He snaps his fingers, and the men fall.
"What a shame..." he says, shaking his head slowly. "This is such a shame. They couldn't even send stronger Reapers."
He lifts them up, then throws them back onto the ground.
"You guys call yourselves Reapers? I don't think you deserve the title."
He spits on the floor, then looks back at them.
"You really think she's that weak? That useless men like you could be sent to fetch her?"
He walks up to Joon-He, the wind blowing in from every corner and open space. Tears begin to flow from her eyes, a mix of fear, relief, and overwhelming emotion.
He snaps his fingers, and the chains wrapped around her fall away. The tape on her mouth peels off and drops.
He squats beside her, locking eyes with her. They say nothing, but Joon-He can see and feel the anger—and the worry—burning behind his gaze.
He places one hand on her back, the other gliding down to her lap. When he reaches her calf, he grabs it firmly, lifting her into his arms.
"You're the most useless Reapers I've ever seen."
He steps on one of their hands as they lie groaning on the floor—and in the blink of an eye, Weol-So and Joon-He vanish.
---
Wrapped in blankets, with warm towels on her forehead, Joon-He stirs to the sound of muffled voices. She wakes up, panting like there's no tomorrow.
She looks around and wonders if it was all just a dream. Lying back down, pain stabs at her ribs.
She clutches her side and winces.
'So it's not a dream.'
Turning and shuffling restlessly, flashes of the men who took her replay in her mind. She nearly cries at the memory.
The door creaks open. Hin-Hye enters, eyes wide with shock, relief, and joy. Joon-He tries to sit up and say something, but Hin-Hye quickly exits, slamming the door and dashing downstairs.
Left wondering, Joon-He lies back and holds her head. To her right, she sees a table with a bowl of fruit and a knife. She reaches for it weakly, only to have her arm flop back onto the bed.
Minutes later, the door opens again.
Her eyes widen. It's Weol-So.
Normally, she'd feel safe, but memories strike: the way he snapped his fingers, the Reapers collapsing like dolls.
"Reapers."
His voice echoes in her head.
She remembers his wicked grin and rage-filled face.
She shifts away from him instinctively, retreating toward the edge of the bed.
Confused, Weol-So steps forward. "What are you—?"
Before he can get closer, she sits up, grabs the knife, and points it at him.
Memories flood back—of the man in black who vanished into dust.
She swallows hard, her eyes trembling.
"Wh...what are you?" she whispers, hand shaking from fear and exhaustion.
He smirks. With a wave of his hand, the knife flies from hers.
"Huh!?" She blinks in shock, looking from him to the knife.
"What are you?!"
Each step he takes makes her inch farther back on the bed.
"Stay away from me."
"Why? Aren't you... my wife?"
"No! Let me go! Leave me alone!"
"Let you go? I didn't kidnap you. You married me. You came here willingly."
"HELP!!"
"Okay, enough. I'm trying to help—"
"HIN-HYE!!"
"You think I want to hurt you?"
"SOMEONE HELP!!"
She screams louder and louder—
Until suddenly, he appears right in front of her. She feels the warmth of his body pressing close.
His index finger presses against her lips. "Stop screaming," he whispers.
She shakes her head.
"Why?"
She freezes at the question. That's not something a normal person would ask.
She looks everywhere—then focuses on his hand—and bites his finger.
"Ahh! What the—!"
She crawls out of bed and crashes to the floor.
"Leave me alone!"
Dragging herself toward the door, he calmly says, "You're injured. Come back and lie down."
"Leave me!!"
"I said come back."
"And I said... LEAVE ME!"
"I'll explain everything."
She pauses, turning to him.
"What do you mean?"
"If I wanted to hurt you, I would've already."
"Yes! But maybe you will now—because I know your secret!"
"Come back to bed."
He pushes his hair from his face, but it falls back anyway.
"I'll explain everything. Just lie down."
She tries to crawl back—but Weol-So lifts her and gently places her on the bed, pulling a blanket over her.
"Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
"Food?! Oh—I mean, I'm not... e-eating... until you tell me the truth."
"Why did it take you so long to say that?"
"Because... well…"
Her stomach growls. She dies a little inside.
"I can see how you're not going to eat."
"Leave me! I said I wasn't going to... Not that I'm not hungry..." she mumbles.
"What do you want to eat?"
She tucks her hair behind her ears. "Nothing."
"Okay. As for me, I told the maids to prepare Jjajangmyeon with barbecued steak."
She perks up.
"I was going to tell them to bring you some too… but if you're not hungry, then never mind."
He turns the doorknob.
Jjajangmyeon. Steak.
The words echo in her mind.
"Wait, stop!! You monster!"
"Hm?"
Her voice shrinks. "Can I... have some food, please?"
He smirks and walks out.
"Ha! That buys me time. I need to run."
She tries to rise from bed—then yelps in pain as her ribs flare up.
"I can't do this."
She scans the room, then her eyes widen.
"Where's my Tini?!"
Adrenaline fuels her. She rolls out of bed.
"TINI!!!"
She crawls to the door.
Just as she reaches it—it swings open, smacking her in the face.
"Ow!!"
Weol-So stands there with a tray.
"What are you—trying to escape?"
"Where's Tini?!"
"Oh. I'll get your dog later. For now, just eat."
"I want to see Tini first!"
"What do you think we'd do to a stupid dog?"
"Did you just call my dog stupid?!"
He sets the tray down on the table beside the fruit bowl.
"I'll get the dog."
He shuts the door.
Left alone, the aroma from the food wafts over her.
She slowly turns toward it, then crawls to her bed. Her mouth waters as she stares at the plate.
She grabs the chopsticks and starts eating.
The door opens. Tini rushes in.
"Tini!"
The dog jumps into her arms.
"Okay."
She eats, finally feeling a bit of peace. But then—
This smells different. What if it's poisoned? I'm such a fool! I just killed myself!
She looks around, panicking.
Well… too late now. Already had a bite. Might as well finish it.
She slurps the noodles, sauce staining her face, radishes sticking to her cheeks.
Weol-So returns. Joon-He lies back, dog on her chest, facing the ceiling.
She hears the door shut and turns.
"Are you done eating?" he asks.
She nods, then sits up.
"Now explain."
"What? How I ate the food?"
"No! You know what I mean," she says, eyes fierce.
"Mmm."
"You called them Reapers. The men who kidnapped me—you called them Reapers. Why? What does that mean?"
"Yes…"
He sits on the edge of the bed, turns to her, and moves his lips.
"I am a Goblin."