TGHD Ch 39

Twenty years ago.

Lee Han, the youngest son of the prestigious shaman family, Shinga, had an exceptional ability to communicate with spirits. He listened to their stories, helped them achieve what they truly desired, and guided them to the right path. His family often worried that their gentle and kind youngest might be taken away by the spirits.

“Never follow anyone who offers you something delicious.”

“Don’t believe anyone who says they were sent by the family!”

“How old do you think I am?”

Although these worries often came out as jokes, Lee Han knew that these jokes stemmed from affection. The family loved and cherished each other. Being close to the afterlife made them value every moment in this world even more.

They desperately wished for this world to remain intact. If evil took root in this land, everything would collapse. Therefore, they did not hesitate to criticize what was wrong.

One day, his grandmother said,

“Lee Han, fetch some water from the valley that holds the moonlight.”

Though puzzled by the request in the middle of the night, Lee Han followed his grandmother’s words and headed to the valley below the shrine. There, he encountered the tiger Suin.

Her brown hair, reaching down to her chest, was disheveled as if she had run in a hurry, and her eyes, filled with spiritual power, glowed fiercely golden. Knowing that the family had made a ‘prophecy,’ Lee Han was wary of her.

The woman, Cheon Eunhwa, who appeared out of nowhere, shouted for him to run. She told him to take his family and go far away because the elders were coming. Lee Han couldn’t easily believe her words.

But before they could even have a proper conversation, a tragedy occurred. The elders themselves came to the shrine and began tearing apart and killing the humans.

Cheon Eunhwa hid Lee Han, who was about to run towards the scene. She apologized, shielding him as he tried to rush into the horrific scene like a moth to a flame.

Later, she knelt before him until dawn, bowing her head and apologizing. The future leader of the high-ranking tiger Suin clan bowed her head at the feet of a human, not seeking forgiveness but confessing the horrors of her clan.

Before dawn, Cheon Eunhwa stitched the souls of the Shinga people. Souls killed by tigers in this land became tainted, and if they were torn apart by malice, they would be forever destroyed. To prevent this, she used her life force to purify the souls of the Shinga.

For days, Cheon Eunhwa hovered around the dazed Lee Han. He couldn’t stand the sight of her tiger Suin face and threw things at her. She could have avoided them, but she took them all.

After such a strange time passed, Lee Han finally asked,

“What do you want from me?”

“…Why do you say that?”

“You’ve been bowing your head and acting like a servant for days because you want something. It’s just uncomfortable, so please get to the point quickly.”

Cheon Eunhwa made a peculiar expression, as if she was both sad and not. She moved her lips several times as if swallowing something very bitter, and finally spoke.

“The elders are distributing Eopshins to humans.”

“…Are you saying they created gods?”

“Yes, that’s right. They are forcibly creating gods and exploiting them.”

Cheon Eunhwa explained the situation with a dark face, saying she realized it after confirming the recent accident at the Jeokdan Corporation. She explained how the Cheonga family had established themselves in human society and how their influence was as poisonous as it was.

Lowering her eyes in guilt, Cheon Eunhwa said,

“I cannot see the location of the gods. Nor do I have the ability to release and console them. So… I want to ask for your help.”

She seemed very sorry to ask someone who had lost their family due to the selfishness of tigers to chase the sins of the tigers together. The whole process could bring back terrible memories for him.

Cheon Eunhwa looked down at the ground, then finally raised her head to look directly at Lee Han. It was the first time their eyes met since that day.

“I know you can’t trust me, but I promise you one thing.”

“I will ensure you are not harmed on this path.”

Her voice was resolute. Lee Han found the promise rather absurd. Not only did he harbor a simple animosity towards the Cheonga family, but he also doubted how Cheon Eunhwa, even as the next successor, could stand against all the elders of the family.

Yet, he couldn’t ridicule it. There was a peculiar power in Cheon Eunhwa’s eyes. When one met her gaze, filled with unwavering determination, it felt as though their own gaze was firmly held, making them simply look and believe that her seemingly far-fetched plans could indeed come true.

However, Cheon Eunhwa lowered her gaze as Lee Han met it squarely. She was concerned that even looking at her face might upset him, given how his expression had darkened whenever he saw her before.

Was it the sheer absurdity of Cheon Eunhwa’s wary behavior? Or did he feel a pang of sympathy for her face, filled with guilt and self-reproach?

Eventually, Lee Han impulsively responded,

“…It’s only to save the Eopshins.”

Cheon Eunhwa and Lee Han were different, yet similar. The heir of the Cheonga family, revered by humans, and the youngest of Shinga, who respectfully served the gods. Though their first encounter had been marred by their families, they ultimately looked towards the same goal, moving in the same direction.

It wasn’t strange that their different lives would be painted in the same color.

After having a child, they became even more cautious.

Their first task was to find the Eopshin that had escaped from Jeokdan Corporation. The Eopshin, harboring resentment towards those who had created, bound, and exploited it, broke free of its jar.

The Eopshin was tainted with evil.

When a god turns evil, an uncontrollable catastrophe occurs, opening the gates of the underworld wide. Thus, the two first sought to purify part of that Eopshin. Its resentment was so deep that they couldn’t even attempt a full purification.

They then gradually freed other Eopshins trapped in underground storages. Purifying a god was not easy and required a lot of time. When creating the Eopshins, the elders had crushed their mouths, making proper communication with them impossible. So, they had to look into the Eopshins’ eyes and read their hearts, comforting them, which required considerable time, especially with those filled with malice.

The elders, upon hearing that the Eopshins had escaped the underground storages, began to search for the culprit. They tenaciously pursued the escaped Eopshin, suspecting it was freeing other Eopshins. Cheon Eunhwa and Lee Han used their powers together to obscure the elders’ pursuit.

The two traveled across various regions of the country, hiding the Eopshins. It was during this journey that they met Baekyeong. Their first encounter was truly astounding. Cheon Eunhwa and Lee Han had just opened an Eopdanji, and the Eopshin had fled into the mountains. They found Baekyeong after chasing the Eopshin up the mountain.

The Eopshin, which exhibited extreme aversion to tigers, was surprisingly calm in Baekyeong’s arms. Baekyeong was wary of Cheon Eunhwa and Lee Han approaching him, but after a long conversation, he decided to join their cause. The elderly grandmother he served was always asleep in her room, providing no meaningful conversation.

Despite his peculiarities, these traits indicated that Baekyeong was not a bad person. Cheon Eunhwa was pleased to have finally found someone who shared their mission on this path.

Cheon Eunhwa had a dream.

“Once we free all the Eopshins, the Cheonga family’s power will crumble.”

The elders had created Eopshins to form close ties with humans. By removing the Eopshins, those connections would be severed. Those who had not received the blessings of the Eopshins from the beginning might not notice, but those who had enjoyed those benefits would become dissatisfied with their absence.

Humans who lost their Eopshins directly expressed their dissatisfaction to the tiger elders. Consequently, the establishment of the Cheonho Foundation, planned when Cheon Eunhwa left the family, was delayed.

Cheon Eunhwa also meticulously gathered evidence of the elders’ wrongdoings. She planned to expose this evidence once the Cheonga family was isolated in human society after freeing the Eopshins, thereby bringing down the family’s stature. She intended to showcase their crimes to the world.

“…Is it okay to bring down the Cheonga family like that, while loving the family?”

“What I love is the meaning of Cheonga. The significance of being a mountain god, watching over the world and protecting the weak as a dependable guardian deity from ancient times. The elders are tainting the ‘Cheon’ created by that significant history.”

She shook her head, saying this was separate from loving the family. One must cut off the rotten roots and let new shoots sprout, burst the festering wound to start anew.

And at the end, she carefully looked back at Lee Han. Even after several years, his eyes still looked the same as that day.

“When the time comes, I’ll make the elders bow their heads before you. I’ll make sure they apologize.”

“I’m not really interested in associating with them.”

“Then, would it be better if I cut off their heads and showed them to you?”

“…You are sometimes extremely violent in the strangest ways.”

Lee Han frowned but eventually laughed as if he couldn’t help it.

And a few days later,

The Cheonho Foundation was established.

* * *

Things took a strange turn.

Even though they had eliminated the Eopshins to sever the connection with humans, the foundation was still established. It seemed forcibly pushed through, but since the tiger family’s influence hadn’t waned yet, quite a few companies attended. Companies that still owned Eopshins naturally supported the foundation, and others followed suit, pouring in support one by one.

It seemed like they were trying to establish the Cheonho Foundation to gain some benefit before all the Eopshins escaped and completely severed ties with humans. Cheon Eunhwa decided to free the remaining Eopshins more quickly with Lee Han.

However, their haste eventually left traces.

On a day of torrential rain, the two fled far away with their child. The elders discovered their last whereabouts. They had to stay hidden for a while, as far away as possible.

But disaster eventually caught up with them.

“Eunhwa. I wondered what you were doing after leaving the family, only to find you committing such acts…”

“Did we really have to meet like this?”

They hurriedly hid the child. At the time, they thought it was just to prevent the child from witnessing the horrific situation, but in hindsight, it seemed more like preparing for the end.

The Chang-gwi controlled by the elders were no match for Cheon Eunhwa. A tiger recognized as a successor wouldn’t be defeated by mere Chang-gwi. However, Chang-gwi soon attracted other evil spirits with its malevolent energy.

The two quickly grew exhausted fighting off the swarming evil spirits. They were even more tired because they had used a lot of energy hiding the Eopshins earlier.

And then, the elders became suspicious of Lee Han’s silver energy.

“This energy feels familiar somehow…”

“How can you be so shameless? You exploit humans and commit the blasphemy of creating gods, yet you stand so proudly!”

Cheon Eunhwa, noticing the elders trying to scrutinize Lee Han, stepped in to block them. She deliberately shouted and criticized the elders. If it were known that a child of Shinga had survived, who knew what might happen to Lee Han? He could face a fate worse than death.

The elders, clicking their tongues at the pouring criticism, gestured to the evil spirits. It was a signal to kill.

“Even so, it’s a pity to see a member of the family die…”

As soon as the elders, with their mocking sad expressions, left, the space was flooded with evil spirits like a tidal wave.

Cheon Eunhwa poured out her last strength. She didn’t avoid the approaching death but instead raised her head high to face it, blocking the evil spirits from reaching the cave behind. Even as her body was torn apart by the evil spirits, she drew a final protective barrier.

By then, Lee Han’s consciousness was already fading. He had suffered a severe abdominal injury in the earlier clash with the evil spirits and lay on the ground, barely breathing. In his dimming consciousness, he only worried about the child and Cheon Eunhwa.

Cheon Eunhwa, crawling next to Lee Han, lowered herself. Like a moment in the past, she knelt and bowed her head. She was even more battered, making a guilty sound as she breathed over Lee Han’s wounds.

Cheon Eunhwa’s tears fell continuously on Lee Han’s face, and he wanted to tell her to stop crying. Even in the pouring rain, her tears were distinctly clear.

However, as Lee Han tried to speak, he felt the golden energy enveloping his body. Despite having used all her strength, she was drawing out more energy. Lee Han was shocked. It wasn’t just spiritual power. Cheon Eunhwa was transferring her life force. She had healed Lee Han’s family, whose souls had been torn apart, in the same way in the past.

Now, Cheon Eunhwa was giving even more, no, all of her life force. Already dying, the only thing she could transfer was the power of her soul. She had no hesitation in giving up reincarnation and choosing to vanish here.

“…!”

Cheon Eunhwa, barely holding onto Lee Han, who was on the brink of death, smiled faintly. Neither dead nor alive, but in a state that couldn’t be described as living. However, all the wounds on Lee Han’s body had disappeared.

“Can this be considered keeping a promise…?”

Cheon Eunhwa, blood pouring from her lips, whispered a final apology before collapsing to the ground. The warmth left in her body quickly dissipated in the pouring rain.

It was a cruel night.

* * *

Cheon Ryubeom tried not to cry as he listened to the story of the past.

His father’s face was calm as he told the story, and Ryubeom didn’t want to appear like a crying child in front of his father after so long, so he held back his tears. But his effort to hold back tears made him look even more pitiful, so his father held his hand tightly and continued the story.

He explained how he ended up in this hermitage after that night. Although Cheon Eunhwa had transferred all her life force to protect Lee Han’s soul, she couldn’t heal all his internal injuries. The soul, barely held together by Cheon Eunhwa’s life force after being torn apart by the tiger, needed to rest until its spiritual energy was restored.

So, he explained how he could only move after sleeping for a long time in the hermitage.

“Thanks to the gods’ care, I could open my eyes again. The first thing I saw when I woke up was… Baekyeong throwing a wet towel and storming out of the room, saying he was finally free.”

Ryubeom could easily imagine Baekyeong’s expression and finally let out a faint smile. His father then explained that he had been traveling with Baekyeong, freeing Eopshins.

It was something he had done with Cheon Eunhwa for over ten years, to prevent the exploitation of humans through the Cheonho Foundation, and because if the Eopshins were completely tainted with evil, the gates of the underworld would open, bringing disaster to the world.

However, he mentioned that his spiritual power was not what it used to be, so the purification process was slow. Ryubeom realized that the reason the small Eopshins’ attacks were weak was not only because they were different from Jeokdan’s Eopshins that were tainted by evil and broke their jars themselves but also because they were already being purified.

“…I can draw the purification circle now, so I’ll help with that.”

At Ryubeom’s trembling voice, Lee Han widened his eyes in surprise before slowly softening his gaze and thanking him. The mix of pride and sorrow in his words reflected his feelings about how Ryubeom had grown so dependable.

“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

Ryubeom opened his mouth at Lee Han’s question, then closed it again. There had been something he wanted to ask from the beginning, but he had held back repeatedly. As he listened to the past, which his younger self had known nothing about, he swallowed his curiosity, thinking it was unnecessary.

He was already overjoyed and grateful that his father existed at all. Considering he had imagined scenarios where his father’s soul might have been absorbed by evil spirits, this meeting felt nothing short of a miracle.

Yet, in the end, one question squeezed its way out of his throat.

“…Did you ever miss me?”

It sounded like a petulant question, and Ryubeom immediately bowed his head. Wasn’t he accusing his father of not coming to find him after waking up? Despite knowing what his father had gone through, he felt ashamed for asking such a question.

He shook his head, about to say that his father didn’t need to answer, but his father’s voice reached his ears.

“…I couldn’t come to find you because meeting me would awaken your memories.”

“…”

“Having already failed to protect you once, I couldn’t push you into danger again…”

Lee Han’s voice, trembling slightly, grew quieter. If it became known that Ryubeom carried Shinga’s blood, if he knew about ‘that incident,’ he might be killed in an orchestrated accident. Lee Han reminded himself repeatedly that his existence could be a danger to his child.

“…So, all I could do was soothe the Eopshins here, with my limited abilities.”

The main reason he had been freeing Eopshins for the past few years was this. Eopshins harbored deep resentment and anger towards tigers. If left unchecked, those turned into evil gods would inevitably attack tigers.

While they might not easily breach Cheonga’s barrier, they could certainly attack a weak tiger cub that had strayed outside the estate. Though tigers who hadn’t completed their education mostly stayed within the estate, there was always the fear of an accident occurring during a brief outing.

Fearing this, Lee Han soothed the Eopshins. Despite sharing the same resentment, he couldn’t let the Cheonga harm his child.

“…”

Ryubeom slowly lifted his head to look at his father. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the feelings his father had while being in such a contradictory situation for so long. Suppressing his own anger and sorrow, moving only with love, how must that have felt?

But in the eyes he faced now, the only remaining emotion was regret. Feeling ashamed for being able to do so little, guilty, and tormented for leaving his child alone…

He opened his mouth, his voice trembling as he stitched together the falling words.

“Throughout all that time, I missed you.”

“…”

“There wasn’t a single day I didn’t think of you.”

His father reached out and caressed Ryubeom’s cheek. Looking at him with a sense of disbelief, as if questioning whether this conversation was a dream, he repeatedly touched Ryubeom’s cheek with trembling hands, as if the child’s warmth was both unfamiliar and overwhelmingly welcome. He kept glancing at Ryubeom, worried he might be angry.

All those emotions were so palpable that Ryubeom threw himself into his father’s arms and began to cry. The tears he had been holding back burst forth, flooding him with uncontrollable sorrow, sadness, and joy. Despite his resolve not to act like a child, he clung to his father’s embrace and sobbed.

His father warmly accepted Ryubeom’s tears, gently patting his back just as he had done in the distant past. Ryubeom pretended not to notice the wetness spreading across his shoulder.

It was an exceptionally bright night under the moonlight.