episode_0045

“Master, I’ll go with you.”

“Are you sure? You’re not feeling well. I’ll come back to the house tomorrow morning to check on you. It’s better for you to rest here…”

“I don’t know? I can’t sleep without you, Master. I’ve recovered quickly from being sick. I’m a fairy, a fairy! And it will soon be dark, so it’s better if I carry a lantern and go up together with you.”

Seeing Heesun spinning around gracefully with suspicious eyes, I felt truly grateful.

I must have been a bad person to torment a woman like her…

Oh… but all the marks I left on my neck are gone…

“No, no! That’s not important right now. Anyway, I can leave more marks later!”

I shake my head to dismiss unnecessary thoughts.

Where else could I find a woman like this….

Heesun, who smiles without hesitation and says she will accompany me, is truly appreciated.

“Well.. if you’re okay, let’s go together. Thank you…”

“Why thank each other as a couple!”

She playfully punches my stomach and chuckles, then quickly gathers toiletries and a few pieces of clothing.

I have a lot to pack too.

I start gathering everyday items that the monk might need.

“Since there were some wooden utensils left… let’s take a small pot from our house, …yes, let’s also bring a millstone.”

I place the pot upside down on the millstone on the carrying pole so that the monk can sit comfortably.

“Monk, let’s go quickly. It’s dangerous to be out late at night and encounter a tiger.”

Supporting the tired monk lying in the room, I help him sit comfortably on the carrying pole.

“Phew!”

“Haha… you’re strong.”

“That’s right. Monk, you said one of your disciples got married well, right? Hahaha”

The monk laughs along with Heesun’s joke.

“Now let’s go, Heesun. Lower the lantern and carry it.”

The mountain path has darkened.

With Heesun leading the way with a lantern in front and me guiding with the carrying pole behind, we finally arrive at the temple after a long walk.

The monk seems to be sleeping, breathing evenly.

It might have been difficult without Heesun.

In this dim mountain, each rock could have been dangerous if Heesun hadn’t illuminated the path.

It was dizzying to think that the monk could have been injured if he had fallen and sat on the carrying pole.

As soon as Heesun arrives at the temple, she lights up all the hanging lanterns in the temple to brighten it up.

With the lanterns lit, the temple that seemed desolate during the day finally looked like a lively place.

Since it’s already late, I should tidy up quickly and get some rest.

First of all… I should lay the monk down properly…

I place the pot and millstone brought from the kitchen next to the hearth.

And I should close the door… I left all the doors open while searching for the monk, so it took a while to tidy up.

Oh! Come to think of it, I brought a lot of curry (vegetarian) for the monk… but I was so distracted that I just threw it away without thinking.

I should clean up the mess caused by insects and take a break before resting.

But….

“Oh? The bundle…”

The bundle is completely unraveled.

Empty bowls with not a drop of soup left.

Chills run down my spine at the sight.

Clearly… someone else is here besides us..!

“Uh.. hoo. Hoo.. Let’s calm down… calm down…!”

Taking deep breaths, I quickly retreat and rush into the room where the monk is to make sure he’s okay.

Even breathing.

The monk is safe.

“Of all things, why isn’t there a latch on the door! I’m really anxious.”

As a temporary measure, I twist a room without a latch with a rope to secure the door.

And Heesun… I need to make sure Heesun is safe.

I quickly enter the room.

A faint figure in the dim candlelight.

Quickly closing the door, I cautiously checked to see if Heesun was safe.

“Oh! Sir, sir? Why, why are you like this? You came in so suddenly and scared me. Oh my! Touching me all of a sudden… Sir, it’s me here!”

“Hee, Heesun… Are you… are you okay?”

“Yes, yes… all of a sudden?”

It seemed like nothing serious had happened.

Phew… I breathed a sigh of relief as tension eased. Finally, I explained the situation to Heesun.

“It seems like… there might be something here… It wasn’t like this before… It’s strange. Heesun, I think we shouldn’t go out tonight. Let’s go back home together tomorrow morning after convincing the monk.”

Despite my tense words, Heesun just looked at me curiously, not sensing the seriousness of the situation.

“When we turned on the lights, there was nothing, right? Why are you saying there’s something here?”

“Dear… well, for now… just because I’m a bit uneasy, please listen to me… Don’t go out tonight, okay? Even if you need to go to the bathroom, wake me up so I can go with you. Promise me.”

“Uh… okay. I understand. But really, what’s going on? What did you see that made you like this?”

“… Remember the food I was going to give to the monk at lunch?”

“The one we had for breakfast. You mentioned it was curry…”

“Yeah… I threw the bag on the floor instead of taking it to the monk… and when I did that, all the contents spilled out…”

“Oh, what is it. I guess… some animals caught the scent and tore it apart.”

Even though Heesun tried to reassure me that it was nothing serious, if it were just animals, I wouldn’t have been this worried unless they were predators.

“No, no… if it were animals, they would have torn the bag without untying it, scattering the food everywhere. But… there was no trace of that, the food was completely gone, and even the dishes were neatly arranged.”

Even with those words, Heesun just smiled innocently.

Oh… our Heesun doesn’t know how dangerous the world can be… being so pure as a person… What can I do? I can only protect her by my side for the rest of my life…

“Hahaha, you’re quite something, huh? So, because someone, whether human or ghost, came here, ate the food left on the ground, cleaned up everything kindly, and left, that’s why tonight is dangerous?”

“Huh?”

Huh? Thinking like that, it’s not that scary anymore?

Heesun, finding my reaction cute, led me to the prepared bedding.

“Oh, I just realized I didn’t wash up…”

“What does it matter between a married couple? You said you were scared today, hehe. Lie down here quickly. I’ll tuck you in, dear husband. You’ve had a hard day. You must be tired, right?”

“Uh… yeah….”

I might smell bad…

Seemingly unconcerned about it, Heesun cradled my head against her chest, soothing me to sleep.

“Oh… a nice scent….”

My heart felt at ease.

Normally, I would hold Heesun in my arms to sleep, but this time, I found myself falling asleep in her embrace.

But today, with the smell of sweat, it was a bit uncomfortable to be held…

*Sigh*

I inhaled the sweet fragrance wafting from Heesun’s chest.

In the comforting warmth of her embrace, even the lingering fears slowly dissipated as I drifted off to sleep.

Today was really tough… carrying heavy loads… running around the mountain all day…

“Ugh… huff…”

Slowly drifting off to sleep.

“Oh my? My husband fell asleep, so the baby woke up? Not today, hehe… This is the temple… Next time, I’ll play with you a lot at home… Come on, let’s sleep now. Our husband… sleep… sleep…”

Chirp chirp chirp!

The sound of birds chirping fills the air.

“Wake up, husband! It’s morning already. We have to make breakfast for the monk.”

“Umm.. Yes.. Yes? Ah! Uh, I’m awake.

It feels like I’ve slept deeply after a long time.

My body feels a bit… stiff? Well, I did run around quite a bit.

When I tried to open the door, the pot is still there.

If I had gotten up first, I might have been able to leave early. Did she wait for me to get up because I told her not to go out yesterday?

‘She’s really lovely, my sexy…’

I pull Heesun, who is dressing, and can’t resist kissing her.

“Mwah! Mm! Darling! Mwah! Smooch! Smooch! Ugh! Here, chu… mwah… smooch… smooch…”

It’s fortunate that I didn’t eat anything other than breakfast yesterday… I can even kiss like this.

Heesun pushes me away slightly, then glances at me and sticks her tongue in.

“Haha!”

“Ah…. That was nice… It seems like today will be fulfilling too, haha.”

Heesun sharply retorts to my words.

“You! How can you act like this in front of the Buddha? Let’s go out quickly. The monk must be hungry.”

“Okay, okay.”

I smile, pacifying the annoyed Heesun and patting her head.

Heesun smiles again, receiving the pat.

Ah… Happiness…

Oh no! Monk!

I quickly walk with Heesun to pay respects to the monk.

It seems like the monk coughed earlier than us; the pot hanging on the door is untied, and he has changed his clothes and even washed up.

“Oh monk, even though you’re not feeling well, why did you wash up alone risking yourself? When did you start coughing?”

“Oh, sir. Haha… An old man’s morning routine is quick by nature…”

He laughs heartily, but his complexion is so pale, and his voice is hoarse, making me uneasy.

“If you collapse from doing that… Do you have any other discomforts? Just tell me, I’ll get you medicine or anything.”

“Haha, don’t worry. Thanks to the Buddha’s grace, I’m fine. Oh Bodhisattva, good morning. I’ve caused trouble unnecessarily to this old man…”

“What are you saying, monk! I couldn’t sleep without this. Hoho. Oh! Just wait a moment, I’ll bring some food suitable for your health.”

“Hehe… Thank you, Bodhisattva… This old fool only causes trouble as he ages…”

“Oh monk! We’re just here to pay our respects, so relax. If you keep insisting on paying respects all the time, you won’t receive any. Heesun, let’s go!”

“… Namo Amitabha Buddha.”

The monk is indebted again, causing trouble. Before saying unnecessary things, I quickly grab Heesun’s hand and return to the kitchen with a mortar.

“Oh? Brother! Didn’t you leave the pot here yesterday? Why is it missing?”

“What are you talking about? I used it yesterday! Huh? It’s really gone? Where could it possibly be?”

It felt like a ghostly occurrence.

The tension I momentarily forgot returns.

“Look, I told you something was strange here! Even the organized dishes from yesterday were odd! What’s going on?”

Heesun and I search around the kitchen, but the vanished pot doesn’t seem to appear suddenly.

“It’s really strange, darling… Well, we can’t help it! Let’s quickly have breakfast and take the monk downstairs. I can’t stay here feeling uneasy.”

“Yes… I understand. We need the dishes first, so let’s go back to the kitchen, dear.”

It was a truly bizarre incident.

Perhaps this incident is related to the monk collapsing….

“Brother! Brother!”

Startled by Heesun’s urgent call, I quickly rush to her.

“Look at that, brother! The pot has reappeared!”

R-Really? What on earth? Is it really a ghost?”

I feel like my soul has left my body, my mind is elsewhere. Startled for a moment, Heesun quickly regains composure and takes out ingredients from the bag.

Am I weird? Why doesn’t Heesun look scared at all? Is it because she’s a fairy? How can she be so calm about this scary situation…

“Heesun, aren’t you scared at all?”

“What? Why would I be? Oh! In Heaven, there are far more extraordinary things than this. How many mischievous beings are there. If they get startled by something like this, even Father might be just an ordinary person, right? Just getting surprised like a baby over something like this… Haha.. Normally, he seems like a god…”

“Wow…”

No more words come out. Strong inside and out. It seemed like Heesun was that kind of person.

In a harmonious marriage, I also felt at ease with Heesun’s bold demeanor and helped her cook.

“Monk! Monk! Please have your meal!”

Signaling in front of the room, I quickly support the monk to prevent him from collapsing and seat him outside on a bench.

“Haha, I tried my best. Monk! Enjoy your meal.”

“The smell is delightful. Bodhisattva. Namo Amitabha… I will enjoy this.”

“In fact, this should have been served yesterday… Since there’s no meat, you can eat without worry. Here, please take the utensils.”

To aid digestion for someone who couldn’t eat properly, I reduced the spice level and made a curry close to porridge with rice, but the aroma of the curry rising from the stove was very fragrant.

I wanted to treat our monk to Indian cuisine, so I came prepared… It would have been a disaster if I hadn’t. Seriously.

“Monk, this is a celestial kitchen dish. Celestial kitchen! The holy land of Buddhism! I really wanted to treat you, Monk.”

The fact that we could converse like this was such a blessing… Thinking about the what-ifs sent shivers down my spine, so I deliberately showed off like I did when I was a young child, hiding that sentiment as I spent time with the monk.

Impressed by my gesture, the monk tasted the curry and praised it with a smile.

“Perhaps that’s why it tastes so full of Buddha’s grace, Master. It’s so delicious that I feel humbled before Buddha. Thank you for the delicious meal, Bodhisattva.”

“Hoho, thank you for the praise, Monk.”

The cheerful laughter of the people I love.

Only then did hunger hit me.

I skipped a meal yesterday, so I’m really hungry now… I hurriedly pick up my utensil.

Lost in eating the curry, suddenly…

“Bark! Bark, bark!”

“Huh? Look over there, Uncle! A very cute dog is coming towards us!”

“…?”

Following Heesun’s pointing hand, a grey dog was indeed running towards us, barking cutely.

It seemed drawn by the smell of food, drooling as it stared at our dining table.

‘Ah, it’s theirs, the one that ran away from the kitchen. It’s exactly that size.’

Seems like this troublemaker was behind this.

‘But is the monk raising a dog? It’s not even a village mutt… Looks like a breed I’ve seen back home… Oh! A Maltese? But why a foreign breed in Yuldoguk?’

Yuldoguk isn’t a place where small dogs thrive… I never knew a Maltese could be a wild, versatile breed.

Wait, was that tiny thing a highly territorial breed…

But seriously, where did that dog pop out from?