Haetae.
In Korean folklore, the haetae is a scaled goat-like creature that was believed to know right from wrong, and helped pass judgement on guilty and innocent parties.
Choi Gayoung is the last known Haetae to exist in the world. Lee Yeon is...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Lee Rang liked to think he knew Choi Gayoung, the sole Haetae, more than well enough after two decades of their odd friendship. Granted, they weren't always great friends; they clashed much too often, seeing as how he purposely stuck to his path of darkness while she radiated light to the point it was nauseating, but considering that after every time they butted heads, it wasn't long until they were back to defending each other from anyone who had something to say about them.
Lee Rang worried over her and her unfortunate soft spot for his older brother, who didn't deserve it. Plus, it felt nice to have an actual friend who didn't just tell him he was right all the time but was genuinely concerned for him.
Gayoung worried that he wouldn't allow himself any type of life outside of seeking vengeance from Yeon. She felt that he was more than justified in wanting Yeon dead after being abandoned twice, effectively becoming homeless, losing his only friend, and almost getting killed by your brother.
But what else did he have going for his life?
When he wasn't scheming a way to kill Yeon, what else was there for him?
Now why was Rang going over all this with himself when he already knew all this?
Because the Gayoung in front of him wasn't any of the Gayoungs that he knew.
"You have work in the morning," Rang commented, eyeing the giant bottles of wine on the table. "Showing up hungover at the bureau can't be a good look for you."
Gayoung shook her head, throwing her head back, as she downed a bottle of wine and then let out a sigh of relief when she was finished. She poured another glass of wine for herself, knowing Rang was staring at her like, well, a fox and was subtly trying to take the bottles off the table and hide them from her.
"Wol-yeong's going to break up with me. That warrants me drinking myself stupid," She told Rang, feeling slightly dizzy. "Stop being sober and drink with me, stupid. You've been begging me to act more like you, and when I do, you leave me to get drunk alone."
"What do you mean Wol-yeong's going to break up with you? Did he say it himself? What happened?" Rang asked her frantically.
Perhaps he was a bit too attached to her and Wol-yeong's relationship; perhaps he did see Wol-yeong as his big brother due to his attachment issues, but the moon god was nice, always smelt good because of his colognes, never said anything when Rang took his girlfriend away because he knew she was one source of genuine goodness, and had no problem admitting that he knew Rang to anyone despite the trouble he got himself into.
