Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
58. Natural enemy (6)
In the Eastern culture, the five colors were deeply connected to the yin-yang theory that couldn’t be left out when discussing the changes of looks and perception in all things in the universe.
According to the yin-yang theory, the two energies yin and yang make five energies: fire, water, wood, metal and earth[1].
Those five energies — ‘Five Elements’ — correspond to the center and east, west, south and north directions, and were expressed with five colors.
Hwang (yellow) for center, cheong (blue) for east, baek (white) for west, jeok (red) for south and heuk (black) for north.
They’re called Five Cardinal Colors, which means five colors representing the five directions.
‘However, five colors don’t only mean Five Cardinal Colors. Like those of the shaman maidens.’
When talking about five colors, one usually thought about Five Cardinal Colors, but there also existed five colors called ‘Five Between Colors’.
If the Five Cardinal Colors in the yin-yang were colors of yang, the Five Between Colors corresponded to yin.
There were two types of Five Between Colors, Harmonious Between Colors[2] and Incompatible Between Colors, and currently the five shaman maidens of the Dragon King God were wearing the colors of the latter.
The Incompatible Between Colors included nok, byeok, hong, yuhwang and ja. [3]
When five colors mixed, those colors would come out.
‘Considering that the Dragon King God’s shaman maidens were a symbol of a link between the Dragon King God and the dragons and humans, Five Between Colors suit them much better than Five Cardinal Colors.’
And among those Five Between Colors shaman maidens were traitors.
As spies were also called ‘interlopers[4]’, it was kind of meaningful that there were traitors among the Five Between Colors.
Before we landed on the roof, I asked Yong Jegeon.
“What kind of status I’m currently coming in with?”
“As Junyeol-yi’s guest. You’re a benefactor to me, Yeom Bangyeol and Cheongryong, but we did this to hide your background.’
Yong Jegeon looked at me with a face asking ‘did we do well?’.
Looking at that face, a feeling of bitterness arose together with the relief.
‘… Yong Jegeon is presuming there is a chance that there are traitors in this building, huh?’
Yong Jegeon opened his eyes wide and glared at the Red Lion team’s building.
The jade color was flashing in the vertical pupils.
“Is the traitor a dragon? Or a human?”
“It’s difficult to conclude which side is it.”
“It’s certain there is a traitor, huh? But I already guessed it.”
“How did You guess that?”
Yong Jegeon succeeded in digging up the confirmation about the existence or nonexistence of the traitor through his special rhetoric, but he didn’t look very pleased.
Yong Jegeon revealed his reasoning.
“Today the filming schedule suddenly changed. Because the script changed ahead of the live broadcast, Junyeol-yi adjusted his schedule too. In addition, he said he had to re-record his line to match the additional interviews.”
According to Yong Jegeon’s words, the filming schedule and the script was modified with the addition of the audience interviews.
Even the participant, Dokgo Miro, was informed about this last minute, and she apologized to our class children.
Before joining with Yeom Junyeol, Yong Jegeon even asked like this:
— Junyeol’s location? I heard that he comes to the studio around the time pre-recording ends.
As if the Red Lion and Yong tribe members shared Yeom Junyeol’s schedule, Yong Jegeon added an explanation.
“I checked Yeom Junyeol’s schedule in the morning. It was updated by the dragon, who took on the role of the manager and bodyguard today, but I wasn’t able to confirm the schedules’ changes in the afternoon. However, that dragon slayer acted like he knew, didn’t he?”
Cadmus headed to the floor where Yeom Junyeol was right away.
And as if something was done beforehand, there was not even one human on this floor.
It was an action that couldn’t be done without the latest information.
“There is a chance it was a person related to the broadcasting station, but… Junyeol’s bodyguard is decided everyday through drawing lots. There is no way that the person related to the broadcasting station would know that. The one guarding Junyeol-yi today could’ve been a Red Lion team member, not a Yong tribe member, so it bothers me that they picked and sent the dragon slayer.”
What would happen if the one guarding Yeom Junyeol today was not a Yong tribe member, but Yeom Bangyeol?
Even if he wasn’t captured, it would be completely impossible for him to assassinate Yeom Junyeol or Yong Jegeon.
Cadmus’s movements took into the consideration that Yeom Junyeol was accompanied by a dragon today, and that he would be separated from the Eungwang School’s Players.
“Uisin, I have been thinking why you handed the dragon slayer to our Yong tribe instead of the Ho tribe. If it was to dig information from him, it would be better for chairman Hwangho-ssi to have him rather than Cheongryong, and it would be more comfortable for you, Uisin… Why would you hand him to our Yong tribe?”
It was exactly as Yong Jegeon said.
If the goal was to simply interrogate Cadmus and dig for information, it would be more comfortable to hand him over to the Ho tribe.
The Ho tribe’s divine realm was within my everyday routines area, and wasn’t there even a torture expert, Kim Sinrok, among the Ho tribe members?
Moreover, if it became known that I made Yeom Junyeol cry, Hwang Jiho was MUCH better than Cheongryong, who would throw down lightning bolts.
I didn’t know how much he understood my situation, but Yong Jegeon’s reasoning was correct.
“Didn’t you think there is a traitor inside of the Yong tribe? So you handed Cadmus to the Yong tribe instead of the Association or the Ho tribe to find out something, right?”
Ending his words, Yong Jegeon half-closed his eyes again and smiled with his usual slitted eyes.
“In consideration of this situation, we plan to treat Uisin-i as ‘Junyeol-yi’s guest’ rather than the ‘Yong tribe’s benefactor’. A kind junior who by a coincidence got swept up in the dragon slayer’s ambush.”
If my identity became known, I thought it would be an opportunity to use myself as bait for this.
“Uisin-ah, no way, were you thinking of trying to make yourself into bait in this situation?”
“… I thought it wasn’t a bad method.”
“Ah, Junyeol-yi sent me a message worrying about you. What do you think would be a good answer? Can I tell him what you said just now?”
My thoughts halted at Yong Jegeon’s words.
Even if it wasn’t me, my disciple would be worried if the school junior did such a thing.
I weakly shook my head.
“Hate it? Okay, then don’t do useless things.”
As there was no way I could say I’m the Yong tribe’s benefactor with my own mouth anyway, I wouldn’t do any useless things from the beginning.
‘In this case, only Yeom Bangyeol and Cheongryong learned of my identity?’
Both of them didn’t have even the slightest chance of being a traitor.
Because Yong Jegeon also thought so, he would inform the two about my story.
“I didn’t expect all five to come out. I guess they’re very curious about Junyeol-yi’s guest. Junyeol-yi has a wide range of school connection, but he never invites anyone here.”
“Teacher Yong Jegeon-nim didn’t call them?”
“Ye. I didn’t call all five. Um… Looking at that expression, it seems I should closely observe the shaman maidens.”
With the end of those words, Yong Jegeon closed his mouth.
It was because we were close enough to the Dragon King God’s shaman maidens for them to hear our voices.
Paaat!
When the altitude gradually decreased, the five color clouds parted and swallowed us up.
As if the five color clouds were also a kind of barrier, I felt an upright and kind superpower wave energy when piercing the clouds and landing.
“Yong Jegeon-nim, You’re here?”
“You’re back.”
With the shaman maiden wearing the yuhwang color clothes, the shaman maidens greeted Yong Jegeon.
The shaman maidens were wearing the clothes in five colors, and their faces were covered with the veils in the same color as the clothes.
The Dragon King God’s shaman maiden changed every 50 years, as the shaman maiden succession ceremony was held next year, even if those people were selected as shaman maidens at a very young age, they would be at least over 50.
But from the white hands visible between the sleeves and smooth voices, I didn’t feel even a trace of their years.
As I reached that thought, I recalled a certain setting.
‘The Dragon King God’s shaman maiden are said to receive a blessing of eternal youth.’
It wasn’t an immortality like with Ok Toyeon’s, but they didn’t age.
As long as the Dragon King God was well, the Dragon King God’s shaman maidens weren’t influenced by the passage of time.
“Ye, I’m back. I didn’t expect everyone to come out.”
The face didn’t show it, but Yong Jegeon’s reply greeting seemed no different to when he accepted the greetings of the children at school.
He didn’t look like the dragon, who flashed his eyes and burned with animosity towards the traitors from the sky a few minutes ago.
“It’s the first time Junyeol-yi brought a guest.”
“Please quickly introduce us to the guest.”
“Oh my, the superpower wave state is a mess. Let’s make the introductions quick and go treat You.”
The shaman maidens whispered with warm voices, as they looked at me.
Voices overflowing with goodwill, affection for Yeom Junyeol, who wasn’t here, and curiosity and interest in me, who was Yeom Junyeol’s guest.
Usually all of this would be embarrassing and my insides would feel ticklish, but because this scene somehow felt like a skit, I was nervous for no reason.
“You know about the class I’m in charge of as the vice homeroom teacher at the Eungwang School, right? This is a child from our class.”
“Hello, I’m Jo Uisin.”
“Huhuhu, what a polite child. Then we will also introduce ourselves.”
The Nok, Byeok, Yuhwang and Ja shaman maidens made their introductions.
It seemed they adopted names according to the assigned them color.
‘If my Playable Character safely turns from a shaman maiden candidate to a shaman maiden, will she also receive one of those names?’
As I thought about that child, who was still a middleschooler, I got a hold of my mind.
Next year, the shaman maiden succession ceremony will be held at the Dragon Palace, and in the ‘Dragon King God’s shaman maiden’ scenario, my Playable Characters would be murdered because of someone’s scheme.
It was a foreshadowing that there are traitors among the shaman maidens here, and after Yeom Junyeol’s murder, that foreshadowing reaps the worst type of thing.
‘I have to protect my Playable Character, and protect Yeom Junyeol…!’
With that resolve, I memorized each of the Dragon King God’s shaman maidens’ names and voices.
When Nok, Byeok, Yuhwang and Ja shaman maidens finished their greetings.
“Hong-ah, you too come here and greet Junyeol-yi’s junior.”
“Yes, y-yes….”
The shaman maiden, who had the name of the same color like Yeom Junyeol’s Hongryong hesitated, as she stepped forward.
As if not all Dragon King God’s shaman maidens had uniform personalities, the Hong shaman maiden was very shy.
With the bow of the head of the shaman maiden wearing the veil in the in-between color of red and white, hong, towards me, the greetings were finished.
“Yong Jegeon-nim is going to accompany us?”
“I expected that You would leave right away to go see Junyeol-yi’s broadcast. Seems You’re particular about this student.”
As if they really thought of bringing me into the Yong tribe’s territory, the shaman maidens guided me to the elevator leading directly to the underground, and Yong Jegeon moved stuck to my side.
“Ye, he is Junyeol-yi’s junior and our class child. I should keep a good eye on him.”
But Yong Jegeon was not leaving the place because he was concerned about the traitors.
Though it didn’t seem like the treacherous shaman maidens would hold a knife to eliminate me here.
Uuung….!
While talking with the Dragon King God’s shaman maiden about Yeom Junyeol’s school life, the elevator quickly descended underground.
Since passing the 1st floor, no number appeared on the elevator panel indicating the floor.
‘Are they not shown starting with the underground floors?’
Thinking it may show something other than the floor number, I investigated the panel, but nothing was shown as if the power was out.
Instead, a blue dragon symbol appeared on the elevator door.
The shaman maidens, who saw the symbol, exclaimed ‘Oh my!’.
“Cheongryong-nim really opened the door!”
“I thought that even if he is Junyeol-yi’s junior, he wouldn’t be allowed.”
It seemed that this elevator couldn’t go underground without Cheongryong’s power.
Soon after, the elevator stopped and the door opened.
What I saw when the door opened was a garden so wide it was difficult to think it was underground.
I even heard the sound of water from somewhere, the vegetation was thick, and I had an illusion that I stepped out outside.
“Then allow us to guide You.”
The moment we took a step outside the door, I felt heavy superpower pressure pressing on my body.
‘It’s not as much as in Hwang Myeong-ho’s great mansion’s basement, but the density of power here is high…!’
This place was indeed the Yong tribe’s territory.
While the shaman maidens were guiding me through the garden, we came atop of the magic circle with the cravings of Five Cardinal Colors dragons.
The shaman maidens instructed me to stand in the middle of the magic circle.
“Then we will borrow Dragon King God’s power to examine guest’s body.”
After the Nok shaman maiden started to sing into the sky, other shaman maidens matched her voice and sung together.
The gentle superpower wave mixed with the singing and wrapped around my body.
The superpower wave slowly seeped through my insides, and boosted my energy.
And the moment the song reached its climax, I heard a system voice.
⟨Skill ‘Power of Fate’ activated.⟩
*~*~*
[1] fire, water, wood, metal and earth — in Korean, those are called ‘hwa, su, mok, geum and to’ in order. I’ll also use this occasion to point out some fun hanja overlap. ‘Hwa (화 fire)’ can also mean flower. ‘Su (수 water)‘ can also mean a temple or a move(in chess)/number. Geum (금 metal)’ actually refers to gold most often in Korean (it’s not hanja overlap, 金 just usually means gold). ‘To (토 earth)’ can also mean rabbit (yes, like in the To tribe)’.
[2] Harmonious Between Colors — are as follows: jeong (정) is an in-between color between the cheong representing wood and jeok representing fire, hun (훈) a color between jeok representing fire and hwang representing earth, gyu (규) a color between hwang representing earth and baek representing metal, bul (불) a color between baek representing metal and heuk representing water, am (암) a color between heuk representing water and cheong representing wood. Those relationships correspond to the five element creation theory (fire creates earth, earth creates metal, metal creates water, water creates wood, wood creates fire).
*as for colors jeong is a shade of dark blue/purple, hun is a shade of orange, gyu is a shade of pale yellow, bul is a shade of gray, am is a shade of black
[3] nok, byeok, hong, yuhwang and ja — nok (녹) is a color between cheong representing wood and hwang representing earth, byeok (벽) is a color between baek representing metal and cheong representing wood, hong (홍) is a color between jeok representing fire and baek representing metal, yuhwang (유황, or just yu) is a color between hwang representing earth and heuk representing water, and ja (자) is a color between heuk representing black and jeok representing fire. Those relationships correspond to the five element destruction/opposition (fire destroys metal, metal destroys wood, wood destroys earth, earth destroys water, water destroys fire)
*as for colors, nok is a shade of green, byeok is a shade of bluish, hong is a shade of red, yuhwang is a shade of yellow (sulfur, to be exact) and ja is a shade of purple.
[4] interlopers — Jo Uisin points out that in Korean spies are called ‘in-between people (간자)’, hanja for 간 is the same hanja as used for ‘Between’ Colors’.
Translator’s note: Jo Uisin’s natural enemy no. 6: anyone who dares to try to hurt his Playable Characters
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