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.
The court ladies of Hwabindang rarely opened their tightly shut mouths. Because the mistress of the palace they served was a witch, a traitor, uttering a word of nonsense would render their lives worthless, like moths before a flame. They were people who knew how to cherish their own lives. Perhaps it was the Hwabindang itself, perhaps, that best understood this fact.
Yes, but since their eyes and ears were still working well, rumors about the emperor who walked to Hwabindang every day at dawn spread even among the palace maids there. It was different from the rumors outside the palace, or rather outside the Hwabindang, that the emperor was doing something. The reason rumors grew bigger and bigger was because they were passed on through their mouths. Many of the palace maids were betting a single copper coin on whether he would come today, and Hongwol listened to the sounds leaking out through the small crack in the door. Namjoon had scoffed at Namjoon's words, "The emperor was quite fond of you," but seeing the commotion outside even in the dim light just before dawn, she wondered if that was true. Hongwol stuck her head out the window. The cool dawn breeze gently caressed her face, and at the same time, a now familiar scent permeated the air. Hongwol smiled faintly.
“Would you please prepare some tea and snacks?”
“Yeah... yeah? yeah? huh?”
“Tea and refreshments. I don’t have much time, so bring something at least.”
And if His Majesty happens to walk, take him to the next room. The door that hadn't been opened for six days creaked open, and the witch's voice was heard. A young court lady who had been dozing off from the early rise was startled. Then, at Hongwol's ceaseless demands, the court lady nodded with a bewildered face and said, "Just a moment!" before running down the hallway. Hongwol, who had been watching them from afar, closed the door with a thud. He was really curious to see what kind of expression that face he hadn't seen in a long time would make.
Unlike usual, the Hwabindang was noisy. The commotion made Yoongi hesitate, and those who had been shouting for him to hurry bowed their heads at the sight of the emperor. Something was off. And as far as I knew, there was only one person who could have caused such a commotion in the Hwabindang. Before Seokjin could even stop him, Yoongi dashed into the Hwabindang palace. Leaving Seokjin shouting, "What the hell happened!", Yoongi sprinted into the Hwabindang.
Even though it wasn't a long distance, the feeling of suffocation was incredibly uncomfortable. Standing in front of the firmly closed door, Yoon-gi took a deep breath. Unlike the bustling atmosphere of the palace, the room in front of the sleeping Hong-wol was eerily quiet, and Yoon-gi didn't even like that silence. No, to be honest, it was unsettling. The scenery today was quite different from the mornings he'd seen at Hwabindang for the past five days, the seemingly busy appearances of the Hwabindang court ladies, their anxious expressions—all of this made him anxious, wondering if something was wrong with Hong-wol.
“...is there anything?”
No one answered Yoongi's voice, which was uttered through a thin door. Nevertheless, Yoongi reached out to the tightly closed door and, despite receiving no response, said, "Come in." He then opened the door.
“....”
No. Nowhere. There was no trace of the witch. The wind that blew through the wide-open window ruffled the air in the room. The warmth clung to the edge of the blanket, as if someone had just been there. Everything in the room proved Hongwol had been there. But Hongwol was not there. That was the moment when Yoongi's face distorted horribly.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty...”
“...where is the witch?”
The emperor exuded such a heavy, murderous aura that his small body trembled. The palace maid, her face ashen, couldn't continue her words, "That, that..." The emperor, with an angry step, grabbed her by the collar. "Tell me, where is he?" His voice was filled with coldness. With trembling fingers, the palace maid pointed to one of the many rooms in the corridor, and the emperor, who had been holding her by the collar, threw her away.
"Are you here?"
"...."
"I heard late that you were walking, so the refreshments are not very good."
Yoon-ki's hands trembled slightly as he opened the door the court lady had pointed out. The moment he opened it, the woman, sitting quietly, raised her head, as if waiting for someone, and her expression was so calm that Yoon-ki blinked slowly. Was what he was seeing an illusion, or was it real? Hong-wol's lips slowly lifted, a bright smile captured in those eyes. He couldn't help but feel truly calm. Indeed, for someone who had barely survived, her smile was incredibly calm.
With a throat that felt as if it had been washed, and a beautiful voice flowing out clearly, Yoongi stepped forward without thinking. As he gazed at the healthy-faced Hongwol, the pale Hongwol that had been tormenting him like an illusion disappeared as if it had been washed away, and Yoongi was overcome with indescribable and complex emotions. The emperor, who had suddenly stood before the witch with such long strides, embraced her. Even when Hongwol questioned, “Your Majesty?”, he did not relax his arms holding her. Hongwol saw Seokjin, who had followed his lord lately, open his eyes. He bit his lip and glared at Hongwol.
The door is closed.
"...Why didn't you die?"
"Did you wish to die?"
"Isn't that something you should say to me, who's looking for a way to kill you?"
"That's not something that Your Majesty, who walks to my residence every day, should be saying."
Yunki's arm tightened. Hongwol closed her eyes lazily, their bodies pressed against each other. Warm body heat flowed through Hongwol's cold body, and Yunki, looking down at her face, said, "Even if I die, you must grant me one thing I want." He muttered a ridiculous excuse. Hongwol burst into laughter.
"I'll grant your wish if Your Majesty finds a way to kill me."
"Funny." Hongwol let out a laugh and escaped Yoongi's embrace. Before the cold dawn air could even fill the gap, Hongwol's body staggered, and she opened her eyes in surprise, once again in Yoongi's arms. Hongwol looked up at Yoongi's strong arms, tightly wrapped around her waist, as if refusing to let go. "I hoped you wouldn't die," Yoongi said calmly, meeting her eyes. Hongwol quickly lowered her eyes. "You're either crazy, or momentarily out of your mind, aren't you?" Yoongi burst out laughing at those words. It was because his voice, daring to blurt out such nonsense in front of the emperor of the nation, was incredibly calm. Yoongi's head dropped. Something touched his shoulder, causing Hongwol to flinch. "You never know."
"I'm crazy,"
"...."
"I guess I'll just have to think about it if I'm not in my right mind."
"Don't die, don't die now," Yoon-gi muttered. Hong-wol muttered back, feeling the arm gripping her waist tremble for a moment.
"...Okay."
A small hand patted her arm. Hongwol flinched, then gently offered her arms to the man who was digging deep into her again.
Those red eyes sunk deep into the darkness.
* * *
The term witch cat refers to a cat that kills its owner.
First of all, the bloodline must be imbued with the energy of a tiger.
Secondly, you will have to obey the witch who will be your master.
Thirdly, ...
“If I tell you the contents of the third stone, what will you give me in return?”
"Jungkook said," he said. He swallowed hard, watching Hongwol's crimson eyes, once filled with mad joy, darken once more. "Price?" the voice was utterly chilling. Nevertheless, what allowed Jungkook to speak confidently was the slightest hint of curiosity in those red eyes. "Yes, price."
“I see you want something.”
“...Yes.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“...the fruit of the tiger flower, the white petals of the camellia, the red leaves of the snowdrop,”
“....”
“Please save these.”
“...Where are they going to be used?
"Where on earth do tiger flowers bear fruit? And the red camellia blossoms with red petals. And the fact that the leaves of the snowdrop are red is something I've never heard of before," Hongwol said. "Those are the kind of things you'd expect from a legend. They were all just ridiculous."
"These are the things that have long been circulated in Hoguk, oral traditions that have been passed down for ages. They are so old that even in Hoguk, only a handful of people remember them, making them obscure and unknown."
“Please save me from things that are only found in oral tradition, that’s what I’m saying.”
“...Yes.”
"Yes, that's true, but where on earth do you get the fruit that never opens, the petals that never bloom, and the leaves that never open? Aren't you being too tied to oral tradition?"
“...The existence of witches is nothing more than something that has been passed down through oral tradition.”
"...her?"
“But now, it exists right before my eyes.”
“...So, in a situation where witches exist, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t exist, right?”
Instead of answering, Jeongguk simply raised the corners of his mouth and smiled. Hongwol let out a hollow laugh, as if she was feeling a bit irritated. Hongwol, who had brushed back her tangled, wavy hair in the gentle breeze, looked down at Jeongguk with her usual crimson eyes. "Good, I'll see about it," Jeongguk's face brightened at that reply.
“Let me ask you something.”
“Please ask.”
“What can you do with those seemingly useless things?”
“....”
“What on earth does that rumor mean, that arrogant fox is giving me a hard time—”
How curious. Hongwol's eyes were half-closed, revealing a delicate crescent moon shape. Although he was bowing down to me now, Jeongguk was a Seven-Tailed Fox. A monster that had lived for nearly 800 years, one every hundred years. Even though he was now confined to the narrow imperial palace of this nation, it was clear that he was a being that could not be ignored if he were to step outside of it. It was clear that he did not need to bow down to me, a witch who had only lived for a few hundred years. Hongwol examined Jeongguk closely with her usual crimson eyes. The faint wrinkles between her eyebrows deepened, as if she was deeply contemplating something.
“...You must know that the royal family, the protectors of the country, are born with the spirit of a tiger.”
Jeongguk opened his mouth. “I know,” Hongwol answered. Isn’t this a country whose national name uses the word “ho” (虎), meaning tiger?
"It's a tradition passed down from the beginning. If you gather the fruit of the tiger lily, the white petals of the camellia, and the red leaves of the snowdrop,
“....”
“...I heard that the tiger energy contained in that bloodline can be erased.”
"...."
"To become a witch, you must be born with the spirit of a tiger. So, in this palace, aren't there two people who can become your witch?"
"So, you're saying you'll use that material on the crown prince?"
"you're right."
"...Who told you about that material?"
“It’s just an oral tradition… but since the one who spread that oral tradition was none other than the first Min clan, it would be right to see that oral tradition as correct.”
"...what?"
Hongwol's eyes widened. She seemed to chew on Jeongguk's words over and over again, and then finally, the corners of her pretty lips lifted and she burst into laughter. Unable to hold back the laughter that was escaping, she finally said, "Hahaha," arching her back and bursting into laughter.
"Yes, that's what the first Min said." Hongwol muttered, staring down at Jeongguk, who was wearing a bewildered expression.
"Those three things, I promise to save you. I promise."
“...Do you know how to save it?”
“Can you tell me a funny story?”
“...?”
“The Emperor of the beginning of the nation was only a human, so how could he have the spirit of a tiger?”
"...that,"
“Do you know who gave you that power?”
Jeongguk shook his head, his lips tightly shut. He clearly didn't know. Hongwol's lips quirked upwards.
"Witches are semi-immortal beings, but they are born as humans like everyone else. They begin life as extremely weak and feeble beings."
“...”
“Then at some point, when they are swept up in a very, very strong emotion or when they want something very badly, they go through a stage called enlightenment.”
"...flowering..."
“As a mere human, the first place I visited after enlightenment was this land of the Eastern Continent.”
"...! no way,"
"I established a nation. I laid the foundations of the nation, built this palace, breathed the spirit of the tiger into the one I loved most, and gifted this nation to him."
"...crazy..."
“Mr. Cho, Min, is my most beloved person,”
“....”
“This is my first witch’s grave.”
A bright smile played on Hongwol's lips. Watching Jeongguk repeat the phrase, "This is nonsense," as if he'd lost his mind, Hongwol rested her chin on her hand and opened her mouth. "Chil-Tailed Fox," the call brought Jeongguk back to his senses, and his black eyes met Hongwol's crimson ones. Jeongguk stared intently into those gently curved red eyes.
"It's never easy to obtain those three ingredients. If I'm not careful, I might lose my witch's tomb."
“....”
“Let’s do this. In exchange for keeping the fact that you are the Seven-Tailed Fox a secret from everyone in this palace, I will receive the contents of the third paragraph of the tombstone.”
Hongwol smiled brightly.
“If I get you the ingredients, what will you do for me?”
In that brief silence, a blue light flickered in Jeongguk's eyes. Soon, Jeongguk, who had been frowning deeply, opened his mouth again. Hongwol seemed quite pleased with the words that flowed from those thin lips. Perhaps, Hongwol nodded with a bright smile, one that few could quite match. "I will."
“...I will help the Emperor become a witch.”