The Dokkaebi Waiting for the Moon

Chapter 35

“… The principle of heaven?”

Yeo Moon-beom, who was coldly smiling while tracing the gleaming axe blade with his fingertips, glared at the Mountain God with a mix of mockery and contempt.

“I’ve already given up so much in life, and you’re telling me to give up more? Don’t spout such bullshit. I have no intention of giving up anything. I gain one thing and then another. That’s my goal and my path forward.”

As if to say he wouldn’t be shaken no matter how much he was pushed, he gripped the fading bluish energy at the tip of the blade and continued speaking.

“Say whatever you want. As if I’d agree. I don’t believe in lesser spirits who just stand by with folded arms, minding others’ business, and then spout pretty nonsense. The only thing I believe in is my own strength.”

“Power is something that blinds one’s eyes, preventing them from seeing the essence. You speak foolishly.”

Despite the fierce gaze that seemed about to devour him, the Mountain God didn’t flinch and met Yeo Moon-beom’s eyes.

I had heard that the Mountain God and the Mountain Lord were separate entities, but they always stayed close to each other, becoming one to protect the mountain.

However, between the Mountain God who called Yeo Moon-beom a tiger, and Yeo Moon-beom who lowered the Mountain God to a lesser spirit, I couldn’t feel any sense of bond. If anything, there was only distrust and hostility.

Eun-hwi swallowed dryly and clenched his hands, damp with rain and sweat. There was a different kind of tension from when we faced the Inmyeonjo. I was anxious, fearing that if emotions ran high, it might escalate into a fight like before.

“Let’s go, Eun-hwi.”

“… Huh?”

Yeo Moon-beom, who looked like he might swing his axe at the Mountain God at any moment, picked up the dokkaebi hat that had fallen and was rolling on the ground.

“There’s no need to deal with such a cowardly bystander. It’s a waste of time.”

“But Yeo Moon-beom…”

“Let’s go back. You’ll catch a cold if you stay in wet clothes for too long. Let’s go take a warm bath.”

Yeo Moon-beom walked past the Mountain God as if he didn’t exist and headed towards the hackberry tree where he had left the A-frame carrier.

Although the bleeding had stopped, Eun-hwi’s vision was filled with his scratched and gouged back. Hesitating between the Mountain God and Yeo Moon-beom, not knowing what to do, Eun-hwi finally made up his mind and spoke.

“Mountain God.”

“What is it, child?”

“Please heal Yeo Moon-beom too. He got hurt like that while protecting me.”

“This kind of injury will heal quickly with some medicine. It’s not a serious wound.”

Yeo Moon-beom, who was glaring at the Mountain God with sharp eyes, spoke to Eun-hwi in a gentle voice that contrasted with his expression. He was astonishingly calm, as if the injury was nothing to worry about.

But even at a glance, the wound looked deep enough to have torn the flesh. It must be quite painful, even if he didn’t say so.

“Please heal him anyway. I don’t like Yeo Moon-beom being in pain.”

He shouldered the A-frame carrier as if it was nothing, even though the straps must be pressing on his shoulders and the twigs of the firewood must be scratching his back.

“It’ll take time to heat the bath water, we don’t have time to waste here. Let’s go, hurry.”

When Eun-hwi showed no sign of moving, Yeo Moon-beom started walking ahead. He was holding the axe instead of the carrier stick, as if to say he wouldn’t let anyone touch him, even if it was the Mountain God.

“If he goes on like this, the wound will get deeper…”

As Eun-hwi was fidgeting, unable to decide what to do, the Mamyeongjo bird flew up at the Mountain God’s gesture and came back with something in its beak.

“Feed him this.”

“This… this is…”

It was a medicinal herb resembling a lingzhi mushroom, with a unique glossy surface on its semicircular cap and concentric patterns.

It was the immortality herb said to grow only in the land of the immortals. Eun-hwi stared in amazement at the legendary herb he had only heard about from Gabi.

“Since you haven’t gained spiritual power yet, eating this won’t grant immortality. Don’t worry and feed it to him.”

“Thank you! Thank you, Mountain God!”

Eun-hwi bowed several times to the Mountain God. While it might not have been such an extraordinary herb to Yeo Moon-beom, who was familiar with modern wonders from the outside world like the magic bag and Siri, Eun-hwi was just grateful to the Mountain God for giving him such a precious thing.

“Remember this. All things are resolved according to the natural order.”

“Yes. I’ll never forget.”

“Now, go on.”

“Yes! Mountain God!”

Eun-hwi bowed politely, placing both hands neatly above his navel. Making sure not to lose it by running and falling like last time, Eun-hwi carefully tucked the immortality herb inside his sleeve and followed after Yeo Moon-beom, grabbing his straw hat.

Gazing at the small and petite half-dokkaebi’s back, so unlike his tall father, the Mountain God murmured.

“You’re becoming more and more like the woman I loved. Forgive me for leaving the island and entrusting everything to Inmyeonjo, unable to bear looking at you. Hwi.”

Until they arrived home, Yeo Moon-beom didn’t say a word. A heavy atmosphere prevailed, quite the opposite of earlier when they had been chattering endlessly playing word games.

Yeo Moon-beom finally stopped walking as he entered the yard after opening the main gate and put down his A-frame carrier. Eun-hwi, who had been nervously trying to figure out how to bring up the topic of the immortality herb, quickly helped him by supporting the carrier.

“… Was it always like this?”

Yeo Moon-beom suddenly asked. Not understanding the point of the question, Eun-hwi replied with a “Hmm?” and he elaborated.

“The bullying, I mean.”

“Ah… that.”

Finally understanding his meaning, Eun-hwi answered in a small voice.

“It wasn’t as bad as today. They just occasionally hit me on the head, threw stones at me, and teased me for smelling like a human…”

“Was it that Inmyeonjo from earlier?”

“No. Saripgoe and Eodukseoni… Mongdalgwi and Yagwanggwi, I think?”

As Eun-hwi counted on his fingers, naming the spirits who often bullied him, Yeo Moon-beom looked shocked.

“How many of these bastards are there?”

“Huh? There are fewer than when I was living on Baekdu Mountain. There were more back then. Like Baekdu Yacha, Jomagwi, Jangdusa. And Gapsan-goe…”

“This won’t do. It’s a trash dump here and there. I need to set a date and clean it up thoroughly.”

“Clean up?”

“The best way to deal with non-recyclable trash is to burn it.”

He narrowed his eyes and pulled up one corner of his mouth.

Eun-hwi looked around, wondering if he had spotted some trash that needed to be swept and cleaned daily, as there wasn’t usually much to clean up.

Yeo Moon-beom picked up the axe again with a nonchalant expression and said,

“I’ll be chopping firewood to heat the bath water. Go inside and get some clothes to change into. You must be hungry, so let’s quickly wash up and eat the kimbap we couldn’t eat earlier.”

He started splitting the long pieces of firewood he had cut to fit the A-frame carrier into smaller pieces for the bathhouse furnace.

Giving up on finding trash, Eun-hwi stood there, staring at Yeo Moon-beom who was focused on chopping wood. The blue spiritual energy at the tip of the axe blade had long since disappeared.

“Why are you just standing there?”

“Hey. That thing from earlier, how did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“You know, when you put dokkaebi power into the axe and beat up the Inmyeonjo.”

“Well… I just swung it in anger… Maybe Mr. Kim Gabi lent me his strength?”

Yeo Moon-beom put down the axe and showed the ring on his middle finger.

“Our father?”

“I think so.”

“I see. So it was father’s power…”

It was a strength that was incomparable to Eun-hwi’s, who couldn’t do anything except float dokkaebi fire in the air.

Yeo Moon-beom, who had driven back the high-ranking spirit Inmyeonjo just by borrowing Gabi’s power through the ring for a moment, seemed incredibly amazing to Eun-hwi.

However, at the moment, his back was in tatters, torn by the Inmyeonjo’s claws. If their wavelengths hadn’t matched, he might have suffered an even greater shock from the collision of different powers.

Looking at the tattered upper garment that no longer functioned as clothing, Eun-hwi’s heart ached again and his nose stung.

This was all because of him, who had excitedly gone somewhere he shouldn’t have, lured by the promise of granting a wish.

“Yeo Moon-beom.”

“Yeah?”

Eun-hwi took out the immortality herb he had tucked inside his sleeve and held it out to him.

“Eat this. It’s a medicinal herb that’s good for you.”

Yeo Moon-beom examined the leaf-shaped cap closely, puzzled by its unusual appearance, unlike typical medicinal plants, let alone mushrooms.

“Where did you get this?”

“Uh, well, you know…”

“It wasn’t given by that Mountain God or whatever lesser spirit, was it?”

“No, no. Mamyeongjo gave it to me.”

“That long-tailed bird from earlier?”

“…Yeah.”

“So the lesser spirit did give it to you.”

“No, that’s not it!”

It was true that the Mountain God had given it, but it was Mamyeongjo who had brought the immortality herb to him. Eun-hwi shook his head desperately.

“I thought you said the grim reaper would come for you if you lied, but here you are lying?”

He scrutinized Eun-hwi’s face with a dubious look. His expression, with eyes wide as if he might call the grim reaper right away, made it clear that this time, Eun-hwi wouldn’t be able to get away with it like he had with “Rium-rium.”

I still have to make him eat it.

Eun-hwi gripped the stem tightly. His neat fingertips turned red. Without hesitation, he put the immortality herb in his mouth and stood on his tiptoes to press his lips against Yeo Moon-beom’s.