When I turned around, Bihyeon was approaching me with a faint smile.
“Bihyeon-nim!”
I spread both arms and ran to hug him. Bihyeon who bent down and hugged me back lifted me up.
“Your body is hot.”
“I brought a gift!”
“A gift?”
“Yes, ta-da.”
I took out a wrapping cloth from my bosom, this time to give to Bihyeon. He took the wrapping cloth and gestured. Thud! When a large door appeared, he crossed through the door without hesitation. Perhaps now a bit accustomed, the fox and tiger who were cleaning the yard made eye contact with me and bowed in greeting.
“Hello!”
He who sat me on the wooden floor unwrapped the cloth. Inside were potatoes and fruits that Mom and I had filled in the bowl he had given. Rabbits, flowers, squirrels, and so on. I couldn’t follow Mom’s handiwork, but I also worked hard to make animals. When I smiled proudly and looked with expectant eyes, he chuckled.
“I made them for several hours. How is it? Pretty, right?”
“It’s the most sincere gift I’ve received.”
“My mom’s skills are really amazing though.”
“You did well too.”
Saying that, Bihyeon picked up the rabbit apple I made. I followed what Mom did, but it was still clumsy work. Even to my eyes it looked ugly, so I smiled slightly, but I puffed out my chest confidently and said.
“Of course. But when making that, I didn’t get hurt even once.”
“You got hurt?”
“A little bit at first.”
When I smiled brightly and hid my hand slightly behind me, Bihyeon grabbed my arm and examined my hand. I had roughly applied medicinal herbs, but there were many small wounds. Still, it wasn’t to the point of death, but his expression was serious.
“Call Malgeum.”
“What? Yes…”
The fox glanced around nervously and headed outside the door. Whine. When there was a sound, two puppies were crying at my feet, having arrived sometime. So I immediately remembered. That friends would come. I blinked my eyes and reached out to hold the puppies in my arms. They looked a bit different from the puppies I had seen, but they were still cute nonetheless.
“Puppies!”
“They’re called Haechis. Also called Haetae.”
“Haechis?”
“They’re children who ward off calamities.”
“I see. You’re amazing.”
When I smiled brightly and hugged them both tightly, the two Haechis nestled into my arms. Even wagging their tails as if glad. After holding them for a while, I put them down on the ground and walked around the yard, watching Bihyeon’s reactions. Then the three of us ran together and played catching each other. While playing like that for quite a long time, I realized a strange animal was entering through the door. I hurriedly held the Haechis and ran to Bihyeon. Unlike the gentle face, it was a sheep striding in.
“Bihyeon-nim…”
“What is this cute human child!”
The sheep who approached in front of me with a scary momentum breathed roughly as if excited and put her face close to mine. Ahhh. I closed my eyes tightly in fear, then blinked at the reaction that seemed to find me cuter than expected. Wow, thank goodness. She doesn’t seem to be a bad sheep. I felt sorry for being scared when she was a good animal, so I smiled and bowed my head. It was an action to greet, but I was held in her arms. Fluffy and slightly rough wool touched my skin. I laughed cheerfully and hugged the sheep back.
“Eat and go.”
“Yes!”
Mom said to come back before the sun sets today, so it should be okay. Besides, the days are longer now, so I can stay a bit more today. So until mealtime, I played in the yard with the Haechis again. The sheep told me to run moderately so I wouldn’t fall, but it had been so long since I played running like this that I couldn’t do it moderately.
It was when I was about to fall after tripping on a stone while running hard. The moment I closed my eyes tightly saying “Whoa,” I touched soft fur. I opened one eye at the soft texture. The Haechis who were certainly smaller than me were now several times the size of my body. One of the Haechis who caught my body with a dignified appearance checked if I was okay, then returned to a small form again.
Whine.
Then it watched me nervously. As if I would be scared seeing their enlarged form. I smiled brightly and hugged the Haechis tightly.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I didn’t fall! You’re really amazing.”
As I hugged those burrowing into my arms, I felt a gaze and turned around. Bihyeon was looking at me with kind eyes. So I raised my arm high and waved my hand.
“I should ask for a hearty meal today.”
Since you ran, you must be very hungry. Bihyeon who muttered got up and headed toward the bear. Meanwhile, I ran around the yard with the Haechis.
* * *
One day, two days, three days. A week and a month. And half a year. While the seasons changed twice, I steadily climbed the mountain, and after stopping by the stone tower with Bihyeon to pray to the deity, I explored the mountain or came and went to Bihyeon’s palace-like house. They were days that couldn’t be happier. The village had a good harvest and people were regaining their smiles. Except for just one person.
“Where did you go yesterday?”
The rain was coming on time and there was nothing wrong, but recently Aunt started coming all the way to the house and asking persistently. For a while, Mom roughly evaded, but now Aunt ignored Mom’s words and glared at me threateningly while asking.
“Not just yesterday. What on earth have you been doing?”
Her voice gradually got louder. Aunt who roughly grabbed my arm had scary eyes. Mom stopped her, but instead Aunt struck away Mom’s hand and yelled.
“Sister, why on earth…”
“It can’t be you who didn’t receive a deity! This is the only thing left!”
This. Until now, Aunt was someone who tried to speak prettily somehow, saying I was learning. I trembled and clung to Mom. Nevertheless, Aunt kept holding my arm painfully.
“Who did you meet, I’m asking where you went!”
“Aunt, it hurts! Why are you doing this!”
“Stop it! Coming to someone else’s house and this is…”
“Someone else’s house? Did you just say someone else’s house?”
The eyes that had been glaring at me terrifyingly now turned toward Mom. I sobbed and eventually tears flowed out. I had thought before that she seemed to be getting scary, but this was the first time Aunt acted this frightening. Unable to say stop, I cried hiccupping, and Mom glared at Aunt while hugging me tightly. The eyes that glared at us while grinding her teeth gradually filled with venom. Is this really the aunt I knew? Now that I looked, her eyes didn’t seem like those of a living person.
“Mom…”
“You… met a deity, didn’t you?”
When I gripped Mom’s clothes tightly, Aunt said sharply.
“Yes, I thought something was strange. Why my energy was blocked… I thought it was strange…”
“Get out.”
Suddenly Aunt bent over and laughed madly. Mom who was hugging me tightly gritted her teeth and pushed Aunt out of the house.
“Yes, that’s what it was…”
“Get out of our house right now!”
Aunt who surprisingly left the house obediently stared at me until the end. Her lips were torn to an abnormal degree as she smiled. Those eyes and that smile gave me chills, making me forget I was crying and start hiccupping. It was scary on a different dimension from what I felt just moments ago. What is this? It really didn’t seem like Aunt. And at the same time, I had a bad premonition. A premonition that I would never be able to see the aunt I knew again. And that kind of premonition that it would be dangerous if things continued like this…
Bang!
“Mom…”
After the door closed, I called Mom after a long while. Mom sat down, covered her face, and shed tears.
“In the end.”
“Mom, something’s strange. Aunt is…”
“Baby… What should I do. I clearly told her not to do it so many times…!”
“Not to do what? Mom, what did Aunt do?”
“She abandoned the deity. Sister abandoned the deity…”
Thud. Strangely, I felt like my heart was sinking. All the strange scenes of Aunt until now flashed through my mind.
“Then what Aunt is serving now is…”
Mom looked at me while shedding tears. She didn’t say it, but I could tell it wasn’t a good deity. And I don’t know why I suddenly thought of the children who disappeared and died. So I couldn’t bring myself to ask about the children. It seemed more accurate to say I didn’t even want to bring it up.
“Baby… It would be good not to climb the mountain for a while.”
Mom’s eyes saying that looked so sorry. They were eyes filled with regret and apology. So I hugged Mom tightly and shook my head.
“It’s okay. I’m okay, Mom…”
Because if I just endure a little more, I’ll surely be able to go meet Bihyeon-nim again. Because I’ll be able to return to that kind place… But this time, I felt like it would take a bit more time. That’s why I was sadder. The kind family members of the palace. And Bihyeon-nim’s friends who sometimes visited and stayed for just a brief moment… Above all, Bihyeon-nim who could now smile sincerely. That face that smiled prettily with even his eyes crinkling kept coming to mind, and tears kept flowing.
* * *
Another season passed and the cold season came. After that day, for two months, Aunt came once a day to check if I was home and left. She didn’t say anything. She just drew that chilling smile I saw before at the corners of her mouth. One day, she put a strange bracelet on my arm, looked at me for a long time, then left suddenly. Even when praying in the village, when I came out to see, she opened her eyes wide and turned toward me. So I stopped calling Aunt “Aunt” anymore. Because I felt a heterogeneous feeling as if looking at a stranger.
Thanks to that, I couldn’t go outside for one day, two days, and until now when a season had passed, and was stuck inside the whole time. Even when I tried to follow Dad to the field because I was so bored, I felt like I shouldn’t. That kind of ominous premonition that something bad would happen to Dad if I went.
“Hah…”
I sat down with a thud in the narrow yard and looked at the sky. The weather is clear but I can’t climb the mountain… Sigh. I sighed and played by drawing on the ground with a tree branch.
– Whine…
Whine? I looked around thinking the stray dog that the village takes care of had come. I could see white tail fur sticking out from the tree outside the house. I blinked my eyes and approached there. The tail disappeared and soon two Haechis poked out their heads and looked at me. They were ones with white fur that seemed as cozy as clouds. The Haechis who moved their pink noses whined and approached me. Their eyes looked like they were about to cry.
