“Mom?”
“She’s asleep. You’re going to leave now, right?”
Shim Iyul, who had put Kang Eunsuk to sleep by flowing in yogi, stroked Lee Seungjin’s head with bloodshot eyes.
“Yes! Fox-nim, thank you. Hunter-nim, thank you too.”
Lee Seungjin bowed politely with both hands folded and placed over his belly button.
“What did you do?”
“I summoned a Manse.”
A Manse is a bird employed by high-ranking Reapers that comforts souls with its beautiful song and appearance.
“Mom, Seungjin will be waiting. You have to come after sleeping a thousand nights.”
A thousand was the biggest number Lee Seungjin knew. Lee Seungjin, who spoke as if making her promise, kissed the sleeping Kang Eunsuk’s cheek and grinned. Shim Iyul watched Lee Seungjin, who crouched next to his mother and kept whispering “Mom, come later. Come after sleeping a thousand nights for sure,” then hid behind Eun Seonmyeong.
‘Damn it, why am I crying and making a fuss. I’m losing face as a Fire Fox.’
It wasn’t like he’d seen a mother and child separated by death just once or twice. His dead mother must have come to mind, making him sad.
“Are you crying?”
“Who’s crying?!”
Shim Iyul’s face was drenched with tears even as he insisted he wasn’t crying. Shim Iyul hid behind Eun Seonmyeong and rubbed his face against his clothes to wipe away tears while sniffling.
“Don’t wipe your snot on my clothes.”
“I’ll wash them for you!”
Just as he yelled loudly, a beautiful song was heard. When he raised his head, he saw a bird with a bright red crest standing stiffly and golden wings spread wide. Its long trailing tail was peach-colored. It was a Manse.
Not bad to look at, he thought, but only briefly. Shim Iyul frowned. The Manse’s arrival meant a Reaper was also coming. A high-ranking Reaper at that.
“Hey, I’m leaving first. I’ll be waiting at home, so send the kid off well and come. Kid, take care.”
After patting Lee Seungjin’s head once more, Shim Iyul turned around. Though he felt attached and regretful, he had no intention of being bound by that.
As soon as Shim Iyul disappeared as if fleeing, a high-ranking Reaper appeared. The Reaper, dressed in a pure white suit from head to toe, immediately frowned upon seeing Eun Seonmyeong.
“I wondered who was arrogantly summoning a Manse, and it’s you as expected.”
“It’s been a while.”
High-ranking Reapers only descend to earth when taking precious souls. Eun Seonmyeong had seen him twelve years ago, on the day his father died.
“What’s this smell?”
The high-ranking Reaper approached Eun Seonmyeong’s side and sniffed around here and there, wrinkling his nose.
“What are you doing?”
“A fox smell?”
“I have circumstances that lead me to live with a Fire Fox. I summoned the Reaper to guide that child, so take him.”
Shim Iyul pointed to Lee Seungjin. The child was jumping around brightly trying to catch the Manse’s tail.
“It’s not just a fox smell. Strange.”
The Reaper tilted his head, then gestured toward the Manse and walked with long strides. The Manse followed the Reaper, and Lee Seungjin followed the Manse. Soon the three’s figures disappeared and a voice saying “Hunter, don’t arrogantly summon high-ranking Reapers” reached like an echo then vanished.
Eun Seonmyeong, who sighed, picked up the unconscious Kang Eunsuk and headed to the inn. Then he asked the owner to open her room, entered inside, and laid her down. That was the end of what he needed to do. He’d already shown excessive kindness. If it hadn’t been the collaboration between Ban Hanseong and the fox, he wouldn’t have cared whether the child ghost couldn’t resolve his nyeom and wandered the living world for life.
When he returned home with a refreshed feeling, he saw a fox sitting on the daecheong, slurping coffee.
“Just getting back?”
Eun Seonmyeong shook his head as he approached Shim Iyul, who waved his hand leisurely as if it was originally his own house.
“I guess Hanseong left……”
Before he could finish speaking, the door leading to the sarangchae opened and Ban Hanseong came staggering out. He looked like his energy had been completely drained from doing something.
“You’re back?”
“You didn’t leave?”
“I was going to, but I couldn’t because of Taeho.”
Taeho, who came walking out holding onto Ban Hanseong’s hem, had a gloomy expression. Even if Taeho had stayed long, his age was the same as when he died. Time stops with death after all. Though his exact age was unknown, Taeho was at most 8-9 years old. He seemed sad to have sent off Lee Seungjin, who was the same age, after spending time together. Seeing Taeho looking endlessly dejected, Ban Hanseong and the maiden ghost named Chwiweol didn’t know what to do.
Of course, neither Taeho nor Chwiweol were their real names. They were ghosts whose memories from life had disappeared, so their real names were unknown. Taeho and Chwiweol were names Ban Hanseong had given them.
“Delivery!”
When someone shouted outside the gate, Ban Hanseong quickly ran out and returned with both hands full of food. Ban Hanseong even brought out a large table from the kitchen and spread it on the daecheong, instantly creating a feast. It was pizza, spaghetti, chicken, and more—enough that even five grown men attacking it would give up eating and have leftovers.
“I have to eat when I’m sad to feel better.”
Ban Hanseong muttered as if making an excuse.
“Who said anything?”
“Taeho and Noona, come over here too……”
“I don’t eat with ghosts.”
Ban Hanseong pouted and grumbled “They’re my family. Bad gaju,” then brought out a small table and divided the food.
“Noona, Taeho. Eat a lot.”
Taeho began eating pizza first as if he’d never been gloomy.
“Fox-nim, please eat a lot too. I’m paying for it. As for the gaju…… eat or don’t.”
Ban Hanseong snorted and began eating pizza first. Come to think of it, all he’d eaten today was one roll of gimbap at a rest stop on the way up to Seoul. Eun Seonmyeong, feeling hungry, sat next to Shim Iyul and picked up a slice of pizza.
“Did Seungjin go well?”
“He went well. When he saw the Manse, he followed along happily.”
“Manse…… If you were going to summon a Manse, you should have told me in advance! Then I would have followed!”
Ban Hanseong, who hadn’t seen the Manse, grumbled.
“Should I summon it for you?”
“Can you do that?”
“Summoning is possible. But I can’t summon a high-ranking Reaper for nothing, so if I send off one of those two today, that would work.”
When Eun Seonmyeong pointed toward Chwiweol and Taeho, Ban Hanseong jumped.
“Don’t say such nonsensical things! Noona and Taeho are absolutely not allowed! The gaju should go instead!”
“Ghosts aren’t allowed, but I am? Well, I’ll die in ten years anyway, so going early wouldn’t be bad. When I die, only Seolju and you will remain—the two of you will have such fun together. Right?”
At Eun Seonmyeong’s words, which were either sarcastic or self-deprecating, Ban Hanseong said “My mistake!” and slapped his own lips with his hand.
“You’re dying?”
Shim Iyul, who had been eating pizza and chicken as if inhaling them though no one was stealing them, asked.
“The Eun family’s gajus have been short-lived for generations because of an Imugi’s curse. The previous gaju also passed away at forty-two.”
At kind Ban Hanseong’s explanation, Eun Seonmyeong sighed.
“You’re the type who would spill everything you know about me before they even start torturing you if evil spirits captured you.”
“Hey, surely I wouldn’t? If I really get captured, I’ll try to hold out. For about ten minutes? Come rescue me before that.”
“You already told everything as soon as the fox bastard asked, and you think you can hold out for ten minutes. You won’t last even ten seconds.”
“Fox-nim isn’t an outsider!”
“If not an outsider, then what?”
“Someone tied to the gaju…… I’ll shut up.”
Seeing Eun Seonmyeong’s clenched fist with spiritual energy gathering around it, Ban Hanseong quickly bowed his head. On top of that, Eun Seonmyeong had been reproaching himself in the car back to Seoul, thinking ‘My soul must have briefly left my body. Otherwise there’s no way I would have kissed a fox.’ To be precise, it was more like biting than kissing. Anyway, for not being able to control his impulse, he was being self-critical……
“Your wound……”
“Why are you like this?”
After glancing at Shim Iyul’s lips, Eun Seonmyeong’s eyes widened when he confirmed that the bite mark from biting him that morning had cleanly disappeared. So he unconsciously reached out and grabbed Shim Iyul’s chin, and he recoiled in disgust. Regardless, he tilted his neck thinking ‘Maybe?’ and checked his neck, and sure enough, the bite mark he’d left when he almost caused trouble due to Shim Iyul’s pheromones was also gone.
“The mark disappeared.”
“What mark? Ah, the one where you bit my lip like a dog this morning? I heal from wounds quickly.”
“You two were passionate from the morning? But why are you angry when I said you’re tied together…… I understand. I’ll stay quietly crushed.”
Ban Hanseong, who had raised his head sharply thinking it was his chance, shrank back down at Eun Seonmyeong’s fierce gaze.
“Do all fox tribe members have recovery abilities as fast as yours?”
“Well, faster than humans at least.”
“Then the White Fox might have almost recovered too. When I met him three years ago, I lodged an Exorcism Bullet in him, and I thought it would take at least five years to fully recover.”
“I don’t know how deep the wound is, but it won’t take five years. When the White Fox appears, I’ll be the one to end his life.”
Shim Iyul’s eyes reddened. Eun Seonmyeong snorted as if finding it laughable.
“Since you seem to have a grudge, I’ll lend a hand. But the White Fox’s life is mine.”
“You think a weak hunter like you can kill the White Fox?!”
The White Fox was someone even his mother couldn’t match. No matter how excellent a hunter Eun Seonmyeong was, he didn’t seem like he’d be stronger than his mother. Moreover, the White Fox had eaten his mother’s heart, so he must be much stronger than back then. Of course, Shim Iyul might not be a match either, but he put on a show of bravado for now.
“Who was it that got shot by a weak hunter’s gun and ran away with his tail between his legs?”
When Eun Seonmyeong mentioned their first meeting, Shim Iyul got fired up.
“I let you off easy back then. And I’m a bit weak right now, but normally someone like you wouldn’t even be a match for me. When the White Fox appears, hide behind me. Then you’ll be able to keep your life.”
“You just hide well. I’ll give you a chance to get one hit in when the White Fox’s breath is cut off.”
“Who are you treating like a weak fox?! I let you live when I could have killed you, and now you don’t know your place?”
“Look who’s talking. You should know that I’m letting you live when I could kill you anytime. Fox bastard.”
“Ah, you’re loud. So loud.”
As Shim Iyul and Eun Seonmyeong’s voices grew louder, Ban Hanseong tapped the table with his chopsticks. It was because Chwiweol and Taeho were frightened as the two fought seriously.
Shim Iyul, who withdrew his yogi, snorted, then picked up the pizza that had been in front of Eun Seonmyeong as if to show off and shoved it into his mouth. Eun Seonmyeong, letting out an empty laugh at the childish behavior, also picked up and ate the chicken leg that Shim Iyul had been preciously saving on his side plate.
“Hey! Who said you could eat my chicken leg!”
“Seems you forgot you ate my pizza first?”
“Good grief! Go fight outside!”
Ban Hanseong, who tapped the table wildly with his chopsticks again, shook his head. He sees all sorts of things living life. To think he’d see the gaju, who acted like an old man even during his school days, having a childish argument. It was regrettable he hadn’t recorded it on video. If he had, he could have teased him endlessly.
While Ban Hanseong regretted not preserving Eun Seonmyeong’s earlier appearance, Eun Seonmyeong, who had regained his composure, rubbed his face with his palm. That fox was the problem anyway. He disrupted his equilibrium.
Taeho, who had eaten his fill, approached Ban Hanseong and whispered something in his ear.
“Tell me about Seungjin. Like what he looked like when he left.”
Eun Seonmyeong clicked his tongue and told him briefly. Ban Hanseong, who nodded intermittently, said:
“Seungjin’s nyeom must have been giving his mom the birthday card?”
“Seems that way.”
“I feel bad for the mom. I don’t know if she’ll be able to live properly.”
“She’ll be fine.”
Shim Iyul muttered. Humans are stronger than you think, and mothers who love their children are especially strong. Since Lee Seungjin told her several times to stay for a long time before leaving, she would follow it. She would understand that a thousand nights didn’t literally mean to come after a thousand nights had passed.
“I’m full.”
All the food that seemed too much to possibly finish was gone. The top contributor was naturally Shim Iyul. Shim Iyul rubbed his full belly and flopped down on his back. The wooden floor was a bit cold since there was no heating, but he was too lazy to move. He felt sleepy now that he was full.
“I’m sleepy.”
“Go sleep in your quarters.”
Eun Seonmyeong, who was clearing the table, kicked Shim Iyul’s legs, who looked ready to fall asleep.
“Too lazy.”
Shim Iyul, who pulled his legs in, shook his head. Ban Hanseong, who had been watching, also flopped down on his back.
“Why are you lying down too?!”
“I’m sleepy too. Let’s take a nap.”
“You go to your house, and fox, you scram to the annex.”
“Don’t wanna.”
“I refuse.”
He didn’t know why Shim Iyul and Ban Hanseong made such an exasperating combination when they teamed up. Eun Seonmyeong looked down at the two enemies lying on the cold wooden floor saying “But it’s cold?” and shaking their heads, then let out a deep sigh.
“Oh? It’s snowing.”
As Ban Hanseong said, it began to snow. The snow cloud that had turned Sokcho into a snowy field yesterday seemed to have finally come up to Seoul. Snow began slowly piling up in the yard. The youngest, Taeho, was the first to start running around, and Ban Hanseong joined in. Shim Iyul, who had looked ready to not budge while lying down, also subtly got up and slipped down to the yard.
“How childish. His mental age must be exactly eight years old.”
Eun Seonmyeong’s pupils, clicking his tongue, were filled with the sight of Shim Iyul starting to make something by packing snow. Wondering what he was making so diligently, it was a fox. With meticulous hand movements, Shim Iyul, who made a quite plausible snow fox, looked pleased. Then, as if his hands were cold, he blew warm breath over his fists curled into circles, then glanced back at Eun Seonmyeong. The moment he thought the look in his eyes was unusual—
Thud—
Shim Iyul, who jumped onto the daecheong floor, suddenly stuck his hands inside Eun Seonmyeong’s clothes.
Eun Seonmyeong froze. Shim Iyul felt around Eun Seonmyeong’s bare skin to his heart’s content, then said “It’s warm,” and fled quickly to the annex. Eun Seonmyeong, who came to his senses belatedly, face flushing red and blue.
“Crazy fox bastard.”
Does he think my body is his? And what makes him so comfortable? Why does he keep touching me as he pleases and making a fuss?
Eun Seonmyeong headed to the bathroom with an annoyed expression, feeling as if the fox bastard’s smell and body temperature remained in his cells. It seemed washing away the traces of the fox bastard with a shower was the only option.
After finishing a hot shower and even changing clothes, Ban Hanseong and Taeho, who had been running around like dogs meeting snow, were nowhere to be seen. Eun Seonmyeong, who grabbed his keys thinking to stop by the shop even briefly, saw the snow fox Shim Iyul had made as he stepped down to the yard. Though made of snow, it looked exactly like Shim Iyul. Especially the prim-looking eyes. Eun Seonmyeong approached the snow fox and raised his foot as if he’d kick it right away, then just turned away with a snort.
He let the snow off since it was innocent.
***
Kang Eunsuk, who had gone through the procedures and received her son’s urn after he’d already been cremated, barely held back her pouring tears. Her son’s death was difficult and agonizing as if her heart would burst, but she had no choice but to accept it.
‘I’ll live hard.’
It was because of the dream she’d had on the very day she heard about her son’s death from Old Woman Kim, her former landlord. It was a surprisingly vivid dream. The sight of him smiling as he handed her the card, the words telling her to come later as he kissed her—it felt like reality. Kang Eunsuk thought that dream was her son coming to tell her, his mother, to live.
‘Seungjin-ah, Mom will live. I’ll live hard and come to Seungjin. You have to keep your promise to come meet me, okay?’
Since it was a promise with her son, she would keep it. No matter how hard and painful, tenaciously. Kang Eunsuk walked slowly as if treading through a difficult, long life.
