“It would be better not to easily show that kind of talisman.”
“What?”
“You received it from Lady, right? It’s not as much as what the Mountain God gave, but it’s that precious.”
Lady would mean… the person who just gave me the talisman and left, right?
Why on earth do all the beings in this world give me precious things without hesitation? How can they do that? I opened my eyes wide and gripped the talisman in my pocket tightly.
Phew, when I exhaled long breaths while looking at my fingertips with shaking eyes, Bihyeon shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
“It would be good to be careful of humans. For humans well-versed in that area, it’s an item that would make their eyes roll.”
He was speaking while smiling, but I felt a cold atmosphere.
His eyes were peaceful, but somehow I could see him hating and being angry at humans. I blinked, then eventually took out the talisman. Because I was worried about what if I drop it while it’s in my pocket.
I should return this. I don’t think I can handle it.
“He said it’s a talisman that lets you meet a god. By god… you mean someone like the Mountain God, right?”
“It’s talking about an even higher god. If one of those gods feels like it, they’ll come. If there’s absolutely none, it returns as tremendous good luck instead.”
Higher than the Mountain God? …I really should return it.
“You’re thinking you should return it, right?”
“Yes… For me, it’s too… Huh? How did you know?”
“Your eyes looked like that. Just keep it. If you return what you received back to its owner, you might get bad energy.”
Uh, that’s also a bit. As I frowned and gripped the talisman tighter, he tapped the menu board tap tap.
“Iced Americano.”
“Ah, right.”
Before receiving the card, I went into the staff room and brought out the huge walnut pie I’d made for the first time in my life and all the snacks.
Bihyeon who tilted his head and looked at me exclaimed, “Oh.” His eyes said why is there so much, but I ignored it and put the packaged things in a shopping bag.
“This is for Mountain God-nim, and take this and eat it together. And this notebook is for Hyeonwoong-nim…”
I explained one by one while making eye contact.
“And this is for the door…”
It was a very small toy ball. I don’t know why I kept thinking of that transparent child playing in the courtyard. And remembering the Mountain God saying those in the door are baby gods, I stopped by a stationery store and bought it. Just in case, I diligently washed it with water and soap and even wiped it with disinfectant wipes.
“Um… would it be difficult to play with?”
“Give it. They’ll like it if you give it.”
“That’s a relief.”
At his words to give it, I smiled, nodded, and put that in the shopping bag too and held it out. After putting everything in, it was considerably large and heavy.
“I’ll carry it to the front for you.”
I was handing over the shopping bag when I pulled it back to my side and pointed forward.
“I haven’t received my coffee yet though?”
“Ah!”
Right. I keep losing my mind.
I opened my eyes wide and struggled ngh ngh to put the shopping bag aside, when Bihyeon took it. He looked quite light. In that state, he received the card and made the payment. When I made coffee and handed it over, he immediately took a sip.
Perhaps because there were no customers at all, his actions were leisurely. Usually when it looks a bit much, he’d immediately turn and leave.
I leaned on the counter and watched him, then smiled slightly. Really, it’s kindness that doesn’t show.
“Ah. Now that I think about it, they say there’s a festival. Are you doing anything too, Bihyeon-nim?”
“Me?”
Bihyeon who opened his eyes a bit wider then burst into low laughter haha shook his head.
“I’ll just watch.”
“While you’re at it, buy lots of delicious things. That’s how the economy goes around.”
He laughed hahaha again. This time it was truly a pleasantly burst laughter.
My chest tickled for no reason, so I chewed my lips, then got up from my seat and held out my hand.
“Give me the shopping bag. Let me carry it to the front for you.”
Bihyeon shrugged as if to say it’s fine and headed to the door holding the shopping bag. Then as if remembering something, he looked at me.
“Do you have plans after work?”
“An interview in the afternoon…?”
“Then come eat. This is too much compared to what you gave.”
I don’t think it’s a lot though.
I looked at the shopping bag, then soon nodded. The bear’s cooking was too delicious to refuse.
I greeted Bihyeon who left through the door and lowered my hand.
‘But what should I do about this talisman…’
Phew, I let out a small sigh and leaned on the counter looking down at the snacks I’d made. The cheese had hardened because it all cooled down, but I slowly put it in my mouth without reheating it.
Because there were no more customers today especially, time seemed not to flow.
4 o’clock, 5 o’clock…
I deliberately moved my body and found places to clean and organized them.
Doing that, time did pass.
Jingle—
“Welcome.”
I was wiping the coffee machine when the bell rang, so I turned around.
I lowered my gaze for a while and made eye contact with a very short child. Pale skin and a thin build. I strangely felt like I’d seen them somewhere. Especially those eyes…
I left the counter and knelt on one knee to meet the child’s gaze.
“Did you come to drink something?”
When I smiled and spoke gently so as not to be scary, the child smiled following me.
Seeing them up close, they gave off an even more familiar atmosphere. Though I’m definitely seeing them for the first time, it’s as if I’ve met them before…
The child who lowered their head and made eye contact with me raised their hand and stroked my cheek. It was a very small hand. And it was so warm. The child lowered their gaze to look at my pocket. Since it was where the talisman was, I felt puzzled and put my hand in my pocket to take out that talisman.
Thud. The child who grabbed the talisman that came out of the pocket with their hand smiled and whispered very softly.
“That child told you not to take it out carelessly.”
Huh?
At that moment, I opened my eyes wide. In front of my eyes, the boss who was crouched down was shaking my body with serious eyes.
“Hansol, what should we do, should we go to a human hospital? Should I call 119?”
“…Boss?”
I frowned and raised my body. When I blankly looked around, I had collapsed on the counter floor.
My mind was dazed. When I raised my hand and pressed my eyes, the boss supported my body and lifted me up.
“Wait. I’ll call 119…!”
“No, no. I’m okay.”
If 119 comes to a place like this, wouldn’t it be like advertising to humans that there’s another world? I was grateful to the boss who would go this far for me, so I chewed my lips, then soon grabbed his hand and shook my head.
“I’m really okay. Don’t do this because of me, Boss.”
“Ha…”
The boss who seemed really startled let out a deep sigh and sat me on a chair next to him. His touch examining me restlessly was so careful and affectionate.
“Is the night shift too hard after all? Huh? Should I reduce the hours a bit…”
Actually, I didn’t even remember when I collapsed. Was meeting that child a dream?
Huh? As I was getting up, I felt something foreign in my pocket. I fumbled with my hand and grabbed what was inside. The talisman was gone and I grabbed something strange.
“I’ll try leaving work for now.”
“Will you be okay? Go see a doctor. Okay?”
“I’ll be fine if I rest. Thank you for worrying.”
After tightly holding the boss’s hand full of worry, I entered the staff room. I took out what was in my pocket. A very small pocket watch engraved with a mysterious eye pattern came attached to my hand.
Huh? This eye… resembles the eyes of the child I saw just now.
A golden old watch. And a string that seems like it will break soon…
‘What is this?’
I patted my body and felt my pockets. As expected, the talisman had disappeared.
‘Did that child take it?’
No, let’s not be suspicious. The voice was too warm and affectionate to say they were a culprit who stole something.
Haa, I exhaled, took off my apron, and packed my bag.
“Boss, by any chance this…”
I went outside the staff room and showed the pocket watch to the boss. He who tilted his head and looked at my hand stared at me again.
“What do you mean? Is there something on your palm?”
“Huh?”
“Do you want me to read your palm? I don’t know how.”
“Uh, no, this watch.”
“Watch?”
I grabbed the string and shook it to show, but the boss shook his head. It seemed he couldn’t see it.
I blinked and gripped the watch tightly.
Jingle—
I frowned and smacked my lips when I made eye contact with Bihyeon who opened the door and came in.
“Bihyeon-nim! W-welcome!”
“Ah, I came to pick this one up.”
Bihyeon laughed haha and pointed at me with his palm.
“What a relief! Go quickly. If you’re next to Bihyeon-nim, your body will recover faster too.”
“Hm? Are you sick somewhere?”
At the boss’s words, Bihyeon came closer and narrowed his eyes.
“Yes, when I came, he was collapsed here.”
At the words that I collapsed, Bihyeon erased his smile a bit and looked at me.
What, because he’s like that, it’s like he’s worrying about me.
I smiled awkwardly and shook my head. Because I’m really not sick or anything… When I spoke quietly, he moved his gaze to my hand. It was the hand gripping the watch tightly.
“That is?”
“Ah, this.”
“Let’s go first. Tell me when we get there.”
When I tried to open my mouth, Bihyeon glanced at the boss and shook his head.
“Yes… I’ll be going, Boss.”
“Okay, rest well and come back. No wait. Just rest and don’t come to work later.”
I waved my hands in refusal, bowed politely, then looked forward again. Bihyeon who was looking at my hand grabbed my arm just like that. The door opened creeak, and his palace could be seen beyond.
I crossed through the door and stepped into the palace. The fox who was sweeping the courtyard with a broom smiled and approached us.
Thud!
The door closed, so I turned around.
“Oh!”
In the middle of the haetae pictures, the ball I gave was drawn as a picture.
When I smiled and approached closer, the tails of the two swayed.
“Do you like it? I hope you do.”
A warm wind blew. Petals near the door swayed and fell.
“Wow…”
The scenery was so beautiful that I held my palm toward the petals. A petal landed on the watch I’d been gripping until now. Ah, right. This. I turned my head and made eye contact with Bihyeon. He who had strange eyes slowly opened his mouth.
“Never separate that from your body.”
“What is this?”
“I don’t know well. When it’s a case I don’t know, a god higher than me…”
He who shut his mouth tight for a moment muttered “That can’t be” and frowned unlike himself.
