Escape from Crisis
Hong Shin quickly spread his lightness skill, trying to distance himself as much as possible from the Black Cat Room.
He feared that the madman might change his mind and issue a command to capture him again.
Unable to predict the thoughts of the fake elder brother, his fear of him grew stronger even as he fled.
Naturally, his steps led him to a place where he believed the influence of the Black Cat Room would not reach.
After running fiercely for a while, Hong Shin suddenly frowned and gradually slowed his pace.
At that moment, a single word popped into his mind.
"Diarrhea?" Following that word, another came to him.
"No way?" They say that "no way" can lead to disaster.
As if diarrhea and "no way" had formed an unpleasant alliance, his stomach churned, and a drop of sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Of all places, here? Is it because I've eaten loneliness?"
Hong Shin walked for a moment with his hand on his stomach.
Loneliness comes in various forms, but mostly, after a certain period, it leads to the formation of a worm (蠱) in the consumer's body.
If the antidote does not kill that worm, the consumer will die.
The reason such a terrifying poison is not widely used is simple: it is quite difficult to manufacture.
However, since Hong Shin did not know the true identity of the fake elder brother, he could not simply doubt whether the loneliness was real or fake.
His life was at stake.
Thus, the sudden onset of abdominal pain was even more alarming.
He had never experienced loneliness before, so he was unaware that it could be accompanied by diarrhea.
But, as it was poison taken on an empty stomach, it seemed only natural that his belly would hurt this much.
Hong Shin swallowed hard, glancing around as he twisted his body this way and that.
"Please... Please... I will live a good life. Please..."
He could not see a restroom.
In his frustration, as tears threatened to spill, Hong Shin quickly composed himself.
He felt that if he started crying, he would lose control even faster.
Struggling to keep his consciousness from fading, he desperately searched for a restroom or a secluded patch of grass.
Each time he did, a couple of merchants would pass by, looking at him with strange expressions.
Each time, Hong Shin would blush and use his lightness skill to quickly move away.
"Please... Someone help me."
In a place where people were scarce, he stopped using his lightness skill again.
He could have an accident while running.
On the quiet road, Hong Shin took a deep breath while tightening his sphincter.
If he had not trained in martial arts, he would have already lost control.
Nevertheless, with the resistance built from his rigorous training, he barely managed to stave off misfortune.
At that moment, he spotted someone approaching at an incredible speed, kicking up a cloud of dust on the path he had just run.
The speed was truly like a gale.
Hong Shin thought that even on a good day, he would not be able to win against such speed.
A man dressed in neat white clothes zipped past him, glancing back at him for a moment.
Hong Shin swallowed nervously as the man passed by.
"A master."
Then, from a short distance away, the white-clad young master suddenly stopped and asked Hong Shin, "Young lady, what is the matter? Your complexion is too pale."
Hearing the heavy, deep voice, Hong Shin hesitated before replying in a tired voice, "Poison..."
As soon as he spoke, he was startled.
"Ah, what am I doing?" The other person was a martial artist; how could he carelessly mention being poisoned? Regardless, Hong Shin was in such a bad state that he spoke without thinking.
"I'm looking for a restroom..."
The man strode over and said with a serious expression, "So, to summarize, you are poisoned and urgently looking for a restroom? Get on quickly. I happen to be on my way to my regular place, and if you don't want to solve it in the mountains, I will take you there quickly. Your complexion is too pale. Hurry..."
The man showed no signs of suspicion towards Hong Shin.
He was truly a broad-minded individual.
Hong Shin wondered what he would do if he tried to ambush him, but he asked, "Is it far?"
"I will run at full speed."
"Please."
After getting on the man's back, Hong Shin tightened his sphincter.
If he had been lazy in his training, he would have lost control the moment he got on.
The man ran like a wild horse, saying, "Hold on tight."
While Hong Shin grimaced and barely managed to respond, the scenery around them flew by quickly.
"Thank you."
The speed was truly incredible, yet the man's voice remained calm throughout.
"If you stay calm, you can overcome any crisis."
After a while, they entered a neighborhood with a few small shops and swiftly passed through a construction site.
As soon as they arrived at the restroom behind the regular shop, the man set Hong Shin down as if throwing her.
"Hurry in. I will be in the shop, so take your time..."
With a pale face, Hong Shin finally entered.
As soon as the man disappeared, she pulled down her pants and resolved her crisis, feeling grateful for the man's consideration.
The sound was quite loud, perhaps due to the diarrhea.
Undoubtedly, it was a moment that could be called a life crisis.
Holding her nose with her hand, Hong Shin thought, "I am grateful, but I don't think I can face him again."
Unknowingly, a tear fell from her eye.
She did not know why she was crying.
The loud splashing sounds continued from below.
Hong Shin felt that if this continued, she might burst into tears from an unknown emotion, so she stuffed her fist in her mouth and barely held back her sobs.
Still, she felt a sense of relief.
When the splashing sounds finally subsided, Hong Shin wore a liberated expression.
"Life, what is there?"
Having completely escaped from the crisis, Hong Shin wandered around the neighborhood until the smell on her body faded, occasionally exhaling long breaths to calm herself.
She felt like she was regaining her senses.
Intentionally keeping her distance, Hong Shin peeked into the shop where she had used the restroom.
The white-clad young master had his back turned, eating something, occasionally looking up to chat with the shop owner.
After pondering for a while, Hong Shin, having realized that life is nothing, opened the door and entered the shop.
The young master, looking perfectly fine, turned his head and asked in a flat tone, "Are you alright?" The shop owner nodded.
"Welcome."
Hong Shin replied, "Yes, thanks to you, I am alright. Thank you very much."
Suddenly, Hong Shin reached into her pocket to offer a token of gratitude, only to realize that it had been taken from her in the Black Cat Room.
"Oh no..."
Seeing this, the young master said, "It's fine. If you're alright, have a bowl of warm noodles before you go. The broth is clear, so it should settle your stomach a bit."
"I'm fine. I don't feel like eating right now."
"I won't force you."
Feeling as if her legs were giving way, Hong Shin sat down for a moment.
As the young master slurped his noodles again, the shop owner said, "Have you been starving? You eat well. Wait a moment."
The young master replied, "Oh, can I expect something?"
The shop owner, with a warm expression, came out of the kitchen and placed a large piece of meat, glistening with oil, on the young master's table.
The young master rubbed his palms together and said, "What a windfall. There’s no better delicacy than this with the broth."
"Eat a lot. If you hadn't come today, it would have gone into the soup. You have the fortune to eat again."
"Indeed, it's a pitiful life, but at least I should have the fortune to eat."
Hong Shin, gazing at the oily meat, swallowed without realizing it and asked, "What is that? I must try it next time."
The shop owner replied, "It's pig's trotter."
As the young master tore off a piece of meat with his bare hands, he looked at Hong Shin and said as if to make her remember, "Pig's trotter."
"I see."
The shop owner, wanting to show generosity, said, "Don't be shy. Have a taste."
Hong Shin waved her hand.
"No, I’m fine right now..."
"Oh, it's alright. You need to taste it to come back next time."
The shop owner brought a small bowl of pig's trotter from the kitchen and placed it on Hong Shin's table.
"Eat it with your hands. Don't use chopsticks. The seasoning is all done, so don’t dip it in anything. Just hold both sides of the trotter and tear it apart."
Hong Shin felt her mouth watering and replied, "Oh, you really don't have to..."
Could this really be the same woman who had just had a terrible experience in the restroom? Hong Shin began to tear into the pig's trotter.
The shop owner and the young master turned their eyes away, as if they didn't want to put pressure on her, and chatted among themselves.
"Was there any trouble?"
"Would there be any trouble? It was so suddenly quiet that it was boring."
"Boring is good."
"That's true. How about you?"
"Ah, there's no place like home. The food doesn't taste good. People are so cunning, whether old or young, there are many slippery characters."
"Still, it seems to suit you."
In the meantime, Hong Shin had devoured all the meat from the pig's trotter and was sucking on the small bits of meat left on the bone.
After cleaning her insides, it turned out she had actually been hungry.
Only then did the shop owner speak up.
"Delicious, right?"
Hong Shin couldn't express it in words and gave a thumbs up.
The shop owner smiled.
"Come often. But the pig's trotter isn't available every day. When it's not, you should try the noodles. The soup is also good."
With grease smeared all around her lips, Hong Shin nodded while looking around the shabby interior of the shop.
"This is truly a hidden gem."
"Just be careful not to come too late, or the shop might disappear."
Hong Shin asked, "Oh, are you moving?"
The shop owner pointed outside and asked, "Did you not see the construction site on your way here?"
"I saw it."
"When it's completed, we will move there."
"Ah, I saw something huge being built. What is it?"
The shop owner replied with a grin, "A guesthouse is being built quite large. It will become a landmark of this neighborhood."
Hong Shin's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wow, is the guesthouse really that big? That's amazing. So this is a wealthy neighborhood?"
The young master took out a pouch and pulled out three silver coins, handing them to the shop owner.
The shop owner's expression, which had seemed simple, brightened immediately.
"Wow, indeed, a person must succeed."
"Does this settle all the debts from before?"
"It does and more. Hahaha."
While Hong Shin thought the young master was generous, she did not miss the sight of the pouch returning to his possession.
At that moment, Hong Shin's expression stiffened. "......"
In the midst of the silence, the sound of Hong Shin swallowing echoed softly.
At that sound, the young master slowly turned his head and silently stared at her.
"......"
Only then did Hong Shin confirm the young master's gaze once more.
"No way?"
They say that "no way" can lead to disaster.
The clueless Jang Deok Soo looked back and forth between the two and asked, "By the way, what is your relationship?"
With a flat expression and a calm voice, the young master called out to Hong Shin, "Sister."
The moment Hong Shin heard the word "sister," the experiences of loneliness, the fake elder brother, diarrhea, the restroom, splashing sounds, pig's trotter, and various scenes and voices overlapped in an instant, causing her to faint.
It was a moment of sudden confusion.
Even in that state, a very faint consciousness remained, like a tiny mouse.
At that moment, the voice of the fake elder brother whispered from nearby, "...... Ten days left."
Then, Hong Shin's consciousness completely faded away.