“Then I’ll wait for your call, Immortal.”
“Take care. We’ll see each other again soon.”
“Yes. I’ll see your human disciple again next time, too.”
“Yes. Please get home safely.”
Dojin waved his hand. Jane, looking pleased, left the rental shop with a light step—no, rather than walking, she slid out with a heavy, gliding motion.
After seeing her off, the two of them went back inside.
“Now, where was that place where the serpent folk live together… Most of the other serpent folk probably don’t have phones like Silver does, so if we want photos, we’ll have to go in person.”
“An outdoor date! I’m always up for that. I’ll check my schedule.”
“There are about three or four places—can you handle it alone tomorrow?”
Dojin, who had been checking the schedule sheet, lifted his eyes sharply.
“Why are you trying to send me alone? Is it because I called it a ‘date’? Does it make you uncomfortable?”
As his disciple lunged at him like that, Iri placated him.
“Look at tomorrow’s schedule. I just don’t have the time. It’s not a dangerous place, and the serpent folk are all simple, gentle ones, so there won’t be any trouble. It’s egg-laying season for them right now, so it’ll be easy to find one without a mate.”
On the April 12 date that Iri pointed to with his finger, the page was crammed full of writing.
[06:00 Return Ember Clock
07:00 Return Deadlock Necklace
08:00 Obal–Seonbi Painting
09:00 Stone Grotto Rite – Consultation
.
.]
Seeing the memo that went all the way until 11 p.m., Dojin visibly wilted.
“I’m sorry, Master. At a time when I should be pulling my weight as an employee, I let myself go blind with love….”
“So you realize it. Then I’ll leave the serpent folk matter to you.”
“Yes, leave it to me!”
Dojin answered confidently. Her ideal type was a bit demanding, sure, but was it possible that not even a single one would meet it?
However, things didn’t go so smoothly.
***
The next day, Dojin left the rental shop early in the morning and headed to Incheon. But every single serpent there was disqualified. Not one of them could even read the alphabet—letter ‘A’ included. He also visited Suwon, Osan, Pyeongtaek, and Cheonan, all known serpent habitats he’d researched beforehand, but he couldn’t find a single serpent who knew English.
–Really? Not even one?
“Yes. Not a single one! I figured since they’re spirit beings, there’d be at least one or two in each group, but how are they all so ignorant— I mean, anyway, there were none. What do we do if there aren’t any in Gongju either? You said Gongju was the last habitat.”
On the other end of the line, Iri let out a troubled sigh.
–Gongju is the last place with group settlements. After that, we’ll have to ask around about serpent folk living alone near cities, like Silver.
“Fuck…. Can’t we just cancel the request and say it’s impossible? Or tell her to lower her standards a bit. There were some tall, good-looking serpents who matched the appearance, you know.”
–Really? All right. I’ll contact Silver and call you back.
“Yes.”
After hanging up, Dojin leaned the seat all the way back. Since the Dragon Horse needed him to grab the wheel every so often, he couldn’t fully lie down.
Outside the window, the scenery rushing past was already deep, dark night.
He hadn’t seen Iri since the morning. At this rate, they’d probably even sleep separately. He was worried Iri would tell him to just go straight home since it was late.
I’m absolutely going back to the rental shop. Even if he doesn’t open the door, I’ll knock on the main gate.
If Iri tried to send him home, he’d stubbornly dig in, flop down, throw a tantrum—anything. Only then would Iri let him sleep at the rental shop.
Dojin wanted to be a mature, cool person in front of Iri, but Iri kept forcing him into a position where he had no choice but to throw tantrums.
Fuck. I can’t even have my own romance, and all of my time’s being eaten up helping someone else’s.
Unrequited love was already miserable enough, but working all day on top of that made it even worse. It was unfair, too, since this wasn’t even part of the rental shop’s original duties.
Those welfare center bastards are probably still screwing around even now. After separating me and Master like this…
While Dojin ground his teeth, his phone rang—it was Iri, apparently finished talking with Jane. Dojin hurriedly answered.
“Master.”
–Sorry, but she says she can’t give up on that ideal type…. She’s cherished it since she was young. She says she’s okay with yellow coloring on the scales, at least.
Dojin slammed his forehead into the steering wheel.
“What the hell is so important about an ideal type? If you like someone, doesn’t that person become your ideal type? I like you, Master, so you became my ideal type!”
–……Then keep up the good work. After Gongju, don’t come here—go straight home.
Just as he’d expected, Iri’s response made Dojin’s pent-up resentment explode.
“Master. I’m so tired. I’ve been driving alone for nine hours, climbing mountains, and because they’re spirit beings, I have to suppress my personality and talk carefully. I’m so stressed.”
–Yeah. It’s hard, isn’t it.
“What’s your ideal type, Master?”
–…….
“I’m genuinely curious. I never really had an ‘ideal type,’ you know? I liked you from the start. So I don’t get why it’s so important, why it has to be met exactly. I’m really asking purely for this request.”
He could picture Iri’s expression perfectly.
–As someone in cultivation, I can’t lie…. If anything, just say you’re curious about my ideal type.
“Yes, I’m fucking curious about your ideal type. What kind of person is it that you’ve lived so long and never dated? They have to be tall, right? At least 192 centimeters. A face so handsome it intimidates people just by existing. Strong, good at everything physical—how about someone like that? Is that your type, Master?”
If Iri had ever dated, Dojin would’ve been furious, but he would’ve found out somehow—through the Butterfly Immortal, the Musician, or Ihaeja—what Iri’s ex had been like. But thankfully, Iri had never had a beloved, and Dojin had no choice but to ask him directly about his ideal type.
As Dojin kept pressing, Iri finally answered.
–I… don’t have an ideal type.
“What?”
–I’ve never even thought about wanting to date someone…. So I don’t really have an ideal type….
“You’re saying you’ve never even had a crush?”
–Yeah.
“…….”
An Immortal cannot lie, so every word Iri said was true. Dojin’s sense of grievance vanished in an instant, replaced by joy and rapture. His heart pounded wildly.
After living that long!
He didn’t know Iri’s exact age, but he’d lived for an uncountable amount of time!
And yet he’d never had a beloved, never even a crush.
The mouth that had been jutting out like a duck’s bill now stretched into a huge, foolish grin. If he could, he wanted to run straight back to the rental shop, grab Iri, and spin him around in circles. Of course, Iri wouldn’t let himself be hugged so easily.
–Ah, a customer’s here. I’ll hang up. Call if anything happens.
“Yes! I’ll call you!”
After the call ended, Dojin hugged his phone tightly to his chest. When he looked out the window with a heart full of gratitude toward the whole world, the outside—once pitch-dark—was now filled with neon signs in every color. Most of them were motels.
…You’ve probably never felt lust either.
If they’d been together, would he have been embarrassed?
Whenever he got flustered, as he always did, he might’ve fiddled with that black thread bracelet on his wrist and urged the Dragon Horse to go faster. That would’ve been so cute.
[(⊙_⊙)?]
“It’s nothing. Keep going.”
[(⊙_⊙;)]
Come to think of it, was the night always this dark?
Every time Dojin saw a road spread out with night scenery beyond the window, that day came back to him.
The day he first met Iri.
The day he met “Immortal Iri,” who had filled his mind from the very moment he was born into this world.
That day, too, Dojin had been looking out at a pitch-black night beyond the car window.
***
A dark night with only the moon hanging in the sky. A single luxury sedan raced along an outer road of Seoul.
Inside the car, where a cold stillness hung heavy, sat a young couple with worry etched across their faces—and a chubby-cheeked, adorable baby. The baby, who looked to be just eight months old, was seated in a child car seat, gazing out the window.
With a round head, plump cheeks, and a nose tipped with pink, the baby was undeniably cute.
“Dada. Mama. Black. Night black.”
“Mm-hmm, yes. It’s black because it’s night.”
“Mama. Night. Black.”
“Yes. Night is black. The sky turns black.”
Despite being just an infant, he spoke surprisingly well. But instead of smiling, the mother’s lips twisted as if her heart ached.
The baby’s limbs were bound.
From the neck down, his entire body was wrapped in a soft, wide blanket, tied with golden rope, with multiple talismans attached.
Accustomed to this state, the baby smiled brightly and continued to look outside. Watching him, the mother’s heart burned to blackened ash.
“Honey, let’s go faster. Dojin looks uncomfortable.”
“Yes, okay.”
The husband pressed down on the accelerator. The car shook lightly. Startled, the wife looked at the baby, but fortunately he didn’t cry—he just stared with wide, clear eyes. In fact, he laughed gleefully, as if it were fun. He wriggled as though he wanted to clap his hands, and when it didn’t work as he wanted, his cheeks puffed out.
He was, unmistakably, just a baby.
But….
“D-Do, Dojin!”
The wife screamed. The baby had begun to squirm, trying to slip out of the blanket. As he twisted his body with little ‘oo, oo’ sounds, the blanket slid down to his chest. He still couldn’t free his arms, though.
“It’s okay. Calm down. We put the talismans on.”
“But…….”
“It’ll be fine. They said they were talismans made by someone incredible, so don’t worry.”
“Okay…….”
Just as the husband said, the baby eventually gave up on pulling his arms free. Instead, frustrated, he looked at his mother.
“Mama. Hurt. Mama. This. This hurts.”
“Dojin…. If you endure just a little longer, you’ll be free. Just a little longer.”
“Hurt. Mama. Dojin hurts.”
“It’s okay. Just a little…. Just a little.”
