I Became A Married Man in Another World
Chapter 26
026 The Rabbit and Dorothy
Back when he lived on Earth, there was nothing in particular Juhwan wanted to do.
As his hope of ever having a family of his own gradually faded, he had merely existed, living each day mechanically.
But now, as he handled the bow and arrows, a strange sensation washed over him.
It felt different from when he’d held a regular job.
Perhaps it was because he finally had the family he had long yearned for. That alone might have changed his entire outlook.
Will I be able to make a bow and arrows like these myself one day? The thought sent a small thrill rising from the depths of his heart.
While examining the equipment, he noticed a few wooden plaques lying near a container of iron broadheads.
“!”
They were different from the ones he had seen when he first arrived in this world. The numbers were larger, and there was much more text written on them. They were likely order forms, listing items, quantities, and prices.
‘If these are here, then maybe…’
Juhwan hurriedly picked up the wooden plaques and approached Gus.
“This!”
Excited, Juhwan pointed at the characters on the plaque.
“Gus, know? You know this? Me, learn, want. Gus, teach. This, this.”
“Eh?”
Gus’s eyes widened. He looked at the wooden plaque and then back at Juhwan with a slightly puzzled expression. He seemed to understand immediately that Juhwan wanted to learn the script. Gus asked,
“### learn want?”
“Want. Much, much, want.”
Juhwan’s reaction was likely a rare one. Perhaps many commoners felt that literacy was entirely unnecessary.
Judging by Gus’s reaction, that was probably the case.
Lij didn’t even know how to write numbers. She seemed to struggle with basic arithmetic as well. However, she had never shown any desire to learn to read or write.
Gus scratched his white hair and eventually nodded.
“Well, alright then.”
Gus signaled for him to wait a moment and headed toward a corner.
He began rummaging through a box piled with miscellaneous items.
Where did I put it? Murmuring something to that effect, Gus sifted through one box after another until he let out an “Oh!” and picked something up.
Clack, clack. The faint sound of wooden pieces bumping against each other echoed.
“###. Here, take. With this ####.”
“….”
What Gus handed him was a bundle of small wooden plaques with holes bored through them, tied together. It was an old set; the corners were worn down. Darkened by the oils of many hands, the wooden plaques were smooth and polished.
Juhwan stared intently at the wooden plaques tied to the long string.
Each piece of wood bore a single character—a script that bore a striking resemblance to the Roman alphabet. Some letters had dots over them like German umlauts, while others had slightly peculiar shapes.
Juhwan pointed at a character on one of the pieces and said,
“Now, this, teach, please.”
“….”
Gus smirked as if Juhwan were an odd fellow. However, he didn’t refuse the request. Gus looked quietly at the wooden plaques and began to read the characters aloud.
Juhwan grabbed a piece of charcoal lying nearby. As Gus called them out, he began to write the pronunciations on the back of the wooden plaques.
He couldn’t memorize everything right this second. He wasn’t that brilliant. His best bet was to write it down in Hangul and then read and practice it repeatedly.
Gus’s eyes went wide when he saw Juhwan writing in Hangul.
He stared silently at the Korean script. He tilted his head as if it were a fascinating sight, but he didn’t ask any questions. He likely assumed it was simply a foreign script.
There were twenty-nine characters in this country’s alphabet.
However, there were about twenty more wooden plaques in the bundle. Those seemed to have basic words written on them.
Combining characters or learning the meanings of words could come later. As long as he knew the pronunciation, he could always ask Lij. Juhwan asked Gus again, and he wrote down the pronunciations on the back of the wooden plaques exactly as Gus dictated them.
Since he was only jotting down the sounds in Hangul, the task was finished in an instant. Juhwan wanted to learn the meanings of the words if Gus had the time, but the older man had already stood up as if he were finished.
Gus walked toward the workbench and beckoned Juhwan over.
As Juhwan drew near, Gus picked up a bow that had been leaning against the wall.
It was larger and thicker than the others. There wasn’t a speck of dirt or a single scratch on it; the bow radiated the aura of something freshly crafted.
“This your bow##. ## this kind of bow## fits## body##.”
Gus said as he held out the bow. There were words in the middle Juhwan couldn’t understand, but he could grasp the general meaning. It likely meant that a bow like this suited Juhwan’s large frame, so he should use it from now on.
The bow Juhwan received was massive compared to the others in the room. Most of the other bows were matched to Gus’s height and were shorter than the one Juhwan had been using. Only a few were larger than the rest.
Juhwan didn’t know if Gus made new bows for everyone.
However, it seemed that Gus personally crafted bows to fit the bodies of certain Foresters, just as he was doing now.
That was likely why there were several bows of a size that didn’t suit Gus himself.
The first bow Juhwan had been given was probably also custom-made for someone else’s frame.
Juhwan gazed blankly at the bow. Was it really alright to accept this? Even the wooden plaques with the script probably weren’t cheap or common items. And now, a bow like this on top of that.
He had already received so much from Gus. No matter if this was a village decision or if Gus stood to gain something from it, the fact remained that he owed the man a great debt.
Sensing Juhwan’s hesitation, Gus practically forced the bow into his hands.
“This bow is your bow.”
It had no decorations or paint, but the surface of the wood was incredibly smooth. It felt as though it had been polished with far more care than the previous bow.
The center of the bow was carved into a concave shape, somewhat like a helicopter propeller, and was wrapped in leather to prevent slipping.
Both ends of the bow were wrapped in rounds of treated leather that felt hard to the touch. The bowstring was knotted and hooked over those sections. When drawn, the string would catch on those raised parts.
It was clearly a piece of work that had required much more effort than his previous bow.
Juhwan held the bow upright and bowed his head.
“Thank you, Gus. Thank you.”
“You ## become ## good Hunter.”
Gus gave a thin smile. He was likely saying that Juhwan would become a good Hunter.
Gus gave Juhwan three leather bags filled with arrows. He seemed to have prepared them in advance.
One contained arrows made entirely of bamboo, while another held arrows with iron broadheads. The third bag contained arrows with stone tips.
“#### person ###. ### alone ### hunt ####.”
Whenever there were many words Juhwan didn’t understand, Gus would repeat them several times. Juhwan focused with all his might to guess and interpret Gus’s words.
He double-checked several times to ensure he hadn’t misunderstood.
It seemed Gus wouldn’t be coming to Juhwan’s house for a few days. He was saying that Juhwan would have to go hunting on his own during that time.
Juhwan nodded to show he understood and repeated Gus’s words back to him, combining the words he had just learned.
Gus patted Juhwan on the shoulder as if to say “well done.”
After thanking him for the bow once more, Juhwan left the storehouse.
Gus seemed to have work to do, as he remained inside.
Clack, clack. The bundle of wooden plaques in his hand made a clear, rhythmic sound. He wanted to master the script as soon as possible and teach it to Lij and Dorothy. Knowing how to read and write would open up more opportunities in the future. It would be a huge help to Dorothy.
The rabbit squirmed against his hip, making the pouch swing back and forth. At the thought of the rabbit having babies, and those babies having babies of their own, Juhwan’s pace quickened in spite of himself.
He was a strange man. Why would he want to learn the script? What use would he have for it? And to look so happy about it, at that.
Recalling Juhwan’s face, Gus couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.
He hadn’t thrown those alphabet plaques away, but he had forgotten about them for a long time. If it hadn’t been for Juhwan, they would have remained forgotten.
He had purchased those wooden plaques in his youth, back when he had been hired by a noble after achieving military merit. He’d been advised that it was better to know how to read if he wanted to work under a nobleman. He must have been in his mid-teens back then.
The plaques were items that had been used to teach the children of merchants.
He had bought them when they were put out to be discarded after long use.
After buying the wooden plaques, Gus had sought out a teacher.
In large cities, there were people who read or wrote letters for others. Gus’s teacher had been one of them. The plaques had been expensive, but learning from a teacher cost even more money.
It had taken a long time to learn. Mastering the script, writing it out, and memorizing words—none of it was easy. He would forget things the moment he turned his back.
He had worked so hard to learn, yet now he only used that knowledge to read the order plaques he received when he bought iron broadheads.
And even if he couldn’t read, there were people who would read an order plaque for a small fee.
There had been no advantage to knowing the script. He had simply wasted the time and money it took to learn.
Gus shook his head vigorously at the memory of the wooden plaques that had once held his hopes. Don’t think about it. That’s all in the past.
Starting today, he had to spend a few days roaming the mountains to look for signs of Goblins. They were likely living in a village they’d built somewhere, but he still hadn’t found their settlement.
‘I’ll have to head deeper into the mountains.’
Just as most animals entered their breeding season in the spring, Goblin activity became more frequent around that time. The period just before spring was also when the kidnapping of women—which was kept to a minimum during the winter due to food shortages—would rapidly increase.
‘I can’t take too long to find them.’
He needed to gauge the size of their numbers. If the village hadn’t been formed yet, or if it was still very small, they could afford to wait until next spring.
However, if a village had already been established and grown large, it would be best to find and deal with them this spring, just before they turned their eyes toward women and invaded the Village.
He could call in adventurers, and he and Juhwan could join them.
Juhwan was learning to hunt very quickly. He was still clumsy, but if he collaborated with adventurers, he would be able to pull his weight.
Juhwan’s archery skills were still lacking, but the bow Gus had made for him this time would increase his power. He had used wood with excellent elasticity and strength to withstand Juhwan’s monstrous strength. That power would more than compensate for his lack of accuracy.
Gus hurriedly packed his gear for a few days in the mountains and headed outside.
Even for an experienced hunter, the forest at midnight was dangerous. He had to reach the mountains and find a spot to settle before night fell.
As he limped along, his old injury throbbed particularly hard. Damn Goblins. Gus set his jaw. His hatred grew deeper every time the wound ached.
“….”
I’ll kill them all. I’ll make sure to kill every last one of them.
Snip, snip, snip. The scissors cut through the fabric. Or rather, they were cutting the fabric that was about to become clothes.
Dorothy swallowed hard.
Lij was sitting by the hearth, cutting a piece of fabric she had never seen before to Dorothy’s size.
“Is this mine?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“….”
Lij set down the large scissors and looked at Dorothy’s face. She wasn’t angry about the interruption. She was smiling.
“Dorothy, do you know how many times you’ve asked that?”
“…I don’t know?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s been more than ten times.”
“…I don’t know?”
Lij laughed, made the final cut, and put the scissors back in the box. After threading a needle, she began to sew the garment together.
Dorothy pressed close to her, watching silently as Lij sewed. That was going to be her dress. It was a beautiful fabric, unlike anything she had ever seen.
“Is this mine?”
When Dorothy asked, Lij giggled.
“Dorothy, this is really yours.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She was so happy. The clothes she was wearing now were something a lady from the Village had brought her long before Lij arrived. She had received them because her previous clothes had become too small to wear. The lady had told her over and over that she had to be grateful.
But the new clothes had holes in them. They weren’t pretty, either. There was a stain on the bottom, and they smelled strange.
She had worn those clothes continuously until Lij came. Oh, she remembered now. The clothes that had been baggy when she first met Lij were now tight on her.
The smell had disappeared after Lij washed them, but the holes remained. What started as one hole had grown to be as many as—well, Lij had told her it was three.
The side was torn, too. Lij had sewn it for her, but it had torn again. Lij always looked sad whenever she saw those clothes.
“Is it mine? New clothes?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Hearing Lij’s answer made her happy. Yes, that’s right. Yes, that’s right. She wanted to hear it again and again. She kept asking, but would Lij get angry?
Just as she was about to ask one more time, she heard the sound of the door rattling.
Lij snapped her head up and pushed Dorothy’s dress to the side. Lij scrambled to her feet. She untied the ribbon in her hair and tied it again as she hurried toward the door.
Dorothy jumped up as well. She was a bit late, but she was faster.
Dorothy’s feet thudded against the floor as she sprinted past Lij.
The door swung open, and Papa walked in. Not Juhwan. Papa.
“Papa!”
She ran to him and spread her arms wide, and Papa grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up. He tucked her under one arm against his side. Dorothy threw her arms around his neck and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Papa! New clothes. Dorothy has new clothes.”
“Ohhh.”
Papa was smiling, but—ah, right, Papa couldn’t speak very well. He probably didn’t know what “new clothes” meant. Dorothy was about to excitedly tell him all about the new clothes when she suddenly looked down. Something touched the sole of her foot.
Huh? Huh? Huuuh? The pouch is moving!
That’s strange. Why is the pouch moving?
“Papa, is it magic? Pouch magic?”
Surprised, she looked up at Papa’s face. Papa could make fire come out of his fingers. Since he said that had happened suddenly, maybe he’d gained a magic that made pouches move.
Papa gave a gentle smile and tried to untie the pouch with one hand. Papa was very strong and brave, but he was a little silly. He couldn’t untie the string with only one hand. Lij approached with a smile, gave him a kiss, and helped him untie it.
Ah! Dorothy wants a kiss too!
Just as she was about to pucker her lips, Dorothy stared at something that poked out of the pouch. Uh-oh, uh-oh, that’s…
“A rabbit?”
It was Lij’s voice. Lij looked in surprise at the rabbit ears poking out of the pouch.
The ears twitched and flickered. They twitched this way and that.
“It—it’s moving.”
Dorothy’s eyes went round.
The rabbit was moving. Why? Rabbits were supposed to be limp—so why was it moving? Do rabbits move? The rabbits her father used to bring home were always limp…
She didn’t know why, but suddenly, her mouth began to water.
