IBMAW 07

Chapter #7

In the Mountain Cabin

The middle-aged woman spoke animatedly while pointing at a bundle of सामान placed to one side, then opened the entrance and showed what was inside.

Inside a cloth bag made of worn fabric were flour and various miscellaneous items.

The middle-aged woman mimed lifting the bundle onto her back, then pointed again at the woman and the child.

Judging by her repeated gestures, it seemed she meant for him to take the सामान along with the women.

So they weren’t going to live here—the house must be somewhere else.
Maybe this place had simply been for the meeting. Well, it didn’t look like a place anyone could live in.

“… ”

They were making him marry the woman, learn hunting, and even giving him the necessities for living.
It seemed they expected him to settle in this village for good.

The young woman tightly held the child’s hand and hesitantly stepped closer to Kim Juhwan.

Her frightened eyes briefly looked up at him, then quickly hid behind her eyelids again. Her long eyelashes cast small shadows on her pale skin.

‘This woman… is my bride.’

The moment he thought that, his previously calm chest suddenly began pounding.

Thump, thump—his heart felt like it had malfunctioned.

“Wow.”

He muttered without realizing it and covered his face with his palm. His face and entire body felt hot. Even without a mirror, he knew he must be red like heated iron.

He had a family.

Something that hadn’t felt real until now suddenly took shape.

It wasn’t that he had never loved before. He had fallen in love, had even been in deep relationships.

But every time, the women drifted away, saying:

[It feels like you’re dating me not because you love me, but because you want a family.]

Maybe they were right.

He wanted a family—someone to stay by his side. That’s why his wish had been for a rabbit-like bride and a mongoose-like daughter.

But everyone said that was wrong—that loving someone just to have a family was strange.

‘But here… it’s not strange.’

Before love, before even getting to know each other—they became a family first.

And that was okay.

Here, it wasn’t unusual. No one would say it was wrong.

Just like being born into a family, it was okay to become one first.

‘I have a wife and a daughter. I have a family.’

From middle school until nearly thirty, he had always been alone.

But now, there were people he was allowed to stay with—people who would remain beside him.

When he woke up at night, there would be someone next to him.

They say the human heart is like a reed—easily swayed. It seemed true.

The urge to kill Santa vanished in an instant.

There was nothing precious left for him on Earth anyway. He had always lived alone.

Maybe coming here was a blessing.

Maybe it was something to be grateful for.

“… ”

Santa… I still want to kill you, but thank you.

After that, things moved quickly.

Kim Juhwan tied the opening of the bundle with a long rope and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

It was fairly heavy, but not difficult for him. His body had been hardened by manual labor since his school days.

For him, it was easier than eating a meal.

When he carried it so easily, the men’s eyes widened in surprise, which amused him.

The old hunter and two village men led the way.
The two extra men were probably there to keep an eye on him.

The men walked ahead, with Kim Juhwan following behind.

The woman and child came last, hurrying along while holding hands.

Both of them were extremely small and thin—like dry branches with faces and limbs attached.

“… ”

He needed to adapt to this world quickly.

He wanted to learn hunting and farming as soon as possible and feed the two of them properly.

He was now the head of a household.

Lost in thought, he unknowingly sped up, causing the woman and child to fall behind.

He stopped and waited.

Perhaps because of her short height, the woman walked slowly. The child was even slower.

They walked diligently without rest, but he still had to stop several times.

He wanted to pick them up, but they seemed too frightened.

Even when he got slightly closer, they stiffened like robots.

When the men ahead said something to them, their faces turned pale.

The woman began almost running, pulling the child along, panting.

‘I really need to learn the language quickly.’

Without understanding the language, he couldn’t comfort them.

He felt like a useless person.

Their destination seemed to be the mountain visible from the village.

They passed the outer wall, walked along a rough path of grass and stones, and entered a forest filled with towering trees.

Gradually, the ground rose.

Looking back, the village lay slightly below.

The woman and child slowed even more as they entered the mountain.

The men’s pace was too fast.

If Kim Juhwan hadn’t slowed down, they wouldn’t have reduced their pace at all.

The woman and child’s faces were flushed red, as if about to burst.

‘This won’t do.’

He stopped again and waited.

As he drew closer, the child’s face twisted as if about to cry.

She looked terrified—perhaps thinking he would shout.

Her tightly clustered features wrinkled up like a mongoose.

‘Cute.’

Strangely enough, children were cute whether pretty or not.

Even a scrunched-up face on the verge of tears was cute.

Though he knew they wouldn’t understand, he lowered himself and said:

“I’ll carry you for a bit. Don’t be afraid.”

“###.”

The woman bowed repeatedly, her face pale, saying something that sounded like an apology.

The child began to whimper.

He really needed to learn the language.

With no other choice, he slowly extended his arms and lifted both of them—one on each arm.

As his arms touched their backs, he gently pulled them in.

They lost balance slightly and instinctively clung to him, grabbing his neck.

He stood up in one motion.

“##!”

The child let out a small scream, startled by the sudden height.

The woman froze, unable to even scream.

“Hold on tight.”

Even though they couldn’t understand, he kept speaking to reassure them.

Gradually, the child’s crying faded.

Though both sat on his arms, he barely felt their weight.

‘I need to learn hunting quickly. I have to feed them well.’

The men and the old hunter looked at him curiously, whispering among themselves.

Carrying people like this probably looked strange.

But it didn’t matter.

This wasn’t Earth.

He didn’t need to care about others’ opinions.

He wasn’t from here.

It felt like being a newlywed couple on vacation—free with physical closeness.

“… ”

No… maybe that way of thinking wouldn’t work here.

He now belonged to this world too.

Realizing this, he noticed how excited he was.

This wasn’t like him.

It felt like when he was a child receiving candy from his mother.

The scent of the woman and child felt like sunlight.

Like the smell of happiness.

Looking at their worn clothes, he made a silent vow:

Earn money quickly—through hunting or farming.

Feed them well.

Dress them in nice clothes.

Give them all the love he could.

By the time he realized it, they had gone deep into the mountain.

The old hunter stopped on a narrow path and pointed ahead.

“## ####.”

Through the trees, a wooden house came into view.

‘That must be where I’ll live.’

It stood on a small flat area, with a small storage shed attached.

The house wasn’t big, but not too small either—just right for three people.

The shed seemed to store food or supplies.

Next to it was a roofed area without walls, likely for firewood.

But it was empty.

In this cold, that was dangerous.

‘I need to gather firewood immediately.’

There was too much to do.

As they got closer, the house looked worse.

There were holes, one window was missing and covered with old leather, and parts were rotting.

He set the woman and child down and opened the door.

It creaked loudly like a ghost’s wail.

Inside was even worse.

There were gnaw marks from rats, collapsed flooring, droppings, and even dead rats.

A small pile of straw in one corner served as bedding, but it was barely enough.

And even that was mostly broken.

Could anyone even sleep on straw alone?

The kitchen had only a small table—no chairs, no utensils, no food.

Completely empty.

If not for the supplies they were given, they would starve.

As he looked around, the men signaled they were leaving.

The old hunter gestured that he would return at sunrise.

Kim Juhwan bowed in thanks.

After they left, the woman and child began looking around.

They checked the kitchen, the straw, every corner.

Then suddenly, the woman burst into tears.

“… ”

Even without words, he understood.

The child looked between the empty table and space, confused.

The woman looked at the bare walls and broken floor—and cried.

‘This house wasn’t empty originally.’

Someone had taken everything—even breaking furniture for firewood.

The woman ran outside toward the shed.

Kim Juhwan followed quietly.

She opened it—

Empty.

“#### ##.”

She collapsed to the ground and began sobbing loudly.