RAP Chapter 7

Beginning of Cohabitation  

 

“The rice cooker! We have to bring the rice cooker! Put it on top!”  

 

“Got it. Even if you don’t say it, I won’t forget, so calm down.”  

 

“The first thing we have to do when we arrive is take out the rice cooker!”  

 

“Why? Because you’re worried about Jowangshin?”  

 

“No. They say that’s how wealth and prosperity come in.”  

 

“Ha, you really are…”  

 

Watching the two bicker until the very last moment of packing was the most entertaining thing I had seen in a while.  

 

Bihee, struggling to hold back his laughter to the point of tears, discreetly wiped his eyes and intervened between them.  

 

“Alright, I think that’s everything. Shall we go now?”  

 

“Yeah. Once we get there, I’m leaving everything to you, bro. You’re gonna have to do just a little more work.”  

 

“What do you mean work? You know I enjoy this.”  

 

Yeouiju, who had been staring at the two dragons looking all friendly and harmonious, pouted.  

 

‘Brother, huh. He’s completely different when he’s with him compared to when he’s with me.’  

 

Even his tone of speech was different. Do-cheol, who was usually arrogant and selfish, acted like an adorable younger brother in front of Bihee.  

 

“Why are you just standing there blankly? We’re leaving, so come here.”  

 

In contrast, whenever he spoke to her, it was always in that brusque, curt manner. Letting out a small sigh, Yeouiju reminded Do-cheol once more.  

 

“The rice cooker. Take out the rice cooker first, okay?”  

 

“You’re moving into our house, so why are you so obsessed with wealth and prosperity?”  

 

“No matter whose house I enter, I desperately need wealth and prosperity.”  

 

“Ugh, seriously. Hey!”  

 

Annoyed, Do-cheol roughly pulled the rice cooker from his pocket and shoved it into Yeouiju’s arms.  

 

Caught off guard by the sudden weight, she staggered but barely managed to regain her balance before glaring at him.  

 

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you just carry it yourself? You can put it down on the floor as soon as we arrive.”  

 

As irritating as it was, he had a point. Nodding, Yeouiju hugged the rice cooker tightly.  

 

“Materialistic, so materialistic.”  

 

Clicking his tongue, Do-cheol snapped his fingers as he always did. A bright light instantly flashed before her eyes, and when she opened them again, they had already arrived at Do-cheol’s house.  

 

Just thinking about living in this palace-like house made her heart race with excitement.  

 

“What are you doing? Put the rice cooker down.”  

 

Still clutching the rice cooker tightly, Yeouiju snapped out of her daze and carefully set it down.  

 

“Miss Jowangshin, we’ve arrived.”  

 

Jowangshin smoothly emerged from the rice cooker, looking around curiously.  

 

“So this is the dragon’s residence.”  

 

“To be precise, inside my house, in her space.”  

 

“I look forward to being here.”  

 

“Yeah, make yourself comfortable.”  

 

As Jowangshin conversed with Do-cheol, she suddenly flinched upon noticing Bihee.  

 

“Greetings, dragon.”  

 

“Nice to meet you too. It’s been a while since I last saw Jowangshin’s manifestation.”  

 

Yeouiju, standing between them, quickly interrupted, pestering Jowangshin.  

 

“Miss Jowangshin, wealth and prosperity! You have to bless me with wealth and prosperity!”  

 

Smiling at her urgent voice, Jowangshin strolled around the house, sprinkling white powder in various spots.  

 

Before they knew it, the entire house was filled with the fragrant aroma of freshly cooked rice.  

 

Yeouiju stuck close to Jowangshin, clasping her hands together, following her around eagerly.  

 

“Why is she so obsessed with wealth and prosperity?”  

 

“Didn’t she say she got scammed out of her deposit? It makes sense.”  

 

“Even just stepping into a goblin’s domain can bring good fortune if the energy aligns well. Doesn’t she realize she’s now in a dragon’s territory?”  

 

Finding it absurd, Do-cheol let out a scoff and shook his head, while Bihee looked on with nothing but fondness in his eyes.  

 

“Just let her be. It’s cute.”  

 

“Cute? You think that’s cute?”  

 

“Humans are naturally cute. Living at most for a hundred years, desperately cherishing every moment—it’s endearing, don’t you think?”  

 

“That’s insane. If I only had a hundred years, I wouldn’t live like that.”  

 

“What do you know, little brother?”  

 

Do-cheol shot a glare at Bihee for treating him like a child, then shouted toward Yeouiju.  

 

“Yeouiju! That’s enough. Come tell bro where to put everything.”  

 

Despite Do-cheol’s call, Yeouiju, who had just finished her little ritual, trotted over to Bihee.  

 

“It’s better to start by taking everything out of our pockets first, right?”  

 

“Yes!”  

 

Now, it was Bihee’s turn to take charge. As he pulled out the items from his pocket one by one, his arm muscles flexed noticeably.  

 

“Wow, muscles.”  

 

“Wow, so strong.”  

 

“Wow, that’s so cool!”  

 

Each time Bihee took out an item, Yeouiju gushed over him, poking at Do-cheol’s nerves little by little.  

 

His patience wearing thin, Do-cheol glared at her and snapped.  

 

“Can you be quiet? You’re seriously too much of a nuisance.”  

 

At those words, Yeouiju, feeling down, worried that she might have interrupted Bihee, covered her mouth with both hands.

 

“It’s fine. It gives me energy and feels nice. Thanks for cheering me on.”

 

Brightening up again, Yeouiju became even more enthusiastic.Seeing this, Do-cheol exaggerated a gagging motion and patted Bihee’s shoulder.

 

“Ugh. Seriously. bro, come to the outer wing when you’re done. I’m going first.”

 

“Alright. Go ahead and rest. I’ll finish up quickly and be there.”

 

“Okay.”

 

After a brief exchange with Bihee, Do-cheol called out to Yeouiju, who was still engrossed in watching Bihee.

 

“Hey, Yeouiju.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’m leaving.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Not even looking at him as she answered, Do-cheol felt not just his pride wounded but also a growing sense of disappointment. Just as his irritation reached its peak and he was about to say something, Yeouiju turned toward him.

 

“Thank you for your help today. Thanks to the pouch, everything went really smoothly.”

 

For the first time, Yeouiju smiled at Do-cheol. It felt like he had just been struck on the back of the head. Yeouiju, noticing Do-cheol frozen in place, looked at him curiously before cautiously calling out to him.

 

“Mr. Do-cheol?”

 

Snapping back to his senses, Do-cheol deliberately responded curtly.

 

“It was nothing.”

 

“Still, thank you. Go inside and get some rest.”

 

“Mm.”

 

It was an incredibly blunt response.

 

Having nothing more to say, he was about to turn his head when his own voice held Yeouiju in place.

 

“Hey, Yeouiju.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Bro’s surname is Bi, and his name is Hee.”

 

In truth, he had stopped her just to see that smile one more time, but without anything else to say, he blurted out something completely random.

 

“Oh, so his name wasn’t Bi-hee?”

 

“No. All of us brothers have single-character names.”

 

“Do you all have different surnames?”

 

“Yeah. Our masters just randomly gave us names.”

 

“I see. Then should I call him Mr. Hee from now on?”

 

Fortunately, Yeouiju’s curiosity had been piqued, allowing the conversation to flow naturally.

 

“No. Just call him Bihee as usual.”

 

“Then your surname is Do, and you name is Cheol, right?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Should I keep calling you Mr. Do-cheol?”

 

Do-cheol stared intently at Yeouiju’s face as she innocently asked. Should he allow it or not?

 

“Huh? Should I call you Mr. Do-cheol?”

 

Avoiding Yeouiju’s urging gaze, Do-cheol mumbled just loud enough to be heard.

 

“Cheol.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Just call me Cheol.”

 

“Isn’t that a bit strange…?”

 

Muttering to herself, Yeouiju watched Do-cheol—who suddenly vanished. After staring at the spot where he had disappeared for a while, Yeouiju tilted her head and walked over to Bihee.

 

If she wasn’t mistaken, Do-cheol’s cheeks had definitely been red just now…

 

“He kept saying he wanted to rest. Maybe he has a fever?”

 

“Yeouiju, do you have a fever?”

 

“No, not me. Mr. Do-cheol. Do you think he might have caught a cold?”

 

“That’s impossible. Human viruses can’t infect us.”

 

“But I’m sure his cheeks were red just now…”

 

“I’ll check on him later. Don’t worry.”

 

“Okay. Not that I’m particularly worried.”

 

At Yeouiju’s added remark, Bihee finally burst into laughter.

 

Dragons, with their thick scales, neither felt heat nor cold. Colds were the least of their worries—falling ill was simply not an option. The same applied even when they took on human form.

 

Bihee had a strong hunch that his younger brother’s reddened cheeks had something to do with this human woman.

 

“It’s okay to be concerned.”

 

“Me? About Mr. Do-cheol? As if. I barely have enough time to worry about myself.”

 

Amused by Yeouiju’s overreaction, Bihee quickly started moving the supplies.

 

The sooner he finished, the sooner he could go and tease Do-cheol.

 

Excited about finally landing a job after a long time, Bihee quickly carried the items on his shoulders and moved a few times, finishing the move in no time.  

 

Yeouiju swiftly brought some cold water and handed it to Bihee.  

 

“Thank you so much for your help.”  

 

“Oh, it’s nothing. I actually had a lot of fun.”  

 

Gulp, gulp. Bihee drank the water in just two gulps from a rather large cup and returned it to Yeouiju.  

 

Watching Bihee drink, Yeouiju hesitated for a moment before pulling out a piece of paper and a pen.  

 

“Uh… would you… maybe… give me an autograph…?”  

 

Her cheeks flushed red as she looked up at Bihee, who was much taller than her, with eyes sparkling with anticipation.  

 

Seeing this, Bihee was reminded of Do-cheol when he was younger. Smiling warmly like a father, he took the paper.  

 

“Please write ‘Lee Min-jun’ instead of my name.”  

 

Bihee, who had naturally intended to write Yeouiju’s name, paused.  

 

That sounded like a man’s name…  

 

Bihee had already decided that Yeouiju would be Do-cheol’s match.  

 

While casually writing the name as if nothing was wrong, Bihee subtly probed.  

 

“Is he your boyfriend?”  

 

Please say no. Please say you don’t have a boyfriend.  

 

“No? I don’t have a boyfriend.”  

 

Nice. That’s it, fifth brother. From now on, just trust your big brother. Among the nine siblings, Bihee was the most impatient. He was already planning Do-cheol and Yeouiju’s wedding.  

 

Just as Bihee was imagining their future while signing, an unexpected request came.  

 

“Could you write ‘Min-jun, play just a little bit and grow up healthy’ under the autograph?”  

 

Since Yeouiju had said she didn’t have a boyfriend, Bihee assumed Min-jun must be a friend. But “grow up healthy”—that was something you usually said to a child.  

 

“Min-jun is a kid?”  

 

“Yes. He’s a boy living at the orphanage where I grew up. He used to be bright and cute, but after being adopted and then returned, he seems to have been hurt a lot. He barely talks anymore, doesn’t seem happy to see me, and just plays games all the time. A younger boy who shares a room with him secretly told me that Min-jun became a huge fan of you after seeing you in the Olympics last year. I thought maybe getting an autograph from you might cheer him up.”  

 

“Hmm…”  

 

Bihee hesitated for a moment before writing a long message under the autograph.  

 

“Alright, I’ll be heading out now.”  

 

“Yes! Thank you so much for today!”  

 

When Yeouiju looked up after receiving the paper, Bihee was already gone.  

 

“Seriously, none of these brothers ever use the door.”  

 

Shaking her head a few times with an exasperated expression, Yeouiju looked down at the paper again.  

 

“Did the autograph turn out okay? I really hope Min-jun cheers up… Huh? What’s this?”  

 

The message under the autograph was different from what she had requested.  

 

[“Min-jun, play just a little bit and grow up healthy. Your big brother will visit soon with Yeouiju noona.”]

 

Startled, Yeouiju dropped the paper.  

 

Fluttering down, it landed softly on the floor. Picking it up again to check, she saw the words were indeed written that way.  

 

“Wow! Oh my god, Bihee!”  

 

Overcome with joy, Yeouiju hugged the autograph to her chest and jumped up and down.  

 

Touched by Bihee’s kindness, she completely forgot about Do-cheol’s flushed cheeks.  

 

*** 

 

“Our fifth brother is rumored to have a fever.”  

 

“What nonsense. Why would I have a fever?”  

 

Having moved straight to the outer wing, Bihee smirked mischievously while teasing Do-cheol.  

 

Unaware of anything, Do-cheol wondered if his brother had gone crazy from carrying too much luggage.  

 

“Exactly. How could a dragon even get a fever?”  

 

“Did you finish organizing the luggage? What are you suddenly rambling about?”  

 

“Oh, it’s just that Yeouiju said so.”  

 

“Yeouiju said that? That I have a fever?”  

 

“Yeah. She said she was worried and told me to check on you.”  

 

Bihee exaggerated Yeouiju’s words while watching Do-cheol’s expression closely.  

 

“What nonsense. She should worry about herself.”  

 

Despite his dismissive words, the corners of his lips lifted slightly. Though Do-cheol didn’t seem to realize it, his cheeks flushed red again. It was truly a sight Bihee had never seen in 1,500 years.  

 

“You’re in big trouble now, fifth brother.”