RPPL C33

Muyun hung up the undergarments he had washed at dawn. Bipa was still sleeping, unaware of the world. He probably wouldn’t wake up even if heaven and earth flipped over.

Heaven and earth flipping over. This was Bipa’s habit of speech. Muyun was resembling not only Bipa’s habit of speech but also his slightly slow way of talking.

[You look happy.]

Mixed with the shrill sound of the wind crossing through the window cracks, a spooky voice teased at Muyun’s shoulder. Muyun did not respond.

[If you are happy, we are happy too.]

“…….”

[It’s because that person returned, right? We should hide then. Right?]

“If you know, get lost.”

Muyun spat out through his gritted teeth. The cackling laughter was innocent, just like children’s voices. Innocent and evil.

[Don’t hate us too much. What can we do when we like you so much? Do you hate us?]

“Why should I like you?”

[Well, because you can use us if you want to….]

Muyun, who was heading to the kitchen, stopped abruptly and laughed coldly.

“Am I crazy? To do such a thing.”

If Bipa knew, he would be appalled. Bipa liked strange things more than people, but he didn’t embrace evil spirits. All sorts of evil spirits were different from things that had substance.

Plus… Muyun didn’t want Bipa to catch him not listening to his instructions.

[If you keep doing that, we’ll go tell on you? That you mixed words with us.]

Only then did Muyun glare at the air as if to kill. In the empty space his gaze reached, strange eyes like a crescent moon and lips ripped long upwards appeared. Only those existed; the rest had no form.

[We are ready to grant your wish if you just say the word…. We are friends….]

“Don’t spout crazy nonsense and get lost.”

Muyun crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway. Seeing the mouth crumple after being openly ignored was a sight to behold. Muyun spoke as if pressing down on each word, being deliberately more sarcastic.

“And there is nothing for me to wish for. My wish comes true every day.”

Of course, that was Bipa living with him. With the composure of one who holds a monopoly, Muyun lifted his head and grinned.

[Don’t be so confident. He will abandon you soon and go far away. He will go alone to a wonderful place….]

“These bastards.”

Muyun, flaring up, quickly grabbed the air. The thing that had been whispering blurred like fog at his touch.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Master won’t abandon me….

However, somehow, Muyun’s muttering voice lacked confidence.

❀࿐

Bipa woke up only when the sun was peeking at the mid-sky. Even after waking up, he rolled around for a long time before finally rising from his spot.

After moistening his dry throat with the water Muyun had prepared by his bedside and coming out, he saw Muyun sitting crumpled up with his knees raised on the narrow wooden floor, twisting rope. His heart warmed and gladness washed over him. It felt like he had finally returned home.

Since he had been in a state of indescribable fatigue when seen yesterday, for Bipa, this was the moment that could truly be called a reunion. He hardly remembered what he said before falling asleep. He probably repeated himself over and over like a drunk person and rambled anyway. The time to feel embarrassed about such sleep-talking had passed.

At the sound of the door opening, Muyun turned toward Bipa, and his face, which had been cold like a lake frozen solid until midsummer, smoothed out as he smiled brightly.

“Master!”

“How long did I sleep?”

“You didn’t sleep that long. You must have been particularly tired.”

“I was looking for all sorts of ways to take off the cow mask. Do you know what it was in the end? It was a radish. It fell off when I fed him a radish. I was dumbfounded. But did I say this yesterday?”

Bipa sat down with a thud next to Muyun and stretched his legs straight out, seemingly not cold. The legs visible between the hem of his clothes were similar to those that often appeared in Muyun’s dreams. Muyun forced his gaze, which was heading toward Bipa’s instep, down and continued twisting the rope.

“While you were gone, the granddaughter of the old man from Yaksan, whom we received help from last time, came by.”

“Ah, the granddaughter? She must have stopped by this mountain? I’ve never seen her. Why did she come?”

“She asked how we were doing, and since she brought some lotus roots and root vegetables, I accepted them.”

“Lotus roots. Must be delicious.”

Bipa, who was muttering blankly, suddenly straightened his waist and looked at Muyun. When Muyun turned his head at that persistent gaze, Bipa smiled slyly, having thought of something again.

“How was she?”

“What do you mean?”

“How was the granddaughter.”

“Just, she resembled the old man from Yaksan.”

“That means… the granddaughter also has four arms.”

“Yes.”

“She didn’t say she liked you?”

At those words, Muyun abruptly furrowed his brow. Bipa chattered on without knowing what was inside the other’s mind.

“What use is being seventeen. What use is having grown up this well.”

Bipa pressed Muyun’s cheeks and put on a pretendingly sorrowful expression. Muyun, looking at Bipa with his lips protruding due to his pressed cheeks, asked.

“Did I grow up well?”

“No, not that meaning….”

Bipa, who wrinkled the bridge of his nose and laughed awkwardly, eventually answered.

“Yeah. You’re handsome. I raised you well.”

Muyun turned his head away from Bipa, who took his hands off his face and placed a hand on his chest as if proud. Then, dropping his gaze to the straw rope he was twisting, he muttered.

“I am not interested in someone liking me. I’m not interested in success either. I just like living like this.”

To be more precise, it was correct to say he wasn’t interested in anything other than Bipa. When he put on a pretendingly gloomy expression, Bipa thought, ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ and hugged Muyun abruptly.

“Okay. Live however you want. Who says otherwise?”

“You do, Master. You nag me every day.”

“I won’t, I won’t! I really won’t anymore!”

Bipa lifted the two hands that had hugged him and vowed. Right, what can I do when Muyun says he likes it like this now. It’s not like I told him to live in hiding on purpose. Thinking that, the corners of Bipa’s mouth trembled ticklishly.

“Then give me your foot here, let me measure the size.”

Muyun grabbed Bipa’s ankle and placed it against his palm. The not-so-large foot fit into Muyun’s hand with room to spare. It was a foot that looked like a peeled white gourd seed.

Muyun almost squeezed his foot tight unconsciously before coming to his senses. It is a mystery why the wicked whisper that Bipa would leave soon came to mind at this moment.

“Master… you aren’t going anywhere for a while, right?”

Muyun, who still hadn’t let go of the hand holding the ankle even while measuring the foot size, muttered in a very faint voice.

“I suppose so.”

“If by any chance you go out again, please take me with you then.”

Muyun pulled Bipa’s foot and sat right up close. Bipa was startled as his body was dragged along easily. Despite pulling a man’s body lightly, Muyun made a rather pitiful expression.

“Since you taught me everything, Master, I know what is false and what is real, and I can pretend not to see even if I see, and pretend not to hear very well.”

“…….”

At the hesitating attitude, Muyun chewed the inside of his mouth and brought up something else.

“The house without Master is too lonely….”

Bipa’s gaze wavered.

“Even though it’s a small house…?”

At the question asked with hesitation until the end, Muyun quickly nodded.

“Even if it’s a small house. If Master isn’t here, it feels as desolate as a ninety-nine room tiled house.”

Having heard even this, it couldn’t be helped. Bipa knew that loneliness well. Bipa, stroking the nape of his neck with a troubled expression, reluctantly let out words of permission.

“Okay. Since you’ve grown a lot too…. And since I’ll be by your side, it should be okay…?”

Only then did Muyun’s face brighten.

❀࿐

It was at the tail end of winter when an unwelcome guest visited Bipa.

Because this was a warmer region than other places, the winter was somewhat short. However, what awaited them next was spring.

Spring was not a beautiful season like mild weather and bursting flower buds. It was a time when all the harvested grain had been eaten over the winter, and new seeds had just been planted so sprouts hadn’t even grown yet. It was a destitute time when one wondered if they should peel tree bark and eat dirt.

Fortunately, Muyun had a talent for hunting. Even among those that came out from hibernation, after filtering out the young, and excluding mothers with young that were too small, only old beasts or males remained, but Muyun had mastered catching particularly fierce males.

Every time Muyun went out hunting, Bipa wrapped new cloth around Muyun’s bow. His skill was unexpectedly good, so the parts that were worn and tattered from use were neatly tidied up.

However, today Bipa, who had been being lazy at home, came out together saying his body felt stiff. While doing so, he grumbled that he kept feeling sleepy, perhaps because the weather was warming up. Though to Muyun, it seemed Bipa was always like that.

“If there is a jujube tree, let’s cut some branches.”

“Would there be any? The seeds probably dried up.”

“Do people come all the way here to take them?”

“Of course. Since you don’t climb the mountain at all, Master, you wouldn’t know.”

“The disciple is mistreating me.”

Hearing the grumbling voice from behind, Muyun smirked.

“Several people almost died because of a Jangsanbeom.”

“As far as I know, there are no Jangsanbeom here?”

“It seems like it was pushed out. It was weakened. I did hear a luring voice, but thanks to what you taught me, Master, I could pretend not to hear it. But it seemed others were bewitched and lost their footing.”

A monstrosity that lures people by mimicking everything from their tone to their voice exactly.

Muyun recalled the first time he heard the Jangsanbeom’s voice. It had tried to lure him out with Bipa’s voice, the kind that would only appear in dreams.

Muyun knew that wasn’t a dream, and he didn’t go because he knew Bipa wouldn’t make such a damp tone if it wasn’t a dream. He was just angry. Angry at how talented those things were at playing with people’s weaknesses.

“What voice did you hear?”

Bipa asked while barely managing to climb the steep path. Muyun reached back and supported him.

“I think it was… Haesol.”

It could be said with certainty that what improved the most while Muyun lived with Bipa was lying.