“And… I’m in pain.”
“Yeah. You do look like you’ve got a headache.”
“Dojin.”
“Got it. I’ll shut up.”
Iri asked gently.
“Where are you hurt? Or are you sick?”
“Lately… my head’s been hurting, my whole body aches……. I feel like my stamina’s dropped compared to before, too…….”
“Right. You’re getting old. That’s only natural.”
“Dojin…….”
As a quiet signal to keep still, Iri lightly touched Dojin’s thigh under the table. Dojin’s face flushed red. And almost as if he’d never opened his mouth to begin with, he went completely silent, like he’d swallowed honey.
Whenever Iri really wanted to make Dojin shut up for good, he did this—gripped his thigh. Compared to touching his hand, arm, or shoulder, touching his thigh froze Dojin much tighter, and for much longer.
“That’s right. I’ve grown old. I have only a few hours of my lifespan remaining……. That is why I am asking for the ‘Grill-Sand Hourglass’ and the ‘Golden-Water Goldfish’. I wish to live a little longer. At the very least… just a few more months.”
The ‘Grill-Sand Hourglass’ and the ‘Golden-Water Goldfish’ were both small items that could be carried on one’s person: a tiny hourglass and a goldfish figurine. Both possessed abilities that prevented their owner from aging.
The ‘Grill-Sand Hourglass’ stopped its owner from aging until all of the sand in the upper chamber fell into the lower one. If it was flipped before all of the sand fell—flipped again, and again, endlessly—one could remain eternally unaging. Meanwhile, the ‘Golden-Water Goldfish’ caused aging to reverse for as long as one gazed upon the figurine. In other words, you grew younger by exactly the amount of time you spent looking at it.
After several incidents where souls of Wia whose lifespans had ended could not be collected due to these two curios, King Yama himself had personally asked Iri for a favor. Could he please be more cautious when renting out lifespan-related curios? If Iri’s standing had not been higher than King Yama’s, there was no doubt he would’ve stormed in and smashed the items on the spot.
“If you would lend them to me, I will give all the virtue I have accumulated to you, Immortal.”
When the Bokbaebari, who had been watching Iri’s expression closely, spoke as though he’d made up his mind, Dojin let out a hollow laugh.
“You’re giving up 180 years’ worth of virtue just to live a few more months? Are you insane?”
With 180 years’ worth of virtue, one could determine everything about their next reincarnation—the place and era of birth, sex, and even the talents they’d be born with. Saying he’d give up something that valuable just to live a few extra months made the whole thing feel suspicious instead.
Iri quietly stared into the Bokbaebari’s eyes, then spoke.
“Alright. I understand. I’ll lend them to you.”
“What? Master? You’re really lending them?”
Dojin was startled. The Bokbaebari was no less shocked.
“B-both of them?”
“Yeah. I’ll lend you both. Dojin, go get them.”
“Master, are you serious? You really want me to bring them?”
“Should I go get them myself?”
“N-no. I’ll go.”
Dojin stood up, his face still dazed.
After giving his disciple an errand he clearly didn’t understand, Iri quietly looked back into the Bokbaebari’s eyes.
The Bokbaebari’s eyes sparkled brightly now, but when he’d said, “I want to live longer,” his head had been bowed the entire time.
He hadn’t met Iri’s gaze.
That meant the Bokbaebari was lying.
Iri could roughly guess how the situation was unfolding.
“Thank you! I will never forget this kindness. But are you sure it’s alright to take that much virtue?”
“This is enough. Get home safely.”
“I understand. Truly, thank you!”
Having obtained what he wanted, the Bokbaebari returned joyfully beneath the pale dawn moonlight. Watching his retreating figure, Iri muttered bitterly.
“There are kids like that, every now and then.”
“You mean the lying bastards?”
“Kids trying to deceive the underworld’s registry.”
“Ah….”
Nodding as he thought that wanting to live longer was the same for humans and Wia alike, Dojin suddenly grew serious.
“Master, won’t this cause friction with the grim reapers? Going against one’s allotted lifespan is taboo, isn’t it? We already don’t have the best relationship with the underworld…….”
“It is taboo, but it’s not like human folklore where you get struck by divine punishment just for being found out. Extending one’s lifespan and deceiving grim reapers has happened countless times since ancient days. You know a few methods yourself, don’t you?”
“I know three. But why do they let it slide? I thought the underworld was a pretty rigid, bleak place.”
“Once you start cracking down, there’s no end to it. Performing gut rituals, making talismans, arranging interiors according to feng shui—these little things all nibble away at increasing lifespan. If grim reapers tried to police every one of those trivial acts, they’d all collapse from overwork.”
“That makes sense.”
Dojin nodded. Grim reapers were all human spirits; it would really be unfair if they died from overwork even after death.
“So deceiving the underworld registry is basically like jaywalking, huh. Illegal, but everyone does it anyway. Like crossing a one-lane road?”
“Hm. What Noryang is trying to do is closer to jaywalking across a six-lane road, both ways.”
Dojin shuddered. A six-lane jaywalk……
“At that point, isn’t he basically asking to be killed? The grim reapers would be pissed as hell.”
“You’re not wrong. We should probably keep an eye on him.”
Dojin’s eyes lit up.
“Should we chase him right now?”
“Yeah. Go, quickly.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dojin started to follow after the Bokbaebari immediately, but then hesitated when he saw Iri hadn’t moved from his spot.
“Wait… you don’t mean for me to monitor him alone, do you?”
“I need to sleep a bit. You’re sturdy enough to go a few days without sleep.”
“That’s true, but….”
“Did you see how much time Noryang has left?”
Dojin frowned.
“I could tell it was really short.”
“He has 25 hours left.”
Shorter than expected, the number made Dojin’s expression freeze.
“For the next 25 hours, observe Noryang’s every move. If you judge that he’s trying to use those curios for something frivolous, stop him.”
“And if I think it’s not frivolous?”
“Then you cooperate.”
Dojin hunched his large body, pretending to be frightened.
“How am I supposed to judge what’s frivolous or not? Me, the scary, bulging-eyed guy who lives with ‘fuck’ and ‘I’m gonna die’ on his lips? How am I supposed to? Do you really trust my moral compass? I don’t even trust myself. I might end up jaywalking myself, you know?”
“I trust your judgment.”
Dojin looked deeply moved, then immediately spoke with concern.
“What if I make the wrong call and put you in a bad position, Master? I don’t care if I get screwed, but if you get screwed too… what if people say you caused a disaster by accidentally lending out forbidden curios, and your reputation tanks, and King Yama tattles to the King?”
Iri looked fondly at his disciple, who despite his size was still very much like a child.
“That won’t happen. And even if it does, it doesn’t matter. The King can’t reprimand me just for breaking a promise with Yama and lending a forbidden curio. If the underworld were to collapse because of this, then I might get summoned, hear a scolding, and be sent back.”
“…You’re serious?”
“Would I lie?”
Since Immortals cannot lie, Dojin relaxed at Iri’s words.
Truthfully, he hated being separated from Iri, but he’d secretly been waiting for a day like this—one where he was entrusted with something that required faith. He didn’t want to remain just an assistant who handled tasks on the fly beside Iri as he did mysterious work. He wanted to stand on his own, properly, as a full-fledged employee.
“Leave it to me. I’ll monitor him thoroughly and contact you if anything happens. Go inside and get some sleep!”
Having returned to his usual confident self, Dojin hurried off before Noryang got too far away.
Iri watched his retreating back for a moment, then went inside.
The next 25 hours would be a long time—for both the Bokbaebari and Dojin. What kind of impact this would have on his disciple was uncertain, but just as he’d told him, Iri decided to trust Dojin’s judgment.
***
Dojin hid within Noryang’s shadow. His transformation techniques were clumsy, but his stealth arts were exceptional, so a small yokai like a Bokbaebari was easily fooled.
The place Noryang ran to at full speed was an apartment complex in Seoul. That much didn’t surprise Dojin. Bokbaebari were originally yokai that settled in human homes. Even in the large apartment complex where Dojin currently lived, there were at least ten Bokbaebari who waddled along behind human residents whenever they went out for walks.
The apartment Dojin infiltrated while hiding in Noryang’s shadow was a neat, moderately sized home. As soon as Noryang entered, he immediately scampered off—tatatata—into the master bedroom. Inside, a woman who looked to be in her mid-sixties was sleeping. Judging by the medicine packets near the bed, she seemed to be unwell.
“Jisuk. You’ve thrown off your blanket again.”
Noryang placed the ‘Grill-Sand Hourglass’ and the ‘Golden-Water Goldfish’ on the bedside table, then pulled the blanket, which had slipped down to the woman’s solar plexus, back up. After that, he wandered around the house, humming a tune, looking unable to contain his good mood. The lyrics went like this:
“Jisuk is saved now. Jisuk will live a long time. She’ll live long enough to see her grandchildren have grandchildren of their own. Jisuk will have it good now. Jisuk can live doing everything she wants. Jisuk will sleep in late and go traveling. Jisuk is so lucky.”
He wiped water spilled on the dining table with a tissue, shook out a fallen cushion and set it back on the sofa, and turned off the bathroom light that had been left on, moving through the house as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
