Episode 71: An Unexpected Encounter (2)

 Healing With Loovely Druid

Episode 71: An Unexpected Encounter (2)

Sihyeon followed her through several latticed doors. Judging by how Lee Hwa-yun’s pace was quickening, it seemed the guest was waiting.

Her footsteps came to a halt right in the middle of the large wooden porch (daecheongmaru).

"It is here."

Slide.

As the sliding door opened, the pure, clean scent of ancient sandalwood gently drifted out. The space was far too large to be called a regular room, but since it had a door, it wasn't an open porch either. Sihyeon was slightly awed by the sheer dignity of the high-ceilinged hanok.

"……It’s huge."

"Because it is a place for enshrining gods."

It certainly looked that way.

Lee Hwa-yun’s shrine looked completely different from a typical one. Sihyeon’s entire concept of a shamanic shrine came from images he had seen on the news or in television dramas. However, he didn't see any paintings heavily decorated in vibrant colors, fake lotus flowers, or gilded candlesticks here.

Instead, a Buddhist painting rendered in gold on black silk occupied an entire wall. Directly in front of the painting sat a weathered black small dining table (soban), and on top of it was a polished brass bowl filled with water. Sihyeon could instinctively feel that this water was no ordinary water.

Lee Hwa-yun followed Sihyeon’s gaze and smiled with her eyes.

"You recognize it."

"It’s fascinating."

A faint energy of nature was radiating from the water. It wasn't overwhelming, but he could feel a continuous, unbroken power.

"It is water drawn from the very heart of a waterfall, after performing cleansing rituals and praying for three days and three nights."

Sihyeon looked at Lee Hwa-yun. That kind of power wasn't something you could gather just by doing that. Lee Hwa-yun replied with an expression that said she couldn't help his disbelief.

"……Offering deep devotion here for a long time is what gathered the god's power."

Sihyeon tilted his head. Why pour so much effort into water? Water is complete just as water. What could be the reason?

"May I ask what it is used for?"

"This is used for performing cheondo (rituals to guide souls to the afterlife)," Lee Hwa-yun answered readily. "It serves as a tool to guide lost souls onto the right path, and to ensure corrupt souls pay for their sins."

"Ah. Right."

This is a shaman's shrine, after all.

Even if she utilized the power of the tree, the essence of the guardian tree originated from divinity. Sihyeon nodded. This place was…… essentially a room for exorcisms! His eyes sparkling with curiosity, Sihyeon quietly scanned his surroundings. Lee Hwa-yun bowed several times toward the Buddhist painting, then stood up, saying she would bring some tea.

"Wait here a moment. I happen to have some excellent green tea."

"Shall I help you?"

"It will only take a moment."

Once Lee Hwa-yun left the room, the air in the shrine became notably awkward. An unfamiliar energy was pooled here and there—similar to natural energy, yet subtly different.

Sihyeon twitched his lips, hesitating over whether to speak or not. Unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, he slowly opened his mouth.

"Um… hello?"

A faint rustling sound echoed from somewhere. Sihyeon stared intently at the spot where the unfamiliar energy was concentrated, then tossed out a question.

"Did you utilize light for that?"

"Oh, aren't you quite clever?"

In an instant, the light filtering through the traditional paper window (changhoji) shimmered and unfurled like a rainbow, and a human form manifested. A young girl with short black hair revealed herself. He could feel a colossal energy of nature from her, specifically the energy of light. Sihyeon tensed up for a moment, but curiosity overrode his wariness.

The girl had a face you could find anywhere—utterly ordinary, if not for the crimson pupils glowing vividly beneath her bangs. Sihyeon observed her closely, then corrected his judgment. It wasn't just an ordinary face, but rather……

"You purposely made yourself look ordinary!"

Sihyeon admired out of pure awe. The girl’s pupils darkened slightly and flashed with gold. Sihyeon stared at her as if entranced, before realizing his mistake and quickly apologizing. Staring intently at someone's face right in front of them was bad enough, but openly evaluating it? It was incredibly rude.

"I’m sorry."

"……Staring into a lady's face the first time you meet her, and then directly telling her she looks ordinary. You have no manners and absolutely no tact."

When the girl puffed out her cheeks, she looked quite cute, but the power resting in her eyes was intense enough to incinerate the surroundings at any given second.

Sihyeon felt a little wronged, but he was at a loss for words. When he said she looked ordinary, he was actually marveling at the skill it took to blend her features so exquisitely. Her eyes were neither large nor small; her nose wasn't hooked or upturned, just a nose; and her lips were plump but perfectly fitted a mouth that was neither large nor small. It was a face that left absolutely no distinct impression.

"……That was actually a compliment, though."

"Shouldn't a compliment make the person hearing it feel good?"

"Yes ma'am."

Sihyeon conceded quickly.

"I meant that if being ordinary was your intention, it was absolutely flawless……."

"……Fine, stop it. Discovering you figured out my intention doesn't exactly make me thrilled, either."

She was an exacting person. However, it was also true that Sihyeon was behaving more rudely than usual today. It was all because of this damn curiosity. His master used to roar at him, saying 'Curiosity killed the cat' whenever he acted like this…….

"At any rate, I’m sorry. My excuse was pretty terrible, wasn't it?"

"Mm."

The girl had a dubious expression, but she didn't seem to be holding a grudge.

"Your apology seems sincere, so I’ll accept it. It's no big deal anyway."

"Thank you."

Her power was a colossal force of nature, much like a Fairy Queen or a spirit. However, rather than drawing and channeling natural energy the way Sihyeon did, this girl possessed solely the energy of light and fire. He was incredibly curious about her true identity. Sihyeon parted his lips several times, desperately trying to hold back his questions.

The girl scowled and said, "You're going to twist yourself into a pretzel. Why are you squirming like that?"

"Um, could I ask just one thing?"

"Go ahead."

Sihyeon took extra care not to offend her, asking cautiously, "By any chance, who might you be?"

The moment the words left his mouth, a fist-sized flame flared up right in front of his nose. In a flash, it morphed into the girl's face. The face enveloped in flames opened its mouth wide.

— Of the Four Auspicious Beasts, Hwaryeong, the Vermilion Bird of the South!

"Whoa!"

He jerked his head back instantly, but his bangs were slightly singed by the fire.

While Sihyeon patted his hair, the flames vanished, and the girl spoke primly from where she originally stood.

"And you are Kang Sihyeon."

A chilling gold light swirled within the girl's crimson eyes.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you?"

"Hoho. What a mischievous thing to do!"

Lee Hwa-yun kept laughing, covering her mouth. Sihyeon’s bangs had singed and curled upward, and she clearly found it hilarious.

"Who said it was a joke?"

The girl, Hwaryeong, spoke with a sharp tone.

"I said it because only his bangs got toasted," Lee Hwa-yun remarked.

"I was going to stop, but he was the one who dodged so quickly."

Sihyeon felt the shaman's gaze, silently picking up the teacup to pour the tea.

Trickle.

It was his third cup. His startled stomach finally calmed down a bit.

"If I hadn't dodged, my nose would have been toasted. It would have been at least a second-degree burn. I was scared to death."

"I told you, I would have stopped before you got hurt. Besides, for someone scared to death, you were awfully quick. How did you dodge it?"

"……I just cloaked my body in the power I use."

Sihyeon shut his mouth tightly.

"Why? Finish your sentence."

"I have something I’m curious about, too."

Hwaryeong crossed her arms and said, "Why do you have so many things you're curious about? Well, how about we ask each other one question at a time?"

Sihyeon nodded eagerly.

"You go first."

"I've been wondering since earlier—are you using the power of fire?"

"To be precise, it’s light. I created fire using light."

Sihyeon started to ask something else, but Hwaryeong cut in rapidly.

"Are you actually human?"

"Of course I’m human??"

Hwaryeong stared into Sihyeon’s round eyes for a long time before muttering, "You do seem human. Hmm. Then how did you recognize me?"

"It’s my turn to ask a question, but…… to give you an answer, I can perceive the natural energy flowing through the surroundings. I can also utilize it. The power I used to dodge that fireball earlier was precisely that energy. I call it natural power."

"……So the natural power around me felt different from other places!"

"Correct."

Hwaryeong nodded.

Now it was Sihyeon’s turn.

"What exactly does it mean to be one of the Four Auspicious Beasts? Are you the legendary beast from the myths? The guardian deity of the directions?"

"That's right."

His heart raced. Is she something like a Spirit King?!

"Then why don't you reveal your existence? People think of you as a mythical creature."

"Do you think humans would just sit back and watch a bird flying around breathing fire? It would cause immense chaos. A being tasked with maintaining the balance of the world cannot create chaos. …Besides, hiding our identity is a rule among the Four Auspicious Beasts."

Hwaryeong questioned him back with a serious look.

"Isn't it quite similar to the reason why you don't reveal your own power?"

Sihyeon thought it over for a moment and agreed.

"Standing out is never a good thing."

"Exactly. Since you're human, it’s even more dangerous for you. You could be kidnapped by a secret laboratory of some powerful nation and subjected to all sorts of human experimentation. Or an even stronger entity might lock you up and exploit you."

"Oh? I hadn't actually thought that far ahead……."

"Start thinking about it from now on. It’ll make you a bit more cautious."

He thought she might be exaggerating, but…… it was oddly persuasive.

"Let me ask one more thing. Can I meet the other guardian beasts as well?"

"The chances aren't high, but the possibility exists. The Azure Dragon and the White Tiger roam around the human world, so if fate permits, you might run into them. However, it's been an incredibly long time since even I last saw the Black Tortoise clan."

Locking eyes with Sihyeon, the expression of the Vermilion Bird, Hwaryeong, turned peculiar.

"But you seem to be in an exceptionally good mood?"

Sihyeon nodded. Being able to meet another entity possessing pure and powerful natural energy was a deeply joyful matter. He really is a strange one. Hwaryeong clicked her tongue and asked:

"Alright, this is the final question."

Her crimson eyes flashed.

"How do you know all of this?"

"Um……."

The girl waited quietly while Sihyeon organized his thoughts. Lee Hwa-yun poured tea into the girl’s cup, sitting silently like a portrait.

Sip.

Right around the time Hwaryeong picked up her second cup, Sihyeon spoke.

"I woke up in another person's body, but most of the knowledge and memories of my past life remained intact."

"Hooh."

He delivered solely the facts, neither shortening nor elongating them. A smile tugged at the corners of Hwaryeong’s mouth.

"I wondered what kind of grand tale you were hesitating to tell, and it turns out to be that."

"……You don't seem surprised?"

"Well, it happens from time to time. The world isn't as flawless as it appears. All sorts of things are bound to happen. And looking back after time passes, there’s always a reason for it."

I’m not a fan of fatalism. Sihyeon replied with a bit of internal conflict.

"Perhaps so."

"That’s why your soul was unstable."

"……!"

"Why look at me like that? Just as you can see natural power, I can see souls."

Sihyeon was struck speechless, but this was something he absolutely had to ask.

"Can you tell me how to stabilize it?"

"It simply requires time. You need to diligently forge your own causality here and become a being of this world. It means you shouldn't wander around like a stranger, but instead engage with your life in earnest."

Hwaryeong spoke of it casually. Sihyeon looked into her eyes, trying to grasp her meaning, but there seemed to be no hidden agenda at all. It was as simple and clear as if she were stating the obvious.

"The things I ought to remember aren't coming back to me," Sihyeon confessed his worry.

"The same applies to that. I told you, it just takes time."

"……."

"Tsk. You’re quite impatient, aren't you?"

"I tend to be. Is there really no method?"

Hwaryeong crossed her arms and stared into space for a moment. Sparks flew, dancing here and there. Sihyeon reached out to catch a spark, then subtly lowered his hand. Hwaryeong was looking at him as if he were pathetic.

"…There’s only one method I know of, but I wouldn't exactly recommend it."

"What is it?!"

"Shock therapy."

Shock therapy? Does that mean I have to get struck by lightning in a field? Or jump off a cliff?

At that exact moment, Hwaryeong muttered:

"Ah, actually, this works out well. I asked to meet you because I need some help, too."

The shaman gently intervened.

"You can't just cut out the context like that. If you speak so ambiguously, no one will understand you."

"Ah, did I do that again? When my thoughts get deep, my words come out without rhyme or reason."

A fireball appeared right in front of the confused Sihyeon's nose once again. This time, it kept a bit of a distance.

Eyes, a nose, and a mouth formed within the fireball, and it opened its mouth wide to speak.

— I’m looking for a bird’s nest—care to help me out? If you do, I’ll help you in return.