RAP Chapter 6

Moving Day

 

As Do-cheol gestured, the scale flew toward Yeouiju’s chest.  

 

Was he really going to insert that sharp scale into her heart? Fearing she would feel pain again, Yeouiju hesitated and took a few steps back.  

 

The scale spun in place before charging straight toward her.  

 

“Ahhh!”  

 

Letting out a short scream, Yeouiju tightly shut her eyes.  

 

The sound of the second hand ticking on the clock hanging on the wall reached her ears with startling clarity. Peeking through a small slit in her eyes, Yeouiju darted her gaze around.  

 

“It’s done. Open your eyes.”  

 

“Huh? But I didn’t feel anything.”  

 

Cautiously opening her eyes completely, Yeouiju examined herself from head to toe.  

 

“Did it fail? I don’t feel anything, and nothing seems different.”  

 

“You’re really suspicious, aren’t you?”  

 

With a small sigh, Do-cheol snapped his fingers.  

 

“Look at your left ring finger.”  

 

Hurriedly lifting her hand, she noticed a Chinese character engraved on her finger.  

 

“What does this character mean?”  

 

“Cheol. My name.”  

 

“What?! Why of all places, here? This is where a couple’s ring goes!”  

 

“What, should I have just engraved it on your face instead?”  

 

“My ring finger has never even had the chance to wear a couple’s ring…”  

 

Yeouiju muttered, filled with injustice.  

 

“In this situation, you’re really talking about couple’s rings? Seriously, you…”  

 

Do-cheol threw his head back in frustration and snapped his fingers again.  

 

The engraving vanished instantly. Yeouiju’s eyes widened as she twisted her now-clean ring finger back and forth.  

 

“It’s proof of our contract. Since you don’t like it, I hid it. But if you ever want to confirm the contract, just think about it, and the mark will reappear.”  

 

“No, no. Keeping it hidden is definitely better. It’ll disappear once you ascend, right?”  

 

“Yes. Once the contract ends, it’ll disappear. Ah, and if I die, the scale will vanish too, meaning this mark will also be gone. But that won’t happen, so don’t even dream about it.”  

 

If he couldn’t ascend and ended up dying, that would be bad. That would mean her fortune and rewards would disappear too. Feeling guilty that she was more worried about losing the rewards than Do-cheol’s death, Yeouiju sneaked a glance at him.  

 

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to have read her thoughts.  

 

“Now that the contract is settled, let’s go. This day has been exhausting.”  

 

“Huh? Right now? What about my belongings?”  

 

“I said I’m leaving. You’ll be safe tonight. I made arrangements.”  

 

Yeouiju, who had been afraid to be left alone, suddenly looked relieved. She quickly ran to the front door, opened it, and gestured for him to leave.  

 

“Okay. I won’t go far.”  

 

Now that they had a contract, Yeouiju’s attitude had done a complete 180 from their first meeting. Do-cheol scoffed in disbelief before giving her one last instruction.  

 

“I’ll bring an excellent mover tomorrow, so pack up what you need to take in advance. I’m leaving.”  

 

With those words, he vanished in an instant, rendering Yeouiju’s attempt at seeing him off pointless.  

 

“If he was going to leave like that, he should have said so earlier. We really don’t get along.”  

 

Muttering complaints about Do-cheol, Yeouiju returned to her room—only to startle at the sight of Jowangshin still standing there.  

 

“Ah! You scared me! Why didn’t you leave with him?”  

 

“I am bound to this place and cannot leave freely.”  

 

“Huh? Then what do we do? You said this place was dangerous without a household deity or ancestral spirits!”  

 

Seeing someone she had met barely half a day ago worrying about her safety, Jowangshin smiled warmly.  

 

“I will return to the rice cooker, so please don’t forget to bring it with you tomorrow.”  

 

“Then you’ll be able to come with me?”  

 

“Yes. Once we arrive at the dragon’s house, please take the rice cooker out first. I will ensure you receive financial blessings.”  

 

At the mention of financial blessings, Yeouiju’s eyes practically flipped over in excitement. She immediately grabbed Jowangshin’s hands.  

 

“I’m counting on you, Jowangshin. Let’s live well together.”  

 

Seeing Yeouiju looking almost resolute, Jowangshin chuckled before fading away. Now that all the uninvited guests had returned to their places, Yeouiju found herself alone. She sank onto the floor with a heavy sigh.  

 

“The fact that this is real feels unreal…”  

 

Even after thinking it over, it was an absurd day. Lifting a hand, Yeouiju patted her head in self-comfort.  

 

“You did well, Yeouiju. You survived this insane day.”  

 

Pat, pat. She crossed her arms and tapped her shoulders in encouragement before standing up to take one last look around her small home.  

 

As she reminisced about the countless memories filling the house, the ringing of her phone shattered the atmosphere.  

 

Seeing Hee-seon’s name on the screen, Yeouiju smiled softly and answered the call.  

 

It was filled with nothing but concern—about whether she would be able to catch the scammer, if she had gotten permission from the landlord, and so on.  

 

When Hee-seon told her not to worry about money, even if she had to break her savings, Yeouiju let out a deflated laugh like a balloon losing air and made an excuse.  

 

“Oh, don’t worry. The convenience store owner gave me quite an advance, so I went to the real estate agency today and signed the contract.”  

 

A cheer rang from the other end of the phone.  

 

As Hee-seon paid homage to the convenience store owner and sent a silent thank-you into the air, the fortune teller’s words suddenly crossed her mind.  

 

—Was the fated partner the fortune teller mentioned actually the convenience store owner?  

 

Ah, that fortune teller. Only then did Yeouiju recall the fortune teller’s words and smacked her knee with a loud clap.  

 

“Hey, Hee-seon. I guess that fortune teller really was famous for a reason.”  

 

The words about a noble being who could not reach the heavens perfectly described Do-cheol.  

 

Shivering with goosebumps, Yeouiju put down her phone and rubbed her arms repeatedly before reassuring Hee-seon once more.  

 

“So don’t worry. I’m not that weak!”  

 

As of today, she was a human under the protection of a dragon…She swallowed down the truth she couldn’t possibly reveal. Feeling good after their conversation, Yeouiju jumped onto her bed.  

 

“I’ll rest for just five minutes, then pack my things…”  

 

As her tension eased, her entire body went limp, and her mind drifted away. Unable to resist her eyelids growing heavier and heavier, Yeouiju eventually fell asleep.  

 

Bang! Bang!  

 

The sound of someone knocking on the door startled Yeouiju awake. She blinked blankly at the bright light streaming in through the window.  

 

She had only meant to lie down for five minutes, but it seemed she had fallen asleep.  

 

“I’m doomed…”  

 

Meanwhile, the knocking grew louder and more persistent.  

 

How should she explain this? Sensing her impending scolding, Yeouiju trudged weakly toward the door.  

 

“Oh My Mother!”  

 

But the man standing outside wasn’t Do-cheol.  

 

Even if she tried not to recognize him, his face was impossible to mistake. And yet, she had never seen him before in her life, which made the word ‘mom’ slip out involuntarily.  

 

The man, also startled, laughed awkwardly before greeting her.  

 

“Hello.”  

 

“Uh, uh… uh…!”  

 

“Yes, that’s right.”  

 

“Uh…! N-National representative…!”  

 

“Yes, hello. I’m Baek Hee, the national representative.”  

 

“Oh my god…”  

 

Standing right in front of her shabby rented room was Baek Hee, the national weightlifting representative. Still reeling from the shock of waking up to such a surprise, Yeouiju found herself at a complete loss for words.  

 

“Ah, brother, move aside. Let me in.”  

 

From behind Baek Hee, Do-cheol appeared, squeezing past him and stepping into the house. Yeouiju turned stiffly, her creaky body moving to face Do-cheol, her eyes widening to twice their usual size.  

 

“B-Brother?”  

 

“Yeah. My eldest brother. His real name is Bihee. You’re about to pop your eyes out.”  

 

Do-cheol answered indifferently, as if there was nothing to be so surprised about, and casually walked into the room.  

 

Still moving in jerky motions, Yeouiju awkwardly gestured to Bihee, who remained standing.  

 

“P-Please come in.”  

 

“Excuse me.”  

 

Was this a dream or reality? Even as Bihee stepped into her room with steady footsteps, Yeouiju found herself frozen in place. She simply stared blankly at his back when, all of a sudden, Do-cheol’s furious yell echoed from inside.  

 

“Hey! Yeouiju!”  

 

His voice was filled with barely restrained anger, snapping Yeouiju back to her senses as she hurried into the room. Inside, Do-cheol stood in front of the wardrobe, glaring at her, while Bihee smiled awkwardly.  

 

“Didn’t I tell you to pack your things yesterday? Why does everything still look the same?”  

 

“Oh, I meant to just lie down for a moment, but I ended up falling asleep… I’m sorry.”  

 

Bihee sighed and patted Do-cheol’s shoulder as he snorted.  

 

“That happens. After everything she went through yesterday, it must’ve been exhausting. It’s okay, Yeouiju. You can take your time now. I’ll help you.”  

 

How could two brothers be so different in personality? With Bihee smiling like an angel, Yeouiju almost felt as if a halo was shining behind him.  

 

“I’m sorry. You came all this way to help, but…”  

 

“It’s alright. It’s better to do it together than alone.”  

 

As Yeouiju and Bihee shared a heartwarming exchange, Do-cheol suddenly cut in.  

 

“I’m not helping.”  

 

Yeouiju’s shy smile disappeared in an instant, replaced by a sharp glare aimed at Do-cheol.  

 

“I never asked you to! You’re just in the way, so get out!”  

 

“What are you yelling for like you did nothing wrong?!”  

 

Bihee watched in amusement as Yeouiju and Do-cheol immediately switched into battle mode.  

 

Glancing at Bihee’s expression, Yeouiju quickly reverted to being a fangirl, covering her mouth with her hands and smiling shyly.  

 

“I’m sorry. That must’ve been unpleasant to watch.”  

 

“What’s with her? She wasn’t fazed at all when she saw me, but she’s acting like this just because of a national representative?”  

 

“Just get out.”  

 

At Do-cheol’s grumble, Yeouiju clenched her teeth and swung open the door.  

 

Do-cheol shook his head and tossed a pouch to Bihee before leaving the room.  

 

“The fifth isn’t usually like that. This situation is quite amusing.”  

 

“Huh?”  

 

“Yeouiju, you don’t seem to be afraid of him.”  

 

“Oh, I was scared yesterday. But now I know—Do-cheol can’t touch me.”  

 

The look on her face was so full of satisfaction that it made one laugh just watching her.  

 

“The fifth has finally met a worthy opponent. For so long, he lived on this land believing he had none.”  

 

“But he’s still a dragon. Am I being too irreverent?”  

 

“Not at all. He needs to be put in his place. I find it rather fun, actually. Living long enough, you get to see all sorts of things. Haha.”  

 

Every time Bihee laughed, his chest muscles moved up and down. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Yeouiju let her focus blur and changed the subject.  

 

“Bahee—oh, should I call you Bihee?”  

 

“Either is fine. I’ve already lived 30 years with the name Bahee, so I’m used to it.”  

 

“How did you end up becoming a national weightlifting representative?”  

 

“I’ve always liked lifting heavy things.”  

 

As they chatted away, happily packing their belongings, Do-cheol suddenly swung the door open and barged in.  

 

“I told you to pack, not hold a fan meeting.”  

 

Wearing work gloves, Do-cheol snatched the pouch from Bihee’s hands. How adorable. Bihee’s face lit up with a fatherly smile as he looked at Do-cheol.  

 

“I thought you weren’t going to help.”  

 

“Jowangshin was getting frustrated!”  

 

Do-cheol, making excuses by blaming Jowangshin, who was sitting calmly in the rice cooker, was so endearing that Bihee grinned at Yeouiju. Yeouiju stuck out her lower lip and shrugged before approaching Do-cheol.  

 

“All of our luggage fits into that pouch?”  

 

“Yeah.”  

 

“How?”  

 

“Because it’s from the Mangtaegi Grandpa.”

 

[T/N : Mangtaegi Grandpa – An old fictional character went to the mountain to pick herbs with a mangtaegi on their shoulder.]

 

“What? The Mangtaegi Grandpa is real?”  

 

“Yeah. Why? Want me to call him to take you away?”  

 

“Ugh, stop! I was so scared of the Mangtaegi Grandpa when I was little that I couldn’t even sleep!”  

 

“Then move faster before I call him.”  

 

“You—ugh, seriously…”  

 

Bihee stepped back and watched the two bicker endlessly. It was a side of Do-cheol he had never seen before. Seeing him squabble so meaninglessly brought back memories of the time when Do-cheol had gone mad, devouring numerous humans.  

 

Back then, Do-cheol had been so terrifying that even the celestial beings sent to capture him hesitated to approach.  

 

When those frightened deities eventually sought help from the eight siblings, it had been beyond absurd. Only after all of his siblings, including himself, restrained him together could the deities finally manage to imprison Do-cheol.  

 

“My fifth brother…”  

 

Do-cheol, having stuffed most of their luggage into the pouch, turned at the sound of Bihee’s voice.  

 

“Did you call me?”  

 

“No, I was just thinking about what we should do first when we arrive.”  

 

“Oh, right.”  

 

Accepting Bihee’s excuse without question, Do-cheol nodded and blocked Yeouiju’s hand as she tried to put a folding table into the pouch.  

 

“You’re bringing this too? You should just throw it away.”  

 

“Why? It’s still usable!”  

 

“I’ll buy you a new one. Just get a new one.”  

 

“Fine, I’ll leave it behind then.”  

 

Having fiercely insisted on keeping the table, Yeouiju suddenly set it down and nodded. Do-cheol scoffed in exasperation.  

 

“You… You’re the most materialistic person I’ve ever met. A true human through and through.”  

 

“Thank you for the compliment.”  

 

“Forget it. Just go get the clothes over there.”  

 

Unfazed, Yeouiju responded casually, and Bihee gave her a thumbs-up. He had thought Do-cheol had finally met his match, but perhaps this was something far beyond that.  

 

“My little bro might finally develop some attachment to this land.”