Chapter 143 – Three Peaches (3)
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Dendrophilia.
A type of mental illness that one would never experience in their entire life, was considered a very normal and relatively healthy hobby here.
So much so that it was taken for granted. There was no issue even if a middle school-aged girl ran around with a magazine.
“Thank you, brother! I really wanted this!”
Hwangdo held the magazine tightly against her chest and laughed.
Her half-closed eyes while looking at the magazine left a deep impression.
“It’s unbelievable that magazines like this are sold to minors.”
The future of this country is bleak.
Which magazine company publishes content like this? Reading each gem-like line, I find myself yearning to cleanse my brain.
– Hurry up and pierce my water pipe.
– I heard that the tofu vendor’s anus is soft and fluffy.
Could this be how those who ventured into the abyss and lost their minds felt? I can’t even laugh anymore.
Just looking at the cover makes me feel like I’m going insane, but our little Zodiac, the epitome of consumers for this magazine, is still intently staring at the cover, trying to determine if each phrase caters to her tastes.
“Embarking on a journey…”
Well, as long as it pleases you. No matter how bizarre, it’s your preference. Observing Zodiac’s genuine enjoyment, I feel like I’m sharing in a bit of her enthusiasm.
“I’m so excited, but nothing’s going to happen suddenly tomorrow, right? The gods might get angry.”
“Don’t worry needlessly, let’s buy a gift for White Peach instead.”
“Oh right, I forgot.”
Zodiac clung to my side once more with a sheepish expression.
It was quite familiar for her to slyly wrap her arm around mine.
“…But, didn’t you and White Peach have a poor relationship?”
“You can’t exactly say we were on good terms. After I became a Little Heavenly Demon, we constantly had disputes.”
“Do you dislike White Peach?”
“No? Quite the opposite, actually.”
I immediately negated Zodiac’s query.
Regardless of how strained the relationship between White Peach and me had been, this was the past.
White Peach had been young, and moreover, there was no valid reason for the two of us to quarrel here.
“I’d like to become friends. But something always seems amiss.”
“Ugh…”
Zodiac groaned in response to my words.
“Even if you don’t, White Peach dislikes you.”
“I know.”
“As long as you succeed our father, she’ll probably resent you for the rest of her life. White Peach wants Heaven to be the one to follow in our father’s footsteps.”
“I know. He told me last time.”
From Dowon’s perspective, I am merely a stone that has rolled in.
Moreover, a massive boulder that brought a great gust of wind with it. Due to this, Hong-Yeon was cautious of me.
Because of me, Heaven might not become Heavenly Demon.
So, I even assured White Peach that I had no intention of becoming the Heavenly Demon. It seems that wasn’t enough, though. There are various political issues regarding me becoming the Heavenly Demon, but White Peach likely had personal feelings taking precedence.
“What do you think about Heaven, brother?”
“Heaven?”
Zodiac asked me earnestly.
“Hmm. Heaven, you say.”
I can answer decisively.
“She has a lot of affection, but she doesn’t really express it. She secretly takes care of the people around her and has many thoughts but doesn’t show them. That’s why people around her often perceive her as being cold.”
Having fought alongside each other against the Ents and risking their lives in the dungeon to accomplish extraordinary feats, Heaven knew Zodiac well.
“Because of that personality, she suffers a lot, but doesn’t seem to mind at all. It’s rare, but sometimes it happens.”
Zodiac, who had been listening to my words, looked quite surprised.
“It seems you have an eye for people. What about me?”
“Pervert.”
“… I-I’m not a pervert.”
Coughing a few times, Zodiac’s cheeks reddened as she returned to the original subject.
“Anyway, it’s similar… But as you say, Heaven isn’t that strong of a person. She’s much more delicate than she appears. Very delicate.”
Zodiac spread her arms wide, drawing a circle.
Heaven was a fragile person.
When I saw a young Heaven, I once thought that she had quite a lot of emotional expressions during that period.
Zodiac placed her index finger to her mouth, making a shh sound, and said, “Don’t tell others.”
“Actually, among us, the biggest crybaby is Cheondo.”
“Crybaby?”
“She was like that when she was seven. Cheondo would cry even when leaves fell. When winter came and she saw a frozen rabbit, her eyes would always well up with tears.”
“I see.”
“She made many sacrifices for us. Always giving up food… When there was work to be done, she always took care of it. Helping with housework, too. Anything.”
A person who is fragile but resilient.
Her inherent goodness must have remained the same since the beginning.
As Hwangdo continued her story, her eyes became moist as if she were recalling those days from the past.
“In truth, Cheondo’s decision to follow in her father’s footsteps seemed like a burden she had taken on. Baekdo and I hated training. Our father was extremely strict and scary during training… He’s still scary now.”
It seemed there wasn’t any grand reason for Cheondo to become Heavenly Demon.
Nevertheless, since she was a diligent Cheondo, she must have put in a great deal of effort.
“Ever since beginning her training, Cheondo has lived separately from us. Her name vanished, and no one knew of Cheondo anymore. Her personality changed significantly as well.”
After becoming a Lesser Heavenly Demon, she stopped crying. Her emotional expressions were nearly gone.
Hwangdo spoke gloomily, saying that Cheondo had become harsh towards herself and Baekdo.
“The training must have been incredibly difficult, right?”
It was undoubtedly an arduous training regimen.
Given that Cheondo had received the same training I had endured, it was unquestionably a horrifying experience for a young girl.
As I nodded, Hwangdo sighed with an even more somber expression.
“…So, it seems that Baekdo is also keeping that in mind. The fact that Cheondo suffers greatly on our behalf. Because it’s the truth.”
“So, I don’t appear to be a good person?”
“That’s correct.”
In the midst of such emotional turmoil, it’s only natural that one would feel resentful towards someone attempting to steal the fruits of Cheondo’s hard work.
“What would Cheondo think?”
I’m fine. I had said.
Hwangdo stared at my face and offered a wry smile.
“So, actually, I feel somewhat the same.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
I was grateful for her honest response.
“Do you dislike the idea of me becoming the Heavenly Demon too?”
“I don’t like it, but… in a way, I do.”
“Huh?”
“If you become the Heavenly Demon, Cheondo won’t have to endure that prison-like life anymore. That’s a good thing, but… I hate the thought of our efforts being in vain. Strange, right?”
Hwangdo seemed to be experiencing an inner conflict.
Her dejected appearance resembled a puppy, appearing rather adorable.
“Because of this… I can’t tell you how many arguments I’ve had with Baekdo. But there’s one thing I can be sure of.”
“What is it?”
As soon as my question ended,
Hwangdo momentarily set down the gift envelope, stretched out her short arm, and embraced my arm.
He nuzzled his cheek against my arm and gazed up at me, wearing a bright, innocent smile.
“Oraboni doesn’t seem like a bad person.”
A face like sunshine. Perhaps because today was a bit chilly, I could feel a comforting warmth at my side.
“…I don’t see Cheondo very often. But Oraboni sees her more frequently, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then please take good care of her. She’s a fool who can’t look after herself.”
That much was obvious. I didn’t plan on succeeding Heavenly Demon, but there was no need to mention that. Grateful for Hwangdo’s honesty, I gave her head a gentle pat.
“Thank you for sharing something I didn’t know.”
“Hehe. I can even show Oraboni my treasured first edition of Mokshim.”
“Why on earth do you have something like that?”
“It was a birthday gift from my sister-in-law… Oh, did I not mention her? The first edition of Mokshim came out in 1950, you see–”
While keeping pace with Hwangdo, who proudly began reciting the history of the wooden heart, I purchased several gifts for White Peach and handed them to Hwangdo.
In between, I took her to a few places like the video room that she wanted to visit, and time swiftly passed until it was time to return.
“I don’t want to leave, hmph.”
As I escorted her to the front of her residence, Hwangdo refused to let go of my embrace until the very end. It felt like witnessing a puppy that keeps following you as you leave for work in the morning.
“Let’s go together again later.”
“Really?”
Immediately brightening at my words, her face blossomed like a flower.
“Then, let’s promise.”
At that moment, Hwangdo unexpectedly extended her pinky finger. I questioned it at first, then suddenly remembered a past event and hooked my finger around hers.
The song I had sung once before remained in my memory, allowing me to easily sing it again.
“Promise, truly promise. You won’t change your mind later, right?”
“Alright, understood. Go on in.”
“Wow! Have a great evening, big brother!”
Hwangdo, who shouted out a cheer, excitedly entered the house.
As she turned around, she looked back several times and vigorously waved her hand at me.
I mimicked her welcoming gesture while watching her retreating figure.
*Thud!*
The sliding door closed, and Hwangdo’s figure disappeared.
*Swish.*
Immediately, the door opened again, and her face peeked out.
“Thank you!”
The door closed once more.
This sequence repeated about five times before Hwangdo stopped reappearing outside the door.
Seeing her brighter and more energetic than I had known her before, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Finding myself alone again, I put my trembling hands into my pockets and stood in front of Hwangdo’s house for a while before setting off on my way back.
* * * * * *
“Sasaeoeoeo!”
Startled by the sound of Zodiac’s voice echoing throughout the room, Jin Sa-hyang sat up abruptly.
“What’s going on? What’s the matter?”
“I got this!”
Zodiac excitedly laid out the magazines she had brought, filling Sa-hyang’s eyes with surprise.
“Where did you manage to get all these, especially since you can’t even go outside?”
“My older brother bought them for me.”
“Older brother?”
“There’s a person like that!”
Unbelievable, what kind of crazed man would buy such things for a beautiful girl like Zodiac? Even a gold ring wouldn’t be enough to win her favor. Sa-hyang struggled to process the story pouring from Zodiac’s mouth.
“So, he gave you these as a gift? Uh… Isn’t he just a complete pervert?”
“Why?”
“Why? It’s obviously strange just by looking at it.”
Hwangdo tapped her lips with her index finger, feigning deep thought, before shaking her head with a bright smile.
“Your brother isn’t a bad person.”
“Really?”
“The bad ones are those my sister meets on her cell phone…”
“Close that mouth of yours.”
Pect lashes out at people.
Musk made a show of wiping away tears, sighing heavily.
“Anyway, be careful when you meet a man. Like my sister… um, you get it? If you choose poorly, there could be serious consequences.”
“That older brother said the same thing.”
“Yeah. People like that older brother are the most dangerous.”
“…It didn’t seem that way to me.”
Hwangdo continued to deny it.
Musk gazed at Hwangdo, raising an eyebrow.
She didn’t know who Hwangdo was so infatuated with, but it seemed right to offer at least one piece of advice.
Musk gave her some heartfelt counsel.
“If that man isn’t a strange one, I’ll slash my wrist.”
At this, Hwangdo’s eyes widened, and she immediately began to speak about that person.
“…Heavenly Demon, is that you?”
“Huh?”
The man of the rumors, famed for his striking looks and exceptional abilities.
Musk promptly closed his mouth.
He feared that if he misspoke, he could be stripped naked for blasphemy and subjected to a harsh beating.