episode_0059

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-Those marked by Changgui are said to be destined for misfortune.

-Tigers eat people and turn them into Changgui.

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“Sanga! Do you trust your father? What kind of person is your father? Tell me!”

“… He’s the best hunter in Geumgangsan.”

“That’s right! That’s your father! He has caught only five tigers so far! But how can I not handle one? So don’t worry.”

Father, that’s… You caught them with the poachers, right?

No matter how much of a father you are, you can’t face a tiger alone, can you…

We’re going to die…

Thud!

I regain my senses as my head turns.

It was the first time I felt a slap.

The fierce look in my father’s eyes that I met… felt more like a tiger than a tiger.

“Father said! Control your emotions! Don’t be consumed by fear! You can survive…! Your father will save you somehow… So go and take care of your mother.”

In his firm gaze and rough voice, I felt no tremor.

Even though my legs tremble and tears flow from fear…

My father just silently turns his massive back and…

Without hesitation, he looks at the approaching tiger in the distance, urging me to run, to go quickly… urging me to leave.

“Run. Just run. Just think about running without any other thoughts. Forget about the tiger and your father, just focus on running ahead!”

“Ah, Father…”

“You! Hurry up and go!”

Tears flow endlessly.

I close my eyes tightly and run back.

This bastard… leaving my father alone like that….

Father.. Father..

Let’s not think about anything.. neither the tiger nor father.. Let’s not think now!

[Roar!]

At the sound of the tiger’s roar, my legs stiffen involuntarily.

As I turn back, I see the tiger running towards me…

One hundred… Seventy… Forty steps…

The tiger rapidly closes the distance.

Swish!

[Aaaargh!]

An arrow flies through the wind, piercing one of the tiger’s eyes.

“Run quickly!”

Father’s thunderous voice.

In an instant, the tiger, now with one eye lost, changes its target and rushes towards my father.

Ignoring that sight… I run like a madman… just praying for my father’s safety…

Rushing to the government office without thinking, shouting everywhere, demanding help.

Crying out desperately.

A tiger… A tiger has appeared….

Father is fighting the tiger alone deep in the mountains… Please gather the poachers.

People of the town! Please help me! Our father is in danger! Please help us!

There, at the prison gate! Don’t just leave, please listen to me once!

Governor! I beg you… I will serve you later, please save our father….

……

Those inside, frowning as if annoyed…

The indifferent governor.

On his way back after causing a commotion outside, Gil-yong comes back urgently persuading the prison guard to bring the poachers… There, only torn pieces of father’s clothes lay scattered.

He picked up those clothes and returned, what did the governor say…?

“He devoured a whole person, so there shouldn’t be any trouble for a while.”

.

.

.

.

The brown eye that flew away.

How could I forget?

As I throw a torch and aim the spear at the tiger, my trembling body calms down.

[Rrrrr….]

The giant tiger scratches its neck, threatening me.

‘Don’t be consumed by fear.’

I remember that day’s father.

And the pretty face of Hee-sun comes to mind again.

I think of the cute Sari. And… maybe even the baby in Hee-sun’s belly.

Ah! So that’s why.

So that’s why Father was so strong.

He could confront the tiger without a hint of hesitation.

Now I deeply understand Father’s love.

The terrifying tiger, the calamity of that beast that made my breath quicken and my legs weak.

At this moment, I felt no fear at all.

With my spear in hand, I waited for the beast to make a move.

The first virtue a hunter must remember, as Father told me: Acknowledge your endless weakness.

No matter how fast or strong I may be, I cannot be faster or stronger than a tiger.

If you flee in fear or rush in with arrogance, you will fail.

When that creature rushes towards me, I must wait for the right moment and swiftly strike its muzzle with minimal movement.

During the tense standoff with sweat dripping coldly.

The tiger, scratching its throat, opens its mouth.

[Growl… Someone said it was a familiar face… Yes… It was the prey I marked back then….]

“……?”

It… speaks?

[Huh… Does this one understand my words too? Hahaha. Did your mother not tell you she gave birth to a tiger? You seem more like my brother than that one… Hahaha! Am I the wicked one who killed your father?]

Chuckling mockingly, trying to cool down the heated mind.

Not now, even when confused by the fact that the tiger is speaking, nor when angered by such lowly mockery.

The second virtue of a hunter.

Do not let any emotion dominate; control them instead.

Let your heart be passionate but your mind cold.

[Ha! That one… doesn’t even tremble anymore. Grown quite a bit… Haha, truly ripe and delicious… I almost want to devour you right now… Somehow regretting not eating you back then, huh?]

“Father… Has he really passed away?”

To my question asked tentatively, he reveals his large fangs, laughing mockingly.

[Growl, well, you took our brother’s essence, didn’t you? Since you’ve come this far, the rest is up to me. If I can’t subdue a small male pup and a worthless female on my own, I’m not worthy of being my brother.]

What does that mean? Brother? Then, isn’t he also a tiger?

[…Judging by your eyes, you seem to know what I’m thinking. My brother is a human. How could a tiger desire a mere human female prey?]

“So… Are you saying you’re the tiger elder?”

Was this related to my mission too?

Wait… Wait a minute… In the fable, the tiger elder brother… Yes, he was a woodcutter… Then… Could it be Han-si? How? I heard he was beaten and became a cripple…

[Growl, you look confused. Understandable. I didn’t believe it at first either… But this one understands me, and claims we are brothers from the same litter… As I listened, it made some sense…]

“You fool. How can a person give birth to a tiger? You’re being deceived.”

[Hmph, even I don’t know my parents’ faces, how can you be so sure? Where does it make sense for a tiger and a human to communicate?]

“…Then, if I understand you like that one, does that mean I’m your brother too?”

[Hahaha! That’s quite a reasonable statement! Right! Would you like to become my brother too? Give up just one female. Then I’ll spare you.]

Feeling worse at his joyful expression as he speaks.

The act of suggesting nonchalantly itself was unpleasant and disgusting.

Give up on Heesun? Become your brother? Then, what is left for me other than saving a pitiful life?

“I refuse. Where in this world can you find a despicable wretch who would sell his wife, become an enemy to his father, and beg for his life?”

[Tsk tsk… It’s truly amusing how prevalent hole-ridden females are in the world… And as for being an enemy… Ha! It’s quite grandiose. As if I’ve committed some great wrong? I merely consumed prey before me; why is that considered a mistake? It’s just a matter as natural as the world itself, so I fail to comprehend why you’re risking your life in anger… Foolish one, with just those words, your lifeline has been severed.]

The tiger seems genuinely pitiful, reproaching me with a bowed head.

Yes… In the world of survival of the fittest, where one eats or gets eaten, your act of killing your father… is simply part of nature’s course. I know that all too well…

But does that mean… just because you call it prey… should you not resist in anger at your father’s death, going against the natural order to survive?

“… You’re right. I grew up as a hunter and have taken the lives of many animals. Therefore, I have no intention to distinguish between good and evil in your actions, nor do I have the right to judge.”

[…….]

“The woman you refer to as a female is Heesun. You, who do not understand this difference, will never comprehend it in your lifetime. Whether fighting to protect your loved one or raging for failing to protect them, it’s all just part of the natural order of the world. I cannot fathom why you mock that. Even if I were to beg for your life here, my love would ultimately be doomed, so I will never submit to you.”

[Haha, words spoken with such clarity… Love… It’s quite complex. Ah! Is what I’m doing for my brother similar to this? Hmm… Still, I am too curious about what exactly that is… Perhaps if I were human, I could have known…]

As if recalling an amusing joke at that moment, the tiger’s expression changes.

A chilling sensation runs down my spine, and a sinister feeling creeps in.

A strange sense of foreboding, almost like a prophecy, keeps ringing alarms in my mind.

Something unseen squeezes my heart.

A mysterious smoke rises faintly from the tiger’s armpit and…

[Oh… Oh, son… Grrrr…]

The white smoke gradually becomes clearer, revealing a familiar face that makes my heart pound wildly.

“Because of you…! Because of you, I died…! Release me…! Because of you, I became a slave to the tiger!!!! Release meeeee!!!!”

With a shiver, the smoke vanishes along with the screams.

“Oh… Father….”

Unknowingly, my knees almost gave out beneath me.

Why did our father end up like this…

It felt like my world was crumbling.

[Haha, isn’t it amusing? The one who’s caught is you… but the one who’s trapped is your father… This is truly a tear-jerking tale…]

“What… What are you talking about?”

I force strength into my knees and straighten up.

[Well, your father becoming my slave is what it means because of you. Now… tell me quickly… How are you feeling right now? What is the human heart?]

“Shut up! How could you… How could you do this to our father! You tiger cub! Release my father!”

[Haha, your reaction is truly amusing! Fortunately, there might not be absolutely no way to release him. If you listen to me a bit, it might be possible? Haha…]

“What way? Tell me now! What should I do?”

The tiger, seemingly contemplating something, stays silent for a moment with tightly closed lips.

[…Aha!]

Suddenly, a tiger roared as it struck the ground with its large front paw.

“So…! Is this what loyalty is about…? The one who stretched out like that is now in such desperation… Hahaha… Thank you! It has been a great help in understanding humans… Loyalty, huh… Haha, that’s no longer relevant, so let me tell you. It’s simple: if you get eaten, become a ghost in place of your father.”

“What, what did you say?”

“You probably can’t kill me, and I don’t want to die either… So the only way is for you to get eaten by me, becoming a ghost in place of your father… Well, if you just stay still, you’ll eventually become a ghost on your own…”

“Explain clearly! What are you talking about?”

“Haha… Simply put, it’s a story where either I die or you die. Hasn’t it been strange so far? Becoming somewhat tiger-like… Getting more ferocious than usual when excited…”

“…?”

“You, you’re already marked, possessed by the spirit of this body. Hahaha, how dare you think you can escape from me so recklessly! If you die, becoming a ghost, naturally your father will be freed. So, if you offer your neck to me and die right now, how profound an act of loyalty would that be.”

“Father… Ah…”

He steadied his confused mind.

Now, he couldn’t bring himself to die at the hands of that creature. It had captured his soul; what misdeeds could it possibly commit?

As he feared, the worst assumption came to mind: using the appearance of the ghost he would become, he could harm the people he loved. His grip tightened on the handle as he thought, “I will never die! Pull yourself together. There’s no need to be afraid. There’s just one more reason to kill that thing.”

He opened his eyes wide and stared straight at the tiger. It was time to do what needed to be done.

For now, Heesun was safe. There was nothing to worry about.

As long as he didn’t send that thing over there.

“Hmm… The futile hope that humans hold, I’ve seen plenty of that… It’s the part I understand best about humans. If you keep your wits about you, can’t you survive? You’ve come this far, but haven’t you completely lost me now? Hahaha! How delightful it is to trample on that hope…”

The tiger seemed to reminisce about the enjoyable past of hunting humans, its voice slightly animated.

He felt that the creature was underestimating him.

Without even being cautious, it approached leisurely, then suddenly sprang forward, giving a scare before laughing at his startled reaction and backing away again.

It was like a cat playing with a mouse.

Finally, as the tiger crouched down, preparing to leap and bite his neck…

Just then, as he tensed up to thrust the spear into the tiger’s mouth, a man’s scream echoed from the village outskirts.

– “Help! Monster…! Don’t come…! Help meee!”

“Huh?”

The tiger’s ears perked up, swiftly turning its head towards the direction of the sound.

“Scream!”

Reacting to the distant echoing cries, the tiger turned around and bolted.

“Where are you going! You can’t go!”

He quickly threw a spear at the already-distant tiger, shouldered his bow, loaded an arrow, and shot towards the tiger.

Swish! Thud!

Although it hit squarely, the arrow bounced off the thick skin.

The tiger paid no attention, running to save his brother…

I also hurriedly followed the tiger, thinking that Heesun might be in danger.

[Ah! You stupid idiot! Can’t you handle a mere female properly!]

No, this is your fault for being negligent.

To me… no, to Heesun, I have placed the strongest puppy, raised on superalloys and supercomposites like snacks, as a guard.

Even its name is “Unkillable.”