Chapter 346 – The Beast of a Man! (3)

Step by step.

“Hehng hehng.”

“Kwonhng kwonhng.”

Hopscotch.

“Huhhehe.”

“Kwonhehe.”

With each step, Hong Yeonhwa giggled gleefully, unable to contain her excitement.

And above her head, the duck-billed platypus chuckled along.

The petite Hong Yeonhwa and the even smaller duck-billed platypus on top of her were a comical sight, eliciting nothing but empty laughter.

“What’s so good that you’re laughing like that all the way here to Haebuk? Aren’t you tired?”

“Huh? Tired? How could I be tired! It’s so light! And if my neck gets stiff, I just do this!”

With a smug expression, Hong Yeonhwa tapped her collarbone.

Thump thump.

Her breasts jiggled in response. And as if taking it as a signal, the duck-billed platypus on her forehead hopped… or rather, it simply slid down like a slippery slope.

“Gweh-eh-eh-eh.”

With a strangely pitiful cry, the duck-billed platypus, detached from its head, disappeared into the space between Hong Yeonhwa’s breasts.

“…Huh?”

Wait, did it just go in?

She had been putting all sorts of things in there before, but now animals too?

For a moment, she was dumbfounded by the absurdity of it all.

As Hong Yeonhwa’s breasts quivered, not long after, the head and front paws of the duck-billed platypus popped out from her collarbone.

“Gweh-eh!”

Ta-da! It seemed to say with its tone.

In some way, it looked just like Hong Yeonhwa, who was equally delighted.

Perhaps surprised by this, the other women clapped their hands reflexively and enjoyed the spectacle.

Clap clap clap.

“Wow! Did you teach it all that already, Hong Unni?”

“I’ve never seen a creature like this… It’s definitely different from other animals.”

“Hehe. For a creature, it’s surprisingly weak… Maybe its intelligence has improved instead of its strength.”

Feeling pleased by the admiration of the other women, Hong Yeonhwa extended her belly and continued walking in that strange posture.

“Ahem ahem.”

Her gait was more stumbling than graceful.

With an adorable yet slightly embarrassing posture, Hong Yeonhwa walked right up to me, giggling.

“How about this? If you do it like this, your neck won’t hurt anymore!”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

As I watched the duck-billed platypus nestled comfortably between Hong Yeonhwa’s breasts, I couldn’t help but feel something was off.

She looked at me with a slightly furrowed brow, as if she had realized something. Hong Yeonhwa swallowed her breath and pointed her finger at me.

“My dear… could it be that you’re jealous of the beast?”

“What? No, I’m not jealous… um…”

I pondered for a moment and nodded.

“Maybe I am.”

“Huh… You seem to be quite fond of this lady.”

Hong Yeonhwa pulled the duck-billed platypus out of her chest, giggling and shaking her head.

Suddenly, the creature dangled in the air, looking at me with a mischievous grin.

“Hehng.”

“Hmm, it seems like your husband is jealous of you.”

“Hehng…”

“Don’t be hurt by that. Your husband will soon realize your charm.”

“Heh!”

“What a good attitude! I’ll leave it to you here!”

Wait… did it understand?

Hong Yeonhwa, who was conversing with the duck-billed platypus, suddenly handed it to me.

“Oh? Take it.”

“It’s inevitable for you to feel jealous.”

“I’m not really jealous…”

Maybe.

As I accepted the duck-billed platypus from Hong Yeonhwa, it naturally clung to my arm and climbed up to my forehead.

Pababat.

It had a slight weight and a soft fur texture. And unlike other furry animals, it had a pleasant scent.

It didn’t smell like Hong Yeonhwa. It was just a refreshing fragrance coming from this creature.

Is it because it’s a mystical being?

While I was admiring this peculiar creature, Hong Yeonhwa approached me and whispered in my ear as if sharing a secret.

“My dear, my dear. Do you know something?”

“What?”

“The duck-billed platypus’s beak… it’s so soft.”

“….”

I already knew that!

***

Alternating between placing the duck-billed platypus on my head and occasionally placing it on the ground, we crossed the Haebuk region.

Finally, we arrived at Paengga after a long time.

“I’m here!”

Paengsoso, who was delighted to return to her parents’ house, greeted the gatekeeper with a wide smile.

“Oh my! Isn’t this Miss Paengsoso! We were told you would be coming soon, but I didn’t expect it to be today! Please come inside… huh?”

The gatekeeper, who was about to greet Paengsoso warmly, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He stared at the duck-billed platypus on Paengsoso’s shoulder with a curious gaze.

“Y-Y-Yokai!!”

Snap!

Instinctively, he drew his sword.

“Hehng?!”

Startled, the duck-billed platypus quickly hid behind Paengsoso’s leg. Then, as if asking for help, it lightly tapped her leg with its claw.

But perhaps that only heightened the gatekeeper’s sense of danger.

“You dare lay a hand on someone’s leg!”

“Hehng, hehng!!”

As he aimed his drawn sword at us, the terrified duck-billed platypus raised its short arms in surrender.

…Although it looked like a threatening posture, with its short legs, it seemed like it could rush at any moment.

“You…! How dare you! Miss, you’re in danger! Please come over here quickly!”

“Hehehe!”

“Miss?”

The gatekeeper, who had been urgently calling for Paengsoso, blinked dumbfoundedly at his own laughter.

“Ahaha! It’s okay! It may look a bit strange, but… it’s not a yokai, it’s a mystical creature.”

“A mystical creature… you say?”

“Yes! Look, look. Duck-billed platypus, left hand!”

“Quack!”

“Right hand!”

“Squeak!”

“Both hands!”

Thump.

What happens when a four-legged creature lifts both front legs? It falls headfirst.

But the duck-billed platypus, intimidated by the sharp beak in front of it, trembled but still obeyed Paengsoso’s command.

“Quack, quack.”

In that pitiful state, the gatekeeper was momentarily stunned.

Paengsoso, still full of laughter, picked up the duck-billed platypus lying on the ground and spoke.

“How about that? Does it still look like a dangerous yokai to you?”

“I-I apologize, Miss. I nearly made a big mistake.”

“When I first saw it, I thought it was a monster, so don’t worry too much about what happened earlier.”

“Thank you. Oh my. This is not the time to keep bothering you like this. Please come inside, Miss… and welcome back home.”

The gatekeeper, who quickly opened the door, bowed deeply to Paengsoso and us.

Perhaps he sensed a new authority figure. The duck-billed platypus’s black eyes sparkled.

“Quack. Quack, quack. Squeak!”

And then, the creature in Paengsoso’s arms began to playfully tap its beak against her forearm and wag its tail up and down, showing off its cuteness.

With such a strange-looking creature exuding such a presence, what could possibly happen?

– What in the world is that?

– The Miss caught a yokai in Namman!

– What? Where is the yokai in the world?

– It has a duck’s beak and a raccoon’s body?

– It’s a yokai!! Run away, everyone!!

The Shiksol who had spotted Paengsoso and approached her with joy now hesitated and couldn’t come any closer.

Seeing this, Paengsoso let out a wry smile and spoke.

“Well, the reaction is a bit strange.”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do. It scared all of us when we first saw it, including me and So-So Unni.”

Samayeryeong patted the duck-billed platypus in Paengsoso’s arms once and held it tightly.

“Quack, quack?”

As if asking why she suddenly did that, the duck-billed platypus shot her a curious, twinkling gaze. But unlike Hong Yeonhwa or Paengsoso, Samayeryeong didn’t really understand such things.

“Ouch! Just stay still for a moment. I suddenly got curious.”

“Quack, quack…”

Realizing that cuteness wouldn’t work on her, the duck-billed platypus slumped in resignation, surrendering to Samayeryeong’s touch.

Samayeryeong suddenly opened its beak wide and swiftly ran her finger inside.

“Hmm. It feels soft and squishy, unlike a typical bird’s beak. I wondered if it had any teeth… but it doesn’t.”

“What? Did you want to confirm that?”

“No, actually, I already knew. But look over there, Jinrang.”

As Samayeryeong turned her gaze towards where she had tapped her head, the Shiksol’s relieved expressions at the mention of no teeth became noticeable.

“Huh… I thought it would be enough to show a harmless appearance… but this is much better. Did you plan this?”

“Yeah. Even though it’s So-So Unni’s house, it’s still someone else’s home. There’s no need to scare people for no reason.”

“You did well.”

I praised Samayeryeong as I gently stroked her head.

But for some reason, she chuckled.

“Hah! Do you think I would enjoy something like this like the other Unnis?!”

“Well… just don’t dislike it.”

I tried to withdraw my hand awkwardly, but Samayeryeong grabbed my wrist firmly, preventing me from doing so.

“I don’t understand it well, so I told you to keep going until I figure it out!”

“…Couldn’t you have just asked me to do more from the beginning?”

Anyway, with Paengsoso holding the duck-billed platypus, Samayeryeong playfully touched it, showing its harmlessness, and I headed to the office where Paengojin would be.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen my father-in-law, so I’ve prepared various gifts… I hope he likes them.

“Huh… I didn’t expect you to bring a living creature as a gift. I’ll enjoy eating it, son-in-law.”

Oh no. That’s not a gift…?