ⓣⓗⓞⓢⓔ ⓖⓞⓛⓓⓔⓝ ⓔⓨⓔⓢ
The next day, Hye-In was constantly found staring at nothing and her mind seemed to be lost in a trance, everyone noticed that. Usually, she would not make any simple mistake as mistaking sugar with salt when she's cooking for everyone. It was bizarre and Hak knew exactly what caused her to be like that. The tall guy immediately took her hand and brought her outside, leaving Kija and Yona figuring out what to eat. Hye-In didn't say anything, just blindly followed him wherever he took her.
"Hye-In. Look at me."
The girl only lifelessly raised her head. "I'm scared, Hak. I'm scared if my past would eventually catch up with us, the thought of him doing something to you—" She raised her hand to his cheek gently, caressing him as if she's pouring all her love on him. "It kills me. I know you are all strong and can fight on your own but you don't have any idea of what he is capable of. How did things end up this bad? Was it because of me staying here—"
"Hye-In. Stop—just stop blaming yourself. Why are you torturing yourself when you are clearly not at fault here?" Hak sighed and cradled her face. They had talked about this many times yet she would always find herself telling him that they would be safer without her. "We'll get through this. Together. You believe in me, right?" He felt her nodding her head slowly. "Then, trust me, I would never let him hurt you anymore. I won't let him hurt Yona either. I'll protect both of you."
The naagin put her palm on his chest. "Protect her, Hak. Promise me."
"I'll protect you both." He said it firmly and Hye-In smiled against his chest, pressing her forehead on his skin.
I'm sorry, Hak but if my past ever catches up, I'll leave immediately.
Hak kissed her on the head and gently tapped her on the shoulder. "Let's go, I think Yoon will be going to the village. I love you, Hye-In but you had ruined our breakfast with all of that salt. As much as I want the green snake to die, I don't particularly want him to die because of the hypertension." Hye-In slapped his forearm playfully as he continued to insult her cooking this morning. Thankfully, he managed to distract her from whatever she was thinking. "Come here, baby." He said before scooping her in his arms and carrying her like a bridal.
Hye-In burst in laughter, feeling a bit ticklish when he had his hand under her armpit. He purposely did that. "Hak—no!" He's tickling her and she had to put her arms around his neck to make sure she's not falling from all of the laughter she had. The couple made their way back to others and of course, Kija would be screaming at him for touching the lady vulgarly while Yona joined Hak to tickle her. Somehow, that lively atmosphere had taken off the dark thoughts in her head, although it was only temporarily, but it's better than her having to hold it all back inside alone.
Hye-In wiped her tears with the back of her hand grumpily and apologized to others for ruining their breakfast, Shin-Ah quickly shook his head and showed her the porridge he ate. That Blue Dragon had eaten a small portion of her porridge and complimented the way she poured the salt in it innocently. "Bluebird—you don't have to eat—nevermind, let's go to Yoon. He might need our help." She patted Shin-Ah on the head and his squirrel friend hopped onto her shoulder for a seat.
Shin-Ah hurried up on his feet to run after her and held her right hand while Zeno swung her left hand in his, leaving her actual boyfriend behind. Jae-Ha took a look at Hak and snickered at his grumpy face, no doubt he was getting jealous of those two having Hye-In's attention. "That is such a scary face, what a needy lover she has—" Jae-Ha stopped his sentence when he was suddenly lifted up by Hak, his collar was gripped tight and he was glaring at him with the intention of killing.
"Hak! Put Jae-Ha down immediately! Hye-In, look at Hak! He's being a meanie!"
Hye-In just threw her head back. "Hak, darling. You can toss him away." She knew Hak wouldn't attack Jae-Ha unless that sneaky man provoked him by talking about their relationship.
Upon hearing that from her, Hak smirked even more. "Hear that, princess?" And he actually did it. He tossed the Green Dragon to Kija who eventually shrieked like a girl at the sudden weight on him. Hak grinned and flexed his biceps while exhaling. "Nothing more refreshing than throwing out a trash." He heard Jae-Ha mumbled something about him being Hye-In's dog and Hak didn't even mind it. In fact, he took it as a compliment. That's how deep he was in love with her.
Hak grabbed Yona by her clothes and dragged her to walk faster. "Come princess, I don't want you to get infected by him."
"Hak, you're too harsh on Jae-Ha."
"Guess I gotta be harsher then." He laughed evilly.
Hye-In rolled her eyes over his remark and walked ahead, thankfully, Ik-Soo had given them directions to the village. It wasn't that far but they had to pass through a forest to go there since the priest lived in a secluded place and once they reached there, she saw Yoon helping the elderlies there and the boys being themselves just casually asked the young boy to make some food as they were starving as if Yoon wasn't busy enough. Out of blue, the boys hurdled together and got under Shin-Ah's fluff fur that attached to the back of his mask.
"Suddenly, they were all good friends." Hye-In shook her head, smiling at the sight. She then took a look around, the villagers weren't exactly in the good condition after all, it was just a land of poverty. But she really respected Yoon for having a kind heart to help them out even a bit. Hye-In decided to help the women out by washing and drying the clothes. There wasn't a river there but she managed to do all of the washing with a small amount of water supply there. Honestly, she would like to meet the person in charge of the village's management and have a few chats with them.
Hye-In wiped her sweats. "This is too much. The people here are in needs of food and other supplies—their clothes are all torn, I could see that their rice crops this year didn't produce much." She cursed at whoever charged the taxes on the villagers and her senses suddenly picked up new presences around. Some officers came for taxes and Hye-In immediately hid up in the tree, observing them through the leaves. She could see Yoon forcing the others to hide as well. She doubted they could hold themselves back from protesting anyway, so Hye-In managed to call for an assistance from her friends.
A few snakes came slithering on the ground and Hye-In smiled. "How pretty all of you, I'm sure your venom looks prettier on them, right?" They hissed as if they were obeying and by the time, the officer named, Dol-Bal, demanded to sell a child and take all the food Yoon brought to them, Hye-In had given them the cue to attack. At the same time, Jae-Ha seemed to be slicing a soldier on his soldier and boy, he was surprised to see snakes heading towards the rest of the soldiers to attack.
"Snakes!"
"Where did they come from?!"
"Who did that?!"
Jae-Ha lowered his head and raised his hand. "It was me. They call me, the Soaring Green Dragon."
Hye-In slapped her own forehead, of course he would be boasting about himself. Sometimes, she did wonder how in the world did Jae-Hae manage to get spotlights and sparkles on him whenever he opened his mouth. But, she would give him a score for saving the child. Obviously, he's not going to let men use violence against a little girl. Then, Hye-In was absolutely startled and found herself laughing so hard when Hak decided to join the fight. It's even funnier when he had Shin-Ah's fur on his head to cover up his face.
"An even stranger one has appeared!"
"Moreover, is his stomach growling?"
"Is he a demon?"
"A mountain man?"
"Something is living on his head?"
"Is that a squirrel?"
Hye-In had to put a hand over her mouth to make sure she's not making any sounds. It was so hilarious and amusing, she just knew the poor Shin-Ah was shivering to cold somewhere without his fur. It was a whole lot funnier when Hak introduced himself as the Dark Dragon even when the soldiers didn't even want to know his name. However, someone pointed out the sword he was holding was incredibly recognizable and Hak quickly chucked it somewhere else.
"Something is up there!"
"Oh, I got it!" Hye-In jumped up from the tree to catch it and landed on the ground with a thud sound. Her tall figure stood straight and luckily her silver braided hair was covered by the cloak she's wearing. They can't possibly see her full face, she was sure of it. Somehow, all of them had lined up as if they were superheroes appeared out of nowhere and Hye-In had to bite her tongue at how cringe it was. And Yona made the situation even more embarrassing.
"You snot nose good for nothings! Are you aware that you are causing havoc in our territory?!"
"A young woman?"
"Your territory?"
Hye-In covered her face in embarrassment. "I did not sign up for this humiliation." She mumbled under her breath, having to keep her stoic face straight when Yona kept spouting nonsense, admitting they were indeed bandits. "Save me, please." The naagin looked away and decided to humble herself a bit. There's no way she would allow herself to be humiliated like that. As much as she loved Yona, that cover just wasn't it.
Yona smirked. "The food over there! That child and these villager's things—they all belong to us! If you understand, turn tail right now and don't come back! You brats!"
"You know what to do." Hye-In looked down at the snakes and moved her fingers to give them a signal. She let the snakes do their works and Hye-In easily overpowered the soldiers with the rest of the group. Although they were being outnumbered, that was never a problem but she was a bit thankful that the enemies underestimated them at first. It was an entertainment for her to watch those arrogant people be humbled and were put in their place. She never got tired of those screams anyway.
Yona crossed her arms. "If something happens to this village next time, we—"
"The Dark Dragon—"
Zeno giggled and raised his hands giddily. "And the Happy Hungry Bunch!"
"—Will make you pay for it!" Yona shouted.
Hye-In groaned. "Darling, stop. Just no."
That's how they started their revolt of the Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch, they had to act like bandits because it's necessary to let the villagers in the surrounding area knew beforehand that they were bandits to make sure they obey them. The villagers will be able to say it was all their fault when officers came to get the taxes. Hye-In once again began to question her life—how did she go from being a famous courtesan to a bandit with a ridiculous name? But she can't change the name anymore, the townspeople had already been talking about them.
"Yoon, which village will we go to next?" Yona asked as if she wasn't just threatening the kids to accept the candies earlier.
Yoon hummed. "Let's see, at this time, officers are supposed to go to Shuu Village too."
"Is that far?" Hak questioned, crossing his arms and flexing his biceps a bit which caught Hye-In's attention. He felt a pair of eyes on him and that guy dared to smirk as if he's leading her on. Even if he did, she would say, he did a very good job. That was very distracting to her especially when he leaned against a tree on his side with his eyes sometimes glanced at her. He then did an unexpected move, he put his hand on her hip and pulled her to his front. "Let me feel you." He whispered in her ear and rested his chin on her shoulder. Thankfully, Yoon and Yona had left.
"Jae-Ha is right, you are indeed a desperate man."
The Green Dragon who had appeared from their behind chuckled. "I told you, he is one."
Hak raised an eyebrow. "Even if I am one, she is my lover and mine only." His hold around her only tightened and he provoked Jae-Ha by starting to kiss her neck, his one hand held Hye-In's chin to tilt her head for more access.
Hye-In began to close her eyes and leaned back even more. "Good boy, darling." She exhaled and moaned a bit, arching her back a little to let his hand roam on her body and she opened her eyes to look at Jae-Ha with a sinister smile. "It must be rough for you, huh boy? I know you're craving to have a taste but I don't particularly like you now so you gotta work hard to gain my affection." She turned her head aside and urged Hak to kiss her on the lips while keeping her eyes on Jae-Ha still. She was sure he could hear the groans erupted from Hak when he's deepening the kiss.
Jae-Ha swallowed his saliva and fidgeted on his spot. Oh how the table turned now, he used to tease Hak before but now, they were teasing him. The man was frozen on his feet and he had to admit that it was indeed sexually arousing him. He was about to look away but Hye-In gave him a warning. She firmly told him to look at them as a punishment and she had been waiting to give him one. She guided Hak's hand inside her robe and grabbed her breast. He continued to kiss her neck, making sure to leave a visible mark for Jae-Ha to see.
"You understand now, Jae-Ha? You're just a pawn at the tip of my fingers. Next time, I believe you won't say anything about my Hak anymore." Hye-In smiled while Hak smirked against her neck.
∆∆∆
"I'm gonna hunt. Bluebird, could you stay here and protect Yona?" Hye-In asked the guy as she bent down to take the bow and arrows. The rest of the group had gone to the next village and they were left to secure the place for a while, at least until they came back. Of course, Yona volunteered to go with her for hunting but Hye-In had to turn her down. She should stay there with Shin-Ah in case if something happened. However, almost one hour later, not once Hye-In expected to come back to a body of a child laying cold on the ground with blood coating his body.
Hye-In held her pounding head. Just what was happening when she's not around earlier? The naagin swiftly turned around and followed her enhanced senses to find Yona and Shin-Ah, eventually found them somewhere in the village. Hye-In didn't say a word, just leapt to the sky, leaving the villagers mourning over the loss and she landed on her feet with her hair hanging all over her face. "What the fuck did you do to them?" Her voice was cold as if it was winter and those amber eyes snapped towards a group of bandits.
"Boss, another pretty woman!"
"Seems like we hit a jackpot!"
Shin-Ah was hurt and Yona was carried by a dirty middle aged man.
She didn't even bother to ask more. The girl just dashed forward and slammed the nearest head onto the ground. "Don't ever touch her with your hands." Hye-In had her eyes glowing and she pulled the head of a man holding Yona hard. She took the princess from him and stomped her foot on the neck, almost crushing him to death if it wasn't because of Yona. The naagin had became ruthless as ever. Perhaps it was because of the bond tying them together, Hye-In would lose her sanity willingly just to save her.
Despite her easily overpowering the men, some of the bandits really dared to take off Shin-Ah's mask and that's when things turned out to be chaotic even more. Those bandits can't even look away from his golden eyes and one by one, they fell down on the ground, screaming in pain as if they were being tortured. Everyone cowered in fright and Hye-In couldn't help but be drawn as well, however, she wasn't feeling the pain like them. Right, her clan was once considered as followers of the Blue Dragon. "Such a pretty sight." Hye-In breathed out, seeing a black figure of a dragon towering over her.
The bandits claimed it to be a monster but Hye-In didn't agree with them. She expressed a smirk when one of them began to scream having their arm cut off although nothing actually happened. This was the power of Blue Dragon. Hye-In threw her head back, laughing sinisterly. "Ah, I remember this feeling, reminds me of the first day we met." It was a usual routine for her but somehow, on that fateful day, she met Shin-Ah sitting alone under a tree without a mask. She was drawn to those golden eyes just like a moth to a flame.
Hye-In was losing herself in front of the huge dragon, she didn't even listen to Yona shouting for her name. She just stood there, gazing at the dark figure unfazed. "Bluebird, you're such a beauty." She raised her hand to its head and remained standing even when she could feel claws gripping her body. It was so twisted yet she can't help t. She had seen his eyes for a few times before but each second didn't fail to make her heart flutter. "But I don't want you to be hurt by this." She knew about his powers. It would backfire.
Yona held Hye-In's robe. "Hye-In—stop him."
"You are not a monster, bluebird." Hye-In smiled against the head of the dragon, deep down in her heart, she knew she was talking to him and he could hear her loud and clearly. She could feel it growling and within a few seconds, the growls began to fade out and Hye-In was snapped out of it. Her head turned to Shin-Ah's paralyzed body on the ground, her feet immediately took her to him and Hye-In put her hands under him to pick him up. "You did great, baby." He closed his eyes to the sound of her heartbeats, tears soaked up by her robe.
Hye-In told Yona about his power and Yona had to cover her eyes to avoid showing her the fact that she's crying. The princess looked down on her tattered hands. "Let's get stronger together, Shin-Ah." She held his hand and Hye-In smiled over this interaction, she patted her head."Oh I will go and get some water." Hye-In thanked her for volunteering and while waiting for the princess, the naagin took off his clothes to take a look at the slash wound he had. Thankfully, it wasn't even deep and it didn't cut his vessels.
But she was worried if it would leave a scar, she didn't want him to be reminded of this pain ever again. Not long after that, Yona came back with a bucket of water and she helped the older girl to soak the towel and clean Shin-Ah wound. To stop the wound from bleeding more, Hye-In leaned down and decided to lick the injury on his stomach. The redhead shrieked and turned around quickly to give her a privacy, getting embarrassed although she already knew Hye-In's saliva could heal injuries.
"Now we have to wait for Yoon. He can use the senjusou her for the scar." Hye-In told her to watch over him while she went outside to take care of the bodies outside. They weren't dead yet, just barely conscious. It was an easy task to do. She just had to carry the bodies and toss them on the road, officers will pick them up sooner or later for sure. One shall not underestimate the power of a naagin, she could carry four men on her shoulders with ease and she did surprise Hak and others when they stumbled into each other while she was tossing the bodies.
Yoon had his mouth opened for a while but quickly closed it. "I feel like I shouldn't ask what happened but on a second thought, I should."
"Welcome back, everyone." Hye-In smiled while she arranged the bodies in pile.
Jae-Ha put a hand on his face. "I'm so wrong for thinking this is attractive."
Kija gave him a dirty look. "Masochist."
"No, everything about her is indeed attractive." Hak had to agree with Jae-Ha.
13/8/23
thinking of a suitable scene for Jae-Ha to join Hye-In's harem.