MB Ch 9
by AnonAnemoneAs Mujang began to walk towards Bari’s room, Ran stood in front of him.
After the black rain, Mujang’s illusions began to crumble bit by bit. The roof tiles began to corrode, the ends of the tree branches began to rot. Even the flower petals were drying up and falling to the ground. The petals had even made it inside the corridor as they tumbled around.
Mujang held the pomegranate in one hand and stared at Ran.
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“It’s quite strange.”
Ran’s hazy appearance gradually grew clearer. He looked at Mujang with a cold expression on his face.
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“I remember meeting you in the past.”
Mujang threw him a chilling glare. Even though he looked like a young goblin, Mujang knew that he wasn’t truly a goblin. It was impossible for a living spirit, even a goblin, to roam around in the underworld.
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What was this punk? How long had he been here?
“Where did you meet me? The heavenly realm? The underworld?”
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“Wani.”
When he heard the word ‘Wani’, Mujang closed his mouth.
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Wani? Ran used to be in Wani?
“I was also a young child back then. I don’t remember my father’s face, but I remember being hit a lot. My bones snapped, blood bursting out… No one ever cared about our little tent.”
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This was what Wani was like. Misfortune was just a part of daily life. All the violence that occurred there, the filth, the disgusting… No one could stand it.
“Only one person came to our home and received a blow in my stead.”
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Mujang frowned. What was he talking about?
“Don’t tell me…”
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“Muyi.”
The unexpected name caused a shiver to run down Mujang’s spine.
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“It was Muyi-noona.”
“Who are you?”
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“Who am I? I’m like this now, and back then I was a young child in Wani. Would you have remembered me if I told you?”
“Are you also an evil spirit?”
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“I don’t know. When I woke up, I was already in the forest of Mount Dongdae. At first, I didn’t know who I was, who you were…”
Ran chuckled.
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“Now I remember. You’re the noble older brother of Muyi-noona, Mujang.”
Mujang continued to stare at Ran with a stiff face. Muyi cared for many children in Wani. They were mostly abandoned children or children who were beaten. Mujang didn’t like that she was being needlessly nosy. Even though they were also struggling to feed themselves, she would always share their food with those children, going hungry herself. He had repeatedly entreated her to focus on taking care of herself first.
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“Muyi-noona never wanted to go to the heavenly realm.”
Ran began to speak about the distant past.
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“She only wanted you to find the yaksu on Mount Dongdae.”
He recalled the words Muyi had told him back then. That day, Muyi had planned to die and cut her wrists. He held that young girl covered in blood in his arms. How could he forget what he said at that moment?
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“It’s the life-giving water of the gods. They say that if you drink it, there is no disease it can’t cure.”
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“I’ll get the yaksu for you no matter what.”
That’s right. He had made that promise to her. As he held the dying child.
“But you took the reluctant Muyi-noona to the heavenly realm instead.”
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“That’s because…!”
“Because you wanted to show it to the gods. That you were right…”
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“That’s not true.”
“How am I wrong? Mujang-nim, even though you knew how Muyi-noona would suffer if she went to the heavenly realm, you went up there for your own sake.”
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“Ran!”
“And what was the result? Why was Muyi-noona sacrificed for the mess you made? The rumors spread far and wide in the underworld, Mujang-nim. They say that if it wasn’t for her older brother’s stupid stunt, Muyi would not have been abandoned in that beastly pit.”
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Ran’s blue eyes filled with hatred.
Mujang kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t make any excuses. Back then, for defeating the mythical beast Ivan that tried to destroy the heavens, the Heavenly Emperor bestowed upon him one wish. Mujang could make a choice. He could ask for the yaksu from Mount Dongdae to make Muyi whole, or he could ask them to let the two of them return to the heavenly realm. He could make that choice.
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At that time, he definitely…
He chose the heavenly realm.
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He thought that he could always get some yaksu from Mount Dongdae whenever he wanted.
The gods’ life-giving water. The moveable Dongdae Mountains. He thought it was a piece of cake. If he could do it, he could always get it. That’s what he believed. However, the results did not go as expected. The staring eyes of the heavenly realm dripped with contempt. Muyi’s days were lonelier in the heavenly realm than in Wani.
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“You cannot obtain the yaksu from Mount Dongdae.”
Ran spoke in a cold voice.
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“Because it has already disappeared thousands of years ago. This mountain is merely a cursed mountain. It does not hold the yaksu. Why did you not ask for the yaksu from the Heavenly Emperor? At that time, there would have been a chance. You wouldn’t have had to do all these needless things for 2,800 years. Muyi-noona’s face would have been fixed…”
It was already in the past. Regretting a decision that had already been made was useless.
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“That’s why I…”
Mujang spit out in a low voice.
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“That’s why, no matter what…”
“That’s why you tried to obtain the yaksu by killing Bari’s child?”
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Silence settled over them.
Mujang merely stared back at Ran.
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“I always wondered about this.”
Ran continued to speak in an indifferent voice.
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“Why is it that both gods and humans cannot regret their wrong decisions after it has been made? Why do they make the same mistakes again? When there was another chance, why couldn’t you think about the person who deserved your love first? Why couldn’t you put someone else first instead of yourself? Why is this still the case now?”
Step by step, Ran approached him. His lips stretched into a crooked smile.
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“Do you know why I like Bari? You will come to know it soon. Ask her, Mujang-nim. Ask her whether she can give up on her most precious person in order to obtain the yaksu that she so desperately needs… Ask her, Munang-nim.”
Mujang’s hands trembled, causing the pomegranate to fall to the ground.
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Thud. The red fruit was trampled on the corridor floor. Behind Ran stood a woman with a pale face. It was Bari.
“Bari…”
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He moaned out her name. However, it was as if she didn’t recognize him. Ran passed by the two of them and walked towards the corridor exit. Meanwhile, a cold wind brushed past the three of them. Mujang didn’t move an inch and merely stared at Bari. Therefore, he was able to clearly see the light leave her eyes. The sparkle that always seemed to surround her began to disappear.
“What does he mean, Mujang-nim?”
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It was as if she could barely push each syllable out of her mouth.
Mujang couldn’t give her an answer.
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“What did Ran say just now? In order to obtain the ya-yaksu, you’ll kill the child… What is he talking about?”
Mujang gazed at her. Nothing came to mind. Not a single word. When he looked into the memories of her heart, he thought that this was the best course of action to take… None of these words came to mind. He couldn’t find any excuse to justify this. The self-righteousness that kept the truth from her was nowhere to be found.
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“There is no yaksu on Mount Dongdae.”
Mujang opened his mouth.
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With those words, the truth crashed between them.
“What did you say?”
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“There is no yaksu here.”
Bari was at a loss for words and merely stared at him. As expected, her eyes began to fill with tears.
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“Then why…?”
“Why did I promise to give you the yaksu? Because of the goddess Mago. Because Mago…”
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The following words were too difficult to say. But he needed to. No matter what, he needed to find a way to say them…
“Because she promised to give us the yaksu if we give her a child made by you and me.”
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It was as if something was cracking between them. No, it was like a sandstorm was blowing all around them. Like a piece of paper burning in the flames, everything Mujang had built, all the illusions, began to disappear. Just like how the flowers turned into dust once they were picked. And just like that, everything began to collapse. Behind the beautiful pretense, there was the truth. A crumbling, horrifying heap of ruins.
Ruins.
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Within the ruins stood Bari.
As if her soul had left her body.
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Her clothing had transformed back to rags. Just like the very beginning.
Lightning flashed in the distance. The resulting thunder rumbled in the sky. The dying Mount Dongdae shrunk once more. No one could stop it from crumbling from the inside out.
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Bari did not say a word. Her pale face merely stared back at Mujang. She took a shaky step back. Mujang raced to her side to catch her. Slap! She struck his hand away. An indescribable chill took over her body.
“What does that mean? Give the child to the goddess?”
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Bari’s entire body began to shake.
Her voice grew louder once again. Mujang clenched his teeth and barely managed to open his mouth.
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“The reason why the gods can enjoy eternal life… is because of what they eat.”
Bari’s eyes trembled with emotion.
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Eat? Eat what? The child?
“One of the things they eat is a child born between a god and a human…”
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“Enough!”
Bari cried out. She looked at him with a ghostly pale face. She stared at him as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard, as if she couldn’t understand. Suddenly, she shook her head.
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“It…”
Tears trickled down.
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They traveled down Bari’s cheeks and fell to the ground.
“It’s not poison, is it?”
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She closed her eyes as if she were feeling dizzy. Tears clinged onto her eyelashes before falling down.
“Am I… pregnant?”
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When he heard her strangled voice, Mujang couldn’t reply.
“Answer me.”
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Bari turned her head and looked at him as she gave him an order. Unable to look at her tear-filled eyes, Mujang clenched his teeth. His voice would not leave his throat.
“Answer me!”
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Bari screamed. Then she began to beat his chest like a person who had gone insane. She couldn’t believe this. How could he have thought to do this?!
“You beastly man! How can someone like you be a god? To think that you were willing to give up your child for someone else to eat! How could you think that?! Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind, you son of a bitch!”
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Nothing came to mind. No thought popped into her mind. Only pure rage seemed to burn her bones and flesh.
“Answer me! I’m asking you if I’m with child! I’m asking you if there’s already a child in my belly!”
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Mujang looked into her eyes before slowly closing them. Tears began to form on the rims. It was ridiculous and nauseating.
“Move! Move right this instant! I’m going to kill you! Don’t even think of appearing in front of me ever again! You demons! How can you call yourselves gods? How are you gods?!”
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A piercing sound rang in the air. Mujang’s face snapped to the side. Bari had slapped his cheek, but otherwise, he did not move. He did not say a word.
Bari pushed him away and ran. She didn’t know where she was going, but she wanted to escape Mount Dongdae. From the place she thought was home. She wanted to escape from the devil she considered her husband.
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“Aaaaagh!”
Her screams rang throughout the mountains. She stumbled to the ground, and the sharp, red plants pierced her hands. However, she did not feel any pain.
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Compared to the pain inside her heart, this was nothing. Compared to the pain that was ripping her apart, this was truly nothing.
“You are supposed to disappear. You mustn’t be alive. We threw you into the river and sent you back to the land of the dead. But those people saved you. And they raised you in secret. And now look. There has been an endless string of calamities in this land ever since you were born. Droughts and floods have come and gone. Insects have eaten the crops. Plagues, mountain fires, and storms have rocked the land. And now, His Majesty the Great King has also fallen ill.”
She recalled what that ‘thing’ had told her. She felt that it was telling the truth. She was someone that needed to disappear, someone that mustn’t be alive. Because of her, everyone died, calamities and droughts had come, and the king had become ill.
Because of her…
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But what about the child? What about the child inside her belly that hadn’t yet taken shape?
Was this child going to be born for the sole purpose of becoming the food of the gods? Was this child conceived because of its cruel father’s schemes? Was this child going to be sacrificed for the sake of its parents?
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“…You’re kidding”
Bari murmured in a daze.
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“You’re kidding.”
Bari’s legs grew stiff as she began to stumble. Tears began to flow down her cheeks once again, but she quickly wiped them away. Now wasn’t the time to be crying. There was no time to waste. If she was truly with child, she could not stay here. She didn’t need the yaksu. She could not hand this child over to the gods to become their food.
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Bari continued to walk towards the forest. She felt a sharp pain and looked down. Her feet were pierced by the sharp plants. She then recalled how she had crossed through the Magenta Forest nine years ago. The iron shoes. She had worn the shoes that she had brought from the River Styx.
What should she do? Did she need to go back home and bring her things?
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The only things she had with her in the underworld were some brass coins, a bell, and the iron shoes. She had used the coins to cross the River Styx, and she had used the iron shoes when she had traversed through the thorny Magenta Forest. Strangely, the bell did not make a sound, but she kept it on her body at all times just in case. After all, everything she had received had an important use at the proper time.
With this in mind, Bari turned around to head back to the house. Ran was standing behind her. He held Bari’s things in a bundle in one hand.
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Bari silently took the bundle from him.
* * *
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Getting out of the Magenta Forest was surprisingly easy.
But Bari kept finding it difficult to breathe. She almost fell down several times, and each time, she gained a new wound on her arm. Even though she was wearing the iron shoes, it still felt as if the sharp foliage were bursting out of her feet and ripping her body to shreds.
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“Get a hold of yourself, Bari.”
If Ran wasn’t here, she might have died in the forest.
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No, she might already be dead.
Bari was the one who was not in her right mind. Shock and rage repeatedly swirled through her. She wanted to run back and kill Mujang, but she also wanted nothing more than to escape this suffocating forest fog.
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It was as if the red branches kept appearing out of thin air like monsters, reaching out to strangle her neck. Bari staggered, but she did not stop walking.
Despite Ran’s repeated efforts to get her to eat something, she couldn’t do it. Just the thought of eating something made her stomach churn.
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How long had they been walking?
Had they been walking for days?
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She suddenly felt as if her surroundings were brighter. They no longer needed the goblin fire. It was the first time she had seen the break of dawn in nine years. She looked around in shock. It was still desolate, but she could now see some green grass growing through the cracks in the ground.
“Grass…”
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Bari stretched out her hand and touched the small blades of grass. They were young and had barely managed to pierce through the dirt. Bari looked around. There was grass popping out of the ground in various places underneath the slightly brighter sky. She plucked one out. Unlike the flowers on Mount Dongdae, the blade of grass did not turn into dust. So it meant that they were real. Even if they did sprout in the underworld.
She looked behind her. She could finally see the faint outline of a dark mountain covered in a red forest. The mountain flickered as if it were a mirage. Was that place real? Or was it just the hazy fog? Its shape continued to change.
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It didn’t surprise her. It had been so difficult to find that mountain in the first place. Like a fish living in the deepest depths of the ocean, the mountain repeatedly appeared and disappeared in the underworld. If she went somewhere, believing that was where the mountain was, it would disappear. Then she’d go somewhere else after being told it was there, and then it would disappear again.
Because she had managed to find it with such difficulty, she was determined to come out only when she had the yaksu in her possession. That’s why she had remained there for nine years. She felt like she was being foolish, but she couldn’t help but think that those nine years felt very short.
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In fact, the nine years she lived on Mount Dongdae were the most peaceful years of her life after she had arrived at the underworld. Mount Dongdae was rough and exhausting, but food always appeared in the kitchen, and Mujang’s house was quiet.
The evil spirits never left her, but Ran had his goblin fire, so they did not approach her as easily as they did before. Additionally, just knowing that the yaksu was nearby gave her the hope and strength to endure.
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But there was no yaksu. Only a false god lived there. There would be no reason for them to meet again. As if it read her mind, the mountain kept growing dimmer and dimmer.
Suddenly, Bari realized she was still wearing the iron shoes. She took them off. Her bare feet were covered in bruises. It didn’t look like they’d go away anytime soon.
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Bari gazed at her wounded feet before throwing the iron shoes aside. She began to walk again. She would never go through the Magenta Forest and enter Mount Dongdae ever again. She promised this to herself. Never again. She would never search for the yaksu ever again.
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