After spending a night at a hotel near Mount Seorak, Eun Seonmyeong climbed the mountain early in the morning. Those who’d set out hiking before dawn glanced sideways at Eun Seonmyeong, who was dressed as lightly as if he’d come out for a stroll.
Eun Seonmyeong wore a loose windbreaker jacket, jeans, and dress shoes. His appearance was markedly different from the others who wore hiking boots and hiking clothes and even carried walking sticks as if those weren’t enough, making him stand out inevitably.
Eun Seonmyeong climbed the mountain as if flying, wearing dress shoes that looked like they’d be uncomfortable after even a few steps. After passing Jungcheong Peak, it wasn’t difficult to find the distinctive tree Seo Hyeonjeong’s son had mentioned. The tree branches were tangled together, looking exactly like a twisted doughnut.
“He went this way, I see.”
Behind the twisted doughnut-shaped tree, there were traces of someone having passed through recently. Small branches were broken, and on the ground were marks as if something had been dragged. Frowning, Eun Seonmyeong pulled out a compass from his back pocket. This compass, inherited from his father, was a sacred tool for finding evil things. Since it could detect even evil energy that Eun Seonmyeong, who was born with quite strong spiritual power, might miss, he always carried it with him. Among ominous and evil things, some had the ability to conceal their energy.
How long had it been since he’d moved in the direction where traces remained? The needle of the previously calm compass slowly began to turn. It meant there was something evil nearby.
‘Bingo.’
The corners of Eun Seonmyeong’s mouth lifted as he headed toward where the compass needle, which had stopped moving, was pointing. The deeper he went, the more treacherous the path became. Since it was originally a place untouched by human presence and there was no real path, it wasn’t easy to take even a single step. Eun Seonmyeong walked carefully, stepping on the occasional traces left by mountain animals, moving as cautiously as possible.
The compass needle, which had been continuously pointing in one direction, suddenly spun wildly before stopping and trembling. Eun Seonmyeong put the compass in his pocket and pulled out his Glock 19. Then he aimed between the dense trees. Even without the compass, he could feel faint yokai energy.
“Come out, fox bastard.”
Rustle. Along with the sound of stepping on dry leaves, a man with vivid red hair walked out. His skin was white enough to look pale, and his lips were red like his hair. He looked like a human with just more distinctive features than others, but he possessed an undeniable bewitching quality.
“I smelled a foul stench, and it turned out to be a hunter.”
The Fire Fox bastard sneered. Eun Seonmyeong responded leisurely.
“Could it compare to the smell coming from your body?”
Hunters and evil things were natural enemies. Evil things hated the spiritual energy flowing from hunters’ bodies, and hunters disliked the yokai energy and evil smell of evil things. Damp and nauseating. The faint body scent of the Fire Fox before him, which would drive humans mad, was worse than the smell of a sewer.
“How did you find me? Hunter.”
The fox bastard asked as if he couldn’t understand. Eun Seonmyeong smiled faintly.
“Is there a reason… I should tell you?”
I’m not that kind of person.
Eun Seonmyeong pulled the trigger of the Glock 19.
Bang!
The exorcism bullet flew aiming for the fox’s solar plexus. It was to cut off his breath in one shot. There was nothing good to come from exchanging words at length with a cunning fox bastard. Previously with the White Fox too, after exchanging words like this, he’d ended up giving the bastard a chance to escape. He had no intention of experiencing failure twice. One painful failure was enough.
But the fox was quick. Just before the exorcism bullet hit, he dodged nimbly to the side.
Clicking his tongue, Eun Seonmyeong fired again.
Bang!
This time too, the fox dodged the exorcism bullet.
“Tsk—”
His aim was accurate, but the fox’s movements were unexpectedly fast.
“Quick like a rat pup.”
“It’s you hunter bastard who’s slow. Being that slow, do you think you can hit me?”
“Well, we’ll see.”
Eun Seonmyeong lightly brushed off the fox’s provocation and fired his gun repeatedly. The Glock 19’s magazine capacity was 15 rounds. There were still plenty of exorcism bullets to shoot.
The sixth exorcism bullet grazed the fox’s nape dangerously. The fox’s pupils, which instinctively covered his neck, turned red and his yokai energy grew stronger. Chilling goosebumps rose on Eun Seonmyeong’s skin.
The fox, who raised the corners of his mouth bewitchingly, pulled out a dagger from his chest. The fox threw the dagger wrapped in vivid blue yokai energy toward Eun Seonmyeong. Eun Seonmyeong deflected the dagger with his gun barrel, and at that moment the fox, who had turned his body, began to flee into the mountains.
“Fuck.”
Muttering a low curse, Eun Seonmyeong chased after the fox. As expected, it wouldn’t end simply. It would’ve been nice if he’d died with the first shot. The mountain area untouched by human presence was like a jungle. Tree branches tore his jacket and left scratches on his skin, but he didn’t care and concentrated only on chasing the fox and shooting.
The exorcism bullets that kept narrowly missing finally grazed the fox’s body. The spiritual energy flowing from the exorcism bullet that grazed above his right shoulder wrapped around the fox’s body. The fox, who let out a groan, pitched forward.
Eun Seonmyeong leisurely approached and flipped the fox’s body over with his foot. His already white face had become even paler. That appearance was beautiful like a masterpiece painting. For a hunter, there was no more beautiful sight than an evil thing dying. You could say it was ecstatic, like an orgasm right before climax.
“Ecstatic. I might come.”
“You were a pervert.”
The fox sneered with a pale complexion. Eun Seonmyeong smiled faintly and lifted his foot to press down firmly on the fox’s chest. The fox’s brow contorted in pain.
“Farewell, fox bastard.”
Just as Eun Seonmyeong, aiming at the fox’s brow, smiled broadly and offered his parting words. Suddenly the fox opened his eyes wide and smirked.
“You’re… cursed.”
“…What?”
Eun Seonmyeong’s eyes, who had hesitated, turned cold. The Imugi’s curse was the Eun family’s taboo. The Eun family’s ancestors had thoroughly concealed that fact. They knew that if it became known they became helpless from time to time due to being cursed, they would become targets of evil things.
“Fox bastard! How did you know I was cursed by an Imugi?!”
At Eun Seonmyeong’s sharp question, the fox flinched.
“Imugi? What I mentioned wasn’t an Imugi. You, you were cursed by an Imugi?”
Not an Imugi? Eun Seonmyeong frowned. At that moment, he felt something flying from behind. Eun Seonmyeong, who turned his body, instinctively deflected it. It was the fox’s dagger. The fox, who quickly got up without missing the opportunity, reached out his hand. Then the dagger was sucked into his hand as if drawn in.
“I made a slip of the tongue. I now have one more reason why I must kill you.”
Eun Seonmyeong aimed the Glock 19 at the fox’s heart and asked.
“What is the curse you mentioned?”
“The silver mark on your forehead.”
The fox raised his arm and pointed at the center of Eun Seonmyeong’s forehead.
“You… you met the White Fox, didn’t you?”
The fox raised the corners of his mouth and smiled radiantly. The welcome smile, like someone who’d found what they’d been waiting for, grated on his nerves.
Eun Seonmyeong’s face became fierce. The White Fox from three years ago was the first failure that brought shame to Eun Seonmyeong. The only consolation had been that he’d managed to lodge an exorcism bullet in that bastard’s belly, but he’d been cursed by that bastard?
Eun Seonmyeong slightly adjusted the direction of the gun barrel that had been aimed at the fox’s heart and fired. The exorcism bullet that flew hit the tree right next to the fox. As red spiritual energy scattered with a whoosh, the fox gritted his teeth and moved to the side. Even though he wasn’t hit directly, the spiritual energy bursting right next to him seemed to cause indirect damage.
“The White Fox’s curse, tell me what that is.”
He was a body that had lived his whole life bound by the Imugi’s curse anyway. Even if one more curse was added to that, it wouldn’t matter much… like hell. When just one was already disgusting, one more? He hated buy-one-get-one-free deals.
Killing intent rose from Eun Seonmyeong’s body. Hating evil things was like a hunter’s fate, but among various evil things, Eun Seonmyeong particularly despised yosu. Needless to say, it was because of the Imugi’s curse engraved on his body from the moment he was born. Twice a month, when the curse activated and he felt the pain of his body burning alive, he hated yosu with all his might. He’d gritted his teeth and vowed to kill and eliminate even one more yosu before he died.
“No, thinking about it, I don’t think I need to know.”
Eun Seonmyeong fired the exorcism bullet without hesitation. As expected, he shouldn’t have exchanged words with a fox or whatever. It would be more beneficial to quickly kill that filthy fox bastard and return to Seoul to collect money. If there really was some curse or mark on him, he just needed to catch the White Fox that left such a thing and tear it to shreds.
But the fox, who deflected the exorcism bullet with his dagger, began to flee again. Eun Seonmyeong, who was about to chase after him with a cold face, suddenly staggered. His stomach became hot as if he’d swallowed a ball of fire. It felt like his internal organs were burning. It was the damn curse.
The Fire Fox had already moved far away, leaving only a red afterimage.
“Fuck!!!”
Shouting curses and kicking the ground, Eun Seonmyeong clutched his stomach and gasped for breath. His entire body was instantly soaked with sweat. His clothes became damp like someone who’d fallen into water and come out.
Eun Seonmyeong, unable to endure the pain, slumped down with a thud. He leaned against the tree trunk and waited for the curse to subside. His fist, which he’d clenched with all his might to endure the pain, trembled violently. His vision was red, as if the blood vessels around his eyes had burst. His nails dug into his flesh, and blue veins bulged up on the back of his hand. The pain of his internal organs burning continued for quite a while before subsiding. But this wasn’t the end, it was the beginning.
Let’s go back to Seoul.
First, he had no choice but to return home and wait for the curse to pass. Killing the Fire Fox was a matter for after that. If he stayed like this and the fox happened to return, he might be the one to suffer instead.
“Ha, saying ten days to fuck with them turned out to be a stroke of genius.”
The curse lasted at most five days, so he’d be able to handle the Fire Fox within the ten days he’d told Seo Hyeonjeong.
Eun Seonmyeong picked up the Glock 19 he’d carelessly set down on the ground. Then he hurriedly descended the mountain and headed to Seoul.
