Chapter 16.1

Chapter 16.1

“No. I’m the personal aide to His Majesty and the overseer in charge of disciplining the goblins.”

Hong-seon sighed, giving Cheong-seon a look of pure disdain.

Now, instead of looking at Hong-seon, Cheong-seon turned to Ara, wearing the most pitiful expression imaginable—like a puppy abandoned on a rainy street.

“You can take him and beat him to your heart’s content.”

Hong-seon handed the chain’s handle to Ara, and Cheong-seon staggered forward a few steps until he was right in front of her.

“Goblins don’t die just because a human beats them.”

To Cheong-seon, this was as good as a death sentence.

Well, that’s convenient. I can beat him without feeling guilty.

Ara tightened her grip on the handle and asked one more question. “He does feel pain when he’s hit, right?”

“Whether human or goblin, pain is the same when you’re beaten.”

“Lee Hong-seon, you cruel goblin…” Cheong-seon muttered, his eyes drooping in defeat.

“Come on.”

Ara tugged the chain sharply, giving Hong-seon a nod before starting to walk away. Cheong-seon, being dragged behind her, began to wail.

“Oh no, poor, handsome Cheong-seon is going to die…”

And with that, it was time for a beating.

***

Crack. The cap of the soju bottle twisted off with a menacing sound.

Ara’s eyes narrowed as she lifted the bottle into the air. Her hand, flushed pink from the alcohol, fumbled for the mouth of the glass, missing it a couple of times before finally managing to tip the bottle’s neck to the rim.

Glug, glug…

The soju poured out, filling the small glass to the brim and then some.

“Hey, Ara. You’re spilling it.”

Baek-seol, sitting next to her, lightly smacked Ara’s hand with a soft paw. Only then did Ara slowly right the bottle and set it down.

Baek-seol quickly leaned over to the table and lapped up the overflowing alcohol. Slurp, slurp. As the pink tongue efficiently cleaned up the spilled soju, Ara watched in a daze, thinking to herself.

My poor Baek-seol. I really shouldn’t let you get used to eating things off the floor…

“Ara… I think you’ve had enough. Maybe it’s time to stop.”

Cheong-seon, who had been cautiously watching her from across the table, spoke up quietly.

“Lee Cheong-seon.” Ara frowned deeply as she lifted her head. “Do you want another punch?”

Seol-do, who had been chewing on a half-dried squid, let out a chuckle.

Without thinking, Cheong-seon quickly covered his nose with his hand. Just a few hours ago, he had stuffed his nostrils with cotton to stop the bleeding, only to remove them recently.

The original plan had been a welcome party. Although Cheong-seon had played a cruel trick on her, the idea of drinking that evening to celebrate her arrival was already set in stone before she trampled him earlier.

After her little smack to his face, Cheong-seon had groveled, claiming that he had promised Seol-do and Baek-seol a night of heavy drinking.

“But a promise is a promise, right? I mean, I did lend Ara the Goblin invisibility cap, and she did take it and use it…”

Cheong-seon, as a tricker that he was, still honors contracts and promises and urged Ara to honor her part of the bargain despite fooling her.

Smack.

As she heard that, Ara gave Cheong-seon a soft slap on the back. It irritated her even more that, logically speaking, he wasn’t wrong.

But later that night, Ara found herself standing in front of the kitchen sink. She felt a twinge of guilt for punching Cheong-seon, though she couldn’t help but wonder if it had really been that bad. Did it actually bleed?

She hadn’t seen any blood, but Cheong-seon had acted as if a fountain had erupted from his nose. She grumbled to herself, Goblins are such mischievous creatures…

Pulling out ingredients from the fridge one after another for a late-night snack, she couldn’t help but rationalize her actions.

Yes. I’m not like that con artist goblin. If I make a promise, I keep it. And I don’t use cheap tricks to put others in a tough spot.

And so, close to midnight, a boisterous drinking session unfolded in the living room of Seok-kyung’s house.

Just as Ara had prepared an impressive spread of side dishes as promised, Cheong-seon had brought an array of alcoholic beverages that could rival a well-stocked liquor store.

Each goblin picked a drink that suited their taste. Seol-do chose Kaoliang liquor, Baek-seol some makgeolli, Cheong-seon went for whiskey, Hong-seon picked wine, and Seok-kyung opted for brandy.

After a moment of hesitation, Ara decided on soju. Given her usual tolerance, she knew she should have gone with a can of beer, even if it felt a bit tame.

Little did she know, the Goblin King’s eyes had been watching her every move.