Ending Story
I laid Rangii and Chii down in my room, the only room to have escaped any damage. They were both completely soaked, but there was no one here to help me, so I took off all their clothes, dried their bodies, and, unable to find any spare clothes, I put them under my blankets naked. Rangii could have done this herself, but,
“A-After sharing my power with Kkachi, I don’t even have the energy to lift one finger. So…heheheh.”
I couldn’t get myself to have her change her clothes herself after hearing that. Because I was so thankful to Rangii that I was even ready to ask her to marry me.
After a short time in the blanket, Rangii and Chii both started looking better, and I felt that heavy weight lift a little off my shoulders.
“Sunghoon, you aren’t going to sleep?”
“Ah. I’ll sleep in a bit. I need to explain what happened to Saehee.”
“Unya…okay. Saehee should be here soon.”
“Okay.”
Rangii closed her eyes.
“Thanks, Rangii.”
Rangii smiled brightly.
Rangii began to breathe evenly as she feel asleep almost immediately. Rangii stuck close to Chii, perhaps because it was cold. Chii didn’t seem to dislike it, and hugged Rangii back. I sighed in relief after seeing the two of them hugging each other in their sleep. Seeing them like this, I thought that they looked like angels. Though one of them was an idiot and the other was incapable of being honest.
Leaning against a wall, I sighed and turned my head to look at the door. My shadow, cast by the lamplight, wavered against the door.
In my hands were Rangii’s tooth and Ungnyeo’s Bone Club. As long as I had those two objects, I could hold off any phantom until Saehee got here. No, I would. I would protect these two.But I couldn’t help that I was tired. The sound of the rain against the ceiling was almost like a lullaby. I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn’t. Because Saehee would be here soon. I didn’t know how, but it seemed like Rangii somehow realized that I was in trouble and ran as fast as she could here. I couldn’t think of any other reason why Saehee would be away from Rangii.
…But how did Rangii know to come back? Were connected by fate or something?
“You appear armed enough to catch a phantom, Young Master.”
“Uhyaaak?!”
I stood up with a scream and scrambled away from Saehee who was sitting to my right. Wha-What the heck are you doing?! And when did you get here?!
I put my hand to my chest in an attempt to calm myself down, and Saehee went Ah, and continued to speak.
“It appears I scared you. I will come in once more. This time, I will appear out of the Young Master’s shadow and speak.”
It seemed like she was really going to do that, so I spoke.
“Don’t!”
“What a shame. This is fun, after all.”
Don’t nearly give a heart attack to someone who went through so much mental pain just for fun. That aside, I was worried that I had woken up Rangii and Chii with my yelling. Thankfully, Rangii, thoroughly exhausted, only shook her tail once, and Chii, having come back from death, only raised her hair once before lowering it. In a lot of ways, those two kids were interesting.
“Regardless, I am glad to see you are safe. After resolving her business in Argentina, the Master sensed you swore on her heaven-blessed name and ran back. She thought that the Young Master was in some form of trouble…and she was was right.”
Rather than note how far she ran, I did my best to hold in the anger boiling within me.
“If you knew this was going to happen, you should have told me.”
“Did I not? Tell you that you would be in danger if you stayed here, that is.”
…I didn’t think I was in any position to get mad at Saehee. It was my fault for disregarding what she said so flippantly.
“Yeah. I was an idiot.”
“I am relieved to see that you are growing ever so slowly. Though you have only gone from the level of an amoeba to that of a slug.”
I was…in no position to be angry. Twitch.
“But does Rangii’s name really have that kind of power?”
“Is it not natural for one to notice when something is sworn on one’s name, blessed to its owner by heaven? This is common sense.”
“If you have an ‘Idiot’s Guide to Phantoms’ or something like that, would you mind lending it to me?”
“It will take some time for it to be written and published.”
“I’m willing to wait.”
“Do you truly think there exists an idiot who would publish a book that would so obviously not sell?”
“Say that to me with your version of A Grateful Magpie in your hands.”
“More importantly.”
Saehee changed the subject.
“What would you like to do with the snake phantom that is unconscious in the courtyard? Though we gave it some first-aid to ensure it wouldn’t die, and Baduk is currently keeping an eye on it…”
I opened the door and looked outside. Baduk, in her original form, was digging a huge hole in the courtyard next to a bandaged up Ara. Baduk then put Ara in that deep hole, leaving only her head above ground, and filled up the hole. Baduk then shifted into human form, planted an open umbrella next to her head, climbed onto the veranda, and sprawled on all fours like an exhausted dog. Following Rangii and Saehee must have been tough work.
…I decided to act like I didn’t see Ara buried in the ground.
Saehee spoke after I returned from the door and sat down.
“Steam snake is quite tasty.”
“How come you only ever say scary things whenever you open your mouth?”
“Does that mean you once again wish to spare the life of the one who tried to kill you , Young Master?”
Saehee may have spoken jokingly, but her eyes were ice-cold. She stared at me as if scolding me with her eyes, but she then sighed and spoke.
“Haa…there is a limit to how indecisive you can be. Continue this, and Narae-nim may one day rip apart your throat with a saw on top of a bridge.”
Even her jokes were scary.
“…That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
I answered Saehee’s question.
“It’s a fact that Ara came here to try and kill me. But that was originally for Rangii’s sake. Because she thought that I was a bad person. And she tried to kill Chii as revenge for her departed husband.”
When Chii died. That helped me understand the anger Ara must have felt. She must have felt the exact same thing. No matter what kind of person he was, she still lost her companion forever. The anger must have been so strong that it never went away even after all this time.
“And what is it you are trying to say?”
Saehee spoke as if testing me. I answered.
“I’m saying that I’ve already made up my mind. I don’t care what happens to me as long as it’s for Rangii. So don’t make me repeat myself.”
“Hoo.”
Saehee was impressed. It seemed like she had never even imagined that I would say something like that.
“And it’s Chii’s place to decide what happens to Ara. Even though she only survived because of Rangii’s power—no, because of that fact—I want Chii to decide.”
I already made up my mind. And I had no intention of changing my mind now. I wanted Chii to finally get some closure with her past and what happened with Ara. Saehee nodded at my answer.
“I understand, Young Master.”
“But there’s another thing.”
“Something you are curious about?”
“How’d that business of yours go?”
“Everything concluded soundly. Nothing like today will happen again.”
I gave a sigh of relief.
“I’m glad to hear that. Then…did you find out who planned all this?”
I couldn’t get used to seeing Saehee look surprised.
“You noticed?”
“After a while. So who is it?”
Saehee considered my question, but ultimately shook her head. She refused to answer.
“I cannot tell you.”
“Why not?”
“It is similar to the reason why I could not tell you the truth about the Master.”
I thought I understood what she was trying to say. Saehee hid from Rangii the true promise related to the seal. For Rangii’s sake. The only difference was now, Rangii and I were switched. When I thought of that, I felt strangely comforted.
“Okay.”
“…You will not continue asking?”
I laughed at what Saehee said.
“I know that you’re not telling me because you think this will be the best for Rangii and me. So why would I keep questioning you?”
“You have evolved from a slug to a frog, it seems.”
When exactly am I going to evolve into a mammal?
“That aside.”
I asked her the last thing I had on my mind.
“About Chii’s parents. You know how to make them better, don’t you?”
Saehee smiled.
“I do.”
I knew it…when Saehee talked about how to resolve this situation, Saehee said that killing Chii would be the simplest method. But that meant there were other methods as well. I only just now wondered if healing Chii’s parents could be one of those methods. Because then, Chii wouldn’t have any more reason to try and kill me.
“How did you know?”
“I just saw Chii come back to life right in front of me, so how would I not realize that? So can you help Chii?”
“It is possible. But Young Master. There is something I would like to ask you before I answer.”
“What is it?”
Saehee turned her head slightly towards Chii, then turned back to me.
“Why did you go to such lengths for Chii?”
Why? I told her as the thoughts came into my head.
“At first, I couldn’t just leave her because she reminded me of Rangii. After a while, she reminded me of me when I was young, so I wanted to help her. But it’s not like that anymore. Now, I just like Chii. So I want Chii to smile, to be happy. Because of all the hardship she went through throughout her life. After all the pain she went through, she deserves to be that much happier. Don’t you agree?”
Saehee muttered something after I finished.
“To think that it is incurable.”
I would have had to be a real idiot to not know what she meant.
“I’m not, dammit. Who’re you calling a lolicon?”
“I did not call you a lolicon. Although that too is incurable.”
I wonder if Saehee’s expressionless face will ever make as angry as it does right now.
“I see. Then, for the sake of the Young Master who will be a lolicon until death, I shall stay my hand. Of course, there is something I must do first.”
Saehee put her hand into her sleeve. I watched, interested to see if she was going to pull something out of her sleeve, and saw her take out a white bottle gourd.
“…What’s that?”
“Alcohol. Plum wine.”
“Why do you have that?”
Saehee furrowed her brow.
“If not I, then who else will restore this property?”
I had nothing to say. There was nothing I could do but cheer Saehee on for doing such back-breaking work without a single complaint.
“…Do your best.”
Saehee walked off, putting the bottle to her lips and gulping down the contents.
“Ah, Young Master,” Saehee said while smelling of alcohol.
“You didn’t happen to hear something strange before the Master arrived?”
Something strange? I racked my brain, but I couldn’t remember anything like that.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“It is nothing. Now, please excuse me.”
She must not have looked forward to the mountain of work she had to do, because Saehee left with a frown on her face.
Do your best, Saehee. You really are a hard worker.
…But where should I sleep? There was only one blanket, and Rangii and Chii claimed it a while ago. But, soaked from the rain and as exhausted as I was, I wasn’t willing to go to sleep without a blanket.
Hm. Nothing else I could do. I’d better just go to sleep next to Rangii. I was about to crawl next to Rangii, when,
“…”
I realized that Chii was blushing. Did she catch a cold? I looked closely at her face. She didn’t look like she was in pain, so it probably wasn’t a cold. Instead, she twitched a tiny bit every time she felt my breath on her face. Oho. She was awake. When did she wake up? Without saying anything, I sat next to Chii and leaned down towards Chii, almost close enough for our noses to touch. Chii’s face, illuminated by the lamplight, looked redder now than it did before. The hair above her ears was flapping. Heeh, this is pretty fun.
“Awoo.”
She gave an obviously conscious groan and turned to have her back to me. I then whispered into her newly exposed ear.
“What kind of lewd things should I do to Chii while she’s unconscious?”
I quickly moved my head away. Because Chii immediately sat up. Chii screamed at me with a blushing face.
“Wh-What do you mean by that, Big Brother?!”
I felt myself about to shed a tear from her acting just like normal, so I forced myself to smile and spoke to Chii.
“Sorry, sorry. I was kidding. But you should have told me you woke up. I was worried.”
“I-I just woke up.”
Chii’s hair was flapping really hard when she said that. What could have her so worked up?
“Are you feeling okay?”
“…I’m okay. I’m totally fine, so there’s no need to worry about me so creepily.”
“I’m really, sniff, really glad to hear that.”
My vision blurred and I felt like I was about to cry, so I forced myself to smile. Smile. Remember what Rangii said. But I felt like I was about to cry just from being here, so I deliberately started talking about something.
“Ah, but also, I’m sorry.”
“Awoo?”
“I know you could catch a cold from sleeping like that, but there was nothing else I could do.”
“…What are you talking about?”
I raised my hand and pointed at Chii’s fully exposed chest.
Chii looked down at where I was pointing, then looked back up. I could almost hear a Poof! when her face turned bright red, and she grabbed the blanket to cover her chest.
“Wha-Wha-Wha-What are you looking at?! Y-You aren’t going to look away?! Y-Y-You pervert!!”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“There’s nothing to see.”
I was the one who dried you off when you were passed out. And I’m not some kind of pervert who gets off on seeing children’s bodies.
…I’m not.
…Probably.
“More importantly.”
I pointed at Rangii. Due to the law of the conservation of mass, when Chii held up the blanket, half of Rangii was left uncovered. A sudden chill caused Rangii to shiver.
“Rangii looks cold.”
“Awoo!”
Chii raised her hair in anger, and was just barely able to cover both herself and Rangii. Skillfully done.
“Sorry. But the only clothes I had were the ones I had on.”
“Then couldn’t you have given me those? Did you want this to happen? You did, didn’t you?”
As if.
“So you wanted me to fight off any possible intruders with nothing but my underwear on?”
It’s not like I’m some bearded knight who’s going to fight demons in hell. (tn: A reference to Arthur from Ghosts ‘n Goblins)
“That’s enough, now move over a little. I’m really sleepy, so let’s sleep.”
“You want to sleep with me?!”
“What else am I supposed to do? There’s only one blanket. Are you seriously telling me to sleep outside in this weather?”
“Awooo! I am, Big Brother!”
Even as she said that, she inched towards the edge of the blanket. Did she want me to sleep in the middle? I almost burst into laughter after seeing that.
“If you’re this incapable of being honest, then you have a disease, a disease. But our little Chii, don’t you know you can trust and depend on me?”
“A-Awoo!! Who are you saying can’t be honest?! And who are you calling our little Chii?! Don’t act like we’re all buddy-buddy!”
Hey, too loud.
“Unyaaaa…”
That woke Rangii up. Rangii sat up and rubbed her half-closed eyes before seeing me.
“Sunghoon, mm…why aren’t you asleep?”
She was so sleepy that she was speaking normally. (tn: As you can probably infer, Rangii just spoke in normal Korean rather than her old-fashioned Korean.)
“Ah, I’m about to. I’m going to bed now. Sorry for waking you.”
“Okaaay…”
Rangii lifted up the blanket towards Chii. This revealed her naked body to me in the lamplight. I didn’t feel anything.
Rangii extended her hand towards me. After I looked away from her, I reflexively grabbed her hand. Rangii pulled my arm, and,
“Huh?”
I tumbled in between Rangii and Chii. She then put the blanket over me.
“Let’s sleep.”
“T-Tiger-nim?” Th-This isn’t right!”
At Chii’s protest, Rangii calmly rolled me over and nuzzled up against me.
“Is something wrong?” (tn: Said in Rangii’s typical Korean)
It seemed like she was a little more awake.
“Awooo…”
Chii was at a loss for words. She just carefully lay down next to me. She was doing her utmost to keep as far from me as possible. But the small blanket meant she was still in full contact with me.
“Ah.”
I remembered that there was something I had to ask Rangii.
“Rangii.”
“What is it?” Rangii said, rubbing her cheek against my chest.
“Back then, what was it you were asking my permission for?”
Rangii answered without hesitation.
“You’re mine and I’m yours. That’s why I asked for your permission before giving my lips to Chii.”
What she said embarrassed me, but I strangely began to laugh. She really doesn’t give up. But it also calmed me down. Maybe it was because Rangii was by my side. Or maybe it was because Chii was inching towards me. Probably both.
And then I quickly fell asleep.
Despite everything that happened, I still got up early in the morning. Because of Rangii. She was sprawled on top of me. I couldn’t see Chii.
Hm…I laid Rangii down, put the blanket on her, and left while stretching. Uuuu…it was a little cold.
“Did you sneeze, Young Master?”
Saehee was tidying up the area when she greeted me. There were empty bottles of liquor everywhere, and the walls were perfectly reconstructed. There were dark circles under her eyes that were normally absent.
“…You didn’t sleep?”
“I only just finished repairing the master bedroom, the courtyard, the walls, and the front gate, so I am tidying up.”
She really did a lot in a single night.
“Oh…okay. You could’ve taken a rest.”
Saehee looked at me scarily.
“Sorry. I need to learn to shut up.”
“I am aware.”
I really couldn’t even say anything anymore.
“Where’s Chii?”
“She is preparing to leave. After I gave her the medicine, she said she had something to write and went into the master bedroom.”
“Really?”
Chii’s leaving? But wait. There was no more reason for Chii to try and kill me, but something bothered me.
“What about Chii’s promise? Can she go back on it as she pleases?”
“It should be okay. That person has already accomplished that person’s goal, so Kkachi-nim should be allowed to do so.”
Saehee spoke with a frown. What was it you found so distasteful? But I learned something from what Saehee said. The mastermind behind all this was such a powerful phantom that even Saehee called her, “That person.” I should learn everything else eventually.
I was a little sad that Chii was leaving, but I probably couldn’t stop her. Because her wish for centuries was finally coming true. And then the master bedroom door opened, and Chii walked into the veranda. I turned my head when I heard the door open, and when my eyes met Chii’s, she stuffed the sheet of paper in her hand into her pocket. What was that?
“It’s too bad. I wanted to leave without seeing your face.”
“Saying that right off the bat?”
She was as rude as as ever. (tn: A pun. The word for rude in this case sounds very similar to Kkachi)
“Are you going?”
“I am.”
Chii walked jumped barefoot down into the courtyard. She walked quickly, and I followed just as quickly. I stopped in front of the front door, and Chii took one more step than me before stopping. She turned around.
“Will you be able to go by yourself?”
I smiled brightly at Chii. Chii stuck her tongue out at me.
“I’m not a child.”
“Yeah. I know, so I know you can take care of yourself.”
“Ah, and I’m going to leave that snake hag with Saehee-unni.”
Come to think of it, Ara was still buried in the courtyard. I almost felt bad for her.
“Unni, you’re okay with that too, right?”
There were flames in Saehee’s eyes. Ah, I understood. Saehee wanted to make Ara pay for all the damage she did to the house.
“I am.”
I should at least give a small prayer for Ara’s future.
“Then I’m going to go.”
“Ah, yeah. Have a safe trip.”
Chii turned back around and took one more step away from our house. But her hair flapped with every step. …She wasn’t going to fly with her hair, was she? And when I was doing something so ridiculous as wondering if the flapping wasn’t just for show…
Chii turned around. I wondered if she forgot something when she suddenly started stomping towards me. When she walked to the front door, standing right in front of me, Chii motioned with her hand while she spoke.
“Please sit down, Big Brother.”
“Why?”
“Just do it!”
She wasn’t asking for much, so I got on my knees and sat down. At that moment, Chii blushed strangely and came closer to me, when…
“D-Don’t misunderstand! I’m just repaying my debt!”
She pecked me on the cheek.
“Huh?”
Surprised, I got up and took a step back.
“I-I’ll repay the rest of my debt later, so just wait, Oppa!”
Chii shouted at me, her hair flapping and her face blushing a deep red. And before I could say anything, Chii turned around, turned into a magpie, and flew away. Chii was gone in an instant.
That brat, she was embarrassed. Just from giving a light kiss on the cheek.
“Your face is red, Young Master.”
“…Shut up.”