Lee Jonghak, who had hurriedly returned home holding Yugeon in his arms, collapsed to his knees as soon as he stepped onto the yard as if his strength had run out. Village people were still gathered in the yard. When people confirmed Yugeon in Lee Jonghak’s arms, they all turned their gazes away with anguished faces.
“Mother, Mother!”
Lee Jonghak called out for Lee Gwimyeong with a voice that seemed about to break. At her son’s pitiful and desperate call, Lee Gwimyeong, who rushed out in one breath through the crowd, covered her mouth at the sight of her grandson’s corpse in her son’s arms.
That tiny little thing…
Lee Gwimyeong, who had been heartbroken over the pain and terror the child must have experienced, turned to look at Lee Sanghoe fiercely. At her demon-like gaze, Lee Sanghoe quickly lowered his head. His body was trembling noticeably.
Committing an act he couldn’t handle, and instead of managing it, just sitting down and trembling.
“How dare you…”
Unable to control her anger, she was about to rebuke Lee Sanghoe while gritting her teeth, when Lee Jonghak’s voice rose high with joy.
“Mother, Yugeon, our Yugeon is alive!”
Everyone’s movements, including Lee Gwimyeong’s, stopped with a thud. As if they had promised, they looked at Yugeon in Lee Jonghak’s arms. Persistent gazes clung to the child as if to strangle him. But no one approached Yugeon. Not even Lee Gwimyeong. When everyone was just watching without readily approaching, Lee Seonghak came running out and checked Yugeon’s condition.
Then, with an unbelieving face, he turned around sobbing and shouted to his mother.
“M-Mother, it’s true… Yugeon is really alive, Mother!”
Lee Gwimyeong, who staggered greatly at the unbelievable news, slowly approached and cupped Yugeon’s cheeks. They were warm. He was breathing, and his heart was beating.
“Baby, baby? Our puppy, our Yugeon…”
At the miraculous return of her grandson, Lee Gwimyeong couldn’t hold it in and shed tears.
“That can’t be…”
Then, a faint murmur was heard. Everyone turned their heads toward the source of the sound. It was Lee Sanghoe. Lee Sanghoe was looking at Lee Yugeon in Lee Jonghak’s arms with blank eyes.
Lee Jonghak, Lee Gwimyeong, and Lee Seonghak glared at Lee Sanghoe fiercely. Regardless of the eyes full of hostility, Lee Sanghoe, who had been looking at Yugeon, soon threw down Lee Jaeyeong, whom he had been holding, as if discarding him, and crawled toward Yugeon.
“That can’t be!”
When Lee Sanghoe reached out his hand toward Yugeon, Lee Seonghak hurriedly rose and blocked Lee Sanghoe with his whole body. Lee Seonghak’s body swayed greatly backward, showing how strong Lee Sanghoe was. Lee Seonghak barely regained his balance and pushed Lee Sanghoe away.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
“Why, why didn’t he die? Why?”
Behind Lee Sanghoe’s back, the discarded Lee Jaeyeong burst into tears, but Lee Sanghoe paid no attention and struggled to get past Lee Seonghak.
“He shouldn’t be alive!”
At Lee Sanghoe’s rampage, the village people’s agitation also rose to the surface one by one.
“How is he really alive?”
“They all died before…”
“Isn’t it because the sacrifice was switched?”
“Ominous…”
“Shouldn’t we kill him?”
“Or we should send him back to Dragon Pond…”
When the murmuring spread, Lee Gwimyeong stood up abruptly and shouted like thunder.
“It is the Imugi-nim’s decision!”
Everyone shut their mouths at once and watched Lee Gwimyeong’s reaction.
“Whether the sacrifice lives or dies is for the Imugi-nim to decide! It’s not for us to debate!”
But their eyes couldn’t easily agree. Lee Gwimyeong made eye contact with them one by one, then pointed at one person with her finger.
“Or will you go directly to the Imugi-nim and ask the reason?”
Lee Eunhan, who was pointed out by Lee Gwimyeong, hurriedly shook his head.
The controversy ended in an instant. Because no one had the courage to go ask the Imugi the reason. Rather, they were busy avoiding being pointed out. Except for one person.
“Why didn’t he die! Why!”
At the sight of Lee Sanghoe still discussing Yugeon’s death, Lee Jonghak bit his lower lip firmly and said to Lee Gwimyeong.
“We have to… send Yugeon off the island.”
“What?”
“I don’t know what whim made the Imugi spare Yugeon, but staying on the island itself will be dangerous for Yugeon. The Imugi might have another whim and try to kill Yugeon again, and we can’t trust people either.”
Lee Jonghak looked straight at Lee Sanghoe. Lee Gwimyeong seemed flustered by her son’s opinion, but slowly nodded while looking at her son’s gaze toward Lee Sanghoe. She had no choice but to nod.
Getting the village people’s consent wasn’t difficult. Who wouldn’t agree with both hands raised to sending an unpredictable variable off the island? The only one who opposed was Lee Sanghoe. He shouted until the end that Yugeon should be killed. Leaving Lee Sanghoe, who was causing a commotion, behind, Lee Gwimyeong asked.
“When are you thinking of sending him off?”
Lee Jonghak looked up at the sky once, then answered.
“Now.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now. We have to set sail while the weather is clear. We don’t know if a thunderstorm might strike tomorrow.”
Lee Gwimyeong looked at her grandson in her son’s arms with confused eyes, then closed and opened both eyes tightly.
“I will leave the island with Yugeon.”
“What?”
“Did you plan to send that little thing alone?”
“But…”
“Or are you planning to go with him? When you’re the head of the family?”
“Seonghak…”
“How could that fellow take care of a child? Go home and pack your things, and in the meantime, pack Yugeon’s things too.”
“Mother…”
Lee Jonghak called out to Lee Gwimyeong with guilt and gratitude. Lee Gwimyeong nodded and hurriedly went down from the yard.
When she arrived home, Lee Gwimyeong opened the chest and began to pack her things by taking out what was inside. Then she found a small picture frame that had been placed deep inside the chest and stopped her hands. As Lee Gwimyeong looked at the frame, longing immediately filled her eyes.
Lee Gwimyeong took out the frame and stroked the faded surface with her hand.
In the photo inside the frame were her deceased husband, herself, two sons, and one woman.
The five people smiling happily in the photo looked exactly like each other as if to prove they were family.
As she was about to leave the house with her luggage packed, Lee Seonghak came to visit. And he led Lee Gwimyeong to the dock. When they arrived at the dock, the village people and Lee Jonghak were waiting for her. Lee Jonghak was standing holding the sleeping Yugeon in his arms and holding Lee Migeon’s hand.
Lee Gwimyeong lifted Lee Migeon up, held him in her arms, and kissed his head and cheeks. Then she handed Lee Migeon over to Lee Seonghak and received Yugeon from Lee Jonghak’s arms.
“Seokyeong-hyung and Hangil will take Mother and Yugeon to the mainland.”
At Lee Jonghak’s words, Lee Gwimyeong looked at Lee Seokyeong and Lee Hangil. And she bowed lightly. At Lee Gwimyeong’s action, the two lowered their heads like criminals.
Lee Jonghak decided to bury the actions of the two who didn’t stop Lee Sanghoe and half watched. If he told the village people, the two would also be in trouble. Lee Jonghak made one proposal in exchange for burying the two’s wrongdoing. To find a place for Lee Yugeon to stay on the mainland, and to periodically check on him in his place.
The two had no choice but to accept Lee Jonghak’s proposal.
Lee Hangil and Lee Seokyeong moved Lee Gwimyeong and Lee Yugeon’s luggage onto the fishing boat and helped Lee Gwimyeong board. Everyone at the dock silently watched Lee Gwimyeong board the fishing boat holding Yugeon. Among them was Lee Migeon in Lee Seonghak’s arms.
“Uncle, where’s hyung going?”
When Lee Migeon asked, Lee Seonghak stroked Lee Migeon’s head.
“Hyung is very sick, so he has to go to the hospital.”
“Really? Is hyung very sick?”
“Yes, sick enough to have to go to the hospital.”
“Then when will he come back?”
“Um… When he’s all better.”
“Can’t I go too? I want to be with hyung…”
“Um, Migeon, let’s pray here for hyung to get better quickly.”
“If Migeon prays, will hyung get better quickly?”
“Of course.”
“Then I’ll pray here.”
“Oh my, oh my, such a good boy.”
Lee Seonghak deliberately hugged Lee Migeon with exaggerated gestures, kissed him, and turned around. In the meantime, the boat was leaving the dock.
After Lee Yugeon left Imokdo, the village people feared and worried for a while that something unusual would happen on the island, but contrary to their worries, nothing happened. Everyone sighed in relief and patted their chests, but the change began to happen from the following year.
The island’s land and water began to rot.
* * *
When Lee Migeon’s story ended, Yugeon frowned as if he couldn’t understand.
“What’s that? There’s nothing that’s Lee Jaeyeong’s fault, is there?”
“……”
“Then why do they all… Shouldn’t they blame Lee Sanghoe ahjussi or me instead? Because Lee Sanghoe ahjussi forcibly sent me instead, and also because I came back alive…”
“The islanders can’t treat you carelessly, hyung. They can’t be angry at you, and they can’t blame you either.”
“Why?”
“Because they don’t know what reaction the Imugi might show if they touch you wrongly. There’s nothing they can do except be afraid.”
“……”
“But Lee Jaeyeong is, Lee Sanghoe is different. No matter how much they blame them, they won’t be harmed. So it was natural for the village people’s anger to be directed at those two. Seven years ago, not receiving a sacrifice aside, the land and water rotting is a serious problem.”
“Then, is your hatred for those two also because the land and water are rotting?”
Lee Migeon looked at Yugeon and shook his head briefly.
“I… thought you’d come back soon, hyung.”
“Huh?”
“But we had to be apart for 17 years.”
