What the Blood Whispers
Ryu Jihee had another restless night.
It wasn't that her bed was uncomfortable. Quite the opposite, in fact. Compared to a bed in Namhae she'd never quite grown used to, her long-missed home was cozy to the point of indulgence — which meant the reason lay elsewhere.
The scene of the funeral still flickering before her eyes. The thick stench of death that refused to fade no matter how many times she swallowed it down. If you asked whether this was an unfamiliar experience, well — of course it was.
And yet.
The reason she kept tossing and turning was a little different from what her classmates Yoon-ha and Ye-eun were going through.
…She remembered the sight of people crying. This was an era long since resigned to loss. Even so, the ordeal that had struck Namhae was never something to be brushed off with a light mouth.
A malice that toyed with human beings. Even if words could pass between them, the fundamentals of their thinking were different. Monster — that was what they were, in the most literal sense. There was a reason the visitors from beyond the gates were called that, and she could see it plainly enough.
They ate livers. Because the livers got in the way…
Yoon-ha and the others had fumed that they could never understand such atrocities, but Jihee was the opposite.
'I can understand it.'
Why did the fox-spirits act that way? Because it was necessary to expand their power. Apart from the head of the pack, the ones who grew strong by devouring hunters' livers could rise to become the pack's elite. And a pack that counted such elites among its numbers was on a whole different level of stability. In fact, hadn't she and the others struggled against the nine-tailed foxes that appeared out of nowhere during the assault on Guisusan?
So why would the fox-spirits bother invading the Namhae branch at all? If anything, there was no reason not to. Hunters sprawled about in utter carelessness. One pounce, and you could tear their throats out in a single stroke. Would anyone who saw a feast like that laid out and didn't lunge for it be anything but a fool?
…But then.
Why had the fox-spirits chosen a method that dragged so much grief and death along with it? Some of the branch staff had families of their own, which made luring them difficult — that much she understood. But once they'd claimed most of the branch, was it truly necessary to go that far? Mobilize their underlings, or simply overwhelm everyone with numbers. There had been a thousand other ways.
And yet, still, the fox-spirits had deliberately murdered their families and shattered countless households — for six long months, even playing the part of someone's wife or husband while they did it. Why on earth? Why do such a thing?
And this wasn't a question asked only from the human side of the fence. To a monster, the human way of thinking was closer to alien territory. Even having mastered a perfect transformation art changed nothing there. So why had the fox-spirits chosen such a bramble-strewn road?
'Because it's fun.'
Once again, the answer came in an instant. There was no particular reason at all. If she had to put it into words — because it was rather amusing, the sight of humans chattering and laughing, never knowing that the one who murdered their family was standing right in front of them.
That was all Ryu Jihee could think.
More precisely, that was the answer that came out. Why would you do such a thing? Was there really any need to go that far? Every time she put the question to herself, the answer leapt out on its own. Like an oracle. Though if it was an oracle, the one answering wasn't a god but a devil.
The blood inside her body. The instinct of a nightmare, answering the questions Ryu Jihee carried.
In the end, a fox-spirit was nothing more than an Eastern nightmare. And so, every time she fit herself into the fox-spirits' behavior, the nightmare's nature whispered to her.
And.
Ryu Jihee hated herself for it.
She hated that she could understand a fox-spirit's heart — that she did understand. Even if it was mere biological instinct, she was disgusted with herself for empathizing with their side. Most of all, she could not accept the fact that she herself was half that kind of creature.
…To Ryu Jihee, being a hunter was nothing more than a cover — a job to keep her true nature from being found out. Precisely because of that, she could be certain. Before any sense of duty as a hunter ever came, Ryu Jihee hated nightmares. And so she hated herself too, for carrying nightmare blood.
Beyond the mirror she looked up into, the pre-dawn sky was turning pale blue. She studied, slowly, the face of herself floating alone before her.
Despite days of lost sleep, not a single blemish marred her skin. Her silver hair spilled down, lustrous and clear-glowing, and her pomegranate-red eyes showed not a thread of bloodshot. A nightmare — a race born to charm human beings. And so, in any circumstance, her beauty never faded. Beautiful beyond belief for a high schooler, and yet without a trace of grace.
And then.
'It's changed again.'
A deep sigh escaped her. It had to. …The more a halfblood stacked power, the closer she drew to the original species that formed her roots. Jihee was no exception. The upturned corners of her eyes flowing with a wave she never consciously made. Lips that carried a bewitching light. Watching her own face slowly transform in the direction of a nightmare, Jihee felt an ill-timed sense of strangeness.
If she went on like this, she too would come, in time, to possess a nightmare's constitution. And then — at the end of that road, someday. On the day her body gained a nightmare's beauty, who on earth could swear her mind would not change the same way?
…The break she'd spent in Namhae had, without question, been enjoyable. But more than that, it had come to carry a heavy weight for her. Would she, too, someday become that? Like those fox-spirits who delighted in toying with human lives and sneered at human deaths?
And so the first day of the new term arrived. She had still found no answer.
"Ah, life is a real son of a bitch~"
"Master. Language. Language."
"What? What about it? Horse is horse. You know? Horse."
"You've genuinely lost it."
And so, on a fresh morning with a cool dawn breeze, I was quietly savoring a moment of despair. Because the start of the new term was already right on top of me.
This is insane. Is this for real?
"Seo-ah, we're fucked."
"Why? Don't tell me you're going on about some time-acceleration monster attack again?"
"…Did I really say it that many times?"
"That makes thirteen as of today."
"Hmmmm~"
"What? You can't just say that~"
Well, it couldn't be helped. I mean it — no joke. Before heading down to Namhae, there was coordinating schedules with the kids. Going down there and resolving the incident. Then attending the funeral out of basic human decency. After that, verifying the situation with the Namhae branch now back in operation. And finally, dividing up the materials from the extermination. By the time I'd wrapped up every last one of those errands and made it home, exactly one week was left until the new term.
"Wh-what?! Where has my long vacation gone, desu?!"
"Master, that's pathetic."
"Pathetic or not, hand over my vacation!!"
"Come on — you're the one who said teaching wasn't so bad, that it had its upsides and whatnot…"
"Don't spout nonsense, Seo-ah. That was nothing but a lie I cooked up to comfort myself while I was trapped under the glass ceiling they call 'having a job.' From now on, I live for me."
Granted, I won't deny that teaching makes for a decent hobby. But. After three years of hardening as a deadbeat, it must have been building up stress on me without my noticing. The problem started with the simple fact of clocking in on time. Ugh, I don't want to do anything. I'm already doing nothing, but I want to do nothing more actively…!!
Why does nobody understand my heart?
"Wouldn't you say everyone already knows and just chooses not to say it?"
"What?"
"For real? Office workers are absolute legends."
My respect for salaried workers — people who drag themselves to work every single day even feeling like this — blossomed warm and green.
Clack.
At that, a little side dish of steamed egg slid its way discreetly in front of me.
"Here, eat this and pull yourself together."
"See, Master? Aren't you embarrassed acting like this in front of a kid?"
"N-no, I'm just saying it's that hard, that's all…"
In the end, I could only sag my shoulders. Like I said — however you cut it, it was a little embarrassing for a student to see me like this. Hayeon burst out laughing at the sight, and at the same time, the way she nudged the plate toward me yet again was painful to bear. Because the look on her face was the one you'd give a small child.
It was still early morning, but unlike usual, all of us were up. For me and Seo-ah it was because of work — but Hayeon was different. Or more precisely, this had been going on for a while now. Ever since she'd been discharged from the hospital after the incident with Kim Minchul, she'd suddenly started practicing cooking. And once the taste had settled into something stable, she began serving me breakfast like clockwork.
Honestly, it was a bit much at first. I asked her a few times, and apparently, in her own head, she wanted to repay some of the debt she owed me… 'It wasn't exactly a fortune, you know.' A few months' rent, tops? Well, if that's how Hayeon herself felt, there wasn't much I could say about it. Besides, it's no bad thing to develop a little caution about money. I might be fine, but not everyone she meets from here on out is going to be swimming in it like I am.
It stung a little at first, though!!
Did this life feel like some kind of debt to Hayeon? Well, it was the kind of environment that would. A gloomy basement semi-basement. For me, fleeing the monster ads that clogged the city center, it had been the best available option — but for Hayeon, it wouldn't have been. And yet she'd never once complained, not a single word. Hmm. This is awkward.
Look, I did originally bring her in planning to use her as monster bait. And honestly, that's still kind of true!! 'But I thought we'd actually gotten pretty close~' Girls, I swear. Terrifying. Terrifying stuff.
Maybe the others were the same. The five from the club who hunted the fox-spirits alongside me this time — kids I'd already come to think of as my disciples, plain and simple. Even they might be thinking, deep down: it's fine if he deludes himself about us being his disciples, but he really shouldn't pretend we're any closer than that.
Ugh, thinking about it makes going to work even less appealing.
'No, maybe Ye-eun's a bit different?'
In truth, Hayeon wasn't the only one who'd changed lately. After coming back from Namhae, Ye-eun had declared she'd strive to make me her goal — same story there. When I remembered how she'd grinned and asked, "What should I call you instead of teacher? Sunbae? Or maybe… Mr. Park Woochan?" — it seemed she'd finally managed to shake off the villain look she'd worn at our first meeting. Not that I'd have settled for anything less than "your brother's friend" level, but still.
"Got it, got it. Well then — I'm heading out first?"
"Bye~"
"I'll follow right along, oppa."
With my thoughts more or less in order by then, I decided to leave ahead of the two of them. We'd all woken around the same time, but those two took far longer to get ready than I did. Must be a girl thing. I will never understand what on earth women have to prepare. For a guy who washes his hair and wraps up in ten minutes flat, it's a region beyond comprehension.
Stepping out of the boarding house afterward, a crisp dawn sky spread before my eyes. If it had been just yesterday, I'd have called it refreshing — but seen through the eyes of a man returning to work after so long, it looked like an omen pointing at my future. My feelings, currently more or less clear, would cloud over the moment I clocked in… like the dawn sky melting away before the morning sun…
I don't know if "sentimental" is the right word to use here, but it was roughly that. Teaching itself had been decently fun, admittedly. That said, I hated going to work regardless. Yes. The word commute is just that magical. It has the power to make even the most enjoyable hobby feel vaguely repellent!!
'This is prime skipping weather.'
If I were a student instead of a teacher, I'd have played hooky already. I mean, the first day of term is barely even real class — why do they have to drag the homeroom teachers in too? As I mentally executed the imaginary Choi Seungjun I'd built up in my head, once for every grievance, the Academy finally came into view in the distance. And at the exact moment I let out a low sigh —
Thud. Someone burst out of the alley and slammed straight into my chest.
And at the same time —
"KRAAAAGH!!"
"Oh my, are you all ri… KYAAAAAH?!"
Maddening pain bored into the back of my left hand. Because my right hand had, at some point, drawn a dagger and was driving it into the back of my own left hand. Of course, this wasn't the product of my attacker's flashy submission technique. Quite the opposite. If I'd stayed still, I would have just diced the woman in front of me into pieces without even realizing it. This was an act born of that certainty.
In other words —
"E-excuse me?!"
"No — fuck! Get off me, hag!!"
What had appeared before me was, of course, a monster. That fact alone was enough to make my vision swim, but right now I had no choice but to force it down. Obviously, my usual self would never have allowed a monster to get this close — let alone tried to endure it this way. But there were a few exceptions here. For example, the hag standing right in front of me was one.
Not by choice, but as a rule I tried to deliberately look away from the presence of certain monsters. It didn't work well, but if I didn't, I'd end up putting on a decapitation show with my students' or a few halfbloods' necks — so there was no helping it. And the hag before me belonged to exactly that category of species I worked so hard to turn a blind eye to. Besides, a monster walking around disguised as a person at the crack of dawn wasn't exactly a common occurrence. Which meant the hag in front of me had a reason to be — and that reason was why I'd stopped my hand.
…Silver hair glittering brilliantly under the dawn sky. Pomegranate-red eyes that burned redder still. And on top of that — though I'd called her a hag — a face that looked younger than mine. It was a face I'd seen before, in the faculty lounge, or in a classroom lit by the setting sun.
"Wh—son of a bitch. Might you be Jihee's dear mother, by any chance?"
"Oh."
And. The nightmare I'd collided with put on a slightly startled expression — as if she hadn't expected that reaction at all.