Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
⟨Chapter 17⟩
⟨Guest from afterlife⟩
In the old days, there lived two young brothers, who were every close. But one day, the boat capsized when they were crossing the river, the older brother died and only the younger brother survived.
When the younger brother, who was left alone, cried in sorrow, his tears wetting the pillow, suddenly the door opened, and the older brother came back. His warm face was not even a bit different from when he was alive and the only difference was that wherever he stepped, he left wet footprints.
From that day, the dead older brother would come to the younger brother every night to read together with him, chat and play. The people learned about this and were very surprised. As the barrier between the world of living and the world of the dead is clear, how could such a thing occur? The guest from the afterlife couldn’t be an auspicious omen, surely he would drag his younger brother away with him. Everyone spoke such and finally made a plan to chase away the ghost, and the spirit of the older brother was chased far away.
The younger brother could not take it and coughed blood from sadness, couldn’t stand up on his own and soon after died himself.
『Bizarre and strange rumors』
Everything was quiet. Only occasionally the sound of clattering tea sets was heard.
At the moment, Yu Dan was staring down at the table with a grave expression. The place his gaze was directed at was an opened text book.
The child ginseng girl, who hopped in while humming, halted. As if she saw something she shouldn’t, she ran away straight away. Then she stealthily came back after a while. Hiding behind the pillar, she asked with barely a whisper:
“What the hell is that supernatural thing?”
Yu Dan raised his head. He sent an absurd look to the girl who was watching him with a deeply fearful face.
“Noona, that’s not anything supernatural.”
Chaeu, who was cleaning tea cups with Heuk-yo, spoke.
“But then why does he glare at it like this?”
“Because somehow there exist things that are scarier than supernatural.”
“Wh-what is that?”
“A math book.”
“What?”
Chaeseol fell into shock.
“Why are you studying? Are you okay? Did something happen?”
“What? Is it this strange that I’m studying?”
He frantically shouted out like this, but after thinking about it, wasn’t she a bit right?
“Right. I also think it’s strange.”
Clank. Heuk-yo put down a cup plate.
“I don’t know why I have to listen to such a nonsensical conversation. You, don’t you have an exam? Doesn’t your father check your test scores? Get shoveled into the corner and read! Because you’re at the entrance, not even one customer can come in… What? Why is everyone looking at me with such an expressions?”
“Unnie, we don’t have customers to being with.”
“Aack! She said that! She said that! Noona said the forbidden words!”
“What is that nonsense!?”
The middle-aged dokkaebi entered holding a newspaper.
“What no customers? Sometimes people look for a different shop and enter by mistake…”
“Uncle-ssi. Do you know it’s even sadder?”
“Cough. That’s not it. Aren’t there many customers who come just to see this shop owner? Aren’t there customers who were regulars for close to ten, twenty or even sixty years?”
“That’s true.”
Chaeu nodded his head.
“Thinking about it, the time for that guest coming is stealthily approaching. I should prepare refreshments and green tea that He likes.”
“Don’t worry. I already prepared everything.”
Heuk-yo replied confidently.
“See the cupboard there? If you open the second drawer, you will find it straight away. Even if I’m not around, you have to not be flustered, take it out and serve it. Got it?”
“Yes? Nunim, where are You going?”
“Did you forget? Won’t the Inwang Mountain’s old man’s longevity banquet be held soon? I think he will be a hundred, no two hundred, no no, five hundred this year. Well, it’s not a thing to make such a fuss about and it’s really annoying to go there, but as I received an invitation, I have to participate, right?”
The expression of the serpent yokai, who said that, was completely unlike her words. Her eyes were shining and her face was full of life.
“Wait a moment.”
The eyes of Chaeseol turned round.
“Do I remember it wrongly? Isn’t it unnie’s turn to watch over the shop?”
“What? No way…”
“It seems correct? The last time it was uncle-ssi… the last last time was me… and before it was Chaeu who watched.”
Heuk-yo counted on her fingers. After a moment, her face turned white.
“How could it be…?”
The tea cup slipped from her hand. Chaeu caught it by a hair’s breadth and sighed.
“It’s the same problem every time. That’s sad. It would be better if everyone could go together, but someone has to stay to watch over the shop.”
“What should we do? The mood suddenly became so sullen.”
Chaeseol ran to Do-ssi and hung onto his arm.
“Uncle-ssi, can’t we close the shop just once? It’s a very special occasion, so just once.”
“Eek, that’s it. What are you doing when you know? Do you think I don’t want all of us to go together? But what if something happens, while we close the door and go to play?”
“Okay. Okay.”
Heuk-yo mumbled with a face as if she lost her soul.
“We can’t, right? We can’t. If we leave it empty even for an hour, no, thirty minutes, some kind of customer may come. We can’t make them do a fruitless trip. Everyone, don’t worry. Rules are rules.”
“That’s true, but…”
Silence followed at the end of Chaeu’s words. No one opened their mouth.
It was so quiet it was difficult to bear.
Yu Dan fiddled with his ballpen. With this opportunity he tried to begin to study in the earnest, but it wasn’t that easy. He suffered for a while, and then raised his head.
Chaeseol and Chaeu were cleaning the tea cups with the faces as if they were going to cry at any moment. Heuk-yo was folding a dishcloth without any energy and Do-ssi was repeatedly sighing behind the newspaper. The atmosphere was so depressing as if it was a funeral.
He couldn’t understand it even a bit.
“What is so good about a longevity banquet? I hate such things. I hate them the most in the world.”
“Is there something that you like?”
Heuk-yo asked back. As if they assumed that she was going to fight, the twins cut in first.
“Young master-nim, the yokai banquets and human banquets are completely different. In addition, it’s five hundred years longevity banquet. It will be much bigger than a human’s banquet. It will be full of all kinds of delicacies you couldn’t hear or see before…. Ah, thinking about it, wasn’t nunim researching traditional cuisine? You have to go for sure. I’ll just watch over the shop.”
“No. You also were looking forward to this banquet very much. You waited while crossing days out of the calendar, saying that you want to hear the music of the few famous yokai musicians from capital. This unnie will remain instead. I wasn’t looking forward to that banquet that much.”
“Don’t lie. Noona and I were crossing days out of the calendar together. You were so excited about what kind of pretty flowers would decorate the banquet table and what kind of dance the dancers would preform that you said you couldn’t sleep at night.”
The two started to argue with each other who will remain. Do-ssi spoke:
“Stop. Stop. I’ll watch over the shop. For the uncle like me a party like this is a trivial thing now. I would rather comfortably watch television a hundred times. You three go.”
“I thought ‘let’s wait and see’, because I have no idea what everyone is talking about!? Wasn’t older brother excited at the thought of watching what kind of treasures the Inwang Mountain yokai would receive as gifts, sighed that You can’t wait one more month for it? We’re just doing it according to the rules! What were the rules decided for if You do that?”
It was really noisy.
Yu Dan put down his ballpen. He couldn’t not say a word.
“Just use someone.”
“Yes? Use someone?”
“Ask someone to look after the shop instead.”
As if they didn’t understand, the yokai made doubtful faces.
“Where would we find such a person? Is there such a person in this world?”
“No, that’s just words, right? For sure not a human, but even a yokai part-timer…”
“Wait a moment.”
Chaeseol’s eyes lit up.
“Thinking about it…. Isn’t there such a person? I think there is a person who comes to our shop often these days. It’s merely a few hours, so we can leave the shop to him for a moment. Or is it only my delusion?”
Everyone’s heads suddenly turned.
They turned their gazes at the same time and stared at him. Yu Dan was flustered.
“No way, me?”
Silence followed. An ominous silence.
“Are you saying I should take care of this shop now? Have you lost your minds? I’m a highschooler! What trust do you have to leave the entire shop to me?”
“Take this.”
Do-ssi took out a handful of rusty brass coins from a pouch and tried to give it to him. Yu Dan moved his hand away in surprise.
“Really? What if a customer comes? I have no idea how to treat them!”
“That’s true.”
Heuk-yo mumbled sullenly.
“Okay. Let’s stop. It’s as that punk said. We share our opinion for the first time, eh? How is he going to receive a customer? It will be lucky if he doesn’t chase them away. And it would be lucky if he didn’t break anything. Phew… Just leave it be. There is no way that punk can handle such a difficult task.”
When his thoughts were spoken out-loud, he felt strange. Yu Dan frowned.
“What is so difficult about it again? Surely it’s not more difficult than studying.”
“Don’t be stupid. Treating customers and things like this aren’t an easy thing. Studying can’t even compare.”
“What? Isn’t it just sitting them anywhere, giving them the menu, and if they order tea, going to the kitchen, boil water and roughly pour it in?”
The remaining three yokai rejoiced.
“As expected, you got this! I can rest assured and leave it to you!”
Do-ssi tried to put brass coins in his hands again. Startled, he hid his hand.
“What leaving things to me?! When did I say I’m going to look after the shop?”
“Phew… Look at that. Only shouting without doing an actual thing. You’re backing out, because you’re scared, right?”
“What nonsense?! Who said I’m even a little bit scared?! It’s just for a few hours? I’ll look after the shop! Go on that banquet!”
The fierce shouting after he lost his reason came back to him through his ears.
He shivered.
Wh-what did I just say?
“Really? You’re really going to watch over the shop?”
Chaeseol hung onto his arm, so happy as if she was about to jump. On the other side, Chaeu quickly grabbed him.
“Thank You, young master-nim. That must have been a difficult decision. I’ll never forget this kindness.”
The twins’ eyes were full of tears, as if they were touched.
“Me, really. Can I let it?”
Heuk-yo mumbled with a displeased face. However, her movement when folding the dishcloth became so light as if flying. Do-ssi slyly smiled as if he let go of all his concerns and picked up the newspaper again.
He messed up. He completely messed up.
Yu Dan banged his head against the table in frustration.
***
“Because I hate things like parties.”
“Goodness, that’s true. It wouldn’t match Your standard. How could You step into such a vulgar place? It’s just a cute little party for low-ranking yokai. If Cheonho-nim came, they would instead lose their souls and fainted.”
Yu Dan glanced at the serpent yokai, who was making a fuss.
When he said that he hated parties, didn’t she look at him like he was anti-social waste and clicked her tongue?
“Please don’t worry. This punk at the first floor already agreed to leave the things to him.”
“It was a forced agreement.”
“Then we will be going.”
The four yokai ignored Yu Dan’s words, politely bowed to Baek Ran and turned to leave.
But what kind of transformation art was that? They seemed to throw away their tea house uniforms, and adored themselves into bright silk clothes in the blink of the eye. From what he heard, it seemed they also operated on the ‘Law of the jungle’ logic. When you meet someone after a long time, you have to kill your opponents’ spirits with extravagant clothes and jewelry.
“Then we will be going. Don’t fall asleep, and protect it well.”
“Don’t burn down the store.”
“You have to study diligently.”
“If there are any delicious snacks, I’ll hide them in my sleeve and bring them to you!”
Lastly, the hem of Chaesol’s purple dress softly swept through the threshold. The door closed with a bang.
“… I’m sorry, but I’m quite worried.”
Baek Ran mumbled sourly.
“Why are you immediately changing your face?”
“Should I not worry? After a long time, today I planned to spend a leisure time pursuing books.”
“What? I’m also extremely busy! I have an exam! Why are you talking like I’m some kind of disturbance?”
“If not, then I’m glad.”
The fox yokai replied with a tone you couldn’t know if it was a sneer or a lament, and then turned back to climb up the stairs straight away.
Yu Dan was left alone.
When everything suddenly turned quiet, the atmosphere became strange.
Was it because of the shop? It looked exactly like he always found it. But it looked every bit different because there was no one around. Because of the light of the fire coming from candles and lamps that Chaeu left lit up everywhere, he didn’t recognize it.
Yu Dan stood for a while, slowly looking around.
Masks hanging high and shadows dancing on top of the boxes of which each one seemed to have their own story. The pottery collected by Do-ssi looked much older than when seen in the daylight. Were the shadows of the people of the past briefly reflected on those surfaces? He thought like this, he looked at them and really, some kind of figure started to outline itself. He stared blankly, and then suddenly came back to his senses.
He should be studying.
There was a bundle of paper on his seat. It was a long list of precautions wrote down by Chaeu, who couldn’t ease his worries. Out of politeness, he glanced at it once.
“… Don’t come close to antique furniture. Especially dwiju[1]. If you hear knocking, ignore it, and even if they ask to be picked up, don’t pick them up. Even when someone strokes your leg under the table, you shouldn’t react. If suddenly fire bursts out, don’t panic and start with checking the fire alarm. If it doesn’t ring, it’s will-o-wisp[2], calmly stomp them out with your foot… What is this?!”
The more he read, instead of becoming relieved, he was only becoming more uneasy. He left it on the side and opened a math textbook again.
As there were many stores at the traditional street, which closed early, just little into the evening, the street outside already became deserted. The whole world was silent. Only occasionally a candle cracked.
It was a perfect atmosphere for studying.
As nothing disturbed him, he was able to concentrate well. In the instant, he solved a few questions.
As expected, his grades weren’t good because of all kinds of house ghosts.
When he triumphantly solved a problem, he heard a knock at the door.
Yu Dan raised his head.
Why knock on the door if you can just enter the store? Was it a peddler?
The shadow beyond the door disappeared in the instant. Yu Dan abruptly stood up and opened the door.
No one was there.
Instead, a small flower pot was placed on the ground. There was a wilted and dried up bonsai in it and to its trunk a white note was attached.
‘Haunted tree. Please chase away the ghost.’
That was ridiculous.
Looking around, there was a certain girl crouching a small distance away from the bonsai. Not an ordinary girl. Her hair was white like snow. And she was wearing sack-like clothes that would appear in very old ancient tombs paintings.
“…”
Yu Dan quietly closed the door.
He didn’t see anything. If he did see something, it was a hallucination.
1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes… after quite some time passed, he peeked out through the crack in the door again, but the girl was crouching in the same spot as before.
“What are you doing? In front of other people’s shop.”
No answer. He frowned, but the girl only turned her eyes down and didn’t look towards him at all.
And looking closely, her face looked terribly sad.
“Damn it.”
He couldn’t help but open the door. After he picked up the bonsai, the girl promptly stood up and followed.
He had no idea what he should do.
There was only one solution. But when he looked at the clock, the situation was dire. Ten minutes didn’t even pass since he shouted that he wouldn’t disturb him.
“That’s too much. The world is too harsh on me.”
The girl tied her hair and vacantly stared at the groaning Yu Dan, she turned her eyes down again.
It couldn’t be helped. Because he couldn’t study math with the ghost stuck to a tree.
Holding the flower pot, he climbed the stairs. The girl nimbly followed.
The instant he opened the sliding door, a small and black thing jumped out and without looking back, ran to the stairs, ran down and then disappeared. The fox yokai, who had unfolded a very big book and was writing something diligently before, mumbled:
“7 minutes and 38 seconds.”
“I didn’t disturb you! The offender is following! But, what did just run out?”
“Letters.”
“Letters?”
“Sometimes when a book baths in the moonlight for too long, its letters will overflow with energy and flee. There are several such books, so I was going to fix it.”
“Please fix this too then.”
Yu Dan put down the flower pot.
“Someone knocked at the door a moment ago and left it. The ghost attached to this tree is following. Well, it doesn’t look very strong, so it should be done soon, right?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not a ghost.”
A smile of unknowable meaning skimmed past the fox’s face. Yu Dan asked:
“Then what is it?”
*~*~*
[1] Dwiju — a rice box. There is a famous story that Prince Sado was put in one by his father and either starved or suffocated to death inside.
[2] will-o-wisp — in Korean, they’re called dokkaebi fire.
Translator’s note: Baek Ran, Baek Ran… You were counting, didn’t you? You were counting.
Patron thank you note
Thank you patron, Nobody, please accept this Ranunculus eschscholtzii’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Al, please accept this Delphinium elatum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Luca, please accept this Aconitum variegatum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Amy Peters, please accept this Clematis viticella’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Dust, please accept this Isopyrum thalictroides’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Maru, please accept this Ficaria verna’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, kamisonk, please accept this Krapfia weberbaueri’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Links to advanced chapter (Patreon & Kofi)
> Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LibraryKeyTranslations
> Kofi-Euro: https://ko-fi.com/wanthetranslator
> Kofi-USD: https://ko-fi.com/wanthetranslatorusd
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
Leave a Reply