MDOF | Chapter 2.5

“And divine beasts are red. Right, White Fox, what brings you here?”

Samsin crossed her legs under her voluminous skirt. Half-reclined in her armchair, she exhaled cigarette smoke, her thick eyelashes fluttering. Despite her light-hearted demeanor, her yellow eyes were sharp as they glared at Yeon.

“Creatures from the underworld are causing a ruckus in this world. What are those from the afterlife doing?”

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“Has a window demon appeared, or why would creatures from the underworld come here… You’ve slept too long, haven’t you? We can’t stop them from feeding their hungry ghosts one by one.”

“Even when a dark creature tried to crush this guy?”

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Her red lips, about to take another puff, paused. Her previously raised corner of the mouth dropped, and she clicked her tongue, half-rising with a frown.

“And then the next day, Hand Bride came. You can overlook things like Heavenly Worm or Sea Bell Bird. Even Hand Bride, Bachelor Ghost, or even Glowing Ghost might do such things. But while a dark creature was growing big in the middle of Hanyang, what were the lords of the afterlife doing?”

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“Kid.”

Samsin, stopping Yeon’s sharp words with a gentle smile, looked at Seonwoo. Seonwoo, who had been curiously watching Yeon’s confrontation, flinched when suddenly called.

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“Would you mind taking a little nap? This isn’t a conversation for a child of this world.”

Curious about their conversation, Seonwoo wondered why he was brought here if they were going to exclude him, feeling a bit annoyed but lacking the guts to say “no” to Samsin. As Seonwoo hesitated, looking at Yeon, he nodded slightly.

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If even Yeon says so, there’s no help for it. It’s not something a living person should know, and he can put Seonwoo to sleep if he wishes, yet he’s asking for permission.

“Uh, but I’m not sleepy now…”

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“Hoho, I’ll make you have sweet dreams.”

“Forget it, what kind of dreams would a creepy old woman give me?”

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Yeon stopped Samsin from approaching, tapping his thigh. When Seonwoo raised his eyebrows, Yeon tapped it again, kindly explaining to lie down.

“I told you, I’m not sleepy…”

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Reluctantly, Seonwoo tried to resist but was pulled down by Yeon’s arm, accidentally resting his head on Yeon’s thigh. As Seonwoo inhaled the fresh scent from Yeon while making small groans, Yeon covered his eyes, whispering.

“Take a nap.”

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The small breath tickled his ear, and Seonwoo’s vision blurred immediately. As he quickly fell into a light snoring sleep, Samsin glanced at Yeon’s hand on Seonwoo’s shoulder, at a loss for words, biting her lip.

Yeon, meeting her gaze, tightened his grip on his pipe. A faint blue smoke rose from it.

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“It’s interesting, the one who woke up after 500 years doing strange things.”

“Really.”

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“Where did you pick him up?”

“…He’s the one who broke my seal.”

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Hearing Yeon’s words, Samsin gripped her skirt and moved closer. Her yellow irises meticulously examined Seonwoo’s body as if dissecting it. Her furrowed brows gradually relaxed, eventually smoothing out completely. Samsin let out a light exclamation, laughing cheerfully.

“Oh ho, what a curious thing.”

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He knew she could see it, but he also knew she wouldn’t easily talk. Yeon knew her well. This time, she would tease him with half-truths, withholding the real information he wanted, with her mischievous nature. As he expected, her eyes were full of mockery. Only kind to humans, huh. Tsk.

“Songje will be jealous. Isn’t destiny interesting? Even to a fox like you, it’s fair.”

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“…Can’t you stop with the Songje stories?”

“Songje went to such lengths to find his runaway fox, and you’ve got the air of someone who’s lived in the Frozen Ice Hell. You should be colder, huh.”

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“What’s the use? He just stood by when I was sealed.”

Songje. King Songje. One of the Ten Kings of the Underworld, the ruler of the Frozen Ice Hell, a realm filled with unending frost and ice. A piercing cold, as if slicing through flesh, brushed Yeon’s cheek from his memory. The treatment was good, but once he matured, he grew tired of being a pet, and above all, the cold of Frozen Ice Hell was unbearable. He showed his irritation with his tail, waiting for Samsin’s next words. Even if she’s a tricky old woman, she wouldn’t keep her mouth completely shut if he just waited silently; she’d throw out bits of information to break the silence.

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“Aigoo, the young one has suffered much. It’s commendable how he managed to endure till here while squeezing out his life force.”

“…”

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“How did you end up flowing into the underworld? Now I understand why there are those who covet you.”

The playfulness disappeared from Samsin’s face. She looked at Seonwoo like a kind grandmother petting her grandson’s head.

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“As you know, we can’t stop creatures from the underworld from being here. It seems you’ve managed to handle them before they caused trouble, so the ones from the afterlife didn’t notice.”

“My luck’s run out. They used to shout about sealing an evil fox, and now that I’m gone, has world peace come?”

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“Your luck’s run out, huh? Songje might have already released his judgement. It’s an open secret in the afterlife that the seal of the divine tree has been broken.”

She poked Yeon’s forehead with a sarcastic tone. Samsin laughed, tickled by the situation.

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“Why not go to him before they drag you there? It might look better.”

“Granny, you’re so heartless. Don’t you feel sorry for this old fox?”

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“Aigo, feel sorry for a cunning fox? I feel sorry for the one over there, legs spread wide, if anyone.”

“Tsk, you’ve lived too long, granny.”

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“You’re one to talk. How about visiting Songje? Then I’ll hide this kid for you.”

Though reluctant, Samsin’s words weren’t wrong. Being dragged back disgracefully from this world was worse than going to the afterlife when he still had some strength, to at least stamp his presence. The problem was whether Songje would let him go smoothly… A shadow fell over Yeon’s face as he pondered, tapping his pipe. It would be a headache if he got caught.

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“That habit hasn’t changed, huh? There’s a rumor Songje picked up a beautiful white snake… Was it an Imugi…?”

Catching onto his worry, Samsin casually dropped her words, and Yeon nodded. Though he didn’t quite believe it, there was no safer place in the afterlife than Samsin’s residence; he had no better option.

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“I’ll go and come back.”

***

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A chilling cold that seemed to freeze his insides and a brutal wind like a blade brushed against Yeon’s cheeks.

The bone-crunching sound of snow under each step was eerie, likely because the memories left here were not pleasant. Though his bare feet were cold, it wasn’t unbearable.

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Faint light scattered off the jagged ice castle. Yeon’s gaze was indifferent as he looked at the scene, but his emotions were complex. Even a wayward child reluctantly returning to his estranged parents’ home wouldn’t feel this troubled. Estranged parents wouldn’t be clingy towards their child.

The warm touch of Seonwoo’s hand was one of the few things he gladly included in his daily routine. However, when Songje’s hands caressed and kneaded him, Yeon accepted it powerlessly, though it was anything but welcome.

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As Yeon entered the castle, the eyes of the goblins serving Songje the Great King grew as wide as saucers. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing and scurried around before dashing off. One goblin had done his duty exceptionally well, meaning that Songje, the Lord of Frozen Ice Hell, came out to greet him just a few steps into the castle. With his long, white hair flowing, Songje gave a sardonic smile and extended his arm.

“My beloved fox has returned.”

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Returned, my ass. Who’s your fox? You picked me up when I was naive. Each time Songje’s blue-tinted white eyes scanned Yeon, he felt uncomfortable. The icy, colder-than-frost hands stroked him, praising his ‘beloved fox’. The sensation spreading throughout his body along his spine felt like bugs crawling.

Songje must have known about the disgust Yeon felt. Songje’s dry hand gripped Yeon’s wrist, which was not reaching out to him. From his breath, a relentless cold was emanating.

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As Yeon was contemplating whether to shake off that hand, a small shadow squeezed between him and Songje.

“Pretty audacious for a four-legged furry beast.”

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What’s this now? Yeon forgot the unpleasant feeling of being grabbed, chuckling low. The little one freed himself from Songje’s grip and nestled into his arms, looking down at Yeon with a proud face. Songje, too, pressed his lips to the plump cheeks of the small child, not knowing what to do with his affection.

“I thought I had slept a long time… but you remain unchanged.”

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Must be the white snake he picked up. The night-black hair with flowing white was almost silver. The sharp red eyes were full of arrogance that didn’t match the youthful face. Looking at the child smiling contentedly in Songje’s arms as he gazed down at Yeon, he felt his heavy heart lighten.

Songje had a pathological obsession with creatures or divine beasts of pure white. Before Yeon, hadn’t he raised a white divine deer? That creepy bastard who wouldn’t come out of Frozen Ice Hell, hugging animals with hair like his own white locks.

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“Indeed. For you, it might have been a long time.”

Songje’s face, as he hugged the child in his arms with feigned innocence, was just as Yeon remembered.

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“Bing-a, can you step out for a moment?”

“No… I want to stay with Songje.”

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The white snake, clinging to Songje’s clothes, whined for a while before reluctantly being carried out by a goblin.

“Calling a tiny thing like that Bing-a¹, what a grand name.”

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“He might look like that, but he’s got sharp teeth hidden. He’s as cunning as you.”

With his fluttering eyelashes gently folded in a smile, Songje grabbed the door handle that appeared out of nowhere and invited Yeon in.

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“Come inside.”

“Why should I?”

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Deep wrinkles formed on Yeon’s fine brow as he stood in front of the ice door. Without even peeking inside, he walked past it towards the audience chamber of the Ice King.

“Entering your bedroom should be enough for a snake’s head. We’ll talk here.”

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“I’m a man with a broad heart; I can accommodate two.”

Bullshit. That’s why I didn’t want to come. Songje’s sticky gaze ran down from the top of Yeon’s head. Ignoring him, Yeon entered the audience chamber and sat at the seat farthest from the throne.

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“Ha…”

At the far end of the large oval table, the jade throne, high above, was Songje’s seat. He always chose that spot. But this time, as if to mock Yeon’s assumption, Songje calmly sat beside him, resting his chin on his hand with a smile. Who would think this face was thousands of years old? His smooth, wrinkle-free face had a pearl-like sheen. His white eyes, slightly tinged with blue, seemed sculpted from eternal ice, and his red lips, like carved ruby, were slightly parted as he stared at Yeon.

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“The seat next to my fox is my seat. I’m holding back the urge to have you sit on my lap like before.”

As befits someone obsessed with the color white, Songje was draped in a white robe with a subtle sheen. As if by design, the translucent skin showing through where the robe fell to his shoulders revealed his veins, and the wide sleeves were embroidered with silver threads in a lavish pattern. Songje, with his white hair loosely tied at the waist, didn’t hide his delight as he noticed Yeon’s gaze scanning him.

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