Previously
Suffering from worsening insomnia and early signs of madness after avoiding Hailey, Roderick eventually visits her room seeking relief. Hailey welcomes him and uses her mysterious calming presence to soothe his mind, leading to a deep conversation about their marriage and Hailey's past feelings for Lawrence.
Listen Well to Your Wife (Part 5)
Night was the prime time for evil spirits to creep in.
Lee-jae, who had fallen asleep beside Roderick, scowled and opened her eyes. A strange sound had reached her ears—one only she could hear.
A disheveled-looking drunkard was tapping at the window, begging to be let inside.
She had already spotted this ghost three times.
How had she recognized it?
Lee-jae let out a deep sigh.
Buried in the King’s arms, she carefully peeled away the hand wrapped around her waist. But she hit an immediate roadblock.
Though they had simply fallen asleep with their ankles crossed, he now had his entire leg thrown over her body.
Lee-jae tried to wriggle free as gingerly as possible so as not to wake him.
Even in sleep, however, the King’s instinct to keep his human sleeping pill from escaping was formidable.
When his large hand clamped back down onto her waist, she flopped back onto the bed.
The arm dragging her against his chest held no softness; it crushed the breath right out of her.
What was worse, as though stirring toward half-wakefulness, he began nuzzling and stroking her while keeping her gathered in his arms.
Yet she dared not say it aloud, terrified of waking him completely.
A choked whine caught in her throat, and soon her whole body began to tremble.
Lee-jae buried her face in the bedsheet and shuddered.
His lips and heated breath were pressing against the nape of her neck.
The tips of her ears burned crimson, and tears pricked her eyes.
Enduring the embarrassing sensation, she rubbed her burning cheek against the sheet.
In the end, Lee-jae gently stroked the muscular forearm pinned around her waist.
It was a soothing touch meant to placate a dark beast loath to surrender what belonged to him.
It took a good while before Roderick, tossing and turning restlessly, finally slipped back into a deep slumber.
Lee-jae, having contorted herself as far away as she could manage, looked back at him and slowly drew her hand away. There was only one chance. She swiftly slipped over to the far side of the bed.
Lee-jae evaluated her performance.
Why she felt so thoroughly wrecked, however, was beyond her.
Catching her breath for a moment, she walked over to the window.
At first glance, alcohol spirits were the most pathetic, powerless wretches imaginable.
Yet they were more tenacious than any other, gradually gathering strength over time.
If left alone, it would eventually grow into a formidable entity that could never be torn away.
Should the King succumb to alcoholism under such conditions, his reputation would plummet beyond repair.
Lee-jae opened the window, gripped her prayer bracelet, and said,
"…"
Circling around the bed, Lee-jae picked up a lit candle.
The moment she made a motion to set her talisman ablaze, the alcohol spirit shrank back from the window.
When Lee-jae glared fiercely at it, the alcohol spirit scurried away into the dark.
Yet looking down at its ragged, lingering trace left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she let out a sigh.
Lee-jae sank onto the floor and folded her legs beneath her.
At some point, a swell of complicated thoughts began to torment her.
What she truly needed was a proper ritual to exorcise spirits, but merely clashing with this vengeful ghost was pushing her to her limits.
‘Grandmother, what am I supposed to do at times like this?’
‘I’m half-hearted, incapable of carrying such a burden on my shoulders.’
‘I know I shouldn’t meddle in things beyond my abilities, but… sometimes, I just can’t help feeling sorry for people.’
‘If a moment comes where I have to act even when I know I lack the power, what am I supposed to do then?’
Even her grandmother had never given her an answer to that.
‘I’m so scared. I’m completely alone.’
Eventually, Lee-jae uncrossed her legs and let her posture slacken.
How much time had passed?
After keeping her head bowed for a long while, she lowered her hands and looked toward Roderick, who was sleeping soundly.
A peaceful night was something everyone deserved to enjoy.
Lee-jae rose to her feet.
First, she had to handle what was most urgent.
Now was the moment to completely destroy the snake spirit.
Its rancor was only growing stronger with every passing hour.
Lee-jae peeled off the talisman tucked behind the picture frame.
With that, the barrier unraveled.
The moment the spirit slithered past the threshold into the room, Lee-jae slammed the barrier shut again.
Taking on seventeen foes at once was a stunt that only worked in movies.
She had no confidence she could handle other demons joining the fray.
The guards outside jumped at the loud bang of the gentle Queen slamming the door shut. Even Lee-jae herself, who had shut it, startled at the noise.
The snake spirit drew back in alarm upon seeing Lee-jae armed with both a prayer bracelet and a talisman.
And Lee-jae, getting a clear view of the snake up close, was just as shocked.
Though she had summoned it with great bravado, the snake’s sheer scale overwhelmed her, rooting her to the spot.
Meanwhile, the snake looked as driven as a commander locking onto his objective.
As the massive serpent crept steadily toward the King, a startled Lee-jae darted forward to shield the bed.
Glancing back in terror that Roderick might wake, Lee-jae snapped her attention back to the snake.
Yet the standoff dragged on.
Lee-jae remained frozen in hesitation.
Just then, Haim’s spirit—who had been peeking at the commotion from inside the cracked box—slipped out.
The little spirit, examining the serpent with child-like curiosity, suddenly seized its head… climbed onto its back, and started playing.
‘Lee-jae! It’s slippery!’
Staring at the bizarre spectacle in utter bewilderment, Lee-jae suddenly realized something.
The spirit’s arm holding the snake was beginning to fade away.
Lee-jae didn’t entirely understand what was happening.
Even so, if someone was fighting this hard on her behalf, she couldn't afford to shrink back either.
Taking a step forward, Lee-jae spoke.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she thrust her hands forward.
Then she slapped the talisman directly onto the spirit’s head.
The pungent stench of scorching spirits filled the room.
Lee-jae’s arms trembled violently.
Yet what proved harder to stomach than expending her spiritual power was the sight of the serpent writhing in agony under the searing heat.
The sight seemed to terrify even Haim’s spirit. The second Lee-jae struck the snake with the talisman, it bolted back into its box.
Still, drawing a sharp breath, Lee-jae glared down at the snake with cold resolve.
She gathered the remaining energy into her fingertips.
As Lee-jae unleashed her power, the spirit’s form began to dissolve, starting from the tail.
When the venomous fangs and the glare brimming with resentment finally vanished, Lee-jae collapsed onto the bed.
She didn't want to think about anything anymore, nor did she have the strength to.
Closing her eyes, she sank straight into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The King, who had gone sleepless for days, slept.
He rested soundly without a single nightmare, waking to a deep sense of relief.
Better yet, holding the apricot-colored fox quietly in his arms brought him an even greater peace.
Soon, however, he noticed something strange.
‘Didn’t she fall asleep on the window side last night? Why is she over here? Did I bother her yesterday?’
The answer was simple enough.
Lee-jae, drained of every ounce of energy to care about such details, had collapsed wherever she landed, and Roderick, roving in his sleep for his human sleeping pill, had simply rolled over and pulled her into his embrace.
Lee-jae offered nothing beyond those polite words.
Slightly embarrassed, Roderick slowly lowered his leg.
He had been holding her close, but in truth, it had probably felt more like being pinned under a trap.
Yet when Lee-jae pushed his arm aside and shifted away, his eyebrow twitched.
Was it his imagination, or was she retreating the moment he woke up?
He hooked his arm around her waist and dragged her right back.
She turned her head to look at him.
She wondered what on earth he was doing now.
Roderick, slightly stung by the Queen’s distant posture and cool reception, said bluntly, “I’m going back to sleep.”
Lee-jae let out a breathless laugh.
Roderick, watching her closely, offered his arm as a pillow just like the previous night, only to retract it himself moments later.
When a vigorous man wakes in the morning, his mind inevitably plans for things other than the day’s duties.
And since the Queen seemed to be in a truly foul temper, he had to tread carefully.
‘She’ll probably look at me like I’m an insect again.’
Stroking her apricot hair from a cautious distance, Roderick asked, “Hailey. You don’t look well. Did you have a nightmare?”
When Lee-jae muttered something completely nonsensical, Roderick pondered it for a second.
Yet contrary to her words, her expression remained thoroughly somber.
Her brow was furrowed, and her complexion looked pallid.
Just as he was about to fall into an even deeper panic, Lee-jae abruptly sat up. She turned to address a startled Roderick.
Roderick didn’t truly comprehend, but seeing how dead serious the Queen looked, he asked,
Lee-jae frowned.
Did he honestly not know?
‘That man is the treasure of your life!’
‘Jade is the one person who would never betray you.’
‘His physiognomy says so loud and clear!’
As Lee-jae delivered her passionate morning lecture, Roderick burst into laughter.
He had plenty he could have retorted with, but for now, he simply nodded along.
The little beast seemed consumed by an uncontrollable fit of righteous indignation.
Having said her piece, Lee-jae gave a polite nod, then closed her eyes again in utter exhaustion.
After a pause, Roderick, who had been staring at her in mild disbelief, covered his eyes and shook his head.
Watching her sit there meditating like that was simply too amusing.