Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

“Cho, Tski!!?”

The creature had been thrashing around on its back, kicking its legs wildly—until it froze completely at the sound of my voice.

Its antennae slowly turned toward me. Its head was facing the other direction, so it couldn’t see me; it must’ve used its antennae to sense me instead.

Why is this little one lying upside down here all of a sudden? I glanced around—and right beside me were Cho, Hyang, Bini, and Hwayang, all fast asleep.

The sight of them tangled together in a tight little ball immediately caught my eye.

Cho had her chin resting on Bini’s body, Hyang was draped lazily across Cho, and Hwayang was wedged sideways in the narrow space between Hyang and Cho.

They were twisted up like kids wrapped in holiday silk ribbons—an utterly heartwarming and adorable sight.

Was this... the peaceful image of sisterly affection I had always wanted to see?

“What happened? When did they get this close?”

A smile naturally crept onto my lips.

After all, there had always been a bit of tension between the girls. Hwayang and Hyang usually slept together, but Bini and Cho kept a cool distance, even choosing opposite sides when we slept in the Tang Clan’s quarters.

But now they were all tangled up in one sleeping pile. That could only mean one thing: whatever that cold war was, it had thawed.

“You little rascals...”

Unconsciously, I reached out and gently stroked Cho’s head as she slept, still resting on Bini’s body.

Her antennae twitched left and right, just like a puppy’s ears.

“How is it you even look cute sleeping upside down, you little bug girl?”

Just as my hand brushed toward the back of her head, planning to pet the others next... something caught at my fingertips.

It was something stuck to Cho’s head—something that detached and rolled off Bini’s side, hitting the floor.

—tok, tok tok.

The wooden floor made even tiny things sound clear. Curious, I reached down to pick it up.

—crackle.

But it crumbled between my fingers before I could even lift it.

Looking closer at the powdery remains, I quickly realized—it was dried-up mud.

It had disintegrated into dust, too dried out to hold shape.

Most people probably wouldn’t know what it was or where it came from, but I did. I’d spent enough time collecting things in the wild to recognize it.

—thump, thump.

“This is river-bottom or marshbed mud, isn’t it?”

There was still a faint stench—something between fishy water and sewage. Definitely the kind of mud you’d dig up from the mucky bottom of a river or a soggy creek bed.

And at that moment, everything clicked.

These kids...

Now I knew why they’d been sleeping so heavily all day.

At first, I thought it was just their natural nocturnal instincts kicking back in now that they were out in the wild. But that wasn’t it.

They’d clearly been sneaking out at night.

Even on the day I’d specifically set aside as a rest day.

Sure, they were wild by nature—but even with instincts reviving, this had seemed a little off. Especially the way they crashed harder than the others after.

And now I understood why their sisterly affection had blossomed so suddenly too.

They’d been sneaking out together—forming a little secret club behind my back. Of course they’d gotten closer.

They were sharing a secret.

And nothing brings people together like a shared secret—even if they aren’t technically people.

“So then... was that a gift from their night adventure? Or maybe a bribe to keep me from scolding them?”

I looked away from the sleeping girls and toward the Bombardier Beetle that was still lying nearby, its antennae cautiously tracking me.

The twitch of its antennae made me chuckle again.

Whatever the meaning behind it, the beetle was probably something they picked up as a gift.

And really, a Bombardier Beetle as their very first present for Daddy?

My girls knew me too well.

It was basically the perfect specimen—a living embodiment of what I’d call a market-grade Trouble Pokémon.

I decided then and there not to scold them for sneaking out.

They had clearly disobeyed me. I had warned them about staying safe, about not going out on their own.

And yet... how could I scold them when their bond had grown stronger—and they brought me a gift like this?

I walked up to the frozen beetle and spoke softly.

“Don’t spray any toxins at me, okay? I’ll flip you over, alright? I’m not a bad guy.”

—choki.

It answered quietly.

I moved in quickly and flipped it over. The creature took a big breath, its abdomen puffing up wide like it was sighing.

It had probably been just about to fire a burst of toxins—likely shifting its butt toward me for the shot.

But that puff of air—it seemed more like a sigh than a threat.

Now that it was upright again, something else caught my eye.

Strands of thread—Yo-hwa’s thread—were clinging to its back shell.

Looking closer, I realized the thread had been tied between the shell plates on both sides, stitching them shut like a wound.

“So even Yo-hwa was in on it, huh.”

That made sense.

Beetles have wings—they can flip themselves over by fluttering them.

But this one couldn’t.

Because Yo-hwa had literally sewn its wing cases shut with silk thread.

Just like stitching a wound.

I gave the poor thing an apologetic look.

It wasn’t injured, sure—but if the girls had caught it and dragged it back, it probably hadn’t had the best time.

“I’m So-ryong,” I said gently. “Sorry if my kids roughed you up a bit.”

The beetle flinched.

It stared at me warily, and I examined it in return, taking in every detail.

Yup—definitely a Bombardier Beetle.

Its English name was Bombardier Beetle.

Scientific name, Carabidae.

Just like I suspected—it was one of the classic explosive beetles.

This translation is the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) intellectual property of Novelight.

Unlike a typical Bombardier Beetle, this one had a rounded, plump shape—but the pattern on its back matched the kind I was familiar with. And the smell lingering on its body confirmed it beyond any doubt.

The reason I’d instantly recognized it as a Bombardier Beetle the moment I opened my eyes was because of that scent.

The main compound in the liquid a Bombardier Beetle sprays is 1,4-benzoquinone.

It’s a pungent chemical—strong like bleach or chlorine, a sharp stink that hits the nose like a slap.

I’d spent decades chasing these things. There was no way I’d be mistaken.

‘Ah, so this is the “watermelon” Subsubi was talking about?’

And just from the beetle’s appearance, I could tell that Subsubi’s ”watermelon” definitely referred to this guy.

It really was round like a watermelon.

With an orange body and black stripes, it looked just enough like a melon to get the name.

It also made sense now why catching this thing must have been such a struggle—even for them.

That 1,4-benzoquinone messes with basic neurological function. It’s a brutal irritant.

And since the liquid it sprays hits nearly 100 degrees Celsius the moment it’s released, getting burned on contact is basically guaranteed.

Seeing how its body had turned red before death, it must’ve suffered burns that got infected and ultimately led to its death.

‘Still... not bad at all.’

After thoroughly inspecting the beetle, I found myself surprisingly pleased.

No wonder—it was a born fighter.

Beetles in general are fighters by nature. Highly aggressive, most of them carnivorous.

But Bombardier Beetles? They’re on another level.

They can spray benzoquinone up to sixty times their own body length.

They’re capable of twenty rapid-fire shots in succession.

And this one? A rare male.

Up until now, all I’d had were delicate girls. It was a relief to finally have a tough little guy like him—a born brawler.

“Jackpot,” I thought, right as the beetle turned its body toward me and showed off its back, where Yo-hwa’s silk thread was still stuck.

—Choki?

It was probably asking if I could undo it. I asked in return.

“You want me to untie it? So you can run away?”

—Tski!

Its antennae twitched with joy, and it nodded its head eagerly.

Back when it had been flipped over, it had only been able to sense me with its antennae, so it hadn’t seen me gently petting Cho.

Because of that, it still didn’t fully trust me.

And unlike Yeondu, this guy had been captured out of nowhere, so of course it would want to escape.

‘What do I do... how do I build a bond with this one?’

I was just mulling over how to get him to stay with us—

—Tski!

It pushed its back toward me again, urging me to untie it.

But before I could say anything, I heard movement by the entrance.

—ting, ting.

—Ts, Tski!

Startled, the beetle whipped its head around in panic and quickly flipped itself back over.

It went right back into the exact position I’d found it in earlier, legs twitching weakly as it lay upside down.

Was it the fear of spider predators?

Or maybe it was just because Yo-hwa had been the one to tie up its back?

—Kishi?

A shadow passed by the entrance, and then Yo-hwa stepped into the room.

She saw I was awake and called out, just as the beetle stiffened, looking toward me with an expression of disbelief.

Its antennae stood straight up—like it couldn’t believe what it was seeing.

Then Yo-hwa picked up the beetle with one hand, walked over to me quickly, and offered it like a gift.

“Oh, Yo-hwa, good morning. Did you sleep well?”

—Kishishi.

“Are you giving this to me? Did you bring it back yourself?”

—Kishit.

She held out the beetle like it was a prized present, then gestured at the other girls who’d helped her catch it.

Finally, she pointed at herself.

Seemed like they had all worked together to catch the beetle and bring it back.

The beetle’s eyes widened—nearly the size of lanterns.

“Anyway... thanks, Yo-hwa.”

I accepted the beetle, smiled awkwardly, and met its gaze.

“Let’s try to get along, okay? We’re friends now.”

—Ts... Tski...

Its antennae drooped weakly.

***

The beetle the girls had caught was known in Central Plains dialect as a Bangbichung—literally, “Farting Bug.”

It wasn’t listed among the Ten Deadliest Venomous Creatures or the Twenty-Four Poisons.

It wasn’t even mentioned in the Heavenly Demon Venom Compendium.

Even Hwaun hadn’t known what it was. She’d said she’d never seen it in any text.

“Tianzhen Qinghua, Ilwol Seongjin, Unusaembal.

Gold, silver, water, fire. Red, blue, white, black.

Flowers, grains, grass, fruit.

It doesn’t fall under any of those categories, So-ryong.”

“Right. I’ve never heard of a divine creature called Bangbichung.

I’ve been reading over the compendium with your scribe, and I’ve got all the contents memorized—but this thing isn’t in there at all.”

Thinking over Hwaun’s words, I realized the Heavenly Demon Venom Compendium only covered venomous creatures within the Central Plains.

This place wasn’t some mystery region of the Central Plains—it was something entirely different.

So it made sense that this beetle hadn’t been documented yet.

But that didn’t make me feel disappointed.

On the contrary—I was thrilled.

Because when you discover an undocumented species... who gets to name it?

The one who discovered it, of course.

I gave the beetle a name right away: Yeolbi Beetle — Hot-Fart Beetle.

Because of its high-temperature chemical spray, that name fit perfectly.

And I gave it a proper name, too: Yeolbi.

“Let’s get along, Yeolbi.”

I smiled as I said its name for the first time.

No reply.

But then came the scary murmurs from the older sisters instead.

—Tsrrr.

—Kishit!

—Tskk?

Yeolbi’s antennae stood stiff.

He clearly didn’t want to, but he replied in a sullen mutter.

—Ts... Tsuki...

Under the terrifying stares of his new “older sisters,” he had no choice but to sound cheerful.

—Tsiiit! Tsuki. Tsuki!

***

—padadadadak.

Yeolbi’s wingbeats echoed through the quiet night sky, scattering in all directions.

He’d already flown far enough that he normally would’ve landed for a rest by now.

But he didn’t stop flapping.

He’d spent the last ten days trapped, barely escaping by sheer luck.

If he slowed down even a little, those terrifying “sisters” might chase him down and torment him again.

So he flew with all his might, flapping furiously toward the distant mountaintop.

And beneath that peak—his Big Brother awaited.

His Big Brother—the king of all divine beasts on this island.

He would ask him for revenge. To avenge this disgrace.

—padadadak.

He finally reached the entrance to a dark cave.

Yeolbi called out into the depths.

—Tsuki! Tsukiit! “Big Brother! Please help meee!”

And then—deep in the blackness—two glowing eyes opened wide.

A thunderous roar echoed from within.

—SKAAAAAA.

A roar full of power and promise.