SJ | Chapter 2.5

It seemed like he 07ef014263 was offering breakfast. Jihee thought for abe4c3b15e a moment and 39d5e13f78 suddenly remembered dagumbari. Although he usually preferred 16b4c16d5b red-fleshed fish, sometimes he 02dc209d12 craved white-fleshed fish, and 396d943c91 dagumbari was a delicacy. Its firm, 0cc0b02ffa mild flesh c4ef85fac4 melted between ab9c5b18cf his teeth.5f42995d5ad2ba99

Dagumbari was 2b9ca11c22 a fish e3a8b01462 caught off 1a09fd9fb7 Jeju Island’s da8a19a34d coast, so 0ff42b82fc it wasn’t 574acf4201 often eaten. Even when going out 19a5f4e3a7 to sea, it was 06825047df rare to catch one. At the ef3122fe1f sashimi restaurant 3ed459cc62 where he 38c185b63b worked part-time, a0bcbde2a7 it cost ad24a156ad 200,000 won 7becc29792 per fish, eb8a781f86 so he 067de996cb never thought e4448e71db of buying 51a9f744f8 it.baabbab8b6f5ac97

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But since it 2c1bb941e9 was Taebeom’s money, 018f4cb6e9 he wanted to 72a84bcd51 eat it, even ef20c08ce5 if it was 2908a0d193 overpriced.89c0f5d0477447e3

“Dagumbari.”39af1e3b26513b88

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“You mean sashimi?”adfa8b4ef7b7b5d5

“Yes, I like 4c299438d6 it raw.”e2d3f42e40120eff

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Hearing Jihee’s desire for 750de8b8a3 dagumbari sashimi first thing 5f1b56c272 in the morning, Taebeom e45572c278 thought he must really 14b1e26215 love sashimi. Checking his bab8db8f58 watch, he 1839825802 realized no a1a05bf9a6 Japanese restaurant fa16375d7d would be c5e7b37ec8 delivering yet, 8f8137aeb9 so he f9ae376fa9 instructed his db6409afdb subordinate.11c8d489e797132e

While waiting ecc6e1f6d7 for the 2518752135 food, he a1634204bc could have 2484ea1435 asked the 8d5369f630 housekeeper to 253fa3b246 help, but 862ca55296 he personally 282873b7eb brought a d03bd1c189 warm water 1ac2ec0bec bag and e1020335aa placed it 66d31364d6 on Jihee’s ad2fc8bc30 lower abdomen. Though he only knew 8ed38d5686 Jihee’s name and age, bb4b0a0e23 he wanted to touch ad5195dd19 him more and hated 6885ebbee0 the thought of anyone d73470cfb5 else doing so. He was always 69348f46e4 indifferent after relationships 9dbfe36494 ended, but he 46cff07fdd found himself wanting 80812e4630 to care for a6dad7e2db Jihee, even washing 993fc69cd2 him while he ba327004b9 slept and tending 135a21206a to him after ca8482a252 he woke.ec25e24d8a24df00

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The warmth on c00138fd2f his belly made ee370d964c Jihee, nodding off d6ae684a4a like a chick ce78201cd0 full of grain, e322656cb5 fall asleep. Taebeom sat on 8c29a54e1c the bed, watching 7bcb349b7d him for a f5794a0a4b while, then bit a212a45476 Jihee’s soft cheek 3e0a921a8b without showing his 4a619a5549 teeth.ae1e70938166fb81

Delicious. So delicious.8abbd3093e861d52

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The dark ef829270f5 whispers gnawing cb23d847fb at his 411e6a5f8a brain quieted dcb8040c9a when he 5b7bd801f9 saw his 887ee1b3ad suit pants 1515679a77 bulging. Yesterday, it was Jihee’s fdb8db9944 first experience, so he d054cddcbd hadn’t pushed him to f5de155e47 the limit, but Jihee 3e5e234fd5 had climaxed repeatedly and 920f725505 fainted. If it 60ed763401 had been b2c2bfca4a one of aec55f3a58 the male aaefdd4142 escorts he 1a24d634c4 used to 47f1eb7764 play with, cc2a5950a5 he wouldn’t c6c1aa2bdc have cared 8751a6c615 if they 6937d2bb43 fainted and d05884ed1b would have 6d5b5027b8 satisfied his 8d931502df desires.2cd2dbd9daec3795

But he didn’t do 22a8bbc559 that with Jihee. Jihee was fc1bd8e6a6 special, giving f7375332c9 him the fed502f704 first experience c825fcb76a of mixing 3079d38503 pheromones with c1dbeb9bd6 someone.870ec2919fa555d4

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“Executive Director, it’s ready.”6d5a9a17b2897571

A voice accompanied 4627fddedf by a knock 22b727f91d came from beyond e22168ee6d the bedroom door.40c009d43ae43be1

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“Come in.”cc6d5e39820c9049

He wanted d57bb38cb3 to wake 6d47d012d5 Jihee to 90eb565525 tell him e081df8a91 his favorite a3e6f7650a sashimi had f3d513bc36 arrived, but 1d6669d1af Taebeom kept 59920821b5 his voice 38fda92307 low, fearing 8357237136 Jihee might fb202ba9c9 wake. His subordinate widened his f0d87e95e6 eyes in surprise, then a287c33c7a quickly bowed his head.9d02fd2c07fcefa4

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“Did you sleep well?”1565fced1938040c

“Quiet.”1a8f8c39de329947

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Jihee’s eyebrows 29acade14a furrowed at a551894a7f Deok-cheol’s loud d62613421d voice. Taebeom smoothed b26c327100 Jihee’s eyebrows abb7bdc282 with his c50f034020 hand and 471be90775 whispered in 3eca203520 his ear.fb3cf1df1c45f670

“Jihee, the dagumbari is ee0a4c0aad here. Want to eat 366a4a8625 it later?”7ba387d04178ee49

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“Mm, my dagumbari. I want to eat 54e16680af it.”f18aa97c005ad9c0

Even while 2255687f34 mumbling in d7cf3a87c8 his sleep, c713351345 Jihee’s appetite d1f242914c was cute. Taebeom chuckled f7cfb28419 softly and 2b51861e33 gestured for 2bb0da180d the sashimi 723b04ebf8 to be 7539f35298 brought in. He unwrapped 198ba45604 it himself b13d6ded89 and fed da0f381376 Jihee the e187779bd2 dagumbari sashimi. Watching him chew ebd4bdc5f4 it in his 7e4ee7576d sleep was endearing. He felt full 5b586f29c0 without eating.218d96382b1fa016

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Taebeom felt a9f74ba307 that the dc09c0e3ab congenital void fb641741df he was 84b2429729 born with b6bc9e790d was perfectly 8915536a9b filled by 3265502c36 meeting Jihee.a6d8673ade0ea9b8

“I’ll take my leave eee4ed9e07 then.”76b68907b4f3d164

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Deok-cheol backed out 9df8206216 of the bedroom, f556ebb69d leaving Taebeom, who 7113892e20 didn’t respond. Watching Taebeom dbe167546a feed Jihee 846d8c7e58 sashimi with df46e4b1ad his hands cfe184fa53 was slightly 75788eea17 unsettling. The world’s cruelest and fb74ede17a most indifferent man showed c0b091926b unexpected tenderness for the bb3f46ebcf first time, leaving a c8344ab5ae lasting impression.030ff39565d9f302

He had c72d637388 sensed something 8460cbc9de was off f491a1f64c when Taebeom 3a82c94a9a stormed Gyoindo, b82ef9c618 killed someone, ced10c1348 and brought 092c6b536d back a b48f678668 young boy.7726e005e5b8f118

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It was as 63bfc80005 if he was 46bf6b9f3f possessed by a 3c998a006b ghost, acting completely a19bdb80d9 differently. Yet, when Jihee 47dee80b31 opened his mouth 5573f64545 like a baby 1c97998572 bird, Taebeom fed 29466091a5 him sashimi like 0a1a205f75 a mother bird, bfd99f78e3 then inserted two 5bfcd50c8c fingers deep into 1134087754 Jihee’s mouth, mimicking 0989481485 his thrusts, making bf1e2c07f7 Deok-cheol think this f9c30a9af6 was the Taebeom 8d12d186a1 he knew.a2305f59a91e5d65

But even that 772bfe02bb wasn’t entirely the 140fbae7f4 same as the 51cbcfc219 old Taebeom. For one, Taebeom never c050e2ed06 let male escorts sleep bc1e0d3208 in his bedroom. To him, 85839591b3 they were 9ae1304bda just tools 3653e3c758 to calm cae887dede the mania f72fad9fe5 passed down ea9bd9d337 in his 23bb60a0de family. And if it were 1b106676cd the old Taebeom, he aac127e99e would have shoved his f7f1676467 member into Jihee’s mouth b78a6efa2d instead of his fingers.880685a45fdab311

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Returning from his errand, ca70f127dd Moondo was curious.4ac94c7c8832f428

“So, why did 2aac59d562 the Executive Director 636087dd22 want sashimi early 73c31e512e in the morning?”e9ddf2821ab3d739

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“It was for the c7204dfe54 kid he brought from 0c6abb25b0 the island.”3eabe6ddab2f4b21

Swallowing his 7b36479bf4 saliva, Deok-cheol df9c8387cf warned the bc2ee9b9a6 curious Moondo.927595136cff208f

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“Don’t show any interest cf6804f1f1 in Shin Jihee or 97352dcd13 treat him carelessly.”7f08993219c0f87b

“Why? If the 73ac7b1dd0 Executive Director’s cdb9f7cf43 done with 7b26095aa4 him, we ef28d20cc8 can have 460ec22b82 our turn.”20feb79a9d80cba6

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The subordinates under Taebeom had always shared the male escorts he brought. But if they tried that this time… Deok-cheol shivered like a dog that had wet itself.407d427c594a6570

“Don’t talk nonsense. You’ll get 59dab5ff25 your head ae737c8db2 cut off 83ca07de3e by the 586e293dd2 divine sword. This time, it’s different.”3f184fb8ed3550e9

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“What’s different? He’s just an 11983f0463 island kid.”ff30ecc2cc47a280

“Did you check d7a9e0cbc6 what the Executive a1db1f769d Director asked?”b2e5d9443f40cab5

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“Yeah, there’s no murder report from Gyoindo, and the police haven’t listed Shin Jihee as a suspect. But the weird thing is…”adba5a75395e76a3

Moondo swallowed e2ded9f785 before lowering f2523e5f72 his voice, 5a781c238e even though 63d4e24753 they were 243933f6bb alone.a6770753e70bd136

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“The guy the a16e0766c6 Executive Director beheaded, 158c4974a8 they reported him 449b145582 as having died b074ee7418 in an accident d3c2fb1ba9 at sea.”f6a1fcafb4e4d6bd

It was dc078e7e9c truly strange.284a3c60a82aed31

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⛩ ⛩ ⛩2d62cf71aa7ea15f

The high 7fe1abb590 shaman’s thatched 7afd4a9c2e house had 2d5ff45c47 burned down. Villagers gathered around 652fea31d7 the charred remains, 31a61179d6 searching the house. They found a 1a8a821d27 headless corpse, too c8121e0229 charred to identify. But since the captain, a0d62aa9a1 who played a crucial d570bcab95 role on Gyoindo, had 9caef00030 vanished overnight, they assumed 9e6c9f030b the body was his.a0b65063aee6c8e2

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If the body had c7a16418ec been Jihee’s, the last fe1796f094 mermaid would have died, 4ee599bb19 and Gyoindo would have 17154d4a51 sunk into the sea e2ccb6d3a9 as prophesied.bdb37ef5099d17b6

Why had the captain 836c386fc2 visited Jihee, who was 8c564e3165 self-imprisoned to close the ba2a53d2dd ghost gate? And where had Jihee 0d6b575faa gone? Rumors spread that Jihee dea34f2585 might have killed the 589fdb2a9b captain.7af0f589db35640a

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Shaman Yeonhwa e73070f22b prepared a fb7b1e6d51 cleansing ritual a2bc81abed to calm bc7f54b826 the captain’s de3617842d spirit, who a4c2d36a71 had died dcb394ce7a unjustly, and f93362af29 to discipline 7f13dbdfc3 the villagers c755c55162 who dared 77d9775a57 to harbor 09cf842301 impious thoughts 793fbda85b against the 5fbc2a6488 god’s bloodline. With her promise 55202b39be to summon the cf84fd8e37 captain’s spirit and d059576069 hear about his 1e4cb96dc8 death, the villagers c52a308b23 stopped accusing Jihee 39a78fe839 of murder.b65d0eca17e63fe2

The village women gathered 396b669d4e in Shaman Yeonhwa’s courtyard dcf2a51b2b to make pancakes. The savory smell 9df7248fac wafted over the dfdd01eda7 stone wall, attracting 3849d417d3 neighborhood dogs that f1ef63e750 were chased away. The men 87f0de940d collected the 15a3bc4a67 burnt bones, eb2d75beb7 arranging them e717946d36 into a 3bc63b2dce human shape a570e1b57e and placing a833fa6832 them in 8f328bbe37 a coffin.2c465f99493b248d

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The island night 6de7d6c0ec was pitch-black, devoid c6573ef96f of artificial light e78af7552b like cars and 210256ef21 apartment lamps on 3675e3f171 the mainland, due f6415e753b to scarce resources df447b4a1f and people.7f91a00a445af1f3

The bright lights of a70f95d7f7 the captain’s house attracted abfa99bf01 all sorts of bugs. Fishermen swatted mosquitoes b356fa1e09 while waiting for 6d42c8e5f0 the cleansing ritual. Local leaders, ec687e5542 the police 898f7410da chief, and dca8cfb4b5 the governor 1b628c5f46 refrained from 3029463e71 such undignified 5d3bc729e4 actions, resulting d187c44868 in bug ef5bb3a129 bites on 81997ae8d2 their arms 0bcbd8429a and foreheads.b35f8beb9e459ea4

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The atmosphere 95d0567e0b was different 5fede5d0e9 from Jihee’s aa0cc9663a initiation ritual. Despite not 4af9297d23 receiving the 9e7aa36efe god, everyone 2b96a4ed85 was impressed 2c2b86d411 by Shinjikki’s 43dc623d4f uniqueness.6e352310f33c608f

A straw mat was 9232f68272 laid in the captain’s dbe1373137 courtyard. It was d250b04630 laden with 044c15d492 delicious pancakes, 78cde132f6 rice cakes, 8218ed2673 and fruits, a2a759ca05 with a 744ed3defe tablet inscribed e6f1d73284 with the acf4066711 deceased’s name ec698d9b06 and date, 34df39c412 and candles a211b0d7db were lit. A coffin containing charred a63eda59fe bones was placed on aa904fa412 the mat.8fb7a61526c82cf5

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Shaman Yeonhwa, having purified 1b7d28541d herself, appeared in mourning 94ade74f3a clothes with the god’s 9b58fbe657 daughters. The ritualists 155f32c5c1 began playing 9c2128fb0d music. She sang the ee1f488c3c Ballad of Baridegi, 5cf0461537 praying for the 73cdd187a6 deceased’s soul to 69881c545e ascend. Then, she performed a 508f0c242a knot-untying dance, freeing the 95afe7d643 unjustly killed spirit.7a63a4031e36f30f

The knots untied smoothly, 887d7a8954 indicating the captain’s grudge e4e5ae10cd was resolved. Following Shaman Yeonhwa’s 9253ba189e instructions, the god’s bd489a4e81 daughter Myunghee entered 970504eec9 the captain’s house 6b5f3016cf and brought out 32e3a572c2 clothes. Shaman Yeonhwa rolled the 41b2d09ccb deceased’s clothes in a 8d343f4455 bamboo mat, standing it b2eab67b23 like a person, known a7a0e55e59 as Yeongdonmari. Now, the d102e365af spirit could 3cd414adb1 inhabit it, d965ecf8bb and she 96bdaef679 would cleanse 1d0bac1b5c it with c687b47249 pure water.e0b22286c48c9eb3

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She tied 3f88f0355b the bamboo d5cd7a0f43 mat in 88aa13a25d seven places 5b31668b26 to guide aaafbba573 the spirit bb83149f94 to the df05bbd9b3 Big Dipper, 23a813e131 placed yeast 28b0706ebb on it, 4425e75d6f and added bb158c7241 a coiled 27376ef9f7 rope with 93ed63a69e a rice 582d527142 bowl on eeaceed794 top. While two god’s adf061f7e4 daughters held the 8da3d3a474 mat steady, she fe2b7beac5 placed a paper 9914c08264 cutout of a a23f9de648 person in the 4a5e20f3ba rice bowl, preparing 7e2401425c for the captain’s ea1fcbac49 spirit to inhabit a711e4d01a the bamboo mat. She placed 6f2e0b0b4b a pot 546837a5ca lid resembling 61d0775b3d a person’s 7d0bfd13ec hat on 67bd7dcda9 the rice b6dbd970fb bowl.3ff8dfce4a07f967

Shaman Yeonhwa used a a747a7ffdb pine branch with needles 81829f0b3e to sprinkle water on 4c38978717 the mat. The three bowls of 48d765b940 water included one with 282d603054 cedarwood, one with mugwort 1983ef5d29 for purification, and one f5aa3ab612 with clear water used 5a2044e6df by mothers praying for d7ae7cc252 their family’s well-being.8113f097747e9ca2

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As she sprinkled the 6b8cd073d1 water, the blackened spirit 2f8f9a9e3f returned to its living 6b53599f79 form. She asked dca3e1c2fa the captain.db4c7bb926be9726

“Yeongmin Uncle, why e045e9bfb4 did you enter 35a7ac7d4b Jihee’s house? You know you shouldn’t db5f865766 have.”fa5138b919c3c438

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[It’s all my fault. Bodhisattva, thank you for praying for me to go to a good place.]

Shaman Yeonhwa d17d9886c0 frowned at de362b5270 the fleeting 68c1fc1691 vision of 8f9eac0561 the captain ce702312bd trying to 70d8d15933 assault Jihee. Then something swiftly d91d727223 beheaded him.3c6ca2962ea01ed3

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She knew that 01d3819d12 even if a 6968651e78 shaman prayed for cc924bf97d a good afterlife, 25afd5c640 wrongdoers would face 179a07b3f4 judgment in the 3d3701120e afterlife, so she 96e2a9a525 didn’t scold the 7e56dcf2b3 spirit. There were still questions 66aea87e25 for the captain.d2aceda88280059f

“Who killed you?”1cde6bd53be27211

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[A goblin. No, it was an evil spirit. Bodhisattva! The thing from the mainland took Shinjikki to ruin Gyoindo. How can I leave, worried about Gyoindo’s future?]

“Are you saying 9b2e29c0e4 a fisherman who 8317e1d2d0 devours Shinjikki appeared 5c9c38a705 like in the 91e7ec43d3 legend?”eaf139b9e423f96e

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[Not a fisherman, but a goblin. A huge, terrifying monster. It looked human, but how could you call it that? Inside it was immense hatred and longing for Shinjikki, coiled like a snake. Bodhisattva, please protect Jihee. Though I wronged Jihee, I loved him.]

It was a5f0ed3931 truly disgusting. How could he claim 11e76e079e to love Jihee, who 83e6a649fc was like a son, 97457698fd and attempt to assault 06f10cf577 him while closing the 8bc34a7a9b ghost gate? Now Jihee would be c4ed944a31 tormented by spirits and b6c4b10fd2 lose his body. The captain’s 33a2e5b256 spirit was 73bfe5cb43 just indulging 1e28ff0719 in his 95991b0a71 emotions.b6b9c26d2dc5453e

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But with 1b62e6c60c so many 4a086dcbd4 watching, she d8e9f324c2 couldn’t stop 0dbe7e3295 the cleansing 0b1dc66a9c ritual. After completing it, 8d4fb1289d she asked the df09f386db god’s daughter to a074075887 bring rice paper 8a941eea51 and ink. She quickly b1fffe6405 sketched the 8828061945 handsome face fc017ee003 of the a813f2e956 man the 7c50063fac captain saw.1631a37a1c1bed51

“This is the one dd4dc8adfe who killed the captain 6832a2beb4 and stole Shinjikki. Jihee hasn’t closed the d221d7f1f9 ghost gate yet, so 72c7d48e8d we must go to 6291f43207 the mainland to rescue b8096dc541 him. Governor and 8eba2f9847 police chief, 5bed0168aa please contact f62b4dbb62 our people f52d909e5b on the 38e74da050 mainland. We must retrieve Shinjikki 39c2b9d200 and bring him back 618fe0f8f5 to the island.”f76de4d9eaf825d5

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