episode_0067

[067화] Dono

****

“Ahhhhh!!”

“Hyun-kyung, why are you crying? Didn’t Uncle read the fairy tale properly this time?”

“Sniff… The fire spirit is pitiful!”

Oh! Come to think of it, the fire spirit tragedy?

No matter how much it’s a fairy tale for kids, is this okay?

No, shouldn’t more attention have been paid if it’s a fairy tale for kids?

Describing as a kind child helping humans until defeating the orangecai and suddenly saying you’re a bad kid because you ate too much iron and then just shouting and killing….

“Sob sob sob!”

“Alright, Hyun-kyung, shh! It’s okay, don’t cry, Uncle will tell you the real story. In fact, the fire spirit didn’t die….”

****

Flutter.

A creature the size of a fingernail, its tiny pupils blinking on its face.

The fire spirit was confused when it woke up.

“Noooooo!”

Humans welcoming me with smiles, children following me around giggling as they passed through the village,

And.. the orangecai who tried to kill friends… and the humans who persecuted monks and led themselves to death….

I writhed in painful memories that scrambled my mind.

Why? How? I helped you all, didn’t I?

It wasn’t anger. Just sadness.

People who used to smile at me in my memories now grimace, children cry and soldiers scowl at me with terrifying faces.

And my stomach was too empty.

I had to eat anything.

Feeling hollow in my chest like there was a hole, I wanted to fill this empty space with something.

Gulp gulp

I swallow everything in front of me like that.

Iron pellets.. more iron pellets… swallowing everything in sight! I have to fill the hole in my chest somehow!

-Om… Somani somani…

My head goes numb at the distant chanting.

Monk..? Are you alive..?

It felt comforting.

Listening to the softly echoing sound, I closed my eyes for a long time… perhaps quite a while before opening them.

Only then did I see the surroundings.

“Oh no.. I’ve eaten all the iron again.. Will I be hated again? Will people hate me?”

Rustle rustle!

Human voices! No! They’ll hate me! They’ll shout at me! I’m scared!

The fire spirit quickly drills a hole in the wall and escapes.

Eventually returning with the fallen monk, the fire spirit sneaks back down.

My stomach growls again.

Sniff sniff..

I smell something delicious!

The sensitive nose of the dog-shaped fire spirit catches the scent of food.

The delicious smell wafts from a bundle far away.

Bang!

The fire spirit transforms into a woman.

Delicate fingers untie the bundle, revealing a beautiful pumpkin-colored porridge.

Like drinking it all in one gulp, I pour it all into my mouth.

Delicious! So delicious!

Even though it was cold. The warmth of the contents filled the emptiness in my heart. Overflowing with love.. filling the hole in my chest.

I tidy up the bowl and place it neatly aside.

Bang! The fire spirit turns back into a dog.

I felt like I needed some rest. Full and warm, I just wanted to sleep.

.

.

.

.

Perk perk!

My ears twitch.

“Master..! I.. fire!”

“Oh..! I.. the monk..!”

People! Human voices! I hear human voices! I’m back!

Quietly

Approaching again with quick steps.

Looking into the hole, there was a large iron pellet.

It was the iron pot people use to cook.

Looks delicious!

Unknowingly, I gulp down the entire pot.

I realized it was a mistake the next day.

“Oh, yesterday Master made curry for me but when I tried to make it myself….”

Curry? Is curry the name of the food in the pot the man brought yesterday?

Wait! Does that mean I can’t eat that delicious food again because I ate the pot yesterday?

As people leave the kitchen, the fire spirit hurries back to the kitchen.

Bang! Transformed into a large form, the fire spirit spits out the large iron pellet.

Rustle rustle, at the sound of the kitchen opening again, Bang! The dog turns back into a human and runs away.

“Big brother! The pot has reappeared!”

The woman exclaims in surprise.

Detecting the same fragrant smell wafting from the kitchen as yesterday, she realizes that the porridge she ate yesterday was called curry.

Encountering people is scary, but the scent is so fragrant that unknowingly, I run towards it, piquing my interest.

“Yum! Yum!”

Me too! Me too, let’s eat together! I want to eat that too!

“Dog, come here!”

She was a beautiful woman. Her warm smile made me unknowingly run towards her, almost wanting to be embraced by her…

Approaching is scary… What if she suddenly gets angry?

But… steam rises enticingly from the curry in the woman’s hand…

Warm and delicious-looking, its allure is irresistible…

After swallowing once, I couldn’t help but sneak closer without realizing it.

“Yum.. yum?”

Hastily, I dive into the bowl and eat the curry.

Delicious! Yesterday’s was tastier, but this one is warm and I love it!

Waking up, I find myself being cuddled and petted by the woman.

A gentle warmth envelops me…

Falling asleep happily, a metallic smell tickles my nose.

Oh! It smells like metal! Bang!

Chop chop, the sound of metal hitting metal.

Opening my eyes, I see a person handing me a piece of metal.

“Do you want to come with me? I’ll feed you, take care of you, do everything for you. Let’s live together… no, let’s live as a family.”

Our eyes meet subtly… The man’s eyes are clear and beautifully black.

…Can I…? I eat a lot, so people get mad at me…

Despite my hesitation, his warm emotions remain unchanged.

Then… I want to follow you! I still like people! But being abandoned is scary… Can I trust you?

A nodding head.

“Yum!”

It was the happiest memory of Sari’s life.

“Sari… Sari…! Let’s go back to being a dog now! Then, no one will know… So, snap out of it quickly…”

“Woof!”

Despite crying out for Sari, she remains oblivious.

The impatient monk continues reciting scriptures, leading Sari further towards the pit…

The village draws near.

“No… Monk! Please stop! You said Sari is like your child. I beg you! Stop the scriptures!”

Trying to stop the monk by force, I rush towards him, but…

Whoosh! Thud!

Sari’s tail blocks me from reaching the monk.

“Sari!”

Thud… thud… thud…

The pit approaches.

Thud.

The continuous chanting stops.

“Woof!”

With red eyes, Sari charges through the iron bars.

Crunching and munching on the iron pieces, tearing them apart like grass.

Onlookers and villagers gather, watching Sari in awe from a distance.

“Ignite the fire!”

“No!”

The flaming arrow flies swiftly…

Whoosh!

“Woof…!”

In an instant, the flames engulf Sari’s massive body.

Enduring the scorching heat, Sari grabs and devours the iron.

– Om Mani Padme Hum…

To the people’s wishes for the monster to burn quickly and the monk’s chants,

“Woof!”

Sari’s body begins to melt.

“Sari!”

Sari locks eyes with me.

The once red eyes gradually turn ashen…

“Woof!”

A different, slightly sad whimper.

Did she see me crying?

Sigh-

With those large eyes shedding tears, she greets me with her characteristic expressionless yet mischievous gaze.

“I thought people hated me! But my owner and sister always liked me! I’m sorry! I wanted to protect you….”

Her voice resonates in my mind like a wave…

“I… I wanted to protect you….”

Master, I like you! I didn’t abandon you until the end! I tried to protect you. As expected, I like humans!

It’s all my fault… Why… If this was going to happen, why did you give me a reason…! And then why didn’t you give me the strength to keep the reason… It’s too powerless…

Goodbye… Master…

Endlessly, tears flow…

The fire in the pit that was burning fiercely subsides.

Eventually, where the villagers and monks had all left, only I and the monk remained.

I just blankly sit down and stare at the remaining pit.

The monk went inside the pit.

Even though there is still heat remaining, the monk jumps in without a care, grabbing something with a clatter and a sizzle.

The monk approaches me step by step.

I felt so resentful.

But… because I didn’t want to stare at him with resentment… I just endlessly look at the traces of the reason without looking at the monk as much as possible.

Thud. A piece of something black is placed in front of me.

“This fellow is unkillable. It means he couldn’t be killed because of his strength.”

“……”

“It’s also called unkillable. How can people kill this iron-eating troublemaker? Some people came up with this story while pondering… Some say that mixing our language with Chinese characters doesn’t make sense, so they add that unkillable is anger-killable.”

“……”

“Some say that only the Buddha can kill the unkillable, but is it right to recommend killing from the unkillable? So, this monk calls it Buddha-killable because the Buddha allowed it to live. That was the story that just left.”

“……”

“What about your story? Not the stories passed down from commoners, soldiers, monks, and nobles… Your story. Your story that no one has ever heard before, weaving a new tale…”

A shock, as if struck by a blow, came through his words.

“Since the unkillable chose the master, it was clear that the fate of my two children changed… It was no longer the story of this monk… So, you should stop now… The master has more to do than he thinks…”

Thud thud

With footsteps, the monk leaves.

In an instant, a thought flashed through my mind, and I urgently ran to Gil-yong Ajae’s house with the traces of the black reason in front of me.

There, Hee-sun rushes to embrace me.

“Master! Black… Our reason…!”

Embracing Hee-sun tightly and patting her back, I speak.

“Hee-sun… Just follow me for now.”

“Yes…”

Sadly nodding, Hee-sun responds.

We arrived at the kitchen hearth.

The mature reason that appeared on a moonlit night comes to mind. She clearly said I had to make a choice.

Reason.

She said she was named Buddha-killable because the Buddha allowed her to live.

That’s how you were born from the hands of the monk.

People called you unkillable because you didn’t die.

When you became a troublemaker, people called you unkillable.

They even forced the idea that unkillable meant anger-killable.

Then you ended up burning to death.

Which story should I choose among them?

Do I have to choose one of those? Can’t I just choose my own story that I want?

The story I created. A story where you can live happily and joyfully. A story that someone can say is fun and enjoyable.

Even though they created such a forced story to kill you… as someone who loves you.

As someone who considers you a precious family member, shouldn’t I avoid forcing that upon you?

Unkillable.

You come alive when exposed to fire.

So please.. Be born again from the fire, Sariya. Become my family again.

I put the piece into the burning fireplace.

Crackle crackle..

The sound of firewood burning is heard..

Heesun and I continue to gaze at the flames.

Crackle crackle.. The fireplace shows no change.

“Was I wrong..”

“Huh? Oh, brother! Look over there..!”

Then, with Heesun’s shout, flames suddenly began to flicker.

And….

“Boom!”