Epilogue (Conclusion)

Another day in the other world is peaceful.

The birds are singing,

The flowers are dancing.

…No, actually it wasn’t birds but yokai in the shape of birds,

And not flowers, but something made of prey that bloomed on the Lanhua flowers’ branches.

Inanimate flowers cannot possibly dance, after all.

What if this, what if that.

Today is a good day.

I held a festival.

Humans have commemorative days –

Birthdays,

Christmas,

Wars,

Armistices,

War’s end, etc.

Humans designate dates to hold festivals or memorial services to commemorate something.

I am a fox yokai, half-human and half-yokai.

Just because I have integrated the human and yokai heart does not mean my humanity has completely disappeared.

Since I became the ruler of the other world, I will shape the other world as I please.

The other world’s sole commemorative day and sole festival,

I created the ‘Gija Festival’.

Today precisely marks one year since Duergsini’s defeat.

At first, I considered naming this day the ‘Day of Victory’ to commemorate Duergsini’s death, but soon gave up on that idea.

The reason is simple:

I want future yokai and humans to forget the name ‘Duergsini’.

In other words, to expunge him from records.

There is no need for anyone to remember or invoke his name.

How ironic, isn’t it?

A memorial service was held for the ‘human’ Gija, whom Duergsini viewed as an insect, yet

No one even mentions Duergsini’s name –

A rather pitiful outcome unbecoming of a ‘demigod’s’ presence.

He brought it upon himself.

Who asked him to infuriate me?

The goblins have faded into the back alleys of history.

Just think of it as my own petty revenge against Duergsini.

The Gija Festival is not a simple memorial service though.

I only named it the ‘Gija Festival’, but it is closer to a celebration than a funeral.

Since he told me to live happily, shouldn’t I hold the memorial joyfully too?

While the Gija Festival is held in the other world, outsiders are freely allowed entry today as well.

I sent invitations to everyone I know.

Apparently all the Taoists of the Tao Society are participating in the festival.

…It was probably due to Ho-jun’s influence as the Tao Society’s leader.

Apparently all the martial artists are participating too.

Yi Haneul and Baek Nam-hun must have encouraged participation.

At least one person from each regional Yokai Extermination Office nationwide is participating.

Many cannot participate, as their duty is to protect humans from yokai.

The entire Jiri Mountain Yokai Extermination Office is participating though.

Since I’m at Jiri Mountain, even if a yokai suddenly appears, it won’t be an issue, so they can all leave their posts.

The invitees arrived at the other world one after another.

The first group to arrive was the Tao Society.

The person leading dozens of Taoists was Ho-jun.

I greeted Ho-jun:

“You’re here?”

“Yeah, I brought everyone without missing a single person.”

“…It wasn’t forced participation, was it?”

“It was forced participation.”

“Oh, I told you there’s no need to force people!”

“What can I do? If they complain, they can become the next Tao Society leader.”

“…”

The Tao Society members must really be exhausted, with such a lackadaisical person as their leader.

I politely greeted the Taoists:

“Thank you for coming.”

“Ooooooh…!”

I just greeted them, so why are they exclaiming in admiration?

…

…

…

After the Tao Society, the martial artist group arrived, followed by the Yokai Extermination Office personnel.

Now that everyone was gathered, I realized just how big of a deal I had made this.

There were hundreds of humans alone.

The good thing is,

Using this festival as an excuse, humans and yokai can show their faces and have constructive conversations for the future.

Those invited were already aware of the alliance between the yokai of the other world and humans, and

Most here had fought alongside the other world’s yokai during Duergsini’s defeat, and

Currently maintain friendships with the other world’s yokai dispatched across the regions.

So the people were able to quickly adapt to the other world.

“Oh, pervert geezer! Long time no see, have you been well?”

“Kkeung… Seems you’ve been doing well too, you rascal. Don’t speak to me anymore.”

“…Isn’t that too much after just one year?”

“I have no interest in conversing with a full-grown man.”

“Should I show you photos of my daughter?”

“Sh-show them!”

…It was something like that.

Yokai and humans naturally conversing –

A sight unimaginable even just a year ago, how deeply moving.

It seems the scene of humans and yokai conversing was quite touching for Yi Haneul too, as he opened his mouth with reddened eyes:

“How moving…”

That’s right,

Come to think of it, Yi Haneul’s dream was to understand the hearts of yokai.

In a way, his dream has already been fulfilled,

For the yokai of the other world

Have hearts.

“It’s all thanks to me, Miho…”

“No, it’s thanks to Gija.”

“Right, that name! I was actually going to ask you about him. Just who is this Gija person?”

“…”

“Why, don’t want to talk about it? Is it a secret?”

“No, it’s not really a secret, but…”

“Could he be Miho’s ex-lover?”

“Something like that.”

“Huhhhhh…!”

Yi Haneul was taken aback when I affirmed it.

Why?

Well,

It is the truth.

Gija and ‘Miho’ were certainly a pair deeply in love.

Of course, the ‘Miho’ I’m referring to

Is distinctly different from me, but still.

If Yi Haneul had asked ‘Is Gija your ex-lover?’, I would have denied it.

This is why the Korean language is so nuanced.

…

…

…

“Hey.”

“Click?”

“Are you happy?”

“Clickclick. What is happiness?”

“…Are you pretending not to know, or do you really not know?”

“I know the meaning of the word, but I don’t understand what it means. Clickclick.”

Dapoh

is the very embodiment of the word ‘happiness’.

Dapoh is positive about everything, and

Has a special ability to cheer up anyone he converses with.

A sudden thought occurred to me:

Have I been feigning happiness out of excessive concern for Gija’s dying wish?

But seeing Dapoh munching on acorns in my bosom, that nagging thought vanished like a weight lifted off me.

Happiness is actually nothing special.

Happiness

Is closer to us than we think.

The reason we consider ourselves unhappy is because we take the nearby happiness for granted.

However, I do not take this daily happiness nearby for granted.

It is a happiness we painstakingly attained by sacrificing our suffering.

Moreover,

It is a happiness found through someone’s noble sacrifice.

Fortunately, fox yokai have excellent memory that can even recall the previous day’s lunch menu, so

I will never forget the suffering I endured,

And his sacrifice.

…

…

…

“Miho, I knew you would achieve this…!”

“Achieve what?”

“You have single-handedly ushered in a true era of peace.”

“Ah, that seems to be overpraising me…”

“Is it not you who is underestimating yourself instead?”

Did everyone watch a sad movie yesterday or something?

Even Yi Haneul, the director of the Jiri Mountain Yokai Extermination Office,

Had reddened eyes at the sight of the other world, evident proof that the scene was quite shocking.

It seems everyone I meet is determined to overpraise me, but

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve done that much.

Without the surrounding figures, I couldn’t have accomplished anything.

The Cerulean Beast – without Yi Haneul, I couldn’t have caught it.

The Tiger of Jangsan, the Formless Shadow – without Ho-jun, I couldn’t have caught it.

The Namsan Goblin – without Yi Haneul and the martial artists, I would have died there.

Black Tortoise and Black Tiger – without Yi Haneul’s advice, I couldn’t have persuaded them.

Duergsini’s Avatar, Yacha – essentially caught by Ho-jun and Yi Haneul together.

There, I was just dead weight.

And finally,

Duergsini.

Without everyone’s strength, on that day, we would have lost.

For them to say I single-handedly ushered in an era of peace,

“I absolutely do not think so. If the Director had not been there, I would have died long ago. I’m not just saying it, Director, I truly mean it.”

“Miho…”

“So please keep it up, future Minister.”

“…Understood. I, Yi Haneul, will do my utmost.”

It is a foregone conclusion that Director Yi Haneul will become the next Minister of the Yokai Control Department.

In terms of experience and accomplishments, there is no talent that can match him.

As someone who fully understands the situation in the other world becoming the Minister, from my perspective, I wholeheartedly welcome it.

Everyone is joyfully conversing.

Joy is tantamount to happiness.

I wonder if Gija

Is watching this scene.

…

…

…

At the center of the other world,

In my den,

I gathered the humans and yokai together.

No matter that it’s a festival,

We should do what needs to be done and enjoy ourselves.

Soon, I used my spiritual power to give each person a lantern made from my own power.

The people do not know who Gija was,

What kind of person he was,

What he did in the past, what choices he made, what he regretted,

And

What sacrifice he made for everyone.

In fact,

There is no need for people to know of his sacrifice.

Gija’s goal was not

To make ‘everyone’ happy, but

To make a single woman, ‘Miho’, happy.

I alone will remember his name.

Even if no one else does,

I have the duty to remember his name as much as he does.

Though I did not specifically command it,

The yokai and humans who received the lanterns naturally released them into the sky.

The dark sky of the other world is dyed golden.

Hmm,

Well,

It’s beautiful.

A sight so beautiful that it seems completely mismatched with the drab other world.

From now on,

What should be the purpose of my life?

There is nothing more pitiful than a life without purpose.

Until now, the goal of my life was

To defeat Duergsini, and

To save humans.

The moment I defeated Duergsini, I lost my life’s purpose.

So then,

What should I do now?

It is only today, one year later,

That I have realized what I must do:

To create a new world where yokai roam the cities,

Where humans freely come and go in the other world,

A world where yokai and humans are one –

This is my new goal.

Does it seem impossible?

“Dapoh, want to try this? It’s a new product…”

“It was then that Grandfather Noeung suddenly appeared, putting me in mortal danger…”

“We should definitely consider a way to integrate Taoism and prey too… Could the yokai here perhaps lend us a hand?”

…Well,

It doesn’t seem impossible.

After all,

I am

A ten-tailed fox yokai.

Whatever goal I set,

It is

My freedom.