"···It’s probably not that dangerous. I mean, maybe?”
Was there some universal law—past life or present—that required a husband to get approval from his wife before doing anything?
Like a scene from a drama, I was in the middle of requesting permission from Hwa-eun in our shared mental space to carry out a search operation.
I had tried to proceed stealthily, but it hadn’t worked.
『"But So-ryong, didn’t you say it was dangerous there a few days ago?”
“Eh? Ah, no, Princess, that—what I said back then about it being dangerous wasn’t... I didn’t mean it like that...”
“Dangerous, you say?”
“Yes. Hwa-eun definitely remembers hearing that a few days ago.”
“A-Ah, no. It’s just that back then it was dangerous. Not now.”』
Just a moment ago, I was updating Hwa-eun on the day’s events and what I planned to do tomorrow, casually mentioning that I should check the cave. That’s when the princess suddenly cut in.
I’d told her days ago that the vertical cave was dangerous—and she’d remembered it in detail.
『"So-ryong, shall we meet in the mind for a moment?”
“I-I’m telling the truth...”
“I just wanted to see your face, that’s all.”
“....”』
And that’s how I got summoned by Hwa-eun.
“Hm... So, you’re saying you want to go inside the cave—the one suspected to be the epicenter of the quake—and check it out yourself? Just now, you only said you were going to ‘search the cave.’”
“Yes, Hwa-eun. It’s acting kind of strange in there.”
After hearing my explanation, Hwa-eun sat on a rock, legs crossed, chin resting on her hand, lost in thought.
Then she spoke, just as I feared, voicing her concern over the danger.
“Hmmm... Sounds dangerous to me...”
I quickly waved both hands in protest.
“A-ah, no. It’s not that dangerous. I’m not going in deep or anything—it’s a vertical cave, so I’ll just take a look at what’s at the bottom.”
“Still. You said rock fragments were falling from the walls.”
“W-well, yes. But just little fragments.”
“What if it’s not just fragments? What if a whole boulder falls?”
To that, I sighed inwardly.
‘I mean, come on, Hwa-eun, it’s not like I’m buying a million-won figure or a new game console. If this were my past life, this would just be like going on a hike. Isn’t that reasonable?’
It wasn’t like I was buying something expensive—it was just a minor adventure, right?
Sure, a boulder might fall and crush me... but there might also be a spirit beast down there. That made the risk worth it.
A spirit beast, you know?
A venomous creature, no less.
Isn’t that the kind of thing a man should be willing to risk his life for?
A man should be willing to risk his life for this kind of thing, right?
After pondering for a long moment, Hwa-eun finally nodded.
“Okay, I understand.”
“Oh! Does that mean you’re giving me permission?”
Was she granting me her approval?
I lit up with joy—but was met with an unwanted follow-up.
“I’ll think about it a bit more first.”
Our Hwa-eun’s strength was her cool-headedness—like hydrochloric acid that could burn a hole in your organs. So why was she dragging this out now?
She prefers long nights, sure, but when it comes to the pace of things, she likes speed, doesn’t she?
As I pouted, Hwa-eun pulled me tightly into her embrace.
‘Hey, that’s cheating.’
And then I felt the softness I had so carefully nurtured.
While holding me, Hwa-eun gently stroked my head and spoke.
“I’m only saying this because I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Of course you will. But even so, I need to think about it some more.”
“....”
I needed comfort, so I buried my face into her chest—though it was her fault I was in need of comfort in the first place.
‘She gives me the disease and the cure.’
Still, it didn’t feel right to pull away, so I stayed put—until Hwa-eun, still stroking my head, asked:
“Oh, right. So-ryong, is it uncomfortable living with the princess and Lady Gun?”
“Not really, no. I mean, Gun Hye-rin’s not exactly helpful, and the princess can be a bit willful, but nothing too bad.”
I just said what I honestly felt, but after hearing that, Hwa-eun started defending the two of them.
“Well, Gun Hye-rin grew up as the Little Heavenly Demon, so she’s never done chores or anything. And as for the princess, considering her royal status, she’s actually handling things pretty well, don’t you think?
Gun Hye-rin’s already been a big help with martial arts and will be even more helpful moving forward. And the princess, being royalty, will definitely be useful in some way.”
“Well, yeah, I guess that’s true.”
Hwa-eun, ever the optimist, was highlighting their good points.
Because she’s a good person, after all.
But then came a compliment with a different flavor.
“And besides, aren’t both the princess and Gun Hye-rin really pretty? It’s just that they haven’t shown themselves in public much. If they had, they wouldn’t be part of the Three Blossoms of the Martial World—it would’ve been the Five.”
Now, I had to admit—Gun Hye-rin’s knowledge of martial arts was legitimately helpful, and the princess, though currently exiled, wouldn’t stay that way forever.
The Heavenly Demon Cult, back when it was thriving, used to gather /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ and research all kinds of martial arts from across the Central Plains. Most of it was lost when the cult fell, but what remained was still a treasure trove of knowledge.
So yes, in terms of martial arts, Gun Hye-rin was incredibly helpful.
And the princess, well, like I said, she wouldn’t be exiled forever.
But then she just had to sneak in that bit about them being pretty?
I let out a faint laugh.
Because when women compliment another woman’s looks, you should never take it at face value.
If I said something like, “Yeah, both of them are really pretty,” then I’d be walking straight into a trap.
She wasn’t asking because she genuinely thought they were pretty.
She was asking because she wanted to hear that she was prettier than the other two.
‘Heh. Trying to fish for compliments from this So-ryong? I’m not that foolish, Hwa-eun.’
Smirking, I gave her the perfect answer.
“Those two? Pretty? I’m not really sure. I still think Hwa-eun’s the prettiest.”
“R-really?”
“Of course. To me, no other woman looks pretty. The only one who’s beautiful in my eyes is you, Hwa-eun.”
And there it was—the unmistakable curl of her lips, frozen in place.
Definitely the right answer.
But then Hwa-eun suddenly looked flustered and muttered something strange.
“Ah, no, that’s... not what I meant.”
“What’s not what you meant?”
“No, I didn’t mean it like that...”
“?”
Scratching her head with a look of frustration, Hwa-eun seemed displeased that things weren’t going her way.
After a bit of thought, she tried again.
“Alright. I’ll just ask it straight. No more beating around the bush. So-ryong, what if the princess or Lady Gun develops feelings for you and asks to be taken as your concubine—what will you do then?”
‘Ah... So it wasn’t just playful teasing. She’s actually feeling insecure.’
Just as Hwa-eun said, the princess and Gun Hye-rin weren’t bad-looking at all.
Gun Hye-rin had the textbook features of a blonde Western beauty. And when she kept quiet, she gave off a surprisingly elegant aura.
As for the princess, she was the epitome of refined Eastern beauty.
Maybe it was because of her status as royalty, but she exuded grace in everything she did.
Still, even with such noble and aloof beauty on their side, Hwa-eun wasn't outshone in the slightest. Yet, perhaps because I was living separately with the two of them, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
To put her at ease, I spoke again with absolute certainty.
“Hwa-eun, this So-ryong only has eyes for one furry—no, one person: Tang Hwa-eun. There’s no one else. So you don’t need to worry.”
At that, Hwa-eun suddenly leapt to her feet with a look of exasperation and shouted.
“No, that’s not it! I’m saying—they already did! The two of them!”
“...What?!”
The princess and Gun Hye-rin asked to be taken as my concubines?
My eyes widened in shock.
Why the hell would they?
Why would they come after me, a married man?
Sure, I did do a lot for the princess, but she was royalty! Even with that debt, for her to ask to be taken as a concubine? That was hard to believe.
And Gun Hye-rin? After all the times I’d scolded her?
‘Does she have some weird kink or something? Likes being reprimanded? Wait—then that grilled eel yesterday...? Damn, I need to be careful around her. But both of them at once? If it were just one, I could maybe write it off, but this is just weird.’
My head went blank for a moment, but after thinking it over a bit, I realized what must have happened.
Their feelings—had to be fake.
I gently sat the suddenly enraged Hwa-eun back down on the rock and began to explain calmly.
“Ah! Hwa-eun, listen carefully. This is definitely fake.”
“Huh? Fake?”
“Yes, fake. You know how the Beast-Heart Technique is originally meant to be used on animals, right? But Hwa-eun, Lady Gun, and the princess are all humans, aren’t they?”
“Yes, of course.”
“And our genders are different too, right?”
“Right. You’re a man and the three of us are women.”
“Exactly. So it had a slightly different effect. Or, well, let’s call it a misunderstanding.”
“A different effect? A misunderstanding?”
Hwa-eun tilted her head at my words, so I quickly nodded and continued.
“This technique was designed to bond with animals, so when used correctly, it makes the beast feel a familial closeness—like with a sibling or parent. But since I used it on people—and of the opposite sex—the closeness got mistaken for romantic affection.”
Yes. This was all just a misfire of the Beast-Heart Technique.
Same species, opposite gender—naturally led to this emotional confusion.
You know that thing where you’re hiking and someone of the opposite sex offers you a hand? And your heart races—not because of love, but because of the physical strain?
That’s why there’s so much cheating in hiking clubs. I bet it was something like that.
But Hwa-eun frowned and asked,
“So you’re saying their feelings are fake, created by the Beast-Heart Technique?”
“That’s right.”
“No. They’re serious.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Well... Sister Seol never had those kinds of feelings toward you.”
“I’m more advanced than anyone in the Beast-Heart Technique. So I’m probably right.”
“Even so, both of them are now bound to you for life through the technique. Shouldn’t you... I don’t know... take responsibility? They won’t be able to be with anyone else now, right?”
I could see what she was getting at.
They’d been bonded to me through the Beast-Heart Technique, and now they were harboring feelings for me. So as fellow women, Hwa-eun probably felt sympathy for them.
It was definitely her female empathy kicking in.
But responsibility? Now she was saying scary things.
Even if the princess wasn’t in the Hwagyeong realm yet, she was said to be right at its edge. Which meant she could break through soon.
I was already barely holding it together with one Hwagyeong-level woman in my life. And now she wanted me to handle three?
What am I, the mummy of the Central Plains?
“Come on, don’t say scary stuff like that. This is just a side effect of the Beast-Heart Technique. We just need to find a cure.”
“Even if that’s true—how would you even cure it?”
“You said once I reach the Ten-Poison Realm, I might enter the Life-and-Death Stage. Once I get there, it’ll be easy, won’t it? I’ll keep my distance for now. Just tell them... just say you’ll think about it.”
Responsibility, huh. Just thinking about it was horrifying. It’s not like I saw them naked and now had to marry them or something.
It was just a minor emotional confusion. Nothing happened that demanded accountability.
“I mean, So-ryong...”
To soothe her anxiety, I pulled Hwa-eun into my chest instead.
Then I planted a kiss right on her lips.
Chup.
My hands followed swiftly, and a soft moan echoed through the shared mindscape.
“Ah... haa... mm...”
A while later, Hwa-eun collapsed into my arms, completely spent.
***
I had to sneak out again this morning to wash my clothes by the river, avoiding the soldiers.
But it was worth it.
Thanks to my full-powered efforts, I managed to get permission for the search.
The condition was that I had to go fully wrapped in Xiangyi.
“The princess and Lady Gun, please wait here.”
“Alright, So-ryong.”
“Understood. Please be careful.”
As soon as the sun rose, we flew out to the vertical cave.
I had the princess and Gun Hye-rin wait around the perimeter.
The plan was to rush inside the moment another quake hit.
While we waited, I glanced at the two of them.
Even though Hwa-eun had already told me, both were hiding their feelings well.
I’d resolved to act like I knew nothing and keep things neutral—but still, it was awkward.
‘I can’t help but be aware of it...’
I was just starting to think that this was going to be a huge headache going forward—
Ruuuuummmble—
A deep tremor echoed from far below.
The ground shook, loose stones and dust showering down around the cave’s entrance.
The moment the dust settled, I activated my wrapping and dove straight into the vertical shaft.
'Let’s go!'
