Chapter 154 – Cataclysm (2)

With Hong Yeon-hwa and Samamaeng in tow, I headed straight to the office where Pung Sosoa was supposed to be.

Creak.

The first thing I saw was Pung Sosoa’s scowling face as she sat at her desk, muttering to herself. She exuded a sharp, tense atmosphere.

“Hong Unni! Where did you suddenly go…oh!”

As soon as our eyes met, she melted and transformed into a giggling, playful girl.

Abandoning the documents she had been reading just moments ago, Pung Sosoa ran towards me with open arms.

“Jin Gagaa~!”

Her arms spread wide, demanding attention. I responded with a smirk and opened my arms. But…

Thud, thud.

Just before Pung Sosoa could reach me, she stopped abruptly and closed her eyes, scrunching her nose.

Sniff, sniff…?

She seemed to be sniffing the air.

Lowering my arms, I scratched the back of my head and asked, “Sosoa? What’s wrong all of a sudden? What happened…?”

“Jin Gagaa. Just a moment. It’ll only take a moment.”

“Uh, okay.”

I nodded my head, swept up in Pung Sosoa’s serious tone. However, as I was about to ask her why she was acting that way, I noticed that Samamaeng’s face had turned pale at the sight of Pung Sosoa’s behavior.

Suddenly, Pung Sosoa’s eyes widened, and she looked back and forth between me and Samamaeng with a gaze filled with shock, horror, and confusion, like a zoologist who had just witnessed a duck’s mating ritual.

Then, she started stomping her feet and screaming.

“We need a family meeting! We need a family meeting!”

What the hell?

***

Why was the shock so great?

For a while, Pung Sosoa went back and forth in the office, jumping up and down in place, or spinning around me as if performing some kind of ritual.

Finally, with Hong Yeon-hwa and Pung Sosoa clinging to me on either side, and Samamaeng standing a little further away, they asked me in trembling voices.

“Explanation! We need an explanation!”

“Yes, an explanation! Why does Jin Gagaa’s semen smell like the witch’s?”

“Semen smell…let’s use more delicate language.”

I tried to stop them, but they continued.

“Ugh! Are you already taking the side of a new woman?! Are Hong Unni and I just fish that you’ve caught and thrown away?!”

“Hing…is that what you think…?”

Pung Sosoa acted like she was hurt, while Hong Yeon-hwa clung to my sleeve and whimpered. And Samamaeng was standing right in front of me, unable to move.

This is driving me crazy…

Feeling like this wasn’t going to end well, I held Hong Yeon-hwa and Pung Sosoa tightly and vigorously stroked their heads and backs.

“You know that’s not what’s going on, right? You asked for an explanation, right? I’ll give it to you, everything without leaving anything out. So, calm down for now.”

“….”

“….”

Finally, Hong Yeon-hwa and Pung Sosoa stopped biting their lips. As a sign of gratitude, I lightly kissed their foreheads and began to speak.

“Let’s see…I’ll tell you in order. First of all, the installation of the Jinbeop was successful. But on the way here…”

.

.

.

.

.

As I finished telling them the story of how I survived against Surahyeolbu and Salsu, they nodded their heads in disbelief.

“Wow…it’s surprising, but it seems to be true. Not only did your momentum become stronger, but I can also feel the traces of the injury that Samamaeng couldn’t treat.”

“Wait, you can feel that?”

“Well, it’s more of a guess than a feeling. When you get injured, don’t you consciously refrain from using your inner strength and feel a little discomfort when you move your abdomen because you’re putting too much force into it?”

I didn’t really know about that kind of stuff…

“This is a bigger problem than I thought. I never imagined that Nokrim and Salgok would join hands with the enemy. I thought that the Cheongan Hyun’s attack might be imminent, but I never thought that Jin Gagaa and the Witch of Nohwon were the targets…”

Pung Sosoa, who had just said that, started groping my body wildly. Hong Yeon-hwa even poured her inner strength into me.

They must be worried that I got hurt somewhere.

Seeing them go from being angry to worrying about my safety, I chuckled and patted their backs.

“Don’t worry. I told you earlier, right? Other than being poisoned, I didn’t get hurt anywhere, and it’s been a long time since all the poison was burned away.”

“Um, then that’s a relief. I didn’t know that the Ilwolsungsinchunhwan Gong had that kind of function…but there’s still something important left, right?”

“Yes. It’s more important than me reaching the peak of the Jinbeop. …So, when exactly and how did you connect with the Witch of Nohwon? Was it just a one-night stand? Or are you planning to take her to the inner chamber?”

“Is that more important than me reaching the peak of the Jinbeop…?”

“Of course. This is the top priority.”

“I see…uh, that is…I was wondering where I left off…”

I paused for a moment, trying to remember what I had said so far, and then continued.

The time when I stood in front of Surahyeolbu instead of me. The time when I blocked Surahyeolbu’s ambush, even if it meant getting injured. The selfless actions after the battle. The intense emotions she showed while yearning for me, and more.

I began to explain the reasons why I accepted Samamaeng one by one, and the expressions on Hong Yeon-hwa and Pung Sosoa’s faces began to soften.

On the other hand, Samamaeng began to make a difficult-to-describe expression that combined extreme tension and embarrassment.

“Hmm.”

“This is…”

The two nodded their heads at each other. As soon as I finished my story, Hong Yeon-hwa moved away from me and turned to face Samamaeng.

Then she bowed deeply.

“I was late for the greeting because of unexpected events. I sincerely thank you for saving my husband and standing up for him.”

“Oh, no. I…”

“Hong Unni is right. If it weren’t for the Witch of Nohwon, something big might have happened. So, I’m really grateful for this incident.”

Pung Sosoa also bowed her head, and Samamaeng pulled them up with her hands.

“I did delay a little, but that’s all. It was thanks to Sohyeop that I was able to defeat Surahyeolbu. Both of you should raise your heads.”

Samamaeng led Hong Yeon-hwa and Pung Sosoa, who slowly raised their heads, to stand side by side.

“That’s not it.”

“That’s not it.”

“Huh? But…”

Hong Yeon-hwa pointed in Samamaeng’s direction, surprising her.

“Samagaju. It’s because of you that my husband was able to regain his enlightenment.”

“Hong Unni is right. Jin Gagaa’s martial arts are amazing, but they have a unique aspect. If the Witch of Nohwon hadn’t shown that much sincerity, both of you might have been caught there?”

“Hmm. That problem remains. How dare they lay a hand on my lord’s wife… As soon as Punggaju returns, I will go and punish Samaryeon. Can I ask for directions?”

“Yes? Yes…. Um, I mean, directions are possible.”

Hong Yeon-hwa flinched at the sudden outburst of energy, but Samamaeng quickly nodded her head, knowing that it wasn’t directed towards her.

Realizing her mistake, Hong Yeon-hwa tapped Samamaeng’s arm to calm her down and changed the subject.

“Come to think of it, what you two experienced this time is quite similar to when I fell in love with my husband. I think I can understand Samagaju’s feelings a little.”

“Huh? Now that you mention it, that’s true. Why am I the only one without such a dramatic event?! Jin Gagaa! Can you come and save me since I’m going to be in danger from now on?”

“That’s such a foolish thing to say….”

I hit Pung Sosoa’s forehead with a thud as she suddenly made a strange noise.

“You’re too much!”

“Maybe it’s not Pungso’s idea that’s too much…? I’m just saying, if you do something really dangerous, it’s not good.”

Pung Sosoa held her forehead and spoke in a low voice.

“Of course, it was a joke. Do you think I would willingly do something that would make Jin Gagaa worry?”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Pung Sosoa, who had been sulking for a moment, seemed to have thought of something and clapped her hands, asking Hong Yeon-hwa.

“Oh, Hong Unni. I’ve been thinking, isn’t this problem already solved from the moment Jin Gagaa’s martial arts reacted?”

“That’s true. It’s also a sign of how sincere he is.”

Hong Yeon-hwa and Pung Sosoa nodded their heads in agreement. Samamaeng, who was caught in between them, had a confused expression, not understanding what they were talking about.

Pung Sosoa saw her expression and asked me with a mischievous smile.

“I know what happened between Jin Gagaa and the Witch of Nohwon. But we haven’t talked about the main topic yet.”

“That’s right. So, what do you want to do?”

What do I want to do? Well…

“I want to welcome Samamaeng as my third wife… and I hope we can get along well with you two.”

It feels like I’m committing a crime by saying it directly in front of Hong Yeon-hwa and Pung Sosoa, but I managed to look at them straight in the eye and squeezed out my voice. And…

“Okay. Try your best. But don’t forget that the main wife always comes first.”

“I understand. Can you grant us one wish in return?”

They accepted it so easily.

“Uh? Is that okay?”

It didn’t seem like they were going to refuse in the current atmosphere… but still, this easily?

In response to my question, Hong Yeon-hwa shrugged her shoulders and answered.

“As Pung Sosoa said, isn’t the person who is treated so specially by the Nohwon Witch not a special person? Of course, if we had opposed it, you would have willingly followed us. But you would have withered away like a sick flower for a while. I don’t want to see you like that.”

“That’s right. That’s right. Besides, the Witch of Nohwon seems like a good person and she seems to value Jin Gagaa more than herself.”

It feels like the Nohwon Witch is being treated like some kind of love meter or something… but anyway, it seems to have worked out well.

However, only Samamaeng, who doesn’t know much about the Nohwon Witch, looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked.

“Um, what is this Nohwon Witch that you’ve been talking about…?”

“From now on, we’ll be talking about that and many other things. For now, sit here.”

“The problem was the escaped gun dealer, but since Jin Gagaa caught him, we can take a break today. Come on. I’ll boil some tea, so sit here in front.”

While Samamaeng was still confused, she sat down on the chair as Pung Sosoa spoke.

As I stared blankly at the scene, Hong Yeon-hwa started pushing me.

“You. You should go out now.”

“Can’t I stay here?”

“From now on, it’s women’s talk. Don’t worry, it’ll be over by dinner.”

I was half pushed out of the office, but… well, it should be okay.

After all, I had permission to take in Samamaeng, and I often talked with Hong Yeon-hwa and Pung Sosoa alone, so it was an extension of that.

Letting out a sigh of relief, as I turned my body…

“Huh?”

Brown hair tied on both sides. Petite height that reaches my chest. A tight-fitting palace dress that perfectly fits her body.

Samamaeng, with her fierce cat-like eyes filled with anxiety, was wandering around the hallway.

“Ge-Geumryong!”

Samamaeng ran towards me when our eyes met.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“I heard my mother’s voice and it was really loud. What happened? Is it serious? Huh?”

“Ah.”

It seems like Pung Sosoa’s shouting during the family meeting was heard around here. After that, I couldn’t hear what Hong Yeon-hwa said, so Samamaeng must be worried like this.

“Hey, answer me. It’s not like there’s something wrong with my mother, right? You look fine, so it must be okay. Am I right?”

“There is something wrong, but…”

How should I explain this?

After thinking for a moment, I cautiously asked the newly born daughter of my age.

“Do you want to call me dad?”