“I told you not to go out, didn’t I?”
“A-Aunt…”
“Yes… So this is the deity you’ve been serving?”
“Aunt!”
Aunt who gripped my hair tightly giggled and struck down the stone tower, collapsing it. When I struggled in surprise, she laughed loudly and began spinning around and around. My head hurt so much. I struggled greatly and barely escaped from her hands and ran with all my might. Even though there were many things obstructing my steps because it was a mountain, strangely I didn’t trip even once. Squirrels came down from the trees and interfered with her chasing me. Looking at the distinctive dot pattern on their heads, they seemed to be the children who often stole the potatoes I placed at the stone tower.
“Squirrels…!”
Aunt who struck away the squirrels stuck to her face looked at me with murderous eyes and ran. I turned around and ran again.
‘Mom, Dad…’
Sobbing, I called the ones who came to mind first.
“Bihyeon-nim…!”
When I lowered my head and called that name, my body that had been running forward was suddenly embraced warmly. My eyes shot open. Miraculously, Bihyeon appeared in front of me. My lips twitched and I shed tears as I pushed him away. I did call him, but I didn’t call him because I wanted to involve him in such a dangerous situation, because I wanted him to appear right away.
“Bihyeon-nim, it’s dangerous here! Aunt is…!”
He instantly created a door and crossed through it. After crossing over to the palace, I stood blankly, and perhaps because the tension released, my whole body hurt.
“N-no. Aunt will surely say something to my mom and dad.”
“I’ll have you send a letter through the Haechis.”
“Yes…”
“If possible, I’ll have them come here, so don’t worry.”
I nodded. Certainly if it’s here, I’ll be relieved. He who asked the fox to bring writing materials slowly wrote down a letter. Dad would surely be able to read at least a little. The problem was that for Dad to come after finishing field work, it would be around sunset…
“Yes… It might be better to just live here. Rather than living unhappily in such a place.”
“I wasn’t unhappy.”
I lightly grasped the clothes of Bihyeon who spoke with a hardened expression.
“I wasn’t only unhappy until now.”
“…I had no intention of denying you who have grown up until now. I said that because I was angry.”
“Yes, you did that because you like me that much. It’s okay.”
Sometimes when I got hurt or sick, it was the exact same expression Dad made. I laughed hehe and stroked Bihyeon’s cheek. And next, I stroked his head.
“Ah! What about the squirrels? They must have gotten hurt.”
“It’s okay. They’re not ordinary squirrels.”
“…R-really?”
“They’re the Mountain God. Now that they’ve lost that form, they’ll appear in a different form. He seemed to like the branch you gave your father…”
Mountain God…? I blinked my eyes and nodded for now.
“Please definitely tell him thank you later.”
“I understand, so just sleep for today. I’ll wake you when your parents come.”
“Yes…”
Can I sleep at ease? But at his words I felt relieved and as the tension released, my eyes closed. Bihyeon who held me up went into his room and laid out a blanket. It was truly a room with nothing in it.
“Aren’t you lonely with nothing like this?”
“I don’t sleep, so it’s okay.”
“You don’t sleep?”
“Right. Normally I don’t need to sleep.”
“You must be lonely…”
Not needing to sleep normally must mean he only sleeps when there’s another reason, right? When I said quietly, his eyes widened as if hearing it for the first time. Hmm, after worrying, I reached out toward the brush he was still holding.
“Night is too long. I’ll make you a friend.”
“A friend?”
“Yes.”
With sparkling eyes, I received the brush and approached the wallpaper.
“Can I draw a friend here?”
“Do as you like.”
I smiled broadly and drew three small human-shaped figures with the brush. But since humans have to sleep at night… To emphasize they weren’t human, I added wings to their backs. I thought of fairy ladies and drew them, but it became a completely different feeling. Still, I hope this makes Bihyeon-nim not lonely. He’ll be able to spend the night with them.
“They’re friends who will protect Bihyeon-nim. Reliable, right?”
“Mm, is this an eye?”
“That’s a nose.”
“What’s on the back?”
“Wings.”
“Then are they spirits?”
“Spirits?”
“You’re saying they’ll protect me.”
“Then they must be spirits!”
I thought of fairy ladies, but no matter how I looked, they didn’t look like fairy ladies. So when I clapped and smiled brightly, he chuckled and smiled along with me.
“Now that you made my friends too, go to sleep.”
“Yes.”
I lay down on the blanket he laid out. Then he pulled the blanket up to my neck to cover me. Was it really because the tension released? I became sleepy. Strangely, after Aunt put on the bracelet, I couldn’t sleep properly at night, but now my eyes were so heavy.
“I’ll sleep now. Please definitely wake me…”
“Okay.”
My eyes closed smoothly. With a bit of comfort and anxiety.
* * *
“Ah…”
Something felt strange, so my eyes shot open. Feeling like I had slept for too long, when I jumped up, it was dusky outside because the sun had set. After looking around the room lit with candles, I opened the door and came out. None of the people who should be in the yard were visible.
‘It’s strange, something…’
It was excessively cold. As if no one had been here for a long time. My heart beat strangely. After looking around, there was nothing more to think about. I ran toward the door. What could I do by going? But if my precious people can never come because of me? Then there’s no reason for me to be alone either.
Even now if I go and kneel before Aunt and beg that I was wrong, maybe her heart would soften a little. I ran with all my might through the open door. Beyond the door, I could see the collapsed stone tower. Strangely, when I thought the view was bright, the village was bright as if burning.
‘No…’
I trembled and ran down the mountain. I fell several times, my knees scraped and my foot twisted, but I had no mind to feel pain. I ran all the way down the mountain and entered the village. The villagers looked at one place with cold gazes. There, our mom and dad were collapsed covered in wounds.
“Mom! Dad…!”
“They served an evil spirit. An evil spirit…!”
“And dared to hide a deity?”
The villagers murmured. Their eyes looked blank as if possessed by something. I hugged the legs of the grandfather from the house across who was holding a stone.
“Why are you doing this…!”
“Let go! You people served an evil spirit and hid the deity!”
“What are you saying? Mom serving an evil spirit…?”
“Your mother? No!”
The grandfather who pointed at Mom while gesturing looked at me with cold eyes, then struck me away hard as if chasing something. Even while hitting the ground and bruising my buttocks, I crawled and blocked Dad who was holding Mom.
“Why is everyone doing this?”
“Baby…”
The villagers’ eyes turned toward me. All their eyes were the same. As if I had done something terrible. And murky and blank as if possessed by something.
“Run away…”
“Lock those things up!”
At the words to run away, the villagers’ eyes flashed, then they separated me from Mom and Dad and dragged me somewhere. Dad desperately reached out his hand toward me. Dad’s mouth had cloth stuffed in it, so I couldn’t hear what he was saying. After making eye contact with bloodshot eyes, I too was led by the villagers’ hands and dragged somewhere. It was an abandoned shrine in a corner of the village where no light came in.
“Uh…”
“Did that person say to tear this?”
“Yes! Tear the flesh and offer it with blood.”
Among the adults raising their voices with veins bulging, only one person had calm eyes. He was the twins’ father.
“…I don’t remember well. Let’s ask that person again tomorrow.”
And the twins’ father hurriedly left taking them. While telling me several times with mouth movements. I’ll come get you out. He was certainly saying that.
I frowned and looked around. Not accustomed to the darkness, I couldn’t see anything, but it seemed I was locked up with something huge. Because there had been small rustling sounds from earlier. It was somewhat familiar, but the blood smell was so strong I couldn’t tell exactly.
And when my eyes became accustomed to the darkness, I saw Bihyeon whose body, both hands, mouth and eyes were covered with strange talismans. I opened my eyes wide and approached closer. Near him, I stepped on something sticky. It wasn’t difficult to tell it was blood.
“Bihyeon-nim…!”
Sobbing, I gripped him tightly, bound by ominous talismans. As soon as I touched the talisman, I felt pain in my hand. Not caring, I dug in my nails to remove the talisman. Like touching fire, it was so hot and painful that tears came out. He whose mouth was blocked moved his body slightly. Then he shook his head as if saying not to.
Clunk.
At the sound of the door opening, my head shot up. Did the twins’ father come? A bit of moonlight leaked in, so I checked the door gap. Contrary to my expectation, that eerie person looking at me was Aunt. Eyes full of evil that weren’t human…
“Aunt, why on earth…”
“The villagers found out. That there’s an existence in this village serving an evil spirit. So I put that responsibility on you.”
When I thought the blood smell was strong again, under Aunt’s feet the twins’ father was collapsed with blood streaming from his head. Aunt giggled and laughed while holding her breath.
“It was so easy. When I threatened to kill your mother by putting a knife to her neck, the deity couldn’t move at all. So I could catch him. When all the village humans rushed at him, even a deity couldn’t help it.”
A true deity can’t directly harm humans! Aunt laughed heartily and spoke in a mocking tone as if it was really funny.
“Aunt, please. If this continues, we’ll all receive great punishment.”
“That punishment will be received by your mother and father, and you, so don’t worry.”
I turned all the blame on you. Even the deity’s wrath. She who suddenly became expressionless said coldly.
“That’s why, how nice would it be if you had just listened to me.”
It felt like my head was cooling down icily. This was truly the first time I hated a person this much. How can a person be like this? How can they be this cruel and terrible?
– Whine…
Thinking up to there, my head shot up at the whining sound. The Haechis who staggered toward me from beside Bihyeon had their fur dyed red. With trembling hands, I hugged the Haechis tightly in my arms. The bodies of these ones who were always warm were cooling down coldly. The children who whined with difficulty seemed to be saying they were sorry for trying to protect Bihyeon-nim until the end. I see. You became like this to protect Bihyeon-nim. What on earth was I doing? Why did I sleep so comfortably then… Why of all times.
“When the sun rises, you will be stoned by the villagers. So stay there and say your last goodbye to the deity.”
Bang.
The door closed like that. Why did it become like this? Our family who never spoke of evil spirits…
‘Ah… It’s because of me.’
The false accusation of serving an evil spirit that Aunt mentioned was placed on me.
