episode_0112

[Chapter 112] Third Trial

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The woodcutter who ascended to Heaven had to face the trial of Okhwang Sangje.

The soldiers of Heaven led the woodcutter to a room with a large tent.

“From now on, fairies will reach their hands through holes in the tent. Among them, find your wife’s hand.”

“Yes.”

The woodcutter nervously swallowed his saliva and began to stare at the hands of the approaching women through the holes in the tent.

First hand… Second hand…

After meticulously examining each hand,

he nodded as if he had made his choice and looked at Okhwang Sangje.

“Now, tell me which hand belongs to your wife.”

“Yes… Yes! This, this hand! The whitest and most beautiful hand on this side must be my wife’s hand.”

The hand the woodcutter chose was the softest and whitest among all.

“You’re wrong.”

Okhwang Sangje said indifferently.

“Remove the tent.”

As the tent was removed, the woodcutter, upon seeing the face of the hand’s owner, could only be astonished.

“W-What is this!”

The revealed hand’s owner was not his wife but someone the woodcutter had never seen before!

In despair, the woodcutter fell to his knees. Amidst the fairies staring at him with cold faces, the woodcutter’s wife walked out.

The hand of the wife that the woodcutter casually glanced at was the roughest and darkest among the fairies.

-A tragic tale of overcoming celestial trials between a fairy and a woodcutter.

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“Do you think he will pass this trial?”

Okhwang Sangje asked Dongbangsak in an indifferent voice.

‘Worrying while pretending not to care…’

Dongbangsak thought so but sincerely replied to Okhwang Sangje.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please don’t worry too much. If things go wrong, what will happen? He is the one who creates stories. Although the original story may end tragically due to the fate that the thoughts of the fairy and the woodcutter are pure, he will somehow create his own happy ending.”

“…Hmm.”

If you’re going to worry and act like you don’t care, why give him such a difficult trial?

“Dongbangsak, even though I am the king, your eyes should be more respectful, shouldn’t they? Your gaze is quite impolite.”

“Oh! Ahem, ahem! I apologize, Your Majesty!”

With a slightly embarrassed expression, Dongbangsak quickly wiped his face with his hand, correcting his expression.

Nevertheless, there seems to be some dissatisfaction lingering in his mind.

Isn’t this a bit too much, Your Majesty? If you wanted me to manage my expressions, couldn’t you have called me in during normal hours instead of bothering me at dinner time! How many times do I have to say this!

Have some consideration! Even though I’m the youngest, it’s been over three thousand years since I served under you, and every time there’s worry or concern, you call me as a pastime!

Not even accepting retirement! Saying you want to retire honorably, but senior deities who are still active are saying, “What kind of retirement is this?” and not letting it go… If you won’t accept retirement, at least accept a successor!

Imagining himself confidently expressing his grievances to His Majesty, Dongbangsak realized that this was reality.

The complaints that seemed ready to burst from his mouth shrank back at the glance of the absolute ruler, and Dongbangsak once again became flustered, bowing his head.

“Ugh… Instead of realizing the joy of gaining His Majesty’s trust, I’m feeling miserable. Tsk tsk… How difficult it must be for a young deity like me who is still fresh… Oh, did I talk too much? Why are you so defensive!

“Well, vacation?”

Vacation.

Upon hearing the mysterious words like a sip of wine, Dongbangsak quickly straightened his posture.

Although he seemed to be trying to maintain a poker face, the way his lips twitched every now and then clearly showed his excitement for the upcoming vacation.

“Um… Even though he complained about being tired and exhausted and told me to come separately in the evening… as soon as the word ‘vacation’ was mentioned, his face lit up with joy! How does he enjoy living like a carefree vagabond so much…”

Initially considering retracting his offer of vacation to the sudden youngest newcomer, Sangje briefly contemplated, but knowing how much he had been struggling and helping him in this matter, Sangje suppressed his annoyance and returned to the conversation at hand.

“It’s your concern. Even if the conclusion of a new story changes from tragedy to comedy, forcing it to twist will become unreasonable… Just because it’s a tragedy doesn’t mean it’s unreasonable, just as it’s not necessarily providential simply because it’s a comedy. This story may pose a problem because tragedy is providential.”

“……”

“So far, he has only changed providence into providence. If there is an exception, it might be the second trial, where the contents of the treasure have completely changed… However, that too, like the first trial of the Jitong level task, merely followed providence rather than changing providence. When he brought the princess called the treasure of the Cat Kingdom, I was a little surprised, but the process itself was no different from how the original story unfolded.”

“But this time, it seems different.”

Dongbangsak responded anxiously to Sangje’s words.

Always hesitating but cherishing Heesun like his own daughter, and now having developed affection for that young man as well…

What is the fun of old folks like himself?

Isn’t it watching young couples live happily and sweetly together?

That day, while preparing dinner together in a cozy manner, how lovely were Heesun and the young man in treating each other…

He did not want to witness such a heartbreaking scene between those two.

If that young man goes astray…

“Hmm… It’s a bit ambiguous. This time, he must twist providence. You must already know that providence is such a thing. It’s not easy to twist, but even if you do, the force to return to the original state is likely to be strong…”

“If he fails, does that mean he must face a tragic fate according to providence?”

“That’s right. Although you are well aware of the fact that Heesun and he care for each other and think of each other… That rascal-like fellow…! Kukhuhum! Anyway, that guy has too many tricks up his sleeve. Too many, even excessively so. If it doesn’t suit his station, it will be close to disaster, but with his large capacity, he will probably take everything back to his possession…”

“……”

“There is only one way for him to overcome the trial. He just needs to love our Heesun wholeheartedly. To the extent that he can defy destiny! There is no need to create another story. In any case, that story will end up as a footnote and become providential. Perhaps using my abilities could be a handshake instead.”

“It seems like searching for a different answer when the correct one is right in front of you.”

“That’s right. After all, he is the protagonist in this story… If he can overcome this tragedy with just the pure will of a human being, it would be perfect… But… he is entangled with too many women… all of whom are virtuous… If he ever thought even slightly neglectful of our Heesun because of them…”

“It will be difficult to defy providence. Throughout the trials, destiny will torment him with various doubts and temptations.”

Okhwang Sangje slowly nods at Dongbangsak’s words.

“Right… This was a trial he chose to endure, knowing that he loved my daughter. Jim had no choice either. If things go as planned, our Heeseon will have to disguise herself pregnant and quarrel with my sisters… That’s not what he wants. And if, by any chance, Jim’s grandson is harmed due to vigorous movements…! Ugh, that can’t happen! He’s our precious grandson we’ve obtained after so long!”

Oh, that nobleman is really… Heeseon hasn’t even conceived yet… There’s no time for hesitation in times like this….

“Ahem. Hm….”

Unintentionally, Dongbangsak glanced at the emperor again with disrespectful eyes, but this time the emperor seemed to sense he had gone too far and just cleared his throat, avoiding the situation.

“In that case, Your Majesty. Shouldn’t you definitely acknowledge him as your son-in-law after he passes this trial?”

“What.. What! Son-in-law? Ah.. Right.. Yes… Hmm… But still, that guy… who stole my beautiful daughter… like a thief… Ugh… No! Not enough of a trial! I can’t acknowledge it yet!”

“Hmph, Your Majesty, did you really think you wouldn’t acknowledge him as your son-in-law even after the trial ends? If he passes this trial, isn’t it proof of how much he loves Heeseon, to the extent of defying fate as you said? Besides, they’ve already gone so far as to have a child together… And while we’re on the topic of your grandson, how often does a baby come into the world in Heaven? Huh? Everyone is excited to see the precious baby after so long, and who cares if you alone don’t acknowledge it? Even without your approval, your subjects will surely rise to the occasion. I heard Heeseon was the one who tempted him first…”

“N-no! My daughter would never do that! How dare you, Dongbangsak…!”

“Oh, Heeseon told me herself, so how could she not have done that? Would there be another young man in this world who would cherish and love Heeseon as much as he does? Rather than an indifferent father, it’s clear even to these untrained eyes that he takes better care of Heeseon… Just think about the age difference; it’s more shameless on Heeseon’s side… Even if you dislike the young man, begging to keep him as a son-in-law would still fall short… Tsk tsk tsk…”

Hmm, now openly criticizing in front of the Emperor…

The Emperor’s face turned red with anger at the disrespectful words of his subject, wanting to explode in anger, but since the subject’s words were not entirely wrong, he just seethed internally.

No, even if you criticize, can’t you do it politely! Why like that..!

“Enough! It’s noisy! Anyway, how long will you just chatter away here! What are you waiting for? It’s late, so leave immediately!”

“Of course, Your Majesty… Since you are resting well and calling me…”

“Get out quickly!”

“Ugh! Oh, yes, yes… I shall withdraw now.”

With a fiery command from the Emperor, Dongbangsak hurriedly left the place.

Gradually, only Emperor Okhwang remained in the large hall engulfed in silence,

The Emperor, using the silence as a cover, contemplated his complicated thoughts.

He hoped that the man who saved his daughter, and clearly cared for each other, would pass this final trial as if to prove something…

But when it came to acknowledging him as a son-in-law, a sense of injustice and regret at losing his daughter crept in… Ugh..!

Phew… In any case, this is something to ponder after the trial ends.

One thing is certain: the reason for changing the final trial was not to hope for him to fail and experience a tragic fate.

He believed it was a choice he could make because he deeply loved his daughter.

With that, the king closed his eyes and fell into deep thought for a long time.

It was just half an hour before Dongbangsak found the hunter.

“An unknown sinner shall accept the name.”

I receive the king’s teachings on the final trial in a respectful posture.

Now, this feels familiar too.

Even though I had heard what the content of the first trial was through Heeseon beforehand, I was still trembling…

“The content of the trial is to find Heeseon among several women who are presented.”

“During the trial, the sinner must not use any of their abilities.”

“The unknown sinner must endure this trial alone and cannot receive assistance from others in any form.”

“Again, you only get one chance! Make a wrong choice… or commit a crime… let time pass….”

I close my eyes and focus as much as possible not to miss any more of the teachings that follow.

So the third trial is related to Heeseon. Was it in this manner?

It seemed quite easy, making me feel both surprised and anxious at the same time.

Finally, after the servant reads all the rules written in the teachings and steps back slowly from the dais,

I am guided by soldiers to a room with a large tent with several holes.

“The test will begin in half an hour. The sinner should prepare mentally for the trial during this time.”

“…Yes.”

Yes… If I can finish this… I can meet Heeseon…. Let’s stay focused until the end without letting our guard down.

With determination, I await the third trial.