A chill ran down my neck at the cold voice that came from behind.
Why do I feel like I did something wrong when I’m completely innocent?
I was only thinking about romance, marriage, parenting, and retirement regarding the woman who showed me kindness. Isn’t that pretty common?
It’s funny that I thought her voice was cold. That was her tone when we first met. I just thought it had softened a bit since then.
“Ok-bun, you’re here.”
“What are you doing?”
Hunting.
Since I came to this world, the only ones hunting me were those trying to rob my money, so it feels a bit different.
“I was just having a little chat with an impressed audience member.”
I instinctively blurted out something that would smoothly explain the situation.
I mean, it felt like the awkward excuse made by the group leader who got caught hanging out with a fellow female classmate at a bar by his girlfriend.
Come on, dude. Don’t do that kind of thing at a cheap pub near school; you should have had it at a nice place instead.
Thanks to that, I had two beers without any snacks.
“No way.”
Cheon So-hee raised her eyebrows slightly and stared at me. I thought her gaze had softened lately, but today it felt sharp.
I didn’t lie. She was so impressed that she suggested having dinner together.
And if she heard everything, she could stop asking questions.
I have nothing to feel guilty about, but it’s oddly embarrassing to be in a situation where I have to make excuses.
“Hmm. A girlfriend?”
The woman who was watching me and Cheon So-hee looked up at me with a strange nasal tone.
“Oh! She’s my… notification!”
“Girlfriend?”
Ignoring my answer, the woman asked Cheon So-hee this time.
“……. She’s my client.”
Cheon So-hee didn’t answer immediately and stared at me for a while before speaking.
“Hmm. So you’re not in a relationship yet.”
The woman gave a meaningful smile toward Cheon So-hee.
Noticing that grin, Cheon So-hee’s cheek twitched for a moment.
“Danger. Step back.”
Cheon So-hee drew her sword from the sheath and pushed the woman back with it.
“Hmm. What’s so dangerous, I wonder?”
The woman stepped back obediently from the sword sheath but kept smiling at Cheon So-hee.
“Ok-bun. This is rude.”
I’m having dinner with my brother.
Even if the second and third rounds aren’t confirmed yet, if we’re lucky, we might create history tonight.
“……”
After moving away from the woman, Cheon So-hee stared at me intently.
What’s up? Just tell me.
“There’s nothing uglier than the jealousy of an ugly woman.”
The woman threw a comment at Cheon So-hee while watching the standoff.
Jealousy? Who?
The Heavenly Killing Star of the world?
This woman is seriously mistaken.
Right now, Cheon So-hee’s appearance is so average that she could be found in any of the first, second, or fifth classes of a girls’ high school. So plain that it wouldn’t even stick in your memory.
She probably thinks she’s a competitor just because something’s happening between me and something.
What a colossal misunderstanding.
“I’m sorry. It’s not malicious; it’s just that my friend isn’t familiar with the culture here.”
“No, no. Master. I’m quite familiar with the jealousy of an ugly woman. So how about dinner tonight? Of course, leaving the nuisance behind…”
The woman gave Cheon So-hee a glance before throwing a wink at me.
That sounds great, of course.
How will Cheon So-hee handle this?
Should I say my brother has an urgent matter and to go in first?
If she’s lonely, I’ll tell her I have a fun game to play.
“Binding Technique, right?”
“Hey.”
Before I could respond, Cheon So-hee called to the woman.
“Hmm? What is it, notification!?”
“You have a husband, don’t you?”
Those surprising words came from her.
“Wh-where did you get that strange idea?”
The leisurely woman’s face finally crumpled.
Really? Based on her reaction, it sounds true.
“I saw him a few days ago. You came with your husband.”
“Must have been someone else. This is my first time here today.”
“An old man with gray hair. That’s your husband, right? He called you his wife while only looking at Yoon Ho.”
“Hahaha. Master, this woman is overly jealous and saying strange things. Leave the nuisance…”
“Get lost.”
“Eek!”
At Cheon So-hee’s single word, the woman’s face instantly drained of color. Did she emit murderous intent? No, why shoot off the intent that even someone like Yoon Dae-hyeop would find shocking at a civilian?
“I-I’ll get going!”
In the end, the woman hurriedly turned and fled.
If it’s not true, at least leave a contact number.
Contrary to my wishes, she disappeared without looking back.
Goodbye. I was already thinking about marriage with you. Dammit.
“Yoon Ho.”
As I wistfully watched the direction the woman went, Cheon So-hee called me.
“Yeah?”
“Let’s go.”
Cheon So-hee said that and walked in the opposite direction from where the woman disappeared.
“Cheon So-hee! We need to go that way!”
It’s going to take a detour that way.
—————–
Cheon So-hee had a strangely low pressure throughout dinner.
“Hangover soup is ready!”
Even when Jumsu placed the hangover soup in front of us with a smiling face, Cheon So-hee didn’t pick up her spoon.
Maybe I should have ordered tteokbokki instead of soup. But you had tteokbokki for lunch.
We should eat a hearty rice soup for dinner.
“Thanks to So-hee, we avoided a big crisis today.”
To lift Cheon So-hee’s mood even a little, I said something that wasn’t from the heart.
“……”
Cheon So-hee silently stared at me.
Is it really that inadequate?
“How could a married woman do such vulgar things? If So-hee hadn’t told me, we could have had a huge disaster.”
I almost got someone pregnant.
“That woman, actually, has come three times.”
“Three times?”
“With her husband once, with another man once, and today.”
Oh. Her wife seems to have quite the wandering spirit. Did her husband leave the room?
“Whoa. What’s this world coming to? So-hee remembers all the audience members?”
“Only the ones with suspicious movements.”
Does a woman who changes partners count as suspicious signs?
I mean, as a contract killer used to fake identities, it’s understandable that she’d remember if the situation changed in such a unique way.
“Haha. I didn’t expect So-hee to care that much.”
“Since I said I would be her bodyguard.”
It seems the bodyguard role is broader than I thought for Cheon So-hee. That’s why she shows up late after every performance.
“Thanks to you, I can always feel at ease doing my assignments. I really appreciate it.”
I nodded slightly with a face full of admiration.
“Yeah.”
Cheon So-hee seemed to feel a bit better after my gratitude and finally started eating her soup.
Seeing that, I felt relieved to pick up my spoon, too.
By the way, this hangover soup isn’t that great.
Next time, I should go to an inn that serves high-quality hangover soup.
——
“Yoon Ho.”
As we entered the guest room, Cheon So-hee sat on the bed and called out to me.
“Yeah?”
“This face. Is it ugly?”
Cheon So-hee pointed at her disguised face as Ok-bun.
“Did that woman say something today?”
“Just asking.”
“It looks pretty average. If anything, maybe slightly ugly. But it’s a disguised face, so it shouldn’t matter, right?”
About a 4 out of 10, merely an average face that wouldn’t stick in your memory.
“How about this?”
She covered her eyes with one hand and slightly changed her facial features.
“Your eyes got a bit bigger. Yeah, that looks decent, not just ordinary.”
It feels like she got a subtly pretty look from a discount at a lousy plastic surgeon.
How much did you pay for that? Just take that money to Gangnam.
Still, an average woman that wouldn’t stay in memory, but her impression has definitely improved.
“Then I’ll go with this from now on.”
“Sounds good.”
It’s not a huge issue, so I just agreed.
“Yoon Ho. Bring out the Binding Technique.”
Is it already time to sleep?
I took out the black ropes from the corner for the last task of the day.
She’s no longer dazed like on the first day, but she sometimes loses her balance.
When I support her and lay her on the bed, the day’s work will be done.
“Here it is.”
I handed her the Binding Technique to wrap things up like usual.
“……”
“So-hee?”
Cheon So-hee just quietly stared at the black ropes without accepting them.
“From today, you’ll bind me.”
What is this all of a sudden?
With all this positivity, she’s starting to demand like Dooly from Dooly the Little Dinosaur.
In such cases, I should firmly refuse.
“So-hee, as I said before, it’s not good for a guy to bind a mature girl.”
“I won’t take the pay from tomorrow.”
“Do you want me to start with your neck?”
Cheon So-hee looked at me as if my response made no sense.
Well, one serving of the tteokbokki you eat would equal several bowls of rice soup. Not to mention, I’m paying for the guest room, too.
“……. Start with my neck.”
Cheon So-hee lifted her short hair with both hands, exposing her snow-white neck.
I carefully tied the rope around her neck, as if a bride was tying her husband’s necktie.
“Is this enough?”
“Ugh!”
“Did I tie it too tightly?”
I hastily loosened the knot. This is harder than I thought.
“Yoon Ho.”
“Yeah?”
In response to her call, I kept my focus on the knot without looking up.
Standing too close to tie her neck means if our eyes meet, it’s going to be quite a burden.
“I still haven’t regained my memories of you.”
“I know.”
It’s probably never going to return, so is there a need to emphasize that?
“I haven’t acknowledged you as my childhood friend’s brother.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
I replied nonchalantly, still concentrating on the knot.
Why is this so difficult?
I’ve been diligently paying attention to her being bound, but tying the knots one by one is rather cumbersome.
It seemed Cheon So-hee had something more to say, but I continued tying the rope, not caring.
Suddenly, Cheon So-hee grabbed my wrist, which was busy tying the rope.
“So-hee?”
What’s wrong? Did I tie it wrong?
When I slightly raised my head, her face was gazing at me with a slightly pouty expression, and our eyes met.
Did I say something too casually?
I often say I wish my So-hee would remember me, but I can’t be overly sad. It’s not like I can sob uncontrollably.
Now that we’ve locked eyes at such a close distance, it feels somewhat burdensome.
Even though it might not happen, just leaning in a little could lead to a kiss.
If you have something to say, say it quickly.
“But…”
As the eye contact lingered, she turned her head and opened her mouth.
“Hmm?”
“……. I wouldn’t ask an employer for something like this.”
Cheon So-hee said in a rustling whisper, lowering her head.
“I know that you trust me enough to let me do this.”
This feeling is quite new. We’re able to do this because there’s mutual trust.
“Yeah. That’s enough.”
She nodded slightly in response. The odd sharpness in her voice from dinner seemed to have faded.
For the first time, tying a noose became a continuous trial and error.
“So-hee, is this okay?”
“Bind it tighter.”
“Is this how it should be?”
“Ugh! Loosen it.”
“Alright, alright.”
As I started tying it one knot after another for the first time, I couldn’t quite gauge the right strength.
I need to tie it firmly enough for her to feel some pressure, but not so tightly that the blood stops flowing.
“Hmm!”
“Ha!”
Hearing her slightly heated gasps when being bound seems to indicate a passing mark, but every sound makes me feel odd.
It’s clear the Binding Technique has tremendous effects, but can’t we hold it in a little?
She usually doesn’t make such sounds; why is this happening just because it’s me?
“……”
As I diligently tied and finished the knot, I could feel her gaze on me. Unlike the first day when she lost consciousness after being bound, this time it made it even more embarrassing.
I pulled the ropes tightly at the chest to finish up.
“Hmm!!!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Hey!! Hey!!”
Someone was calling from outside the door.
I quickly halted what I was doing and opened the door just enough to show half my face.
“Who is it?”
When I opened the door, a man and woman with furious faces were standing there.
“I’m the one staying in the right room.”
“I’m in the left room.”
“What brings you here?”
“Hey! I know you’re in the heat of things, but what’s with the noise? Can’t you keep it down?”
The angry woman crossed her arms and scolded me.
“I’m here for the same reason. Normally, I let it slide, but today it’s excessively loud and long.”
“I’m sorry.”
It turned out they heard everything.
I feel blood rushing to my face out of embarrassment.
I bowed my head and opened the door wider, apologizing to them.
“Just a nod will do! Open the door and get out! Oh my!”
The woman angrily burst through the door to glance inside. The woman from next door’s eyes widened in shock at seeing Cheon So-hee being tied up, and she quickly closed the door again.
“Uh, it’s not something dangerous…”
What should I say? Should I explain it’s the traditional cultural practice Aesuaemu from Joseon?
“Yes, yes. Have a good night!”
“I’m sorry! Enjoy yourselves!”
No! I wasn’t enjoying anything! Honestly, it’s been agonizing all night after this!
The man and woman didn’t even consider my excuses and hurried back into their own rooms.
“……”
When I turned to look at Cheon So-hee, she was gazing at the door gap with a slightly dumbfounded expression.
“So-hee.”
“Yeah.”
“From tomorrow on, let’s change guesthouses. To somewhere with better soundproofing.”
“……Okay.”
