episode_0051

[Episode 51] Unfamiliar Woman

****

The man looked at the weapons fallen into the river and asked the woman.

“Are you a human or a ghost?”

Turning around, they faced each other.

A mischievous glint appeared in the woman’s gray eyes.

“What do you think?”

In response to the woman’s question, the man fell silent for a moment before continuing.

“Why did you do such a thing?”

At that remark.

As if it were obvious. As if it were predetermined, the woman calmly replied.

“For your future.”

– Excerpt from the Book of Geapmanrok

****

It was late at night.

Was I thirsty? Or did I want to go to the restroom?

I woke up suddenly.

Inside my arms, Heesun was sleeping, clinging to my arm, and Sari… Where did this kid go in the middle of the night?

Carefully lifting Heesun’s head and slipping out from under the blanket.

Woo-woo-woong!

The moonlight shone through the bright window, illuminating the dark night, and the cold night air of the winter mountain passed by me with a chilling sound like a scream.

Clang!

Before the cold wind entered the room, I made sure to close the door so Heesun wouldn’t feel cold.

But where on earth did Sari go?

Rustle rustle..!

Sounds came from the kitchen.

Could this little one have sneaked out to eat secretly because he was hungry at night?

“Sari! You shouldn’t eat from the pot! And eating at night will make you fat!”

Heesun scolded Sari in a low voice to avoid waking him up.

As if he heard my voice, the sound coming from inside stopped abruptly.

Finally, the kitchen door creaked open.

And out came… not Sari?

A beautiful woman with jet-black hair wearing traditional Korean clothing… Who is she?

‘Huh? Wh-who?’

It felt surreal.

Why would a woman I’ve never seen before suddenly be in our kitchen in the middle of the night?

The woman’s face, illuminated by the moonlight, was incredibly beautiful.

An emotionless face. Gray eyes, a sharp nose… Curry on her lips?

In this strange and bizarre situation, I felt my mind becoming jumbled and confused.

“…Is there something on my lips?”

As I stared at the woman’s lips, she asked with a slightly blushing face, as if embarrassed.

A nonchalant tone.

But her words were surprisingly affectionate.

Although I should have questioned this unfamiliar woman who intruded into our home first… I found myself absent-mindedly answering her question with a flustered voice.

“I-It’s curry… There’s a bit of curry on them….”

Her expressionless face slightly reddened at my words, and a lively beauty emerged.

“Oh my, I made a mistake meeting you for the first time…”

She turned swiftly, bringing her hand to her mouth.

Light seemed to sparkle from her hand, then she turned back with a clean face.

Unknowingly, I locked eyes with the woman in front of me.

Though her face was emotionless… There was a strange mischievous glint in her eyes.

Like our Sari…

Wait, could it be Sari?

A sudden thought crossed my mind.

Yes… Even though I don’t know why, it’s absurd, but I know… She really does resemble our Sari…

Without realizing it, I called her Sari.

“S-Sari…?”

A faint smile.

Only her lips moved, forming a dry smile.

The smile widened, and a clear voice emerged.

“That’s right… You recognized me well, didn’t you? But… also not quite. I have many stories to tell. Hehe….”

It’s Sari but not Sari? What’s going on…?

“The dishes you made… They were so delicious. They had a warm and affectionate taste. Even a jaded person like me felt a sense of fulfillment for a moment.”

“……”

“Hmm… A lot of good stories have accumulated in that short time, haven’t they? I can feel how happy you are… My goodness… Despite eating so much iron, my body hasn’t grown at all… This must be a first for you.”

“……”

The woman suddenly approached me closely and sniffed my scent.

“Ah! Now I understand… why I was drawn to you like this… Somehow… you were a descendant of that person… Hahaha! Yes… Unlike that rough face, you seem to have made many compromises… Hmm… but still quite similar….”

None of the woman’s words made sense to him.

Originally, I am not a person from here, so there shouldn’t be any of my ancestors here.

“In a way, I could have been the mother of your ancestors.. Hoho, unfortunately, we didn’t come together…. Would you try calling me ‘mother’ once?”

Her words made him slightly uncomfortable.

Mother… There are only two people left who can call me by that name now.

“Oh? I’m sorry… Please don’t be angry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It was the same when that person left me… but if you hate me, it would really hurt.”

Did she notice my darkening expression? The woman briefly apologized while gauging my mood.

“I already have two people who can call me mother. I have no intention of adding more, nor do I want to.”

“Oh my! Having two mothers must be nice! I’m really sorry… I really didn’t know you would be uncomfortable… There were so many women associated with that person, so his descendants had many mothers! That’s why I thought you’d be fine… But since you’re not, well… it’s a pity, but I have to give up.”

“……”

Something seemed off in her innocent words, her expressionless face, and even her behavior, as if she was watching for any sign of me hating her.

He couldn’t grasp how to deal with this woman at all.

“What about… what happened to our Sari?”

“Our Sari… sounds good… Don’t worry, descendant… I am her, and she is me… She will wake up soon. I just came out because our story hasn’t progressed yet.”

It seemed like an important statement, but he didn’t understand any of it.

He was simply worried about Sari.

In a short time, despite himself, he had grown fond of Sari, who was undeniably part of his family.

“So, when will our Sari return? Or rather, what triggered you to come out?”

“You should know that, shouldn’t you?”

“Me?”

“That food full of warmth and love. Delicious… warm… full of love…”

“…Curry?”

“Yes, that’s it. Of course, the food made by your woman was also full of warmth, but… your food, in particular, filled me up.”

My food had warmth in it? Sari loved curry so much that I made a large batch without much thought…

“Haha, I’m not saying you have the ability to infuse warmth into food. It was indeed very skillful, but more importantly, it was your heart contained in the curry.”

“……”

“You look like you don’t understand? Hoho… It’s okay. You’ll come to understand slowly… More importantly, the child seems to be waking up soon.”

Was she turning back into a puppy again? Then what would happen to this woman?

“So… are you going to disappear?”

“Hahaha, didn’t I say I am her, and she is me… Such a kind child… Even when meeting me for the first time, you worry like this… Is this kindness… different from that person’s? Hoho… Watch over your story with joy. How will you act at the moment of choice? What will happen to us in the end… No, how will we end up? I’m very curious… It would be nice if you were smiling….”

“Moment of choice? What do you mean by choosing something? Wait a minute! What do you know? Please wait!”

“He… told me not to wait for him at the end of the story. I’m not sure what his sincerity was like back then. He has changed a lot unlike before… In the end, his story ended like that… Maybe my story hasn’t ended with a period yet…. I still feel like I’m waiting for him… Well, see you next time then….”

“Wait, just a moment—”

Bang!

Smoke rises as the woman disappears before my eyes.

“Meow! Meow!”

And emerging from the smoke was Sarri, our cute little puppy.

It was strange to see Sarri tilting her head in a puzzled manner as she approached, wagging her tail and scratching my knee with her front paw.

In a moment of heightened emotion, I quickly grabbed the small, warm fur ball as if grasping for prey, holding it close and nuzzling my face against it.

“Meow.. Meow!?!?”

She seemed a bit surprised and tried to wriggle away. But I didn’t let go.

Truth be told, I was a bit scared. Because of my web novel brain, I was anxious that this annoying cliche of being consumed by another self might make her disappear.

And… I couldn’t shake off the last words human Sarri said, they bothered me too much….

“I… worried about you, you know… You’re part of my family now. So, you can’t just disappear without a word, okay? Families would be devastated by that, don’t just vanish. Let’s live together forever, Sarri.”

“Meow! Meow!”

She vigorously wagged her tail, nodding as if affirming.

Haha, she’s really smart, isn’t she? Nodding as if she understood what I said?

Maybe she wanted to comfort me after sensing my worries through my tone.

Or maybe, seeing her transformed into a human, she could truly understand….

I gave her a kiss on her soft forehead and headed back to the room.

I laid Sarri in the middle and got under the blanket, lifting Heesun’s head slightly and providing her with an arm pillow.

Despite the cold winter, with the three of us huddled together.. it was so warm.

My body… and my heart….

.

.

.

.

Sniffle sniffle.

“… Huh.”

A woman’s moan…

Was I touching Heesun in my sleep again?

Rub-a-dub-rub-a-dub.

“Hyaahh…!”

Hmm… Today feels a bit different… My chest feels firmer? More elastic? And my butt feels bigger? What’s going on? It’s like I’m touching a different woman…!

!?!?!?? A different woman?

My eyes snap open!

“… Master.”

Bright ash-gray eyes. Soft ash-gray hair… This expressionless mysterious beauty… Is she the woman from yesterday?

“What in the world… is this..? Sarri? Are you Sarri?”

Rub-rub.

Why does this hand keep moving all the way down! Stop!

“Huuhh.. Master.. feels good…”

Blushing, Sarri enjoys my touch..

“S.. Sa.. Master…?”

At that moment, Heesun, who was lying behind Sarri, slowly sits up….

Heesun looks at me embracing Sarri with a cold expression….

Her face and gaze are somewhat intimidating, and without realizing it, I start stammering.

“Dar.. Darling! This is all a misunderstanding! She’s—”

“Huff. Huff. Huff. Huff… I knew a day like this would come.. Don’t worry, Master, I’ve prepared myself mentally. But.. I’m still a virgin, haven’t even properly made babies yet.. and already… already you’re making advances!!”

“Hee, Heesun..! This isn’t an advance.. no no. You.. you explain to Sarri..! Why on earth did she suddenly become human…”

“… Master likes it.”

??????

“… Older brother? M.. Mas..ter? You like that? You said you liked it? I can serve you in every way! How can you do this to someone like me!! You thief cat! Know your place!”

“No, that’s not it, Heesun! This one—”

At that moment, Sari looked at Heesun’s cold face and said a word.

“…Mom!”

????

Then she looked back at me.

“…Master!”

Heesun is Mom.. I am the Master..?

Caught off guard by those subtle titles, Heesun and I just stood there for a moment, looking bewildered, only glancing at Sari.