RPPL C10

Alone, Bipa crossed the sea of grass he had gone up with Muyun, but instead of entering the village, he turned right. A wide, abandoned area appeared. It was once a place where many people lived and merchants came and went, thriving.

Originally, this was the center of the village. But over time, it gradually shifted to the left. Naturally, the village entrance on the right fell into decline. The same went for the Jangseung there.

Bipa looked up at the scorched black Great General of the Underworld and the Female General of All Under Heaven with mushrooms growing from her waist. Usually, it’s Female General of the Underworld, Great General of All Under Heaven, but this place was different. It seems it was decided this way to balance the yin and yang when the village was first established.

“Generals.”

Bipa stood before them and struck his palm with his fan. As he called out, gathering strength from his belly, the steadfast Jangseung began to tremble slightly.

And the next moment, the eyeballs, which had long since faded to the point where the wood and the painted parts were almost indistinguishable, now mere traces, flickered open and looked down.

“What… is… the matter….”

A creaking noise sounded, like wood that had repeatedly contracted and expanded through the seasons, through snow and rain, finally finding its groove. The Jangseung finished its slow words and grinned. Its mouth, too, was completely faded, making it look as if it had no teeth.

“Have you seen a fox.”

“A… fox… you say….”

“You must have seen one.”

“I saw… it…. It had no… pack….”

The Female General wiggled her mushroom. The mushroom parasitizing her waist released its spores. They pointed in one direction.

“It was… angry.”

A fox’s anger is fearsome. Especially in that it holds a long grudge. In such times, one must not provoke it carelessly. Bipa was not unaware of this either. So he was conflicted. In times like these, it was best to just let it pass….

However, as the Jangseung creaked and looked up at the sky, Bipa couldn’t help but see the persistently falling sunshower.

“A… fox….”

Up there, a thick cloud remained, like a fox’s tail. Indeed, as if its pack was gone, there was only one large leader cloud.

I hate long grudges. There’s nothing more annoying than being pointlessly disliked. Bipa shook his head and took a liquor bottle from his bosom.

It was clear liquor, brewed in a leap year. Brewed on the night of a full moon and exposed to moonlight until the next full moon. It was a troublesome process he never wanted to do again. Bipa, feigning ignorance, tilted the bottle and let a few drops spill. Soon, the two Jangseung drooled.

“Just… one sip… no… just one… drop… please….”

“It’s precious liquor, so I can’t….”

“Then… ha-half… a drop….”

As he pretended to deliberate, buying time, the Jangseung leaned forward. The creaking sound grew louder. At this rate, their old, rusty waists would break. Bipa said, “On a whim,” and poured a little liquor onto the ground where they were rooted.

“Ooh… huh….”

A sound that would only come from a laborer relaxing in a hot bath after a hard day’s work emerged. As Bipa giggled, the Female General wiggled her mushroom.

“Tonight… it will pass… this… way….”

“Is that so?”

This was enough for the price of the liquor. Now that he knew the time and place, he figured he just needed to make sure not to go anywhere near there, even in his dreams.

But then, the Male General also creaked and added a word.

“If… you… come… then….”

“Me?”

When Bipa asked back, the generals avoided his gaze. They were subtly asking him a favor. If he could somehow send it back to its original place.

They really were like Bodhisattvas. Bipa pretended to drink the liquor while offering it to the ground. He was a weak drinker.

“They are the people who left you to get moth-eaten like this, aren’t you resentful?”

“…….”

“And, what could I do even if I came?”

What, was he supposed to rescue the children who were being lured out? While incurring the wrath of the fox.

Besides, if he took those children home, what would people think? Wouldn’t they think he was the one who had been taking the children all this time? People believe what they want to see, what they want to believe. Especially about things they can’t understand.

Waiting for an answer, Bipa wiped the liquor from the mouth of the bottle with his finger. And sucking his wet finger, he shook his head. Just that alone made his insides feel hot.

“Still… though….”

“Then what’s in it for me?”

At the bold question, the quick-tempered Female General huffed. Oh my, it would be troublesome to be disliked by this one too. Bipa smiled sweetly and added an excuse that wasn’t an excuse.

“I’m not trying to pick a fight.”

“Anyway… you also… have a child you’ve taken in….”

“How do you know that already? You who are stuck in one place and don’t even move. Rumors travel fast. And don’t talk about that child. I just picked him up for a moment, I didn’t say I took him in.”

Watching Bipa speak so curtly, the two Jangseung chuckled.

Only after the atmosphere softened did the Jangseung stir near their roots. Bipa went close to the raised ground and crouched down.

“What. Just some Jangryugeun?”

Discovering the medicinal herb that was hard to find but less valuable than ginseng, Bipa clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Aren’t you generals being a bit too petty?”

At those words, the roots stirred again. Bipa laughed it off as a joke while grumbling inwardly. All the while, his hands were busy digging up the Jangryugeun. I should take it and dry it well. It will be useful somewhere.

Bipa neatly brushed the dirt off the roots, put them in his sleeve, and began to test the waters again.

“Still, it’s too little. If I carelessly step in front of a whimsical fox, I could die. This isn’t a good deal, is it?”

At those words, this time the right root twitched. It’s impossible for a Jangseung to sigh, but for some reason, the back of his neck tickled. Bipa, telling himself it wasn’t shameless but only natural, rummaged in that direction.

This time, he had to dig for a while. Finally, he felt something and pulled it out. It was something square-shaped. Bipa’s face lit up.

“A snake’s horn!”

“Materialistic….”

The General of the Underworld pouted and grumbled. Regardless, Bipa diligently brushed the dirt off this one too and put it in his bag.

This was the real deal. Not only was it worth a million gold, but it was also beautiful to look at, and even had the power to help conceive a son. To him, it was neither a tonic nor anything else, but how many people reddened their eyes trying to find this. If he had it, it would be useful anywhere.

Thoroughly pleased, Bipa straightened his knees and stood up.

“Alright. I’ll give it a try. Though I can’t promise anything.”

At that, the two generals glared at him with their peeling, patchy eyes wide open. Bipa, feigning ignorance, pretended it was a difficult matter and mumbled to himself. If Haesol had seen him, he would have snorted and said he was putting on all sorts of airs.

But, it really was a difficult matter.

“Night… is coming….”

Ignoring the clearly urging tone, Bipa packed his things. The body that was light on the way here was quite heavy on the way back. Without caring about his dirt-stained sleeves, he just thought of the palm-sized medicinal roots and the snake’s horn. He would feel full today even without eating.

“I’ll try my best, but that’s all. I’ll just ask if they would consider letting go of their anger and leaving.”

What could a mere human do? Even more so if it was angry. Then it would be best to back out of negotiations or anything else right away.

“And generals, don’t give your hearts too much to people either. Look at this. They don’t even visit as soon as they leave home.”

The two Jangseung rolled their eyes and exchanged glances. Then, as if their work was done, they stretched. Looking taller and more handsome than before, they stiffened and returned to being the usual speechless Jangseung.

“They really don’t listen.”

What meaning is there in a Jangseung that people don’t seek out or pray to? To give them meaning, if only for himself, Bipa went around and collected a few stones. He picked out the pretty ones and built a small tower.

Now he should make a wish, but Bipa had no such thing as a wish. He had no family to protect, no lover, and no close friend. After some thought, he wished for Muyun’s future.

May he not go hungry, and may he live in a house with a warm back.

It was a slightly selfish wish. For that was something he himself would find difficult to grant. It was a wish that might be possible if some broad-minded and decent parents were to take him in.

“I should have refused back then. I should have left him.”

Bipa tossed the remaining stone into the air and caught it, shaking his head. But the words “I shouldn’t have saved him” did not come out. There is no regret in salvation.

But what good would come of being by his side? The world was too chaotic these days, and even those who knew nothing spoke of the end times. Robbery was frequent, and people did not hesitate to harm others to protect themselves.

The greed of the powerful clans bred more greed, and it became so difficult to even put food on the table that the trees were stripped of their bark day by day. So in a season that should have sparkled with all sorts of colors, the forest was gaunt, with all its white flesh exposed.

Bipa, looking around at the trees that had been stripped bare in place of people, placed one more stone for the well-being of the trees and turned his steps.

❀࿐

On his way back, Bipa was suddenly startled. He stumbled as if someone had pushed him from behind.

Although his clothes were shabby, and he loved lying down more than anything else, and his speech was slow and his steps often wandered, he rarely ever fell. A sense of foreboding crept up from the tips of his toes.

And that foreboding grew stronger as the eaves of his house came into view.

When he entered the yard, Bipa could see Muyun sleeping on the porch, just as he had left him. The hunched posture was strange, so he put down his bundle and went to shake him awake.

“Muyun, Muyun.”

He tapped his cheek, but he didn’t wake up. Bipa felt a chill. Hurriedly touching various parts of his body, he found he was burning with fever.

“Why, all of a sudden……”

He had let his guard down.

Bipa, who didn’t know that children’s fevers often return at night even if they subside a little during the day, was seized with bewilderment and guilt upon realizing he had been wandering outside, leaving a sick child behind.

Bipa rolled up Muyun’s sleeve, felt his wrist, and bowed his head. His breathing and pulse were very faint. Moreover, it was different from the first fever. The pale face, the cold fingertips that were cooling down unlike the heat of his body……. It was not a good sign.

He was suddenly terrified. He should have gone to the physician as soon as the fever dropped, as he had heard earlier. He had just left him, thinking he was all better. How stupid.

“So I should have…!”

He should have just left him, regardless of who took him in, Bipa screamed inwardly as he lifted Muyun. He immediately rushed out of the house and ran forward, cutting through the field of grass that made a dreary sound in the wind.

Even as he headed for the village, he kept looking back. He remembered the hole he had dug to bury Muyun. He hadn’t finished digging it yet, since he hadn’t finished. Since he hadn’t finished, he had to live. Bipa’s breath caught in his throat.