“It’ll get blood on you.”
“Is that the problem right now?”
“That is the problem. We don’t know what kind of blood this is.”
At my words, Bihyeon fidgeted with his lips, then turned his head after confirming someone was coming from the door.
The sheep who had entered inside with a huff approached Bihyeon angrily. With sullen eyes as if asking “You called me because of a human again?”, he raised his hand and pointed at me sharply.
“This human again? Something that’s going to die soon, just leave it be?”
“Malgeum.”
“Weren’t you supposed to hate them anyway? Humans and such.”
As I sat still fiddling with my hands, the Mountain God from beside me reached out to try to cover my ears. But his hands weren’t delicate enough to cover my ears, so he looked at me with troubled eyes.
Then the bear who had been standing behind Bihyeon strode over and covered my ears with rough hands.
Ugh.
Between the strength that shook my body and my ears stinging from being touched by the bear’s palms, I swallowed a scream inside.
“Even after going through all that, you’re going to trust them again? Huh? What if you get hurt again like back then! What if you lose everything again by cherishing humans? Then…!”
“Malgeum. Please treat him.”
The sheep who had screamed at Bihyeon trembled and turned his head.
Then he whirled his head to look at me, grinding his teeth as he approached me.
I don’t think I need treatment… Your expression is too scary. I’m really most scared of you, Sheep-nim. As I stuck close to the bear and smiled awkwardly, the sheep grabbed my arm and pulled, making me stagger.
“Humans are weak, so be careful!”
Then the bear smacked the sheep’s hand. Though I say smacked, it was quite a brutal sound.
I felt a bit regretful that things turned out this way because of me. Maybe I shouldn’t have come…
As I grabbed the towel to wipe my nose, the blood really seemed to have stopped, so I removed it and touched my nose. Oh, it seemed to have stopped. The sheep who had roughly grabbed my face and turned it this way and that looked deeply into my eyes. Then he frowned and brought his face close to mine.
“…What? Why is your soul like this?”
“Pardon? My soul?”
“What’s with this… what is it? It’s strange.”
The sheep who had been looking for a long while took one more step closer and peered into my eyes.
“You…”
As if surprised, he opened his eyes wide and firmly grabbed my shoulders.
“Ah, I said humans are weak!”
Thwack!
This time the bear roughly struck away the sheep’s hand.
“Ah, stop it! Stay still, you bear bastard!”
The sheep who screamed turned serious.
“You, how on earth are you alive? Is it okay for your soul to be like this because you’re human? No… even so, this is very strange.”
The sheep who had been muttering to himself touched his head. His eyes were extremely troubled. He took out some medicine from his breast, tossed it into my hand, then turned around and left the palace.
Somehow that figure looked like he was running away from something. I clutched the medicine tightly, then met eyes with Bihyeon. He gestured to me as if telling me to hurry and take it.
“You should take it and get some sleep.”
“I have to go to the cafe. I left some things there…”
The cake was big, so I left it in the cafe’s refrigerator. No matter what, we’re meeting to celebrate a birthday, so how could I go without a gift? The chapssaltteok the rat-nim gave me is there too.
“Then hurry and come back to take the medicine. You’ll get very sleepy after taking it.”
I nodded and got up from my seat. After greeting the fox who had taken the towel and turning around, Bihyeon followed closely behind me from behind.
…Hm?
“You’re coming with me?”
“Yes. I don’t think you’ll go to the festival with me if I let you go.”
I swear. You won’t even call my name once but you’re worried about being stood up—that’s too infuriating. I was about to say I just won’t go with him, then sighed. At this rate, my name will become “that side” or “you.”
It’s his birthday and a good day, so I’ll endure it…
I scratched my head and crossed through the open door.
Get the cake and also…
As I took one step while thinking to myself, I saw a familiar scene. It was right inside the cafe. I raised my hand and stroked the door.
“Thank you, Door-door.”
I smiled slightly while looking at the door that gave no response, then opened the refrigerator. Bihyeon, who had slowly followed behind, looked around.
Then he tilted his head while looking at the closed door.
“Hm? A missed customer must be coming.”
“Pardon?”
As I finished wrapping the cake, stood up, and asked Bihyeon back, I heard a knock-knock from the door.
…This feels ominous.
“We’re not open today… Who is it?”
As I frowned and stepped back, the door opened on its own with a creak.
…Door-door…?
I opened my eyes wide and reached out to grab the door. Something huge came in through the gap in the door and grabbed my arm.
Surprised, I couldn’t say anything and just gaped, then the door opened completely.
A ti-tiger! A really big white tiger…! And a white tiger wearing very luxurious hanbok at that…
“H-hello! We’re not open today…”
And reflexively, words burst out quickly.
This damn occupational disease. Even after speaking, I shut my mouth tight, and the white tiger let go of my arm and stood on all fours, swishing his tail. He had a much larger body than the tiger at the palace and had blue eyes.
An atmosphere as mystical and imposing as Bihyeon-nim’s flowed from him. He also gave off a warm yet cool scent…
‘But something…’
“Coming from the west, I’m a bit late.”
“You came a long way.”
“It’s been a while, Bihyeon.”
It was truly a soft and kind voice.
“I heard this friend likes the cookies here, so I was going to buy them as a gift…”
This friend?
A customer of Bihyeon-nim? Greatly surprised, I met eyes with Bihyeon. He smiled and shrugged. It can’t be helped… The words “came a long way” caught my attention, so I scratched my head, stepped back one step, and pointed inside.
“Please come in. Would you like something?”
“I don’t intend to impose that much.”
“No, it’s not. You came from far away, so I can’t just send you off…”
“Hmm… then I’ll ask for yujacha.”
“Yes, just a moment. Bihyeon-nim, shall I make you some coffee?”
“Give me yujacha too.”
I turned on the lights in the cafe and went to the counter to take out cups.
This worked out well. I had packaged some cookies anyway. When I served the cookies and yujacha, the white tiger looked at me, then brought his face close. Really, with a tiger several times the size of a person right in front of my eyes, rather than being scared, I was on the verge of fainting.
Haha, I smiled awkwardly and handed one cup of yujacha to Bihyeon.
Though it’s a bit funny to do this in front of the person I’m giving a gift to…
“Ah, but the cookies aren’t for sale…”
I had to close the store today, so I already cleared out all the ones for sale yesterday.
When I glanced with a troubled expression, the white tiger swished his tail again.
“Then how about receiving something else instead of money?”
Hmm, since he’s saying it’s a gift, I shouldn’t refuse this, right?
“I’ll just accept payment for the cookies. Please think of the yujacha as… a gift from me and this cafe’s owner.”
I hadn’t intended to take money in the first place, so I didn’t turn on the register.
If I said it was a customer who came a long way, the boss would definitely have told me to just give it. I might have gotten scolded for taking money in this situation. Imagining the boss’s reaction made me smile slightly as I spoke, and the white tiger took the cookies with his mouth and put them in his front pocket.
But then how does he drink the yujacha…? I did prepare the biggest cup possible though.
The white tiger who had been staring at the yujacha soon stood on two feet and grabbed the cup.
…So that’s how you drink it?
As I watched with curious eyes, I met directly with his blue eyes and smoothly averted my gaze. As I smiled awkwardly and scratched my cheek, the white tiger swished his tail once more.
He who had been gazing intently at me seemed to be looking for something in his front pocket. Then he handed me a candle shaped like a flower that he took out from inside.
“Hmm, do kids these days not use things like this?”
As he was holding it out to me, the white tiger who had been slowly tilting his head soon clenched his hand tightly and changed the shape of the candle.
What had been in his hand instantly became a small flower-shaped light.
“Turn this on when you’re scared of being alone.”
The white tiger who handed me the light and took a sip of yujacha looked at the cup quietly.
“Y-yes… thank you. But… um…”
“Mm?”
“Are you perhaps sick somewhere?”
“…Hmm?”
Uh, I heard that with a cat’s tongue you can’t eat hot things well, so I made it a little less hot… is it not hot enough?
“I cooled it down a bit for you. Should I make it hotter?”
“No. It’s just right. You’re a very kind child.”
My face flushed red. Really… these beings say things like this so casually.
“And to answer your other question…”
Other question? Ah. He’s talking about the question about being sick.
When I blinked and raised my head, the white tiger drank the yujacha with calm eyes.
“As my season is disappearing, I suppose I am growing weak as well.”
It was a feeling similar to Bihyeon-nim. It was truly incomprehensible words, but I don’t know why his indifferent voice sounded so sad. I sniffled, then immediately rummaged through my shopping bag and handed him another of the same cookies.
“This is a gift from me to Tiger-nim.”
“A gift… I’ll gratefully accept it.”
The white tiger received the cookie, unwrapped it on the spot, and threw it all into his mouth in one bite.
Should I increase the basic size after all…
“Delicious.”
“If you visit again next time, I’ll make you something even more delicious.”
Though I couldn’t tell clearly since he was in tiger form, he seemed to smile faintly.
It was such a fragile energy, as if he would disappear at any moment. A feeling that was fragile yet strong. Bihyeon, who had been silently watching us, reached out and patted the white tiger’s back.
“How long are you going to stay in a store without an owner? Let’s move.”
“Let’s do that.”
“Since you’re here, eat before you go. I’ll have to ask them to prepare something even more grand today.”
The white tiger nodded, finished drinking the yujacha, stood on all fours, and crossed through the door first. Bihyeon, who had cleared the way, nodded at me as if telling me to hurry and come.
I approached slightly and spoke quietly into his ear.
“Is it really okay for me to go too? He’s your guest, Bihyeon-nim.”
“And you’re also my guest. Since we had a prior arrangement.”
“That’s true but… the person who came from far away comes first.”
“Just hurry and come. Anyway, it’ll be my house whenever you open the door.”
Door-door… you’re really going to get scolded by Bihyeon-nim someday.
Looking at me pressing my eyes, he laughed lowly.
“Did you get everything you need?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Yes…”
When I looked at him with a strange expression, Bihyeon shrugged and raised the corners of his mouth into a grin.
