RAP Chapter 5

The Dragon’s Unbreakable Contract

 

“No, thank you.”  

 

Yeouiju rejected the offer to move in within a second. Today had been quite a blow to his pride, time and again. Do-cheol, who had been smug about his offer, raised an eyebrow once more.  

 

“Why not? You have nowhere else to go anyway, so wouldn’t it be good for both of us if you came to my place?”  

 

His tone suggested he truly couldn’t understand her refusal. Yeouiju widened her eyes and firmly laid out her reasoning.  

 

“First, I’m absolutely done with living with other people. Second, I have no intention of cohabiting with a man. Third, you’re not even human. How am I supposed to live with a non-human?”  

 

Jowangshin, who was standing beside her, nodded in agreement with her concise rejection.  

 

Since everything she said was objectively true, Do-cheol had no way to refute it. Instead, he lashed out at Jowangshin.  

 

“And why are you nodding along?”  

 

“Because she’s right. Men and women should keep their distance. How can they possibly live under the same roof…?”  

 

“Ha! You old-fashioned relic. Fine, do whatever you want. Get yourself killed by those wandering spirits for all I care.”  

 

At that, Jowangshin snapped to attention and quickly grabbed Yeouiju’s hand.  

 

Yeouiju flinched at the sudden contact and took a step back, but Jowangshin pulled even closer, whispering in hushed tones.  

 

“For now, it’s safest for you to go to the Dragon Lord’s home. Because of the energy from your Yeouiju, those stray spirits keep gathering. It’s a relief that the Dragon Lord arrived to save you, otherwise, I might have been destroyed trying to fend them off. If I disappear, then no one will be left to protect you.”  

 

A dragon, a Jowangshin, and now wandering spirits?  

 

Yeouiju turned to Do-cheol for further explanation.  

 

“It’s exactly as you heard. The energy of your Yeouiju keeps attracting those stray spirits. I can’t harm you because I need the Yeouiju intact, but other yokai and wandering spirits are different. Even if a piece of it breaks off, they could absorb it and gain immense power, so they don’t care if the Yeouiju is shattered. They’ll continue to target you and stick to you no matter what.”  

 

Yeouiju felt the urge to slam her chest and cough up the damn Yeouiju right then and there.  

 

Why had Samshin placed this cursed thing in her heart? Of all the humans, why did it have to be her? It was unfair and infuriating.  

 

“You resent Samshin too, don’t you? I feel the same way.”  

 

Once again, Do-cheol had seen right through her thoughts. Yeouiju narrowed her eyes in suspicion.  

 

“Are you sure you can’t read my mind?”  

 

“I’m a dragon, not a fortune teller. And I don’t need to read your thoughts—everything’s written all over your face.”  

 

Yeouiju, who had always thought the only skill she gained from working part-time jobs was controlling her facial expressions, flinched and glanced at the mirror. Her reflection was undeniably filled with frustration.  

 

She sighed and nodded in resignation.  

 

“Anyway, the wandering spirits will keep coming after you. And if something stronger than them—like a yokai—shows up, even Jowangshin won’t be able to protect you. Judging by her, she’s barely a newly ascended deity. On top of that, this area doesn’t even have a guardian deity, and the house spirit of this place has long since left. Even if you move elsewhere, it’ll be the same. In times like these, it’s tough for guardian and household deities to survive anywhere.”  

 

“Ugh, I hate this….”  

 

Faced with her bleak future, Yeouiju couldn’t help but mutter her complaints.  

 

If she ever met Samshin, she would grab them by the collar and shake them senseless.  

 

“Meeting me at this moment is a stroke of luck for you, too. No one on this land is a match for me, and since I need the Yeouiju, I have no reason to harm you. Plus, I’m even offering you a place to stay! Do you have any idea how nice my house is? This tiny, cramped place doesn’t even compare.”  

 

Do-cheol’s smugness was infuriating. Yeouiju wanted nothing more than to smack him on the head, just once.  

 

“As long as I have a place to sleep, I don’t care how nice it is.”  

 

She only said it out of stubbornness, but it managed to hit Do-cheol right in his pride. His expression twisted with displeasure as he issued his final warning.  

 

“Don’t regret saying that.”  

 

“But it’s true! Even if a place is small, as long as it’s comfortable to rest in, then it’s a home—”  

 

Before Yeouiju could finish her sentence, she and Do-cheol vanished. Jowangshin was left alone, looking around in confusion.  

 

“Ahhh!”  

 

Blinded by an overwhelming burst of light, Yeouiju squeezed her eyes shut before cautiously opening them again—only to let out a scream that echoed through the massive house.  

 

Do-cheol had expected that reaction. By now, her screaming was something he was used to. Casually, he plugged his ears with his fingers.  

 

“What the hell?! Where are we?!”  

 

“Where else? My house.”  

 

“This is ridiculous….”  

 

Yeouiju’s mouth gaped open as she murmured absentmindedly, looking around.  

 

This was beyond just being a house. She was first overwhelmed by its sheer, almost boundless size, and then further daunted by its appearance, reminiscent of a palace.  

 

“This is supposed to be a house…?”  

 

At her incredulous muttering, Do-cheol responded in a triumphant voice.  

 

“What do you think? That tiny house of yours isn’t even the size of our bathroom, right? I’ll give this entire place to you. I don’t even use it anyway, so you can take it as your quarters.”  

 

Do-cheol, seeing that Yeouiju was still in a daze, brought his thumb and middle finger together.  

 

“Since you’re here, let’s take a tour. You can decide afterward.”  

 

With a snap of his fingers, a bright light flashed once again.  

 

When Yeouiju blinked, she found herself looking at a grand residence that resembled a palace.  

 

“See? That gate over there is the entrance to our home. If you go through that door, you’ll see the servants’ quarters. That’s where the lower-ranking yokai stay and handle chores, so if you don’t want to be startled, don’t go in.”  

 

Even though Yeouiju had never agreed to live here, Do-cheol continued explaining as if her answer was already decided.  

 

Still overwhelmed, Yeouiju absentmindedly nodded.  

 

“And behind that is the outer wing—that’s basically my space. Beyond that is the inner wing, where you’ll be staying. I’ll set up a barrier so that no yokai can enter. The one at the very back is the annex, but… never mind, you don’t need to know about that. Just don’t set foot over there.”  

 

Seeing that Yeouiju was still frozen in shock, Do-cheol waved a hand in front of her face and snapped his fingers again.  

 

“Snap out of it. Weren’t you acting all confident earlier? What happened to you?”  

 

“How am I supposed to stay calm when ridiculous things keep happening one after another? Seriously…”  

 

“At least your mouth is still working.”  

 

Do-cheol smirked at her frustrated grumbling and snapped his fingers once more.  

 

“Dragon Lord! Lady Yeouiju!”  

 

Hearing Jowangshin’s voice calling her, Yeouiju opened her eyes to find herself back in her familiar home. The sight of it made her eyes well up with tears.  

 

“I even gave you a full house tour. Shouldn’t you just come over now?”  

 

“Give me five minutes. I need a moment to think.”  

 

“Fine, then.”  

 

Do-cheol surprisingly stepped outside with Jowangshin and waited patiently. Since she was already halfway convinced, he figured he could afford to wait a little longer.  

 

Five minutes turned into ten, and just as Do-cheol’s patience was reaching its limit, the door finally opened.  

 

“Was there really that much to think about?”  

 

Ignoring Do-cheol’s comment, Yeouiju gestured for him to enter and stepped inside first. When Do-cheol followed her in with a puzzled expression, he saw a sheet of paper and a pen placed on a folding table.  

 

“And what’s this?”  

 

When he asked in confusion, Yeouiju responded in a firm voice.  

 

“A contract.”  

 

“What?”  

 

“This is how humans do things.”  

 

“Hah. But I’m not human.”  

 

“But I am. If we don’t have a contract, I’m not going.”  

 

“This is ridiculous. We don’t need something like that.”  

 

With a flick of his hand, Do-cheol incinerated the paper into ash. Yeouiju quickly pulled out a new sheet.  

 

“I need a contract.”  

 

Seeing the stack of papers prepared beneath the table, Do-cheol let out a dry chuckle. So the Samsin chose to place the Yeouiju in a person like this just to drive me crazy, huh? Grinding his teeth in frustration, Do-cheol spoke.  

 

“I told you, I don’t need a contract. I can make an agreement without some useless paper.”  

 

Make an agreement without a contract? Yeouiju’s ears twitched slightly.  

 

“A dragon’s unbreakable contract.”  

 

Pfft.  

 

Yeouiju couldn’t hold back her laughter, which scraped at Do-cheol’s pride.  

 

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.”  

 

Seeing Do-cheol’s expression darken, Yeouiju quickly apologized. Suppressing his rising irritation, Do-cheol clenched his teeth and explained.  

 

“I’ll carve what I want and what you want into my scale, then place it inside your body. Until the scale disappears, neither you nor even I can break the contract. We’ll need a witness… Well, I guess Jowangshin will do.”  

 

His mouth might be a bit loose, but he’s still a deity. He wouldn’t go back on his word, right? After a brief moment of consideration, Yeouiju nodded in agreement.  

 

It’s done. It’s a success.  

 

Do-cheol nodded along with her and raised a finger to his throat. As he scratched his skin, a jet-black scale, the same color as his hair, emerged from a smooth patch of his neck.  

 

Taking a deep breath, Do-cheol squeezed his eyes shut and plucked the scale off.  

 

Damn, I didn’t think it would hurt this much.  

 

Grimacing in pain, he rubbed at his neck for a long time.  

 

“Ugh, this hurts like hell.”  

 

As the pain subsided a little, Do-cheol finally noticed the scale in his hand. It was a precious scale that he had meticulously cared for, piece by piece, over the past 1,500 years.  

 

The pain was secondary—the loss was unbearable. But if it meant he could ascend to the heavens, then a single scale was nothing. Even if he had to strip off all the scales from his body, he was willing to do so.  

 

Having steeled himself, Do-cheol raised his hand and flexed his fingers a few times. His index fingernail transformed into a pitch-black, razor-sharp dragon’s claw. Now fully prepared, Do-cheol fixed Yeouiju with a determined gaze.  

 

“Start with yours.”  

 

Intimidated by the menacing sight of his claw, Yeouiju swallowed hard before cautiously opening her mouth.  

 

“My condition is that you do not harm me.”  

 

“That’s too easy. Anything else?”  

 

“If I end up living in that house, you must not enter my space without permission.”  

 

“What else?”  

 

“Regardless of the circumstances, you must do your utmost to protect me. That’s all.”  

 

Do-cheol carefully inscribed each of Yeouiju’s conditions onto the scale before flipping it over.  

 

“Now, I’ll state mine. I still don’t know how to safely extract the Yeouiju. So, you must live with me for a year and help me find a way. If you assist me in ascending, I will give you an appropriate reward.”  

 

“A reward?”  

 

“Yes. If I receive something, I should also give something in return. Once I ascend, I will grant you all of my wealth and the house you just saw.”  

 

“W-what?!”  

 

Yeouiju gasped, covering her mouth with both hands in shock, while Do-cheol remained composed.  

 

“You may not realize it, but over the past thousand years, I’ve accumulated quite a bit of wealth. This house is included. Once I ascend, I will have no further business in this world, so I’ll leave everything to you.”  

 

Yeouiju’s eyes sparkled.  

 

Having been thoroughly conditioned by capitalism, she quickly began calculating Do-cheol’s assets in her head.  

 

Noticing the blissful look on her face, as if she were already estimating the fortune she would receive, Do-cheol let out a wry chuckle.  

 

“If I had known this would be your reaction, I should have led with this from the start.”  

 

“Ah, my mistake. That was too obvious, wasn’t it?”  

 

Feeling embarrassed, Yeouiju rubbed the back of her neck and nodded shyly.  

 

“Jowangshin, you saw that, right? Mutual acceptance?”  

 

“Yes, I am the witness.”  

 

Do-cheol inscribed his own conditions onto the other side of the scale and then breathed onto it.  

 

As Yeouiju and Jowangshin also exhaled onto the scale, it shimmered as if illuminated by sunlight.  

 

“Now, I’m going to place this into your heart. It won’t hurt, so don’t worry.”