STVS 11

~Chapter 11~

I had a strange dream.

In the dream, I had become a vicious monster.

I had come down to the village to find a bride and, after abducting a pure and lovely bride, I danced in front of her, gyrating my hips as I tried to court her while she cried, saying she didn’t want it…

“Ugh!”

I suddenly opened my eyes. A familiar scent of medicine brushed against my nose.

‘Right… I passed out.’

Though I hadn’t been performing a courtship dance but rather my ultimate secret technique, the “Maradanghoro,” which had ended with my head splitting open… why did I feel like I’d become even more shameless than that monster?

As sweat poured down my body, a familiar head suddenly appeared. It was the Chief Physician.

“Are you alright?”

I stared blankly at him and asked,

“Um… am I being fired?”

The Chief looked utterly bewildered.

“What are you talking about?”

From his perspective, he probably thought, Has she finally lost her mind? But I was completely sincere.

After putting up with a self-centered brat pestering me all this time, now this brat was gyrating in front of me, teasing me—who wouldn’t be horrified?

‘Even if the lady had foamed at the mouth demanding I kick that thing out immediately, I couldn’t have argued…’

I kept my eyes down, reflecting on my past mistake: when the “Maradanghoro” failed, I had even considered performing the “Bikki Bikki” as a backup.

Just then, I heard a soft sigh nearby.

“Well… should I say you’re kind, or excessively optimistic…”

“Huh?”

“Child, do you know that you were near death for a whole day? That your head had to be stitched with needles?”

Ah… I got stitches?

“R-Really?”

No wonder my head felt dull. I lifted my hand and touched it—sure enough, there was a bandage wrapped around my head.

Suddenly, I recalled another time I had been carried away after taking a blow to the head.

“That time was really close to being fatal. If the treatment had been delayed even slightly, you might have ended up a corpse…”

I hurriedly thanked the Chief.

“Ah, if you hadn’t treated me quickly, I wouldn’t have survived. Thank you so much. I don’t even know how to repay you…”

“No. The thanks shouldn’t be directed at me…”

He cleared his throat mid-sentence.

“Ahem. Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe. For the time being, stay in the guest room and rest. Don’t think about work at all.”

“Is that really okay?”

“Of course. Also, since you won’t be able to go home while receiving treatment, I’ll send someone to care for your mother. This is our responsibility, so after explaining it properly, we will apologize…”

“No.”

I quickly interrupted.

“Thank you so much, but could you perhaps tell my mother only part of the truth? I don’t want to trouble her mind as well, especially when she’s not well.”

The Chief looked at me with eyes full of unspoken words but eventually nodded silently.

“…Very well.”

Finally relieved, I lay back comfortably on the bed.

The pillow was soft, the blanket gentle. Now that I could rest without guilt, it wasn’t all bad.

At that moment, the Chief, who had been hesitating nearby, finally spoke.

“I should say this sooner… I am truly sorry for what happened.”

“It’s nothing. I also have my faults.”

“No, everyone knows how hard you’ve worked. What wrong have you done? If it ever gets too much… tell me.”

“Huh?”

“There are many duties in the estate besides serving the lady. You are diligent and do your best in everything, so you’d be welcomed anywhere. If you dislike working at this estate, I can provide a recommendation for elsewhere. Don’t feel pressured…”

So, in short: “If it’s too hard, I’ll help you transfer.”

I looked at the Chief anew.

Just a few days ago, he had been the one cheering me on, saying, “Thanks to you, the lady is more lively,” despite me being thoroughly beaten…

Unexpected, but my reply was clear.

“I’m really fine.”

“One thing…”

“This was just an accident. Usually, the lady isn’t that harsh. I’ve just started adapting, so if it’s alright, I’d like to continue working.”

The Chief’s face brightened immediately.

“Good, that’s a relief! I’m always grateful to you. How should I repay you… Ah! I’ll give you a bonus in addition to your salary. The estate owner will surely understand your hard work…”

“That’s not necessary.”

“What?”

“The bonus is unnecessary. I already received plenty recently.”

The Chief looked puzzled. I smiled lightly.

“You gave me medicinal herbs last time.”

When my mother had collapsed.

It had been a truly bleak moment. I hastily wrote a prescription, but the ingredients were extremely hard to find, and I had no idea what to do.

When I even cried in front of the lady, the Chief had secretly called me one day.

“Your mother isn’t well, is she?”

“Huh?”

I froze. So he had heard about me crying. Was he going to scold me?

“Bring me the prescription.”

“T-The prescription?”

“Yes. I’ve imported many herbs from Beijing. I’ll make the lady’s medicine and share the rest. There are rare ingredients, so it’ll be plenty.”

As I stared blankly, he laughed softly, as if I had misunderstood his intentions.

“It’s a gift. Don’t worry.”

—Having received such help, how could I ask for more?

I spoke sincerely.

“The herbs you gave me were a great help. My mother was able to survive the crisis. With such a great favor, how could I ask for more? No need to apologize further. It’s already more than I deserve.”

The Chief seemed a little stunned.

“You really are…”

He smiled faintly.

“A good person.”

“Haha, no need for flattery.”

“I mean it sincerely. You truly are…”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t hear the rest, so I asked again. But the Chief only shook his head without answering.

After asking about a few more matters, the Chief left. I managed to sit up to see him off. At the door, he hesitated.

Then he turned back and said,

“Rest easy. This won’t happen again.”

And he disappeared like the wind.

I blinked, clueless about the meaning, staring after him.

‘What, did something in the lady’s room get moved?’

As the Chief said, I rested thoroughly.

I ate three meals a day, slept well, and even had Sibi—Aso—to help me. It felt like heaven.

‘I wish my mother were here too.’

After a minor head injury, I was treated better than the patient herself—it felt almost awkward.

Still, my mother was cared for as promised, with herbal medicine as well, which made me very grateful.

‘I need to recover quickly and repay them!’

Fortunately, my recovery was fast.

Even Dr. Jung, the lady’s personal physician, was amazed every time he checked on me. He even asked if I was secretly taking anything extra.

I was surprised at my recovery speed too, but I didn’t mind. I was just happy I could return to work soon.

A week later, I removed the bandages.

By then, moving around was easy, and I prepared to return to work. Of course, the Chief insisted I could rest more, but I felt uneasy doing nothing.

“Phew…”

Returning to the Sonangwon felt even more nerve-wracking than I expected.

Maybe it was because my head had been split here before. The moment I saw the door, my hands and feet trembled, and cold sweat dripped—I felt PTSD coming on.

But I gritted my teeth and endured it. I had agreed to continue working here, after all.

‘My body isn’t fully recovered yet. Can I dodge if the lady throws something today? Honestly, I don’t think I can… If she has any conscience, she’ll take it easy today, right? She’s human… Wait, she’s not human.’

After much hesitation, I finally composed myself. Yes, if today doesn’t work out, I’ll step back without resisting.

Just as I made up my mind and opened my mouth:

“Lady, I’ve brought your medicine!”

“Come in.”

“Yes… I’ll step aside…”

“….”

“…Excuse me?”

What… what did she just say?