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Chapter 8
Yeon’s explanation was short. Yet, her expression was dark. Hearing the explanation made my heart feel heavy.
“So attributes… they are created because of the reason they died. Does that mean the children without attributes died of natural causes?”
“Yes….”
The reason the spirits could create things like fire or water was simple. Too simple.
It was because they had died in accidents. If they drowned in water, they could use water when they became spirits. If they burned to death, they could create fire. The reason was truly gruesome.
I thought that perhaps it was a relief they lost their memories. At least they didn’t have to feel the horrific tragedy of their deaths.
I turned my gaze. My eyes met Hayangi‘s.
“Then… Hayangi, did you die because of water?”
For a moment, my heart ached. Long ago, Yoon Yeon-woo had gone to a river with his family and their dog, but they were swept away by a sudden rainstorm. The dog he raised died then, and he lost that memory due to the shock of the accident. Even now, that memory had never fully returned. That memory seemed to overlap with Hayangi.
“Woong~? I don’t know~. Maybe~. But I don’t remember~.”
Beaming.
Hayangi laughed. That smile was so harmless. Because of that, my chest throbbed and ached.
“Still~. It wasn’t hard~.”
Ahem.
As if acting tough, a limb-like arm (?) poked out of the cotton candy and touched its side. Then it tilted its head, wondering, “Huh? Is that not it?”
“I don’t have an attribute-ham! I lived normally and died-ham!”
Kong-kong approached from the side. Whining, it grabbed the hem of Yoon Yeon-woo‘s pants.
“You’re quite a crybaby for your size, aren’t you?”
To be honest, until I heard the explanation just now, I mostly just thought they were cute. I didn’t hold deep emotions for them beyond pity.
But realizing once again that they had all died made my heart feel sentimental. They had all grown up receiving plenty of love under wonderful masters and stayed with them until death. If only they had all ended their lives with happiness.
Not everyone ended their life with a happy ending. Surely some children left happily, but not all of them did.
“That’s not it-ham! Still, a human’s embrace is good-ham!”
Kong-kong hopped and jumped while holding the hem of his pants. I picked the little fellow up. I held it in my arms carefully so it wouldn’t get hurt. Then, Kong-kong hugged Yoon Yeon-woo with its fluffy arms and legs. It was warm and soft. At the same time, my heart felt overwhelmed.
“It feels good-ham!”
“Yeon-woo~. Me too~.”
Kong-kong smiled brightly. I stroked its back.
“It’s good to see.”
Watching this, Yeon smiled softly. I replied to her.
“I will definitely give you my answer by tomorrow.”
My heart was already drawn to the spirits. However, a choice should not be made all at once. It would be too late to regret it later, calling it a wrong choice.
“Yes, I’ll be waiting.”
Grin.
Yeon smiled. After stroking Kong-kong and Hayangi for a while after that smile, I finally left the Spirit Realm. On the way out, I saw several other spirits looking disappointed and some looking a bit wary. Just as there are many kinds of people, it seemed not all spirits liked humans unconditionally.
After leaving the Spirit Realm and the country house, I got on my bicycle.
“It’s already this late.”
Before I knew it, the high sun was setting, and white clouds tinged with orange hung high in the sky. I marveled at the sunset. When working at a factory, there are more times when you do overtime than when you leave on time. Seeing the sunset was quite nice after usually only following the faint moonlight after the sun had fully set. It would be nice to have a drink while looking at that orange sun.
Ding—!
My phone rang.
“Oh, I had a call from Hoe-cheon.”
The notification was from Jang Hoe-cheon. Looking at the time of the call, it was exactly when I had entered the Spirit Realm. I really didn’t know time had passed so quickly because I had seen so many extraordinary scenes.
“I guess signals don’t reach the Spirit Realm?”
Thinking about it, it was obvious. Strictly speaking, it was on Korean land, but the Spirit Realm was not Korea. It was a completely different space.
“They were cute….”
The giant light-green hamster Kong-kong. The cotton-candy-like Hayangi. And even the other spirits watching them with various gazes. They were all cute and new. That’s why I was even more worried. It was only natural.
“…Will I be able to do a good job?”
Managing lives is a bigger deal than I thought. It might be easier than an adult raising an infant, but spirits were mysterious creatures that had shared souls with many humans.
They were ones who had already been loved once. Could someone like me give them love that would satisfy them? Would I just cause confusion for the spirits for no reason?
Naturally, such worries were bound to arise. Because life is precious and special. If I hadn’t known that, I wouldn’t have agonized so much.
“Haha. I don’t know.”
Will I do well? Will the spirits like me? Will I be able to make them satisfied? Various worries floated in my head.
Still, I didn’t hate it. In fact, it was enjoyable.
Until now, I had a trauma engraved in my body because of the pet I lost as a child. Whenever I tried to touch animals, my hand would hesitate. My hands and feet would tremble just looking into their eyes.
As if…
‘As if I killed it.’
No, strictly speaking, I did kill it. If only I had listened to my parents back then, that child wouldn’t have disappeared.
Sometimes I had those thoughts. If I could go back to the past, wouldn’t I make a different choice?
It wasn’t because of the large sum of money from the lottery. Of course, the lottery is great. It’s a fact I have to admit, but even if there was no lottery, if I were asked to manage the spirits, I would have worried as deeply as I am now.
But.
I could touch the spirits. It felt very warm and soft, just like touching an animal. I wanted to touch them again. A desire to meet that child again bloomed.
“Phew….”
If it’s now, couldn’t I at least partially make up for the mistake I made as a child? If it’s now, couldn’t I find that child and hold it in my arms?
A dream-like thing that felt unreachable until now. That opportunity had come. Was there any reason to refuse? Still, still, I have to think about it. Because one choice could become a trauma that pierces through life.
‘Let’s go home for now.’
While I was thinking, the day had already grown dark. The orange sky turned black, and a spectacle completely different from the city unfolded. I rode my bike along the road.
Whirrr!
A quiet space where not even a car passed. I changed gears and rode fast. In the sky, countless stars sparkled.
Using the light from the few tall streetlights as a guide—Whirrr!—I increased my speed even more. A night sprint that couldn’t be done in the city. It was a bit dangerous, but today felt like it was okay to run. It was just a bicycle, not a motorcycle or a sports car, but the sense of speed was significant. It was enough to clear away the fog of worry in my head. You know that feeling—the way there feels long, but the way back feels close.
Before I knew it, Yoon Yeon-woo was in front of his parents’ house.
“Gwaaaaah!”
The pain of pushing aside my worries for a moment hit my thighs. A stinging sound escaped my mouth. It was because I had pedaled the bike without resting. My thighs were pumped up so much that it wouldn’t be strange if they burst. Feeling that pain, I went back inside. The bike ride after so long was satisfying.
Sizzle!
Whoosh!
When I returned home, my parents weren’t back yet. My father was still out, and my mother hadn’t finished work. So I was making something for my parents to eat, as they must have had a busy and hard day. Good food relieves the fatigue of the day.
“Hum-hum-hum~.”
When I lived in the company dormitory, they didn’t provide meals except for lunch. Instead, they provided a meal allowance, so the coworkers usually ordered delivery. But Yoon Yeon-woo didn’t order out and cooked for himself.
“Dinner has to be spicy stir-fried pork (Jeyuk-bokkeum) with lots of chopped green onions.”
Actually, I wasn’t interested in cooking at first. But not long after I joined the company, the senior who was my mentor at the time called me over. Worried about Yoon Yeon-woo, who started working at a factory at a young age, that senior made a feast that I can still remember the taste of today. He even prepared side dishes for me once every two weeks.
I think I became interested in cooking from then on. Because the affection I received then was so special. When I was tired and exhausted, feeling like I would break from the waves of society, I didn’t know the hand held out to me would be so warm.
Since then, I followed that senior and learned various cooking methods. That senior wasn’t someone who had worked in a restaurant or had a chef’s license. It was just a level of sharing the inner strength he had built up to survive. That’s why there was more warmth in those skills.
“I wonder how he’s doing?”
One day, that senior quit the factory. I heard he moved to a really good place. I think they said he holds quite a high position in that company now. I don’t know for sure since we lost contact.
“Still, I’m glad he’s doing well.”
With a smirk and that thought—Sizzle!
I flipped the stir-fried pork, which was heavily coated in red sauce, with a snap of my wrist. A wooden spatula would work, but I followed the senior’s words: “Cooking is about style!” and flipped it with my wrist.
Sizzle!
The sauce and meat mixed in the pan, cooking while giving off a savory smell. Then, the sauce on the edge of the frying pan gradually began to bubble and burn. I scraped it off and mixed it with the original sauce.
— “Yeon-woo. It’s okay to eat as long as it’s not burnt black.”
That’s what I learned from that senior.
They say there are cancer-causing substances, but after hearing that it’s fine unless you eat enough burnt food to burst your stomach in a day, I didn’t worry about it.
— “Such things are a luxury for a ‘tough guy’.”
As small memories came to mind, a smile hung on my lips. I wanted to see that senior again after a long time. But that was hard. I had come down to Haenam, and I didn’t even know where he was.
Tsh-tsh-tsh!
Before I knew it, the meat was all cooked and took on an appetizing color. Just looking at the meat made me want to drink soju.
— “It’s all done!”
“It’s done.”
Spicy-sweet stir-fried pork made with tender pork belly is complete. Since it was just finished, white steam was spreading out. Now I just have to eat it with white rice.
Slurp.
Just as I was about to pick up a piece to check if the seasoning was right!
Ring-ring!
[A call from ‘Rascal’ has arrived.]
The phone rang right on time.
“He really has a knack for sensing food.”
I picked up the phone.
