Chapter 119
‘Beom. You will come to a crossroads of choice. It is the way of the world that gaining one thing means losing another. Do not defy this principle, and choose what is most precious to you.’
What was most precious to him.
The being who gently illuminated his mind, once filled with darkness, like the moon at night.
Eun-hwi.
He was a being so noble that he could never be possessed with false power and impure intentions.
Yeo Moon-beom realized that the moment of choice the mountain god had spoken of had finally arrived.
The momentous occasion in his life when he had to willingly abandon the power he had so desperately wanted and craved all his life.
With the fox bead, the Taeguk amulet, and the dokkaebi hat, it would certainly be an easy battle to win.
But he didn’t want to use the white fox’s bead that had driven Eun-hwi into a curse to achieve victory. The Taeguk amulet, which absorbed and reflected spiritual power, was also dangerous as it could harm Eun-hwi.
Therefore, even if it meant becoming a moth flying into flames, he wanted to face Eun-hwi as his true self.
This was what the emotion called love was—throwing oneself into a pit of fire knowing one would turn to ashes.
He felt that only by confronting him with complete sincerity, without the slightest falsehood, could he reclaim that poor child who was being manipulated after having his will forcibly taken. The mountain god’s advice, along with his own intuition built over a long time, told him so.
Boom!
The fireball thrown by the half-dokkaebi fell to the ground like a shell and exploded. Yeo Moon-beom, who had narrowly avoided the attack by lunging away, gradually closed the distance and approached Eun-hwi.
“Tsk. He should be on his knees begging, yet what does he think he’s doing without even a fox bead? To think my son would be even more foolish than his mother. I certainly raised him wrong.”
Jang Gitae watched the fight while clicking his tongue as if it were pathetic. His expression suggested he wondered how long Yeo Moon-beom could hold out like this.
But Jang Gitae didn’t know. That Eun-hwi was not an evil spirit that crushed people’s heads, but a good child who couldn’t even harm a crow that bothered him.
Kaboom!
Another fireball, comparable in size to a boulder, came flying again. Yeo Moon-beom continued to close the distance with Eun-hwi as much as possible while rolling to avoid the debris that flew up from the floor due to the impact.
A twisted smile appeared on Jang Gitae’s lips as he watched this like a spectator at a Colosseum game. He was genuinely enjoying the sight of Yeo Moon-beom, who could barely avoid attacks and couldn’t even counterattack.
“Eun-hwi. I have no intention of fighting you.”
His shoulder was stained with blood from a dokkaebi fire that he hadn’t managed to avoid. Nevertheless, Yeo Moon-beom continued to speak to the half-dokkaebi without backing down. His face, filled with desperation, was reflected in those eyes tainted with resentment.
“…Die.”
A voice devoid of any emotion flowed from between those red, pretty lips that contrasted with his white face. He had become a machine that only carried out his master’s orders.
A ball of fire charged with strong negative energy flew in quickly. The dokkaebi fire, which approached a precise point as if penetrating a target, engulfed Yeo Moon-beom before he could avoid it. Blue light wrapped around his entire body and blazed. Jang Gitae rose from his seat, laughing heartily.
“Indeed, the strongest puppet created by Black Tiger. Well done, well done! Kuhahahahaha!”
Extreme cold, close to absolute zero, spread throughout his body. Despite groaning from the pain that felt as if his flesh was being sliced, Yeo Moon-beom didn’t miss the sight of Eun-hwi involuntarily flinching, and he stretched his frozen legs forward. And finally.
“At last, I’ve caught you.”
He touched the half-dokkaebi’s body, which he had only been able to gaze at longingly, unable to bring himself to touch. He felt the familiar and missed energy flowing, albeit minutely, into the ring on his middle finger.
There was still hope.
“I’m sorry I’m late, Eun-hwi. You’ve suffered because of me.”
He embraced Eun-hwi, who was squirming like a small bird trapped in his hand, trying to break free. Realizing that twisting his body was futile, Eun-hwi began hitting his back repeatedly.
“It’s okay. You can hit me all you want, as much as you’ve resented me.”
Yeo Moon-beom embraced him even more tightly, wrapping his arms around the slender waist, as if even those blows were welcome. The sturdy body and the soft, tender one locked together without any gaps.
A deep, warm heat pooled between them, like the nights they had fallen asleep holding each other tightly.
“You don’t have to worry about anything now. I’ll put everything back for you. I’ll protect you.”
The force of the punches gradually decreased, and soon the movement stopped. The delicate hands that had been wandering in the air settled on the torn, blood-stained clothes.
Even with his body and mind stolen by a curse, Eun-hwi was still the pure and innocent half-dokkaebi that he knew.
Realizing that Eun-hwi was listening to his words from beyond a locked door, Yeo Moon-beom whispered in a warm and gentle voice, like a spring breeze brushing against leaves:
“So come back now. As Kim Eun-hwi, the half-dokkaebi who wants to become human.”
People were beings who could change in countless ways depending on their mindset.
Like the sequel to the story of the widow with a dokkaebi husband and the horse blood that Professor Bang Ki-bong had once mentioned. Instead of fearing the dokkaebi who had turned into an Eodukseoni due to the shock of being betrayed by his loved one, if the widow had repented and asked for forgiveness, perhaps the massacre of an entire village could have been prevented.
Sincerity had the power to change not only oneself but also others.
Yeo Moon-beom closed his eyes, desperately hoping that Eun-hwi would open the door himself and appear. Blue soul fire once again enveloped his entire body, but he didn’t care.
* * *
Drip.
Drip.
The sound of water droplets falling came from somewhere. The half-dokkaebi, who had been sleeping curled up small, lifted his head from between his knees and looked around.
It’s dark…
The black space, without a single ray of light, was as cold as ice, stealing all sensation from his body. Though his forehead burned with fever, his skin had long been frozen, rendering him unable to do anything.
Eun-hwi sank deeper like an entity that could disappear at any moment, isolated from the world.
‘Eun-hwi.’
…Huh?
Along with the sound of water dripping again, someone called his name.
‘Eun-hwi.’
A low and calm voice that created resonance in his chest. It was certainly a familiar voice, but he couldn’t quite remember whose it was.
‘Kill that foolish bastard right now!’
‘Kill that foolish bastard right now!’
‘Kill that foolish bastard right now!’
Another thick voice echoed in his head, giving orders. A pain like being pierced with needles washed over him, making the half-dokkaebi swallow his breath with tears welling up.
That pain wasn’t from physical wounds. Painful memories from the past were chaotically flooding Eun-hwi’s mind.
‘That’s the one who dragged you down to hell.’
‘You don’t need to sympathize with that guy’s misfortune.’
‘So resent and hate him. Be more angry so you can vent all your grudges.’
He disliked humans.
He disliked their vileness in not only ostracizing those different from themselves but also framing them for spreading plagues. He disliked their cunning in trying to exploit others’ precious feelings.
The insidious whispers that kept coming no matter how much he tried to block his ears were eating away at his mind. Just as he was about to burst into tears, feeling like he would be devoured by a formless monster—
Along with a warm heat that melted his frozen body, a fresh, cool, and somewhat bitter scent of leaves permeated his nostrils.
‘You don’t have to worry about anything now. I’ll put everything back for you. I’ll protect you.’
‘So come back now. As Kim Eun-hwi, the half-dokkaebi who wants to become human.’
Ah…
The owner of the voice he had completely forgotten was the human whom Eun-hwi had both adored and detested so much. And the human whom he ultimately had no choice but to forgive.
So this is where my heart is.
Eun-hwi clutched his rapidly beating chest. A damp moisture touched his hand. The dripping sound had been coming from his own heart, which was now melting.
He recalled in sequence how his will had been taken by the black fox, how his master had changed to a human crueler than any spirit, and how the person who had come to save him, even at the cost of his own sacrifice, was right before him.
He had appeared to be a hypocrite who deceived others flawlessly to achieve his goals. Yet the person before him now seemed extremely vulnerable, anxious, and even desperate.
Perhaps the reason this unfamiliar side of him felt lovable was because of the heart that couldn’t hate humans.
Humans were beings who would use others to hide their own weaknesses. But humans were also beings who would acknowledge their past mistakes and take action to correct them.
They were truly pitiful and foolish beings, but perhaps that was why their lives shone with such diverse colors.
I want to become human and live like one.
By his beloved one’s side.
He had given up the power he had so desperately wanted and ultimately chosen him.
With someone like him, it seemed possible to stand without wavering in the human world, which was as frightening as bottomless water.
Finally freed from the black fox’s curse, the half-dokkaebi used all his strength to open the locked door and come out. In place of the darkness that had stained everything black, now cleared away, was the face he had longed to see.
“Yeo Moon… beom.”
He gazed in turn at the straight forehead, the eyes that appeared sharp at first glance but curved gently when looking at him, the nose bridge that stood neatly without a curve, and the lips he had tasted countless times in collisions.
Somehow his nose felt prickly. In the black eyes at the end of his gaze was a warm affection.
“Welcome back, Eun-hwi. You’ve been through a lot.”
With just one sentence that gently stroked his tense nerves, his consistently anxious heart was put at ease. Eun-hwi smiled at Yeo Moon-beom more brightly than ever before.
“What are you doing! Kill him at once!”
Seeing that the half-dokkaebi would not obey despite continued orders, Jang Gitae raised his revolver, apparently deciding he needed to take action himself.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
