Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
⟨Chapter 55⟩
“Wow! Caught!”
At some point the yokai returned and made a fuss. It seemed like Baek Ran at last caught a fish.
But the fish was strange. It resembled a three color spotted cat too much. Do-ssi took the meowing fish and thrust it in front of Yu Dan’s eyes.
“Look at that. Isn’t it marvelous? It’s a ‘catfish[1]’. Where else would you see such a thing? Uh?”
When there was no reaction, Do-ssi looked around everyone and said:
“I guess he finally fell asleep.”
Everyone approached, and chatted in whispers, watching Yu Dan.
“Will he be able to safely get through this summer? It seems like a tonic will be necessary. How about we each cut off our arms, boil them and feed them to him?”
“Should we? Did you bring a knife?”
“Yeah. But if Yu Dan-yi knows it, he will say it’s dirty and not drink it.”
“Don’t worry, noona. If we just serve it to him as cola, he won’t know.”
“Perfect! It will be natural!”
“How natural will it be if You suddenly bring him cola, swaying empty sleeves.”
“Ah, that’s right. What should we do?”
“Don’t worry, kids-ah. Look how he even crawled here to survive. At home all kinds of minor ghosts took this opportunity to harass him.”
“Uncle-ssi, don’t you too feel sorry for Yu Dan-yi? Can’t he just live here? We will raise him better.”
“He is all grown up, so how will You raise him more?”
“I just wanted to say it.”
The yokai’s voices grew more distant. At some point Heuk-yo shook him awake.
“Eat. Even if you can’t stand up and sleep, eat.”
She threatened him with a vicious voice and kept thrusting warm chicken meat at him, until she was discovered by the twins and dragged out. The two children whispered something for a while at his bedside, and brought blanket to cover him. They raised his head and put a pillow under it.
“Human body always struggles a lot hung between two worlds.”
“We made a charm so no one harms you while you sleep. We will place it here, so have sweet dreams.”
Then he really became comfortable.
Summer. The season where wherever you look, everything is growing quickly.
Yu Dan sunk into sleep. It was the sleep so dark, he thought he never slept so deeply.
How much time had passed?
His eyes opened by themselves. He didn’t exactly have a thought of standing up, but his body moved and stood up on its own.
It was a deep night. No one was on the maru, and only a paper figure torn in half was rolling beside his bedside.
They just laid it here. Did I deal with this?
Someone whispered.
Yu Dan walked down the corridor engulfed in darkness. His mind was hazy. It was as if he was dreaming, but he knew it wasn’t a dream.
His feet moved on their own, and headed to the corridor leading to the inner rooms. He saw the twins running in that direction sometimes, bringing different things, but he didn’t have a particular impression of it. For some reason he wanted to go there.
Yu Dan approached and slowly opened the sliding door.
Items piled up in the room. It was dark, without a spark of light, but he saw everything clearly. Antique furniture, huge robes worn on royal ceremonies, jangseung[2] still covered in soil at the bottom, artistic folding screens, pottery, wooden dolls wearing wedding clothes… At the walls hung old clothes like jimajeogori and child durumagi[3].
Everything looked amazing. Yu Dan took off and out things one after another to check them out. The small room became a mess in an instant. It was fun, but he soon got annoyed.
No. That’s not it.
It seemed that he was looking for something here, but he didn’t know what it was. Yu Dan opened the chests one after another. Then he found something.
Two wooden poles, as long as his forearm. And a round mirror.
This… Um, what was it?
He remembered. Cheval mirror. When he couldn’t remember the promise he made with a werewolf, the twins brought this mirror and illuminated the back of his mind.
The back of his mind?
Yu Dan put up the two poles and hung the mirror between them. He didn’t disturb the round mirror, but it rattled by itself.
He was reflected in the mirror.
Behind his back, darkness was dancing. He quietly watched the thing grow bigger and smaller.
His mood gradually got better. At the same time, he had some kind of unknowable impulse.
Yu Dan looked around the room. He saw a round iron doorknob in the corner. He walked up to it and grabbed it, opening the secret door and revealing the staircase. It was small, barely enough for one person to pass through, and the dust piled up as if it wasn’t used very often.
Going down all the way, and opening the door, he found another room.
He was familiar with that room. Soon he remembered. When he came to play on the Qingming day, he met a small goddess, who lost her divine powers and couldn’t return to Heaven.
Yu Dan carefully wandered around, and rummaged through the items piling up. But he soon lost interest. He didn’t know what anything was, as if the things here were too old.
“Isn’t there anything more fun?”
He mumbled and looked around the room.
There was the door from before, but there was also another door between the boxes piling up under the wall. He approached closer and the door opened by itself with a creak.
The space similar to an ancient tomb.
On the circular ceiling was an ancient wall painting. He looked at it for a while, but he had no idea what it meant. Then, the boxes lying in the deepest niche in the wall caught his eye. Treasure boxes of golden artwork. He tried to feel the biggest and most splendid box, but as if it was locked, it didn’t open.
“No fun.”
The second of the enormous boxes was opened. It wasn’t locked. He lifted the lid and revealed a dagger lying on red silk.
“Ah, this…”
Yu Dan recognized it.
Baek Ran showed it to him. A very gorgeous blade, with each glint of sparkling gold burning. A dagger used in rituals. The blade that could cut the fox yokai.
“It was here, huh?”
He stretched out his hand and grabbed the golden dagger.
The blade handle fit into his hand. It was cold, but felt pleasant. He grabbed the dagger scabbard with the other hand and pulled out the blade.
The blade was thin and so white it dazzled the eyes. Like ice.
His heart pounded as he stared at it. He felt as it was going wahuzzm, like when riding the amusement ride and going up high.
He dropped the scabbard on the ground and left the place. The door closed behind him on their own. Yu Dan crossed the room where old objects piled up and came out on the corridor.
A gentle light was shining from behind the paper screen of the study. He walked up there.
Something was crouching under the door, but when Yu Dan looked, it stepped back. He hid the golden dagger behind his back and opened the door with his other hand.
The smell of books wafted over. The study, enclosed with old books, was revealed. Baek Ran, who lit up a candle and sat down, glanced at him.
“Please don’t wander around, go sleep more. Don’t You have to go to school tomorrow?”
This fox yokai didn’t notice anything. He felt so secretive. He wanted to quickly give him a startle.
Yu Dan approached closer.
Beak Ran was spreading out papers on the desk.
“There are a few places I have to send letters, but I hate writing them. Now I’ll sto…”
He stopped speaking when he discovered a blade pointed at his neck. What a frozen face was that? It was so funny. Yu Dan laughed.
“You were surprised, right?”
Somehow, his voice was awkward. Sluggish and languid.
The fox yokai looked at him. When their eyes met, he stared even more intently. He seemed to be searching for something.
“Yes. I was surprised.”
“Then, if I cut, you die?”
“I won’t die.”
“Then let’s try it. It’ll be fun.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I won’t die, but it will hurt.”
“Ah, that’s right. We can’t do that if it hurts.”
He replied slowly. Baek Ran, without moving his gaze from Yu Dan’s eyes, spoke:
“Then shouldn’t You put down that blade?”
“Uuum… I don’t like it.”
Yu Dan tightened his hold on the dagger’s handle. He had a feeling of elation once again. The feeling of going wahuzzm, like when riding the amusement ride and going up high. Looking straight into the fox’s eyes, he asked:
“Will it hurt a lot?”
“Yes.”
“Enough to die?”
“Not enough to die.”
“Then let’s do it just once.”
He raised the dagger again.
The fox seemed flustered once again. His brown eyes shook, and turned towards another place. What was he looking at? He followed his gaze, and saw the floor. Yu Dan’s shadow, illuminated by the candle, was moving. It was haphazardly pretending to stab the fox with a knife.
“I was wondering what was that all about…”
Baek Ran mumbled.
“I did my best to put You to sleep, but this is what I receive back?”
“Uh? What are you talking about?”
“No. Nothing.”
Baek Ran looked at him again. A kind smile returned on his face. It seemed like it would be fine, no matter what he did.
“It’s fun. It’s fine if you just don’t die.”
“Yes. It is.”
Baek Ran replied.
“But in that case, won’t it be even more fun if a lot of blood flows out? No. How about not stabbing, but cutting off completely? You probably want to cut off my head.”
Yu Dan’s eyes went wide.
“Can I do it too?”
“Indeed.”
“Good!”
The instant he lifted the blade, his wrist was grabbed.
“I’ll help.”
At the same time, the wind blew and the candle went out. The study turned pitch-black. Yu Dan was startled.
Uh. It can’t be dark. Because then I…
He tried to escape, but the fox yokai’s cold hand twisted his wrist with all his might. The eyes, which were soft brown just a moment ago, turned shining gold. Fiery rings burned around the pupils.
“Can’t you drop it now?!”
Yu Dan was startled by the yell. The dagger fell out of his hand that lost its strength and rolled. He came back to his senses at that sound.
What was he doing right now?
His legs became weak and he collapsed. He was struck by dizziness.
The footsteps rang out from the stairs, and Heuk-yo and the twins hurriedly came running. Because they woke up and ran they were wearing pajamas with rabbit pattern, made out of modified hanboks. Seeing the scene in the study, they were shocked.
“Cheonho-nim! Are You okay?”
“Why did the kid who should be sleeping came here?”
“Wait! What is that?”
Seeing the golden dagger, dropped on the floor, they were even more shocked. Even in the darkness, their bleached faces were visible. Heuk-yo stood in front of Baek Ran, blocking his way, and shouted:
“Why did You suddenly take out that blade!”
“I took it out.”
Yu Dan mumbled the answer.
“I suddenly woke up and wandered around, I was just combing through and looking at everything. And then…”
He couldn’t continue.
He was flustered and confused. What was he trying to do right now? He had no thought that he shouldn’t stab with the knife at all. It just seemed to be seriously fun. He couldn’t say it. Why did he have such an insane thought? He messed up bad. You messed up bad. Now the bloody wind will blow.
Deathly pale, he looked at Baek Ran.
“It’s not that I really wanted to stab you…”
“Please be quiet.”
The fox yokai coldly replied, as he picked up the dagger and threw it. Yu Dan couldn’t even scream and collapsed.
Is he going to kill me right away? He should give me time to explain!
But the knife didn’t stab his body, but under his feet.
In that instant, Yu Dan’s shadow sharply avoided it and ran. Even though he saw it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe it.
“Did the shadow just flee?”
The lump that was even darker than the darkness in the study was running wild. Like a bird that entered a house by mistake, it was trashing around, fleeing mindlessly.
“Kids-ah, do you see it?”
“I don’t see it!”
“I also don’t see it!”
Heuk-yo and the twins were working hard trying to catch it, but it seemed it was too dark and they didn’t see.
“There! Over there!”
The moment Yu Dan pointed, it slipped through the crack between the twins’ shoulder. The wind stirred.
“Disappeared over there!”
Heuk-yo kick opened the second floor’s window and jumped out. The twins quickly ran to the stairs and went down.
“What the hell is that? Why my shadow…”
“We have to catch it first. We will talk after we catch it.”
The wind blew in front of him. Beak Ran flapped his sleeve and took out his weapon, and an enormous spear.
“Quick! You see it with that eye? Please take the lead!”
“Ah, got it!”
*~*~*
[1] catfish — It’s not the Korean name for real fish named catfish (order Siluriformes), they don’t call them catfish there.
[2] jangseung — 장승 — a pole carved with a likeness of a god or spirit used as a protection totem.
[3] jimajeogori and child durumagi — 치마저고리, 두루마기 — jimajeogori is a type of hanbok with a skirt, durumagi is the overcoat of hanbok.
Translator’s note: Everyone is out for blood this chapter.
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