A young boy, who looked like he might have just entered elementary school, lay on his stomach drawing a picture. His small fern-like hands were covered in crayon dust.
All sorts of lines were drawn on the sketchbook in colorful crayons.
Creatures resembling ladybugs flew around above the various swirling patterns. They were shapes only the artist of the picture could recognize.
—You can’t do that.
Young Seo Juhan spoke firmly while exercising his artistic spirit.
‘I can’t do that?’
—Yeah. You can’t.
‘Why?’
It was an innocent question.
The hand holding the black crayon stopped abruptly. Only that color was particularly worn down.
—…We promised.
After thinking for a moment, Seo Juhan found the answer and spoke firmly.
‘A promise?’
—Yeah. A promise.
‘What’s a promise?’
Question after question was given like homework.
—…
Seo Juhan fell into deep thought with his chubby cheeks. His expression was quite determined.
Meanwhile, ‘Gangji’ waited, wagging its tail. The black cloak draped over it swayed along with it.
It would grow tall or shrink small, become very heavy or very light. It flew through the sky and crawled on the ground. It would suddenly disappear one day and then magically pop up again.
It was neither male nor female, neither child nor elderly, neither human nor animal. Gangji was an imaginary friend created by young Seo Juhan.
—A promise is… something you absolutely have to keep.
Seo Juhan hid his confusion and spoke as confidently as possible. However, to others, it would have looked like he was muttering to himself.
‘I have to keep it?’
Unlike its appearance, Gangji had a low yet ticklish voice actor’s voice.
—Yeah.
‘Why do I have to keep it?’
At this point, Seo Juhan became very annoyed.
—Because it’s a promise.
He answered half-heartedly while only moving his hands. Black lines sprouted up like bamboo shoots after rain.
‘Do I have to keep promises?’
—Yeah.
At the time, Seo Juhan had wanted to raise a puppy. But Gangji looked just like a baby rat. So he combined ‘puppy’ (gangaji) and ‘baby rat’ (jwisaekki) to name it ‘Gangji.’
As for why specifically a baby rat, it was because the cartoon character he enjoyed watching at the time was a mouse. It had clear, round eyes and was overall plump, so for a rat, it was quite cute.
Young Seo Juhan never said the words ‘baby rat’ out loud because he knew he’d get in trouble. Only in his mind did he giggle while thinking ‘baby rat,’ ‘baby rat.’
‘I don’t want to keep it though.’
Seo Juhan was about to just ignore it, but his mouth moved at a thought that suddenly occurred to him.
—…If you break a promise, Mom and Dad will be sad.
‘Mom and Dad will be sad.’
—That’s right.
Young Seo Juhan stopped his hands and turned his head toward Gangji.
—So from now on, you can only eat one ice cream a day.
He scolded quite solemnly in a soft voice.
‘Okay.’
Gangji spoke in a dejected voice.
In fact, it was Seo Juhan who had eaten ice cream without permission. Seo Juhan often shifted his own wrongdoings onto Gangji.
‘Wait a minute!’
Gangji’s eyes sparkled.
‘Then I can eat ice cream later, right? Since I haven’t eaten any today.’
It was a voice full of anticipation. Gangji’s emotional changes were incredibly fast.
Seo Juhan nodded and moved his hands again. His expression was serious, but his crossed legs pointing toward the ceiling wiggled.
—I like vanilla. What about you?
Seo Juhan asked while excitedly moving his hands.
‘I like chocolate.’
—That works out well. I’ll eat vanilla and you eat chocolate. Mom and Dad like strawberry. If we share, it’ll be perfect.
‘If we share, it’ll be perfect!’
Gangji spun around in circles as if delighted. Its broom-like tail swayed left and right.
Seo Juhan could both converse with Gangji and touch it.
When Seo Juhan was happy, Gangji was even happier, and when he was sad, it was even sadder. Sometimes it would hug him or sing songs for him. When he was sick, it would comfort him by his side all night.
Sometimes it wasn’t visible, but even then, Seo Juhan knew Gangji was watching over him.
—This is boring.
Seo Juhan, tired of drawing, put away his sketchbook. He left the crayon box open and just stretched out his arms.
When he groped with his fingertips, he barely reached the colored paper. He brought it to his chest and pulled out red from inside the crinkly plastic.
‘What are you doing?’
Gangji tilted its head over his shoulder, curious. His shoulder tickled from the long whiskers.
—I’m folding a heart.
Even when fully spread out, his hands were smaller than the colored paper. Seo Juhan carefully scrunched the colored paper with those vegetable-like hands.
‘What are you going to do with it after folding it?’
—I’m going to give it to Mom.
‘Why?’
—Because Mom has a hard time raising me.
Since it was single-sided colored paper, crayon marks appeared darkly smudged on the white side. But Seo Juhan was busy concentrating on matching the corners. He didn’t even know he was uncomfortable lying down for so long.
That’s when it happened. An unidentifiable shout was heard from outside.
Seo Juhan stopped his hands and reflexively raised his head.
Shouts mixed with multiple voices continued. It was a furious scolding and a tearing scream. It sounded like a ghost wailing.
It was the kind of sound that even a mere beast couldn’t easily ignore.
—…
Young Juhan’s thin body stiffened.
Anxiety wriggled and raised its head above the ground.
—Gangji.
But Seo Juhan had nothing to fear. He raised his knees and gathered himself up.
‘Yeah?’
—Come here.
‘Why?’
Gangji followed boldly while pretending not to know. The black cloak dragged on the floor, sagging.
Seo Juhan moved his steps cautiously. The closer he got to the door, the louder the shouting became.
With each step taken, Gangji’s body grew fiercely. Soon it was enough to fill the entire room.
The blunt teeth gradually elongated and sharp fangs emerged. Pointed claws also sprouted from the soft hands.
Standing in front of the door, Seo Juhan wrapped himself in Gangji’s black cloak. With a defensive barrier set up and only his face exposed, he couldn’t have felt more secure.
Juhan carefully grabbed the doorknob.
—Stay quiet.
He whispered softly and pulled the door slightly.
—Give me back my baby! Give me back my baby, I said!
It was a cry close to a seizure. Juhan’s shoulders flinched at the primal fear.
Seo Juhan gulped and gripped the cloak tighter. He peeked his eyes through the opened gap.
He could see the back of someone wearing a black hanbok. The hair was disheveled with achromatic colors mixed from white to black.
—You killed her! You’re the one who killed her!
His maternal grandmother tore her throat as if she would vomit blood. She shouted convulsively like someone who had lost their mind. While doing so, she pounded her fists against the chest of Dad standing in front of her.
Fear arose. Seo Juhan was gripped by a fear whose depth he couldn’t fathom. He was scared of his grandmother screaming like a madwoman. He suddenly wanted to go to the bathroom but held it in.
—Because of you! Because of you, our Sojeong!
Each time Grandmother raised her hands, Dad was pushed back as if he would fall. But he didn’t fall and stood firm on both legs. He remained silently still while taking the flying fists.
Why are you just taking it?
While Juhan wanted to run away right now, anger arose in his heart. It was an instinctive displeasure.
It was hostility toward the being tormenting his one and only biological father.
—Mom! Stop it! You’ll collapse at this rate!
His aunt was wearing the same clothes as his maternal grandmother. She grabbed Grandmother’s shoulders and made gestures to stop her.
—How dare you come here! Get out right now!
His uncle-in-law, also wearing black clothes, shouted furiously.
—My baby… ugh, what do I do about my baby…
All the while, Grandmother continued to pour out sobs. She made a rattling sound from her throat. She still violently swung her arms.
Between the narrow gap in the door, brown eyes gleamed.
Seo Juhan captured that entire scene without blinking, taking it all in on his retina.
They looked like monsters. It seemed like three monsters were tormenting Dad.
