Chapter 28: Take It Easy
“I brought him thinking he’d be a strong servant, but this… this is nothing short of a mad dog.”
“Oh my, Master! You crazy man!”
“How dare you… ugh… to me…!”
Dawn broke. Another ordinary day began.
Seohyo woke at Cha-eon’s call, washed up, and had breakfast. After helping with household chores, she sat across from him at the table to pack medicinal herbs.
Cha-eon measured each herb on the scale to ensure the exact amount, and Seohyo would portion them onto square packets, one dose per packet.
A task they had done for over a hundred years.
Their coordination was flawless.
Even a single gesture was precise and efficient.
As everyone knows, repeating a task so many times can make your mind wander.
While packing herbs, Seohyo recalled the dream from last night.
She could still vividly feel the texture of the clothes she wore in the dream, the hem of her skirt fluttering in the wind, the tinkling hair ornaments, the beads cascading down.
Even the smell of the air could be described in detail.
“What a strange dream. Why did I even have that?”
In her dream, Cha-eon had been gentle, asking if she had a nightmare and comforting her. But what if it were the real Cha-eon, in broad daylight? Judging by his expression across the table, it was best not to even think of asking.
Still talking about a dream…
In the human world, that would just be called a “silly dream.”
She already knew what he would say.
Still, it wasn’t just anyone—it was Cha-eon. Cha-eon appeared in that form.
It was hard to dismiss it as just a one-night dream.
“I haven’t told Cha-eon about the dream yet.”
Maybe she could hint at it without outright saying it.
Seohyo glanced at the remaining herbs, then cautiously spoke.
“My servant is so capable. I really am fortunate.”
She muttered it as if talking to herself.
As expected, Cha-eon didn’t respond, focusing solely on keeping the scale balanced.
“I just thought… the world of gods must be nice, with no slaves.”
Cha-eon glanced over.
“…What are you scheming?”
“Scheming? I’m just saying what I thought.”
“Why bring this up all of a sudden?”
“I told you—it’s just a passing thought. No reason.”
Cha-eon returned his attention to the scale, picking up measured herbs with his tongs and placing them onto the paper.
“Of course, the Celestial Emperor or other gods have attendants, and mistakes have consequences, but it’s different from human slaves. Slaves… well…”
Seohyo stole a glance at him.
She remembered how cruelly he had been treated in her dream.
“Bound with ropes, beaten… it’s just… too much.”
“Miss.”
Cha-eon spoke without taking his eyes off the scale.
“What exactly did you see now?”
“Huh? I didn’t see anything.”
“Be honest. I haven’t served you for just a day or two—you don’t expect me to be oblivious, do you?”
This servant never let anything slide easily. Never once feigned ignorance. Not even once.
Or perhaps it was her arrogance, thinking she could test him.
Seohyo suppressed a sigh and neatly folded the herb packet.
“I saw it in a dream.”
Click.
The scale tilted slightly.
But it leveled out before Seohyo’s eyes could fully meet it.
“What did you see in the dream?”
Once she spoke, Cha-eon responded appropriately, asking in return.
“People.”
“Familiar faces?”
“No, people I’d never seen before. But they knew me.”
After packing all the herbs in front of her, Seohyo idly glanced at the scale. Earlier, Cha-eon had worked quickly, but now the pace had reversed.
“The strange thing is… I saw Cha-eon there.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Cha-eon… appeared as a slave.”
She couldn’t bring herself to say he was being beaten like an animal.
Cha-eon caught the unfinished sentence.
“Now you even summon me in your dreams.”
As he glanced at the scale, the herbs Seohyo needed to pack began piling up in front of her.
“You mentioned ropes and whips, but I have no interest in that.”
“Eh.”
Something about his words made the atmosphere awkward.
She couldn’t let herself falter. Not here.
This was Cha-eon’s specialty—didn’t she know?
But despite her resolve, her body betrayed her. The moment she understood his meaning, her face turned bright red.
“You speak so strangely… I’m not interested in that either.”
Not even the slightest bit.
Indeed, her servant could say such things without flinching. A pervert, truly.
Seohyo glanced at him, thinking that, and saw it—his hand holding the tongs trembling slightly.
She didn’t point it out, just looked away.
Her heart began racing again.
Late at night.
Clattering sounds came from the apothecary.
An unknown intruder was searching for something. After surveying the room for a while, Cha-eon slowly opened the door.
Darkness settled over the house.
The door opened with a silence quieter than falling leaves. The sound vanished into the darkness.
Cha-eon moved quickly yet silently toward the apothecary.
This was no ordinary thief—the shop didn’t look wealthy enough to attract common robbers.
What was more suspicious was that, though asleep, the intruder had entered without him noticing—a feat few could accomplish.
This was no ordinary human.
Then who? And was Seohyo safe?
Cha-eon extended his hand toward the slightly ajar apothecary door. His left hand, clasped behind his back, gathered a sphere of dark-blue energy.
Any being hit by this malleable black energy, human or god, would be cut through.
As the door opened further, the energy in his left hand surged.
Clatter. Thud.
“Where are you…?”
“Seohyo?”
“Uh-huh.”
Standing there in a thick robe was Seohyo, her sleepy eyes widening as she saw Cha-eon.
“Cha-eon, you’re awake?”
The dark-blue energy on his left hand, which had radiated lethality, dissipated instantly.
Cha-eon brought his hand forward and asked,
“Weren’t you asleep?”
“Mm, I was, but just briefly.”
Seohyo’s face showed fatigue; a shiver ran through her body.
“I was having a rough dream.”
“Again?”
Naturally, the word “again” slipped out. Last night, Seohyo had groaned through a nightmare. At that time, it seemed just a bad dream.
But today, she realized it was more than that.
A bad feeling always proved correct.
And now, another bad dream.
“I was looking for medicine, thinking maybe I could sleep through the night without dreaming at all.”
Had she turned on the light, she would have found it quickly. She didn’t want Cha-eon to notice, so she searched quietly, which took a long time.
From where she stood, reaching up with her right hand would give her the pill she wanted. One dose would plunge her into deep sleep instantly, without dreams, until sunrise.
All medicines have minor side effects.
The point was that Seohyo, who usually hated taking medicine, had come for it herself.
Was her sleep really that troubled?
A chill ran through Cha-eon’s chest. Anxiety gripped him. Even standing on solid ground felt precarious.
He approached the still-drowsy Seohyo and gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
No. Not yet. Whatever she was doing, this couldn’t happen.
“Perhaps incense would be better than medicine? Do you remember when you took the pill before? You slept deeply that night, but the next day, you were alert well into the night, which made things difficult.”
“Hmm… I think so.”
“It was thirty years ago, so your memory might be fuzzy.”
Seohyo followed him as he led her.
“I happen to have a good sleep incense.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’ll fetch it.”
He brought the incense from his room, set it on the table, and lit it. A relaxing scent slowly filled the room.
Seohyo quietly watched the burning incense, holding onto the sleeve of his garment the entire time.
Almost like a child afraid of losing her mother, clinging desperately.
Did she realize it?
Cha-eon pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders.
He wanted to ask what she had seen in the dream, what troubled her so—but for now, he let all questions go.
Even his own fear was set aside.
Seohyo came first. His concerns always came second.
“You’re being spoiled, and I don’t like it.”
Seohyo muttered quietly as she watched the incense smoke.
“I want to act cute—but just a little. These past few days, I feel like I’ve been relying on you too much.”
“Relying is fine. It’s natural.”
“I seem childish… scared by dreams, whining.”
She didn’t like seeing herself like this. Her tightly pressed lips showed her stubbornness.
“I’m usually not like this.”
She didn’t normally show cuteness or whimsy, even with her gentle appearance. Her real-world behavior was more “let it be.”
It’s fine. It’s okay. Not showing it won’t make the sky fall, Cha-eon.
Her occasional smiles were just for show, not deliberate cuteness.
But now, she wanted to act cute. And because it reached the level of spoiled, it bothered her.
Either way, he would endure.
Cha-eon brushed her cheek.
“Take it easy with whatever you do.”
Seohyo looked up quietly.
“I haven’t acted cute or spoiled for over 150 years. If I unleash it all at once…”
Her voice lowered.
“How will you handle the aftermath?”
Her eyes widened slightly. The words carried a subtle meaning, but Cha-eon brushed them off as a joke.
In truth, it didn’t matter which it was. What mattered was her well-being.
She had been sleeping soundly until now, unaware of his nighttime watch—but now, her dreams were disturbed.
If she accumulated fatigue or harmed her health…
“Then, Cha-eon.”
Seohyo buried her cheek in the pillow and looked at him with clear eyes.
“How about… a gentle… kiss?”
This girl was attacking him again. She might as well throw him into a furnace.
Cha-eon chuckled at her audacity.
“You’ve been spoiled today, so here’s today’s cuteness.”
Seohyo smiled.
“Take it easy. That’s why I’m going gently. Okay?”
A kiss as a good-night greeting would likely ensure pleasant dreams. It felt fair—a trade of Seohyo’s deep sleep for Cha-eon’s nightly peace.
“Nope.”
Her eyes became half-lidded.
“You’re clearly mocking me.”
“I’m not.”
“I laughed as soon as I spoke.”
That’s because she said words he loved to hear.
“Enough. I’ve endured today’s embarrassment. That’s enough.”
Cha-eon lowered his head, pressing his lips lightly against her forehead.
This felt like a compromise for both.
A kiss on such soft lips would ensure a full night’s sleep.
“Prissy.”
Seohyo buried her face deeper into the pillow. She muttered, calling him that repeatedly, though he didn’t understand what she meant. Words and actions didn’t match: she said no, but obeyed.
When he tried to pinch her cheek, she twisted away.
She quietly laughed—adorable.
“…Will you stay by my side until I sleep?”
Her soft apology made his chest ache.
He stayed at her bedside until the incense burned out and her breathing steadied. He wished this calm moment would last.
Perhaps Cha-eon had fallen asleep at her side.
He instinctively opened his eyes before morning, a chill crawling up his leg and into his neck.
Something was there.
And his instinct was right.
A pale, mist-like smoke hovered above Seohyo.
Her previously calm face contorted as if in a nightmare. Cold sweat appeared on her forehead.
The unpleasant smoke moved closer.
Instantly, Cha-eon sent sharp, forged energy from his hand.
Hiss!
The smoke writhed like a living thing and shot out the door.
Not a chance it would escape.
After confirming Seohyo’s safety, Cha-eon chased the smoke into the yard. It had grown larger and darker than inside.
“I suspected something when you kept having nightmares.”
Cha-eon’s voice was icy.
“You’re new. Who are you?”
Even Ah-hee, the festival goddess, would have noticed it—but not this one.
Bold or desperate, one of the two.
“I won’t kill you easily.”
The smoke wasn’t the main body. He would catch the true form and dismember it. It should have expected this outcome when it touched Seohyo.
Dark-blue energy surged from his fingertips up his arm.
Seohyo seemed deeply asleep. No reason to hold back.
Swish. Ping!
He struck simultaneously with fists and energy. The smoke mocked him, splitting into two, then five.
It was still alive.
It never attacked, only split and dodged repeatedly.
“Where are you hiding?”
He immediately darted toward a shadowed corner.
Gasp!
The main body, impossible to locate, fell into his grasp. Cha-eon gripped its neck, lifting it.
Breaking it would be too easy—but he still had work to do. A lot of work.
Then…
“Cha-eon, no! Cha-eon! Kyaa!”
Seohyo screamed from her room. Without hesitation, Cha-eon tossed the body aside and rushed to her.
She was still asleep.
He caught her hand as it flailed, lifted her into his arms, and soothed her.
Her face calmed, breathing steady again.
After laying her down, he went outside. The smoke and body had vanished. Any lingering presence would have been far stranger.
“Not yet.”
Cha-eon murmured, staring into the air, his gaze hardening with resolve.
