Chapter 14: An Unexpected Visitor

Gwishal are red arrows that drive away spirits. They are made from peach wood, lacquered red on the outside, with incantations carved into the shaft. Since they lack metal arrowheads, they are not meant to harm humans, but against evil beings, they are more effective than any other weapon.

Originally, the Sajik Rite is held in spring and autumn, but this one is an exception. The presiding officer will be Jang San-hu himself. At that time, archers will be stationed inside and outside the Sajik Altar, and during the ceremony, they plan to shoot gwishal into the air.

And one of them was aimed at Yun-jo.

Sahyeon opened his mouth.

“What do you think will happen?”

“Well, originally we intended to catch a tiger to lure him out. I didn’t expect him to come on his own like this. From what I can see, he…”

Sang-yak paused to choose his words, then as if unable to find the right term, ended blandly.

“He is definitely not human.”

“That much is obvious from looking.”

Sahyeon lifted his gaze and looked down through the pavilion at the courtyard below. The events so far had made it abundantly clear that Yun-jo was not an ordinary human. He was either a god, or else a spirit wearing a human guise.

“If he is an incarnation of Manra, there will be no problem.”

“And if not?”

“Pardon?”

“If he is a true god, a mere gwishal cannot harm him. Even if he were human, he wouldn’t be hurt. But what if he is neither a god nor even a human?”

Deputy Sang-yak spoke carefully.

“What are you concerned about, Your Highness?”

“I…”

Sahyeon’s voice trailed off, rare for him.

“…want to be prepared. In case he is a spirit, I need to know what to do.”

“If he is a spirit, he cannot remain unharmed after being hit by a gwishal. No matter how wicked a demon, it cannot use its dark arts on the sacred ground of the Sajik Altar. We only need to watch. There is nothing for you to do, Your Highness.”

Sahyeon turned his head again to look down at the courtyard.

“…I suppose so,” he said. His face had grown cold, expressionless, as if wearing a mask.

“You are right.”

Jeong Yun-jo opened his eyes late.

He had slept too long and was very thirsty. He went to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and as he drank, he noticed a neon-colored Post-it note on the refrigerator.

Yun-jo, your aunt came by. I made kimchi fried rice, so heat it up and eat. Please call me when you wake up.

He saw a bowl covered with wrap on the table, still warm.

He put down the glass, fumbled for his phone, and dialed his aunt’s number. Before the ringtone even finished once, she answered. Her voice always sounded a bit cautious.

— Yun-jo, are you awake?

“Yes, when did you come by?”

— I had some errands nearby, so I thought I’d stop by and see your face. But the door was closed, so I figured you were asleep and didn’t wake you. Oh, I made fried rice on the table, so eat it.

“Thank you. I’ll eat well.”

— Yeah, sure. Isn’t it hard going to the hospital these days?

“It’s okay. I take a taxi.”

His aunt often offered to give him a ride to the hospital if he needed, but she never actually came when he needed it. Jeong Yun-jo had gotten used to politely declining.

“Then I’ll hang up. Take care, Aunt.”

— Oh, right. Look at me. Yun-jo, by any chance…

“Yes?”

— You see, I need to pay your cousin’s tuition. He was supposed to get a scholarship next semester, but it turns out he might not get it. And we don’t have the money right now.

It was just the start of summer break. Tuition bills hadn’t even been issued yet. Scholarship results were still far off. And most of all, his cousin had never received a scholarship since entering college.

“How much?”

— About a million won…? If not, five hundred is fine too.

His aunt, as if waiting for that, named an amount that was somewhat large for tuition.

Jeong Yun-jo actually found his aunt unfamiliar. As for his cousin, he couldn’t even remember his face. Though they were relatives, his aunt had hardly visited before his parents died; she only started coming after the accident three years ago.

Jeong Yun-jo’s family consisted of four: mother, father, Jeong Yun-jo, and his younger sister. His parents were ordinary people. His father ran a math academy in the neighborhood, and his mother worked as an insurance agent. Though they weren’t well-off, the reason he hadn’t struggled with hospital bills and living expenses after the accident was thanks to his mother.

As an insurance agent, whenever her performance was poor, his mother would take out new policies in the family’s name. Without anyone knowing, she had taken out a lot of high-value insurance under their names. Ironically, after the accident, that became a lifeline.

The death benefits from his father, mother, and sister, plus the policy in his own name, amounted to a considerable sum. It was more than enough to cover surgery costs, rehabilitation, the apartment loan, and living expenses.

“I’ll send it to your account.”

— Oh, thank you. It will all come back to you, Yun-jo. Even though your body is like this now, when you think about it, your mother…

“Aunt!”

Jeong Yun-jo’s voice suddenly rose.

“I’ll hang up now. I have things to do this afternoon.”

— Oh, okay. Well…

It sounded like she wanted to say more, but he hung up without listening further. Jeong Yun-jo tossed the phone onto the table and took a short, sharp breath.

He had tried to sound calm, but when his aunt brought up his mother, he snapped.

It was true that money came from his family’s death. It was also true that while his body was broken, he no longer had to worry about living expenses. In that sense, he might be considered lucky. But…

His eyes fell on the kimchi fried rice on the table. The amount his aunt had left was large. Just a glance showed it was more than two servings. He sighed, wondering when he would ever finish it.

‘…Only one person left.’

Whenever he thought about his family, it always ended the same way.

He was sitting blankly at the table when suddenly the screen lit up with a notification. Thinking it was his aunt, he saw an unexpected message.

[Do you have time? — Kim Jun-ho]

Kim Jun-ho was the vice president of ANT, the game company that released Eternal Sun. He had been Jeong Yun-jo’s contact when Yun-jo contracted with ANT. At that time, he was a team leader, but when they met again a few years later, he had become vice president.

They had exchanged contacts several times regarding the contract, but after Yun-jo entered college, they lost touch for a while. However, Kim Jun-ho was the one who contacted him first after the accident. He came to the hospital a few times, and since then, he had been regularly checking in. He was quite kind and sociable.

Jeong Yun-jo wrote a reply.

[Hello, Vice President. Is something the matter?]

Soon after sending the reply, a call came.

— Mr. Yun-jo, it’s me. Can we meet for a bit?

“Right now?”

— Yes, now.

Jeong Yun-jo first checked the clock, then the calendar. 11:45 AM. Today was the first day of the lunar month.

It wasn’t even noon yet, so he had time until seven in the evening. But that was for ordinary people; Yun-jo’s situation was a bit different. Going out required a lot of preparation each time, and he didn’t like going out anyway, so he tried to decline with an excuse.

“I have something to do this afternoon.”

— I can come to your place. I’m nearby anyway. Your address is xx-dong, right?

He said he was nearby, and Kim Jun-ho really arrived quickly. Less than 20 minutes after he sent the address via message and hung up, the doorbell rang.

Jeong Yun-jo was just about to eat. He checked the face on the intercom, opened the door, and headed back to the kitchen.

“Excuse me…”

Kim Jun-ho, coming in, stopped when he saw him in the kitchen. Just then, the microwave beeped. Jeong Yun-jo took out the heated fried rice and unwrapped it as he asked.

“Would you like to eat?”

“Ah, I haven’t eaten yet…”

“Then have some. There’s a lot.”

If he left it, he’d have to throw it away, and nothing is harder to deal with than spoiled food waste. There was a lot, so throwing it away would be a hassle. If there was an extra mouth to help, it was best to finish it all at once.

Thinking it was convenient, he stuck two spoons into the bowl and held it out. Kim Jun-ho looked at the fried rice with a conflicted expression, but eventually reached out and took the bowl.

“Wait a moment. Fried rice tastes better when you stir-fry it again rather than microwaving it.”

Kim Jun-ho rolled up his sleeves, said, “I’ll borrow your kitchen,” and strode in. He naturally found a pan, added oil, turned on the heat, and when the pan was hot, he dumped the fried rice in and stir-fried it lightly. Meanwhile, he took out another pan, grabbed two eggs from the fridge, and fried them. In no time, two plates of fried rice topped with sunny-side-up eggs were on the table.

Jeong Yun-jo was amazed by the seamless process.

“Wow.”

Kim Jun-ho smiled and sat across from him.

“Enjoy your meal. Though it’s your food.”

“Haha, yes. I’ll eat well.”

And as soon as he put it in his mouth, he exclaimed again.

“Wow.”

His aunt’s fried rice had been a bit gluey with clumped grains, but after whatever Kim Jun-ho did, every grain was evenly stir-fried, springy and separate. Seeing Yun-jo’s surprise, Kim Jun-ho answered proudly.

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