INV 4

…Even though he spoke that way, once his reason returned, Kwon Yihyeon knew he had to comply.

‘Goddamn it.’

While it is not a positive concept, the category of profanity exists in this world. This means that even if it is bad, as long as it exists, one cannot deny its existence itself.

In that sense, the worst concept existing in the world is precisely this Jae Angshin.

From what he heard, Jae Angshin’s origin was merely that of a fox yokai. However, due to his karma of slaughter and destruction, he earned the name Jae Angshin.

He heard that until the Jade Emperor personally stepped forth, there was not a single person who could defeat Jae Angshin.

It is a story almost too outrageous to speak of, but he heard it was an incident similar to that of the ‘Great Sage Equal to Heaven’. Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. A monkey yokai born naturally from a rock. He opposed the heavens and called himself the ‘Great Sage Equal to Heaven’. He heard this meant a great immortal equal to the Jade Emperor, and a part of the Journey to the West that Kwon Yihyeon knew was that the Jade Emperor, unable to suppress his power thereafter, approved that honorary title.

Jae Angshin did not call himself a disaster, but since he proved it was an appropriate title through his own atrocities, it was an even more malicious situation.

Of course, it is a clear taboo for the distinguished beings of the Celestial Realm to intervene in the Human Realm, so it is said that ten thousand years ago, those who faced Jae Angshin before the Jade Emperor stepped in were merely members of the Immortal Realm. It meant that even if Jae Angshin’s resentment could tear the heavens apart, it could not covet the Celestial Realm; to him, who did not know why the Celestial Realm must not intervene in the human world, those words were regarded as a mere phrase intended to emphasize the greatness of the Celestial Realm. However, instead of being rebellious, Kwon Yihyeon nodded obediently. Whether it was the Celestial Realm or the Immortal Realm, they were concepts he didn’t know anyway. It was only right to worry about the immediate problem at hand.

‘…Of all things, I had to be the one to wake up that massive existence.’

Jae Angshin. An unrivaled existence that no one could defeat.

He was merely a fox yokai, but because the status built by his destruction and the fear toward him were truly like a disaster, he was a being who could only be called by the title of a god.

The Great Emperor of bizarre and terrifying vice.

‘That bastard told me to give him my body…’

He felt no sense of reality at all.

Still, if he was the one who woke it up, he had to take responsibility.

That is to say, he could not disobey…

Hadn’t his maternal aunt said so as well? His maternal aunt, who had spirited Kwon Yihyeon away for a moment under the pretext of dressing him before the consummation, knelt before the still-clueless Kwon Yihyeon and elaborated repeatedly. She explained that the being was Jae Angshin, who had been sealed ten thousand years ago, and repeated that no one could defy that existence. She said that if he defied him, a disaster would spread.

‘Even so, what is the crime of someone like me, who has to be offered to Jae Angshin despite having done nothing?’

It wasn’t that Kwon Yihyeon hadn’t thought this way at all.

However, the moment Grandmother firmly pronounced the sentence she had always held as her creed…

His heart cooled chillingly and his reason returned.

“It cannot be helped, Yihyeon-ah. Since it is a knot you tied, you must cut it yourself.”

At that time, Kwon Yihyeon seems to have thought that it would be better if it were a dream. To put it another way, the sweet delusion that all of this might not be real completely faded, and a sense of reality rushed in.

Belatedly, Kwon Yihyeon thought he wanted to know what the expression his maternal aunt made at that moment meant. Was she surprised by Grandmother’s words? Even though she was the one expressing the same opinion as Grandmother until just a moment ago? His maternal aunt’s mouth, which had been chattering for a long time, slowly closed. And a belated sense of disgrace and shame covered her face.

Seeing that, a quiet realization came. This was a complete reality, and there was nowhere to run.

It was the same for his older female cousins, who used to spam KakaoTalk saying they missed him and telling him to stop by the house. Everyone was silent. Ever since they withdrew with Kwon Yihyeon under the pretext of preparing for the consummation, they had been clenching their teeth and holding back their tears.

Perhaps they were hoping for a miracle to delay the event; even though the makeup was finished, they merely applied more powder to Kwon Yihyeon’s cheeks pointlessly.

‘…They don’t need to be so intimidated to the point they can’t even meet my eyes.’

The Kwon Yihyeon in the mirror looked like a different person. It wasn’t so much because of the makeup, but rather because he wore a quiet expression that, unlike usual, made him difficult to approach.

It won’t be like that anymore. Kwon Yihyeon smiled faintly. And he muttered quietly.

“It’s okay.”

“Yihyeon-ah.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

He meant it. Normally, Kwon Yihyeon would have only pretended to be obedient on the outside while muttering cynical things inside about how he didn’t believe in shamanic faith at all, but he couldn’t do that now.

When a fellow with fox ears and nine tails even went as far as scattering ten glowing heat-masses called fox-fires everywhere, how could he just ignore it?

‘Wait, if that’s the case, was that friend of mine who said he was going to be a baksu-mudang “really” a shaman…?’

“This makes no sense.”

Just then, his cousin Kwon Ha-seon gasped as if bursting with indignation. It wasn’t just Kwon Ha-seon. The older sisters and his maternal aunt were all unable to endure the agony and grief that had crossed a certain threshold, vomiting out tears while sobbing, “Ugh, ugh.” Seeing his family grieving as if he were facing a terrible tragedy, Kwon Yihyeon first felt a sense of pity.

The reality placed before Kwon Yihyeon was vivid.

If this was a true reality, the first thing he had to do was reassure his family.

“If it’s a knot I tied, I should be the one to cut it.”

To begin with, ever since he attended elementary school, Kwon Yihyeon had been famous for being an emotionally dull, calculating, realistic, and selfish bastard. If Kwon Yihyeon decided to stay still in this spot, it was because it was beneficial to Kwon Yihyeon. As always, his choice is selfish and calculating. It is the result judged by the purposiveness of trying to preserve his own peaceful daily life.

Therefore, the family has no reason to feel heartbroken.

Kwon Yihyeon’s rational world thought so. However, Kwon Ha-seon could not stop crying.

“It’s nonsense. Everyone’s crazy. Grandmother is too much, too. How could she send you?”

“It’s okay. I’m sure she has her reasons.”

“Cut the bullshit! Don’t be like that, Yihyeon-ah. Let’s run away. Huh? Even now… Yihyeon-ah. At least you…”

Kwon Yihyeon can tell now what words Kwon Ha-seon will say as she breaks down.

“At least you should live…”

Kwon Yihyeon’s premonition is correct. Because that is also bitter, Kwon Yihyeon smiles bitterly.

The moment he faced Jae Angshin, Kwon Yihyeon realized poignantly that this was not a human.

Jae Angshin was literally a disaster. Whether he started as a fox yokai or whatever, he was an object like a time bomb that could destroy the providence or balance of this world in an instant.

Kwon Yihyeon does not yet know what it means to the world that an existence with such danger possesses a fickle intellect. His reason did not understand. However, in the instinctive realm, he had already experienced it. So.

“Noona. I can’t stand to see our family die.”

Kwon Yihyeon absolutely did not want to see his family dying off just so he could live. He wasn’t of such a pure nature either. It’s not like he wears away by having sex a few times. To put it bluntly, it’s not like he’s consuming human flesh.

‘It doesn’t matter if I give it to him.’

Judging by how he told him to work hard at night, maybe Kwon Yihyeon will have to lead actively. But he didn’t care about that either.

Kwon Yihyeon didn’t find it particularly burdensome to mingle bodies with someone he had no feelings for.

It might be thanks to his innate nature being a bit dry and parched. That might be why he was perfectly fine even though he suddenly had to offer his body to a fox yokai. For the first time, Kwon Yihyeon felt a sense of liking for the parents he had never even met. It was because, thanks to his blunt personality—as if his emotions were worn away or lacking from the start—he was able to avoid clinging to his family’s ankles while blubbering at this moment.

‘What I’m actually curious about is whether I’m in the position of being poked or the position of poking.’

Would you believe it if I said the reason he was curious about this was also because of the presence or absence of an enema… Kwon Yihyeon opened his mouth with an expression that was beyond calm and into the realm of dry.

“I’m a selfish guy. I can’t endure it if my family dies.”

“Sniff, ugh, you… Yihyeon-ah…”

“So, noona, you endure it.”

Kwon Yihyeon crookedly curled his red-painted lips into a smirk. Then, awkwardly smoothing the hem of the wedding dress, which was densely embroidered with gold on red silk, he walked confidently toward the bedchamber.

Although, he was so indignant and pissed off at being insulted for being a virgin that he made the mistake of spitting out profanity.

That part ended without a crisis because Jae Angshin laughed generously.

For that reason, Kwon Yihyeon was very confident.

‘Is it a crime to have never had sex?’

Kwon Yihyeon didn’t think so. So, whether he was insulted for being awkward or whatever, he intended to try and cater to the whims of the ten-thousand-year-old fox yokai.

And when Kwon Yihyeon opened the door.

“You’ve come, baby.”

Jae Angshin, clad in a thin white undershirt, was sitting perched with his back against the bed frame, first sipping the ceremonial nuptial wine. When those two eyes, unfocused and dreamy as if drunk, stared directly at him, what kind of expression should he make if that look—as if he adored him—felt ecstatic? Kwon Yihyeon wasn’t such a fool as to think he just had to smile, so he tilted his head to the side and then, with no particular expression, spread both arms and turned his body once in a circle.

“What are you doing? Instead of coming in.”

“Would it be faster for you to understand if I called it a talent show?”

“Hmm?”

It was something he thought was halfway nonsense, but Jae Angshin’s reaction was better than expected. He was tilting his head and looking at Kwon Yihyeon with suggestive eyes, as if watching the cute antics of a beloved pet.

Kwon Yihyeon swallowed hard without realizing it and said.

“First, I was going to ask if the sight of me dressed up in this bridal chamber is to your liking. Because our first meeting made it difficult to show off my fashion sense.”

“Well. The concepts of the first night and a talent show don’t really match. I think the cute thing you’re doing right now is closer to a performance than a talent show.”

“Even so, shouldn’t you refrain from using the word ‘performance’ in front of a gumiho? I’m still not scared. Please praise me.”

As soon as Kwon Yihyeon finished speaking, a cheerful and clear laughter burst out from those dark red lips.

‘As I thought.’

So Kwon Yihyeon realized that Jae Angshin’s attitude was exactly as he had expected.

‘I guess he likes someone bold rather than someone acting meek?’