The Claw That Would Not Yield
You won't make me do things your way. One step... one step... I ground my teeth until my gums ached, pushing forward despite the pain. In the end, one of my molars even developed a tiny crack. I endured that agony too, pressing on relentlessly. Uh... ugh... ugh...
A pained groan tore from Hwan's throat. He kept gasping for air, his body writhing violently several times. Yet somehow, they had reached the end of the cave. “Aaaah...”
It was an enormous space that left anyone gasping in awe. No one could figure out how it had formed. It wasn't natural, at least not in the ordinary sense. Inside, there was a temple. It looked as if it had been built long ago. Several red pillars stood tall, supporting a ceiling of old tiled roofs. At its center, a red door stood firmly shut, with a yellow amulet stuck to it. Looking at that red door and the yellow amulet, a strange sense of foreboding welled up. It felt like you shouldn't enter there. Hwan couldn't move forward. Then...
“Come on... just a little farther...” The woman had appeared right beside him again. Sliding... like spring wind, her silky voice gently brushed his ear. It made his heart race. Aaaah! I can't refuse. My body moved on its own. Twisting, stumbling, he passed the pillars and reached the firmly closed gate with the amulet. The amulet was written in characters he didn't recognize at all. It was a bright yellow amulet from movies, with something written in red ink. There were also pictures and unreadable letters. The picture showed a bird with three heads and one leg. Hwan stared at it blankly. Another wave of hesitation washed over him. Why? It felt wrong to tear it away. I don't know why this thought kept coming. Was my every instinct screaming at me to stop? The unease grew sharper, turning into dread. But...
“Come on... for me...” The woman's urging voice swallowed up his inner voice again. Aaaah... With another groan, Hwan suddenly realized he had his fingertips locked onto the amulet. Slowly, with a trembling hand, he started to peel it off. Tick... The moment the amulet fell away. Clang! The door suddenly swung open with a loud noise. Not only that. Something foul seeped out from inside and swept across Hwan's body. A chill ran down his spine. And the dread was now turning into fear. The woman stepped closer, smiling brighter than ever. Aaaah! He couldn't tear his eyes away from that smile. It was a smile that made him forget even pain and fear. And with a soft voice, she whispered again. “You did very well. But... it's still not enough. Here, go inside a little more... If you go inside, there's one more amulet. Tear that off too... Then... I can be free. And I can help you. So hurry... for me... and for you, tear the amulet away.”
Hwan staggered through the gate and entered. Inside the gate was a flat stone floor. Behind it was the main hall of the temple. It too looked built long ago. And you could tell no one had touched it for a long time. Dust piled up everywhere. Most of the windows leading into the hall were yellowed or had holes punched through them. On either side of the path to the hall stood statues that looked fierce and angry. He didn't know what they were, but they created a chilling atmosphere. Swallowing dry saliva, he passed the angry goblin-like figures and climbed the stone stairs. And he reached the half-damaged main hall door. Inside, it was nothing like the temples Hwan had imagined. It felt more like a shaman's shrine. Rope hung from the ceiling, and colorful cloths dangled between them. Amulets were even hanging in the middle, and rusty swords hung too. And near the center, a surprisingly large rock sat there. At that moment, the woman pointed at the rock and said, “Here... come on... that rock has an amulet.” The woman vanished like a ghost. And the next moment, she appeared right in front of the rock. As she said, on the rock behind her, there was one yellow amulet stuck. The one she pointed at must be it. “Tear this amulet away for me and for you...”
Something intense clashed deep inside him. This might be the natural instinct warning of danger. It was shouting. Absolutely... absolutely you must not tear that amulet away. But when that happened, the woman appeared in front of him and tempted him. Aaaah! The beautiful woman's desperate plea made his heart waver. Her smile flooded his mind. It made him forget the danger instinct. It even swallowed up the alarm of risk. Is this okay? Can I really tear off that amulet? Can that strange woman really help me? Can she help my parents? Can she give me back the ordinary life I once had? Can I really trust the woman in front of me? Questions popped up one after another. But when those questions arose, somehow the woman lured Hwan again with a kind smile. It pulled him. That kind smile felt like his missing mother's smile. Aaaah... I miss my parents. Where are they now? Are they okay? I hope nothing happened... Hwan stopped walking for a moment and looked back at his parents, but then the woman's voice came like spring wind and brushed his ear again. “Here! There's not much time left. Tear off the amulet and you can save yourself. You can save yourself. And you can save your parents too.” His body trembled. “R-really... can I meet my parents again?” he asked softly. The woman smiled kindly and nodded. “Yeah... if you tear off the amulet, I'll save everything. The things that hurt you, the things that made you suffer, the things that made you sad... I'll erase all of them.” Her answer comforted his uneasy heart. “Really...”
“Yes, until you tell me to stop, I'll give you whatever you want, in whatever way you desire... If you want, I can even become your new mother.” She smiled kindly and said playfully. Her voice made his mind hazy again. He nodded without thinking. And passing the ropes with colorful cloths, he finally approached the large rock slowly. Stumble... stumble... He had to take painful steps again. Aaaah! Every time he walked, his left ankle hurt so much he didn't know. He almost fell several times. Every time, her hand supported him. Thanks to that, he reached in front of the amulet. But this time, too, a foreboding feeling suddenly appeared and blocked his actions to the very end. This wasn't just because Hwan's senses felt the foreboding. Something here, right here, was telling him it shouldn't be done. Hwan frowned and looked around. Only then did he notice a Buddha statue behind the rock. It was a Buddha statue sitting with a kind expression. But it was just an ordinary Buddha statue. No... just an ordinary Buddha statue. “There's no need to hesitate. Trust me... Just trust me...” Again, the woman's seductive smile and voice slid closer and shook his soul mercilessly. Aaaah! It prevented him from making proper judgment. His outstretched hand barely reached the amulet. Swallowing dry saliva. The swallowed saliva tasted faintly of blood. And his breathing grew very fast. Just as he was about to slowly gather strength with a few deep breaths...
“Inoooooooooo!!!” A sudden roar! Hwan, startled by the voice that echoed in his ears, fell flat on his back. The amulet was half-torn. At that moment, the rock cracked with a crunch! Unfortunately, because the amulet wasn't completely torn, the rock didn't fully break. And beside it, the expression of the noble and dignified woman, who had been giving a gentle smile like a kind-hearted Virgin Mary, began to twist horribly. It even overlapped with a suddenly pure white fox. Aaaah! How terrifying that sight was! Hwan was more terrified than ever. Again, he faced the horribly twisted woman while trembling. At that moment, the woman gritted her teeth and turned her gaze away. Her sharp gaze landed on the Buddha statue. She glared at the kind-faced Buddha statue as if it were an enemy. No, even the Buddha statue's expression changed. The compassionate Buddha statue was angry. Hwan was even more shocked. In shock and horror, he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound. Then the woman shouted with a voice choked with malice he had never heard before. “Damn it! If it had been a little longer... if it had been a little longer, I could finally be free! In the end, you keep interfering with me!!! In the end!!!”