episode_0089

The hunter and his wife asked the deer for a big house as their wish.

“Alright.”

The deer granted their wish.

However, even after getting the big house, the hunter and his wife were not satisfied.

They felt empty inside the spacious house.

“Deer, please fill our house with furniture too.”

“Alright.”

The deer gladly granted their second wish.

Seeing the house filled with furniture, the hunter couple became greedy.

“It’s too hard for just the two of us to clean such a big house. Finally, send us many servants.”

“Alright.”

Contrary to their expectations, instead of granting their wish, the deer took away their house and furniture, leaving them poor again.

– Among the hunter and the deer.

They never intended to be greedy just because they had three wishes.

So, no matter what you think, things won’t go your way.

“Let’s start with the first wish…”

Since the moment I caught him, I wanted to ask, but it was clear that I would let him go.

I’ve been holding back a question all this time, waiting for the right moment.

Just thinking about it makes me burn with anger, my teeth gritting…

“The woodcutter and the tiger… Where are they…! Where are those bastards hiding…! Argh..!”

[Sob..! Sniff..!]

The woodcutter…! The tiger…!

Finally, I can find out where they are!

I couldn’t control this rage…!

Our father is captured by them..!

Roar…!

“Sir, sir… Stop it!”

“Ugh..!”

Damn it… Getting so worked up again…!

“Sir! Calm your emotions! Look at my face! Think of our baby… Think of our family… Think of our loved ones.”

As the intense emotions subside, my dizzy eyes begin to focus.

Her worried gaze filling my sight… Her beautiful face…

It’s Heeseon. My wife… Our child’s mother…

Chuup!

With Heeseon’s gentle kiss, my boiling heart gradually calms down.

“I-I’m sorry, Heeseon. Why am I acting like this…?”

Heeseon embraces me, soothing me and calming me down.

“It’s okay, don’t worry… I understand everything. I’ll take care of everything, so trust me, Sir. Just like how you protect me, I will protect you…!”

“Umm….”

It seems like Heeseon already knew about my state.

This must be the work of that damn tiger…

Sigh…

As I breathe in Heeseon’s scent, letting out the remaining emotions, the deer, who had fainted, slowly regains consciousness.

[Uh… Am I alive? What is this… a tiger? …Oh! Hmm…! Big..! …Hunter? You look very hurt. Um… Wouldn’t it be better to change your wish?]

“Shut up! My wish remains the same. Tell me where the woodcutter and the tiger are hiding.”

The deer, waking up, stirs up the emotions that had barely subsided. It subtly tries to tempt me, perhaps guessing my state.

Although curses will end once the tiger is killed. Unless I plan to avoid the tiger, there is absolutely no need to change it.

Is it an easy way to break the curse here, urging me to live in fear and anger for the rest of my life, hiding from the tiger?

[… Foolish. If you resolve it here, there’s no need to meet the tiger.. Letting go of the easy path and enduring…]

Do you think I wouldn’t know that the easy path you mentioned becomes more miserable and dangerous?

“Answer me.”

[Sigh…. I don’t know either. I purposely didn’t ask. I didn’t want to know. I felt a bad omen… I was frustrated because I didn’t know why… But following my intuition was the right choice after all. Perhaps I foresaw this moment.]

“What did you say?”

“So just make a different wish. They must have hidden in a place even I can’t guess. Can you feel that what I’m saying is true? I can’t lie about a ‘wish,’ and my life is at stake here, right? So, why not change your wish? This way, we both lose, don’t we? The hunter loses a wish, and I just accumulate debts. So, how about I help you get rid of that dark energy inside you right now?”

….No.. No.

That’s a trap. Don’t waver.

Focus. I had to find my center.

My center.. Heesun.. Sari.. Our baby….

“Even if you hid them by acting out like this, it doesn’t matter. In the end, I will find them and kill them. For now.. Fine, I’ll change my wish. Durebak. The time when Durebak falls into the lake in Heaven to bathe. You know, right? This is your story. No?”

Feeling hopeful about surviving, the deer, who was starting to regain some spirit to scheme little by little, seemed taken aback by the mention of Durebak.

“H-how did you know that..! You didn’t peek into the secrets too! Exactly! It was strange no matter how much I thought about it! You are just like me! How did you escape the punishment.. Well! That makes you even more capable, right? Hunter! How about we forget all this and join hands? Maybe even the Jade Emperor—”

“How dare this vulgar being!”

The person who shouted in anger was Heesun, who was hugging me from the side, watching the deer’s actions closely.

Unable to bear the deer’s words mocking the Jade Emperor in front of him, Heesun trembled with clenched fists, unable to control his anger.

“On what grounds does this sinner dare to speak of safety now, ridiculing with a deceitful tongue! This is the husband of a true fairy and the consort of the Jade Emperor! How dare you insult someone like you to the husband like this…! Th-this! Ah! Hoo.. Hoo.. Baby, I’m sorry….”

It was fortunate that Heesun calmed himself down. He hesitated whether he should try to calm things down again.

However, no matter how hard he tried to endure, he couldn’t hide the rising discomfort from the deer’s earlier remarks. His expression clearly showed the anger welling up inside him, which worried me greatly.

“Sir! There’s no need to listen to the words of this lowly sinner anymore! I will find another way to go to Heaven, so you—”

“Oh. F-fairy! I-I’m sorry! I spoke without realizing it! Oh! Durebak! H-hunter! Durebak will come down on the next full moonlit day! I’ve granted my first wish! So please..!”

In case we were considering withdrawing our proposal, the deer quickly interrupted Heesun and granted the first wish.

That medicine….

By the way, it’s almost the bright day of the full moon, isn’t it?

Chuckling softly, I gently hugged Heesun, who couldn’t hide his unpleasant emotions.

Even though you hate it so much, can you really forgive this guy, Heesun?

Well, since I intended for Heesun to speak the last wish anyway, if there’s something that angers him, he can resolve it with this wish.

Why is the second wish the last wish when there are three chances?

… It’s just a feeling.

Strangely, the capture of the deer doesn’t seem like a simple stroke of luck….

I feel like I can’t explain this feeling in words.

As the deer said, the current situation seems to have come not as a coincidence but more like an inevitable unfolding of untold stories that no one knew, resembling a phenomenon that has taken place.

And if there is an owner of this story… it must be me for sure.

Is that why?

It seems like some intuition is triggered with each choice made.

Even when thinking of granting extravagant wishes or wishes that are hard to fulfill, and even when thinking of making a third wish…

My mind keeps warning me of something.

“Hyeseon, make your second wish.”

“Giggle…! Giggle…! Me, me? Are you talking about me?”

“Yes, as I mentioned earlier. You also have the right to make a wish. However, it seems like you’ll need to forgive that guy after making your final wish.”

“Me? Why? Oh…! Ah! Yes..! I understand. What you mean.”

[…Sigh.]

The deer listening in on our conversation looks displeased.

Hyeseon seems to have caught on to the trap in my words regarding the third wish, immediately agreeing and closing her eyes with a serious expression, contemplating the wish I will make.

After a short reflection, Hyeseon’s long and beautiful eyelashes flutter up, revealing her green pupils.

“You despicable being… After fate was marked… for a long time… I suffered because of you. Without knowing the reason, plagued by nightmares, people distanced themselves from me due to my darkened appearance… And on the day fate was realized, I could only despair.”

[…….]

“Spiteful sisters, lingering fears… and… nightmares turned into reality.”

[…….]

“So my wish is this. The punishment you should receive, the sins you committed. Start receiving them properly from now on. Take into account all the hidden stories, the pains of those who suffered like me or will suffer like me…”

Although I had a rough idea of what forgiveness might entail, watching Hyeseon, a strange emotion wells up within me.

Something… Something akin to what I used to do to torment Hyeseon at night…?

Is this why they say couples resemble each other…?

What a guilt I feel towards that kind and pure woman…

[Oh, no fairy! This is different! If you forgive, if you spare me! If you break the promise over a wish! Such foolish behavior…!]

“No, nothing will change. I will forgive you. Truly.”

“Lies! It’s a lie, how can…!”

“Even the sisters forgave you, so what’s the problem? Also, just like with the sisters, I feel a bit of gratitude towards you, dear deer.”

Hyeseon’s gentle voice as she speaks with the deer shows no trace of the contempt or anger felt before.

She is simply gentle and calm.

“Thanks to you, I met the love of my life, my savior… How can I just hate you endlessly. Therefore, I thank you. So now, completely forgive yourself for manipulating my fate!”

Yes, I will also forgive you, dear deer. Thanks to you, I was able to meet Hyeseon…

That was something I’m grateful for too.

“You said you’d spare me…! You said you’d spare me if I granted your wishes! You promised! This isn’t right! Tell me your third wish! You have a wish left! I’ll grant anything! Even though I’m in the form of a deer now, I can do much more if in another form! I’ll help you then! I still have many stories to tell! So use me! Spare me a little! Keep your promise!”

“When did we promise to spare you?”

“Two hearts beat as one.”

We both retort with the same words against the deer’s statement, as if denying any promise made.

Oh.. uh.. ugh..! These..! These scammers! Liars! You can’t forgive them by killing them! How could this happen..!

I must have said it before.. Why do you interpret people’s words as you please?

We sincerely forgive you. Where is the lie here!

But. Will your past stories forgive you?

Thump.. I feel Heeseon’s wish coming true as my heart resonates.

No, more like I felt that I had to finish it.

Feeling my hand shining.

Instinctively, I realized what I had to do from now on.

The deer’s soul beginning to show with a feeling of dilating pupils.

Something like a noose constraining the deer in its soul..

Transmigration. The punishment the deer was supposed to receive.

It should have become an ordinary animal that couldn’t speak, caught and devoured….

Being born anew and dying again…

Forgetting oneself and gradually having the soul split and disintegrate to become part of nature.

However, on the day it first fell into the trap, it was not such an animal.

It was a talking deer, remembering that it was not a deer but a person from Heaven.

Rather than fleeing from the hunter as a deer, it survived against fate as a person from Heaven.

Yes, I understood what that meant.

If it had been an ordinary deer, you would have been destined to be caught by me now.

So, now it’s a story about treating the prey caught by the hunter.

“Heeseon. It seems like our business is done now. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“.. My husband.. but..”

“It’s okay. You don’t need to worry so much. I’m just going to do what needs to be done. Um.. Now, let’s show our baby a bit… Oh! Isn’t Sari outside? Sari! You can come in now.”

“Yap!”

Standing guard outside, Sari joyfully comes in at my call, making clacking sounds with her feet.

As soon as the deer notices Sari, it immediately recognizes her true identity, showing surprised eyes.

[That..!?!? Could it be an illusion…! The story was over! H-how..! Such a story didn’t exist! The story ended when the illusion died!]

Ignoring the startled deer’s reaction, I ask Sari.

“Sari, go back home with Heeseon. You know Heeseon has to hide well in your arms, right?”

“Yap!”

Hugging Heeseon and Sari once each, I send them off first.

Watching Heeseon holding Sari in her arms and moving away for a moment, when they are no longer visible,

I slowly approach the corner and take out the knife used to dismantle the prey I had hidden.

‘I thought maybe this might be necessary….’

Still, I thought it would be a more sophisticated method than this.

You know, things like that.

Hell gates opening with many hands dragging in, or lightning striking from the sky….

Thud thud

Slowly approaching footsteps..

Examining the deer’s soul once again.

Something terrible covering the deer’s soul.

That’s probably the karma the deer originally had.

And that karma starts piling up like a snowball, gradually growing larger.

How many stories have there been all this time? How many people have suffered…

The increasing size of the karma provides an answer to my question.

Huh? But.. there’s still.. uncertain karma remaining? That guy’s past stories are still lingering somewhere?

[You! Can you see my karma now! Ah, there’s still a story I left behind! It’s a story that will soon emerge…. It’ll be difficult to unravel without that..! Sob..!]

Aaaah..! Aaaah..!

I take out the whetstone and start sharpening the blade.

I haven’t hunted for a while, so I hadn’t maintained it, but it seemed like it needed some sharpening.

“Do you think it makes sense for me to entrust a crime I committed to a criminal to solve? Right? Although I feel sorry for the suffering I will endure in the future because of you, I will somehow take care of it myself. Well, if you suffer, you’ll receive blessings accordingly. That’s karma, right? So, you too should just go back to karma.”

The deer with brown fur covering its face felt a bluish illusion as if it was getting sick.

Where did things go wrong?

The deer thought.

Shouldn’t it have fixed the hunter’s mother instead of running away from him?

If it knew it would end up like this, it would have done that.

But the woodcutter’s story was nothing compared to the twisted stories it had been telling all along!

It just needed to tell the fairy where the woodcutter who saved it was coming from…

How could it give that up and grant the hunter’s wish by sacrificing its precious antlers?

So, did it choose the woodcutter?

No, at the time, it just thought he was kind and foolish! It didn’t know he was that stupid!

Above all, he was grateful to himself.

Yes! Saving the woodcutter in court? Sending a tiger to kill the hunter? It was all the best choices that he couldn’t be wrong about!

The deer had always chosen gratitude!

That hunter is the weird one! I didn’t do anything wrong! What on earth is that strange ability…! We may be similar but completely different! What on earth…!

Ah..! Ah..! Thud.

The sound of a sharp blade being sharpened on a whetstone stops…

A large shadow approaching step by step.

[H.. Hunter..! There’s no fairy here now..! If we secretly hold hands…! Have you ever thought about how vast and full of possibilities your abilities are? You could really become an emperor! And I can help you use your abilities! The fairy won’t be able to help you with your abilities! I am the right person to assist you! Only I, who have discussed stories with you…!]

Thud, footsteps stop.

-Ki-e-e-ek! Gwe-e-e-ek! Gwe-e-e-ek!

The imp roars as it attacks.

The deer realized it could no longer speak human language.

The hunter closes his eyes and prays devoutly, touching his neck slowly.

-Kwaa-a-a-ak! Kw-e-e-e-ek! Gwe-e-e-ek!

(Are you hearing me? Save me! Please! Just hide and live without doing anything! I’ve done everything wrong! I’m really reflecting on it! Your abilities might find it difficult to handle the stories I’ve unleashed! So helping me should be easy, right? I can’t die like this..! Not now! I’ll repent later! I’ll repent so please..! Just help me settle some of the accumulated debts and let me die, please!)

However, inside the kitchen, only the desperate cries of the imp struggling to cling to life echo instead of human words…

Suddenly, the approaching blade touches the deer’s throat…

-Kill, kill, kill, kill

The sinister and chilling laughter of the approaching imp echoes….

With a thud! As the sound fades away… the deer’s soul is swept away into the imp as its consciousness fades.