The Snake, the Flower, and the Tiger - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 6

The day after the wedding, Hee-seo opened her eyes and was immediately summoned to a meal with Kim Jong-hyup. Since Kim Je-eon had disappeared before dawn, she had to meet Kim Jong-hyup alone.
The old man showed no surprise at Hee-seo’s solitary arrival, as though he had been waiting for her to be left alone from the start.
“It hasn’t noticed, has it?”
Kim Jong-hyup, seated at the far end of a long dining table like something from a drama or film, posed the question.
Hee-seo, who had been staring at a thick steak, swallowed an answer that had nearly escaped her without thinking.
‘It didn’t just notice—it completely caught me.’
There was no need to confess that she’d botched the first night spectacularly.
“Yes.”
The lie was unfamiliar; her throat tightened. It was fortunate, at least, that her naturally expressionless face meant the deception didn’t show, given how little she lied in ordinary life.
“You must have had a difficult time. Being the bride of a man possessed by a spirit couldn’t have been easy.”
Instead of answering, Hee-seo picked up her fork and knife and began cutting the meat. The moment the knife touched it, blood ran from the undercooked flesh. The sight made her appetite vanish.
But the real reason her appetite disappeared was Kim Jong-hyup’s unexpectedly affectionate demeanor—the way he treated her like a true daughter-in-law.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have much time to give you. Six months. In that time, you’ll rid my grandson of it.”
Six months was far more generous than the hundred days Kim Je-eon had mentioned on their first night in the newlywed bed. Yet it was half the time originally agreed upon when Kim Jong-hyup first brought up marriage.
Hee-seo had never intended to spend a full year on this anyway, and she didn’t trust Kim Jong-hyup, but the sudden change in terms warranted challenge.
“The condition was originally one year, sir.”
“Yes, it was. But growing old makes one’s heart impatient, you see. I hope you’ll understand.”
Despite his words asking for understanding, there was no trace of apology in Kim Jong-hyup’s manner. Hee-seo set down her utensils completely, suppressing a hollow laugh that threatened to escape.
As expected.
Though her spiritual eyes remained closed, Hee-seo’s talent for reading people was sharper than most.
To her, Kim Jong-hyup was a man who could shift his words at any moment depending on circumstances—a man for whom everything revolved around himself.
It was precisely because of this that Hee-seo had been willing to share a bed with the Possessed Person, determined to finish the work quickly.
But Hee-seo was not someone to be toyed with. Whether it was a man like Kim Jong-hyup or the demons far worse than him, Hee-seo was the one who hunted them.
“This won’t work, sir.”
“……Won’t work?”
“Until now, you haven’t said a single word about what’s afflicting your grandson. You claim not to know its identity, to have no suspicions whatsoever, and that there’s no reason for grudges against him.”
In exorcism, the work of driving out spirits, the most crucial element was identifying the spirit’s true nature.
From the very beginning, exorcism was work that even a capable shaman couldn’t begin without learning the spirit’s name.
“The spirit can’t discover my presence, and it can’t burrow back into your grandson’s body. His body mustn’t be harmed.”
“…….”
“I endured this ridiculous marriage to honor all those conditions. I watched over him for what was supposed to be a year, believing only in your promise that I could completely free your grandson of it, and that in return you’d help me find my parents.”
Hee-seo was not a foolish woman. If her parents hadn’t been at stake, she wouldn’t have acknowledged the request in the first place.
But if Kim Jong-hyup was now trying to shift the terms bit by bit……Hee-seo had no intention of being manipulated so easily.
“From one year to six months. I see. It’s not impossible, I suppose. But how can I trust you enough to take on this role as your grandson’s bride when you act this way? His face is my type, but not enough to endure all this.”
“Ha.”
She hadn’t raised her voice or adopted an aggressive tone. Yet Hee-seo’s words were brazen enough to cross a line that no one dared cross with Kim Jong-hyup.
The wrinkled hand crushing the meat set down the silver utensil. Unlike the brief laugh, Kim Jong-hyup’s eyes as they fixed on her were ice-cold.
“Your mother. Or father—either would be fine.”
But Hee-seo pushed back her chair and rose. Kim Jong-hyup’s keen gaze followed her movement.
“Show me some trace of my parents. Then I’ll free your grandson from it in six months—no, even three months.”
Hee-seo paused at the threshold of the Dining Room, having left the still-warm food behind. She could feel Kim Jong-hyup’s roiling anger pressing against her back, but there were things that needed to be said.
Even just three months—to make life in the Newlywed Residence bearable.
“And it’s only been a day since we married—summoning me in broad daylight is a bit much. I’ll pay my respects once a week, so I’ll see you next week, grandfather. Enjoy your meal.”
Her steps as she left the Dining Room were light. It was true—a person needed to speak her mind in order to live well.

***

When Hee-seo returned to the Newlywed Residence, Kim Je-eon was still nowhere to be found.
When she asked his secretary, she learned he’d gone to work before dawn—and Hee-seo suspected he might have fled to avoid her. In any case, he was quick on his feet.
A man who was Kim Je-eon’s butler greeted her at the entrance, waiting for her return. He appeared slightly older than her own secretary and carried a similar air about him.
When she asked what relation he bore to her secretary, he answered matter-of-factly that everyone who worked in Kim Jong-hyup’s Mansion was blood relatives.
It made sense that someone of Kim Jong-hyup’s stature would be wary of outsiders.
Along the same logic, the sprawling grounds owned by Kim Jong-hyup held only two buildings: Kim Jong-hyup’s Mansion and Kim Je-eon’s residence. The perimeter was marked by a tall stone wall, fortress-like in appearance.
‘He said he slept in his usual room and left for work before sunrise, no different than always. The butler who’s been watching him couldn’t sense anything amiss? Is that really right?’
As soon as she arrived at the residence, Hee-seo recalled her conversation with the butler while satisfying her hunger.
The butler and secretary had already heard hints about Hee-seo from Kim Je-eon, so they cooperated with her as much as possible. Yet after the meal, the room maid and butler they encountered bore unmistakable traces of discomfort.
“Ma’am, I… What are you looking for?”
Hee-seo, who had been rummaging through something in thought, paused for a moment. Then she turned to face the butler, her expression grave.
“I’m actually allergic to the title ‘ma’am,’ so let’s change how you address me.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Just call me Miss or by my name. When you say ‘ma’am,’ it gives me goosebumps.”
Hee-seo scratched her arm self-consciously and shook her head. The butler and maid exchanged bewildered glances, but Hee-seo asked the maid matter-of-factly.
“The pillows and sheets get changed every morning, then?”
“Yes. We change them on schedule each morning. Everything was replaced today.”
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll check them myself, so please don’t change them.”
“The bedding?”
“The bedding, pillows, sheets. And if there are any underwear left out, I’ll need to check those too.”
The maid’s composure faltered again at words she hadn’t anticipated. No matter that they were newlyweds, the thought of examining another person’s intimate garments—a grown man’s, no less—stirred something like revulsion in her.
But Hee-seo seized the hesitant maid by the arm and spoke with quiet firmness.
“Kim Je-eon’s underwear is absolutely, utterly, desperately—”
“…”
“—necessary.”
“…”
“Without them, I won’t be able to sleep, so I’m counting on you. You understand?”
The maid’s expression contorted further. But she could not dare speak back to someone of Hee-seo’s standing; she could only nod.

***

Kim Je-eon did not return until late into the night.
Hee-seo, who had fallen asleep waiting for him, bolted awake and tore down the corridor.
But this wastefully sprawling Mansion required her to cross the entire length of the second floor just to reach his room from hers.
She had kicked off her indoor slippers by the time she arrived at his door, only to find that Kim Je-eon had already left for work. It was the same as yesterday.
‘That coward—he’s running away again, isn’t he?’
As Hee-seo fumed, the maid she passed by caught sight of her and bowed.
“The sheets—you haven’t had them changed yet, have you?”
“No. Since you asked me not to change them, the sheets and pillowcases remain exactly as they were, Miss.”
“Good work. Move aside for a moment, would you? Oh, and the pajamas in the bathroom—are those still there too?”
“Yes. The clothes he changed out of are still in the bathroom.”
“I understand. Thank you.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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