Free Web NovelI turned around with a bright smile.
“Whoa, you startled me.”
“If you need help, I’d be happy to assist.”
“I’m really fine.”
Anyone could tell the person in the black cloak looked suspicious.
“Don’t refuse. It looks like you have bruises.”
“They’ll heal in a few days....”
“But it’ll hurt during those days. Come on now.”
The unfamiliar woman took a potion out of the basket in her hand.
“If you drink this, you’ll recover immediately.”
The more I stepped back, the closer she came. But strangely, her pronunciation was very precise. Like someone who had read a lot of scripts. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
“I don’t want to drink—!”
Thud.
That was when it happened. A hand, half-hidden beneath the cloak, shot toward me. Long nails clamped painfully around my wrist.
“Who do you think you are, ignoring my kindness?!”
“Aaah!”
“You worthless thing! How dare you!”
The force trying to pry open the potion bottle and press it to my lips was overwhelming. I clamped my mouth shut and turned my head, refusing to drink the suspicious liquid.
“Drink it! Hurry!”
A purple stench began to seep out from her entire body. The foul smell exploded outward as if it would swallow everything around us. A sharp, vicious malice radiated from beneath the black cloak.
‘I can’t breathe....’
The unknown potion dripped down my cheek. Just as the drops gathered on my lips were about to seep in—
Grrr!
A beast’s growl echoed. Something brushed gently against my cheek.
“...A wolf?”
It was the tail of a massive wolf.
The wolf leapt lightly and subdued the woman gripping my wrist.
Awoooo—.
As the wolf howled, others emerged from nearby. A pack of wolves surrounded the woman. One that looked like the leader tore off her cloak, revealing her face.
“Are you kidding me—Jin Eunseol?!”
The leader bit into her nape and shook her violently a few times. Jin Eunseol went limp and passed out. I wiped the potion off my face with one hand.
The wolf spat her onto the ground, then turned to look at me.
‘...Why me...?’
Did it decide I was better prey after seeing Jin Eunseol’s condition? I recalled survival rules I’d picked up somewhere. First: never turn your back. Second: make loud noises or make yourself look bigger.
“Sit! Sit!”
They’re canines—maybe this will work?
It didn’t.
The house-sized wolf walked toward me without the slightest hesitation. Its almond-colored eyes gleamed.
“Go away!!!”
I grabbed both sides of my cloak and flapped it, trying to make myself look bigger.
“I said go away!!!”
The wolf came right up to me. Please. I’d rather be back in that underground prison! Why did I come all the way out here?!
My past life flashed before my eyes. The rising actress who would open a new era in Korea. The trend. The Nation’s First Love. Baby Melon Bread. Han Yeoreum, right here—
“Pant, pant.”
Huh? What?
When I opened my eyes, the wolf was lying flat on the ground, wagging its tail. It even tilted its head to the side curiously.
“...A friendly wolf?”
As if agreeing, it nodded.
I cautiously reached out and patted its head.
“What is this? You’re cute!”
The fur under my fingertips was soft and fluffy. I focused on petting the wolf. So people don’t always die after all.
“Where did you come from? Where’s your home?”
This feels promising. Wolves like this must have an owner. If I go there and ask for help—
Poof!
“Whoa, that scared me.”
With a loud pop, smoke rose. When it cleared, standing in front of me was Shin Seojin, shirtless.
“What? Senior?”
“Nickname /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ on the first meeting? Thank you, thank you. I knew girls liked cute guys.”
The other wolves nearby also began transforming back into human form one by one. Martial arts director Kang Hanseong, and—
“Kwon Junhyeok is here too! Wow! It’s been so long.”
Why was I so happy to see him? I immediately walked up to greet him. But the moment he saw me, he started trembling.
“Sob... they said if we just caught one suspicious person during patrol and knocked them out, that would be enough....”
His face turned bright red as he covered his body with both hands.
“There’s another one here. They never said anything about this at the beginning... sob....”
Still sniffling, he shrank in embarrassment. Shin Seojin walked over to him, also covering himself with both hands. He was fine just a moment ago—what changed?
“I think he’s like this because we’re not in that lean-muscle look girls prefer right now. We trained too hard, so we bulked up a bit. But if you had to choose between a guy who gets shy when he takes his shirt off and one who doesn’t—which do you like? Haha. Honestly, really honestly, please. Which one is more popular?”
Ah. So he saw Kwon Junhyeok being popular earlier and decided to copy him.
“Sob....”
Since talking to Shin Seojin clearly wasn’t working, I patted Kwon Junhyeok’s shoulder as he teared up.
* * *
“Ah, so this is the outskirts of the northern region?”
I asked from behind Shin Seojin, who was cooking shirtless. Deeper inside the cave, there was a castle where the werewolves lived. The interior glowed faintly blue, unexpectedly cozy.
“Yeah. The deepest part. Monsters show up often, and it’s too rugged for normal people to endure. So it ended up being just us wolves living here.”
“The imperial palace? Royal palace? Anyway, how do I get there?”
“Why? Want to see the Crown Prince?”
The Crown Prince must be an older man, right? He must be. I asked anyway.
“What does the Crown Prince look like...?”
“I haven’t seen him myself, but I’ve heard plenty. Apparently, every time he appears, people curse the moment they see his face. Just straight-up, ‘fuck,’ like that. At first they arrested people for insulting the monarchy, but now everyone does it, so they let it slide.... Even people who see him often apparently can’t help but swear.”
That’s Myeong Jeha. I’m certain. A face like that isn’t common.
“So he’s that popular with women....”
Shin Seojin muttered. Suddenly, the flames under the meat flared up violently.
My steak is burning!
“Men aren’t just about looks, you know—women look at personality, physique, and most importantly cooking skills too!”
I rushed out the words, and Shin Seojin regained his composure.
“Right? Let’s eat first. I’ve been hearing your stomach growling for a while.”
Clink. He set down a plate of steak he had cooked himself. It was garnished with cherry tomatoes, buttered sweet potatoes, and asparagus. The doneness was perfect.
“As expected of a true gentleman, Shin Seojin. You’re really the best senior.”
“What do you think about a man who’s unexpectedly good at cooking?”
“That’s exactly the type women love. I might cry. This is the first proper meal I’ve had since coming here....”
I changed into the wolf-fur clothes Shin Seojin handed me and even took a bath in a warm tub.
“Get some rest here. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Okay... thank you....”
Completely relaxed, I lay down on a soft bed, wrapped in a wolf-fur blanket. It was incomparable to the northern underground prison.
And the next morning—
“Shall we go now?”
“Huh? Go where?”
Shin Seojin answered with a smile instead of words.
“Where else.”
In his hand—
“A wanted poster?”
He lifted me effortlessly and threw me over his shoulder. I struggled, but it was useless.
“They say the number one type of man women like is someone dedicated to his work... I had no choice. Sorry, sorry. Apparently, being the type who doesn’t mix personal feelings into work is sexy.”
With a gentle smile, Shin Seojin locked me inside a cage. As I was transported in a wagon heading back north, I screamed.
“You can’t just know one thing and not the other, senior! A man with no loyalty and a loose mouth is the worst! Women hate that type the most!”
Shin Seojin made a startled expression, but it was too late. The coachman burst out laughing.
“That’s right! A man needs loyalty!”
“Senior Kwak Cheolsik?!”
No wonder there were twelve horses pulling the wagon. There was a reason.
“Whimper....”
The horses looked exhausted.
“You brats! That’s what happens when you eat so much earlier—you can’t run properly!”
I don’t think that’s the issue.
‘Still... this works out. If it’s Senior Kwak Cheolsik, he might help me escape!’
I quickly tried to call out to him.
“Excuse me! Hey!”
“Sous la lumière douce! ton souffle a frôlé le mien!”
Useless. Instead of Bluetooth, he was blasting a song at full volume with his own voice as he drove.
“Senior! Just a second!”
“J’ai goûté le miel du temps dans ton premier baiser!!!”
His voice was so loud it completely drowned me out.
“At least sing something that fits the fantasy setting!”
“Mon cœur s’est ouvert comme une fleur au soleil d’été!!!”
In the end, accompanied by a beautiful, sweet song I couldn’t understand at all, I was once again—
Clank.
Dragged off to prison.
