The Story of Becoming a Married Man in Another World

017 There Are Bad Guys Everywhere in This World

After finishing the meal, Gus took Juhwan down the mountain.

Gus didn’t head towards the village but walked along the place where the mountain and the plain met.

Tall trees became sparse, and there were more small trees with bare branches. The leaves also decreased. Instead, there were more pebbles, making it harder to walk on the slippery winter mountain.

Almost slipping several times, Juhwan diligently followed Gus along the forest path.

Unlike Juhwan, Gus moved lightly as if walking on flat ground. Even with one leg limping, he was faster than Juhwan. He felt like a mountain man.

After walking for a while, the trees became taller again, though sparsely. The pebbles also gradually decreased. As a bit of flat ground appeared, a small house that looked like it was about to collapse came into view.

“#####.”

Gus pointed to the place and said something. It seemed to mean that it was his house.

Gus made Juhwan wait in front of the house for a moment and went inside. The creaking sound echoed eerily. After a while, Gus came out holding two long bows.

They looked strange. The bows Juhwan knew were curved like a D or C shape, but the ones Gus brought out were straight.

They looked more like wooden planks that had been carved flat and long with strings attached to them.

The only reason he knew they were bows was because the handle part in the middle was carved out. Without that, they would have just looked like planks with strings attached.

—

—

Moreover, it was incredibly long. It was just slightly taller than Gus. It seemed to be almost 2 meters long. It was almost the same height as Juhwan.

Gus handed one to Juhwan. Then he pointed alternately at a tree a little distance away and his own bow. He repeated the gesture several times as if to say, “Watch closely.”

“##.”

“Watch closely.”

When Juhwan repeated the words, Gus smiled with a wrinkled face.

After confirming that Juhwan was watching him, Gus held the bow and focused on the tree.

While looking at the tree, Gus took a quiet breath. He inhaled and exhaled, then took another deep breath. After repeating this a few times, he finally lifted the bow quietly.

He held the bow with his left hand and drew the string with the arrow in his right hand.

The arrow seemed to be made of bamboo. Judging by the visible nodes, it probably was. However, the nodes were well-trimmed and not bumpy, and the color was a deep brown. It had a slight sheen, so it might have been coated with something. There were two bird feathers attached to the end of the arrow.

The tip of the arrow, which was straight and elongated, was rounded. It wasn’t the usual triangular tip. It just looked like the wood had been rounded off. Perhaps it was for practice. Since it was the first time seeing both the bow and the arrow, he couldn’t tell what they were used for.

Gus’s expression as he aimed at the target looked like a wax figure. Like a lifeless old tree, time seemed to have disappeared from his wrinkled face. It was as if time had stopped.

After holding the bowstring taut for a moment, Gus released his fingers. The arrow shot out like a bullet towards the tree. It struck the center of the tree trunk. Until that moment, Gus’s body hadn’t moved at all.

Although he didn’t know much about archery, he could tell that Gus was very skilled. His posture while shooting the bow was upright and quiet, not at all like an old man, and it looked impressive.

The arrow Gus shot stuck in the tree for a moment before falling to the ground. It seemed that because the tip was made of wood, it didn’t penetrate deeply.

Gus demonstrated once more and then stepped aside, indicating for Juhwan to try.

When Juhwan imitated him and stood holding the bow, Gus adjusted his posture.

Recalling Gus’s actions, he drew the bow without an arrow. After taking a breath and releasing the string, Gus shook his head and demonstrated again.

“####.”

Watching Gus’s words and actions, it seemed to mean not to move. How strange. He had only slightly moved his fingers while holding the bowstring without moving at all.

However, after repeating the same action several times, Juhwan realized that he was moving very slightly. Although it was just the degree of his hair swaying, his body was indeed moving slightly.

But knowing this didn’t mean his body would immediately follow.

That afternoon, he continued to practice releasing the bowstring. He learned that to shoot a bow, one had to become a statue, not a human. Archery was incredibly difficult.

*

Although there was still plenty of daylight left, Gus patted him on the back.

“####.”

Saying this, he pointed towards the mountain with his finger. It seemed to mean that they were done and should head back.

It seemed that Gus was giving him the bow. He gestured with his hands and feet to indicate that Juhwan should continue practicing. It seemed he should also practice the footwork he had learned while walking today. Well, he would do that even if Gus didn’t say so.

When Juhwan started walking with the bow slung over his shoulder, Gus took the lead with quick steps. It seemed more to show his movements than to guide the way.

Juhwan watched Gus’s actions closely and followed, recalling the words and movements he had learned today, and the archery in his mind.

He resolved to learn and master diligently. He hoped to become a capable person as soon as possible. He wanted to become a man who could provide abundantly for his wife and daughter.

—

The sky is blue. The snow is white, Lizzy’s hair is shiny, Joo-hwan’s hair is black, and the meat is yellow.

Dorothy lay sprawled on the bed. She looked at the wooden ceiling and then at the hole in the roof. Smoke was rising and escaping through the hole.

In the hearth beside her, the fire was blazing red and yellow. It’s warm. I’m sleepy.

“Burp!”

A sound came from her mouth, and something popped out. The smell was terrible. Dorothy pinched her nose and turned over. When her belly touched the bed, it became hard to breathe. Her stomach was so full it felt like it would burst.

“Whooo.”

As she took a long breath, she heard Lizzy’s small laughter echoing around the house. Lizzy laughed often since Joo-hwan arrived. Before that, neither Lizzy nor Dorothy laughed.

‘Good.’

It’s good that Lizzy laughs. Every time she hears Lizzy’s laughter, something warm seems to enter her body. It feels like sitting next to the hearth.

‘I’m full.’

Her belly seemed to be getting fatter. She felt the meat growing inside her stomach. Dorothy placed her hands on her belly and closed her eyes. It was delicious. She never knew oats could be so tasty. She always thought they were tasteless.

She usually ate nothing in the morning. When the sun was high in the sky and she got very hungry, she would eat a little oat porridge after a long while.

But today, she ate as soon as Joo-hwan left. Lizzy muttered that there was too much food on the iron plate, looking troubled. She didn’t understand why Lizzy was troubled. There was a lot of food on the plate. Why is having a lot of food a problem? Dorothy thought there was nothing to be troubled about. There was enough for both of them to eat and still have leftovers.

“Hehe.”

Dorothy closed her eyes and gently rubbed her bulging belly with her hand. There was still a little food left. She wished her belly would go down quickly so she could eat more.

Suddenly, Joo-hwan’s face came to mind. When he left, he patted her head with his big hand. Her father had never done that. She was so happy.

“….”

Since Joo-hwan arrived, she had eaten meat to her heart’s content twice. She was so happy. But who is Joo-hwan? She didn’t know.

Lizzy said he was her father’s wife, but no one told her who Joo-hwan was. The village chief said he was Lizzy’s husband, but what does that make him to Dorothy? She was curious. If he’s not her father or mother, will Joo-hwan leave someday? Since he’s Lizzy’s husband, will he take Lizzy with him? Then what will happen to Dorothy?

“….”

At night, she dreamed that the meat grew rabbit ears and feet and ran away. She woke up in a panic, but it was just a dream. She hurriedly checked the bowl of meat, afraid it might have really run away. Fortunately, it hadn’t. The meat was quietly in the bowl.

Thinking of that dream made her a little uneasy. She wondered if Lizzy might leave with Joo-hwan, just like in the dream.

“Huh.”

It’s strange. Just a moment ago, she could hear Lizzy’s footsteps around the house, but now they were gone. Suddenly, she felt scared. Maybe they had run away. Maybe Joo-hwan had taken Lizzy with him. Maybe they had left Dorothy alone….

Suddenly, her father’s voice thundered in her head. You useless thing! Her father always cursed her as a useless girl.

If only you were a boy, I would raise you as a hunter, a worker, but girls are useless. They just waste food. Be quiet, if you cry, I’ll throw you away somewhere.

He always said that. She didn’t remember well, but she had really been thrown out of the house once. She remembered crying a lot in a dark place.

It was dark, and there were hooting sounds. Somewhere far away, a wolf was howling. Or was it? Was that sound from inside the house? She didn’t know. But she clearly remembered crying outside the house….

Dorothy suddenly sat up. She had to find Lizzy. She had to chase after Lizzy before her stepmother abandoned her.

—

She got out of bed and ran straight to the container with the meat. The meat is important. Even if she abandons Dorothy, she won’t abandon the meat. She must take it with her.

Fortunately, the meat in the container was intact. There was still wolf fur left. Then it’s okay. Maybe he went out to work.

“….”

Still anxious, Dorothy trudged to the door.

But before she could open the door, she heard men’s voices. Strange. It sounded like they were fighting. The men were saying something in scary voices.

She pressed her ear to the door but couldn’t hear well. She thought she heard the word “meat.”

Dorothy ran to the side and slightly opened the wooden shutter.

Three large men were standing near the door. Next to them were two large wooden boxes.

She had seen these men before. They had come looking for her father. Her father seemed to be afraid of them.

When the men came while her stepmother was still alive, her father ran away somewhere, leaving only her and her stepmother. When he returned, he beat her stepmother terribly, really terribly. Eventually, her stepmother fell ill and died after being beaten by her father.

‘Lizzy.’

Is Lizzy okay? What if she gets beaten to death by Joo-hwan like her stepmother? Doesn’t Joo-hwan hit her? Maybe it’s okay because he’s not her father.

The men grinned at Lizzy. They were holding axes, sickles, and clubs. Scary. Something bad is going to happen. Her father’s scary face, her stepmother, and the faces of those men she had seen before alternated in her mind.

The man at the front looked at the house and spoke with a scary face.

“Answer properly! What’s this smell?”

The man standing next to him spoke again.

“You stole the meat, didn’t you?”

Lizzy shook her head at the men.

“No. My husband hunted it.”

But the men didn’t seem to believe her. They shouted alternately.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Do you think hunting is that easy?”

“This girl, we found her a new husband and a way to live after her husband died, and she steals!”

“Ha, this is unbelievable. We didn’t even know she was a thief and brought tools like hammers and nails for her.”

“Hey! It’s better to go inside and check. Let’s see what she stole.”

“It’s really not. My husband really hunted it.”

The men shouted with scary faces, and Lizzy shook her head with a face that looked like she was about to cry.

When the men tried to force their way into the house, Lizzy spread her arms to block the door.

But the men pushed Lizzy to the ground and kicked the door. Bang! Bang! The loud sound echoed throughout the house.

‘Scared. Scared.’

—

—

What should I do, what should I do? The men are coming in. Men bigger than my father are coming into the house.

Dorothy fell from the wooden window and looked around the house. Her legs were trembling so much that she could barely walk.

Hee, hee, strange sobbing sounds leaked out. I shouldn’t cry, they’ll hit me if I do, but even if I covered my mouth with my hands, the sobbing sounds leaked through my fingers. What should I do? They’ll hit me for being noisy. They’ll hit me with their fists like my father. They’ll kick me. I’m scared.

Dorothy saw a large bed. It was big enough for Joo-hwan, Lizzy, and Dorothy to sleep together with room to spare.

‘If I hide there, they won’t see me.’

Dorothy crawled under the bed.

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