IGWNI Ch 3
by soapa“Shit.”
A harsh curse slipped from Yoon Jaewoo’s mouth. He didn’t care if anyone heard him or not. They wouldn’t understand him anyway.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.”
He grabbed handfuls of leaves and scattered them around the garden. His body had recovered significantly, allowing him to walk without assistance.
Considering the agony he was in when he first opened his eyes, his recovery speed was nothing short of miraculous. But the miracles didn’t end there.
He began to understand the language of the people in this world. At first, still reeling from the pain, he wondered if he was hallucinating, but even as time passed, their conversations remained perfectly comprehensible.
Under normal circumstances, this would be considered a very positive development. However, Yoon Jaewoo wasn’t the least bit pleased to understand the language of this world’s inhabitants. Understanding their speech meant confronting an uncomfortable truth he hadn’t known before.
“Shit!”
Yoon Jaewoo kicked a bush in the garden. The attendant walking beside him winced, observing his actions.
“What? What is it? Have you never seen Ramia like this before? Look, look! See! See!”
He shouted, kicking the tree, ignoring the attendant’s grimace. The attendant sighed, shaking his head with an expression of having seen something unpleasant.
Yoon Jaewoo fumed as he walked through the garden.
As Jaewoo had predicted, the man who looked like he was sculpted from silver from head to toe held immense power in this world.
The ruler of this world, the spiritual leader, and the being who governs everything.
To put it in a single word:
God (神).
“Ugh, this is annoying!”
Yoon Jaewoo paced the garden, throwing a tantrum.
The past few weeks, during which he deluded himself into thinking he might be a god, weren’t even close to embarrassing. The meaning of the word “Ramia,” explained by the chief attendant, had thrown his pride to the ground, trampled on it, and then torn it to shreds.
With a slightly sympathetic expression, the chief attendant had begun to explain the relationship between the god Dweord and the Ramia.
Ramia referred to a heterogeneous life form that did not belong to this world. Dweord meant the god of this world, and in this place, Dweord referred to Eustace. Coincidentally, Dweord Eustace had a hobby of collecting Ramia. In other words, Ramia existed for Dweord and were beings meant for his amusement.
To summarize this in a single word:
“Is he insane? What kind of god keeps humans as pets!”
They had never directly used the word “pet.” However, the more the chief attendant explained, the more firmly the word “pet” took root in Yoon Jaewoo’s mind.
Even the reason he suddenly started understanding the language of this world’s people was infuriating. That Eustace or whatever his name was, made him understand the language because he wouldn’t listen and kept wandering around. The moment he heard that, only one question came to Yoon Jaewoo’s mind:
Then why can’t you understand what I’m saying?
Reading his thoughts from Yoon Jaewoo’s expression, the chief attendant had given him a simple answer:
‘There’s no need for us to understand the language of the Ramia.’
“Fucking hell!”
This part was what truly scratched at Yoon Jaewoo’s pride.
He couldn’t understand it at all. What was with the treatment that made him wonder if he had become a god! They should have just put him on a leash and locked him in a kennel!
Yoon Jaewoo yelled in frustration. What came back was Eustace’s cold sneer. Everyone else gave him the same frustratingly circular answer that it was Dweord’s will.
The man gave instructions to his attendants with an impassive face. Telling them to immerse him in some liquid called Tember or Tambourine or something, the man disappeared. Although his body had recovered at an almost miraculous speed thanks to that liquid, Yoon Jaewoo wasn’t grateful in the slightest.
In the end, he had died, come to an unknown world, and become the pet human of a crazy god. He wanted to go crazy and lose his mind in this situation that sounded like the title of some strange novel. Even when he raged and shouted, the attendants remained indifferent.
He couldn’t even get angry at that Eustace guy. He knew instinctively that his life would be in danger if he did.
Looking into those emotionless bluish eyes, he understood why he was the ruling God (神) of this world. Yoon Jaewoo wasn’t stupid enough to blindly challenge someone with such omnipotent power.
“Just you wait.”
Yoon Jaewoo gritted his teeth.
“I’ll escape when you’re not looking.”
He muttered, glancing at the attendant following him. At first, he thought they were following him out of concern and appreciated their efforts, but now it was just annoying and bothersome.
「How long will you be taking a walk?」
The attendant following behind asked. Yoon Jaewoo ignored him and continued walking back and forth through the garden.
His right leg ached, but he didn’t stop.
It was already mortifying enough that he had lost everything he owned in the accident and committed suicide, but now he had to be a god’s pet in this new world he woke up in!
Yoon Jaewoo resolved to escape this world no matter what. If he couldn’t escape, he would just die.
However, escaping or dying wasn’t as easy as he thought in this place where an attendant was constantly attached to him. He would think, if he died once, could he not die twice? But then, while receiving a massage from the attendants, he would change his mind and think, maybe he should just live for today.
Just like that, he kept postponing it, and now it was today.
“Someday, I’ll either die or escape, one way or another.”
Yoon Jaewoo was waiting for an opportunity. In his mind, the only escape route was the wooden door connected to the wall. At first, they would open the door for him and allow him to go outside, but the second time they tried to dissuade him, and now, even if he just glanced in that direction, the attendants would make a huge fuss.
Why wouldn’t they let him go out? There had to be something there. …Anyway, he was determined to go out there and see.
Ever since he made up his mind, Yoon Jaewoo had been making thorough preparations, such as wearing layers of thin clothing or carrying food in his pockets. However, it was nearly impossible to shake off the closely following attendant. They even stood guard at the door with a hand towel when Yoon Jaewoo went to the bathroom. There wasn’t a single second in this place where Yoon Jaewoo could be completely alone.
「Won’t you go back?」
The attendant asked politely. Even though Ramia were the god’s pets, it was clear that they couldn’t be treated carelessly. The attendants had never ordered Yoon Jaewoo around or told him what to do.
「Will you continue your walk?」
It was long past bedtime. The people here stopped what they were doing when the bell rang twice and went to bed.
Yoon Jaewoo pretended not to know.
Whenever he felt suffocated or his mind was cluttered, he always ran. He ran even when it rained or snowed. Now, walking was the best and only way for him to calm his mind.
“If you won’t even let me walk, just put a leash on me.”
He didn’t know what a Ramia’s true purpose was, but life here was generally free. The things he wasn’t allowed to do were escape and blasphemy. Knowing this, Yoon Jaewoo walked diligently around the garden, leaving behind the attendant who was clearly showing his displeasure.
The sky, draped with a large moon, was dyed a lilac color, as if it would give off a lilac scent. If it were in the past, he would have strolled along, enjoying sentimental thoughts like, ‘what a beautiful sky, I’m glad I was reborn after death,’ but such things didn’t catch Yoon Jaewoo’s irritated eye.
After walking around fuming for a while, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. The attendant who was following him finally looked up, relieved that this tedious walk seemed to be coming to an end.
“Jinsu….”
He saw a large ball of fur lying on the pavilion. He knew it wasn’t actually Jinsu, but Yoon Jaewoo had already decided to call it Jinsu.
The white ball of fur was stretched out, enjoying the night scenery. Yoon Jaewoo, feeling a surge of warmth, waved his hand and turned towards it.
The last sight of Jinsu fighting the black snake in the snow had been weighing on his mind even when he was sick.
This white beast was his lifesaver. He didn’t know exactly what it was, a wolf or something else, but if it weren’t for this beast, he would surely have passed through the snake’s jaws and become dung rolling in the snowfield by now.
Yoon Jaewoo vowed never to forget the grace it had shown him by appearing at that critical moment and tearing the snake to shreds. That was his way of life, his creed.
“Hey! Jin….”
He was about to call out “Jinsu” when he abruptly closed his mouth. The creature, hearing Yoon Jaewoo’s voice, turned its head with incredibly cold eyes.
“Ahaha. Haha….”
Yoon Jaewoo couldn’t approach immediately and stood below the pavilion, letting out a nervous laugh.
“…Can I come up?”
Knowing that despite its soft and beautiful fur, its personality was extremely ferocious and prickly, Yoon Jaewoo asked cautiously. When it didn’t react, Yoon Jaewoo mustered up the courage to climb the stairs.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
No matter how big this creature was, that black snake was also considerably large. Considering its thickness alone, one could mistake it for a dragon rather than a snake. Even Yoon Jaewoo, who was only bitten on his side, had hovered between life and death and barely opened his eyes after two days. It was only natural for him to be worried about the white beast.
“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
Yoon Jaewoo checked carefully, circling around it.
“You weren’t bitten, were you?”
He asked again, as if to double-check. The creature, as if in response, thumped its tail on the floor. Yoon Jaewoo took this as a sign that it was okay and nodded.
“That’s a relief. I was worried….”
He felt even more apologetic because he initially intended to tame and utilize this animal. Moreover, once he started associating it with Jinsu, it now felt completely like Jinsu.
Yoon Jaewoo tried to gently stroke the beast’s back but stopped when he saw its tail stand up.
As expected, it’s too wild to tame. The people here would definitely nag me about how dangerous it is….
“…Huh.”
Yoon Jaewoo realized that the attendant, who had been trailing closely behind him, had disappeared.
“What? Did he leave?”
A smile spread across Yoon Jaewoo’s face.
“Yes! Perfect. Let’s get out of here.”
Now, all he had to do was find that wooden door and go outside….
“Gasp!”
The creature, which hadn’t moved until then, suddenly extended its forepaw, blocking Jaewoo’s path. Thinking it was a coincidence, Yoon Jaewoo tried to move around the paw. However, this time, the other forepaw blocked his way.
“…You’re telling me not to go, aren’t you?”
As if answering, the creature bared its teeth and growled lowly. Yoon Jaewoo’s body needed a bit more recovery to push away the pillar-like forepaws and escape. He sighed and muttered, “Alright.”
“I won’t go. I won’t go, so move your paw.”
The creature stretched its body and forepaws forward again and lay down. Unable to go down from the pavilion or sit next to it, Yoon Jaewoo sat a good distance away in the corner. Yoon Jaewoo hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
“Hey, you. Do you understand me?”
If it were him from a while ago, he would have thought talking to an animal like this was crazy, but now, he needed someone, anyone, to talk to. The white beast, without turning its head, glanced at Yoon Jaewoo with just its eyes.
It wasn’t any kind of word or answer, but to Yoon Jaewoo, it was the first communication he had felt in this world. Like a child, he began to chatter to the beast about various things.
“I’m not from here. So, don’t worry about things like my status or whatever and just be comfortable with me. And that thing you said about me being Ramia, I take it back. So….”
The past Yoon Jaewoo, who had boasted about being a Ramia and therefore capable of keeping a creature like this, flashed through his mind.
“Um, you know.”
Yoon Jaewoo scratched the back of his head. He felt extremely embarrassed that he had to go back on his word, even to a mere beast. A man’s word is his bond.
“I want to allow you to stay here, but… there’s been a bit of a problem.”
Yoon Jaewoo was honest. Even if the other party was just a beast, he felt his face flush with embarrassment as he made excuses.
“There’s been a change in my circumstances….”
Like a person making excuses while drunk, Yoon Jaewoo babbled with a flushed face.
“I don’t think I can keep you here as I please. So, I’m asking… do you have anywhere to go?”
Seeing how it kept coming back here, it was clear it didn’t have anywhere to go. Still, there was a chance, so Yoon Jaewoo asked.
“Do you have a place to go? Where did you originally live?”
He spoke in a gentle and careful tone, as if soothing a child.
The beast glanced at Yoon Jaewoo with an indifferent look. It had an expression that said, “What kind of trick are you trying to pull?”
“Right. I’m sorry. If you had somewhere to go, you wouldn’t be here.”
He sighed apologetically after speaking.
Yoon Jaewoo stared blankly at the white-furred wolf. He thought that he, who couldn’t use their language and express himself properly in this place, was no different from the animal before his eyes.
“I’m… just like this animal to these people.”
His black hair and black eyes weren’t special, just rare.
A god with a hobby of collecting Ramia. I’m not some limited-edition figurine… Why the hell would he collect them?
He hadn’t seen him since that day, but Yoon Jaewoo hated that man named Eustace. He hated him as much as the driver who caused his accident and died. In that world, the problem was God’s excessive indifference, and in this world, the problem was God’s excessive interference.
In the end, he was being toyed with in God’s palm in both worlds. A wave of sadness washed over him.
Yoon Jaewoo lowered his head. He bit his lip, holding back the rising tears. He didn’t want to cry. It was his last shred of pride as a man. Even when he was falling from the cliff, even when he was terrified enough for his legs to tremble, he hadn’t shed a tear.
Steeling his resolve not to cry even if it meant death, Yoon Jaewoo suddenly felt a gaze on his cheek and lifted his head.
The creature was looking at him, as if observing him.
“What are you looking at?”
He wiped away his tears and grumbled. A faint smirk flashed across the white beast’s eyes. Yoon Jaewoo jumped to his feet.
“Are you laughing at me too?”
The beast couldn’t talk. Even so, Yoon Jaewoo wanted to confront it.
“Do you find me amusing and interesting too? What’s so funny? Why is everyone making a spectacle out of a crippled leg that ruined my life?”
He knew it was pointless. It wasn’t this beast that brought him here, but that Eustace guy. Nothing would be resolved even if he confronted this beast.
“Don’t look at me. I’m not something to be gawked at. I’m leaving.”
Yoon Jaewoo tried to get down from the pavilion, but the beast wouldn’t let him pass. Even after repeatedly asking it to move, the beast remained indifferent.
“Move. If you don’t move, I’ll hit you.”
He didn’t want to hit the animal. No matter how much bigger it was than him, it was cowardly to torment an animal. But right now, he wanted to get out of this place. For Yoon Jaewoo, those words were a desperate last resort, crossing a line.
The beast, unaware of this, simply stared at Yoon Jaewoo with an indifferent expression.
Yoon Jaewoo raised his fist to hit the beast. Their eyes met. At the same time, the face of Jinsu, who used to wag his tail excitedly whenever he saw him, came to mind.
“Damn it.”
Instead of hitting the white beast, Yoon Jaewoo started punching the pillar. His fist was soon stained with red blood. If the creature hadn’t wrapped its tail around Yoon Jaewoo’s body, he would have kept punching until his bones broke.
“Let go!”
Yoon Jaewoo shouted. His voice trembled with sadness and anger. The beast tightened its tail around Yoon Jaewoo’s body even more forcefully.
It was a force strong enough to choke him. Yoon Jaewoo shouted repeatedly for it to let him go. The more he did, the tighter the grip became. Nausea rose in his throat. Finally, Yoon Jaewoo, lying face down on the floor, vomited up the food he had eaten for dinner.
The moment he saw the vomit soaking the floor, Yoon Jaewoo burst into tears.
He felt pathetic for having eaten like a pig, pretending to be fine while thinking about dying or escaping.
Wiping his tears was useless. Tears streamed down his face as if someone had pierced his tear ducts with a needle. Yoon Jaewoo sat down on the floor and started sobbing like a child.
He hadn’t cried once since the accident. Because he thought that the moment he cried, he would lose. But now, he couldn’t help but cry. He was frustrated. He was angry, embarrassed, and annoyed.
When he was ignored even by the beast he had considered, however slightly, to be on his side, the wall he had been barely holding up crumbled.
The beast, watching Yoon Jaewoo sob, had a strange change in its expression. After letting out a brief, annoyed sigh, it extended its tail and wrapped it around Yoon Jaewoo. Thinking it was going to constrict him again, Yoon Jaewoo flinched and pulled his shoulders back, but the creature didn’t tighten its tail and left it as it was.
As if comforting Yoon Jaewoo.
“…Move your tail.”
Yoon Jaewoo pushed away the white, fluffy tail. The fur felt surprisingly soft against his hand.
“Let go.”
He pushed it away a few more times, but the tail only closed the distance and wrapped around Yoon Jaewoo’s body. It was perhaps inevitable that the image of Jinsu from his childhood, rubbing against his leg with his dirty tail, came to mind.
Yoon Jaewoo threw his arms around the tail. And then, he started crying even harder than before.
“Jinsu, Jinsu…”
He buried his face in the tail and called out the name of his only friend from his childhood. He knew this beast wasn’t Jinsu, but he wanted to call it that, just for now.
He heard a sigh from above his head. The tip of the tail touched Yoon Jaewoo’s face. The movement of the tail, as if trying to wipe away his tears, made Jaewoo stop crying and look up at it.
“…Jinsu…”
The creature’s eyes closed as it sighed. To Yoon Jaewoo, that sigh sounded like permission to call it whatever he wanted.
This Jinsu bastard… No matter what anyone says, I’m keeping you.
A glimmer of determination appeared in Yoon Jaewoo’s tear-filled eyes. He hugged the tail tightly and muttered,
“You’re going to live here with me. Your name is Jinsu.”
But the touching moment didn’t last long. The creature unwrapped its tail and tossed Yoon Jaewoo onto the cold floor.
Yoon Jaewoo groaned, rubbing his back with his hand. It hurt so much that his tears stopped.
“…That’s a rough way to comfort someone.”
Yoon Jaewoo muttered, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. As his tears stopped, he recalled his recent display of weakness and his face flushed with embarrassment.
“…Damn it.”
Yoon Jaewoo, roughly rubbing his head with his hands, bowed his head and muttered as if to himself,
“Don’t tell.”
Even though the white beast couldn’t possibly speak human language, Yoon Jaewoo repeated the same words as if extracting a promise.
“You can’t tell anyone I cried. If you do, we’re both dead. Seriously, you die, I die.”
This was the beast that had squeezed his body with its tail until he was nearly asphyxiated. Even though he knew these words wouldn’t pose the slightest threat to it, Yoon Jaewoo, with a serious face, repeatedly tried to silence the beast.
“Promise. Really, don’t tell. …It’s embarrassing.”
The white beast watched Yoon Jaewoo for a long time, babbling, raging, shouting, crying, and now muttering with a flushed face. Its bluish eyes narrowed slightly. Its fluffy, cloud-like tail brushed against Yoon Jaewoo’s face. The moment Yoon Jaewoo turned his head with a pleased expression at the soft touch, the beast smacked his back with its tail.
“Ouch! Why did you hit me!”
When Yoon Jaewoo yelled, the beast turned its head towards the entrance of the pavilion.
“…Are you telling me to go?”
The beast rose from its spot. Its body was so large that its head almost touched the high ceiling of the pavilion. Yoon Jaewoo watched, mouth agape, as it stood up.
Just then, he heard the attendant’s voice calling for him from afar. Yoon Jaewoo turned his head and yelled, “Damn it, I’m here!” As the attendant’s hurried footsteps approached, he turned his head to greet him. The beast had already vanished.
「I found you. You were here all along.」
The attendant, appearing breathless, said in a sulky voice.
“What nonsense. I was here the whole time. …Whatever. Let’s go.”
As Yoon Jaewoo gestured, the attendant started walking ahead. Yoon Jaewoo, following behind, suddenly looked back.
The white branches swaying in the wind looked like the beast’s tail moving. Yoon Jaewoo wondered if the beast hitting his back meant not to worry, as if promising not to tell anyone. The thought seemed to lighten his gloomy mood a little.
「It’s late. You must go to bed quickly.」
The attendant’s annoying urging continued, but Yoon Jaewoo could walk with lighter steps than before entering the garden.
「There’s an important matter today.」
Yoon Jaewoo was just about to have dessert. He really liked this blue fruit, whose name he didn’t know, that was tart like a strawberry, crisp like an apple, and sweet like a grape. Eating sherbet made with this fruit after a meal was one of the few joys he had in this damned world.
「After you have finished your meal and tidied your clothes, please follow me.」
At the chief attendant’s solemn words, Yoon Jaewoo lost his appetite and put down his spoon.
「Are you full? Won’t you have more?」
“Would you be able to eat after hearing something like that?”
「Shall I bring you a different fruit?」
The attendant feigned concern, but to Yoon Jaewoo, it all seemed like a pretense. Yoon Jaewoo rose from his chair. An attendant quickly brought water for rinsing his mouth and held it to his lips.
With a fierce expression, Yoon Jaewoo rinsed his mouth. He spat out the water and looked up, asking, “Done?”
The attendant quickly undressed him and put new clothes on him. Yoon Jaewoo stood with his arms outstretched as if telling them to do as they pleased.
「Please follow me.」
Once he was dressed, the chief attendant bowed and clasped his hands.
“What, what are we doing?”
「This way.」
“What are we doing? You said it was important. Don’t tell me… are you finally going to kill me?”
He had been wondering if he was some kind of sacrifice. The treatment he received was too lavish for just a god’s pet human, and what had happened on the day he moved here was no ordinary ceremony.
“Are you killing me?”
Yoon Jaewoo persistently asked. The chief attendant answered with a regretful expression.
「I apologize. I do not understand what you are saying.」
“Are you killing me or not… damn it. Just do it. Dying would put my mind at ease. Fine! Kill me! Kill me! What are you looking at? Never seen a Ramia going to his death before? You blockheads!”
Yoon Jaewoo vented his frustration at the guards standing in the hallway as he passed through. After walking for a while, he arrived at a large room made of silver pillars. The floor and ceiling were paved with white stone so bright it hurt his eyes, and a large table was placed in the middle of the room.
There was a display case on the wall filled with orbs of various colors, the only colorful objects in the room.
As Yoon Jaewoo stared blankly at the display case, he heard the heavy sound of the door closing behind him.
“What! Wait!”
Just as he was about to shout that he should at least be allowed to prepare himself before dying, he sensed something moving. Yoon Jaewoo turned around in fright.
Eustace, that man, was standing incredibly close, almost within touching distance. When had he approached?
“…Wh, what is it?”
His voice trembled.
Dying by his own hand and being killed were as different as night and day. Yoon Jaewoo composed himself and asked again,
“If you called for someone, you should say some….”
His eyes met the man’s. The words dried up in his mouth. Chills ran down his spine.
「Sit there.」
He pointed to the table in the center of the room.
Is he going to cut my throat here? Son of a bitch, fucking bastard. Should I ask him to do it gently? Fuck, if he was going to do this, why did he save me in the first place? Thinking these things, Yoon Jaewoo walked to the table. But no matter how much he looked, there was no chair to sit on. When he looked back with a bewildered expression, Eustace pointed to the table.
“What? What?”
「Sit there. Do you still not understand? I believe your ears regenerated properly.」
“Where am I supposed to sit? Give me something to sit on, and then I’ll si… Gasp!”
He was so surprised that he couldn’t even scream. In the blink of an eye, the man approached, lifted Yoon Jaewoo up, and placed him on the table.
“What, what are you doing!”
Feeling his life threatened, Yoon Jaewoo took a defensive stance and shouted. Eustace ignored him, climbed the stairs at the far end of the room, and reclined on a bed. Then, he began to read the mountain of papers on the desk.
As Yoon Jaewoo tried to get up and down from the table, Eustace spoke without even looking up.
「Stay still.」
The tone, like scolding a dog, made Yoon Jaewoo’s blood boil. However, he wasn’t reckless enough to openly express his anger to a man who could appear before him in the blink of an eye. Besides, even if he were to die, he had a firm desire to die by his own choice, as painlessly as possible, and not by someone else’s hand.
Yoon Jaewoo had no choice but to sit awkwardly on the table and watch the man work.
The man reclined and organized the documents. The mountain of papers was cleared away at an astonishingly fast pace.
Right. As a god, he should be able to do at least that much.
Yoon Jaewoo stared at Eustace, trying to find his flaws.
He was a being, no, a god, so beautiful that even his movements were mesmerizing. His hair shimmered like silver threads in the light. It felt like beautiful music would flow if the wind blew and moved his hair.
Damn it, that’s not it.
Yoon Jaewoo quickly blinked. He steeled his resolve not to be deceived by appearances and to find this guy’s flaws.
With half-closed eyes, the man glanced at a paper, and it flipped to the side. Confirming the paper densely filled with unrecognizable characters, Yoon Jaewoo grimaced.
“…Trying to find flaws in a god is a foolish endeavor in the first place.”
Perhaps hearing Yoon Jaewoo muttering, Eustace raised his head. Yoon Jaewoo’s legs trembled, but he tried to feign composure and asked,
“Why are you staring? No, why did you make me sit here? Is this really an important matter? Oh, wait, fuck it, I should drop the formalities since you can’t understand me anyway. Hey! What’s so important?”
Whether he understood Yoon Jaewoo’s words or read the question in his expression, Eustace spoke.
「Shouldn’t you, as a Ramia, think about the reason you are sitting there?」
“What? Think about what as a Ramia? What is this crazy bastard talking about?”
Yoon Jaewoo grinned and babbled whatever came to mind. There was a senior on his team who would deliberately smile and curse in Korean when playing against foreign teams. Even though he was fluent in English, whenever a fight broke out, he would always curse in Korean. When Yoon Jaewoo once asked him why, his senior replied:
‘You don’t know how much it pisses them off when they know it’s a curse based on the atmosphere but don’t understand the content.’
Yoon Jaewoo, smiling brightly, hurled harsh words at the god of this world.
“Do you think I became a fucking Ramia because I wanted to? Think about it as a Ramia, my ass. You do it, you shitty bastard.”
It felt like ten years of pent-up frustration were being relieved. Eustace, observing Yoon Jaewoo’s bright expression, spoke casually,
「Even if I don’t understand the meaning, I can tell you’re cursing.」
“……!”
「I’ll let it slide this time. If you do it again, you will atone for your sin with your half-severed tongue.」
Yoon Jaewoo covered his mouth with his hand. Of course, he didn’t think about how that action would only confirm the other person’s suspicions.
「What are you doing?」
“What… Sir?”
He meekly added the honorific ending.
「Didn’t I tell you to think about your duty as a Ramia?」
“So, what is that… Sir?”
The chief attendant had explained the role of a Ramia simply:
To amuse Dweord Eustace.
Even if he shouted, “What kind of bullshit is that?”, the chief attendant kept telling him not to forget the role of a Ramia. However, knowing something theoretically and putting it into practice were two very different matters.
「It seems Ebner hasn’t educated you. Then I shall have Ebner’s tongue cut out.」
Ebner must be that annoying old geezer of a chief attendant. No matter how much he disliked him, he didn’t want to see someone’s tongue being cut out in front of him.
“What are you talking about! Why would you cut out his tongue? You’re a god… Sir! A god shouldn’t do things like that… Sir!”
「Ebner.」
As the man’s voice resonated majestically, the chief attendant entered as if he had been waiting. Yoon Jaewoo waved his hand with a tearful face.
“No. It’s okay. It’s fine. I heard you. I heard you, so please don’t cut out that annoying old geezer’s tongue!”
「Ebner. I shall hold you accountable for your sins.」
As soon as Eustace finished speaking, the chief attendant knelt on the floor. He looked as if he would cut out his own tongue if he uttered another word. Yoon Jaewoo’s face turned pale.
“I understand. I, the Ramia, will do it. I’ll do anything, so please…!”
He even clasped his hands together and pleaded. He thought he heard a brief laugh. When Yoon Jaewoo raised his head, the chief attendant had vanished without a trace. The blue-eyed man was leaning back on the bed, a smile playing at the corners of his eyes.
He was tricked.
He was the god of this world. Creating illusions was nothing to him. Yoon Jaewoo blushed and bit his lip.
「So, it seems you’ve finally recalled your duty as a Ramia.」
Yoon Jaewoo muttered “Fucking bastard,” through gritted teeth, then nodded. This time it ended with an illusion, but the next time, his actual tongue might be thrown onto this white marble floor.
「I’m curious to see how your abilities will amuse me.」
Yoon Jaewoo stepped off the table. Eustace frowned slightly, a look of disapproval on his face.
“What I’m about to do… can’t be done on the table.”
He quickly looked around.
As he searched for something that could be used as a substitute for a soccer ball, his eyes landed on a sky-blue sphere on the display case. Yoon Jaewoo ran to the display case and picked up the sky-blue sphere. The size, shape, and weight were just right.
“Can I use this?”
Eustace gave him a puzzled look for a moment but then nodded.
Yoon Jaewoo tossed the sky-blue sphere above his head. He lightly juggled it with his forehead and then bounced the dropped sphere with his left knee. Yoon Jaewoo’s juggling skills were the best on the team. No, there was no one in the country who could match him. He had spent his lonely childhood juggling a soccer ball.
He could control the ball with his body for hours without dropping it, even with his eyes closed. Yoon Jaewoo, with a look of “Take a good look at me,” gave Eustace a triumphant glance.
Eustace, who had been reading documents with one eye, spoke,
「Did Ebner explain to you what that sphere is?」
“Excuse me? …No.”
Yoon Jaewoo shook his head while bouncing the sphere with his knee. Eustace put down the paper he was holding.
「I have a hobby of collecting Ramia.」
“…Yes.”
He wanted to retort, “What’s the difference between you and a nerd collecting limited-edition figures?”, but he held back.
「Ramia, as the word suggests, are heterogeneous beings that do not belong here, coming from different worlds. This is the first time I’ve picked up a humanoid one, though.」
“…….”
「The greater the time difference and the further away the Ramia comes from, the higher its value.」
It was like saying the older and more distant the antique, the higher its selling price.
「Rare and valuable Ramia symbolize the power of Dweord.」
Is he saying that a nerd with expensive and rare figures wins in their world?
Yoon Jaewoo forced a serious expression and nodded.
「However, my patience isn’t very long when it comes to keeping one Ramia around for too long.」
The man’s words entered his ears, but they didn’t make sense in his head, so Yoon Jaewoo tilted his head with a slightly puzzled expression.
“What does patience have to do with this sphere… Sir?”
Eustace picked up a new paper from the desk. His eyes, reading the document, shimmered with a strange smile.
Yoon Jaewoo, with a dazed expression, picked up the sphere. The wind that came in through the open window brushed past Yoon Jaewoo’s black hair.
A chill.
Goosebumps rose on his skin.
Every time his hair brushed against the back of his neck, Yoon Jaewoo felt the man’s gaze shift.
「I’ve always wanted a black orb.」
Crash!
The sky-blue sphere he had dropped at his feet shattered with a loud noise. The sky-blue smoke that seeped out from the cracks writhed as if in its last throes.
Yoon Jaewoo collapsed on the spot.
The saying that those who commit suicide fall into a terrible hell was indeed true.
“How could that happen? How could something so absurd happen?”
The beast, watching Yoon Jaewoo pour out his story while sobbing, had a look of disdain in its eyes. However, Yoon Jaewoo, engrossed in his crying, had no time to care about the beast’s feelings.
“Does that even make sense? To turn them into orbs when you get tired of playing with them? Is that a god? He’s a thug! Is he insane? Knowing that, how can other people worship him as a god?”
As soon as Yoon Jaewoo came out of Eustace’s office, he grabbed the chief attendant and, using his entire body, asked about the identity of the orbs. The chief attendant, after looking up at the sky with a troubled expression for a moment, began to explain in a serious tone.
This world is divided into four divine realms, each ruled by a god. Cox Philippte of the blue waters in the south, Yatenbaum Mäden of the red earth in the west, Malik Dicker of the golden fire in the east, and Eustace Rau of the silver wind in the north.
Among them, Dweord Eustace, the god of the north, was currently the most likely candidate for Azhar. ‘Azhar’ was the god of gods, ruling over this entire world. Originally, the four gods took turns holding the position of Azhar, but now it was the ‘Age of Azan,’ where the four gods competed for the seat of Azhar.
The Age of Azan lasts from a few hundred years to a few thousand years, and continues until a god voluntarily steps down from the position of Azhar and yields to the next god.
A god’s power comes from his pleasure. A god cultivates his power to enrich his land. For Dweord Eustace, that was Ramia. The more orbs containing the essence of Ramia he collected, the greater Eustace’s power grew.
End of explanation.
Throughout the long, boring, and difficult explanation, Yoon Jaewoo desperately listened to find the information he needed to extract. In the end, he realized that his prediction was correct at the part about the orbs containing the essence of Ramia.
Ultimately, he would die someday, and after death, he would become an orb and be placed in a display case.
At the simple sentence summarizing his fate, Yoon Jaewoo almost collapsed. He refused to eat and staged a silent protest in his room, but it was no use. With a single glance from Eustace, who visited his room, his hands moved on their own, stuffing food into his mouth.
As the most delicious food in the world entered the mouth that was screaming that he wouldn’t eat, Yoon Jaewoo eventually cried out, “Damn it, this is so good,” and chewed and swallowed the food.
It was a losing battle from the start. His opponent was the god of this world. Even when he was in his original world, he had fought desperately against an invisible god, but hadn’t he been completely defeated?
Moreover, the god here wasn’t even a being of fair and impartial character. He was simply omnipotent. An omnipotent son of a bitch was being worshipped as a god here.
“Crazy bastard. Fucking lunatic. Damn it, is that a god?”
Yoon Jaewoo cursed without hesitation.
“Damn bastard. Fucking, son of a bitch.”
Because he was always labeled as an orphan, Yoon Jaewoo was careful with his words in formal settings. Moreover, as the team captain, he was always the one to break up fights on the field. Of course, he had cursed countless times inwardly. But here, there was no need for that.
“That Dweord or whatever the fuck his name is, that son of a bitch. Pervert. Lunatic! Just you wait. I will definitely escape from here.”
With every curse that left Yoon Jaewoo’s mouth, the white beast’s expression hardened. Finally, when a low growl escaped the beast’s mouth, Yoon Jaewoo shut his mouth.
“…What. Right. You live here too, so… even animals believe in god. This filthy world.”
Yoon Jaewoo spat on the floor. A thick tail flew towards him immediately after.
“Ugh! Why did you hit me!”
It hurt so much that his breath caught in his throat. Yoon Jaewoo glared at Jinsu. But, as always, the beast simply stared ahead with its usual impassive expression, its thoughts unreadable.
Yoon Jaewoo, who was taking his daily walk of rage, spotted Jinsu enjoying a moonbath alone and ran towards him. The pavilion built over the pond suited the beautiful, furry beast perfectly, as if it was made for him. No one approached when he was near this beast. He didn’t know if it was because of fear or the beast’s abilities, but as a result, this place became the only space where Yoon Jaewoo could have some private time.
“Anyway, I’ll definitely escape. I’ll escape even if it kills me.”
He grabbed another attendant and asked how long it took for a Ramia to be turned into an orb. It took him half a day to make the question understandable. The answer he received was that after the sun set about forty times, a Ramia would roughly fulfill its purpose.
“Duty my ass.”
Yoon Jaewoo vowed and vowed again to get away from the heartless, cruel god as soon as possible.
“Let’s go to a country with a different god.”
Yoon Jaewoo said, pretending to gently stroke the beast’s fur. He wanted to run his hand through it directly, but after several attempts and subsequent throws, he realized it was impossible.
“Come with me to a country with a different god. This country is rotten.”
He didn’t care if other people were exploited under Eustace or not. The only being Yoon Jaewoo cared about in this place was this white beast.
“Jinsu-hyung. I’ll take you with me.”
The beast before his eyes was too large to be called Jinsu. It felt disrespectful to both Jinsu and this beast. After pondering, Yoon Jaewoo decided to call the white beast Jinsu-hyung.
“Other gods have to be better than this one, right?”
For a moment, Jinsu-hyung’s lips twitched slightly.
Did it just laugh?
“Did you laugh? …Must have seen it wrong. Sigh. I’m so tired I’m seeing things.”
After learning the true nature of the orbs, he had been suffering from nightmares. There was no way he could sleep properly.
Yoon Jaewoo rubbed his head vigorously, then muttered sheepishly as he heard his stomach rumble.
“…Damn it. I’m hungry.”
He rummaged through his pockets and took out some food. He always carried food inside his clothes because he never knew when he would escape this place. He ate less than usual since he was technically on a hunger strike.
Even though he had stopped now, he had been an athlete all his life. It was natural for him to have a good appetite. Feeling hungry, Yoon Jaewoo spread out the food he had hidden in his pockets and started eating.
He needed to build up his strength to escape. Somewhere in that endless snowfield, there had to be another country. For that day, Yoon Jaewoo decided to incorporate exercise into his morning routine.
But today, it seemed he would have to give up on finding that wooden door. He had learned during his walks that the layout of the garden changed subtly every night. The only thing that remained unchanged was this pavilion.
After rubbing an apple-like fruit against his clothes, taking a crisp bite, Yoon Jaewoo asked,
“Want some?”
The beast turned its head away, as if offended by the offered hand. Yoon Jaewoo retracted his hand as if he had expected this.
He had observed that this beast was no ordinary beast. Its brazenness was unmatched, and its prickliness was unparalleled.
Yoon Jaewoo glanced at Jinsu-hyung. His large, broad back shone with an unusual brilliance.
Would the day come when he could ride on that back before he died? If he could just ride on its back, he could escape across the snowfield right now. It wouldn’t even be cold, sitting on that beautiful, soft fur.
…Would it give him a ride?
While Yoon Jaewoo was biting into the fruit and giving the beast a burning stare, the beast slowly rose.
“Where are you going?”
Yoon Jaewoo jumped to his feet. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with Jinsu-hyung. Jinsu-hyung was the only being in this place he could confide in.
“Are you leaving already?”
Yoon Jaewoo asked with a tearful face.
During his lonely childhood spent at the orphanage, his only friends were a soccer ball and a dirty, nameless white dog he couldn’t even communicate with. It felt like he had returned to that time. He couldn’t do anything alone, had no one to talk to, and the only being he could rely on was this unidentified beast.
The beast, standing by the railing, looked back. Its bluish eyes revealed an air of indifference.
“…Goodbye.”
Although he desperately wanted to hold it back, Yoon Jaewoo, like a man, bid Jinsu-hyung farewell. Jinsu-hyung, standing with his forepaws on the railing, gave Yoon Jaewoo a bewildered look.
“Why? …Gasp.”
Only then did Yoon Jaewoo realize he was holding the tip of Jinsu-hyung’s thick tail. He quickly let go, but Jinsu-hyung, seemingly having lost the will to leave, sat down again in the middle of the pavilion.
Yoon Jaewoo, cautiously gauging the mood, asked, “Aren’t you going?” The white beast didn’t even look at him, keeping its eyes closed.
It was a strange feeling. He felt like the beast, which couldn’t even communicate with him, was comforting him.
He knew it was impossible, but he couldn’t deny the good feeling.
Even with his crippled leg, having already died once, not knowing when he would die here, and being a god’s plaything, he definitely felt good. Anyone who heard him would think he was crazy, but that’s how he felt right now.
He didn’t like complicated things. It was enough to just be true to the feelings he was experiencing now. Yoon Jaewoo leaned against the railing. He felt a large tail gently touch his back.
“I’m not going to die. I won’t die even if I fall from here. …No, I don’t even know if I’ll die if I fall. What if I wake up in another world?”
Yoon Jaewoo shuddered as he muttered to himself.
Opening his eyes to a completely new world.
It sounded plausible and wonderful, but having already experienced it once, it was a terrifying thought.
“Even if I die, I won’t die here. I told you, I’m going to escape.”
Yoon Jaewoo said, looking at the high outer wall of the castle that seemed to reach the sky. The more impossible it felt to escape this place, the more his sportsman spirit burned within him.
The beast’s eyes narrowed slightly as it watched Yoon Jaewoo grit his teeth. It was a strange, unreadable expression, as if it was smiling or lost in thought.
When their eyes met, Yoon Jaewoo extended his hand as if to touch the beast. Of course, it was immediately blocked by a large forepaw.
“You’re awfully stingy with your touch.”
Despite his grumbling, Yoon Jaewoo’s gaze towards Jinsu-hyung held a certain affection.
Yoon Jaewoo’s personality was so simple that he could be described as single-minded. Once an enemy, always an enemy, and once an ally, always an ally. In this place, his only ally was the beast before him. Even after being hit by its tail, choked, and repeatedly blocked by its forepaws, Yoon Jaewoo sought out Jinsu-hyung.
“Hey, you. Still, you’re here like this because of me. I may be a shitty Ramia, but they say I’ll be treated with utmost care until I die.”
He had obtained this information by asking questions with gestures, body language, and even drawing pictures on the floor. The chief attendant had explained that beings who amused the god were treated like gods. Of course, they couldn’t be equal to the god.
“So, be nice to me. I’ll tell them to keep giving you food even after I die.”
He took out a piece of dried meat from the bag he had placed on the floor and dangled it in front of Jinsu-hyung. The aloof white beast didn’t even glance at the piece of meat this time either.
Yoon Jaewoo put the piece of meat in his mouth, chewed, and muttered,
“What if that crazy Eustace gets tired of me quickly?”
According to the attendant, the time remaining until a Ramia was consumed and turned into an orb was roughly about a month.
But there was no guarantee that the crazy god wouldn’t get tired of him during that month. For example, during his second visit to the office today, he had diligently showcased his dribbling skills with a ball he had made by weaving tree branches, but Eustace, with an indifferent expression, simply gestured for him to leave.
“Damn it. I didn’t think of that.”
Yoon Jaewoo rubbed his head vigorously.
His simple personality was good when it came to charging towards a single goal, but it was terrible at coming up with alternative scenarios like this.
“Jinsu-hyung.”
Yoon Jaewoo called the beast. Instead of answering, the beast glanced at him once.
“What is that crazy bastard interested in? Should I tell him an interesting story?”
Yoon Jaewoo thought his situation was similar to Scheherazade’s in One Thousand and One Nights. The story of a ruthless king who didn’t trust women and killed them after spending just one night with them, and the woman who told the king interesting stories for one thousand and one nights, eventually marrying him. The first thought that came to Yoon Jaewoo’s mind when he first heard that story was, “Is she crazy?”
The fact that she had stories to tell for one thousand and one nights was astonishing, but what was even more incomprehensible was the mindset of the female protagonist who married the king who had killed countless women. Simply put, it was about seducing a rich serial killer with eloquence and marrying him.
But now, he desperately envied that crazy woman’s eloquence. Having neglected his studies, Yoon Jaewoo was terribly unskilled at writing. His speaking skills were no different. Even after an important match, Yoon Jaewoo would just grin and go into the locker room. It was so bad that even during interviews, reporters would tug at his sleeves, asking him to elaborate. His fans considered his reticence charismatic. His coach even told him to keep his mouth shut and just focus on playing, saying that speaking would only damage his image. Yoon Jaewoo was satisfied with that image of himself.
…Not now, though.
“What kind of story should I tell him? They probably don’t have movies in this world, so should I practice with a movie I enjoyed? Hmm, what’s a good movie I’ve seen recently?”
Yoon Jaewoo rested his chin on his hand and tried to recall a movie title that would be interesting even if told by someone with his poor storytelling skills.
“He’s got a nasty and cruel personality, so an action movi… …There’s no way I can tell him that.”
Yoon Jaewoo clutched his head and slumped down. He had forgotten the crucial point that Eustace couldn’t understand him. He sat there, pulling at his hair.
“Ugh, what should I do? How am I supposed to survive a month?”
Yoon Jaewoo considered areas of common ground that could transcend language barriers: art, music, and physical education.
Art was impossible, as he had the talent of making a drawing of a dog look like a cat and a cat look like a dog. Physical education had already been showcased, so it lacked novelty. That left music…
“Jinsu-hyung.”
Yoon Jaewoo called out to the beast, which had been watching him with interest. At his unusually serious voice, the beast wagged its tail as if in response.
“Want to hear some music?”
This beast would surely give him an honest reaction. But as soon as he finished speaking, the beast rose.
“You’re so damn prickly. Even though your fur is so soft. Just listen once. If you don’t like it, you can bite me.”
After saying that, Yoon Jaewoo felt a pang of fear. The beast’s white teeth, gleaming under the moonlight, were thicker than his forearm and as sharp as blades. He kept having gruesome images of his wrist being severed by those teeth.
The beast slowly sauntered closer. Yoon Jaewoo stretched out his hands and shouted,
“Stop. Right there. Listen from there.”
Securing an escape route in case he needed to run, Yoon Jaewoo gulped. The white beast gestured with its chin as if telling him to start. He had a terrifying thought that he would be swallowed by that huge mouth if he didn’t do something right away. His mind went blank. He knew countless songs, but coincidentally, not a single one came to mind. Yoon Jaewoo closed his eyes tightly. He began to sing.
“Along the East Sea and Mount Baekdu, as long as the mountains and rivers last――.”
Of all things, it was the national anthem.
The song that athletes were most proud of wasn’t their team’s cheer song, but the national anthem. As a national representative, hearing it on the field was an overwhelmingly emotional experience.
When he was young, he would sing the national anthem before going to bed to cultivate a national athlete mindset.
“God protect us, long live our country! Rose of Sharon――.”
Singing “for three thousand miles,” Yoon Jaewoo peeked open his eyes. He was so curious, and even scared, that the ferocious, prickly beast was listening to his singing without any reaction.
The beast, which he had worried would swing its large paw at him, had its ears perked up, standing in place and giving Yoon Jaewoo a strange look. Under the beast’s persistent, scrutinizing gaze, Yoon Jaewoo felt embarrassed and closed his mouth. A cold wind then slapped Yoon Jaewoo’s cheek mercilessly. Having been hit a few times already, Yoon Jaewoo knew it was the beast’s superpower.
“Why did you hit me!”
Yoon Jaewoo shouted, covering his cheek with his hand. The tail brushed against Yoon Jaewoo’s lips as if to caress them. Although they hadn’t known each other for long, Yoon Jaewoo realized it was the beast’s way of urging him.
“Are you telling me to keep singing?”
The tail brushed against him again. Yoon Jaewoo stared wide-eyed at Jinsu-hyung, then opened his mouth and started singing again.
“Rose of Sharon, for three thousand miles, splendid rivers and mountains. May the Korean people forever preserve Korea….”
After finishing the song, Yoon Jaewoo remained silent for a while, embarrassed. He couldn’t very well ask the beast for its opinion on his singing.
No, the very idea of singing in front of a beast was flawed to begin with. If he could turn back time, he would go back a few minutes and cover his own mouth.
What made Yoon Jaewoo most perplexed was the beast’s gaze.
When it first discovered Yoon Jaewoo in the snowfield, the beast had glanced at him once and then walked into the water. The next time they met inside the castle, it ignored him and brushed past him.
The beast ignored Jaewoo almost always. It would occasionally glance at him as if asking what the hell he was talking about, but that was it.
But now, it was staring at him so intently. As if it had discovered something interesting.
Yoon Jaewoo wondered if he was seeing things, so he took a small step to the side. The beast’s gaze followed him. To confirm, Yoon Jaewoo took another step to the side. The beast’s gaze slowly moved as well.
“Why?”
He couldn’t understand it. Even as a polite lie, Yoon Jaewoo wasn’t a particularly good singer. He would just sing three or four songs at a karaoke bar to match the mood.
“Don’t tell me… you like my singing?”
Yoon Jaewoo asked honestly. Then, strangely, the beast, which had been standing as if ready to leave at any moment, sat down.
As if granting permission to hear more of his singing.
Yoon Jaewoo had never received an encore request, even at karaoke. He smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.
“Really sing again? Hahaha, my singing must be popular in this world.”
Thinking that he might be a musical genius in this world, Yoon Jaewoo cleared his throat. He began to sing his favorite idol’s song. Actually, he had been in contact with one of the idol members before the accident, but it eventually ended up being nothing. Still, it was undoubtedly his favorite song.
“You, who once loved me….”
Ah, the dance that went with this part was really good.
Yoon Jaewoo sang passionately, reminiscing about the past. The beast closed its eyes and listened intently to his song, and the moonlight brightly illuminated them both.
Carried by the wind, his song reached every corner of the garden.
The attendant waiting for the Ramia’s return in the distance frowned at the sound of the singing.
No one knew what was happening in the god’s garden.
「Lord Eustace summons you.」
Yoon Jaewoo, who was diligently doing push-ups, thinking he needed to build up his strength for his escape, made a puzzled expression at those words. Beads of sweat ran down his arms. Seeing this, Chief Attendant Ebner frowned slightly.
「It seems you will need to bathe again… however, he dislikes waiting, so you should change your clothes first.」
Yoon Jaewoo then realized he hadn’t misheard and got up. Brushing back his wet hair, he asked,
“Why? We had the talent show yesterday.”
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the time for his unsuitable talent show for the god was set for every other day. He didn’t understand why they even bothered to set a strict schedule for such a thing, but since it wasn’t harmful to him, Yoon Jaewoo decided not to care.
“Why is he calling me? What is it? Is there a problem?”
In his previous world, Yoon Jaewoo wasn’t a very talkative person. During training, he focused solely on training, and during his free time, he trained, and in the remaining time, he slept. …He occasionally met women, but he just smiled and listened because they said things he couldn’t understand.
Yoon Jaewoo realized in this place how talkative he actually was. The problem was that the other person couldn’t understand him.
“Why is he calling me?!”
Chief Attendant, roughly guessing the meaning from Yoon Jaewoo’s tone, clasped his hands and replied,
「When Lord Dweord Eustace calls for a Ramia, they must go at any time. That is a Ramia’s duty. Ramia exist for Dweord.」
His tone was polite, but it carried the implication, “Did you think we would feed and house you for free?”
There was no point in getting angry at times like this. Yoon Jaewoo obediently changed his clothes.
The clothing here was generally loose-fitting. It consisted of wrapping a large tunic around the body and securing it at the waist with a thin cord. It seemed awkward at first, but it was so comfortable to wear that he now found his previous clothes uncomfortable. Moreover, he didn’t know exactly what material the clothes were made of, but the sheen and texture were incredibly pleasant.
Two attendants helped Yoon Jaewoo change his clothes, while another wiped his hair with a towel and then combed it. Yoon Jaewoo sighed at his reflection in the mirror.
His skin was smooth and clear as if he’d had a facial, and his hair was so shiny that angel rings formed along the strands. He had become unnecessarily handsome.
While it was better to be neat than unsightly to attract the god’s attention, Yoon Jaewoo wasn’t pleased with how unnecessarily beautiful he had become.
Chief Attendant, seeing Yoon Jaewoo sighing worriedly while looking in the mirror, misinterpreted his intentions and offered sincere consolation,
「It is alright. Although your appearance is somewhat lacking, it is not to the point of being unsightly.」
Hearing this, Yoon Jaewoo turned his head and asked, “What?”
「It will improve with a little more care.」
Chief Attendant even clicked his tongue as if greatly disappointed. Yoon Jaewoo was so dumbfounded he almost fell over.
“Where are your eyes? You old geezer!”
He uttered words he wouldn’t have imagined saying to an elderly man old enough to be his grandfather.
“Are you crazy? Are you insane? What’s wrong with my appearance?!”
Whenever they chose players who could have succeeded as entertainers if they hadn’t become athletes, Yoon Jaewoo was always ranked high. He had even done a few magazine photoshoots. Not only that, but he had received advances from female celebrities through friends and seniors.
“I’m so handsome!”
It was something he would never have said before. But in this place, Yoon Jaewoo didn’t care about his image or dignity, so he blurted out whatever he wanted without filtering it through his brain.
「It is alright. Lord Dweord Eustace is generous and has broad tastes, having experienced various types of Ramia. You do not need to worry.」
“What kind of nonsense… Ah, whatever. You’ve got your eyes on your feet. Seriously, this is absurd.”
Thinking it was pointless to argue with someone who couldn’t understand him, Yoon Jaewoo gestured for the chief attendant to lead the way.
After passing through several large doors, they arrived at the office located in the deepest part of the castle. As they reached the door, the chief attendant stepped aside, and the door opened by itself, as if it were a living creature with its own will.
“Sigh…”
He hated this moment the most. Yoon Jaewoo took a deep breath and stepped forward. As he entered the office, he heard the heavy sound of the door closing behind him. As always, Eustace was reclining in the most prominent seat in the office, reading through a mountain of papers.
Yoon Jaewoo put his hands behind his back and bowed. It was the greeting the chief attendant had taught him, telling him to be respectful now that he could understand their language.
However, Yoon Jaewoo, as always, bowed with his middle fingers firmly extended.
Even though he was clearly aware of Yoon Jaewoo’s entrance, Eustace didn’t even glance in his direction. Suppressing the urge to curse inwardly, asking why the hell he was called if he was going to be ignored, Yoon Jaewoo raised his head.
It was only after a long while that Eustace gave Yoon Jaewoo a puzzled look, as if wondering why he was just standing there.
“What is it?”
Yoon Jaewoo asked the reason for being summoned.