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...
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"Gayoung. Wake up. Stop sleeping in and welcome the new day."
Gayoung let out a groan, shifting in her spot, feeling a mattress under her and blankets on top of her, opened her eyes and looked up at a white ceiling. She turned her head and stiffened at seeing Yeon sitting on the bed and staring at her. He had his hand on her knee and was previously shaking it to wake her up.
"There you are. I thought you had gotten sick and I was going to have to call in sick for you at work." Yeon said, a smile on his face now. He abandoned her knee to reach for her face, gingerly brushing a strand of her side bangs out of her face.
"Yeon? What are you doing here?" She asked him, confused on what had happened. The last thing she remembered was some nightmare version of Wol-yeong sticking his hand in her chest and squishing her heart.
Yeon leaned back, raising a brow at her and looked confused by her sudden questions.
"Where else would I be if not in our home? Silly cat, are you still asleep?" He asked, looking at her in amusement.
He stood up from the bed and was about to leave the bedroom when Gayoung abruptly got up out of bed and faced him. She stared at Yeon, unsure if this was really him or another nightmare version, with uncertainty.
"Marriage?" She asked, sounding offended by the idea. "After Yeon abandoned me on our wedding day to go back to waiting around for the ghost for his first love? Do I look stupid to you? I've already been spending all day getting tortured by painful memories of the past and this is no different."
"Yeon" fell silent as he stared at her. He stood there unmoving, she kept her hands behind her back feeling for Judgement who morphed into a dagger in her hand, and suddenly it was like a lightbulb went off in his head. He walked forward, stopping in front of Gayoung, bent down and kissed her cheek with an affectionate smile on his face.
"You're really keeping me to my vows of earning your forgiveness of that aren't you?" "Yeon" asked, standing up straight. "Six centuries, and a near death experience really isn't enough to make up for the past is it? Come on. You can tell me how much of a fool I was for not marrying you instantly when we first met over breakfast."
"Yeon" grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers, the cold metal of his ring on his ring finger pressing against her warm skin and began leading her out of the bedroom. Her other hand was still clutching Judgement, her eyes never leaving his back, following him since she was sure that somewhere in this fake dream was the exit out of her personal hellscape.
