The southern part of the Dong-Lang mountain was bustling for some reason.
The animals in the area heard a crying sound from somewhere and, because of the sound, they could not fall asleep. The sound of crying was so sad that the animals also shed tears.
Even small bugs couldn't help but be swayed by the emotion and became quiet for the whole night.
Ho-Chi gathered more blanket around himself to evade the cold air that was passing through the poorly made walls.
Currently, Ho-Chi was stuck in a windowless room. The room, rather the whole house, was made up of an ancient door and walls which had holes in them.
Ho-Chi sighed as he lamented his ill-luck.
Just two days ago, after bidding goodbye to everyone in the Gibang, Ho-Chi was heading towards the house of the female owner's relative with his small bundle of belongings.
Ho-Chi's heart felt very heavy, leaving behind those who treated him warmly for the first time.
Because of Ho-Chi, the Gibang's business didn't do well. Also, It became much difficult to stay in the town because of how people were looking at him with bad intents.
Because of Ho-Chi, the person he loved died.
When he was in the Gibang Ho-Chi shut himself in his room for a couple of days feeling constant sorrow. But because he could not shed tears, he shed them in his heart.
All Ho-Chi ever wanted was to have one person to love him. Ho-Chi started to wonder if he was being greedy for wishing such a thing. Maybe it is but a vain hope. Ho-Chi's heart ached with pain.
But the time passed. Ho-Chi's stomach started to growl with hunger and he needed to use the bathroom.
Even though all Ho-Chi felt was sadness, his body protested otherwise. Ho-Chi felt self-deprecation and wished he could cry.
Before Ho-Chi was in the room full of holes, he was walking alone up a mountain path. Not too long after, Ho-Chi noticed someone following him.
It was three towns pass the town Ho-Chi originally came from, so Ho-Chi did not think that one of the gisaengs followed him.
The presence of the person following Ho-Chi made him scared, so Ho-Chi started to run. The other person also caught up to Ho-Chi.
When Ho-Chi was out of breath, a hand flew up from Ho-Chi's back and swoop upon him.
It was a guy who lives in the mountain.
"It's my bride."
Ho-Chi realized that the guy was little different from normal people.
The guy's hair was carelessly kept, his face was glistening with grease, and his clothes were poorly made from an animal skin.
Before Ho-Chi can even struggle out, the guy heaved Ho-Chi up onto his shoulder and ran with much glee in his face.
"Bride, my bride."
And then the guy brought Ho-Chi to a tumble-down house and shut Ho-Chi in the room.
That happened few moments ago.
The door to the room rattled loudly before the guy entered through.
"My bride, eat."
The guy displayed lacking smile and brought in a small table full of half cooked rabbits. There were two rabbits on the table along with a handful of salt in a dish. The guy dropped the table with a thud and looked to Ho-Chi.
The guy cooked the rabbits without its hides, but its heads were still attached.
The guy lifted his two hands that were partially covered in dried blood and grabbed a rabbit by the two ends. He then yanked the two ends, ripping the dead creature in half.
Not yet hardened blood splattered onto the tray that was on a small table.
Hastily cooked rabbit in the guy's hands showed raw and bloody inside but he had no conception. Lifting one of rabbit's legs, the guy pushed it towards Ho-Chi.
"Here, my bride. Eat. Eat."
The guy wore an unguarded smile while holding out a rabbit's leg with his dirt stained fingernails and hands.
The guy urged Ho-Chi to grab the meat, so Ho-Chi accepted the leg.
The guy became happy seeing Ho-Chi accepting the meat and idiotically smiled. Then, he ripped the other leg of the rabbit to begin eating.
Ho-Chi teared small pieces from the bloody leg and chewed slowly while stealing glimpse at the guy.
Every time they had accidental eye contact, the guy grinned joyously.
After they have eaten their meat (mostly eaten by the guy), the guy took the small table away with him. Before he left, he spoke.
"My bride, I will hunt a lot and buy you pretty clothes."
The guy smiled (hee-hee).
The door closed and with rattling the guy locked it from the outside. Ho-Cho buried his face between his knees and sighed.
The guy did not return until it was pitch dark outside.
By the time growling sound could be heard from Ho-Chi's stomach the guy came back. Accompanying him, a heavy thud sounded like something heavy was dropped.
"I'm back, my bride! Wait for me a little!"
Few moments later, the guy came in through the door with a baggage in tow.
The guy spilled the contents of the baggage onto the floor before he even set down.
Although the fabric was different from what Ho-Chi wore in the palace, the clothes that were well made dropped to the floor.
Few fruit slices and some rice cakes were also there, wrapped in papers.
Ho-Chi was looking at the things the guy brought when flowers fell on him.
Ho-Chi looked up at the guy in surprise and saw that he was smiling.
"My bride, so pretty."
"My bride is the best."
The guy gathered the things he brought and nestled them in Ho-Chi's arms. He then opened the paper wrapper and picked up one of the rice cakes so that he could hold them out in front of Ho-Chi.
The guy urged Ho-Chi to try a bite even though the rice cake was unlike the rice cakes from the palace which were beautifully shaped and vividly colored.
Ho-Chi cut off a piece of the rice cake with his teeth. Watching the scene, the guy's widened with happiness.
One and two, the rice cakes slowly disappeared into Ho-Chi's mouth. The guy kept on urging Ho-Chi to finish the rice cake, so Ho-Chi picked up the last piece. That is when a growling sound came from somewhere.
Suddenly, the guy jumped up from his place and hurriedly left the room and said,
"My bride, you must be thirsty. I will bring some water!"
He left the room in such a hurry that the door made a loud jerky noise.
Ho-Chi set in a now silent room with a rice cake in his hand. Ho-Chi dropped the last piece into his mouth and blushed a little around his eyes.
At night, the guy's snored loudly.
Ho-Chi tossed about a few times before getting up with a sigh.
Through the window-paper*, Ho-Chi could see a shadow of the guy curled up in front of the door.
*Long time ago, houses used window-papers instead of glass to allow some transparency in a door*
It appears that the guy only had one blanket in his house. He could have demand Ho-Chi to share the blanket and the room, but the guy did not. The guy felt apologetic and he did not approach Ho-Chi.
Wosh, Ho-Chi felt a small wind coming from a gap of the door.
The guy recoiled his body and curled up tighter but did not wake up from his sleep.
Spring was coming, and the weather was not very warm. Ho-Chi huddled in his blanket while watching the guy's shadow.
"Bride, let's …eat breakfast…"
The voice of the guy's careful calling woke up Ho-Chi who fell asleep that early morning.
Not wanting to touch Ho-Chi, the guy only tugged at his blanket and tried his best to wake him.
Ho-Chi was becoming angry.
For couple of days, Ho-Chi's life was limited to the room and it made Ho-Chi irritated.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"
With the sharp scream, Ho-Chi whipped his arm which hit a dish full of water. The dish flew and hit something before falling to the floor.
Ho-Chi looked up, surprised to hear a blunt sound. The guy was staring Ho-Chi with blank expression. The guy's forehead was red and swelling from being hit by the dish. Without any care for his own forehead, the guy lifted his hand towards Ho-Chi.
That moment, Ho-Chi became scared.
The guy wasn't in his right mind. It would be easy for him to kill Ho-Chi who is weak and without the spiritual energy.
Without knowing what could happen, Ho-Chi was seized with fear.
Ho-Chi did not hold out until now just to die in this shabby house.
Ho-Chi curled his body and prepared himself for the guy's violence.
툭 (sound of blanket dropping)
A blanket covered Ho-Chi's curled figure.
"S, so sorry, bride. M. M. More. S, sleep more. I will leave the breakfast in the room. Don't forget to eat…"
Ho-Chi looked up at the guy in shock and their eyes met. The guy became startled and hurriedly crossed the threshold.
The guy was flustered and knocked dished off from the kitchen which created crashing noises outside.
Because of Ho-Chi, the guy's forehead was swelling in pain, but he did not get angry. Instead, the guy was frightened and even stammered his words.
Few moments later, the door became ajar and the guy's hand appeared with a tray of cooked meat. Leaving the tray, the hand disappeared out the door.
The guy left the house and a strong wind blew. Maybe if the guy was not flustered it wouldn't have happened but, with the wind, the door opened with a creak.
The guy must have forgot to lock to door to the room because he left in a hurry.
Ho-Chi took this opportunity and leapt outside.
And he was going to escape from the house and the mountain.
Before Ho-Chi found the messy table on outside corridor*.
*MRu is Korean style corridor that is located outside of the house but under the house roof*
On the table, one can see one dish with grains of rice, another dish with seasoned vegetables, and one tray with half-eaten meat.
Seeing the half-eaten meat, Ho-Chi eye rims became red.
The guy brought raw meat to Ho-Chi before not because he could not cook them properly.
Knowing Ho-Chi is a fox, the guy purposefully brought the meat that was cooked only on the outside, thinking that that is how foxes eat their meat.
Worrying that Ho-Chi would suspect something and not eat the food, the guy ate the meat along with Ho-Chi.
This was evident by looking at fully cooked meat on the tray.
Ho-Chi could not leave the house.
The memory of the guy biting into sickeningly fishy meat that drips blood entered Ho-Chi's mind. Thinking about it made Ho-Chi's eyes red. Ho-Chi rubbed at his reddened eyes.
The guy stepped into the yard and threw two pheasants and one rabbit to the side.
He originally wanted to catch a deer but, even after running around for all morning, he could not find it, so he had be satisfied with hunting three small animals.
If the guy had caught a deer today, he could have brought more rice cakes and pretty clothes for his bride. However, it seemed, today wasn't the day.
The guy decided that he was going to search around the mountain some more before he go to the market today. Before he goes, he needed to feed his bride. The guy stripped a rabbit's skin and began to cook it in the fireplace.
The smell of cooking meat permeated the air. The guy arranged the half-cooked rabbit on a tray and entered the room.
The guy side glanced at Ho-Chi who was sitting against the wall and reached for the meat on the tray. That is when Ho-Chi opened his mouth to speak.
"Please go wash your hands."
"B, Bride?"
The guy was very happy that Ho-Chi spoke to him first but at the same time he felt flustered. He could only stare at Ho-Chi.
Ho-Chi sighed and spoke once again.
"I am not going to eat anything that is touched by a dirty hand."
"uh, uh. Y, Yes! I will quickly wash my hands."
Ho-Chi called after to the guy who was leaving in a hurry.
"Also, please go and thoroughly cook the meat on the tray. Even if I am a fox, I do not raw meat. I also need bowl of rice and side dishes with it."
"Y, Yes!"
The guy excitedly left the room with the tray in his hand.
Watching the guy leave, Ho-Chi sighed one more time.
People were surprised when they saw the guy in the market.
Few days ago, the guy came to the market all elated saying that he had a wife. Everybody who heard it thought either the guy was imagining or that a wicked woman was tricking him to get money.
But the guy showed up without any dirt stains on his face. His hands were clean, and the unruly clothes that the guy usually wore were now well trimmed and without open seams.
The guy's unbearable odor from not washing his clothes for several days also disappeared.
Many young ladies stole several glances at the guy's changed face, but the guy did not notice. He merely hummed a few tunes while returning to his mountain with the money he earned from selling his games.
The guy sometimes slowed down to look at pink clothes, shiny ornaments, and delicious rice cakes, but every time he shook his head and picked up his pace. The guy's bride had warned him that if he brought any unnecessary things from the market then the bride will leave the house. Although he knew he cannot buy anything, the guy couldn't help but look back a couple of times with regret.
The town's people thought to themselves that the guy must have been fortunate enough to marry a good bride.
TN: Thank you for waiting. I could have posted the chapter in two parts but I did not wanted to leave the things hanging with bad end, I decided to just post them all at once. I remembered the story as I translated this and it left me surprised that Ho-Chi was kidnapped by the guy T,.T. Kidnapping and keeping anyone against their will is not good and illegal. The guy better repent and make up for them. OTL… Maybe the guy knew what he did was bad. STILL UNFORGIVABLE!! Ho-Chi, kill him please. Murder is also bad. *sigh* Okay, I am shaking from the realization. I will recover soon.