Boring Workers? Enter the Goblin Crew
"Boring."
Taejagwi pouted her lips and glanced at Seojun. Im Jiyeon lay sprawled on the floor. Knocking out an S-rank hunter took no more than a flick of her finger. That was how overwhelming Taejagwi's presence was.
"Thanks to you, Uncle Kaeyi Smith, I got to see Mommy."
Taejagwi flashed a beaming smile. Then she pulled something from her waist sash. It was the spirit bell he'd made for her before—froststone mixed with white copper, with a black bead serving as the clapper. The bell that could be heard even in the afterlife. Taejagwi shook it.
Ding-a-ling—
The sound was barely audible to his ears. The faint clink of the bell against itself came through clearer. But the bell was definitely ringing. A sound that reached even the dead spread outward.
"Ugh."
Seojun flinched, either because his heightened senses picked it up or because he'd forged the thing himself. Even Im Jiyeon, passed out cold, twitched at the exact same moment. Her spiritual senses must still be alive despite her unconsciousness.
"Heehee."
Taejagwi giggled, clearly amused by Im Jiyeon's reaction. But she shifted her gaze to Seojun. Her pitch-black eyes felt like they pierced right through him.
"Uncle Kaeyi Smith, you feel even more kaeyi-like than before?"
Her tone was innocently childlike, but the words cut deep. She'd nailed his change exactly. 11% Kaeyi Affinity. That tiny difference must look stark in her eyes.
"A lot's been going on..."
"I know."
Taejagwi cut him off abruptly. Then she pulled a familiar sheet of paper from her bosom and held it out.
[Kaeyi Craftsman's Path]
It was the second one.
"Uncle Sintanjae told me to bring it."
"From Master Sintanjae?"
Seojun took the paper in surprise. He'd wanted to see the man again, but hadn't had the chance—until now. This time, it wasn't for some random kaeyi. He'd specifically sent it for Seojun.
'Maybe because I didn't heed his warning not to trust anyone?'
He pondered, feeling a pang of guilt. But he couldn't pin it down. He didn't know why the old man scattered these paths of the kaeyi craftsman on hanji paper, or why he taught his craft to strangers, or what lay behind sending this one specifically to him. At least meeting Sintanjae might give some answers.
"If you need anything made, I can do it for you."
He didn't feel right just accepting Taejagwi's help without reciprocating. But she shook her head.
"Nah. I got to see Mommy thanks to you."
Taejagwi seemed genuinely satisfied. He couldn't guess why a child from legend would want to see her dead mother, but she turned her gaze to Im Jiyeon like she didn't care about the details. Her black eyes sparkled like a kid who'd just gotten a new toy.
"And I found something fun too."
Taejagwi held out the spirit bell she'd been clutching, looking at Seojun.
"Give this to Sis when she wakes up."
"This?"
"Yeah. I'm lending it to her."
Taejagwi pressed the bell into his hand and vanished with a peal of laughter. Not scattering like smoke, but swallowed by the space itself. The forge was left with just Seojun and Im Jiyeon.
"......"
Seojun stared down at the spirit bell in his hand. The cold metal touch, infused with Taejagwi's aura. It was anything but ordinary.
'Is it okay to give her this?'
Could he hand a kaeyi-forged item to a human? Especially a shaman like Im Jiyeon, whose spiritual senses were razor-sharp. Would she even handle Taejagwi's bell?
But Seojun sorted his thoughts. There had to be a reason Taejagwi told him to give it. And Im Jiyeon had begged for it herself, throwing her tantrum in the forge. This was just karma.
The next morning.
It looked like a peaceful day, but an unwelcome guest was still sleeping in the forge. Im Jiyeon had slept deeply despite passing out.
"Kyaaah!"
She bolted upright with a scream, apparently from a nightmare. Dried drool crusted blatantly at the corner of her mouth.
"Where...?"
Im Jiyeon panted raggedly, scanning her surroundings. The unfamiliar forge came into sharp focus. She remembered exactly where she was—with Seojun watching her impassively.
"Haa..."
Only then did she accept it was reality, letting out a sigh of relief. But the relief was short-lived. Memories of last night flooded back: the little girl appearing before her, the overwhelming terror, her own collapse. Her pride as an S-rank hunter shattered in that instant.
Shame and humiliation kept her from lifting her head. She couldn't stay here anymore. Im Jiyeon hastily straightened her clothes and tried to flee the forge.
"Hold on."
But Seojun called her back. She froze without turning.
He picked up the spirit bell from the workbench and approached.
"Take it."
Im Jiyeon slowly turned to look. A silvery bell gleaming with light. Frost-flower patterns etched on the surface, a black bead inside. Just looking at it radiated otherworldly energy.
"This is..."
"Isn't this what you wanted?"
Seojun said it flatly, without a second thought. Im Jiyeon stared blankly, then her eyes widened. She'd assumed he'd spent all night making it for her.
"You... made this for me?"
"I did make it, but..."
Seojun trailed off, reluctant to reveal the source. It wasn't exactly a lie—he had forged it himself.
"You were gonna make it anyway..."
Im Jiyeon took his silence as affirmation. Her attitude flipped in an instant, smugness returning.
"I'll forgive you just this once."
She haughtily reached out and grabbed the bell.
Woooong—!
Taejagwi's spirit bell vibrated fiercely. A powerful spiritual aura burst forth. Unable to withstand it, her eyes rolled back.
"Gahk...!"
Im Jiyeon let out a dying screech and collapsed to the floor. Seojun waited a bit, but she showed no sign of stirring. Just like last night, out cold.
"Haa..."
Seojun rubbed his throbbing forehead. He couldn't fathom why Taejagwi had asked this. It might amuse her, but it wasn't his business. Feeling bad about leaving her on the floor, he carried her to the sofa.
"She'll handle the rest."
Seojun decided to wash his hands of it. It was Taejagwi's choice, so her responsibility. Same for Im Jiyeon—this was her own karma.
"The real issue is this."
He pulled out the hanji paper Taejagwi had given him. It almost looked like a talisman. As he examined it, the only thing that stood out was the inscription.
[Kaeyi Craftsman's Path]
"I want to use it right now, but..."
The forge's unwelcome guest made it awkward. Plus, Kim Hyungseok had requested more mass-produced anti-kaeyi gear.
"I'll put it off for now."
Later, once Im Jiyeon woke, she fled the forge like her life depended on it.
Lost in work all day, time flew by unnoticed. By the time dusk fell, the mountain dokkaebi who visited the forge froze in place.
"Hold up!"
This time, the mountain dokkaebi took the initiative. The forge was in full production mode, after all.
"I ain't takin' this alone!"
The dokkaebi declared resolutely, a strong sense of injustice in his voice. Then he bolted off after his words.
"I'll bring my pals, so wait just a sec!"
Seojun watched his retreating back in bewilderment, hammer still in hand. He wasn't even that busy this time—no plans to ask for help.
"Must've been itching for it?"
The mountain dokkaebi seemed hooked on forge work. Unexpected free labor was incoming.
But he couldn't work them for free.
"No idea how many he'll bring."
His funds were plentiful anyway, like an endless spring. He ordered a feast of buckwheat jelly and makgeolli from a good spot.
. . .
Soon enough, three mountain dokkaebi showed up. All wore headscarves and baggy pants. Their looks varied wildly in personality, but they shared one trait: fur everywhere.
"What's all this?"
"All ours?"
"Boss? Why just me last time..."
The dokkaebi eyed the buckwheat jelly and makgeolli with delight. One seemed particularly aggrieved.
"Uh... you're all mountain dokkaebi, right?"
"Yessiree."
"Mountain dokkaebi, yep."
"Boss? Answer me..."
The three were bursting with personality, but hard to tell apart.
"Do you have names?"
"Names? Somethin' like that."
"Folks call me Kim Seobang sometimes."
"...So you're all mountain dokkaebi named Kim Seobang."
No sense keeping them standing hungry. Seojun served the buckwheat jelly and makgeolli. Even the aggrieved one gave up and dug in.
"You're all here to help, right?"
"Yessiree."
"That's right."
"Brought only the best pals for the job."
With their agreement, Seojun broached carefully.
"Forge gets busy sometimes—I might have to call names without looking. But if you're all the same, it'll be confusing. Maybe differentiate a bit? Like, if it's Kim Seobang, call you Kimssi or something."
"Good idea! Call me Gassi."
"Always wanted to be king someday. Issi for me."
"Then I'm Kimssi?"
The one who'd brought his friends—now Kimssi—pointed at himself. Seojun nodded with a bright smile.