outside had a pleasant fragrance. The training she had with her master today had also been quite fruitful.

If Cheondo had a picture diary, she would have stamped it twice with peach blossoms and sunflowers, exclaiming, “What a delightful day!”

“So, why are you here?”

…If it weren’t for this man, the number of stamps in the diary would have increased to five.

“To see you.”
“Ugh!”

A man who smirked and spoke with unabashed audacity.

He was a stranger, and they hadn’t known each other for long.

It felt as though everything that could and couldn’t be said had been uttered, all tangled together in a strange web. Regardless, the conversation continued.

“I brought a lot of things you might like.”

“What are you talking about? How much do you even know about me?”

Cheondo narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the man who tried to ingratiate himself with her.

At first, she had thought him to be someone with a complicated background.

He couldn’t speak of many things, and she had presumed he had good reasons for sneaking around. But one day, he barged into the entrance of Do-won, causing a ruckus. He caught the attention of their master, and now he was even being called a Lesser Heavenly Demon.

To Cheondo, the original Lesser Heavenly Demon, he was like an unwelcome stone that had rolled into her life.

There could only be one Lesser Heavenly Demon, just as there can’t be two suns in the sky.

There was a reason for establishing a hierarchy among the disciples and determining who held influence. In the past, they were ranked as first-class disciples, second-class disciples, and so on.

Now, did their master see her as the top disciple in his eyes?

“That fellow has potential, indeed. I’ll make sure to take good care of him as a sister-in-law.”

Perhaps not. This man was strong—stronger than herself.

She didn’t think this emotion was jealousy, but as Cheondo sat still, watching her master praising the man, she couldn’t help but feel upset.

‘…Can I not follow in his footsteps?’

The doubts in her mind seemed to multiply, one after the other.

Although her spirits dampened a bit, Cheondo tried her best to maintain a cheerful facade with her unique acting skills. Truthfully, she no longer liked the man who had intruded into her bedroom.

No matter how much she pretended to be an adult, in the end, she was just a young girl. Even an actual adult would struggle to look kindly upon someone who had encroached upon their territory.

Suddenly, at that moment, the man presented something to her.

A large, thick sausage with a faint soy sauce aroma. Corn kernels were embedded within the thin dough surrounding it.

“…What is this?”
“Teriyaki corn sausage. I bought it from outside. It took a while, but I had to go out to take coordinates anyway.”

Teriyaki? Soshi, what?

Heaven was mesmerized as she gripped the skewer part of the sausage. The lower portion of the skewer was wrapped in tissue paper to prevent the seasoning from smearing.

“Give it a try.”

The man gazed at her with round, puppy-like eyes, full of anticipation.

How delicious could this be? She took a large bite of the sausage, which was almost too big to fit in her mouth.

It was startlingly hot, as if it had just been purchased.

“Haah, hmph…”

Juices burst inside her mouth, mingling with the rolling corn kernels and the sweet taste of teriyaki sauce. Accustomed to eating plain, dull meals, Heaven’s head suddenly buzzed with delight.

“…Delicious.”

She didn’t even realize she had blurted out the word. Emotions painted her face, which now radiated with happiness.

Despite having no particular appetite for food, Cheondo filled her mouth with sausage once again and chewed.

Bite by bite, she savored the taste as if embroidering it into her memory. Sausage—the light of her life, the fire in her body.

*Munching noises*

The man observed Cheondo with a content smile on his face.

*Gulp*

The salty tang of soy sauce on the tip of her tongue, followed by the oncoming wave of sweetness. An irresistible flavor that danced upon her taste buds, captivating the hearts of youngsters.

Unaware that she had already consumed the entire skewer, Cheondo bit into nothing but air. Seeing the empty skewer, her expression turned sullen. It was her first time eating so thoughtlessly, disregarding all manners.

“…Ah. I’m sorry. That must have been unpleasant to watch, right?”

Cheondo, having only just noticed the man’s presence, apologized.

“No? It was quite enjoyable to see. I feel a sense of accomplishment for going the distance to buy it after receiving my allowance.”

With that, the man pulled a tissue from the bag and gently wiped the corners of Cheondo’s mouth.

Only then did I realize that there was sauce on my face, and I slowly blushed.

But why did they suddenly bring food in the middle of the night?

Maybe there’s something they want from me. It’s strange how my vigilance returned only after I had eaten it all.

“…Why are you giving this to me?”
“I helped out with some work and bought it as soon as I got paid.”
“I’m asking you why.”
“I thought of you. It would be nice to give White Peach and Zodiac some too, but I don’t know where they live, so I just bought yours.”

Heaven closed her mouth and thought.

The man knows my name and is aware that White Peach and Zodiac are my sisters. Is it logical that someone so fierce in battle with other warriors becomes as docile as a puppy in front of me?

I haven’t done anything for him. I thought my teacher might have done something, but even my teacher, who seemed to know everything in the world, didn’t seem to know this man.

This person had known a secret from the very beginning, a secret known only to my master and me. Unless everyone in Do-won had conspired to torment me, there must have been something.

-Would you find out someday?

I had indeed said that… I had tried to wait, expecting that the truth would eventually be revealed to me. But my curiosity only grew stronger over time.

This person was peculiarly kind to me.

It wasn’t that I disliked it, but it was undeniably burdensome. Lately, my mind had been in turmoil, making it even more so.

“Sigh…”

Nevertheless, I couldn’t bring myself to resent their smiling face. What could I possibly say to someone who went out of their way to buy me food?

…The meal I had just consumed was so delectable that it would remain etched in my memory for the rest of my life. I had never before experienced such sweetness. To describe it, it was like two trees growing on a towering plateau shyly colliding their branches, as if engaged in a tender touch. My crude powers of expression could not do it justice. Truly.

Having made up her mind, Cheondo gulped and sealed her lips.

“Do you want to try mine as well?”
“Ah, no. I couldn’t possibly.”

As the man spoke up, Cheondo vehemently shook her head.

“Really? Then I’ll just eat it myself.”
“…Ah.”

Without any hesitation, he brought it to her mouth, and Cheondo’s lips parted.

“…I told you to eat it yourself.”
“Is it really okay for me to do so?”

As if to silence any further words, the man lifted the sausage like an airplane, guiding it into Cheondo’s mouth.

The entrance to Cheondo’s mouth, which seemed as if it would never open, naturally gave way when the sausage tapped against it.

The burst of flavor returned. Teriyaki sausage.

Munching and gulping.

Once it entered her mouth, she eagerly devoured it, gripping the skewer tightly. A look of satisfaction spread across the man’s face.

“…I’m full. I’ve made a spectacle of myself.”
“Isn’t it a happy spectacle though?”
“Hmph.”
“Do you think White Peach or Zodiac would like it too?”

White Peach or Yellow Peach… It’s ludicrous to mention only those two. If everyone in this garden tasted the corn sausage, they would all be utterly shocked and taken aback.

Cheondo spoke calmly, suppressing his exaggerated thoughts. He traced a large circle with his hands, and his feet repeatedly floated in the air before sinking back to the floor.

“They’ll love it. Oh, very much so.”

Even to himself, it was a composed response. Despite this, Cheondo couldn’t suppress his hand gestures and foot movements.

Unable to hold back his laughter, the man caused Cheondo to shiver as he tried to suppress his restless hands.

“Jeez, to be serious. Unlike me, White Peach and Yellow Peach have some experience outside, so they won’t be extremely surprised.”
“Oh, so they won’t be *that* surprised, right?”
“Yeeek… Just stop when I say it nicely.”

When the man mocked him by imitating the distracting movements, Cheondo raised both his hands.

“And what if I don’t say it nicely?”
“…If you don’t say it nicely.”

Cheondo’s patience finally reached its breaking point.

The overwhelming shame made her want to shift the topic quickly.

“I’m going to do this!”

Stretching both her hands towards the sky, Cheondo charged at the man. She swiftly hoisted him up and tossed him onto the bed! The man groaned as the move was executed seamlessly without any resistance.

“Argh!”

The man let out an exaggerated scream, the absurdly pathetic sound akin to that of a low-grade villain. Cheondo didn’t notice, but a subtle smile played upon her lips.

This reminded her of the rough-and-tumble wrestling matches she’d often have with her cousins during the holidays, play-fighting on the bed. Cheondo didn’t exert much force, opting to tap the man’s body with her soft fists instead, as if she were revisiting that past match between the man and Hong Yeon.

Initially, she had only intended to change the subject. However, seeing the man’s reaction, Cheondo strangely felt a surge of excitement course through her body.

They bit and hit each other, tickling one another. They continued to roll about like this for quite some time.

The clothes they had been wearing were stretched at the necks, and their hair was tousled as if birds had built nests in it. The man and Cheondo, lying atop one another on the bed, gazed at each other and chuckled.

“Chuckle. What on earth are we doing, really?”
“As long as it’s fun.”

Who this man was and what his intentions were, she couldn’t tell. The anxious thoughts she’d had earlier vanished all at once.

Had he truly been a puppy in a past life? Rolling around together like this, all the worries and concerns that had been weighing on her mind seemed to dissipate.

“…Ah, right, I thought of an alias.”
“A name?”
“Do-won. Isn’t it good?”
“You want to use Do-won, when that’s the name of this place?”

Do-won or Lee Do-won?

Not a bad choice, but it seemed like a name that would bring more trouble if mentioned carelessly. Cheondo seemed to be aware of this as well. She snorted at the man’s conflicted expression.

“Then tell me your name.”
“Well, just Do-won is fine. Let’s go with that.”
“Alright, then Do-won…”

Wait a moment.

What should be the proper way to address this person?

Cheondo pondered for a while and cautiously tried out the first form of address that came to mind.

“…Brother?”

She tilted her head and playfully poked her cheek with her finger.

A sly smile spread across the man’s face. It was evident that he was entertaining some dangerous thoughts.

“No… this doesn’t feel right.”
“Why not?”
“Anyone can see you’re grinning suspiciously! How can I address you like that? Stop trying to look serious. It’s useless to fix your expression now!”

The man’s face fell.

“…”
“Even if you keep your mouth shut like that, I won’t change my mind. You don’t look pitiful at all.”
“No other choice then.”
“How about ‘Executioner’? Executioner Do-won.”
“The pronunciation is a bit odd, but I guess it’s fitting.”

Cheondo would never call him ‘brother’ unless it was in this place. If not ‘brother’, then maybe ‘Ga-ga’ to match the atmosphere here? Regrettably, the man did his best not to reveal any emotions on his face.

There was still so much more to enjoy besides sausages. The man pulled out a cell phone and a single earphone from his pocket.

“…What is that?”

Cheondo showed interest in the unfamiliar device.

“Ah, this is called a cell phone.”

It contained cartoons.

Upon hearing the man’s words, Cheondo’s expression formed a question mark.

“Come here. Put on one earphone.”
“Is it something strange…?”

Cheondo lay down next to the man on the bed, as if she was lying face down. The earphones were inserted into each other’s ears, one at a time.

Soon, a video began to play on the cell phone screen.

-One two three four. Pretty Cure!

Cheondo’s eyes widened at the lively voice of a woman she had never heard before.

“If you swipe this to the right, the next episode comes up. Watch it whenever you’re bored.”

After giving her a few instructions, the man placed his own earphone into Cheondo’s ear and stood up from his position.

“Where are you going?”
“Back to work. There’s a lot to do and a lot to learn. I’ll come often.”

As soon as he said so, the man disappeared with a mysterious flash again.
All that remained in the room was the cell phone playing the video and Cheondo lying on the bed.

That person always says or does something like this and vanishes.
Cheondo looked at the screen again.

‘What is this supposed to be?’

Still, it piqued her interest.
Cheondo focused on the exaggerated images and sounds.

– Gather the power of the five branches! Ee-yap!

One minute passed, then ten minutes passed.
Cheondo, who encountered things she had never experienced before on her cell phone, slowly began to be captivated by the stories.

“…It’s not very interesting.”

Saying that, she moved on to the next episode.
She slid her finger to the right.

Originally, addiction erodes a person’s body very slowly.
Unaware that the night was passing, Cheondo stared intently at the cell phone screen.

Until I had watched all 12 episodes of the fantasy animation in their entirety.