Chapter 7
Joo-hee didn’t eat breakfast.
But since Rowen hadn’t eaten anything while he was unconscious, he needed to eat something.
Joo-hee didn’t feel like cooking, so she looked around the kitchen.
Just then, she spotted some fruits she had picked earlier.
After quickly getting ready, she went to the kitchen and grabbed a few of them.
“Joo-hee, I’m all ready.”
“Eat this.”
“Huh? Oh…”
She suddenly held out a fruit to Rowen.
“I don’t usually eat breakfast.”
“Ah, okay.”
“…”
“Thanks, I’ll eat it well.”
Rowen quickly responded when Joo-hee gave him a cool look.
She wasn’t glaring on purpose, but her naturally cold expression made it seem that way.
He took a bite of the fruit without hesitation and let out a small gasp of surprise.
It was much sweeter and juicier than he expected.
“Wow, this is really good.”
“You can have more after we get back.”
“Oh, okay.”
Joo-hee thought Rowen wanted to eat more, so she said that.
Usually, her wolf, Lu, would already be waiting, but since they were going to the village unexpectedly today, he wasn’t there yet.
Joo-hee whistled softly.
Rowen, who had just finished eating, blinked and stared at her curiously.
Not long after she whistled, Lu came running.
He wagged his tail happily, glad to be called on a day they usually didn’t meet.
Joo-hee stroked his head calmly, then pointed at Rowen.
“Lu, we need to take this person to the village too.”
Lu stared at Rowen with strange, thoughtful eyes.
When Rowen gave him an awkward smile, Lu snorted and let out a loud howl.
Rowen was startled, but Joo-hee calmly petted Lu’s head, unfazed.
Rowen slowly moved closer to Joo-hee and asked:
“Is… is this wolf’s name Lu?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… Lu?”
But Lu completely ignored Rowen, not even glancing at him.
Rowen suddenly found himself wondering—just who was Joo-hee?
A mysterious woman living alone deep in the forest…
While he was lost in thought, another wolf suddenly appeared.
“Lo.”
Apparently, Lu had bragged to the other wolf, and this new one had come to Joo-hee asking for a name too. So she gave him one.
“This one’s name is Lo.”
“Ah… okay.”
Rowen thought that if Joo-hee hadn’t asked Lo for help, the wolf might’ve attacked him.
“Lo, I’m counting on you.”
Lo looked annoyed, but after Joo-hee spoke gently, he immediately calmed down and whimpered softly.
Lo didn’t really have a choice but to listen to Joo-hee.
She knew that too—but never forced them.
Eventually, Lo walked over to Rowen.
Rowen smiled awkwardly at the wolf standing in front of him.
“Let’s get along, okay?”
But Lo just turned his head away sharply.
Joo-hee climbed onto Lu’s back with ease, and surprisingly, Rowen also got onto Lo’s back smoothly.
Joo-hee was quietly impressed.
He didn’t struggle or fumble—he must’ve learned horseback riding.
She looked him over again.
Rowen’s clean, freshly washed hair looked soft and well-cared for, even without touching it.
That meant he had been maintaining it regularly.
Even though he didn’t notice, his speech, his way of walking—everything about him was different from the villagers.
And if he knew how to ride, that meant he likely owned a horse, which was expensive—too expensive for a commoner.
That could only mean one thing: Rowen was probably a noble.
Or perhaps a very rich merchant… though somehow he didn’t give off that kind of vibe.
‘Then… a noble?’
That seemed most likely. But since it was only a guess, Joo-hee didn’t say anything out loud.
Rowen, meanwhile, didn’t think anything was strange. It all felt natural to him.
“Lo, your fur is really soft.”
When Rowen complimented him, Lo’s mood seemed to lift slightly—his tail gave the tiniest wag.
Joo-hee led the way, and Rowen followed behind on Lo.
He couldn’t stop staring at Joo-hee’s back as she rode ahead.
“…An elf?”
As soon as they entered the forest, Rowen’s sharp instincts picked something up.
It felt like the entire forest was welcoming Joo-hee.
Nothing blocked her path. The warm sunlight shone gently, as if it was meant only for her.
Before he knew it, they had reached the edge of the forest.
Joo-hee stopped and turned, waiting for Rowen.
As Rowen followed behind, Joo-hee said,
“Don’t go into the forest alone.”
“…Why not?”
“It’s dangerous. The forest doesn’t trust strangers.”
Rowen couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked,
“Joo-hee… are you an elf?”
She didn’t seem like a normal human, so the elf—known to look human but different—came to his mind.
Rowen asked very seriously, but Joo-hee didn’t think it was worth answering.
Mel, who was next to them, suddenly burst into laughter.
—An elf? Well, Joo-hee is as pretty as one! But her ears aren’t pointy!
Mel chattered away.
Since Joo-hee stayed silent, Rowen felt embarrassed and added awkwardly,
“Ah… I must’ve been mistaken. Haha…”
“Yes, you were.”
Joo-hee gave a short answer and started walking toward the village again.
Lu and Ro, the wolves, stopped at the bottom of the hill.
“Thanks, Lu. You too, Ro. See you later.”
Joo-hee led Rowen into the village.
The villagers were shocked when they saw Rowen walking beside her.
Which was understandable—he was a complete stranger, and his clothes were still stained with blood.
Joo-hee decided the first thing to do was buy him some new clothes.
They walked into the nearest clothing shop, and the woman inside gasped when she saw them.
“W-Welcome!”
Rowen noticed the woman trembling—not at him, but at Joo-hee—and found it odd.
He recalled that strange moment earlier at home, when she had looked even colder than usual.
He used to think her emotionless face was just her natural look, but maybe it wasn’t just that.
Still, Joo-hee didn’t care about those reactions. She focused seriously on picking clothes for Rowen.
So Rowen stopped paying attention to the shopkeeper and stepped closer to her.
“Rowen, how about this?”
Joo-hee, looking rather serious, held up a pair of pants and a shirt against him.
They seemed to be the right size, so she asked the shopkeeper,
“Do you have a fitting room?”
“Y-Yes, right over there.”
The woman pointed to a corner with a curtain—just a simple space, not a real room.
Joo-hee handed the clothes to Rowen.
“Try these on.”
“Okay.”
Rowen obediently followed her instructions—like a well-trained puppy.
While he was changing, Joo-hee picked out a simple, comfortable dress for herself too.
When she finished, Rowen stepped out from behind the curtain.
“How do I look? Is it okay?”
He smiled awkwardly and shrugged.
Joo-hee didn’t say much—just nodded.
He had broad shoulders and a tall build, so the clothes fit well.
In fact, if they were in Korea, model agencies would probably fight over him.
Even though the clothes were cheap and plain, on Rowen, they looked expensive and elegant.
This strengthened Joo-hee’s suspicion that he might be a noble.
One outfit wasn’t enough, so she picked out several more sets and paid for everything at once.
She also bought him new shoes, since his old ones were too dirty and bloody.
She threw away his old clothes and shoes right into the trash.
Seeing Rowen dressed in clothes and shoes she picked for him gave Joo-hee a strange feeling.
She was used to being alone, so having someone by her side felt awkward.
The emotion was hard to describe—she tilted her head slightly, then decided not to think too deeply about it.
Originally, she had planned to go back after buying clothes, but since they were in the village already, she decided to buy some fish too.
But she didn’t know what to choose—none of the fish looked familiar.
—Ugh, it stinks!
Mel, overwhelmed by the fishy smell, didn’t come any closer.
After thinking for a while, Joo-hee picked one that looked most like a mackerel she had seen in Korea.
She sighed, missing plastic bags—but to her surprise, the shopkeeper took out a plastic bag from underneath the counter.
She rubbed her eyes, wondering if she saw it wrong, but it was a plastic bag.
Joo-hee figured it was a mistake in the worldbuilding by the writer of this story.
She accepted the bag, silently judging the author for being careless.
As she left the village, the townspeople began whispering among themselves.
“Who is that man? I was shocked when I first saw him.”
“Me too. I’ve only ever seen her talk to the old man at the herb shop, never anyone else.”
They still found Joo-hee scary, but were very curious about Rowen.
While everyone tossed around different guesses about the man’s identity, one man tilted his head and said,
“You know… he kind of looks like someone, doesn’t he?”
“Who?”
“Let me think…”
Everyone turned to look at the man.
After thinking hard, he suddenly clapped his hands.
“That’s it! The First Prince! I saw a portrait of him once when I visited the capital. This guy looks just like him. But… no way he’s really the First Prince, right?”
“What are you, an aspiring novelist? Why would someone from the royal palace be here? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
The man scratched his cheek with an awkward smile.
Everyone dismissed the idea as absurd and didn’t take it seriously.
Eventually, they all went their separate ways, leaving only rumors and guesses behind.
