MDOF | Chapter 2.2

“No.”

“Why? You said I smell good…!”

“If I eat you now, I’ll get a stomachache. You need to ripen more.”

As Yeon ran his hand through Seonwoo’s wet hair, a warm energy spread for a moment. Seeing Seonwoo’s mouth open in surprise, a playful look crossed Yeon’s eyes. Isn’t it amazing? This is nothing. His eyes shone with the innocence of a child showing off a new toy.

“Eh…”

Seonwoo’s brown pupils, surprised by the water that disappeared in an instant, expanded with a start before he could even voice his admiration. Seonwoo, frowning, covered his twisted lips and looked into the darkness beyond.

“Why?”

“The smell… me…”

The scent that pierced his sense of smell was a fleeting memory but unforgettable. Returning from the brink of death, Seonwoo could never forget the pain mixed with the repulsive stench.

His face turned pale as he tried to suppress his nausea from the foul smell that had faintly entered through the light of the summer sunset.

The newly formed icy limbs still felt alien, becoming limp and wet in front of the remembered fear. Ah, these are my arms. Seonwoo, clenching his sticky palms, muttered in disbelief.

“Smell of blood? Ah.”

The damp aura that made the surrounding air heavy clung stickily to Yeon’s feet, like a foot stuck in mud on a rainy day, unpleasant and clammy.

“Ugh…! N-no…”

Yeon, grabbing Seonwoo’s trembling shoulders, read fear in his hot breath. Isn’t it funny? What about the recklessness he had when he said he would give his life, and now being eroded by mere memories of pain?

But how? It had only been a few hours since he confirmed that the sacred tree was standing firm. How did he get out of the shadow realm? Clicking his tongue, Yeon extended his hand and drew a large circle.

The dim light from around his hand spread out like unrolling a bundled cloth, covering the area. In a third space separate from the chaotic park, Yeon pulled Seonwoo, who was shivering, into his embrace.

“Cheeky…”

The space, filled only with silence, was a part of the netherworld forcibly dragged out by Yeon. Here, if he rampaged freely, there would be more than a few who would rush in panic, so even if it was troublesome, he had to do it this way.

As if drawing back a curtain, the darkness of the void trembled, and from within, a lump the size of a child popped out.

“What’s that…?”

Seonwoo’s brown eyes wavered. Before he could even identify the dark, bizarre thing below his waist level, it had already grown to chest height.

“Uh…”

A choked groan split the air. The thing that had overtaken his eyes, surpassing shoulder height, then head height, was growing at a speed too fast to follow, yet it seemed slow like a slow-motion video, causing Seonwoo’s head to tilt back.

With one blink, it grew to the size of a small car, and with another, it became as large as a truck. As he naturally looked up, a cold palm intervened.

“Don’t look. The more you look up, the bigger it gets.”

Seonwoo’s nape chilled at the cool voice whispering in his ear. The foul smell seeping through the gaps in the hand mixed with Yeon’s refreshing scent. Seonwoo, on the verge of removing the hand covering his nose impulsively, closed his eyes behind the obscured view.

Unlike telling Seonwoo not to look up, Yeon kept his head raised, watching the growing darkness. When Seonwoo closed his eyes, the darkness, which had already grown to the size of a five-story building, filled the space Yeon had created with an intent to tear it apart.

With a chuckle, as if the darkness were laughing with a torn mouth, Yeon’s eyes settled calmly.

Knowing that it would vanish weakly if he just looked down at its feet, Yeon did not do so.

Letting something inferior look down on his head? Impossible. From his shoulders, which hung low, a blue flame flowed down, shining white. The flame that spiraled from his fingertips swelled massively. With just a slight flick of his hand, the space was filled with light.

“This will be the last thing you see in the darkness.”

With a quiet whisper, Yeon flicked his wrist, and the slowly flying fireball began to envelop and consume the giant darkness.

Do I really have to eat this too? Yeon pondered. Judging by its growth rate, it was quite an old creature, but this ‘dark creature’ was not to Yeon’s taste, being a type of yokai. Usually, creatures closer to divine beasts were easier to digest. After taking care of his body with nutritious food, having something so unappetizing for dessert made Yeon frown slightly.

The flame spread over the struggling dark creature’s entire body. Yeon watched indifferently as the head of the creature, flailing from high above, awaited the flame to die out. Soon after, where the darkness disappeared, the fox fire returned leisurely to Yeon’s hand.

“It’s over, open your eyes.”

“Huh… already?” Seonwoo, with no time to react to Yeon’s hand still covering his vision, was grabbed by the shoulder.

“W-what was that?”

Seonwoo’s breath was short, releasing a faint sweet smell. Yeon leaned in, sniffing repeatedly.

“Are you crazy?”

Seonwoo shrank his neck from the hot breath spreading in front of him. Trying to escape Yeon’s embrace by twisting his shoulders, he only felt sharp nails digging deeper, stifling a groan.

His shoulders hurt, and his neck itched. The skin pressed by Yeon’s nose on his neck felt hot.

Unsatisfied with one spot, Yeon moved up his neck, paused briefly at his jaw, and finally stopped in front of Seonwoo’s lips with an inclined head.

“Stop…!”

How strong are you? Pushing Yeon’s chest with all his might, the scene around them changed back to the park. Not with the half-closed sleepy eyes, but with wide, black eyes, Yeon took a short breath through his parted lips.

“What’s wrong? Suddenly.”

Rubbing his goosebumped neck, Seonwoo grumbled resentfully. Yeon shook his unsatisfied hand before letting it drop loosely.

“The smell has gotten stronger.”

“What?”

The delicious scent has gotten stronger. Hearing Yeon’s mumbling, Seonwoo, without thinking, sniffed to check the scent Yeon was talking about. In the park where the foul smell had vanished, only the familiar scent of summer nights and the faint forest scent from Yeon lingered.

“I can’t smell anything.”

“Your nose is human, after all. It was definitely faint, but…”

Though it was still faint, it felt distinctly different from before. Yeon furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

What’s the connection between this dark creature appearing in the middle of the living world and the delicious scent coming from this guy?

Dark creatures aren’t difficult to deal with, but they’re not weak either. Of course, they’re no match for Yeon, but how did this one wander around the living world?

There was a time when the boundary between the netherworld and the living world was loose. But now, it’s treated like an old tale where divine beasts bestowed their sacred aura. Even Yeon, who had woken up not long ago, knew things had changed.

Then how did Seonwoo enter the netherworld…? Did this young one have to dip his feet in the River Samsa? It’s said that humans on the verge of death sometimes have one foot in both worlds. How did this guy smell the yokai before me? All I made for him were limbs. He hated complicated things and continued with his thoughts, begrudgingly.

Someone to ask… Ah, is that old man still alive?

As Yeon was rubbing his chin, thinking of an appropriate person, Seonwoo’s question pulled him back to reality.

“What was that thing earlier?”

“Ah, dark creature.”

A yokai that grows by feeding on human fear from the darkness, getting larger the more you look up at it, and once it’s big enough, it crushes its victim. With this explanation, the color drained from Seonwoo’s face.

“It’s not hard to deal with.”

If you encounter one, don’t look up, just look at its feet. Then it’ll disappear. It can’t do anything if you’re not afraid.

“But… do all yokai smell that bad? You don’t smell like that.”

Does this guy think I’m a yokai? Not noticing Yeon’s piercing gaze, Seonwoo forcibly inhaled the cool night air into his puffed-up chest. The foul smell had completely vanished when Yeon told him to open his eyes, but he still felt nauseous.

“…What do you think I am?”

With narrowed eyes looking down, Yeon’s voice was filled with a low growl, but Seonwoo casually retorted.

“Aren’t you a yokai?”

“…”

“Why are you looking at me like that? Ah, you said you’re a divine beast. What’s the difference?”

Well, to me, humans and dogs are much the same. Yeon’s frown eased.

When you’ve eaten something delicious, you’re supposed to laze around doing nothing. But now, I have to drag out the netherworld, think hard… This isn’t my style at all. A day feels unnecessarily long.

Soon, there was a pop, and Yeon transformed into a fox, clinging to Seonwoo’s feet. Looking up with sparkling black eyes, the lights scattered in his eyes. This time, not getting an answer, Seonwoo furrowed his brows.

“You always turn into a fox when you don’t want to talk. But are you sure humans can’t see you?”

Making such a flashy transformation, and I’m wearing a black shirt. Seonwoo complained about the fur sticking to it, but Yeon, as a fox, didn’t bother to reply. That was the point of transforming.

Comfortably nestled in Seonwoo’s arms, Yeon’s tail swished back and forth. Burying his snout in the arms that held him, he looked up at Seonwoo’s neat face.

The scent from the embrace that held him was still sweet, like the ice something-or-other Seonwoo always brought him.

***

“Yah… Yeon-ah.”

I know you’re not asleep. Your ear just twitched. Look, now it’s the left one.

“Are you really going to do this?”

For several minutes, Seonwoo kept poking Yeon’s fluffy butt buried in the cushion. Unable to bear it any longer, Yeon’s tail harshly swatted Seonwoo’s hand.

“You’re not sleeping. Get up.”

His body curled into a perfect circle, Seonwoo didn’t want to disturb it. Watching Yeon, who had completely covered his face with his tail after smacking the cushion repeatedly, Seonwoo mumbled.

“I was going to get some ice chocolate. I’ll go alone then…”

Glancing at Yeon huddled up, Seonwoo turned towards the hallway, deliberately speaking loudly to himself.

“I’ll have to drink it alone then-.”

This time, there was no movement in his large ears, but he must have heard it. Foxes are said to have very acute hearing, so even if Yeon is a divine beast, it would be similar.

Just as Seonwoo was dragging his feet to the entrance and grabbed the door handle, a hand sneakily wrapped around his waist, grumbling sulkily.

“Why not go together?”

“If you’re asleep, you’ll eat it later. Then it’ll melt and taste bad.”

Yeon, who had yawned as if he was in deep sleep, buried his head in the back of Seonwoo’s head. Feeling the warm breath, Seonwoo bent his knees slightly, stepping back.

This guy really sticks to me without any sense of discomfort. When left alone, Yeon would often burrow into Seonwoo’s embrace, now lowering his empty hand that had been holding Seonwoo’s waist, squinting his half-open eyes.

“It’s too hot to go out.”

“Yo-, do divine beasts feel hot too?”

“This is the living world. There’s a lot of hassle. And I lived in a cold place…”

Oh, right. I need to visit that old lady. Rubbing his not fully awake eyes and scratching his head, Yeon reluctantly followed Seonwoo out of the entrance.