All My Murim Noonas Are Obsessed With Me!-Chapter 118: A Body Like Mine Is Hard To Find!

[Protagonist’s POV]

"It’s only natural. But... if—and I mean if—there ever comes a time when, against your will, you have to let another woman into your heart..."

Chu.

A soft sensation brushed my lips.

Not the heavy, passionate kisses she usually forced on me in bed, but a sweet, gentle peck.

"...Don’t let go of me then."

I couldn’t fully judge this sudden change in her—or her new way of showing love—yet. But I couldn’t just rejoice either.

There was a bitter sadness mixed into that sweetness.

Determined to become my ideal type, Dang Ayeong seemed serious about it. That night, she lay in bed without trying anything—just sleeping.

["You’d prefer a gentle woman over a short, selfish, violent one, right?"]

The "short" jab made it obvious who she had in mind, but I didn’t bother pointing it out.

[..."Of course."]

["Good. Let’s just sleep easy tonight, then. We’ve got a long trip tomorrow—I don’t want to tire you out and cause trouble."]

After that exchange, she lay in the same bed, under the same blanket, but turned her back to me, as if she really meant to do nothing.

She’d pulled the "rest up" excuse before only to pounce again, so I was skeptical—but tonight, she seemed set. Not a glance or a touch my way.

A change I couldn’t have imagined just yesterday.

Sure, it came with the condition of "only if absolutely unavoidable," but she’d even given me permission to see another woman. If my juggling act ever got exposed, the constant dread might finally ease up a bit.

Of course, I wasn’t crazy enough to blurt out my thing with the Sword Empress right then and there.

’I’ve got some sense—how could I just say it now...?’

If I ever confessed, it’d be way down the line.

And even if I somehow, by some miracle, convinced Dang Ayeong, there was still the Sword Empress.

How the hell was I supposed to sway that stubborn woman?

’One step at a time...’

The reduced risk on Dang Ayeong’s side was encouraging enough, so I decided to think it over slowly.

Her change wasn’t entirely a happy one when I considered why it happened—but for now, it helped me.

Feeling guilty yet grateful, I couldn’t bring myself to say much.

Silently, I vowed to myself:

No matter what, I wouldn’t screw up again.

++++

"Take care out there. Eat well... sleep plenty... don’t push yourself too hard... and if you get sick, don’t just tough it out—find a doctor right away."

"I got it, I got it. Anyone would think you’re my mom."

Dang Ayeong was seeing me off at the door, fussing over me so much I felt embarrassed.

No one else was around, but that didn’t make it any less awkward.

"And if some weirdo offers you candy to follow them, don’t go—ask an adult nearby for help..."

"What am I, a kid?!"

"Okay, then if someone offers you booze to follow them..."

"The offer’s not the problem here!"

After enduring a barrage of worried nagging, I finally broke free from the doorstep.

"Oh, and one more thing..."

"What now?"

Jingle.

"Here’s some pocket money. Don’t let that woman intimidate you—buy what you want, eat what you like, and if you need a place to stay, pay extra for a separate room. I packed plenty."

"I’m always grateful, Lady."

I lowered my voice, adopting a serious tone, and held out both hands.

My sudden shift amused her—she smirked, placing the money pouch in my palms.

Even through my fingertips, it felt hefty.

"I’m a pretty great catch, you know? Maybe not the absolute best in the Central Plains, but a woman with this face, this strength, and this wealth? Hard to come by."

"Of course. Who’d dare say you’re lacking? Point them out later—I’ll set them straight."

"Pfft... Thanks for the sentiment, at least."

After a final farewell, I headed off to meet Yeo Socheon at the agreed spot.

"Safe travels~"

Dang Ayeong waved from the doorstep with a smile, and I waved back.

++++

Flop.

’Yeo Socheon’s not here yet, huh?’

I climbed onto the carriage she’d prepared, set my stuff down, and started munching on some skewers I’d grabbed from the market.

Dang Ayeong had cooked up a feast before I left, but home cooking and street food were different beasts.

With a body that didn’t gain weight no matter what, I didn’t sweat calories much.

Nom nom.

’Back in the day, I thought I’d shoot up tall eventually...’

I stretched out my legs, hidden under my cloak, and stared at them.

Even eating just herbs in the mountains, Master had fed me meat often enough—where’d all that nutrition go? I was still scrawny, and my height hadn’t budged.

Growth pretty much stalled around my mid-teens. Comparing me then to now, my looks hadn’t changed much either.

If I ditched this shady cloak and wandered around, people might mistake me for a kid.

Grumble grumble.

’Seriously, how am I supposed to survive with a body like this?’

Taking a moment, I started griping at the divine duo in my head again.

If they were gonna drag me here, couldn’t they have given me a decent body? One with talent, height, good looks—something useful? Instead, I got this childlike frame.

If my dantian had broken after I possessed this body, I could’ve at least complained about bad luck—but it was already wrecked when I arrived. What was I supposed to do?

’But stunting my height too? That’s just cruel.’

A busted dantian so I couldn’t train martial arts, a frail build, short stature—my raw physical ability was so low I couldn’t even beat most women. In a world ruled by strength, this body had zero perks.

The gods had to know how their world worked—giving me this body screamed personal spite.

Without this cloak from the shop interface, I’d have been stuck wandering around exposed—looking weak and inviting trouble left and right.

I might’ve been too scared to even leave the mountains.

At least I didn’t seem to have any pre-possession grudges waiting for me—that was a small mercy.

’They’ve got some shred of decency. If they’d saddled me with this weak body and old enemies...’

I’d have cursed them out with everything I had, consequences be damned.

Sure, I was grateful they’d saved me from a stud-horse fate, but there’s a baseline of fairness, right?

Being wrung dry as a breeding machine or flailing in a body that could die any day—neither was much better.

My life on Earth was a hundred times preferable.

’Ugh, whatever. No point getting homesick.’

Looking back, living with Master in the mountains was probably the best time.

It was mind-numbingly boring, but I didn’t feel like survival was a struggle. Now, I actually missed that boredom.

Too much to worry about these days—my head felt like it’d explode.

Dang Ayeong’s concerns had eased a bit, but just yesterday, I’d been a nervous wreck—terrified of slipping up and getting caught by her or the Sword Empress, second-guessing every word I said.

Even surviving a day with Dang Ayeong wasn’t the end of it. What if—by some fluke—the Sword Empress heard about us? That fear gnawed at me until I fell asleep.

This fishpond juggling was a desperate bid to survive, but it was no way for a person to live.

’Too late to back out now, though.’

Even if I ditched everything and fled to the mountains, failing to stop the world’s end would just doom it all anyway.

"Ha..."

Nom.

Deciding to drop the heavy thoughts, I gripped my aching head and shoved the rest of the skewer in my mouth.

Oh, right—I hadn’t checked how much money Dang Ayeong gave me.

It’d felt pretty substantial, so I opened the pouch with a flicker of anticipation—

"Wow."

Mostly silver coins for convenience, but there were gold ones too.

Five of them.

Way more than pocket money should be.

Even as shop points, that’d be five whole points...