I had been continuously bothered by the Mountain God giving me back the bookmark string, so this worked out well.
Thanks to receiving food from that place, I saved a lot on food expenses, and there was no reason to be stingy about this. As I was going to pay, I coincidentally caught sight of soap bubbles and picked those up too.
After finishing the payment, I came out of the store and exhaled phew.
I slowly looked around the alley where no one was walking. After standing in front of the store for a while, I turned my body and slowly walked toward home. I somehow felt the road home was a bit lonely.
‘It’s scary how there’s no one at all.’
On the way, I hadn’t seen anyone except the store owners.
Step—
“…?”
I heard footsteps right behind me, so I stopped in that spot.
Step— Step—
Isn’t the sound too close? Since when were they behind me…?
No matter how much I’ve experienced all sorts of things, isn’t this too scary? I gripped my phone tightly and slowly turned around. I saw white hanbok right behind me, hesitated, then smoothly raised my head. Something wearing a mask was looking at me.
An incredibly tall height. And on the mask, countless eyes were moving. All the eyes were looking at me, but instantly they also moved swiftly to other places. I faced those eyes staring at my face with the body slightly bent, then squeezed my eyes shut.
Wha, what?
“…Um… I’m, I’m not tasty.”
When I gripped my phone tightly, trembled my hand, and spoke quietly, I heard low laughter.
I gently opened one eye and faced the mask again. Looking again, I felt like I’d seen the eyes somewhere.
“Um… by any chance, at the lake…”
“Yes. You remember, child.”
Huh? I feel like I’ve heard this voice somewhere too. This low and mysterious voice…
I blinked and put my hand on my forehead to recall where I’d heard this voice.
Where? I definitely heard it somewhere.
I felt hazy and like my body was floating, like when I went up to the lake. When I staggered and closed my eyes, the mask carefully held my body.
“Lovely child. This is all I can tell you now.”
I’m dizzy…
As I frowned and tried to sit down, the mask held me tightly.
“All your connections will hold you… so please don’t give up.”
Eventually my eyes slowly closed.
***
— Wahahaha!
I heard clear laughter. A small, thin child who had been running around the mountain excitedly turned around, then raised their arm high and waved.
Really… it was a small child whose smile was lovable.
— Bihyeon-nim!
The child walked backward and staggered with that small body. But the child didn’t fall. Because two very large animals were supporting the child’s back. The puppy-like animal that caught the child’s body made a pleased sound and licked the child’s cheek.
The child who giggled giggle because it felt good touching the fluffy fur hugged the animal and waved their hand once more.
— Bihyeon-nim, let’s go there too! Hurry.
Step.
When I turned around, I saw Bihyeon smiling warmly. Sweet eyes as if looking at someone very precious were following the child.
Small birds flew around the child waving their hand and played tricks. They tickled with wings and climbed on shoulders to rub cheeks. A happy smile doesn’t stop from the child’s face.
He approached the child and lifted them up. He who smiled silently and stroked the child’s head with an affectionate hand turned around and walked toward where the child pointed.
My chest felt stuffy. Even though it was clearly a dream, my chest hurt like tears would come out.
Beeeep—
Suddenly tinnitus rang in my ears and my vision was dyed red. When my vision was stained with something unpleasant and sticky like blood flowing, I woke up from sleep as if chased out of the dream.
“Gasp…”
When I opened my eyes wide, tears fell drip drop.
My chest was stuffy, so I grabbed my clothes tightly and frowned. Ugh, when I curled my body and made a small moan, someone wiped my eyes.
A familiar scent…
When I turned my eyes, as expected. Bihyeon was looking at me with strange eyes.
“Um… Bihyeon-nim. Why am I…”
I withdrew my gaze from Bihyeon and looked around. Realizing it was Bihyeon’s palace, not my house, I jumped up.
“The door opened, so when I went out to see, you were collapsed on the road.”
I don’t hurt anywhere, so why did I collapse again?
This feeling was the same as when I suddenly lost consciousness at the cafe before. Back then I also saw a young child…
I pressed my eyes tightly, then made eye contact with Bihyeon and smiled awkwardly. And to mean I’m okay, I grabbed my shoulder and showed by rotating my arm widely swing swing.
Bihyeon who was watching me let out a small sigh and grabbed my arm as if to say stop. That seemed like a bit of relief, so I smiled awkwardly.
“Malgeum.”
When he called someone lowly, the door opened and a sheep came in.
Curly fur entered my eyes first, so I lifted my head, then slowly moved my gaze to the face. The sheep wearing hanbok with a white doctor’s coat over it and small round glasses bowed in greeting. Adjusting his glasses, he approached me and flinched.
The body was small and it was a herbivore, so it was less scary but… no. I thought wrong. The atmosphere was very scary.
Moreover, the eyes… the pupils are horizontal…
The sheep who put his hand on my chest and leaned his face close tilted his head to the side.
“I saw earlier too, right? This human doesn’t seem to be hurt anywhere.”
Then his face distorted terribly.
“What are you looking at? A mere human.”
“…I’m, I’m sorry…?”
“Why am I looking at a human… Tsk tsk.”
And he seemed to dislike me very much.
The sheep who felt it wasn’t enough to shake his hands as if touching something dirty, took out a handkerchief and scrubbed vigorously, then jumped up.
“I have no intention of treating humans like this except for that lovely human baby.”
He silently looked at the sheep with sunken eyes.
“Yes! I know! I know. That child’s soul has already completely extinguished so they can never be born again. What I mean is from now on, I have absolutely no intention of treating humans or anything like that for the rest of my life.”
Hmph, the sheep who turned his head sharply left the room and slammed the door bang!
I flinched and gripped the blanket tightly. When I turned my head, I saw Bihyeon looking elsewhere lost in thought. Not wanting to disturb his thoughts, I kept my mouth shut, then stroked the pocket watch in my hand with my finger.
“Rest comfortably… and go home.”
At his words, I looked at my shopping bag in the back, then didn’t give any answer.
Since the atmosphere is strange, it would be better to give the gift later. Bihyeon who finished speaking and stood up left the room without looking back.
But I couldn’t think he was cold. Because his eyes looked uncharacteristically confused.
“…What do you want to tell me?”
Touching the pocket watch, I muttered very quietly.
What on earth do you want to tell me, what do you want to say?
What I can be certain of now is that the ‘human child’ that occasionally comes up in conversations is related to me.
Ha… I sighed, opened the door, stuck my head out, and looked around. There seemed to be no one in the courtyard.
I went back in, neatly arranged the blanket, grabbed the shopping bag, and left the room. Then I put on my shoes, walked across the courtyard, and stood in front of the door.
I took out the soap bubbles and showed them by shaking in front of the door.
“This is called soap bubbles, and when you blow puff, pretty bubbles come out.”
The tails of the haetae drawn on the door swayed slowly and the pupils moved toward the soap bubbles.
I opened the lid and blew puff in front of it.
The soap bubbles flew toward the sky.
“I’ll give you this. Can you… open the door? The atmosphere is a bit like that, so I think it’s better for me to disappear.”
I don’t really know why I used this expression myself.
Disappear…
“…Please.”
When I left the soap bubbles in front of the door, I heard a “Squeak…” sound.
Then the door opened very slightly creeak. I turned back, bowed toward where no one was, opened the door and came out. It was right inside the house where I live. I saw the familiar cold living room and exhaled long breaths. Thud. The door closed and silence flowed.
Thump thump. My heart beat unpleasantly, so I turned around. The end part of the flower attached to the front door had turned pitch black. I opened my eyes wide, reached out my hand to touch the flower, then hesitated.
I don’t know why my aunt comes to mind every time the ominous energy thickens.
Why always whenever there’s an unfortunate incident…
“Ha.”
I shook my head and stepped backward.
I turned around just like that, took off my shoes, walked toward the blanket, and lay down thud.
I let out a heavy sigh, gripped my phone tightly, and stared at the family photo placed above. Soon I squeezed my eyes shut.
***
I’m sleepy…
How long has it been since I couldn’t sleep deeply?
I pressed my eyes tightly, then put on the glasses I brought to hide my haggard face. As I tied the apron strings and went to the counter, the boss approached me humming excitedly.
“Hansol, we decided to hire the part-timer after the festival ends. I don’t think I’ll have the mental capacity to teach them right now.”
“Who are you planning to hire?”
“I’m going to hire Bidan. Ah, I mean Silk-nim’s son.”
Ah, that snake son.
I nodded and took out a broom and started sweeping the hall.
“Ah, and Sol. You don’t have to come during the festival. On the actual day of Bihyeon-nim’s birth, all stores decided to close and focus on the festival. Just please do the morning shift the day after the festival.”
Ah, right. The birthday… I need to make a cake too.
Am I walking around losing my mind like this? I pressed around my eyes, then smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I will. That works out well.”
“If you want to come to the festival too, tell me anytime! I’ll give you my clothes. Then your human smell will definitely be covered.”
“Ah, at that time I…”
…Should I say I’m going with Bihyeon-nim?
I tried to speak, then shut my mouth tight, rolled my eyes around, then soon smiled awkwardly.
“No, it’s okay.”
“Hansol, you’re too tight-lipped. Are all humans that mature at that age?”
“Is that so?”
I’m not sure about being mature. I scratched my cheek when jingle, the door opening sound came, so I turned my head.
Ah, it’s Bihyeon. I reflexively looked at the floor, greeted with “Welcome,” then focused on cleaning.
Is it because I saw that in the dream? Seeing Bihyeon made me feel strange for no reason.
