Chapter 83
Seven. Plum-flavored Candy
“Through the seventh month of July, eighth month of August, ninth month of September, tenth month of October, eleventh month of November, and twelfth month of December, we pray for a hundred years of fortune for the people and for evil spirits to disappear like water! Shoo evil, shoo evil, heave-ho, begone evil!”
As they got closer to the village, the sound of the villagers singing the evil-warding chant grew louder. The sight of the blazing red torches carried by the wind instilled fear, making the half-dokkaebi’s steps even heavier.
“Eun-hwi. Are you coming?”
“Yes! I’m right behind you, Yeo Moon-beom!”
Despite not being able to see anything, Yeo Moon-beom kept turning back to check if Eun-hwi was following. Eun-hwi responded with an intentionally brave voice.
Although an exorcism ritual cursing him, a dokkaebi, was taking place, Yeo Moon-beom and Dr. Hong were by his side, always taking his side no matter what. And even though he wasn’t here right now, his father Gabi was always there to support him reliably.
Eun-hwi stared at the broad back filling his vision and stepped forward with strength in his legs. His moist red lips were firmly closed.
“Go on ahead. I’ll be back quickly after stopping by.”
As they reached the outskirts of the village connected to the mountain slope, two paths appeared – one leading to the village hall and the other to the dock. Yeo Moon-beom turned his body to speak to Eun-hwi behind him, then shifted his gaze from the empty air to Dr. Hong.
“Call me immediately if anything happens.”
“I’ll make sure nothing happens, just trust me.”
Dr. Hong thumped his left chest confidently and gave a thumbs up. Yeo Moon-beom looked him up and down with a doubtful expression at this exuberant action.
“Eun-hwi.”
“Yes?”
“If you think you might be discovered, abandon this human and run away alone.”
“No. I’ll be careful so that doesn’t happen. Don’t worry too much.”
Even when scolded by Gabi, Eun-hwi would put on the dokkaebi hat and roam around the island whenever he got the chance. Since he had never been caught by the villagers before, sneaking onto a boat unnoticed would be a piece of cake.
Eun-hwi pressed his lips firmly against Yeo Moon-beom’s cheek, who couldn’t stop worrying as if dealing with a child left by the water, then said:
“I’ll definitely win a prize, so I’ll see you on the boat later, Yeo Moon-beom.”
Yeo Moon-beom rubbed his cheek where Eun-hwi’s lips had touched, as if it tickled, then shook his head and laughed as if he couldn’t help it.
“Shall we go, Dokkaebi-nim?”
“Mm-hmm.”
After staring at Yeo Moon-beom’s face, which seemed somewhat relieved of anxiety, Eun-hwi followed Dr. Hong down the opposite path. He saw houses with thin, rusty gray slate roofs and corroded plaster walls.
Everyone must have gathered at the village hall, as no human presence could be felt nearby. Only the barking of white dogs, alarmed by Dr. Hong’s hurried footsteps echoing on the street, filled the air.
Though it was soon drowned out by the loud sounds of the exorcism ritual.
They passed through a path littered with nets and ropes strewn messily over unevenly grown weeds, and reached the seaside. A humid, salty breeze brushed against their noses.
Seeing a stray cat desperately scratching at a fish drying rack covered in layers of mosquito nets, a thought suddenly crossed Eun-hwi’s mind.
“…Ah!”
“What’s wrong, Dokkaebi-nim?”
“I didn’t bring any money.”
Come to think of it, he had only packed a single set of clothes, making him as penniless as the stray cat. This was a big problem, as he’d need money to buy anything new.
“Why worry when Manager Yeo is with you? He may not be as rich as Dokkaebi-nim, but he’s quite wealthy, isn’t he? Isn’t Manager Yeo the one who earns a big bill in just one day?”
“I’m not rich though?”
While Eun-hwi had 4.95 million won, as he planned to keep the 500,000 won bill – no, the 50,000 won bill – for life, Yeo Moon-beom had a magic bag. Though Eun-hwi didn’t know how much “a big bill” was, Yeo Moon-beom could probably take out even a hundred of them if needed.
In comparison, Eun-hwi could only afford to buy four pairs of sneakers with the money he had.
“What should I do… We can’t go back home now. There’s something I really need to buy…”
“May I ask what that is?”
“Well, you see…”
“Yes, Dokkaebi-nim.”
“It’s candy. Hard candy.”
“Pardon? Hard candy?”
“Mm-hmm. Yeo Moon-beom likes candy too, so I wanted to give it as a gift.”
Expenses like food and lodging at inns could be paid back later. But he didn’t want to buy a gift for Yeo Moon-beom with borrowed money.
He had wanted to surprise him…
He felt upset that he wouldn’t be able to see Yeo Moon-beom’s happy face upon receiving a basket full of candy. As Eun-hwi stood there helplessly, stomping his feet, Dr. Hong took out his wallet from his pants pocket.
“I’d like to give you all my money if I could, but as a professor whose salary has been garnished, I only have three 10,000 won bills in my wallet. Please use this at least, Dokkaebi-nim.”
Though Eun-hwi didn’t know what “garnished” meant, he could tell it wasn’t a good thing. His eyes, as round as a full moon, widened like a rabbit’s at the sight of the three bills handed over, shaken free of even a speck of dust.
“You’re giving me all of this?”
“Of course. Please accept this as an offering to Dokkaebi-nim who saved my life.”
It seemed Dr. Hong wanted to repay his debt to Yeo Moon-beom but was too shy to do it directly, so he was trying to resolve it through Eun-hwi instead.
“Okay. I will.”
If not for the incident with Eodukseoni, Eun-hwi would have refused immediately, but he quietly accepted the money Dr. Hong offered. As soon as Dr. Hong’s plump hand let go, the green bills vanished into thin air.
“There’s someone over there, so from now on, please don’t say anything and quietly follow me, Dokkaebi-nim.”
At the end of the long dock stood a lit motorboat and the rough-looking Mr. Kim who visited the dokkaebi site every day.
His usual gang wasn’t visible. Eun-hwi was secretly relieved that the young men’s association chairman, who spewed harsh curses that made one’s heart tremble and eardrums hurt just from hearing them, wasn’t around.
“Ahem!”
Dr. Hong cleared his throat to announce his presence and approached the thug Mr. Kim, waving his hand broadly.
Gulp.
The half-dokkaebi swallowed dry saliva. Even with the dokkaebi hat on, he couldn’t help but feel nervous. His small hand clutching the strap of his bundle tightened.
“Hey! Jeongbae! It’s me!”
“Professor, what brings you here?”
The thug Mr. Kim asked Dr. Hong, stubbing out his nearly finished cigarette on the ground. For some reason, disappointment and impatience were evident on his face.
Dr. Hong slightly extended his right hand towards Eun-hwi, as if telling him to wait a bit longer before boarding the boat, then answered the thug Mr. Kim.
“I’m going to Seoul too.”
“But it’ll be a while before the boat arrives?”
“That one’s already here. The Seokgu-ho.”
“No way. This boat! It’s not for just anyone!”
The thug Mr. Kim replied seriously, grabbing Dr. Hong’s shoulder and pushing him forcefully to the opposite side. If they had been standing closer, Eun-hwi would have surely been discovered.
Dr. Hong, who had been scanning the air with unsteady eyes, suddenly shook off the thug Mr. Kim’s hand and ostentatiously dusted off his shoulders.
“I’m not just anyone, you know? This person must not have heard.”
“Heard what?”
“I forgot I have a lecture in Seoul tomorrow morning. When I explained the situation, Manager Yeo said I could ride along.”
“Come on. Our brother said that? I can’t believe it.”
The thug Mr. Kim openly scoffed. Dr. Hong reprimanded him in a low voice he had never used before.
“Listen here. What do you take me for! This won’t do. Hey, Park Jeongbae! I’m Manager Yeo’s alumni from Korea University. Would Manager Yeo lie to me, his far senior?”
“Hmm… I’ll ask the boss.”
The thug Mr. Kim shrugged and took out his phone to make a call. Seeing how he called Yeo Moon-beom “brother” familiarly, it seemed the outsiders got along well with each other.
While it seemed fortunate that Yeo Moon-beom wasn’t the only one being bullied by the villagers, somehow it didn’t feel good. Eun-hwi stared intently at the thug Mr. Kim on the phone, needlessly scratching the ground with his toes.
“Let’s board.”
The thug Mr. Kim pointed to the plank connecting to the boat, his expression not entirely satisfied despite the issue being resolved.
“My back feels a bit stiff, should I stretch before getting on?”
While Dr. Hong deliberately dawdled, Eun-hwi secretly boarded the boat by slightly raising his heels, then slowly looked around inside.
In the cramped wheelhouse, barely big enough for two people, Oh Seok-gu, the fisherman used as an errand boy by the young men’s association chairman, was dozing off. Oh Seok-gu, son of Mr. Kim from Yeong-ok Store, was treated as a fool in the village and was someone Eun-hwi had helped knowingly or unknowingly, like finding lost items for him.
“Phew…”
He sat down next to Dr. Hong, who had somehow climbed aboard and perched on the bow, and caught his breath. Sensing Eun-hwi’s presence, Dr. Hong spoke to the air in a barely audible voice.
“I did well, didn’t I, Dokkaebi-nim?”
* * *
It was now past the hour of the Rat (11 PM – 1 AM) and into the hour of the Ox (1 AM – 3 AM), when the ghost gate opens and spirits roam.
Whoosh—
The flames of the torches shooting high into the sky suddenly died down with a strong gust of wind. Soon, a man walked out of the deepening darkness.
“Aaaaagh! The dokkaebi has appeared again!”
“It’s the dokkaebi! The dokkaebi that brings plague!”
The villagers, wearing paper dokkaebi masks, aggressively threatened the man by thrusting their flickering, unsteady torches at him.
Yeo Moon-beom approached them slowly, a relaxed smile on his face. He had used up most of the dokkaebi power within him while dealing with Eodukseoni. There would be no repeat of the mistake he made at the village hall.
“Good evening, everyone. I heard you were enjoying an after-party, so I thought I’d drop by.”
A voice as deep as a cave resonated. A shaman holding a moon sword in one hand and a trident in the other scrutinized Yeo Moon-beom’s face with sharply upturned eyes.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
