Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: A Stroll in Songshan (4)
"V-Village?"
Chaeha flinched at the sudden wave of revulsion.
However, her face was already cradled preciously in Han Seojin's two hands, so she couldn't pull away.
Chaeha gazed up at him anxiously, clinging to his wrist.
Han Seojin was nodding.
"Yeah, the village. We have to go for a walk. If we don't, all that frustration builds up."
"I... I don't have any frustra—"
She tried to say she had no complaints, but Chaeha knew better than anyone that wasn't true.
Lately, everything she'd been through had been so grueling.
She'd shown it to Han Seojin more than anyone.
The weight of the Emei Sect. The pressure of the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly. People's stares. The Ming Cult's overtures. And even Han Seojin and Ga Yeong.
Some of those were past issues now, but even she couldn't claim she'd had zero complaints.
Would a real walk actually make her feel better?
Was there some sweet reward waiting beyond this forbidden act?
She knew she shouldn't, yet she couldn't shake off the look in Han Seojin's eyes as he gazed at her.
Above all, Han Seojin had prepared this for her sake.
This leather outfit. The way she was dressed up. He might have even scouted the path already.
She couldn't just casually toss aside all that sincerity and effort he'd put in for her.
So Chaeha asked, trembling all over.
"...You'll protect me?"
Those were words Cheongwol would never utter, even on her deathbed.
Wanting a man's protection wasn't something Cheongwol had ever sought in her life.
She'd wanted to be a heroine who could stand tall on her own. To resemble Muwol Satae.
She hadn't wanted to fear anything.
"Trust me, Chaeha."
"Eung..."
But not now. Not for Chaeha.
She wanted Han Seojin's protection. She wanted to trust only him and peer beyond this dangerous depravity.
It was something she'd never do alone—too scary, too reckless—but she wanted to believe in the man leading her.
Chaeha glanced back.
The village lights had dimmed even more than before.
Soon, total darkness would settle in.
But no matter how she thought about it, one pair of eyes was all it would take to ruin everything.
Wasn't this truly something they absolutely shouldn't do?
As a nun, shouldn't she absolutely never?
She wasn't a courtesan. And definitely not a pervert.
"-Grrr...
Yet somewhere in her heart, her pulse was racing wildly.
If they actually did this, in a way, she'd be accepting her role as Han Seojin's dog.
Then even he couldn't turn back. He'd have to treat her like a cherished pet from then on.
As Chaeha hesitated longer, Han Seojin lowered his stance again.
Still cradling her face gently, he brushed a stray hair from her lips with his thumb and whispered.
"We're doing this together, Chaeha."
"..."
"Let's do something bad together."
Those words pushed her over the edge of her inner conflict.
Only then did Chaeha see it.
In the eyes of Han Seojin, who always seemed so strong, there was fear and tension.
He knew full well how insane this forbidden act was.
But he craved the gamble. The thrilling happiness that would surely follow.
And if he was mustering his courage, she couldn't hold back either.
Trust only Han Seojin. An intense sense of liberation awaited beyond.
Chaeha nodded, shivering violently.
It was a declaration of submission: she'd stand before everyone in the guise of a dog, just like this.
The woman who'd become everyone's idol was declaring she'd prowl the village in the lowliest form.
It was a betrayal of the common folk who'd looked up to her, trembling in fear of the Namgung Family's raids.
The flower that should bloom highest was declaring it would live in the basest way.
"Haa... haa..."
But what choice did she have?
Chaeha was a dog, and her owner, Han Seojin, wanted a walk.
Chaeha held his gaze for a long moment before slowly baring her neck.
The neck was the last vulnerability a human exposed in battle.
Not a single person had touched it during the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly.
No one had even come close. It was the one spot she'd guarded to the end.
Yet now she was exposing it defenselessly.
As a martial artist, she knew how absurd this was.
But she was offering it to Han Seojin of her own will.
It was a gesture of trust. A way of saying she believed in him this much.
Han Seojin let out a hot breath, then pulled something from his boson with trembling hands.
A dog collar.
He looked at Chaeha with eyes full of longing and said.
"When we get home, I'll make you your very own dog collar."
"Euk...!"
"One with just a single hole. Perfectly fitted for your neck only. But in return, you have to behave prettily today, okay?"
Chaeha nodded.
Han Seojin removed the thin necklace that had always hung around Chaeha's neck.
No one had ever been able to take it off Cheongwol before. Not even Muwol Satae had succeeded.
But Han Seojin could. With Han Seojin, anything was fine.
Cheongwol surrendered the thin necklace and accepted the thick dog collar in its place.
The heavy weight settling on her neck was considerable.
Han Seojin attached a leash to it, stood up, and said.
"Come on, let's go."
Dressed in this perverse outfit, Chaeha was slowly led by the collar toward the village.
Each step toward the village felt heavier.
It was as if something was tugging at her legs from behind.
As if the ground itself was begging her to stop.
But Chaeha didn't stop. Han Seojin kept walking ahead, so she followed diligently, no matter how hard it was.
Soon, the two reached a house.
Han Seojin pressed against it, scouting the path.
Chaeha just waited quietly.
Her heart pounded so fiercely she couldn't even run.
She still couldn't believe she'd put on this outfit.
Couldn't believe she was about to wander the streets like this.
What if she ran into someone?
What if someone poked their head out a window?
What if someone she knew saw this?
What if the martial artists she'd sparred with discovered her like this?
What would become of her then?
"Let's go."
But before she could get an answer, Han Seojin tugged the leash lightly.
He stepped out onto the street first.
Chaeha, still unable to calm her trembling heart, clung tight to the house.
Had she ever trembled like this before?
Not even in the tournament finals had she felt this shake.
Tug.
Han Seojin tugged the leash again and said.
"Come on, Chaeha. No one's around. So come out."
"Haa... haa..."
Chaeha steadied her shaking heart as best she could, suppressing her senses. She didn't want anyone—especially not in this state—to detect her.
Her limbs were clad in lewd leather, and her privates could be exposed at any moment.
She'd torn her sect robes. Symbols of her faction's pride, to end up like this.
...Step.
Even so, Chaeha took a step forward.
She couldn't understand the complex emotions surging with that single step.
"No."
At that moment, Han Seojin spoke.
Chaeha startled and pressed her hand against the house again.
She'd finally mustered endless courage to step out, and now no?
"-Dogs don't walk on two legs, right?"
As Chaeha gaped blankly, Han Seojin added an explanation.
"Crawl over on all fours. Starting now."
"-...What?"
"Dogs go 'woof,' not 'what.'"
Her heart clenched tight.
She had agreed to be his dog. But wasn't that just words?
Was he seriously telling her to act like an animal?
For her, a person with her own dignity, to voluntarily mimic a beast?
Dogs defecate in the streets and mate anywhere—lowly creatures.
Lewd and filthy, driven by instincts that run wild in packs.
And she was supposed to mimic that?
"..."
But at the same time, dogs were beloved.
They received the most affection among livestock for their unique cuteness and unwavering loyalty.
"...But even so...
Mimicking an animal was just...
Shiver...
Just then, the leash began to tremble slightly.
Chaeha realized it was because Han Seojin's hands were shaking.
Only then did Chaeha truly take him in.
He was tense in this depraved moment too. Afraid of getting caught.
At the same time, he feared Cheongwol. She could see his worry that he'd gone too far.
Chaeha wanted to shout at him.
Don't fear me. Please don't.
But Cheongwol didn't trust words either. She'd seen too much hypocrisy from the sect leader and her master.
...Creak.
So Chaeha knelt.
Lowering her posture made her feel her status drop too.
...Thud.
She planted her hands and knees on the ground.
"Haa... haa..."
Her heart trembled as if it would burst.
What she was desperately telling Han Seojin was this.
Please don't fear me... Love me prettily.
She braced against the ground and looked up at Han Seojin.
From down here, he looked even more imposing.
Was it the opposite for him?
The faint fear in Han Seojin's eyes faded, replaced by hot excitement.
Chaeha loved that look in his eyes.
...Step.
Chaeha took one step forward.