Ban Hanseong, who had insisted he’d eat dinner and play before leaving, disappeared without looking back when Chwiweol, who had vanished at some point, appeared and told him “I discovered a ghost who needs help.”
Shim Iyul, whose mood had sunk for no reason, lay down on his bed in the annex thinking he should take a nap. But sleep didn’t come. His mind kept becoming disturbed by thoughts of whether the hunter could only live ten more years.
“Whether the hunter lives ten years or one year, what does it have to do with me that I keep getting irritated?”
Shim Iyul, who had sat up abruptly, threw a tantrum. Was it out of pity? It was pitiful. Humans couldn’t even live a hundred years. Even in today’s world where medicine and science had developed, a hundred years was an age worthy of a national celebration for longevity. But Eun Seonmyeong looked like he couldn’t even fill half of those hundred years, so he was terribly pitiful. He wondered if this was what sympathy was.
“Should I just give him a ginseng root after all?”
Previously, he’d thought about giving him a ginseng root to sell and add to his household because he felt sorry for his poverty, but now the thought of ginseng naturally came to mind because he felt bad that he could only live ten more years.
‘There’s even a thousand-year-old one.’
The thousand-year ginseng was such a sacred object among sacred objects that even Shim Iyul didn’t dare think of touching it. He couldn’t sell something a thousand years old, and there was no reason to eat it, so he just occasionally looked in on it and cared for it—but the thought ‘Should I dig it up and give it to him?’ came to mind. If it was a thousand-year ginseng, perhaps it might help with Eun Seonmyeong’s curse……
“Why don’t I find it precious?!”
Shim Iyul stopped for a moment. It was so natural he didn’t realize it, but right now he didn’t feel even a bit precious about it. It was a whole thousand years old. Something he hadn’t even thought of touching until now. But why, when thinking about digging it up and giving it to him, didn’t he find it precious? Normally even balloon flower root should be precious to give to a mere hunter, right?
“It’s precious. Precious. Very precious. Absolutely precious.”
Shim Iyul muttered “precious” like brainwashing himself. A thousand years, no way. He should tell him to eat a hundred-year-old one and get lost.
Rocking his body back and forth, so absorbed in muttering “It’s precious. It’s definitely precious. It should be precious” that he missed the approaching presence.
“What are you doing? What’s precious?”
It was Eun Seonmyeong, who had gone to the study saying he had work to do.
“Even balloon flower root is precious to you…… When did you come?”
“Just now. But what? Even balloon flower root is precious to me?”
Eun Seonmyeong let out a hollow laugh as if incredulous.
“Of-of course it’s precious!”
Shim Iyul snapped back irritably. When he was already going crazy because the thousand-year ginseng kept flickering before his eyes no matter how much he muttered that it was definitely precious, why did he appear before his eyes making him want to dig it up and give it to him?
Perhaps because the thought that his lifespan was only ten years ahead was stuck firmly in his mind, Eun Seonmyeong’s robust physique felt frail today as if he’d collapse at any moment. His burly arms seemed like a handful, and his sturdy legs that climbed mountains as well as himself, a Fire Fox, looked thin as if they’d snap. Shim Iyul narrowed his brow. A hunter being so frail was a big problem. Besides ginseng, what else was good for the body? He’d have to make him live at least a few more years beyond those ten.
“……you?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
Shim Iyul, who had missed Eun Seonmyeong’s words while thinking about what was good for health supplements, opened his eyes and asked. Eun Seonmyeong was staring at the window, either embarrassed or what. Shim Iyul’s gaze followed Eun Seonmyeong. The window rattled—the wind outside must be strong.
“I asked if you’ll be sleeping here starting tonight.”
“……I should……right?”
Not knowing what meaning he was asking with, he rolled his eyes and answered carefully. Eun Seonmyeong, who had been standing a few steps away, came closer. Shim Iyul and Eun Seonmyeong’s knees lightly touched. Shim Iyul scratched his cheek with his hand, feeling like his face was ticklish for some reason.
“They said the cold wave will continue for a few more days.”
“……”
“And they said it’ll rain tonight too.”
“……It’s supposed to rain?”
“I just heard it on the forecast. They said tonight’s precipitation probability is over twenty percent.”
“That much means it’ll definitely rain. No wonder the wind is so strong. If it rains, the perceived temperature will drop even more than now.”
Shim Iyul put emphasis on “definitely,” and Eun Seonmyeong nodded as if agreeing. Twenty percent meant there was an eighty percent chance it wouldn’t rain, but they ignored that.
“Moreover, this room is particularly drafty.”
“It does seem that way. I was lying down for a bit and the wind leaked in so much I couldn’t tell if I was indoors or outdoors. How did you build the house like this?”
Shim Iyul grumbled. Though there was a draft, it wasn’t unbearable, but he hunched his body and exaggerated.
“I apologize as the homeowner. If you can’t stand it, you can stay in my room for a few more days at least until the cold wave subsides. My room at least has no draft and is relatively warm. I can be considerate enough as a homeowner to that extent.”
“It’s bearable.”
Shim Iyul said primly.
“……”
“It is bearable, but…… since it’s going to rain, let me impose on you for a few more days. Even without rain I could sleep here just fine, but I can’t stand cold rainy weather.”
Shim Iyul hopped down from the bed. Then he headed to the main building as if flying.
Entering Eun Seonmyeong’s room and lying down on the bedding, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief. It was comfortable too. It was absurd. To think Eun Seonmyeong’s bedding was more comfortable than the bed he’d deliberately tried lying on and pressing to carefully choose. His back must have gone crazy.
‘Because I’m a Korean-made Fire Fox.’
Of course Korean-made would find ondol more comfortable, right? Even though no one had reproached him, he nodded while making such excuses to himself, then yawned small. Earlier no matter how hard he tried, sleep wouldn’t come, but as soon as he lay on Eun Seonmyeong’s bedding, drowsiness rushed in.
“Hey.”
Shim Iyul called to Eun Seonmyeong with drowsy eyes.
“Why?”
“But why aren’t you wearing the clothes I roughly bought you?”
Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen him wear them.
“……Just. Did you spend the pocket money I gave you?”
He hadn’t. Because it was precious. Thinking about it again, it was absurd and ridiculous, but he couldn’t spend a mere fifty thousand won because it was precious. Unable to answer honestly, Shim Iyul yawned as if he couldn’t stand the drowsiness and closed his eyes. Then he fell asleep immediately.
After sleeping for a while, he had an unpleasant dream and opened his eyes with a start to see Eun Seonmyeong’s chest. He too was lying beside him asleep. Shim Iyul, who had briefly looked at Eun Seonmyeong’s sleeping face with his chin raised, closed his eyes again. As if he’d never had a nightmare, his heart felt light, and the rain didn’t fall.
The next morning, after hesitating for a long time standing in front of the mother-of-pearl chest, the clothing Eun Seonmyeong chose was the knit Shim Iyul had bought him. Once he actually put it on, his heart tickled and he felt unbearably embarrassed. So he pulled the zipper of his padding all the way up to his neck so the inside couldn’t be seen. After that, leaving the room, he saw Shim Iyul entering leisurely holding coffee. He was holding one cup of coffee in each hand.
“The owner gave it. She told me to give it to you. For the talisman.”
Shim Iyul set the coffee down on the floor. It was hot coffee.
“Why is it hot today? I only drink iced even in the middle of winter.”
Of course that was a lie. On cold days, nothing beat hot coffee. It was just something he said out of pointless embarrassment. Eun Seonmyeong bent down and picked up the coffee. His hand quickly warmed up. It felt like even his heart was warming.
“When I bought you iced yesterday, you said it wasn’t classy! Have some consistency. I thought about it and bought it for you.”
“Didn’t you say the owner gave it as payment for the talisman?”
Shim Iyul’s earlobes reddened at being caught in the lie. Actually, buying just Einspänner felt somehow cheap, so he bought Eun Seonmyeong’s coffee too. Before, it hadn’t mattered at all to buy only his own.
“Ah, she said she wouldn’t accept it! I forcibly paid. Because it would be bad for the Fire Fox’s dignity to keep fr-freeloading. If you don’t want to drink it, forget it! I’ll drink it……”
Shim Iyul reached out to snatch it back, but Eun Seonmyeong lifting the coffee high was faster.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t drink it.”
“You were going to drink it anyway.”
Eun Seonmyeong smiled slightly at the grumbling Shim Iyul, grabbed his keys, and came down from the floor. Getting in the car, he entered Lee Seonghun’s house address in the navigation. He’d received the address from Chairman Lee yesterday.
Arriving at Chairman Lee’s house and pressing the doorbell, a question of who it was came back.
“It’s Eun Seonmyeong.”
The door opened immediately. Entering inside, a well-maintained garden was visible. The two walked along the well-trimmed path with indifferent attitudes.
“Please come in. The chairman is waiting.”
At the entrance, a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties wearing a maid outfit bowed her head toward Eun Seonmyeong and Shim Iyul.
“CEO Eun! Over here. What are you doing instead of coming up quickly?!”
Chairman Lee shouted at Eun Seonmyeong from the middle of the stairs going up to the second floor. He urged “Come up quickly. Quickly!” Regardless, Eun Seonmyeong and Shim Iyul, who climbed the stairs at a leisurely pace, entered the room Chairman Lee pointed to.
Then they saw Lee Seonghun writhing on the bed in a restrained state. His face was contorted in pain. It looked like he’d been deliberately put to sleep, but even while sleeping, his pajamas were drenched with sweat, showing how difficult it was.
“They say he can’t use one leg.”
Chairman Lee said mournfully. The doctor said before long his right leg would be in the same state too. He’d grabbed the doctor by the collar and threatened him, but that didn’t change what was said. The doctor said if he wanted to save at least the right one, he should hurry. He said to try anything if there was a method. If it was too late and the right side became the same state as the left, Lee Seonghun would be unable to walk for life. It would become impossible for him to even move his body on his own. Because just touching him could crush his bones.
“I see.”
Eun Seonmyeong, who answered indifferently, smiled soundlessly. As expected, there was still time to spare. It seemed like both legs would be unusable around the time this curse ended.
“He’s incapable of reproduction.”
Shim Iyul, who had been quietly examining Lee Seonghun, muttered.
“What?”
“The thing in this guy’s bones can’t reproduce. It can’t lay eggs. Once it becomes an adult, it’ll just die.”
“Really?”
“It seems someone fed him one that was half-grown. Goljinchung caught alive before becoming adults lose their reproductive ability.”
At Shim Iyul’s words, Eun Seonmyeong furrowed his brow. Come to think of it, he remembered hearing hundreds of years ago that an exorcist family particularly skilled at handling Goljinchung had killed people using half-grown Goljinchung. That family alone was said to be able to extract and confine Goljinchung without killing them through a special method.
‘Was it the Hyeon family?’
An exorcist family specialized in insects among yosu, and also the first family to close their doors.
