The Nymphs and the Dark Ha Ildo # 5
Yu Ari was utterly stunned when she heard that Ha Ildo had become a bad man.
Ambushed by a parasitic creature, of all things!
'From the way Senior explained it, that has to be the "Pandora's Malice" our Patriot Team has been hunting.'
There had been intelligence coming in from the Ohsa Group — a megacorp so vast it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it split South Korea down the middle. Word was that Ohsa had gotten its hands on a strange Artifact called "Pandora's Box," and sealed inside it had been a horrifying parasitic organism.
According to "The Prince" Lee Jeonghun, who had once served as an S-Rank awakener for the Ohsa Group, Malice was a parasite that attached itself to living creatures and fed on their emotions and mana as energy. It supercharged the host's mana capacity to their very limits — but in exchange, it inflamed the host's violence and drove them toward destruction.
'The reports say the host's personality changes so completely it's practically a different person.'
A rabbit devouring a lion whole. A tiny hamster biting a wolf to death. A parasite that dragged dormant violence roaring to the surface.
The thought of such a thing nesting inside Ha Ildo worried Yu Ari half to death.
'Senior is a first-generation awakener. He could be carrying trauma, or deep-seated PTSD he's never shown a soul. Normally he keeps it buried, but if the "Malice" starts poking at that...'
And yet—.
Contrary to every fear Yu Ari had harbored, Ha Ildo's appearance had barely changed at all, and his personality seemed untouched. In every possible way, he was a different story from the reports.
Which was exactly why Yu Ari resolved to coax the "Malice" out — by fluttering the front of her blouse, flap-flap.
"It's so hot, isn't it? We don't have air conditioning, you see..."
Flap, flap—.
A host ridden by the "Malice" would grow honest about its desires in every way imaginable. The reports had even recorded that a rabbit possessed by the parasite had mated with 457 other rabbits in a single day.
Flap, flap—.
Just as she was fluttering away—.
"Yu Ari. A grown woman shouldn't flutter around like that. Everything inside is showing."
Ha Ildo spoke in a voice that was firm to the point of severity.
It was, plain and simple, a stinging rebuke.
Yu Ari was profoundly shocked by the situation.
'Senior just called me a grown woman! He always looked at me like I was still in high school! And he scolded me!'
Under ordinary circumstances, Ha Ildo would have looked away, averted his eyes, tried his hardest not to notice. But the Ha Ildo standing before her now was a man who spoke his mind — snip — clean and straight to the point.
'So cool!'
I couldn't hold it in any longer and ended up criticizing Yu Ari's outfit to her face.
Pointing out how someone was dressed — in that person's own home, no less.
"......"
Deep, burning shame washed over me for my own behavior, until I could no longer bear to stay where I was. So I declared, "Anyway. I'm leaving," and marched straight out of Yu Ari's house!
And that was how I found myself back home again.
Oinoi was there.
"The master of the house has returned...! Welcome home, it is...! A guest came to visit early in the morning, it is...! This Oinoi took a walk with her and was even bought "Elves Are Aliens"-flavored ice cream, it is...!"
Swoop—.
Oinoi hoisted up an armful of ice cream cones and let out a triumphant Mu-hehe— grin.
"Elves themselves are not to this Oinoi's taste, but elf ice cream is very much approved, it is...!"
So that was how it was.
My gaze slid to the woman who had bought Oinoi the ice cream. A familiar face.
"Oinoi is just the cutest! Can't I take her home with me? She's so sweet and so pretty! I wish I had a little sister just like Oinoi!"
Swoosh—.
The familiar-faced woman — dressed in a black tracksuit and black leggings — snatched Oinoi around the waist and rubbed her own cheeks vigorously against Oinoi's face.
"This Oinoi is also very fond of Kore Irae, it is...! Kore Irae is so kind and so cute that she will surely marry a wonderful prince someday, it is...!"
"Listen to how she talks! Aww, thank you!"
Rub-rub, rub-rub-rub, rub-rub—.
Ha Irae went right on squishing Oinoi's cheeks against her own, but I paid it no mind. What I was curious about was why Ha Irae was here at all.
"What are you doing here? You didn't even text me."
"It's vacation, so I came to play! My friends asked me to take pictures of the dog-squirrels. And there's supposed to be a Tiger Owl too, right? Where's the Tiger Owl? Tiger Owl! Tiger Owl?"
Swoosh, swoosh—.
Ha Irae began ransacking our house from corner to corner. She peered under the bed. She flung open the refrigerator.
She clearly wanted to see Kalinoi the Tiger Owl — but Keongkeongi, Kwang-kwangi, and the Tiger Owl Kalinoi had all vanished off to parts unknown. Perhaps Ha Irae simply struck them as too unfamiliar a presence.
"No idea! They're not here! More importantly, Oppa! Show me around the neighborhood! There were so many pretty places! Flowers blooming everywhere! Did you see all the summer flowers?"
"Mu-hehe, those are the flowers this Oinoi worked so very hard to raise, it is...! This Oinoi wishes to fill all of Taecho Village with the most beautiful flowers, it is...!"
Oinoi was a nymph who adored planting things and watching them bloom. Apparently all nymphs born in summer were like that.
Nymph Oinoi spoke up.
"More importantly, the master of the house seems to be in a slightly strange state, it is...! This Oinoi cannot say exactly what is strange, but something is undeniably suspicious, it is...!"
Swoosh—.
Oinoi fixed me with a pair of narrowed eyes.
Caught in that gaze, guilt began to blossom in my chest as though I had committed some crime — a creeping conviction that I was in the middle of doing something very bad indeed.
It was, truly, unbearable.
So I chose to escape the scene.
"Ha Irae. I'll show you around the neighborhood."
I resigned myself to giving my little sister the grand tour.
"After the walk you'll behave yourself, cause no trouble, and go home."
"Ooh, shit...! And order chicken tonight! Tteokbokki too! And malatang! Oppa, you're rolling in money these days, aren't you!"
Chicken, tteokbokki, AND malatang—.
In every possible way, it was a combination that spelled disaster for one's health. Spicy, salty, greasy — nothing but. Was it really all right to feed such food to my one and only sister?
"Fine."
And yet the present me chose, without a flicker of hesitation, to fatten my sister up on all of it.
Something the old me would never have allowed—, but Ha Irae, utterly oblivious even to my wicked intentions, was overjoyed.
"An oppa who earns good money really is the best...!"
Pat—.
Before long, Ha Irae had hooked her arm through mine.
I was well past the age for it, and walking arm-in-arm with my little sister felt mortifying beyond words. Normally I'd have peeled her off me from a mile away—.
But today, for some reason, it didn't bother me at all.
"Oppa, what's gotten into you! Normally you shove me off and complain I'm a nuisance!"
"What are you talking about."
The plan was simple: show her around, buy her dinner, flag down a taxi, see her safely home, then follow up with a check-in call.
With that in mind, I was strolling her around the neighborhood in a great loop—.
Until, before long, someone let out a sharp cry.
"Hey! How could you do this to me! And who — who is this girl?!"
"Oh!"
Pat—.
Someone seized Ha Irae by the arm.
I turned — and there was Seo Yerim, steam practically hissing off her head, clutching my sister's arm and growling like an angry engine.
Seo Yerim spoke.
"Who is she! Is — is she your girlfriend?! You think you can just fire off some curt little one-word text about having a girlfriend and leave it at that?! So THAT'S why you sent the short reply!"
"Seo Yerim. She's not my girlfriend. She's my sister."
"...Sister?"
Only then did Seo Yerim's eyes dart back and forth between my face and Ha Irae's.
And promptly, she went rigid with shock.
"I've seen that face in photos! Your sister! So it was your sister all along! Ha Irae? You're Ha Irae, aren't you?"
Seo Yerim's expression brightened as though her temper from moments ago had never existed. She even remembered to clear her throat — ahem, ahem — for good measure.
Watching the whole performance, I felt something dangerously close to indignation.
"Yes. So hurry up and apologize to my sister. She's startled half to death right now."
Seo Yerim had grabbed my sister Ha Irae's arm and, without a shred of warning, chewed her out. That was an extraordinarily rude thing to do, and an apology was owed.
At my words, Seo Yerim grew only more flustered.
"Apologize? Me?"
Her face flushed crimson.
But Ha Irae just chuckled — hehe—.
"Oh, it's fine! You're Seo Yerim, right, unnie? I've seen you on TV all the time! I'm even subscribed to your MeTube. Wow, this is my first time seeing a celebrity in person! Unnie, you're so pretty!"
Ha Irae was a sunny-natured girl. She had apparently already forgiven the arm-grabbing and the sudden yelling.
But I could not let it go.
"Apologize. Now."
"Y-you want ME to apologize...?"
Tears began to glimmer in Seo Yerim's eyes.
Her face burned scarlet, and she fidgeted this way and that, unable to keep still.
Was this the same face that Jamsun from the school textbooks made, way back when, after the main character turned down her potato?
"You will apologize to my sister. Right now."
"......"
Whoooom—.
The very air began to heat up.
I fully expected Seo Yerim to explode with a sharp shriek.
Instead, she wilted — and spoke in a small, crawling voice.
"...I-I'm sorry. Irae. I'm sorry for getting angryyyyy, buuuut─. Ha Ildo sent that one-word reply, and I was so shocked─ and then there you were, arm in arm with him─."
Seo Yerim babbled something or other, trickles of tears sliding down her cheeks, but I couldn't have cared less.
The haughty, imperious Seo Yerim — apologizing!
At this astonishing revelation, lightning seemed to crackle and race across my entire body!
I had made Seo Yerim apologize!
"Heh. Hehehe."
The sheer joy of it made my whole body bounce on its own.
And so I danced.
It was, without question, a dance of pure triumph!
Boom-chick, boom-chick—.
Whap—.
At that moment, my sister Ha Irae, her features knotted in a scowl, drove her fist into my side.
"Oppa, something is seriously wrong with you. Why would you make someone cry?! People live their lives, they grab the occasional arm and throw the occasional tantrum — that's just how it goes...! And what on earth is that ridiculous dance...!"
Then, before I knew how she'd arrived, Illinoi appeared and shouted with impressive speed:
"As expected, it has come to pass, it is indeed...! The Housemaster is being consumed by a strange "Malice," it is indeed...! This Illinoi's eyes are impossible to deceive, it is indeed...!"
Pat—.Swish.
And from somewhere in the underbrush, Oinoi burst out as well, plucked a leaf off her head, and pronounced judgment:
"This Oinoi also found the master suspicious and had been tailing him the whole time, it is...! To rescue the master of the house from the Malice, this Oinoi shall strike him with Nymph Secret Technique: Random Beating, it is...!"
"Let's do it...!"
Dududududududududududududududududududududud—.
Illinoi and Oinoi began raining punches down on me without mercy!
"Waaagh!"
They were fists soft as balloon hammers, yet I was in genuine agony — and at last, from somewhere deep in my gut, something sticky and scalding-hot heaved its way up and out of me.
"Blegh...!"
Splat—.
It was a black, slime-like substance.
About the size of my clenched fist. Oinoi clamped it down hard into a glass jar she had apparently prepared well in advance.
Pat—.
"Got it, it is...! A provisional sealing glass jar...! But the true way to seal this Malice is none other than to return it to the box from which it originally came, it is...!
Squeezeeee—.
Oinoi had, for the time being, sealed the "Malice" away.
Watching her do it, Illinoi offered a remark:
"Come to think of it, Kore Yerim may have been eroded by the "Malice" since long time ago, it is indeed...! How else could this Illinoi's allowance possibly have been cut, it is so—so first, random beating, it is indeed...! Let's do it...!"
Dudududududududududu—.
Illinoi fell upon the weeping Seo Yerim with a flurry of blows.
It had the unmistakable look of someone who had decided that this, at long last, was her moment.