Ep.63

 Ep.63

"Go back to your parents, quick."

Sihyeon warned the boy to return to the festival grounds immediately. The boy nodded, glancing nervously at Sihyeon, and scrambled away.

Sihyeon turned and started running in the opposite direction.

The surroundings grew darker. Though the streetlamps were bright, the shadows where the light couldn't reach looked even deeper.

Sihyeon used his fingertips to resonate with the trees in the riverside park, beginning to spread his natural energy outward. Because Heemang was just an ordinary child, tracking her specifically was difficult. But she would undoubtedly be terrified. Sihyeon focused his mind, searching for a place where the natural energy was fluctuating unstably.

"!"

Lying between some low-lying trees was the tangerine-shaped bag. Sihyeon picked it up and scanned the area.

His heart grew frantic.

He rarely used insect manipulation since it was a one-time-use technique, but this was an emergency. Swarms of gnats from the riverside park gathered in a pitch-black mass around him. Sihyeon's eyes flashed blue.

"Find her."

The gnats hovered around the bag and Sihyeon for a moment before dispersing in all directions. Soon, they began to congregate in a single spot. Sihyeon followed the swarm with quick, purposeful strides.

Under the bridge that crossed the river. A patch of deep darkness. At first glance, there was nothing to see.

Moths flapped their wings violently, scattering dusty scales. Sihyeon stopped in his tracks upon spotting footprints under the bridge. He tilted his head slightly to the left and noticed a hidden path.

*Is it there?*

Sihyeon clicked his tongue and moved. It was a narrow, steep slope that would have been impossible to pass through if he hadn't lost weight. It was an uphill, uneven path leading from the river back toward the residential area—a shortcut, it seemed, used by the locals.

Reaching the top of the path, the area was thick with trees beneath the streetlamps.

The gnats danced as they headed toward a specific location: a dilapidated house with the lights off.

*Woof.*

*Woof.*

Somewhere in the distance, dogs were barking, and the low, rumbling hum of festival music vibrated in the air.

*Creeeak.*

The iron gate groaned with a harsh metallic sound; it was an abandoned, neglected house. Sihyeon walked inside without hesitation.

A portion of the swarm vanished through a crack in the door ahead.

Sihyeon, his face hardened in cold anger, checked the natural energy. Two people inside the house.

One was small, and the other was…….

"Shit. What the hell? Where are all these bugs coming from?"

A man opened the room door and stepped out, flailing his arms to swat the air. The gnats dispersed only to immediately gather back together in a thick, buzzing cloud. The man shook his head in confusion, then locked eyes with Sihyeon, who was standing motionless in the yard.

"The fuck! Who are you!"

A sharp, hostile voice. He was wearing a black hat, glasses, and a mask, making it impossible to see his face, but he was a young man. Through the gap in the open door, Sihyeon caught a glimpse of an orange dress.

Found her.

"That child."

"…W-what child? There's no one here. Get out, right now. This is trespassing!"

"……I'm not in the mood for word games."

"What?"

Sihyeon stepped heavily onto the wooden porch.

His massive frame, significantly larger than the average person's, towered over the man. Deep, dark eyes, revealing none of his thoughts, looked down at him. The man unconsciously shriveled back, retreating in fear.

"Move."

Sihyeon roughly shoved open the door the man had been blocking with his body.

The child was on the floor, duct tape covering her mouth. Her small body was breathing evenly, as if she were fast asleep. Sihyeon checked to ensure the natural energy surrounding the child was stable before lifting his phone. He prayed they would pick up this time.

— *The customer you are calling is currently on another line...*

At that exact moment, the man swung something.

*Thwack!*

Sihyeon stumbled. The man swung the wooden plank, spewing curses.

"You piggy bastard! Where are you glaring at, you son of a b—!"

He felt something hot trickling down from his head.

It was blood. It had been a while since he’d felt this.

And he was terrible at hand-to-hand combat.

Sihyeon nimbly dodged the plank and kicked the man in the abdomen.

*Thud!*

"Ugh!"

The guy let out a pathetic scream and rolled into the yard. At least he was further away from the child now.

Insects swarmed toward the man’s face. Eyes, nose, mouth, ears—they burrowed into every exposed spot. The man shrieked, cursing non-stop, struggling desperately to swat them away.

At the same time, roots began to move in the darkness. It started with the quince tree by the gate. A thick root coiled around the man's ankle and jerked him backward. The man, who had just been trying to stand up, was slammed back onto the ground.

"Huk!"

The man’s hat and glasses flew off, rolling on the ground. The poisonous mushroom painted on his gaunt face was vivid. A white moth fluttered onto his eyes, which were filled with terror and confusion. He couldn't understand it, could he?

"Argh."

His body was dragged toward the quince tree. Fragrant olive roots, thin as snakes, burrowed between his clothes. Ivy vines stretched down and began to coil tightly around his body.

"My, my."

That must hurt.

"…H-huk. Save, save me!"

The pathetic man clawed at the vines, begging.

...Like a dried anchovy.

Sihyeon watched the guy squirming and picked up his phone.

At least this time, they picked up on the first try. Lee Sumin's voice was frantic.

— *Oh! Sihyeon! Let’s talk later. Heemang has gone missing right now…*

"I found her. Heemang."

— *Huh? You found Heemang?? Where are you??*

"I don’t know the address. I’ll check my 'current location' on the app and send it to you."

— *Wait. Ms. Saetbyeol! Ms. Saetbyeol! Sihyeon says he has Heemang with him. Yes, yes. He found her.*

He could hear a tearful voice on the other end of the line.

"Hyung, call 119 and the police, too."

— *What?*

"Heemang seems to have been drugged... I think this person was trying to kidnap her. Hurry."

The ivy had reached the man’s neck. It was already several layers thick.

The man made a choking sound, reaching out a hand toward Sihyeon.

*If I tighten it any further, it might leave marks.*

*No.*

Sihyeon shook his head.

This wasn't West Forest. He couldn't just bury someone in the ground. Maybe he was telling himself that, not the ivy.

*Patter.*

*Patter.*

The gnats, their purpose served, dropped to the ground.

The child’s face was so soft he couldn't even peel the tape off her mouth. By the time he had tied the man up and was at a loss with what to do with Heemang, the ambulance and the authorities arrived at the same time.

Lee Sumin and Saetbyeol, who looked like they were on the verge of fainting from shock, went to the hospital with the child.

"Ouch."

The wound on his head was luckily just a small tear, so he received basic first aid in the ambulance.

"If you feel sick or notice anything wrong with your body, please make sure to get checked out."

"Yes. Thank you."

A police officer nearby meticulously checked Sihyeon’s hands.

"No other abrasions, I see."

"I didn't hit him. I just got hit in the head, and I kicked him once. It was also me who tied him up when he fell."

Since he hadn't touched him *directly*, the police officer nodded.

"He says bugs and trees attacked him."

"Well. He was scratching his neck. Was he drunk?"

The police officer said there had been an increase in people spouting nonsense lately, suggesting the man was probably a drug addict or schizophrenic.

"Anyway, you did a great job."

"It’s nothing."

Sihyeon shook his head.

"Is the child okay?"

"They say it looks like a sleeping pill. That jerk even said so himself, and we found an envelope in the house. The kid who was with him also said he only gave the juice to this child."

"Ah. Did that boy get back to his parents safely?"

The officer gave an awkward smile.

"About that... we only found out after questioning him after your statement. The governor probably still doesn't know."

Thinking of Heemang, it was better that she had just fallen asleep. If that kid could just keep his mouth shut, maybe it could all pass as if nothing happened. That was just wishful thinking, though.

"It would be best if nobody knew."

"Thanks to your quick response, Kang Sihyeon-ssi, not many people know about it. Don’t worry."

Sihyeon nodded.

"Please drop me off near the festival venue."

"Oh, the Park Mo-ne performance is already over. I didn't get to see it either."

"No, it’s for the awards ceremony. Dongun-myeon really has to win this time."

"Ah. The local food contest?? If you lose that, it’s a big deal. The number of drunks will double."

"You know it well."

The police officer let out a hearty laugh.

When they arrived at the booth, business was already finished.

"Oh my. You show up right when everything's over?? Where have you been?"

Hosu was cleaning up with the Pureure staff.

"Ah, sorry. I had a bit of business."

Sihyeon lifted a box and moved it to the entrance.

"Where is the village chief?"

"Doing the final tally."

"We have to win."

"…Hmm?"

Hosu adjusted her glasses and gestured to Sihyeon. Sihyeon reluctantly approached her. The bandage on the back of his head—he had tried to hide it with his hair, but had he been caught?

"What’s that? Are you hurt??"

"It’s nothing. I’ll tell you later."

"You aren't going around fighting like a child, are you?"

Hosu asked jokingly, but he could feel a hint of worry in her voice.

"No."

"Still, you're big enough that people would find it hard to mess with you."

"Haha."

Hosu muttered.

"True. When we were little, if someone hit you, you’d just take it. You wouldn't do that."

"I used to get hit?"

Sihyeon looked at her, and Hosu shrugged.

"You wouldn't even run away. You’d just take it."

Realizing she had said too much, Hosu sighed.

"It’s not exactly a good memory, so sorry."

"I told you before. I don't remember well. Just tell me."

"Ah. I’m not sure if I should be dredging this up..."

Hosu crossed her arms and lowered her voice.

"You really don't remember at all?"

"No."

"Well, I only saw it happen exactly twice."

Sihyeon nodded.

"You have a younger sibling, right? Was he about three back then? He was incredibly cute."

"Siwoo. That’s my brother's name."

"Right. I don't know why, but you would always take your brother everywhere with you."

"To school?"

"No, Siwoo went to the daycare inside the school. I think you’d pick him up and take him home after school."

Hosu said she had found Sihyeon and Siwoo while playing a raffle game in front of a stationery store. She had been about to say hi, but Sihyeon had grabbed Siwoo’s hand and started running somewhere. Hosu said she didn't know why, but she had started running after them too...

"But there was this sixth-grader, a bully named Seunghyun, right?"

"……."

"Ah. You said you didn't remember. Anyway, he chased after you and started kicking you. You were shielding your brother. And Siwoo was crying."

Hosu said she had been so startled she ran to get the adults, but by the time she came back, Sihyeon was gone.

"And the second time seemed to be related to that bully too. Still don't remember?"

"No."

"There was a kid in our class who hung out with those bullies—her name was Lee Siyul. Anyway, during recess, she hit you with her fist again. But you just took it. You covered your head like this."

Hosu raised her arms to demonstrate how he protected his head.

"The girls were crying, and our friends intervened, so it didn't become a huge disaster. You were strange back then, too. You would just take it."

"……Right. Why did I just take it?"

Hosu looked at his complexion and muttered.

"I still think that’s better than going around hitting people. I do."

"That’s true."

"…What is that? Like you're talking about someone else."

"I told you, I don't remember. I’m basically a stranger to myself."

Hosu said, looking taken aback.

"It’s better than becoming something serious, but this isn't exactly the reaction I expected."

"I’ll tell you if I remember why I did that later."

"Do whatever you want. Anyway, you aren't an elementary schooler anymore, so don't go around letting people hit you."

"Uh-huh."

The two began to stack the boxes to one side. Since the senior center’s art exhibition was being held in this spot starting tomorrow, they had to clear everything away.

Just then, the PA system rang out.

— *It is time to decide the winner of the local food contest. We ask all relevant personnel to assemble in front of the governor’s tent immediately.*

"Finally, the moment of the final showdown has arrived."

Hosu’s eyes, which resembled the village chief’s, flashed.

"Let's go."