Ending Story
“Goodness. What a sickening sight, like watching as a spoon falling off the dining room table.”
I looked up in surprise after suddenly hearing a voice. The voice most definitely belonged to a stranger, but it also sounded strangely familiar. The owner of that voice was walking down a staircase of floating talismans the size of rugs. With my body in the shape it was, I had difficulty making out any details, but seeing anyone coming down from the sky set off red flags in my brain. That was a phantom. And a powerful one at that. I took out Ungnyeo’s Bone Club from my pocket and held it in my hand.
“Hm. Useless layabouts. Thank your stars that I have no time to waste.”
“Kyawoo?!”
[?!]
The phantom took a talisman from the inside of her shirt. It lit aflame, and Chii and Pyeii collapsed to the ground.
“Chii? Pyeii?!”
Shocked, I was about to run towards them, but the phantom was suddenly in front of me to block my way. That phantom was….
Rangii.
No, no wait. She was nearly identical to Rangii, but very different. The biggest difference was her hair color. Rangii’s white, nearly silver hair was the exact opposite of that phantom’s black hair. There were strands of white intermixed in her black hair. The same was true for her tail, as well. The next difference was her eyes. Rangii’s innocent, childlike eyes were nothing like the sharpness emanating from her’s. The last difference was her clothes. She was wearing a white hanbok that looked just like the one Rangii wore when she had to dress formally. But the most surprising thing of all was the long pipe in her mouth and the puffs of white smoke coming out of it. That little kid was smoking! Though that wasn’t what was important.
The phantom was very similar to Rangii, but also markedly different. I instinctively knew that I was facing another tiger phantom.
“What a surprise. I never imagined you would have in your possession a portion of Ungnyeo’s spiritual body. This explains why you are yet able to stand.”
The black tiger phantom—whom I dubbed Dark Rangii phantom—was apparently displeased.
“Kneel.”
At that moment, someone kicked me in the back of the knee. I turned around after I was forced on my knees. Standing behind me was a woman who looked like she belonged in a period drama. She was dressed like a gisaeng, a Korean geisha, with the upper half of her breasts exposed. She smiled broadly as she looked down at me.
“So, you’re well enough to pay attention to her?” said Dark Rangii.
I immediately refocused my mind.
“What did you do to Chii and Pyeii?!”
Based on her answer, I was fully prepared to wield the Club with deadly force.
“What a poor, pitiable boy you are. To think that that dumb little Snowy would fall in love with a foolish insect incapable of understanding the danger standing before him.”
Dark Rangii took out another talisman from her shirt, and it lit aflame once again. But the smoke, rather than dissipate, flowed into my nose. This was so unexpected that I unthinkingly inhaled. I never imagined that smoke would have a flavor to it, but it tasted bitter and spicy.
“Cough, cough!!”
Dark Rangii looked uncertainly at me as I struggled.
“Oh ho. So you didn’t collapse even after taking in the smoke. Like a dishcloth that still smells after a wash, that intrusive servant has taken some precautions. How foolish. Did she think that stalling for time would serve some purpose? Then I’ll just have to show her up.”
Dark Rangii raised her hand. Fear gripped me as that small hand inched closer to my forehead. I was in danger. Something was going to happen the second her hand touched my forehead. I abandoned any sense of pride or dignity and screamed the name of the one phantom who could save me.
“Bumii!!”
“Pathetic. I made preparations to keep Snowy from….”
Then, before Dark Rangii could finish.
“I’m here!!”
I knew my prayer was answered when I heard the real Rangii’s familiar voice. I opened my eyes, gratitude filling my heart. I saw…a fully naked Rangii, wearing nothing but a children’s shower cap, performing a flying kick against Dark Rangii. Thankfully, she apparently was in the middle of taking a shower, because there were bubbles covering her body. Dark Rangii blocked Rangii’s flying kick with a stack of talismans that appeared out of nowhere. Rangii’s kick sent her skidding backwards, creating a path of rubble in the rooftop, until the woman who brought me to my knees earlier caught Dark Rangii in her busom. Rangii stood all-too-boldly in front of me, and she morphed her arm to that of a tiger’s.
“How are you here already, Snowy?! I set up a boundary specifically to block you!”
…It looked like Snowy was a nickname for Rangii. Wait. Then was the phantom that I’d been calling Dark Rangii actually the one who called Rangii away a few days ago?
“And just what do you think you’re doing to my dear husband, Smoky?!” said Rangii angrily. “I was even performing ablutions because you said you’d give me a talisman that’d turn me into an adult!”
It looked like I was right. But still, Snowy and Smoky. The colors made sense, but…what were they, dogs? Also, that adult-turning talisman Rangii mentioned. A number of things began to click inside my head. But now wasn’t the time to lose focus on the danger I was in.
“Answer my question!”
“I have no idea! I just heard my husband call my name, and I came!”
…I was grateful for that, but couldn’t she cover up a little? I was in a bit of a bind, because, with the slightest upward tilt of my head, I would receive an eyeful of Rangii’s rosy, plump butt.
“I am aware that humans feel an increased urge to reproduce when their lives are in danger, but those thoughts of yours hardly seem appropriate.”
That was Saehee. I looked up and saw Saehee put a towel around Rangii. I swear, she’s been doing nice things for me recently, but can’t she try and save me some face? Dark Rangii—no, I mean Smoky frowned as I usually did after Saehee’s mockery.
“So it was you? You really are like a stain that refuses to vanish no matter how many times it’s washed!”
“Are you not well-aware, Nyangii-nim, that I do not possess the strength to break your boundary?”
Nyangii? Her name was Nyangii? That has to be a joke. But Saehee’s face didn’t give any indication that she was joking. Was that really her name? …I doubted it. Until Smoky herself gave me confirmation that that was her name, I was going to keep calling her Smoky.
Smoky
“Then…you mean to say that that dirty mutt did this?!”
I wonder why the first thing I thought of when she said the word mutt was Baduk.
“Excellent deduction.”
“How could a miserable mutt possibly break through my boundary?!”
“She is half Pungsan, after all.”
Having finished speaking, Saehee reached into her sleeve and took out a generic-looking dog. She was a lot smaller than normal, but that was definitely Baduk.
“Though it took some time because Nyangii-nim’s boundary was quite powerful, even a mutt has some use in the dead of summer.”
While she was saying that, Saehee tossed Baduk to me. Hey! How could she treat Baduk like that?! I immediately cradled Baduk to my chest. Smokie’s angry gaze moved to center on me. I felt a chill go down my spine, but I couldn’t help but stare amazedly at the dead tired Baduk who was snoozing away.
“Is Baduk okay?”
“She is simply in the midst of dreaming in order to recover her strength.”
“Dreaming?”
“I am speaking of dog dreams. I assumed that you would know this already as you must have had a few, but…pardon, I hoped for too much of you, Young Master.”
I wanted to ask her what she was talking about and how she expected me to know this, but I didn’t have the time to spare. Because Rangii puffed out her cheeks so much that I could see her do this even from behind her. Thankfully, I wasn’t the target of her pouting.
“I trusted you, Smoky. That’s why I agreed to spend time away from my husband, and why I even accepted staying with you in the boundary. But you were tricking me the entire time?!”
“Snowy, you’re no different from heavy footsteps in the winter.”
After Smoky said that, Rangii made a question mark with her hair.
“What does that mean?”
“I’m saying you can’t help but be tricked.”
…That really showed how sharp Smoky was. When Rangii heard this, her hair on edge, and she shouted:
“It’s bad to trick others!”
While Rangii and Smoky were busy arguing, Saehee acted as if everything was perfectly normal and dragged the unconscious Chii and Pyeii next to me.
“Chii-nim and the crow are okay. They simply fainted.”
I had a lot of things to say, but I held back.
“However, Young Master, you are….”
“I know,” I said, cutting her off.
Though this was exaggerating things, my right hand had swelled to twice its normal size. I wasn’t quite sure about the pain, but my nausea was only getting worse.
“Master.”
After Saehee said that, Rangii stopped arguing with Smoky and turned her head to look at me. Rangii looked like she was on the verge of tears when she saw me. I forced myself to smile for Rangii’s sake. Though that was a mistake. Rangii turned her head away and wiped at her eyes with her wrists.
“Just hold on for a bit. I’ll send Smoky away, and I’ll make you feel better.”
Smoky snorted after hearing what Rangii said.
“Hmph. And just how do you propose to do that?”
“I can be scary when I’m mad!”
“Big words coming from you, when you’re no different from a side dish stored in a ziplock bag and kept in a freezer.”
“…What does that mean?”
“I’m saying I already set up a seal.”
“Uugh.”
Rangii took a step back, but then spoke as if she couldn’t back down.
“E-even so, I’ll stop you!”
Their staring match became even fiercer. It was Smoky who looked away first.
“I’ve had enough. Besides, I don’t want to waste any more time when you’re not even showing your claws against me.”
“The same’s true for you, Smoky!”
Like they said, Rangii’s tiger paw didn’t have its claws exposed.
“I’ve lost interest. Gahee, let us go.”
“Goodness. Are we truly leaving with nary a tussle? Why not play a little while longer?”
“Shut your mouth.”
“Yes, Mistress, shutting my mouth.”
Smoky’s changgwi, smiling as always, took talismans out of her sleeve and created another set of stairs. Rangii must have thought that my safety was her first priority, because, rather than chase after them, she watched them until they disappeared. At some point, they disappeared from sight. Was that magic? Though, if I have the time to think about that, then I should first focus on Rangii, who was kneeling in front of me and worrying over me.
“I’m gonna sleep for a bit.”
I said sleep, but I really meant black out. Because I couldn’t endure the terrible pain in my head and hand.
흰둥이 = Shiro = Snowy; 검둥이 = Kuro = Smoky
I translated their names like this. I added the Japanese equivalents, because I’m assuming you all watch anime and/or are fluent in weebspeak.
These names are typically reserved for dogs. Funnily enough, my dog is named Snowy, so I’m really happy right now.
Also, Smoky speaks with lots of metaphors. And her changgwi speaks in formal and antiquated language. I will do my best to represent this in English. Thank you for reading.