For the entire time, Dojin rolled his eyes—tinged with a reddish glow—this way and that as he took in the room, while the divine spirit quietly observed him doing so.
The couple’s chests felt tight with suffocation. Questions piled up like a mountain. What exactly was a ‘Jangsa’? Was it the same ‘Jangsa’ as in the ‘strongest man under heaven’ they knew? If there existed beings even more unfathomable than the divine spirit living in this mysterious place, then what in the world were they? And most importantly—could their baby ever return to normal?
The perfectly ordinary humans who had stepped straight into the heart of the divine mystery found their questions multiplying without end.
Time passed in silence, broken only by Dojin’s occasional mumbling and babbling.
How long had it been? Suddenly, Dojin lifted his head and blinked rapidly. The divine spirit rose from his seat.
“He’s here. Stand up and greet him.”
“Ah… yes.”
The couple stood as well. Just like when they had entered the room, the door slid open on its own with a soft drreuk. The one who appeared was a handsome young man with jet-black hair and clear, lucid eyes. He looked so youthful that at a glance he could’ve passed for a boy. Having vaguely imagined an elderly figure when they heard ‘someone of higher standing’, the couple was so startled that they missed the timing to greet him properly.
“Immortal.”
“Hello, Ihaeja. These are the people?”
“Yes.”
The young man called Immortal looked at the couple quietly. Only then did they hurriedly bow their heads.
“Hello… we are… this child’s parents.”
“Yes, hello. You must’ve suffered greatly.”
“……”
At those simple words, the couple couldn’t bring themselves to speak, struggling to suppress the surge of hot emotion rising in their chests. Was this some kind of mystical power? Or were they simply so exhausted that any words of comfort struck straight to the heart? They couldn’t tell.
The young man walked straight toward the stroller.
Seeing him reach out without hesitation, the couple gasped in alarm.
“P-Please be careful. That child is—”
“What’s his name again?”
“Dojin… Kim Dojin.”
“I see. Dojin. That’s a very pretty name. And he’s handsome too.”
The young man peeled away the talismans one by one and gently loosened the ropes. As if he’d been waiting for this moment, the baby shuddered and wriggled, shedding the stifling blanket he’d been tightly wrapped in.
To the couple, the slender young man looked like he’d be knocked over by a single kick from the baby. Despite their anxiety, though, the young man smiled, saying how cute Dojin was while poking his chubby cheek with a finger.
“Hello, Dojin. I’m Iri. Try saying ‘Immortal Iri’.”
“Iri! Iri seonin!”
“That’s right. That’s me. You talk so well.”
Dojin reached out with his tiny hand, trying to grab Iri’s finger.
“A—!” the couple cried out.
But Dojin’s hand passed straight through Iri’s body, as if it were nothing more than an illusion.
“Let’s put off holding hands until you learn how to control your strength.”
“Uh…….”
“Your cheeks are so soft. You’re really adorable.”
Using some mysterious ability, Iri prevented Dojin from touching him while freely kneading the baby’s soft cheeks to his heart’s content.
To the couple, frozen in shock, Iri spoke casually.
“Looks like you didn’t starve him.”
“Ah, yes… We’re feeding him baby food.”
“You must’ve gotten hurt a lot.”
“…Yes.”
Feeding the baby was a battle. Their wrists had been kicked so hard bones nearly cracked, their hair yanked out. But they couldn’t let him starve, so they put on protective gear, tied him up tightly, and fed him that way.
“Sir, please help us. Is our baby possessed by a ghost? What in the world is happening…?”
“I’ll explain. Let’s sit down first.”
“Yes.”
“May I hold Dojin for a bit?”
Kim Sun-ho recoiled in shock.
“I-It’s fine, but if you get hurt—”
“I won’t get hurt. You saw it earlier. He passes right through me.”
“But still—”
“Then I’ll hold him.”
Iri lifted Dojin into his arms. Dojin stared at him with wide, round eyes.
“He’s heavier than he looks. Jangsa are all like this, but Dojin will grow very big.”
“Iri.”
“Yes, I’m Iri.”
“Iri-iri.”
Holding Dojin, Iri sat down in the seat of honor where the divine spirit had been earlier.
Dojin babbled and squirmed in Iri’s arms. The space wasn’t particularly wide, so he seemed a bit uncomfortable, yet he didn’t try to escape. Instead, he burrowed deeper in. Like a fledgling seeking warmth in its mother bird’s embrace, he clung to Iri and wouldn’t let go. His cheeks were flushed pink, his eyes sparkling brightly.
Jung Eun-hee wiped away her tears. It was the first time since birth that the baby had been held in someone’s arms. It hurt that those arms weren’t hers, but she was grateful that someone—anyone—could give the baby warmth.
“You must have a lot of questions. Where should I start? Ihaeja, have you explained what a ‘baby Jangsa’ is to them yet?”
“No. I haven’t told them anything yet.”
“Give them a simple explanation.”
“Yes.”
Ihaeja explained Jangsa to the couple. He did not mention the word ‘Wia’.
Among humans, there are occasionally babies born with monstrous strength. Such babies are called ‘baby Jangsa’. They grow rapidly, as if a single day were a whole month, and usually die young, rarely living past thirteen or fourteen. However, if they survive the crisis and grow into adulthood, they become a kind of being known as ‘Jangsa’.
“A kind…? Then does that mean he leaves the category of human?”
“You’re quick to understand. That’s right. Human, yet no longer human. He won’t get sick, won’t get hurt, won’t age—so it will become impossible for him to live within human society.”
“We… want Dojin to live an ordinary life.”
“I can’t erase his monstrous strength. His spiritual sight has already opened as well. A normal life is out of the question.”
The couple fell into painful silence.
To live long, no longer human.
Or to remain human, but die young.
There was no need to hesitate.
“He doesn’t need to live ordinarily. He doesn’t even need to be human. Please—just save our baby.”
“Yes. That’s exactly why this Immortal has come here. Don’t worry.”
The couple’s gazes shifted to Iri. He was gently soothing Dojin in his arms. Until now, Dojin had pouted or sulked at times, but he had never been fussy. Yet now he was whining—hiiing, hiing—clearly frustrated that he couldn’t grab Iri’s finger.
The divine spirit asked Iri,
“Immortal, will you be taking the baby with you?”
The couple sucked in a breath. Taking him? Did that mean he needed treatment somewhere specific? Would they have to part with their baby without even holding him once? As panic washed over them, Iri smiled reassuringly.
“There’s no need for that. They’re a wealthy family, after all. They can find a house close to our shop, and I’ll go back and forth to teach him.”
“Ah……”
Thank goodness. The couple finally let out a sigh of relief.
The divine spirit hummed thoughtfully before speaking again.
“Come to think of it, a baby Jangsa being born into a powerful, wealthy household—isn’t that rare?”
“Not just rare. It’s never happened before.”
Iri tickled the baby in his arms. The sensation of the baby’s soft, squishy cheeks was so pleasant that he couldn’t stop touching them.
“You really are a very special being, little Jangsa.”
Dojin stared straight at Iri. He was a bit irritated now, having realized that no matter what he did, he couldn’t touch the other person.
Until now, Dojin had instinctively judged whether the life before him was weaker or stronger than himself. His parents, the blue fireball—every existence had been weaker than him. But this being before him was so powerful he couldn’t even begin to measure it.
It was unfathomable.
The baby felt it instinctively.
The being whose name had naturally surfaced in his mind the moment he was born—Immortal Iri.
He had to follow this person. Like a young animal burrowing into its mother’s embrace without being taught. The instincts of a baby Jangsa screamed it clearly. He had to cling to this person.
***
Dojin remembered that first meeting with perfect clarity.
The beautiful, lovely face looking down at him. Black eyes like a transplanted night sky, with starlike light shimmering within. The gentle smile, the kind expression, and the clear, melodious voice calling him ‘Dojin’.
To him, Iri was a being as distant as the night sky. Even now, when the distance between them had closed this much. Even now, when he could freely fiddle with Iri’s fingers.
That sacred, holy being had a narrow range of emotions. He didn’t rage fiercely, nor did he laugh loudly. Always like a calm, still lake.
But that didn’t mean he had no emotions at all.
He flared up when teased, grew flustered or awkward. He felt pure joy, tilted his brows in regret, got startled, made mistakes, and burst into laughter at moments of delight.
Dojin had seen those human sides countless times. And yet, Iri still felt distant. Dojin couldn’t even reach his toes.
After properly learning about the world of Wia and understanding roughly where Immortal Iri stood, that distance felt even more unfathomable.
The fact that he’d never once had a lover had seemed nice at first—but now it only made Iri feel more distant.
He’d never had a beloved partner, never experienced unrequited love, never even had an ideal type. That meant Iri’s emotions were colorless and odorless.
Just once, Dojin wanted to secretly steal his fan and pull out the tangled threads of his emotions to see what lay inside.
