BBS (48)

Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost

 
⟨Chapter 48⟩
 

“I want to play. I don’t know why I have to bear fruit.”

“Lord Elder-nim! Stop that and take them out quickly!”

Gokmo stuck out her head again and snapped sharply.

“I hate it! Hate it! Hate it!”

The god of green peaches stuck out his tongue and hid behind the fox.

How could he be so immature?

Yu Dan shouted unknowingly.

“What god is that? Where is he different from yokai?”

At that, the old man sharply turned his head. With a pouting face.

“How am I a yokai? Can a yokai do such things?”

He took out a green peach from his bosom. It was as big as a child head, with a mysterious green luster and was very appetizing. Every time he put a hand in his bosom, another came out, and in a second they piled up like a mountain.

Yu Dan’s eyes turned round.

“Give me that!”

He outstretched his hand, but the old man quickly put the peaches in his mouth. There were about a dozen of them, but he ate them all in a second.

“Aagh! My stomach is bursting! My stomach is bursting!”

He screamed and rolled on the ground. At that moment, his stomach really exploded and revealed itself full of green peaches.

“Ack!”

Yu Dan jumped back. Looking at his turning green face, the god of green peaches grabbed his stomach and burst out laughing.

“Ahaha! How fun! How fun! Even though this brewer is short-tempered, it turns out he is a coward, eh!”

“No! I’m not a coward, I just hate something wriggling like that!”

“Fool! That means you’re a coward!”

“That’s different!”

He saw the yokai exchange glances. Heuk-yo stepped forward.

“That’s right, Sir. That human is a coward.”

“Ohoho, yeah?”

The green peach god was excited.

“Our Cheon-ho is doing a good thing for humans. I should give him a share of peaches. Ahem, I should help, right? But even when I try to bear fruit, my back itches so much, I can’t bear it.”

He exposed his back.

Yu Dan was horrified. There were all kinds of worms wriggling together. He couldn’t unsee it.

“It’s full of worms!”

“Ah, really? Then brewer, please take them out.”

The god of green peaches casually thrust his back onto him. Yu Dan looked at everyone, flustered.

Do it.

That was what their gazes said.

“Quickly! It’s itchy! Itchy!!”

He was completely helpless.

But didn’t he promise he would make sure to procure Dongfang Shuo’s Alcohol?

He hated worms, but he hated breaking a promise even more. He couldn’t become a liar.

He gritted his teeth and stretched out his hand.

A wriggling earthworm. A glossy cockroach. A centipede with numerous legs. All kinds of disgusting bugs were entangled with each other, making a mess. It was the most disgusting of all nightmares, he couldn’t even look at it.

It’s fake. It has to be an illusion.

He struggled to think so, but the moment his fingertips touched the smooth chitin, his mind blacked out.

“Real. It’s real…”

He mumbled with the eyes which lost their focus. He couldn’t do it any longer. All his bodily functions halted.

“Yu Dan broke.”

He heard the yokai’s whispers. Baek Ran suggested:

“If You empty Your mind, it will be fine.”

Empty his mind? Even without it, his reason had completely vanished. What would be different about that?

As he barely managed to move his fingers and catch a cockroach, the thing wiggled and struggled between his index finger and thumb. The moment its long whiskers brushed his hand, he almost screamed while throwing it away.

He can’t do that.

He couldn’t believe it. Was he catching bugs with his bare fingers right now? It felt as if he had completely crossed the line he must not cross as a human being. Will I ever be able return to normal?

Yu Dan mechanically moved his hand.

The more he tried to feel nothing, the more sensitive he became. Sometimes sticky, sometimes wet, sometimes slippery sensation were vividly passed through his fingertips.

As the fox said, it was best to just empty his head.

The bugs, of which were so many, he wondered if he’ll ever catch them all, disappeared one at a time. With the last remaining earthworm remaining, he put his strength in and pulled it out.

“Aye, clear!”

The god of green peaches showed off his clean and smooth back to everyone. Yu Dan’s senses slowly returned.

“Then the peaches…”

“Did I ever promise that I’d give you peaches if you take out the bugs?”

“…?”

When he stupefied looked at the god of green peaches, the god stuck out his tongue and jumped back into the danji[1].

“Where to?!”

Yu Dan exploded. He jumped to break the danji, but Baek Ran blocked his way with a stick.

“Look over there.”

When he looked back, on the ground, where the caught a moment ago and disregarded bugs were, piled up green peaches. Yu Dan’s mouth hang open.

“Yehihi! It was fun! Really fun!”

The sound of the god of green peaches rolling around and cackling was heard from inside of the danji.

“Haa…”

Drained, he sunk to the ground.

He felt as if his mind was in tatters. Now he really wouldn’t be able to do it. He looked at the fox yokai, while losing his soul.

“There is one more.”

The heartless answer came back with a smile.

When he looked into the last danji, someone came out. It was an aloof scholar wearing a crown and dopo[2], holding a fan in hand.

“You have worked hard, eh? Let’s end this quickly. I have somewhere to go.”

He unfolded the fan. Spring, summer, fall, winter’s sceneries were drawn on it, and they moved as if alive with leaves flying and snow falling. Even with his exhausted mind, he thought it was marvelous.

The scholar looked at Yu Dan.

“The brewer served Gukmo-nim, and received peaches as well, but if I don’t spin it with this fan, the alcohol won’t be complete. Then, who am I?”

“Well.”

“You just have to guess it, and I’ll spin it.”

“… Yes?”

Yu Dan was embarrassed. Seeing that, the scholar was embarrassed more than him.

“What is it?”

“It’s just that it’s difficult.”

The fox replied instead.

“Difficult? It’s too easy! I thought you would give the answer straight away!”

“This brewer is a bit like that, You understand. He fears having to use his head.”

“Tsk, tsk. That will be hard work, eh?”

“Even so, in reality he will do it somehow if he shuts up. The problem is to lead him to this point.”

“Is that so?”

The scholar swiftly unfolded his fan again.

“Think well, brewer. Who am I? You have wort and green peaches, but without me, the alcohol won’t be completed.”

“Alcohol…”

“It’s already included in this wort.”

“Spices…?”

“You don’t add such things to the godly drink.”

The scholar replied each one with a calm and thoughtful attitude.

“It’s not an ingredient. All ingredients were already prepared.”

Baek Ran, who couldn’t stand it, said a word.

He tried to strain his head again. They had all ingredients to make alcohol, so what on earth was missing? He abruptly thought of the movie he saw in the past.

“License! A license to make alcohol! Without it, it’s moonshining, and sheriff…”

“No.”

The fox’s face looked tired.

The scholar laughed ‘huhu’, and unfolded his fan again.

“It’s not it. Think really hard.”

Why did he unfold and close it so often?

At last, his eyes were drawn to the fan. Spring, summer, fall, winter. The moving as if alive paintings. Spring, summer, fall, winter. Passing, passing, and passing…

“… Time?”

“That’s it!”

The scholar’s face brightened up. The twins, who were observing it nervously, happily hugged each other.

“Yeah. I’m time. Even if you have all the ingredients, if the time doesn’t pass, the alcohol can’t be completed. A good alcohol is being made for a long time. Alright, then…”

The scholar waved the fan towards the alcohol jar, but his arm abruptly halted. He looked at his own body with embarrassment. He struggled to move, but it didn’t budge an inch.

“What’s wrong?”

The yokai were embarrassed. Baek Ran frowned.

“No matter how I look, it seems we’re helping the brewer too much.”

“That’s right. Look, brewer. You have to move me with your own power. Without anyone’s help.”

Can he do that?

Yu Dan approached him. He tried to shake his arm, but as expected, it didn’t budge. When he tried to handle it, it became harder and heavier.

What should he do?

No matter what, trying to move it was useless. Because no matter how much strength he put in, there was no reaction. But because he couldn’t give up here, he worked hard with all his human power.

Even when he dangled on it and put all his strength into it for a while, the scholar’s arm didn’t move. His whole body was drenched in sweat.

“Why isn’t it moving?”

The fox, serpent and twins were observing it without a word. Everyone had serious expressions. Chaeseol said:

“Sorry. We can’t help. It will become even more difficult if we help.”

“Got it.”

He had to figure it out alone.

He kneaded the arm, while looking at the scholar.

No matter what, it seemed that strength was no use. Hm, should he realize it before? Anyways…

He wrinkled his forehead, falling into thoughts.

He is time. Not a scholar, time. What should you do if you’re trying to move time? When time is moving?

…. It’s always moving!

Then he realized.

There is a moment when time isn’t moving. The very moment when you’re looking only at the time.

That’s right. You shouldn’t look at the time. Then it will pass in a blink.

Yu Dan turned around.

“That’s right!”

The scholar shouted.

Behind his back, spring, summer, fall, winter’s wind blew. Flower petals and drizzle, autumn colors and snow. The fragrance of made alcohol quietly wafted over.

“It’s done! It’s done!”

The twins ran up and clung to it.

“It’s done now at last.”

Heuk-yo wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“It was truly easy, but when this human punk gets involved, everything always becomes an enormous mess.”

“Even so, the alcohol is good.”

Baek Ran looked into the wine jar and spoke.

Everyone approached and looked inside together. The jar was filled to the brim with the divine alcohol exuding mysterious brilliance. A refreshing fragrance, incomparable to anything in this world, seemed to penetrate their whole bodies.

It was finally completed. Dongfang Shuo’s Alcohol.

There were many hardships, but when it was done in reality, it felt worthy of them.

“Ah, it’s a pity to give it to someone else. I think I poured my every tear and drop of sweat into it.”

“If you get greedy, the alcohol will turn into sour vinegar.”

At Baek Ran’s words, Yu Dan quickly shut his mouth.

The fox yokai took out a yellow paper and sealed the wine jar. After the twins tied a rope around it, they took it somewhere.

“I can’t send Dongfang Shuo’s Alcohol outside. Please call this Person. Tell him we’re holding a wine drinking party, and he is invited.”

“Got it.”

He was filled with joy that he kept the promise.

His steps leading outside of the Banwoldang were light. Yu Dan called very proudly:

“Uncle-ssi. I obtained alcohol.”

「Really? Then I can be saved? I can return to normal again?」

“That’s right. We’re holding a drinking party for you here. Just drink it.”

「Thank you! Really, thank you! I’ll have to repay you somehow for this help…」

Section manager Bak’s voice trembled with emotion.

***

Under silver moonlight. The old tree, winding around like an old dragon, was blooming with blue peach blossoms. The fox yokai held a drinking party underneath it.

All other trees around were also in the blue peach blossoms full bloom. A sound of gentle flute was heard from somewhere. The dances and young children were serving, but looking closely, there was something awkward about them. Were they transformed yokai, called by the fox yokai?

Section manager Bak glanced around with a confused face. He seemed confused about whether it was reality or illusion.

“Don’t think too deeply, please.”

Baek Ran smiled and placed a wine cup in front of him. It was a porcelain bowl looking like a peach.

From the yard, a bright jingle of a bell rang out.

The children brought a white cow. On the cow’s back, a wine jar sealed with yellow paper was placed.

The eyes of the section manager Bak turned round.

“It’s really the…”

“It’s Dongfang Shuo’s Alcohol.”

Beak Ran replied.

“This supernatural digs into the cracks of a human’s heart. A thing that lures into the Peach Blossom Spring, because one is tired of life. If You drink this alcohol, Your vitality will shoot up, and You will be able to live diligently again. The seed will fall off immediately, and You will be able to return to Your original form.”

“Aah…. Thank You.”

The fox yokai untied the rope around the wine jar and ripped off the paper.

In the meantime, the scent grew thicker. Yu Dan took a deep breath. His chest felt refreshed, and the blocked canals seemed to be cleared.

A child brought a gourd made from white jade. Baek Ran scooped some alcohol with the gourd and poured it into the wine cup in front of Section Manager Bak.

The alcohol with bright brilliance reflected the full moon.

“Ooh…”

Section Manager Bak was amazed as he looked at the alcohol.

“I can just drink it?”
 

*~*~*
 

[1] danji — 단지 type of storage jar

[2] dopo — outerwear of hanbok
 

Translator’s note: Some stories exist for the author to torture the shit out of their protagonist.
 

 

Patron thank you note:

Thank you patron, Nobody, please accept this Schlumbergera russelliana’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.

Thank you patron, Al, please accept this Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.

Thank you patron, Dust, please accept this Rhipsalidopsis rosea’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.

Thank you patron, Maru, please accept this Schlumbergera truncata’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.

Thank you patron, kamisonk, please accept this Pereskia aculeata’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.

Thank you patron, Kasimir Ilmonen, please accept this Blossfeldia liliputana’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.

Thank you patron, Tara Hess, please accept this Aylostera deminuta’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.

Thank you patron, Ice, please accept this Arrojadoa penicillata’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.

Thank you patron, anonymous Kofi-supporter, please accept this Arrojadoa bahiensis’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.

Thank you patron, Hematite, please accept this Arrojadoa dinae’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.

Thank you patron, Deflubs, please accept this Arrojadoa leucostele’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.

Links to support this translation and access to 8 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? 🐞