The reason Iri had helped this man back then was because he felt partly responsible for the man’s child falling into superstition.
Since the ‘exorcism video’ from two years ago, a ghost craze had swept through society—whether people had seen the video or not. Haunted house explorations, Ouija boards, gut rituals. There were even baseless paranormal games like solo hide-and-seek….
Running the rental shop, Iri had carried out countless actions that significantly influenced human society. When fulfilling requests from the Wia, there were times when he had no choice but to do so. Back in the Joseon era, such interference had even resulted in the crown prince being replaced.
Compared to that, this was a very minor matter…. Still, in the modern era—after humanity began launching spaceships—it was arguably the incident that had caused the greatest ripple effect. So whenever he saw people who had been directly affected, he would help them, like the daughter of this landscaper.
“Looking at things lately, even famous celebrities have gotten obsessed with that exorcism crap. Every time they’re on TV, that’s all they talk about.”
“You mean Lee Seokjin.”
“Yeah. Lee Seokjin. He’s a damn good actor, but listening to him talk these days, he’s gotten weird. Not just ghosts—what was it, yokai? He’s outright insisting yokai exist. Heard he even joined something called the ‘Saeboreumi Research Group’. Isn’t that some shady cult?”
“Superstition and cults are basically a hair’s breadth apart.”
“Dojin, you’re not gonna run away from home chasing after some paranormal experience, are you?”
“I won’t. I don’t want to see ghosts that badly.”
Dojin gave a soft snort of laughter—despite having spent half a day with a living spirit not long ago.
Iri’s expression stiffened slightly as he repeated the names he’d been hearing over and over lately.
“Lee Seokjin. ‘Saeboreum’—or the ‘Saeboreumi Research Group’.”
The living spirit Min Jiyon had mentioned Lee Seokjin and the research group as well.
Hearing the same names from two different people, not once but twice. Two times could still be coincidence—but if someone brought them up one more time, then it would be time to look into that person properly.
“Right. Just live normally. Normally. That aside, these yakgwa are seriously good. Where’d you get them?”
These yakgwa were something Dojin had specially procured from a famous artisan for White Day not long ago. That famed artisan was none other than Yori-iki of Cheongju—a dokkaebi whose goods ordinary humans could never obtain.
“A relative gave them to me, so I don’t know. Want some more?”
When Dojin asked, Gwak Seong-hun waved his hands, saying he’d eaten plenty, and stood up from his seat.
“I can just leave these branches here like usual, right?”
“Yes. Thanks for your hard work today too.”
“No, no. I’m the one who’s been grateful for twenty years now. Let’s keep working together.”
“Get home safely.”
“Yessir.”
“Mister, take care!”
“Yeah. You too.”
Gwak Seong-hun opened the gate and stepped outside. The clear-eyed, handsome young man and the overwhelmingly good-looking young man waved their hands. Gwak Seong-hun waved back at them.
And then, once the gate closed… Gwak Seong-hun’s eyes briefly clouded over before clearing again.
“Let’s see. Where’s my next job?”
Gwak Seong-hun forgot every conversation he’d had with the two of them. And then in June, the moment he crossed that gate again, it would all come back to him.
It was Iri’s Taoist art.
The small-fry Wia split up the branches, leaves, and insects they’d pruned, threw themselves a grand feast, then left the rental shop laughing and chattering. As everyone returned to work and bustled about, the phone at the rental shop rang. Iri, who was nearby, picked it up.
“Yes, this is Iri.”
—Is this Iri’s Curio Shop?
The voice was rough and blunt, yet spoke fluent Korean. It sounded like an older Wia.
“This used to be a curio shop, but it’s a rental shop now. Start by telling me your name, where you live, and what you want.”
—I wish to purchase a ‘Grill-Sand Hourglass’ and a ‘Golden-Water Goldfish’.
“It’s a rental shop now, so we don’t sell items. And the ‘Grill-Sand Hourglass’ is a prohibited-for-rental item anyway…. The ‘Golden-Water Goldfish’ can be rented, but what do you need it for?”
—…I require the ‘Grill-Sand Hourglass’. I will pay any price.
“Even if the King of the True Mortal Realm himself came, I wouldn’t give out prohibited items.”
—You sold it just fine before! Why is it suddenly forbidden now?!
The caller shouted. Iri pulled the receiver slightly away, then brought it back to his ear.
This sort of thing happened from time to time. Even though it had been a hundred years since the shop switched to rentals, people would complain that it had been sold just fine until recently and demand to know why it had suddenly changed. This time, on top of that, the item was prohibited for rental—no wonder they were furious.
“I’ve only ever sold the ‘Grill-Sand Hourglass’ once. That must’ve been around five hundred years ago. If you absolutely need it, I can consider lending it—but first, you’d have to visit the rental shop for a consultation….”
—I need it no matter what. I’ll give you all of my virtue, so give me the ‘Grill Sandglass’!
Iri was genuinely startled. Giving up all one’s virtue was equivalent to abandoning happiness in one’s next life. Even if one started accumulating virtue again from zero, losing everything once and starting over would be twice as arduous.
“What’s going on? Tell me. I’ll help you.”
—If you want to help me, give me the ‘Grill-Sand Hourglass’. I’ll come get it myself!
“Let’s talk this through step by step—”
“Let me talk to them.”
Dojin, who had been cleaning up the leftovers the Wia hadn’t taken from the yard, suddenly appeared and thrust out his hand, eyes blazing. With his exceptional physical abilities, he must’ve heard the entire conversation. Knowing full well that handing the phone over would only lead to an outburst, Iri quietly turned his back. In response, Dojin outright snatched the receiver away.
“Hey, you entitled bastard. If something’s not allowed, screaming and demanding it doesn’t magically make it allowed! …No, fuck. If someone’s talking, you should listen! Do you even understand Korean? Just looking at you, you’re probably young—hey!”
Beeep—beeep—
Clutching the dead receiver, Dojin let out a furious howl. Iri deftly caught the receiver Dojin had thrown and placed it back on the phone.
“Aaaagh! I’m so pissed!”
Anyone would lose their temper if the other party hung up on them without warning—but hot-blooded Dojin all the more so.
As Iri was about to calm the head-clutching, anguished Dojin, the phone rang again.
“I’ll get it!”
Before Iri could react, Dojin shot over and picked up the receiver.
“Hey, you piece of shit. For a dogshit Wia who just says their piece and hangs up, you don’t deserve—!”
Dojin abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
“……Yes. …He’s right beside me. Yes. I’ll pass him over.”
Trying to sound calm but clearly flustered, Dojin handed the receiver to Iri.
“Master…. The Butterfly Immortal is asking for you….”
***
The place the Butterfly Immortal requested to meet was a botanical garden in Magok, Seoul—not far from the rental shop. The Immortal told Iri to choose the time, and since there were back-to-back clients scheduled for the evening, he chose 3 p.m. Contrary to his worries that it might be crowded, the garden was closed—it was Monday.
Despite its state-of-the-art security system, the doors opened before Iri as if they were automatic. Since the interior wasn’t particularly dark, he left the lights off. Dojin glanced around.
“Looks like the Butterfly Immortal isn’t here yet.”
“They are. In the greenhouse.”
“Really?”
Dojin had heard the name Butterfly Immortal several times before, but he had never once seen them in person. As a resident of the True Mortal Realm, the Immortal rarely descended into the human realm. They were said to be over two thousand years old. Still younger than Iri, of course—but supposedly close enough to be considered his friend….
While imagining what they might look like, Dojin spotted a table with a view overlooking the greenhouse and headed there.
“They’re taking photos at a photo zone.”
“Ah….”
A blonde woman, dressed in an ornate Western medieval-style gown, was striking poses at a pink-hued photo zone inside the greenhouse. The photographer was a gray-furred rabbit with a long tail, standing upright on two legs like a human and dressed in a tuxedo like a Western mansion’s butler. Around them fluttered bees and butterflies in dazzling, multicolored hues.
“Is the Butterfly Immortal a woman? And is that rabbit a yokai?”
“In the True Mortal Realm, they have a male form, but when they descend into the human realm, they take on a female form. The rabbit is a spirit named Jangmito—a retainer of the Butterfly Immortal.”
“A retainer….”
Dojin remembered hearing an explanation about retainers before.
There are several ways to forcibly turn non-Wia beings—humans, plants and animals, even objects—into Wia. In the case of fox yokai, one method is making the target consume a fox bead for a thousand days; in the case of vampires, feeding them blood for a thousand days. These processes usually require immense time and effort. However, beings who had reached the end of their path possessed a far easier method.
That power was called a ‘retainer’.
By simply deciding, without the other party’s consent, that something would become one’s retainer, the target would turn into a Wia and inherit the master’s vitality.
A bond stronger than that of mere subordinates or underlings, a retainer could borrow the master’s power, and the master could summon the retainer to their side no matter where they were.
‘They said hardly anyone makes retainers these days, so it must’ve happened long ago.’
To Dojin, who was encountering not only another Immortal besides Iri but also the concept of a master–retainer relationship for the first time, it was all fascinating. Perhaps sensing his gaze, the Butterfly Immortal lifted their head, wearing a faintly haughty expression. Dojin began to bow in greeting—when he felt the Immortal’s form vanish, only for a voice to sound directly behind him.
“Iri. Is this the one who will become the new King?”
