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Chapter 3
Yoon Yeon-woo was dazed. Numerous spirits approached him.
They stared at him with sparkling eyes, appearing curious. Their gaze was a bit overwhelming, yet they were adorable. There was a pink rabbit covering its eyes with its ears and a light green hamster rolling around because of its round size. Looking at these fluffy creatures, he felt a strong urge to give them a big hug.
— “Everyone, don’t overwhelm him too much.”
It was then. A voice tickled his ear. He reflexively turned his head toward the sound.
— “Hello?”
“Ah, yes… Hello.”
His eyes met hers. In an instant, Yeon-woo’s eyes widened.
A truly beautiful woman was standing there. Her hair, glowing with a soft silver light, reached down to her waist. She had a red left eye and a blue right eye, and slender, delicate hands. She was so beautiful—as if sculpted by a god—that she could debut as an idol immediately. There was also a hint of cuteness in her appearance. However…
— “You were thinking I’m short, weren’t you?”
“Ahaha….”
She was short. She was about a head shorter than Yeon-woo, who stood at 174cm. If he had a younger sister in middle school, she might feel like this. And strangely, she felt familiar.
— “It’s a shame I’m older than a middle school sister, then. Anyway, nice to meet you. I am Yeon, and I am in charge of this Spirit Realm.”
“I am….”
— “I know. You are Yeon-woo-nim, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. How did you know my name…?”
He hadn’t told his name to the animals yet. Was she reading his mind because this was a dream?
— “We met when you were a child, Yeon-woo-nim. Though you probably don’t remember.”
“I see…?”
Just as she said, he didn’t remember. Even if it was childhood, he felt he would have remembered someone so striking. Unless Yeon had also looked like a little kid back then.
— “I am happy to meet you again like this.”
The corners of her thin, long lips curled upward. He asked the faintly smiling woman:
“But why am I here…?”
— “I’ll tell you that next time.”
Huh? What kind of nonsense was that?
“What? Next time?”
— “I’d like to tell you, but unfortunately, you are about to arrive at your hometown and wake up from the dream. It means we don’t have much time to talk.”
Yeon approached him. She stroked his hair with her small hand. For some reason, he couldn’t resist her touch. It just felt comfortable.
— “We are destined to meet again soon, so let’s finish our story then.”
Whoosh.
He felt that warm touch. It wasn’t unfamiliar, as if he had felt it before. At the same time, a scene flashed through his mind.
‘The old country house?’
It was the sight of a very familiar rural home. The detached house where his grandmother and grandfather lived when they were alive. The place where he used to run around with his older sister and his puppy….
‘Wait… I don’t have an older sister? Ugh!’
Following the soft touch and the old memory, Yeon-woo suddenly felt like his body was falling from the sky.
Startle!
Like a student jerking awake after dozing off in class, Yeon-woo reflexively tried to jump out of his seat.
Snap!
Fortunately, he was wearing his seatbelt, so no embarrassing accident occurred.
“Ugh…!”
However, because of the seatbelt, he felt a sharp pain.
[Next stop is Haenam County Intercity Bus Terminal.]
Right on time, the announcement for his arrival in Haenam played.
Enduring the pain, he looked out the window. Even though he had lived away for years, Haenam looked exactly the same. The bus passed the roundabout. Along that road, he saw the gas station and the repair shop. These were scenes he had seen since he was a child. He passed a restaurant that had been famous for a long time but he’d never eaten at, a gym he didn’t know existed, and the pig’s trotter place his family often ate at. Finally, he arrived at the terminal.
“It’s been a long time.”
Since he always told his parents and friends to come up to Seoul, it had been about 8 or 9 years since he last stepped foot in Haenam.
“Up there, things change in the blink of an eye. But here, everything is the same.”
Heh.
A smile spread across his face at the sight of the unchanging countryside.
He got off the bus and entered the terminal. There was the convenience store and the small clinic that had been there forever. Feeling thirsty, he went into the store. The owner was the same person from years ago. It was a convenience store without a single “sale” or “event” sticker. In the past, he would have only bought cheap 1+1 items to save money, but this time he decided to spend a little.
‘…Wait, 3,000 won for a small soda? That’s not right.’
Even if he won the lottery, this was a bit much. He left the store. The outside was also very familiar.
“There’s a mart nearby, I should go there. Ah, I hope it hasn’t disappeared.”
Surely not? With that thought, he moved his feet.
·
·
·
Fortunately, the mart was still there. It seemed to be doing well, with quite a few customers inside—not crowded like a Seoul mega-mart, but a decent amount. He went inside.
“Where is the Hanwoo beef…?”
He was picking out a gift for his parents. Since he was young, they mostly ate chicken or pork because beef was “too expensive,” so his parents rarely had it. Only occasionally, on his birthday or during holidays like Chuseok or New Year, did they have the chance. He wanted to gift them Hanwoo.
‘They’ll like it, right?’
“Eh?”
“Huh?”
While debating which beef to get, he turned his head at the sound of someone calling him. There stood a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Oh? Jo Hyun-jun.”
“I’m seeing you in Haenam? Am I dreaming?”
Jo Hyun-jun was one of his best friends from elementary, middle, and high school. He had been popular with girls since he was young because of his strangely pretty face. It seemed that face hadn’t gone anywhere. He also looked like he had been working out; his body was in great shape. Actually, it looked more like a body built from heavy lifting and manual labor rather than just the gym.
“What’s this? You came down without saying a word?”
“Yeah, I decided to pay a visit in person.”
“’In person’ my foot. I was born three months earlier than you, punk.”
Heh.
The two laughed.
“Do you work at the mart?”
“Yeah, been here for a while. About three years? What about you?”
“So that’s why you haven’t been in the group chat lately. Me? I’m unemployed right now. I quit my job and came down.”
Yeon-woo glanced down and spotted a ring on Hyun-jun’s finger.
“What? Did you get married?”
“Yeah, about a year ago.”
“Hey, you should have told me! I could have at least sent some wedding money even if I couldn’t make it.”
“We didn’t have a ceremony, we just registered. Haha. I’ll take the thought as the gift.”
Jo Hyun-jun laughed awkwardly. There were deep dark circles under his eyes. Yeon-woo felt like he shouldn’t pry further, so he didn’t ask more about the marriage.
“Ah, I have to get back to work. I’ve rested enough.”
“Right, get to work. See you later.”
“Yeah, I’m off.”
“’I’m off,’ my foot.”
After chatting for several minutes, the two parted ways.
“This part has changed a bit.”
Carrying a generous Hanwoo beef set from the mart, he walked down the street. Since it was still early winter, the air was chilly, but the sunlight was surprisingly warm. He passed the academy he attended as a kid. The playground that used to be dirt was now artificial turf. Elementary school kids in oversized soccer uniforms were sweating as they kicked a ball. Nearby, a small movie theater had been built.
“It’s improved a lot.”
In his day, you had to take a bus to Mokpo or Gwangju starting in the morning just to see a movie. He looked around while thinking of those memories. Passing the elementary school and following a map to the apartment address, his parents’ home came into view.
“So it was here.”
It was an apartment where a friend used to live. He used to just show up at the playground next to it and meet his friend without even making plans. Old memories came flooding back.
Does that friend still live here? He wasn’t sure since it was from elementary school days. It would be nice to run into him.
“Ah! I don’t know which building it is, and I don’t know the passcode!”
This apartment had Building A and Building B. Building A was on the right and Building B was on the left. Which one was it?
“Hmm….”
He quickly took out his phone and opened his messages.
‘I think there was a photo they sent when they moved.’
He found it—it had the building, floor, and unit number. Based on that, he arrived at the door. But it was one obstacle after another.
“Hmm… at this rate, I’ll go to the police station before I go home.”
He didn’t know the door lock passcode. Still, he could make some guesses.
“Let’s try four times.”
If it didn’t work after four tries, he’d call and ask.
First, his mother’s birthday.
Beep!
Nope. His father’s birthday.
Beep!
Then, Yoon Yeon-woo’s birthday.
Beep!
“….”
This was getting difficult. One last try—what should it be?
“Then….”
If this failed, he’d have no choice. He tried a combination of his parents’ birthdays and his own.
Tiriring!
With a cheerful sound, the door opened. A familiar scent wafted from the house.
“Phew… I’m home.”
He took off his shoes and stepped inside. The first thing he saw was a frame hanging on the wall.
“….”
He stared at the family photo. His mother and father were standing, and a young Yoon Yeon-woo was sitting alone on a chair. And on his lap….
“As I thought… I can’t see it.”
There was clearly something there, but it was a presence obscured by heavy noise/blur. He had heard from his late grandfather that it was a puppy he had raised as a child. But he had no memory of it. They said he might have lost the memory due to the shock of almost drowning in a river a long time ago. He wasn’t sure. They said the puppy he raised died while saving him. He couldn’t even remember that. His parents said they didn’t remember it either.
“What did you look like?”
No matter how hard he tried to remember, nothing came to mind. It must have been cute, or maybe it was brave.
“I’m sorry I can’t remember you. And thank you, always.”
If it hadn’t saved him then, Yoon Yeon-woo wouldn’t be here now. He closed his eyes for a moment.
Then, the dream he had on the bus came back to him.
Spirits.
That word stuck in his mind.
At first, he thought it was just a random dream, but he felt a sensation that it was closer to reality than a dream. For some reason, he felt that if he dug deeper into this “Spirit” thing, he might be able to recover the memories of his dead puppy.
‘How can I go back there?’
There was a clue. The old country house where he lived with his grandparents.
‘I wonder if they sold that house.’
If they hadn’t sold it and still owned it, he could go there without any problems. Still, there was nothing he could do right this moment.
“It’s almost time for them to finish work… I’ll ask later. For now, should I prepare dinner?”
A family meal for the first time in ages. Time to get started.
