mindwomanjigrave
(The Witch's Cat)
-The Witch's Cat-
W. Seolha
Trigger Warning,
There are numerous scenes of violence and some graphic depictions of gore that some viewers may find offensive.
Please be careful.
“What is going on?”
Huang Yi flinched at the Emperor's low, beast-like growl. "That, that—," he muttered, finding it extremely jarring to see. As the Emperor slammed the table before him, Huang Yi's shabby shoulders trembled violently. "What's wrong?" he asked. Huang Yi bowed his head and opened his mouth.
It was poison. The thin coating on the bottom and inside of the teacups scattered around the Hwabindang was clearly poison. The emperor, upon learning of this, ordered the young court lady who had served him to be imprisoned, but the young court lady had long since fled. A vein rose between the emperor's eyebrows. Anger. The rage that had bubbled up inside him, unknowingly, made him bite his lip as he screamed.
“Fix it, Your Majesty.”
Seokjin was simply dissatisfied with the emperor. Watching him harass the emperor, who had lost his temper despite his words, he sighed. The witch had collapsed. What's the big deal? After all, he was just a worthless traitor. However, Seokjin didn't have the confidence to face the emperor's wrath if he said those words out loud, so he chose to keep his mouth shut.
“...?”
The wide-open window, the large window of the witch's bedroom, was filled with a familiar breeze, and Seokjin instinctively glanced out the window. Pitch-black attire, a pitch-black mask—he must know him. As soon as he set his gaze on the figure, he quickly disappeared into the shadows, and Seokjin looked at him with a puzzled expression. Why would that person walk here? The attire and the aura were familiar to Seokjin, so he hid his doubts and approached the emperor once again.
All around, there were only suspicious things.
The witch wouldn't open her eyes. The emperor sent out men to investigate the poison she had consumed in detail, but no one could pinpoint its ingredients. The emperor's scolding continued throughout the palace. "If you don't figure it out, you'll be beheaded," the emperor threatened, but no one could figure out the poison. The witch lay as if dead, her face pale and ghastly.
That day, I searched for the young court lady who had served Hongwol and me tea, but I couldn't find any trace of her. Had she sunk into the ground or risen to the sky? Clearly, their faces met, yet no one had seen the young court lady who had left the Hwabindang that way. I searched the palace like a mouse, gathering every court lady within to confirm her appearance, but I couldn't find anyone who looked like her. The Emperor's sigh deepened.
People were saying that the emperor was crazy. In the dim dawn just before sunrise, the emperor would head to the Hwabin Hall. He would be followed by the pale-faced Dojejo, and the emperor would not emerge from the Hwabin Hall until the sun had risen and breakfast was about to begin. Rumors spread through the palace maids and ministers, and even to the capital. The rumor that the 39th emperor, who protected the nation, was now possessed by a witch was widespread.
Seokjin clutched his forehead and banged his head on the desk. How could his lord do such a foolish thing? He had secretly sent someone to inspect the streets of the capital, and they were filled with stories of the emperor and the witch. It seemed as if the people were on the verge of losing their hearts. At first, Seokjin had hoped the witch would quickly get up and leave, but now he was wishing she would just suddenly stop breathing. Seokjin sighed. Even when the subordinate who had given Seokjin the order to summon anyone skilled in herbal medicine to the palace left the room, Seokjin's furrowed brow remained unshaken.
"I meet the master craftsman."
Seokjin studied the unfamiliar man before him carefully. His gaze, upon this man who had come to him clad in a garb of valuables—his clothes, his ring, everything—was so fierce that he closed his eyes tightly, fearing that Seokjin's subordinate, who had personally brought the unfamiliar man, might strike him.
"You're good at herbs and medicine?"
"Yes, I think medicine is a skill that is too embarrassing to show off, but I can confidently say that I know a lot about all kinds of herbs because I spent time living in the mountains as a child."
"Well then, can you be sure that you know a lot about poisonous plants?"
"yes,"
"If so, what cures poison?"
"It's not impossible. If we know what poison was ingested, and there's an antidote, it can be cured."
"...okay?"
"That's right," Seokjin's lips slightly lifted. The man remained motionless, even at the sight of her graceful form. He simply smiled back at Seokjin.
"The person you're going to cure from now on. No, even if the person you're going to cure is a witch?"
Seokjin wanted to test the man before him. He wanted to see those straight shoulders, unfazed by the long journey from entering this palace to standing before him, hunched. He wanted to see those deep, deep blue eyes, meeting his gaze, darken. "He has no bad taste," Seokjin thought.
"Of course."
The answer that came out of his mouth wasn't what Seokjin had hoped for, so Seokjin frowned, his beautiful, wrinkle-free brows furrowing. ...Why? In response to that question, the man revealed a deep dimple and replied:
"Even if they are witches, they are all living beings, so why would you be reluctant?"
"...That's just lip service."
The man simply offered a faint smile. At Seokjin's words, "Take him to His Majesty," the court lady carefully led the man away. A wry smile tugged at Seokjin's lips.
* * *
The long, long dream always came, squeezing Hongwol's neck. What was squeezing the dream's owner was less a dream and more a distant memory. It was something from a very, very long time ago, buried and never thought to be brought up again.
The girl was holding an unrecognizable corpse, its flesh completely devoured by a beast. Dark red blood clung to the girl's tiny body, but despite this, she only held it with even greater care. She cried. Pieces of cloth, clearly torn and thrown away, with faces distorted beyond recognition, soaked in blood, clung to the woman's body. The marks of the beast's teeth and claws were so vivid that the girl shuddered at the sight, yet she could not let go of the corpse. The sight of the blood-stained wounds on the woman's body stirred a rage in her. It was undeniable.
Next, the entire village was awash in crimson, even the sky a familiar bloody hue. The girl's black eyes glowed crimson. The sound of someone's agonized screams filled the air. Despite the deafening roar, the girl walked into the village without blinking. Those red eyes were utterly hollow. Wherever those deep, crimson eyes touched, flames erupted, and wherever her light footsteps touched, they turned to ash. Half-thrown into the blazing flames, those who harbored clear resentment toward the girl hurled stones at her, and she gladly took them. Thick blood flowed down her pale forehead. The screams of those who watched the girl, who continued to walk through the village with light steps, echoed.
When people from other villages belatedly arrived at the village, now reduced to nothing more than ruins, they were greeted by a desolate land devoid of any trace of life, and a single tombstone erected by unknown author. The faces of those who witnessed the charred corpses strewn about were etched with horror. As everyone fled, captivated by the horrific sight, one boy came across a flower standing before the stone tombstone. It was a scarlet tiger flower, unusually brimming with life.
When she opened her eyes, the face that entered her field of vision was familiar yet strangely unfamiliar, so Hongwol frowned slightly. She blinked her red eyes and focused several times, then the face that was clearly in her sight took on a blank expression she had never seen before. The man burst into laughter. Every time the corners of his mouth rose, the dimple in the center of his cheek dipped deep. It was a beautiful smile.
"Are you coming to your senses now?"
"Why are you here?"
"It's been a while since the nine-tailed fox came to see me, so I was able to leave the throne to her in peace."
"I've been wanting to see your face for a while now," the man said, his dimples still visible. "The nine-tailed fox" clearly meant Jimin. Hongwol narrowed her eyes and carefully examined the man before her. He wasn't supposed to be here. More accurately, he shouldn't be here.
"It's nice to see your face after a long time."
Because he was the king of a nation. Gyeongguk, the king of a small but powerful nation, was renowned for his wisdom and benevolence. He risked his life to oppose the tyranny of his predecessors, beheaded them, and ascended the throne with the crown placed on his own head. Although he was said to be without blood or tears, his love for his country was unparalleled. He was known as the 23rd king of Gyeongguk and a sage ruler praised by the people. However, this was not the case. He
"How did you end up drinking poison? It must have been a bit much for you to endure. Of course, you won't die."
"...Okay, let's do something about those scales on your face."
"Oh, no-,"
It was a snake.
Hundreds of years ago, Gyeongguk, which once served the whale and king of the sea, fell into the hands of foxes. The one who would ascend to the throne would surely be a gumiho. A fox that grows nine tails over a thousand years. Only one gumiho could endure all those eons and reign over Gyeongguk. The previous king of Gyeongguk, who was beheaded by his own son, was that gumiho. The son of the previous king of Gyeongguk wandered the entire continent. I will not live like my father. I will not live my life ignoring state affairs and indulging in women and drinking. Unlike my father, who was once called a sage king but ended up becoming a tyrant, I once wanted to remain a sage king until the end if I was to be called a sage king. The son of the previous king with nine tails left Gyeongguk on the spot, leaving my representative on the throne.
"Now that the real king has come, shouldn't a fake king like me get some rest?"
“Why, when he is a king who is even praised as a saint.”
"Well, I don't really need that kind of praise."
Her body, intoxicated by the poison, swayed and swayed. Hongwol, who was trying to get up but stumbled violently, was gently picked up by Namjoon. "You've only woken up after five days, so be careful," he said, and Hongwol's eyes widened. "Five days?" Hearing her ask that question was quite amusing, Namjoon replied with a smile. "Yeah, five days."
Namjoon said the poison I had consumed was the most lethal of poisons. If it were a normal person, it would spread throughout their body the moment they drank it, killing them in seconds. Hearing that, Hongwol felt a strange parched sensation in her throat, so she quickly drank the water in the teacup next to her. The unpleasant, bloody aroma from the tea she'd drank while sitting with the emperor was gone.
"How did you get in here? The Emperor wouldn't have let you in so kindly."
"Ah, I must have been hallucinating a little. You wouldn't even dream of me being the king of Gyeongguk. You'd see me as a completely different person."
"Even so, it couldn't have been easy to get here, could it? It's not like you can show off your skills like a gumiho..."
Namjoon flashed his usual smile at Hongwol's words. "I'm currently in the favor of your emperor," he said, causing Hongwol to widen his eyes. "How?" At her question, Namjoon briefly recounted what had happened. From how the emperor's confidant, the Dojejo, sought out those skilled in the herbal medicine, to how Namjoon used him to gain access to the Hwabindang, and how he created a fever reducer suitable for the poison he had swallowed and gained the emperor's favor. Hongwol, hearing that he had suffered for two full days after the poison was removed due to his severe fever, could only gape in amazement at the story. Of course, Gyeongguk had been reluctant to protect his country. A king who gained the favor of an enemy nation? What could be more ridiculous?
They had a long conversation. The moonlit night was deep, but it was possible because no one was looking for Hongwol or Namjoon. They unraveled their stories, illuminated by the faint moonlight outside the window. Hongwol, having heard of Namjoon's whereabouts, inquired about the poison she had consumed. She knew better than anyone what the main ingredient was, but she couldn't be certain. The thick scent of blood from the tea lingered in her nostrils, making it all the more so. The scent of blood, the unmistakable scent of blood. Not the blood of an ordinary human, but that of a monster.
"The blood of the Seven Tailed Fox."
"Yeah, so that's why it was found in the palace."
"I don't know. I did my part by analyzing the poison."
"...."
"Doesn't anyone have a clue? You'll find plenty more than enough. Following blood trails is your specialty."
"...."
"That fox put quite a bit of blood in it."
Even Namjoon's playful remark, "I don't know who he is, but he must have left a bad impression on me," kept Hongwol's brows furrowed. Could someone as big as the Seven-Tailed Fox really be living in this protected country? Judging by the strong venom and the large amount of blood, he must be somewhere in the capital, or more specifically, within the palace. He was good at hiding his tracks. That's why finding him wouldn't be easy. Hongwol wrinkled her nose. She tried to remember the pungent scent of tea that had run down her throat. She tried to read the energy flowing through the air. Namjoon just stared at Hongwol's appearance. Hongwol sat up.
Hongwol leaped over the windowsill with a light movement, her jet-black hair fluttering in the night breeze. "See you later," Hongwol said, waving to Namjoon in the brief gap before falling. She plummeted to the ground.
Namjoon let out a hollow laugh. Only the night breeze blowing in from outside the window filled the space where Hongwol had been, and the smile on his lips wouldn't disappear. Hahaha-, Namjoon burst out laughing and sat up. Knowing it would be rude to be in an unoccupied room, Namjoon quickly hid his tracks and opened the door to Hwabindang, Hongwol's bedroom.
The empty space was filled only with moonlight.