Chapter 39 – After
After changing the unit commander’s body and mind into well-being, he went to the tent and prepared breakfast.
In order to respect the medical officer’s advice to eat easily digestible food, the menu was porridge with eggs.
The kitchen smells good.
I started to make it on my own, saying that the doggie couldn’t make the patient suffer.
I didn’t even hear the words that I could do it alone.
Even she knows that my wounds have been healed for a long time, but she seems to want to feed me the food she cooked, so I just left it alone.
“Master, you’ve waited a long time.”
Jiah Kang came to her bedroom, holding her pot with a dishcloth.
I put the pot, soy sauce, and pickled radish one after another on the blanket next to me, leaning against the back of the bed.
She puts porridge on a plate in front of me and serves it.
I received it and took a bite, and the savory taste of the egg was very delicious.
It’s a simple dish made by boiling soaked rice, adding green onions and eggs, and seasoning with soy sauce, but that’s why her outstanding basic skills stood out.
“It’s delicious.
The beef stew I gave you the other day was also very delicious.
Is cooking your hobby?”
“Hehe, it’s not like that.
I got used to it by making various things to eat as snacks.”
Kang Ji-ah, sitting on the bed, smiled shyly and ate a spoonful of porridge.
Feeding me porridge, ‘Ah!’ I thought you would do something like this
No matter how stupid you are, you don’t do anything embarrassing like that.
Come to think of it, Kang Ji-ah was quite fond of alcohol.
Both times he tried to poison me, he brought alcohol.
She keeps a full bottle of wine in her fridge and cupboards, and she even has a small wine cellar.
For that matter, I hadn’t seen her drink her drink lately.
“Come to think of it, the shippers you brought in the first place were very high-end.
Since when did you like alcohol? From an early age?”
“You’re doing too much!
I started drinking when I got older. In the Empire, you are considered an adult from the age of 16, right?”
“Yes, in the Empire it is.
But in the kingdom you used to live in, you’re an adult from the age of 19, right?
After all, he was a skinned kid.”
“…How did you know that?
But at the time, I was only enjoying it!
It got worse after I came back to the Empire.”
Kang Ji-ah grumbled.
That’s right. I guess roughly.
The hard work as a leader, the interpersonal relationship that doesn’t work out, the pressure of being infiltrated as a spy, and the guilt of deceiving the people around you.
She has a nightmare from the past that she is reminded of by returning to her hometown where she has been through terrible things.
Ji-ah Kang said that she dreams of her family’s enemies every night.
Nightmares and insomnia are typical PTSD symptoms.
Tsk tsk… A young friend.
Habitual drinking to sleep is the first step to alcoholism.
Before getting entangled with me, it seems that Kang Ji-ah’s mind was more unstable than expected.
That’s why I’m dying to her hints of pleasure and reassurance.
My suggestion became an oasis in her parched heart.
I guess it was because I wanted to get closer to myself, who had become too big in my heart, with a sincere heart.
Because she was the only person I could rely on and like in the midst of stress and loneliness.
The past few years have been quite difficult.
But these days, I’m glad I threw off the fake cool beauty mask and am living happily as my doggie.
“Still, after meeting the owner, my drinking has decreased a lot…
I still like it though.”
“You don’t have nightmares, do you?
It’s one of the first hints I made when manipulating you.
You won’t have nightmares on the day you met me. It was to make you depend on me.
I don’t have to hint at you anymore, but I feel bad when I have nightmares every day I don’t see you.
If you want, I’ll keep you from cheating for the rest of your life.”
Jiah Kang raised her head as she spoke while eating porridge indifferently.
Behind her back, her tail slid over her and tickled her on my arm.
“I thought it would.
I am amazed every time I open my eyes in the morning. I haven’t slept as soundly as I have in days.
These are the days I’ve been dreaming of since I was little. Every time I had a bad night’s sleep, I thought that I would like to wake up feeling good at least for one day.”
“I’m sure. What’s good about having nightmares?”
At my words, Kang Ji-ah giggles.
“Yes.
But is it funny? I don’t have nightmares, so I think it’s better than not having it.”
“What?”
Wouldn’t it be nice not to have nightmares?
Is there any advantage to trauma?
If you want to use dog poop for medicine… What is that?
Looking at me with a questioning gaze, Kang Ji-ah looked at me and smiled.
It was a slightly bittersweet smile.
“I’ve been sharp-edged all my life, but in just a few days, I’ve loosened my mind a bit.”
“Isn’t that nice?”
“Like wounds on the body, wounds on the mind will wear out if left for a long time.
If I bury the memory of that day in my heart like this, my hatred for my enemies will fade someday.
You can’t do that. Until you get your revenge on him…
You can take a break, but you can’t stop.”
She made her determination bravely.
She was taken aback by the unexpected answer.
My hand movement, which was moving the porridge into my mouth, stopped for a moment.
“If you want to…”
I tried to speak as calmly as possible, but I couldn’t stop my voice from shaking with anticipation.
It was a moment of glimpse of the dark passion that remained intact in her heart.
She deliberately cut off her leg to escape, lest she shed a drop of her hatred for her foe.
Common sense wise, stupid judgment. It is a decision that does not benefit Kang Ji-ah herself.
The human heart is very sensitive to internal wounds.
The reason people with trauma put a lid on painful memories is to protect themselves.
‘Cause I can’t stand it otherwise.
She chose the thorny path. Right now, I’m still fine, but if I look at the vengeance of the years with no promise, my heart might be completely broken.
Of course, I have no intention of leaving it like that.
I’ll help you when you’re about to break
No matter how long it takes, I will watch the ending you will meet.
So don’t hesitate and do whatever you want.
Thinking so, she smiled evilly, but she opened her mouth.
“Master, you know what?
I was a bit scared when I saw the owner breaking the commander’s heart and making it again.
I wondered if I could be like that too, maybe after the whole thing has already been changed.”
“It’s a natural thought. So you’re not scared now?”
“The master is neither a good person nor a bad person.
He is just a man who is faithful to his desires. I knew that the way Master looked at the unit commander and the way he looked at me and the commander was different.”
“How are they different?”
“Master, when you see me or the Commander, you… Do you look down on me?
You think he’s his man?
I think you will cherish me like you care for your members.
It’s not scary if you think about it that way. Being the owner’s bitch makes me happy…”
Jiah Kang said shyly.
I laughed out loud when I heard her say it.
As she clapped and twisted her body, the finished bowl of porridge fell to the floor.
Without saying a word, she bent down to pick up her bowl and put it in the empty saucepan to tidy it up.
It took a while for my laughter to stop.
“You are really fast.
That’s right, I will love and cherish you. But my way is far from ordinary happiness?
Did you forget you’re being manipulated into feeling happy when you’re treated like a bitch by me?
I will continue to suggest and eat you as much as you like.”
“It doesn’t matter if the master is a pervert.
Didn’t you try not to touch my heart itself?”
Let’s say it like a test, Kang Ji-ah answers without hesitation.
I was genuinely surprised.
I didn’t know that I would be caught up to this extent.
Aside from being a person who shares secrets, he is really quick-witted.
“That’s great. Is this the joy of connecting with your dog?”
“Where else is a smart bitch like me?”
Kang Jia shrugs her shoulders.
A leather choker wrapped around her neck caught her eye.
“Yeah, originally I was going to hang a lead on that choker and play naked walking in the middle of the night.
You didn’t even have a chance to do it because you rushed so quickly.
This is why I don’t like dogs with good senses.”
“Ha, a nighttime naked walk…?!”
Kang Ji-ah was disgusted for a moment.
But that’s just a reaction from the stereotypes he’s built up as a human being.
After a while, she began to exhale raggedly through her reddened cheeks.
Did you imagine any details?
Pretending she couldn’t win, she looked up at me.
His eyes were full of desire and shame.
“It’s dangerous if someone finds out… But if you think about it, I can detect it in advance and avoid it!
If you strengthen your knees with magical power, your skin won’t even be burned!”
“What are you arguing about, you bastard?
You said there’s no chance for that anymore.
You have to disappear from here today.”
“… It was.”
Kang Ji-ah bowed her head sullenly.
On her way to the tent, she discussed her treatment.
According to the unit commander, Kang Ji-ah was stamped by the emperor.
If the empire hates the emperor, nine out of ten people will die, and even if they manage to save their lives, they will not be able to live in the sun.
In fact, she would have been dead if it had not been for an order to dispose of it quietly by unofficial means.
Even though she has her sub-captain in her hands, there is no guarantee that her informant is only her.
For Kang Jia’s safety, she had no choice but to hide her traces without being seen by anyone.
Even when she came here, she moved with great care not to attract attention.
Fortunately, most of the people were eating, so no one was able to notice.
Even if she disappears, no one will notice her.
“Come to think of it, you said you didn’t have a good relationship with your teammates.
You’ll have to stay in this tent for a while, so we won’t see each other again.
The aftertaste was unpleasant until the very end.”
“Ah… You don’t have to worry about that.”
She said.
“When the owner was just taken to the infirmary, the crew came to see me.
I guess Master and I didn’t know how to persuade the Commander to save them.
Of course, it was almost done by the owner alone… Anyway, I received an apology for what happened, and it worked out well.”
“To be honest?”
“…It’s true that we apologized to each other.
I got annoyed when I talked about it, so I ended up exchanging swear words…”
What would it be
There’s no way the gaps of years can be so easily remedied.
“But after that, I felt relieved.
If you think about it, I’m not proud of myself, and I think it was a relationship where I couldn’t open my heart from the first button.”
“Yeah… Then that’s it.
Someday, when the kite touches, there will be something to meet again.
Oh, the porridge was delicious.”
“Nothing… I can do this much anytime.”
I thanked Jia Kang and corrected her posture.
The time for eating and chatting is over.
Now it’s time to have a serious talk.
It’s been five years since I enlisted in the hunting unit to gather miasma.
There was a lot of talk and a lot of trouble, but I spent the past five years faithfully in my own way.
The day has finally come to leave here.
I thought that a day like this would never come.
No matter how I feel, I feel a little sentimental.
I didn’t have much time to indulge in sentiment.
I opened my mouth to discuss after leaving the hunting unit.
