Daldal: Main story

Chapter 5

"You useless guy!"

Mr. Cho's shouting hits him hard. Its ferocious spirit was no less than that of a wild boar charging at a person after spotting it. Eun-oh, feeling the ominous force, took a step back as if pushed by an invisible energy and lowered his head.

"What in the world do you know how to do properly!"

"..sorry."

Eun-oh offered his apology in a lifeless voice. Internally, he thought, Oh, that old man caught the crazies.

For a month now, life as a slave had been full of insults, both in what he gained and what he lost. Mr. Cho's temperament was consistently vile. He berated Eun-oh at least ten times a day, with the content generally the same: useless, detestable, scum, a guy who is worse than Sanggu. In this context, "dongji" and "sanggu" referred to female and male dogs guarding the barn, In other words, it means that he is worse than a dog.

However, Mr. Cho was somewhat fair in his cruelty. He didn't reserve his outbursts solely for Eun-oh. If there was even a hint of a complaint, he lashed out at anyone, creating an atmosphere where the household servants were kept busy badmouthing him in his absence. They all echoed a similar sentiment: he must be bored, as he's caught the "crazies" again.

Curious as to why Mr. Cho was always so angry, Eun-oh finally realized after eavesdropping on their conversations.

In reality, Eun-oh was unfamiliar with the precise meaning of "caught the crazies," a term that greeted his ears for the first time. However, it bore the semblance of an ailment. Diseases, he mused, inherently bring suffering. Mr. Cho, in this context, appeared to be ensnared by the throes of a painful affliction. These reflections elicited a poignant touch of sympathy.

However, getting used to to his verbal abuse, which erupted at any opportunity, was not an easy task. Mr. Cho had an exceptionally strong voice. Perhaps that was the only thing strong about him. Distorting his naturally unpleasant demeanor, he resembled a vengeful spirit.

He was smaller than the imposing butcher, but his temperament was much fiercer. Even someone as unsociable as Eun-oh found him unbearable. Thus, despite the sympathy, Eun-oh's feelings toward Mr. Cho worsened day by day.

"You eat so well, yet why do you work like this! How many cracked jars and wasted water are there! If you're blinded, at least look at the floor!"

Eun-oh averted his gaze, staring at what Mr. Cho was pointing at. Fragments of a broken jar were scattered on the floor. Pieces of the jar that Eun-oh couldn't bear the weight of and accidentally dropped. So, Mr. Cho's "caught the crazies" was not entirely baseless. Eun-oh had provided him with a reason.

No matter how much he bowed his head and apologized, Mr. Cho's tirade showed no signs of stopping. Under the onslaught of his short-lived dignity being overturned, Eun-oh's shoulders shrunk, almost reaching up to his jaw.

At this moment, Ae, who had been observing the situation from a distance, abruptly intervened.

"Stop it already. Why are you making him do such things? Mr. Cho is the one who's out of his mind. Look at this. How can a kid like him, who looks so innocent, move a jar as big as him? Have you ever seen him break something you asked him to do? Just let him be, okay? Maybe you're upset because he can't catch you! Anyway, there are various ways to handle people."

Ae was the only one in the mansion who treated Eun-oh like a person. She was usually called "Ae" by the others, cause she was the oldest here, and was responsible for the slaves' meals.

Of course, not everyone called her by that name: Mr. Cho.

"Oh-Ho! How dare this woman blabber so much!"