“Oh my.”
I smiled silently and carefully stroked the fur, swoosh, swoosh. The tiger’s tail swayed slowly. The fox who came out from the dining room approached with warm tea and rice crackers, and seeing us, laughed softly. The fox who brought it to the pavilion said she needed to bring one more cup and went back into the dining room.
The tiger moved the blanket that had slipped down a bit with its front paw and covered my shoulder well. When I poured tea and offered it to the tiger first, he shook his head and refused.
“You drink. Your body has gotten cold.”
I obediently followed the tiger’s words. I poured tea and drank it slowly while offering rice crackers. He didn’t refuse the rice crackers and ate them in one bite.
“Oh right, I have something I’m curious about.”
“Yes. What is it?”
“What are all those jars in your house? I felt bad but also a bit sad. I still don’t know what they are.”
“…What?”
“I followed to see where that human was hiding. But there were really a lot of jars.”
I frowned at the slow voice and moved my lips.
“There were that many? Not just three… or so?”
Certainly until I came out, there weren’t enough to say there were that many. If my memory is correct, there was only the large jar that confined me and two other jars. Ah. Suddenly I remembered what Bihyeon had said before.
‘Usually, for a human who serves an evil god and that god to become stronger, they have to commit murder.’
He definitely said it couldn’t just be any murder. Those words that they had to confine clean and pure souls and then kill them with cruel methods, and even that they had to repeat it. Seeing my eyes become serious, the tiger raised his head. His slightly frowning face looked like he was wondering if he had said something wrong.
“Hansol. Did I say something wrong?”
“No… no. I think I know what that is.”
I slowly raised my head. There isn’t much time left now. I clenched and unclenched my fist repeatedly and bit my lip firmly. Should I have asked Bihyeon-nim for the baseball bat at home too?
“Yeonho-nim.”
“Mm…?”
“Is there something here that could break those jars? Like a club, or something to burn them with….”
“You’re going to break them?”
“Yes. I have to break them.”
So you’re telling me to save the children trapped there instead of killing Aunt and killing myself. I made eye contact with the tiger and frowned.
“Is it something Bihyeon-nim can’t do? Do you absolutely have to do it?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm….”
“A club? Hansol, do you need a club?”
Behind the slightly hesitating tiger, the bear’s voice was heard. The bear who came out with food along with the fox came to the pavilion and sat down with a thump. Subtly pressing his body right next to mine. Thanks to that, I felt hot warmth. The fox also came behind me, leaned against my back, and wrapped my stomach with her tail. This really made me think of that time. I wanted to smile but couldn’t bring myself to. The bear who glanced at me crossed his legs and scrunched up his face.
“You’re trying to do something dangerous again, aren’t you? I absolutely won’t give it!”
“It’s to save children.”
“…Children?”
“Yes. In the jars Aunt has, young children… young souls will be trapped.”
“What the fuck!”
The fox and tiger quickly covered the mouth of the bear who yelled and was about to curse. The tiger who caught the bear making “Mmph, mmph!” sounds while struggling looked at me while swaying his tail.
“Right… but if there are that many, we can’t break them with something imbued with our power. And your body won’t be able to handle breaking them.”
I was extremely angry, but my mind became calm instead. What do I do after killing Aunt? And what should I do if I don’t die after that? My head and heart, which had been floating and unclear as if lost the whole time, seemed to be organized quickly and clearly.
“It would be faster to burn them all… but that won’t work unless it’s hellfire.”
I see…. I lowered my head, then raised it again at a sudden realization. Hellfire? At that moment, I recalled the large candle and matches the Wandering Merchant gave me.
“I have it, hellfire….”
“You have it? Why would you have that…?”
Blinking slowly, the tiger moved his ears. And beside him, the bear also looked at me with shaking eyes as if confused.
“Really…? Why do you have that? Hell is a place that should never be close to humans….”
“Saebyeok-nim. Saebyeok-nim gave it to me.”
“Ah….”
Everyone nodded as if convinced. Yet with a worried expression, the fox turned around to look at me and said.
“But… then the whole house will burn….”
I lowered my eyes and looked at my toes. I know. That place is where Aunt stayed for a long time. If the Wandering Merchant’s words are correct… Aunt’s evil spread throughout the house and everything will burn up. Still, I thought it would be okay. A place with memories but also wounds. Wouldn’t it be okay to end it all with my own hands and let it go? A bit of silence continued. Suddenly, creak. The sound of a door opening was heard. All the family members at the pavilion looked at the door. I also raised my eyes to check who it was and smiled brightly. My eyes met with Bihyeon who was coming in carrying the bag I always used.
“Mm?”
“Welcome back.”
The tiger and bear held me as I tried to jump up. The Haechis that had been on my lap jumped down to the floor, having woken up at some point, and ran to Bihyeon.
“What if you catch a cold being outside?”
It was a worried voice, but as soon as he opened the door and saw me, perhaps because he was in a good mood, he was smiling gently. Bihyeon quickly approached before I could go to him, held me, and touched my cheek with the back of his hand to check my body.
“Everyone stayed with me so I was warm. Did you have a good trip?”
“Yes, I brought it. I blocked the curse for now, but I didn’t completely purify everything.”
I thought I could solve everything there, but it got stronger. Muttering, Bihyeon wrapped my shoulder.
“Stay seated. I’ll finish quickly.”
“I can watch, right?”
“If you cover yourself with one more blanket.”
“We’ve all been huddled together until now. I’m a bit hot….”
“Then at least keep that on properly.”
I wrapped the blanket on my shoulder around my body and sat at the pavilion.
“But why did you bring that bag?”
“Ah, you use this often, right? It’s the only thing with your energy strong and purified.”
“Yes, I only used that one….”
It was a bag I impulsively bought wanting to give myself a gift after receiving my first paycheck. As I used it, it was comfortable and I had affection for it, so even when I bought other things, I only carried that one. As I stared at the bag, Bihyeon smiled and took out a USB and picture frame from the bag.
“Keep using this. Or just keep it stored.”
It was a strange voice. Mixed with laughter but also seeming to have some deep meaning…. Mmm, I half-closed my eyes and stared at the bag again, then soon nodded in affirmation. Whatever. Even if it’s unsettling, since Bihyeon allowed it, it won’t be bad for me. I like that bag too, so it’s fine. Bihyeon, who bent down and knelt on one knee, put the bag on the floor and placed the picture frame and USB on top of it. He took out the red bead the fish had given him during the day and held it in one hand, then crushed the orb with force, crunch.
Swoooosh—
A hot wind blew. Looking at the air, transparent red petals scattered around him.
“Wow….”
Ominous yet scary but warm energy…. Someone came to mind. The image of her in a red coat with three eyes came to mind, and also something else huge was felt. What is it? An energy that’s unfamiliar yet familiar. I thought hard trying to find the memory while frowning, then discovered the Haechis running around excitedly chasing the petals. Especially Byeol, who had Mom’s soul in her, did that.
“Haru.”
“Yes.”
Bihyeon, who drew his sword and cut his own arm, called the fox in a low voice. The fox got up, went into a room, and came out with a brush. Bihyeon received the brush, dipped it in blood, drew a circle around the bag, and wrote characters below it. But I couldn’t make out what characters they were. Because it was a language I’d never seen before. I huddled my body and watched what he was doing, then fidgeted with my fingers.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?”
The bear who noticed me touched my forehead. But perhaps unable to gauge the temperature, he frowned.
“I feel like it would hurt. How can he cut like that so casually….”
“…Who?”
“Bihyeon-nim.”
“Is that very painful for humans?”
“Of course it hurts. Even just cutting yourself with paper is so stinging and painful.”
“What! No… really. How weak are humans!”
“It’s not like you’d die from that.”
“Don’t tell me humans would die from cutting that much?”
“Mm… if you cut your wrist like that, I think you’d die.”
“…Humans are really weak.”
The bear sighed “Ehyu” and wrapped the blanket even more tightly around my body. The tiger was already pressed against my body again, so now it was really getting hot. Byeol, who was still jumping and playing, turned around and swayed her tail toward me. And she earnestly pointed at the air with her front paw. Kung! Koong! Moving here and there as if trying to tell me something, she looked at the air again and smiled brightly.
“Is there something there by any chance?”
“There isn’t. And now your eyes will be more accurate, so if you don’t see it, it’s not there.”
The tiger answered slowly. My eyes are more accurate? Why would that be…? I was about to ask, but quickly understood thinking of the Cintamani.
Clap.
Bihyeon, who had been concentrating on something with his eyes closed, clapped his hands. At that moment, what he had drawn with blood became droplets of water one by one and gathered in one place. Black energy was instantly sucked into that place and solidified into a black bead . Plop. It split into two and fell from the air.
Bihyeon, who caught the orbs with one hand, stood up from his seat. I put the blanket aside and stood up to approach him. Bihyeon, who lifted the orbs up with a swoosh, placed his hand on my shoulder as if telling me not to come yet. I grabbed Bihyeon’s hand and examined the arm with the wound. Although the wound had disappeared instantly, I checked thoroughly.
