MDOF | Chapter 3.4

Scratching his chin, the crow checked Yeon’s face, which remained calm. When had he been tempting enough to devour him, and now, with an attitude that had completely changed, Yeon casually drank from the water’s edge, which was quite interesting. Having lived for a long time, it was rare for anything to pique his curiosity unless it was a significant stimulus, but this fox, who had only mingled with the divine beasts of Yama for ages, was not the same defeated fox from the past, which was refreshing.

His white eyelashes slowly fluttered. As the dark pupils focused on him, the crow felt a strange excitement. The anticipation of seeing something amusing after hundreds of years made his mouth open involuntarily.

“Are you going to show me something entertaining?”

White smoke wafted from between his red lips. With a grin, Yeon rounded his lips and sipped the water again. What could he offer to get what he wanted without losing too much? The answer was to give the crow the entertainment he desired.

“Would it be enough if I tear apart the limbs of the one who stole the bead right in front of your face?”

With the look of someone who had found a precious, sparkling jewel, the crow nodded in satisfaction.

“Good, that’s a fair deal. Let’s see, if you can remove the amulet, you must be able to approach.”

Counting the remaining amulets one by one, the crow crossed his arms and muttered to himself.

The amulets on the divine tree were to seal the fox’s power. The moment you remove them, there could be a backlash from the force meant to seal, but once they fall, the bound power is released; just endure that moment. In essence, that was the gist of the crow’s long explanation. Yeon’s neat eyebrows furrowed.

“And the second one. The reason why creatures from the underworld are rampaging here, I wasn’t sure what I heard, so I was about to check.”

Two of the crow’s long fingers twitched at his waist.

“There’s a rumor going around that an irresistible smell is wafting from the human world. Even an ordinary yokai could become a divine beast… What, why?”

Yeon suddenly stood up, holding his temples and growling. The faint smoke from the burnt-out cigarette dwindled.

“Where did such a rumor spread?”

“I heard it from Jomagu a while ago.”

Yeon’s eyelids flickered rapidly. If even a mere Jomagu knew about it, it must have spread far. With a serious look, Yeon headed towards the divine tree, detecting the faint scent that was hard to catch, and the crow, unable to hide his curiosity, moved his toes.

“Crow, there’s something appropriate for you, with your loose tongue.”

“I’m not loose-tongued?”

The crow, with his slit eyes wide in feigned ignorance, said brazenly.

“That delicious smell is mine, so unless you want to be torn into twelve pieces, tell them not to set foot in the human world.”

Stopping in front of the divine tree, Yeon bared his teeth fiercely, his eyes flashing. He was irritated by the fact that Seonwoo’s existence, which he had tried to hide, was already known.

Suppressing his anger, Yeon reached out towards the thick trunk of the divine tree. His outstretched hand was blocked by an invisible barrier, moving ever so slowly towards the amulet, until he painfully grasped the split wood.

Because he forcefully penetrated the invisible barrier, red lines started to form from his straight fingers up to his forearm on his smooth, white skin. Even as scars spread like petals falling or being struck by lightning, Yeon only bit his lips tightly.

The distance to the amulet was less than a finger’s length, but his hand could no longer move forward.

“Ouch… It hurts just watching. Steel would digest that instantly.”

“…Good thing I ate beforehand.”

His arm, quickly withdrawn, tingled. As he moved his arm, which was hot and stinging like a burn, Yeon murmured. Even after using more than half of Steel’s life force, he couldn’t remove one amulet. If he hadn’t tried in anger, he wouldn’t have known. The divine tree, which had drained his power to an unimaginable extent, felt even more gigantic.

Seonwoo took all this power in a human body… The scene of his pale face bleeding and falling backward replayed slowly.

If he hadn’t infused his own power into Seonwoo, who was dying, exuding a maddeningly sweet scent with every gasp, that fragile human would have died. What connection could this human have with the white fox divine beast? There was no guess at the moment, but there was definitely a connection.

He left a warning for the yokai, but if they could understand, they wouldn’t be yokai. The dull pain pressing on his nape was annoying.

“How’s your arm? Want me to share some of my power?”

The crow, sticking his round face forward, said something he didn’t mean. Even if I was on my last breath, I wouldn’t take your power. Yeon mercilessly pushed away the sleek face. The crow, pushed back with a squawk, had a faint handprint on his face. Ignoring the crow rubbing his sharp nose, Yeon opened a space in the air.

“Leaving already?”

“…”

“Okay, see you soon.”

Thinking he’d have to blow fox fire without hesitation if the crow clung to his waist again, the crow just waved his hand with a simple smile. Instead of replying, Yeon gave a cursory glance and passed through the portal to a now familiar space.

“…”

Seonwoo, who should have been sprawled on the sofa by this time, was not there. The bedroom and bathroom were empty too.

Since he returned from his task earlier than last time, it hadn’t been a day yet. The black darkness outside was deeper than that of the underworld, and with Steel having caused a ruckus, rain was pouring down.

Leaning by the window, looking outside, Yeon sat on the sofa, resting his chin on his hand. He said he might come the next day… Maybe he’ll be here when I wake up. The red scars on his arm, where his chin rested, had already faded somewhat, but they still throbbed. The pain digging into his nape was still there.

As he tapped the armrest of the sofa to the sound of the rain hitting the window, his fingers gradually slowed. His gaze turned towards the closed front door.

Tap tap, the little friction sound of sharp nails meeting wood was barely audible over the rain.

His body, having been to the underworld, was not adjusting well to the human world, sinking into lassitude. As he blinked, his eyes slowly darkened.

He leaned his head back against the sofa head, revealing an elegant curve that elicited admiration. His half-open eyes blinked again. Tap, tap.

‘There’s a rumor going around that an irresistible smell is wafting from the human world.’

From the dark spirits, handmaidens, to Jomagu… From the significant yokai to the cruel ones who boil human flesh into soup.

Tap.

Pressing down on the wooden armrest, his nails bent inward. His round eyelashes curled up into his squinting eyes. After a quick breath, Yeon waved his hand, opening a black space above the tea table.

‘Just to confirm.’

If rumors spread among yokai in such a short time and reached even the divine beasts, there would be plenty of creatures eager to devour Seonwoo.

Passing through the space leading to where Seonwoo should be, Yeon lifted his head abruptly at the sound of raindrops drumming on his forehead.

Through the dense curtain of rain, a place lit by a few unlit street lamps with a faint yellow glow was familiar to him too. The park where Seonwoo, holding the dozing Yeon, walked for a long time every night.

In the pouring rain, soaking him from head to the inside of his cloak, Yeon found a hunched figure. On the bench, with his legs folded, the round back seemed to have been under the summer rain long enough to turn pale.

“Why are you doing this?”

As Yeon moved to brush away the strands of hair stuck to Seonwoo’s forehead, the brown eyes of Seonwoo widened. Rainwater ran down his pale face, no time to gather at his chin before it dripped off.

“Let’s go home.”

Humans are weak. They can die so easily from something like this. I’m not ready to eat you yet. I need to keep you safe. There’s more to covet now, so I need to hide you better.

Yeon withdrew his hand that was about to grab Seonwoo’s arm, urging again. He had promised not to touch him, after all, he must keep his promise.

“Let’s go. You shouldn’t be here.”

From afar, he sensed the presence of an outer demon. The one-legged ghost in a raincoat is a spirit that spreads disease on rainy days. Even if it couldn’t harm Seonwoo much, if it had infected him while he was away… His stomach churned at the thought of even a speck of damage on what was his. If he had been just a little late, Seonwoo, drenched in rain all night, could have truly died.

As Yeon raised his hand to open a passage home, he turned his head at the sensation of his clothes being tugged. Seonwoo was moving his lips. His trembling hand was perilously clinging to the edge of Yeon’s cloak.

“Yeon-ah…”

“…….”
“Yeon-ah… Me, me too… My life, please…”

Rainwater gathered in his hollow gaze. The veins on his neck bulged as if they might burst at any moment. His trembling jaw under his quivering lips spat out words like vomit. The scattered words couldn’t withstand the sound of the rain breaking and vanished.

“Please… Please, take it now, can’t you…?”

The once pale face of the child was soaked through, crying. It was impossible to tell if it was tears mixed with the rainwater.

Seonwoo’s dry hand, desperately clinging to the hem of Yeon’s clothes, shook aimlessly, but Yeon’s back remained firmly upright.

“Huh? I’ll give it… to you… Take it…”

I can’t wait any longer, please save me. No, kill me. Only then can I live. Living is more suffocating. The child’s face, which rarely smiled, contorted. His body, trembling as if in a seizure, shook in all directions, disrupting the raindrops.

“I’m giving it to you…! Please! Now!”

The faint plea turned into a sorrowful scream that reached Yeon’s ears. Yeon’s lips, where no emotion had been readable, stretched tight. The raindrops incessantly brushed against his eyelashes, clouding his vision. The hand that had been gripping the hem of his clothes started to clutch Yeon’s arm, throwing a tantrum.

“Kill me… please… Kill me…!”

The child’s eyes, filled with rage, became bloodshot. The whites of his eyes turned red, trembling, and his fingers dug into Yeon’s forearm with force.

What is it that strangles your breath? What made this child’s life so precarious? His face, drained of color, seemed like it might collapse any second, but the strength applied to his arm grew desperately. Are you clinging to life or death? In the cry for death, Yeon’s questions found no answers.

“If you won’t… do it, I’ll… do it myself. Even without you… I can die…”

I was going to die alone anyway. I can do it without you. As Seonwoo, who had been chanting like a spell, loosened his grip, Yeon, who had been silently looking down, slowly raised his hanging hand.