IBMAW 08

Chapter #8

Hero

The storage shed was empty, but it looked like there had originally been shelves installed. Parts of the wall were discolored.

On the floor were scattered remnants—things that must have been dropped while everything was taken. Dried plant fragments like herbal medicine, pieces of jerky that looked gnawed by rats, broken metal that might have once been part of a hoe, bits of straw, and small scraps of fur…

Kim Juhwan crouched down beside the woman.

He had thought the woman and child were given to him.

But it seemed the opposite was true.

He had been given to them.

Perhaps this house had once belonged to the woman’s parents… or her husband.

‘So this is what happens to a family when the head of the household dies.’

I will never die.

I won’t leave my family like this.

Even if I die, I’ll crawl back up from hell and return to them.

Thinking that, Kim Juhwan carefully lifted the woman so as not to startle her.

She shouldn’t be sitting on the cold ground. He had heard it was bad for a woman’s body.

“It’s okay. I’m here. From now on, I’ll take care of everything and provide for us.”

As he carried her, he gently patted her back.

Even if she couldn’t understand the words, the comfort would come through.

“It’s okay… it’s okay…”

As he kept saying it, the woman—who had been stiff at first—eventually rested her face against his chest and began sobbing again.

Was it really that heartbreaking?

Even after they went inside, she cried for a long time.

There were no chairs. Kim Juhwan sat on the wooden floor, continuing to stroke her back.

The child quietly came closer, clutching the woman’s clothes tightly, and began crying too.

She curled up as if hiding from his gaze, gripping the fabric and wailing.

At first, he thought it was just because they were family.

But it seemed different.

It looked like the child was holding onto the woman’s clothes so she wouldn’t run away.

The crying filled the entire house.

Kim Juhwan could only sit there awkwardly.

As he continued rubbing the woman’s back, the child—who had been squatting—finally collapsed onto the floor from exhaustion.

He lifted her onto his lap.

Without any fire, the cabin was as cold inside as it was outside.

“If you sit on the floor like this, you’ll catch a cold.”

Of course, she didn’t understand.

The child glanced at him nervously but still refused to let go of the woman’s clothes.

As she sat on his lap, the woman’s clothes were pulled to one side, exposing her slender neck and collarbone.

“… ”

Kim Juhwan turned his gaze slightly away.

But the woman didn’t seem aware of it—or perhaps she wasn’t used to a man’s gaze.

Suddenly, he became awkwardly conscious of the softness of her body against him.

His heart stirred restlessly.

A thought crossed his mind.

Was this child her daughter?

Was the man who died her husband?

And if so… did she love him?

It didn’t matter.

From now on, they would live together. Love and affection would grow.

If he treated her better than the dead man ever did, they would surely become a good family.

A happy couple.

He was confident.

Still… a small part of his heart stung.

Gently stroking both of their backs, Kim Juhwan spoke quietly:

“From now on, I’ll fill this house with everything you want. I’ll make you happier than anyone. I’ll make sure you never regret that I became your family. I will never make you cry…”

He kept repeating similar words.

More than for them, it was a vow to himself.

He would become a good husband.

A good father.

Their sobs gradually softened as time passed.

The woman occasionally glanced at him.

The fear she had at first had faded.

She still flinched slightly, but it felt more like unfamiliarity than fear.

That was a good sign.

Kim Juhwan gave her a small smile and began thinking about what to do next.

Their survival depended entirely on him now.

He would have to work tirelessly.

‘So, what should I do first…?’

His expression hardened.

This was the true beginning of his life.

Nothing he had done on Earth would be useful here.

His office work meant nothing.

Instead, the brief time he had spent at his grandfather’s rural home as a middle schooler would likely be more helpful.

Still stroking their backs, he fell into thought.

It was still morning.

If he hurried, he might be able to light a fire tonight.

First, gather firewood.

Then fetch water—there must be a stream nearby.

After that, wash their clothes somewhere.

While they dried… he might have to cover himself with leaves.

He couldn’t show such an embarrassing sight to the woman and child.

But… were there even leaves big enough?

After all, he wasn’t exactly small.

The wind blew straight into the house.

There was no firewood.

Everything had been stolen.

He might even end up naked, covering himself with leaves like some kind of lunatic.

And yet…

Strangely…

His heart felt warm, like he was floating in the sky.

Hopefully, he could find big leaves.

After the woman had calmed down a bit, Kim Juhwan pointed to himself and said:

“Kim Juhwan.”

Then he pointed to the woman and the child in turn.

Repeating the gesture several times, the woman hesitantly spoke:

“##… Lizy…”

She pointed to herself again.

“Lizy.”

Then she pointed to the child—and shook her head.

It seemed the child had no name.

The child’s face slowly lowered toward the ground.

He didn’t know why the child had no name.

But he could tell—it was something deeply painful.

A wound.

Placing his large hand on the child’s head, Kim Juhwan said:

“Then from now on, your name is Dorothy.”

The name of a lovely girl from The Wizard of Oz.

A girl who goes on a journey, meets friends, has adventures, and finds happiness.

He repeated:

“Kim Juhwan… Lizy… Dorothy.”

When he pointed at her and said “Dorothy,” the child’s eyes widened.

“Dorothy?”

She asked hesitantly.

“Yes. It’s a name that brings happiness. A name that will let you meet many good friends and people you love.”

Even if she didn’t understand, he wanted to say it.

That it was a beautiful name.

That she would surely become happy.

The child lowered her head slightly and murmured:

“Dorothy.”

For the first time since meeting him, she smiled.

It was small—but it made his heart swell.

He was a strange man.

He had a much larger body and hands than her late husband—but he didn’t try to hit her.

He wasn’t rough.

If anything… he felt polite.

It was hard to explain, but he was completely different from the people in the village.

A different kind of person.

His voice was softer than anyone she had ever heard.

And the way he spoke felt… unusual.

She had never met a noble, but his speech sounded refined—like that of someone high-born.

Even without understanding the words, it felt that way.

‘He doesn’t seem like someone who belongs in a village like this.’

Lizy watched him as he examined every corner of the house.

Thinking that this man would become her husband felt strange.

He was completely different from what she had expected.

Something in her chest tickled faintly.

He had told her his name—but it was hard to pronounce.

“Gim… Juhan…?”

It kept coming out wrong.

Eventually, he let her call him “Juhwan.”

‘Juhwan.’

While she struggled with his name, he pronounced hers perfectly.

And strangely…

It sounded different when he said it.

Even though it was the same name, it sounded more refined.

Almost… noble.

Juhwan seemed to be checking for gaps and damage in the house.

He examined the walls and corners carefully, especially the rotten parts.

Maybe he was thinking of repairing it.

But that thought brought sadness again.

Everything was gone.

Food, hides, furniture, even tools—

Bows, arrows, knives, hoes, hammers, spare axes—

All taken.

Only a broken axe remained.

Without tools, they could do nothing.

No hunting.

No farming.

No repairs.

No protection from beasts.

What were they supposed to do now?

Her vision darkened.

“###?”

A voice suddenly sounded close.

Startled, she looked up.

Juhwan was looking at her with concern.

He gently placed his large hand on her head and stroked it.

‘…’

Maybe he thought she was a child.

Maybe he didn’t even realize she was his wife.

Lizy was 21 now, but she had always been small due to malnutrition.

People often mistook her for younger.

To someone as big as him, she might look like a child.

That would explain why he kept carrying her.

Thinking that way… it made sense.

But it made her feel strange.

Part of her wanted to say she wasn’t a child.

Another part… wanted to be treated like one.

Her heart felt restless.

Juhwan looked into her eyes and smiled.

There were still traces of tears.

He gently wiped them away with his thick fingers.

His touch was soft.

Looking at his hands, she thought—

Maybe he really had been someone of high status.

Not soft like the chief’s wife said—but definitely not a farmer’s hands.

Not a commoner’s.

Everyone in the village had similar hands—rough, cracked, calloused.

Her hands were the same.

Suddenly embarrassed, she hid them behind her back.

Juhwan tilted his head.

Then he gently took her wrist.

His large hand wrapped around it with room to spare.

He examined her hands carefully, as if checking for injuries.

She felt embarrassed.

She clenched her fists to hide them.

Juhwan smiled.

Then he patted her head again, muttering something.

It seemed like he was saying he was glad she wasn’t hurt.

‘Strange.’

She had never received this kind of kindness.

Not from her mother.

Not from her father.

Her heart, which had just calmed down, grew restless again.

‘This is strange… this is really strange…’

A strange feeling she had never experienced before spread through her body.

Embarrassing, unfamiliar, warm—

Something deep inside her itched.

A place she couldn’t reach.

She couldn’t stay still.

Then she remembered a rumor.

A hero had appeared.

People said that in a warring country, a hero summoning ritual had succeeded.

A hero with black hair and black eyes.

The enemy nation was celebrating.

The news had spread even to small villages.

‘Black hair… black eyes…’

Lizy slowly raised her head—

And looked at the face of the man who had become her husband.