Daldal: Main story

Chapter 103

In the center of the vast city of western province, around an hour's journey south from the bustling Changhyun, lies a rural town where the people of Western provinces gather.

In one of the town lanes, there was a person running around in a state of disaster.

It was Eun-oh.

"Haah, Ha! Heo-eok!"

Eun-oh's breath tightened at his throat.

Running aimlessly to the point of exhaustion, he felt lightheaded from the lack of air. He paused for a moment, wiping the sweat gathered on his chin and catching his breath.

Yeoul, who had been leading the way, rushed over and bit onto Eun-oh's hem, shaking him, to run faster.

"Got it. Just a moment..., hah... ha, just a short break...!"

Instead, Eun-oh collapsed, unable to move even if someone were to beat him.

Yeoul anxiously looked around. It was because of the narrow escape from the kidnapper.

The escape had been made through a side alley to avoid detection.

Entering through the paper window was the easy part for Yeoul. The real challenge was the rope. Without a moment of pause, Yeoul began tearing at the rope binding Eun-oh's wrists. Despite the tough resistance of the rope, and the vigorous effort accompanied by growls and grinding sounds, it took a considerable time to undo it. Once the arms were freed, everything proceeded swiftly.

Having successfully untied the rope and escaped, luck was not on their side. Of all things, they ran into the kidnapper right after leaving. The kidnapper charged towards Eun-oh, exclaiming, 'You!' and with no chance to dodge, Eun-oh, feeling exasperated, delivered a powerful headbutt.

Fortunately, the attack landed effectively.

The kidnapper, holding his nose, stumbled back. It seemed Eun-oh's head butt was forceful enough to cause a nosebleed. However, Eun-oh's forehead didn't escape unscathed. With a throbbing lump, he had to endure some discomfort while holding his injured forehead.

The kidnapper whined, saying 'Oh, I'm dying! Help! I'm getting murdered!'

After regaining his senses, Eun-oh simply darted away. Not knowing where to go, he ran forward without looking back.

And that brings us to the present.

While Eun-oh caught his breath, Yeoul perked up his large ears, sensing the surroundings. Seeing that Yeoul wasn't alerting him of a imminent threat, Eun-oh sighed in relief, sweeping his hand across his chest.

"Ugh, I'm so tired to death."

It had been a long sprint. It hurt as if his lungs were about to tear apart. At this point, whether he died here or faced the young master's wrath, everything seemed equally bleak, making him regret his reckless escape from Chae Ga-won.

It took a considerable amount of time for his heart to settle into a more normal rhythm. Once somewhat composed, Eun-oh looked around regaining his composure. In the darkness of the night, there wasn't much to see except for the white figure of Yeoul, being barely distinguishable.

Anyway, staying here until daylight wasn't an option. Thus, with a "huff!" Eun-oh propelled himself upright.

"Let's go now. Towards somewhere a bit brighter."

He didn't know where to go, but moving towards a place with some light seemed like a good idea. Yeoul, with its keen night vision, led the way.

Following Yeoul was the only option for now.

How long had they been walking? What part of the long night were they in now?

Eun-oh briskly walked, looking at the moon in the sky. Despite only seeing a round moon, being able to walk at all was largely thanks to Yeoul.

Yeoul was doing an excellent job as a guide. Occasionally, he would sway its head, turning around in circles in confusion, but quickly found the right direction. In reality, on a night like this, Yeoul couldn't see well ahead either. However, he developed sense of hearing and smell helped navigate the way.

It felt like about an hour had passed when finally a cluster of lights appeared in the distance. Eun-oh, relieved, praised Yeoul.

"Well done, Yeoul. We should be good heading in that direction."

Yeoul seemed to find comfort as well, chuckling at the sight of the lights.

They quickened their pace towards the illuminated area. As they approached, the lights brightened their field of vision.

People began to appear, one by one.

Eventually, they reached the destination. The street was somewhat quiet, but thanks to the lanterns adorning various buildings, it was brightly lit. Eun-oh surveyed his surroundings, strolling slowly. Vibrant with the scent of alcohol and buzzing with the restlessness of revelers... Amidst the unfamiliar scenery, what caught his eye the most were the people engaged in street performances.

Women standing in front of their shops, gesturing and smiling at passersby.

Each one proudly displaying their large cleavage.

It seemed like the street he had visited with the young master in spring, but the more he looked, the less it resembled it.

The atmosphere was oddly different. Darker, perhaps, or one could say, more dirty.

Despite reaching a well-lit area, the next challenge was deciding where to go. Eun-oh, wandering aimlessly, suddenly remembered the money Kang-hee had provided. He stopped, feeling for the money in his pocket.

"Ah, here it is."

Fortunately, the money pouch was intact, much to Eun-oh's relief. As he opened his pocket to confirm the presence of the money.

Someone exclaimed

"Oh my, what's this? Is that a dog?"

"A dog with ears that big? Doesn't it look like a fox?"

"A fox? Why would a fox be in a place like this?"

Murmurs and curious glances gathered around Eun-oh, specifically directed at the creature beneath him. More precisely, towards Yeoul at his feet. Sensing the attention, Yeoul perked up his ears, then crawled between Eun-oh's legs and crouched down. While he had enjoyed being admired in Chae Ga-won, being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people made Yeoul anxious.

Clearly, it wasn't an ideal place for a fox.
Eun-oh quickly scooped up Yeoul.

In response, Yeoul nestled its face between Eun-oh's armpits.

Eun-oh, looking for a less crowded spot to escape the uncomfortable stares, wandered around the relatively secluded area.

However

"......!"

Suddenly, someone grabbed his shoulder from behind. Eun-oh, startled, swallowed hard.

No way! Startled, Eun-oh slowly turned his head. Fortunately, the person in his line of sight wasn't the kidnapper.

It was someone else.

"Hmm? I thought so, and I was right."

Eun-oh looked at the man who seemed to recognize him with confusion. On closer look, the face seemed oddly familiar.

"Look at this guy. Instead of being happy to see me, he acts like he's seeing me for the first time? My face isn't one that's easily forgettable."

Whack!

The man folded his fan and lightly tapped Eun-oh's forehead. It was only then, looking at the fan, that Eun-oh realized the source of the strange familiarity from the man.

"It's been a while, you little servant."

That's right.

The man was none other than Jeon Su Gyeom, a friend of Chae Yoon-sa who had visited Chae Ga-won before.