IBMAW 12

Chapter 12

A Strong and Handsome Man

The rope was tied at the perfect height for hanging the wolf. It seemed the previous hunter had worked both indoors and outdoors. Faint stains that looked like blood remained on the rock nearby. When he checked the rope, it was still sturdy.

Looking around, he noticed several spots where the ground had been dug up and covered again. It seemed the organs had been buried to prevent animals from gathering due to the smell of blood.

Juhwan returned to the cabin and took the smaller knife from the wall. It looked dull, probably from not being used for a long time.

He sprinkled water on the whetstone in the corner of the workbench and sharpened it a few times, then hoisted the wolf again and headed back to the rock in the forest.

Placing the wolf on the rock, Juhwan inserted the knife near the anus. As he drew the blade toward the belly, the thick skin split open with a tearing sound, and some of the slippery organs bulged out.

The sensation against his hand was horrifying.

‘Watching it and actually doing it are definitely different.’

Suppressing the urge to vomit, Juhwan moved the knife again.

His grandfather had repeatedly warned him to be careful not to rupture the bladder, as it would ruin the meat. Of course, he also had to avoid the part containing feces.

At the time, he had thought it was random, pointless advice—but now, looking back, it almost felt like his grandfather had some kind of foresight.

Who would have thought those absurd conversations would help him like this?

“…”

A bitter smile appeared on Juhwan’s face.

His grandfather had been a blunt and awkward man. He hadn’t had a good relationship even with his own children, so Juhwan had barely met him before his parents died.

Then suddenly, he had to live with his grandson.

It must have been difficult. If he couldn’t even build a proper relationship with his own child, how much harder would it be with a grandson who suddenly appeared?

In the end, the topic he found was… how to butcher rabbits.

He must have thought Juhwan was interested, seeing him watch every time. In reality, it was for a completely different reason—but his grandfather never knew that until the day he died.

The sight of a frail old man explaining rabbit butchering to a middle schooler twice his size must have looked strange.

But that had been his grandfather’s way of communicating.

Recalling those memories, Juhwan grabbed the wolf’s hide with his left hand. If he slipped and cut the organs, they would burst.

He pulled the hide away from the organs as much as possible and slid the knife between them. As he cut the skin, he used his hand to push the organs aside, creating space.

Even in the cold, sweat dripped down due to tension.

He had only ever watched—never done it himself—so his hands were clumsy.

A rabbit and a wolf were completely different in size. Relying only on memory, he began to lose confidence about whether he could do it properly. The muscles and structure were different.

His movements slowed as he cut through the internal connective tissue.

Slower than a turtle.

His bitten left arm began to ache as if something was gnawing at it. The bone throbbed, making it hard to apply strength. His head pounded.

“Whew…”

Juhwan took a deep breath.

He couldn’t lose focus now.

Pain doesn’t truly exist—it’s only recognized by the brain.

Even if the body is injured, pain can be blocked with anesthesia or painkillers. There are even people who cannot feel pain due to nerve disorders.

In the end, everything a person feels is controlled by the brain.

If he strengthened his will, the pain would disappear.

After breathing slowly several times, the pain seemed to lessen a little.

Juhwan moved his hands again.

But the work was still difficult.

His grandfather had made it look easy—but in reality, it was far harder.

When he finally removed the organs, he felt genuine relief.

Inside the wolf’s empty belly, a large amount of blood had pooled. Using a shovel from the workshop, he dug a small hole and disposed of the organs and blood.

Next was skinning.

Juhwan hung the wolf upside down from the rope tied to the tree.

Starting from the incision in the belly, he cut toward the legs. He sliced along the inner sides of the legs almost to the feet, then circled the ankles with the blade.

After doing this for all four legs, he began pulling the fur from the hind legs.

Whenever it got stuck, he used the knife to separate the hide and continued pulling.

He wasn’t as skilled as his grandfather—but it came off more easily than expected.

He had thought it would be extremely difficult, but as he pulled, the hide simply peeled away from the flesh.

Still, that didn’t mean it was easy.

The long incision along the belly made it harder.

Next time, he thought, it might be easier to skin it before removing the organs.

After that, the rest was easier compared to skinning.

He cut away the white fat and set it aside, then separated the red meat. He stripped as much flesh as possible from the bones.

A decent pile of meat accumulated on one side of the rock.

He wasn’t entirely sure, but it seemed like enough to last half a month, even if not a full month.

He felt relieved that they wouldn’t have to rely solely on flour and oats.

Feeding his family with his own hands—

He hadn’t realized it could feel this fulfilling.

His chest swelled with pride.

It was incomparable to the feeling of earning money from work.

Afterward, he sprinkled snow and frozen dirt to cover the scattered bloodstains.

“…”

Now all that remained was to bring the meat and hide home—but he had forgotten to bring a basket.

Leaving the meat here wasn’t an option either. What if someone took it?

As he considered wrapping the meat in the hide—

He heard footsteps.

Turning his head, he saw Lizzie approaching with a wooden container from the house.

It was the smaller of the two water containers.

Seeing that she came as soon as he finished, she must have been watching him the whole time.

Lizzie’s face, which had been full of worry, was now smiling brightly.

Though she had been distressed over his injured arm, she was clearly happy about the wolf.

Her eyes sparkled as she glanced at the meat.

“…”

A smile naturally formed on Juhwan’s face.

Ah… this felt good.

In all his thirty years of life, he had never felt such fulfillment.

Maybe he had been a little anxious.

Could he really do this? Without knowing the language, without understanding this world—could he truly feed them?

That worry had always lingered.

But now, he finally felt a bit of real confidence.

He could do it.

He could support his family.

His heart felt as solid as a rock.

“Juhwan! ####.”

Lizzie spoke and held out the container.

He slightly bowed his head and looked into her eyes.

“Go-a-ma.”

He was imitating what Lizzie had said before.

Given the situation, it probably meant “thank you.”

But Lizzie’s expression turned strange.

She looked like she was holding back laughter.

“Go. ma. wo?”

She slowly corrected him.

Juhwan looked into her eyes and repeated,

“Gomawo.”

“…”

For some reason, Lizzie’s face suddenly turned red.

That was strange.

It definitely meant “thank you”… right?

Or… had he accidentally said something like “I love you”?

He wasn’t entirely sure anymore.

Lizzie thought her husband was a smart man.

He had remembered her words and the situation. When she brought the container, he had said “thank you,” albeit with slightly awkward pronunciation.

It was a bit strange—but definitely “thank you.”

The way he spoke like a child made him seem oddly cute.

When she corrected his pronunciation, he immediately repeated it properly.

“…”

It might have been the first time she had ever heard “thank you.”

Not from her parents, not from siblings, not from her dead husband—no one.

She suddenly felt embarrassed.

She hadn’t even done anything worth thanking.

She had just brought a container.

Being with this man kept giving her “firsts.”

Her first kiss—

The memory suddenly surfaced, and her face burned hot.

Good heavens…

From those lips… from that tongue…

Her face felt like it was boiling.

But Juhwan looked at her as if he had no idea what she was thinking.

Suddenly, a strange feeling arose.

Had he done things like that—kissing—with other women?

The sensation of his smooth tongue came to mind again, and her chest tightened.

Had other women experienced that too?

Why did it hurt?

It was strange. She had never felt like this before.

Her heart wavered, and she felt like crying.

She didn’t even understand herself.

Her head lowered naturally.

Perhaps finding her behavior strange, Juhwan bent down slightly to look at her face.

She forced a small smile, and he smiled back.

Then he began placing meat into the container.

Startled, Lizzie quickly helped.

It was something a woman should do—but he acted as if it was natural for him to help too.

He was a strange man.

As she worked, she glanced at his face—and their eyes met.

Suddenly, his face came closer.

Was he going to do that again?

Her face burned in embarrassment—

But instead, he gently pressed his lips to her forehead and pulled away.

‘What was I thinking…’

Startled, she lowered her head.

Now it really looked like she had been expecting something embarrassing.

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

Still, her hands kept working busily.

Once all the meat was packed, Juhwan slung the wolf’s hide over his shoulder.

He reached for the container Lizzie was holding.

She shook her head and tried to take it back—but his strong grip didn’t budge.

In the end, they stood side by side, about to head home—

Suddenly, Juhwan’s face lowered again.

Was it another forehead kiss?

She felt embarrassed again—

But this time, something soft touched her lips.

“!”

Her eyes widened in shock—but he had already pulled away.

The prickly sensation of his beard lingered on her skin.

Her entire body flushed red—even her fingers.

Seeing that, Juhwan let out a low chuckle.

That made her even more embarrassed.

It felt like all her hidden feelings had been exposed.

Lowering her head, she suddenly ran ahead.

Leaving her husband behind, she ran home alone.

She knew she shouldn’t—but she couldn’t stay beside him.

If she did, she felt like she would burn up from embarrassment.

Dorothy was standing a little away from the door, even though she had been told not to come out.

When Lizzie approached, Dorothy’s eyes widened.

‘Did she see… the kiss?’

How embarrassing.

She wanted to crawl into a hole.

Lizzie hurried past her and went inside.

Dorothy stayed outside, waiting—then ran toward Juhwan when he approached.

Soon, the sound of her small feet echoed.

After a moment, there was a soft grunting sound.

Curious, Lizzie peeked through the window.

Dorothy was helping Juhwan carry the container with her small hands.

She was trying to help.

When he reached the door, Juhwan said,

“Dorothy, thank you.”

A moment later, Dorothy entered with a slightly disappointed face.

‘Ah! She was hoping to hear her name again.’

Smiling, Lizzie approached her and gently placed a hand on her head.

“Dorothy, good job.”

The child’s face instantly brightened.

If she had known it would make her this happy, she would have given her a name sooner.

‘But still… the name he gave her is better.’

Dorothy.

It sounded truly beautiful.

Juhwan, who had been watching them from the doorway, scratched his head and said,

“Dorothy, thank you.”

A huge smile spread across the child’s face.

It was the biggest smile she had ever shown.

She must have been incredibly happy.

After that, Juhwan took the half-empty water container and went back to the spring.

Watching him carry the large container effortlessly—

He looked like a hero from a legend.

Strong.

And handsome.