BBS (15)

Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost

 
⟨Chapter 15⟩
 
 

“How do we do it?”

“That’s the problem.”

At Yu Dan’s question, Baek Ran turned his gaze towards the hanging scroll.

“While sealing it a moment ago, I looked into it for a moment, but it was completely black. Just pain, resentment and hate. So You will have to look into it in person. Because right now You’re strongly connected with that ghost, You may see things that my eyes can’t.”

At that moment.

Baek Ran’s right sleeve moved. Did something wriggle? It secretly slipped out of the sleeve.

Black… hair?

It was a black like night woman’s braid. Yu Dan doubted his eyes. Was he perhaps hallucinating right now? While he was confused, the black hair locks wriggly coiled around his arm and in the instant climbed up to his shoulder.

“… I’ll try to buy you as much time as possible. The weakness is clearly in the painting. You will have to find it.”

Do you not feel anything?

Baek Ran just calmly continued his words. The hair locks were on his shoulder right now and were reaching for the neck. From there they twitched and wrapped around his neck, and then started to gradually tighten.

“What? No way, you really have no idea?”

The moment Yu Dan stood up startled, the locks suddenly moved.

In the instant, the locks coiled around his neck and tightened with all their might. He tried to tear them off, but he couldn’t even move a finger. His windpipe was blocked, and his vision turned white.

Even though he was like this, it seemed that Baek Ran’s eyes couldn’t see anything. He looked around with a doubtful face, and then hastily picked up a dagger and cut through a certain spot.

The thick locks were cut off in the middle. The numerous hair strands wriggled like worms and then disappeared in the instant as if melting.

His breathing barely returned. Yu Dan took a deep breath.

“Just now… what was that?”

“A breach.”

“A breach?”

“Though I covered its eyes with a talisman, it heard a voice that was making a loud noise and searched for it. I should cover its ears. No, I should entirely block every hole.”

Baek Ran stood up and stepped in front of the hanging scroll. At that moment, the talisman that was plastered to the painting a moment ago, came off.

“Please have a look a this.”

The piece of paper that the fox picked up and showed him was completely white.

“Where did the letter go? There was ‘hwa’ letter a moment ago.”

“Perhaps the resentment is so strong, even the talisman was erased. Seems determined to drag away by any means.”

“Draw away who?”

“If that thing could do as it wished, why would they speak about unnatural deaths? When it tries to kill someone, a brick would fall on their heads while they were walking, and they would die. It would be over in the blink of an eye.”

Baek Ran looked down.

Was it because he was dizzy from the fever? Yu Dan’s vision blurred, and it overlapped with a foggy scene.

It was a very long time ago.

Humans came looking for the fox yokai with dazzling golden fur, who lived in the mountains. They laid down a child, who was on the brink of death because of high fever. They prayed for protection, because that child was caught by a ghost.

The fox laid the child in the room and made a barrier with a golden rope. He made a partition full of incantations and was about to leave, but humans knealt down and begged.

— Cheonho-nim. Humans are weak. Please watch over that child from the side.

The fox returned to the room again. He turned on the lamp and guarded the child’s side through the night.

Riding pitch-black darkness, the ghost came to them. When blocked and unable to enter, it went amok as if crazy. The fox punished it. He held its cut neck in one hand and walked to the partition.

But the child was already dead.

The fox stood still for a while, looking down at the child. For the first time some emotion appeared in his tranquil golden eyes.

Truly, humans are weak, huh…

Was he recalling that old memory, or was he thinking about something else? After putting strength into his right hand, the sleeve wriggled a little. Baek Ran did that, and then suddenly turned his head.

Yu Dan quickly turned his gaze away. It felt like he looked into something he shouldn’t.

“Please lay down here.”

Baek Ran stood up and lowered a bamboo blind from the ceiling. Fixing the dagger, which he used a moment ago, on the table, he brought his fingertip to the sharp blade.

“What are you doing?”

There was no reply. As he used only one hand, it was a bit of a struggle, but he at last managed to cut his fingertip and before a drop of blood could fall on the floor, he moved towards Yu Dan and wrote something on the blind.

It was eight characters. As it was in ancient Chinese, he couldn’t understand anything besides that it started with Cheon(天 heaven). After letting go of his hand, the writing started to shine golden. As if something started to move, a low ‘uung’ vibration sound came out.

“I expect it to be fine like this, so… I just blocked it entirely.”

On the other side of the blind, Baek Ran spoke.

“Never come out from here.”

Yu Dan was dumbfounded for a moment, and then hastily replied.

“Okay. Okay. I’ll never come out. Never.”

He diligently emphasized, while waving his hand. Somehow it felt as if this side should reassure the other side, instead of the opposite.

“If You ever take a step out, You’re done for. Even when someone tells You to come out, never do it. Do You understand?”

“I understand.”

“Then please watch this painting closely. I’ll come out and be back in a moment.”

Baek Ran opened the door to the medical room and came out. Unlike his usually light footsteps, the thumping sound of walking in the corridor gradually became distant and then disappeared.

What? Was it the so-called trauma? Did yokai also had it?

He laid down on the bedding again.

After the blind was hung, he felt completely isolated. Behind him was a partition door, leading to the garden, but it was tightly closed with a latch.

Suddenly his throat felt sore. As he checked under the scarf, the place where the hair locks grabbed him a moment ago was swollen. Every time his hand touched it, he felt a sharp pain.

He had no idea. Let’s do what he was ordered to do.

He put his arms under his chin and started to glare at the painting on the other side of the bamboo blind.
He seemed to have dozed off again in a blink. He had no idea how much time has passed. Someone outside was whispering in low voices.

“… Ooo, is that so? Something like this happened?”

Those were voices of the Banwoldang’s yokai conversing with someone. It was clearly a familiar voice, who was it? After searching his memory for a while, he figured it out. It was the frog jeongseung[1] he met when he came to this place for the first time.

“Huu, if such a wicked thing continued to stay in that place, many people would be harmed, kero. We will do well, but Cheonjisinmyeong[2], kindly look after us please.”

Midst the rustle, there was a quiet ‘thud’ sound. It seemed that the frog knealt down on the floor.

“I worry. How long can a human last between a yokai and a ghost…”

Yu Dan opened his hazy eyes.

As the bamboo partition before his eyes fluttered, his mind cleared. He saw the fox yokai pilling up papers and writing talismans. Of course, with one hand. The right sleeve laying on the floor wriggled once again. As he quietly leaned in his ears, he heard a thump-thump sound, like a heartbeat.

What?

He wanted to see and suddenly got closer. It felt as if he was shooting with an unseen camera. Yu Dan looked inside of Baek Ran’s right sleeve.

Bloodstains…?

Thump-thump. Some cherry-red thing suddenly pulled in Yu Dan with a strange sound. With a startled ‘heuk!’, he suddenly woke up.

“What’s the matter?”

Baek Ran asked. Was it a dream? Everything was too realistic to think like this. Yu Dan pressed his hurting head.

“Did you hurt your right hand?”

“Did You hurt Your head? Why are You asking again about something You already asked about?”

“If it isn’t hurt, then why aren’t you using your hand? No matter how much I think about it, it’s strange. Isn’t it obvious that the ghost hair jumped out of this sleeve a moment ago? How could it do that? With so many monsters and ghosts at your disposal, why weren’t you able to stop that and…”

“How surprising. Even in such a situation, You’re doing Your best to very actively distract Yourself, eh? Or is it that You have that much time to spare because You found a clue? Can I ask what is it?”

“Ah, no.”

His head felt like splitting.

He glared at the painting again, but it was exactly the same. There were only things that he already considered with Baek Ran.

A woman with loose hair sitting on the main floor.

Her clothes were so colorful, but why was the house so old and small? They bought clothes, but then she died with regrets, because her house was ruined? He said that, but the fox yokai sneered. He said that that house wasn’t probably her house.

And then why didn’t the animals have eyes? What the hell did that mean?

Baek Ran guessed that all three animals were male. He said that although there was one animal, of which gender was difficult to know from appearance alone, the pig, with the roster and the peacock they would represent some kind of three men. They would be deeply related to the death of the woman in the painting.

It seemed everything got them going in circles. But it felt that if there was just one clue, everything could be solved.

He had to use his head. However, he really hated thinking. He hated to even think that he hated thinking. Couldn’t he just live without thinking? Did he really have to look at that old painting like some sort of art historian? He would die from boredom. Wasn’t there another way?

… Suddenly, the painting moved with a ‘swish’.

Was there some reason for it? It was no longer flat. The roof’s eaves of the tile-roof house, the pillars underneath, the three animals, the yard below the floor, everywhere his eyes moved, it materialized like a three-dimensional picture.

He felt the sunlight and the wind. Inside, there was an open window. The blue waves shimmered. There was even a far-away sound of the waves.

Sea? Ah, it was an island, huh?

The three animals without eyes didn’t budge or make a sound as if they were statues. He slowly looked around and then discovered a mirror box and a comb on the floor.

When he saw them in the painting, he had no particular interest in them, but for some reason he got curious and stepped closer. Looking now, something seemed to be reflected in the mirror of the box. He thought that if he matched the angle, he would be able to see it a bit clearer.

From where should he look?

Yu Dan stretched his right hand out towards the mirror box. The instant his fingertips brushed against the edge of the mirror—.

He ended up touching the comb with his knee.

The comb made a small sound as it fell on the floor. At that moment, someone yanked his right hand straight away.

Yu Dan opened his eyes wide.

The three-dimensional picture disappeared at some point. His heart was racing.

What did he do just now?

He looked at the hanging scroll and was startled. The comb that was clearly laying on the floor[3], now rolled off on the ground. As he looked closer, there were a few footprints on the floor, which weren’t there before.

His footprints.

However, how did he do it? How did he enter that painting a moment ago and now came out? Did he have such an ability? Certainly, after entering inside, he could see better, but…

His head was swinging.

In the meantime, it seemed that his body’s symptoms worsened. He felt nauseous and his whole body was covered in cold sweat. It was as if someone was draining his vitality.

Even so, wouldn’t he be able to look one more time?

That mirror that he touched a moment ago. If he only could tilt it a little. A very little bit. See? If only he stretches his hand it would feel like he touched it.

No, he really touched it.

The physical distance was twisted. The stretched out in the air fingertips crossed the space, pierced the painting and entered. The very moment when he was just about to touch the frame of the mirror once again like just a second ago—.

People made an uneasy noise outside.

“What to do? It seems that a male student lives alone in this house.”

“Is there anyone inside?”

The doorbell rang out loudly. Yu Dan jumped from the sofa.

“Who?”

“There is, there is! Student! Come out quickly! The fire broke out and everyone is evacuating right now!”

Looking now, the house was full of smoke. Yu Dan quickly ran to the entrance door. Just when he was about to open them…

His hand stopped.

Wait a moment. When did he return home?

Confused, he looked at the front door. Gradually the iron door became transparent and disappeared with a swish. In its place, he saw his hand reaching out to move the bamboo blind.

He was dizzy.

If it wasn’t a dream a moment ago, what the hell was that? Because it was even more vivid than a reality, goosebumps going down his arm weren’t stopping. How could it deceive him so perfectly?

“Why are You like this again?”

He came to his senses at the fox yokai’s voice.

Yu Dan looked around.

At some point, pitch-black darkness descended from all four directions. It was faintly illuminated by the moonlight slipping under the partition door. When he kept starting, the somewhat blue window paper seemed to only reflect a figure of someone.

“I… I think that by all odds I found a clue…”

“Are you still sleeping? What are You saying after suddenly waking up?”

“No. I’m not sleeping.”

He couldn’t speak any longer. It seemed that someone else was eavesdropping here.

Instead of replying, Yu Dan’s gaze turned towards the hanging scroll.

Baek Ran also followed him and looked at the painting.

In the painting, the comb was still laying on the ground. The footprints on the floor also faintly remained.

The fox’s pupils grew wide.

“Indeed, when a human is ill or is possessed, the barrier of this world becomes faint. Accordingly, the barrier between the painting and reality became faint. To put it in other words, it became passable. That would be unimaginable when You were in a healthy state.”

Baek Ran nodded his head. His eyes, which shined mysteriously in the dim moonlight, turned towards him again. It seemed that he wanted to speak in more detail, but just stopped at this point. This fox yokai also made sure to hold back his words right now. Because that thing couldn’t hear.

“That said, who says he is studying and then tries to enter? I guess You truly hate using Your head even a little. So what did You figure out?”

“To be precise, rather than say I figured out, shouldn’t we say I felt it? I don’t have any ability to pick up on things logically. And I don’t have expert knowledge to find strange points in the painting from Joseon period.”

“Please cheer up. Because it seems that You have an ability to reflect on yourself.”

“Anyhow, I know one thing. Anyone hates when you poke their weaknesses, right? If you touch somewhere, and they try to frantically stop you, that place is the weakness. Right?”

A faint smile appeared on Baek Ran’s face.

“That’s correct.”

“Because they would truly hate it. First it yanked my hand away, and then it tricked me to make me move the blind. So that’s it. That’s the clue. I can try one more time. This time I can do it for sure. But…”

Because one thing hung on his mind, he looked at Baek Ran.

“What would happen if I entered again and was discovered by a ghost?”

“You’ll be grabbed and never let go. Supposing such a situation happens, You would probably be stuck in that hanging scroll together with the ghost forever.”

“Is the possibility of being discovered high?”

“Frankly speaking, it’s strange you weren’t discovered a moment ago.”

“I was asking for no reason.”

“What should We do?”

The fox yokai calmly replied.

“Unless You change Your mindset, You will keep encountering wicked things. If You make a wrong judgment even for a second, You’ll fall into a trap. The moment You realize the danger, it’ll be already too late. Even if You ask for help, and even if You are lucky, it’s easy to be reversed.”

“Then what should I do?”

“In the end, it’s up to You. Do You understand? Humans must become stronger on their own. You can’t rely on the goodwill of anyone, human beings have to become stronger on their own. If You can’t do that, I would rather let it go right now.”

“What?”

“This thing.”

Baek Ran held his hand. His right hand. The sleeve wriggled, and something inside fluttered as if alive.

“What is it? As I suspected, you’re hiding something, right? Why do you keep trying to hide it from me? Is it perhaps a weakness?”

“Please leave it at that.”

His body was dragged away with a swish.

With a humming sound in the air, he was sucked somewhere in an instant. Yu Dan struggled in panic. And then, he hit his head somewhere with a bang.

Rubbing his forehead, he opened his eyes.

He was right in front of a wide wooden pillar. Behind the flowering trees, he saw a dense garden and tile-roofed wall. When he looked back, the peacock, pig and rooster without eyes were sitting silently.

He returned inside the painting.

He had no time to hesitate. Mirror, he had to look into that mirror. With that thought only, he stretched out his hand. His fingers trembled slightly.

Don’t tremble. Fool.

The air was strangely heavy. He had a feeling of pushing through that dense and heavy air. At a certain moment, his fingertips brushed against cold like ice air.

… No way?

The three animals, who were like stone statues until now, turned their heads at the same time. Even without eyes, something was ‘looking’.

That thing came in the end.

Even at that mere thought, his whole body stiffened.

No. It didn’t come. He forced himself to deny it and tried to reach out again. However, he couldn’t even budge. It wasn’t a problem with his mind. Some kind of powerful force was pressing on his whole body.

No matter how much effort he put in, he couldn’t move his body. Someone tightly grabbed his head. And forced him to look back.

“Keuk….”

A groan escaped from his tightly closed lips.

The thing was right in front of him.

It was so close, its breath could touch him. As the face, no, the thing that was once a face pulled closer to his eyes, the hollow eye sockets grew larger like whirlpools. The thing’s lose silk clothes was full of hair. Dozens of strands of black hair in an instant twisted around his legs.

He hated it. Because it seemed that he was going to die, he hated it even more.

However, the fox told him, didn’t he? He would end up like this if he was weak. He said that he would be stuck in that horrible painting for eternity.

So move.

He clenched his teeth once again and put strength into his fingers.

The paralysis was released, but he touched nothing. Please, please. He desperately wished to no one. Then, at a certain moment, he felt a texture of smooth wood. Lucky. He used all the strength in this body to rip the thing off of him and turned his head.

He easily found the mirror.

The smooth surface was reflecting an image.

A group of colorful skirts hung like laundry. Hanging limply under them were numerous ankles.

Yu Dan raised his head as if possessed.

He had no idea. Even though he was sitting at this floor several times, he had no idea.

The rope they were hung on was just above.

Because those women died already, long before it, they were hanging limply. The white feet dangled and swayed, and the daenggi[4] tying their hair fluttered behind their backs. Matching the sound of the waves. No, it wasn’t the sound of the waves. Those were shouts of an army. On the sea outside, the blue soldiers rode the blue waves and surged forward.

“This, what is this…?”

Incomprehensible. When he was overwhelmed by that mystery he couldn’t understand and his mind turned blank.

A clear voice of a different nature shook the air.

“I understand. And I can come out now.”
 
*~*~*
 
[1] jeongseung — a position equal to prime minister during Joseon dynasty.

[2] Cheonjisinmyeong — 천지신명, gods of heaven and earth, and numerous spirits presiding over the balance of the universe.

[3] floor — to be clear, they’re referring to maru, which is slightly raised above the ground.

[4] daenggi — a traditional ribbon Korean woman tied their hair with.
 

Translator’s note: Baek Ran coming to rescue Yu Dan from the terrible monster of thinking!
 

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