I know nothing.
**CHAPTER TITLE: `CHAPTER_TITLE: The Sky Matches My Mood`**
Nothing. The woman scrunched her face and snapped her head back with a sharp whoosh, glaring at Hwan. She still looked full of dissatisfaction, yet Hwan paid her no mind. Whether by chance or design, he had ended up in her company. At the very least, shouldn’t they at least exchange names? The sky outside, which hadn’t seen daylight in thousands of years, was unusually gloomy. The woman thought about that as she turned her head again. That sky… it matches my mood right now.
Hwan said it anyway. “Still… don’t you think we should at least know each other’s names? We’re going to be together for a while anyway. You said you put your Fox Bead inside me, didn’t you?”
The woman’s expression grew even colder. She gnashed her teeth again before adding, “Miho… a long time ago, many people called me Miho.”
“Miho? Like a gumiho?”
“Just Miho.”
“Oh… then from now on you’re Miho?”
“Look at you. No manners at all? I’ve lived more than a thousand years longer than you! So show some respect. And don’t forget—because of me you’re alive again.”
Miho spoke bluntly. Hwan paused, hesitated, then nodded. Yes, of course. Thanks to her, he had been resurrected. It was an undeniable fact. Moreover, they would probably have to stay together for a long time just to fulfill their respective goals. Especially because she needed to swallow the Fox Bead—the condensed power that had been gathering inside him for countless years—before she could use her full strength again.
Had he not swallowed it, they would have never been able to protect her from the Three Corpses of the Underworld. Stirring the Book of the Dead. Defying the natural order of life and death. It was, in essence, committing a grave sin. To tamper with the realm of the dead required something that had existed for an immeasurably long time—the Fox Bead. Whether he liked it or not, he had no choice but to stay with her. Only then could she regain her former power, only then could she absorb it from him and reclaim the Fox Bead.
By any measure, thanks to the Fox Bead he was still breathing. But Miho still needed to absorb that power from him. So she had decided to help him. At the very least, with his revenge.
“Hmm… calling you ‘Sister’ like this feels a bit awkward. The age difference is just too big…”
“You… or ‘ssi’? Which shall we use?”
“Hah! What is that? Way too stiff! I don’t like it either. Hmm… what would be a good title? Something with appropriate distance yet warm…”
“Ah! I know! Call me Mother?”
Hwan’s face immediately turned sullen. “I already have a mom.”
“Hmph! Then Big Mother? Our age difference makes ‘Sister’ awkward, and ‘ssi’ or ‘you’ feels too distant. Calling you by name is even worse. So… Mother it is.”
“Isn’t that a bit much?” Hwan asked, still staring at her in confusion. She simply smiled to herself, utterly satisfied.
“Perfect! For now, ‘Mother’ is the best title. Come on, try calling me!”
She decided on her own. And when she insisted he try it, the fatigue hit Hwan all over again. “What are you doing? Say ‘Mother.’”
Miho asked with a sweet smile, her tone shifting to one that sounded exactly like a mother’s. Hwan was stunned, then instinctively flushed as she leaned in close. Honestly, no woman he had ever seen before was as breathtakingly beautiful as she was. He could never deny that. And since he had never been with a woman, seeing someone so stunning suddenly so near left him flustered.
“Just do it, Mother.”
“If you want…” Hwan answered lazily and trudged back toward the village.
He didn’t want to admit it. He didn’t want to call her “Mother.” After all, he only had one real mother. The very idea of the title felt wrong.
Hwan decided he would start by finding his parents. Right now, there was no time for small talk.
When they reached the village, the smell of blood was so thick it made breathing difficult. Hwan covered his nose and mouth with one hand, frowning at the eerie silence. The stillness seemed to invite disaster.
Next to him, Miho’s face hardened. She clicked her tongue quietly. “They really killed a lot…”
Hwan’s steps quickened. Something inexplicable had clearly happened here. Even before they had entered the cave, that unnatural howl had unsettled him. And the word “offering” that the old man Yoon and the villagers had spoken of only deepened his unease. What exactly did it mean? Who were they offering it to? What was the origin of that howl…?
Unhappily, he still knew nothing.
The only certainty he had was that things had not gone according to their plan. Just thinking of old man Yoon was enough to make it clear. Something had gone wrong. And it was because of him.
Where were the villagers anyway? The place was strangely deserted, like no one had lived here for years. The first house he came to was the one he hoped his family might have returned to. But all that waited in front of it was yellow “no trespassing” tape. Even the broken windows showed no signs of life.
Memories of last night surfaced. A chill ran down his spine. The house felt completely empty. Maybe it was the church? Hwan turned toward it. Usually, when people weren’t home, they would be at church…
Then hesitation struck him. What if the old men who had tried to kill him were still inside? Still, he could stand tall because of Miho. They had been forced together, but he could sense instinctively that she was no ordinary person. A ghost? A demon? Or some yokai? He didn’t know how to describe her. At the very least, he believed she might be a fox yokai like the gumiho from old tales, and that she would protect him.
Thanks to her, he was able to walk forward with courage.
He reached the church quickly. But he couldn’t enter. Police officers stood guard at the entrance, their faces grim as they spoke in low, serious voices. Hwan paced in place, unable to go through them.
Suddenly, a solution appeared. “Climb over.” Miho stood quietly beside him and pointed at the wall on either side of the church.
“Just climb over?” Hwan hesitated, but decided it was better than standing here. He took several deep breaths, placed his hands on the wall, and braced his body.
“Uwaah—” His body shot straight up and flew over the wall without effort. An ability he had never imagined. The overwhelming power he couldn’t control sent him crashing to the ground. He wasn’t hurt, only dazed. He blinked in shock.
Miho leaped over the wall gracefully and looked down at him. “Idiot. Right now, you’re not human anymore…”
“If I’m not… human…”
“Hmm? I don’t know either. At least not human. A human body should have died long ago. I’m not like me either. Maybe a mix between the two?”
“Mix?” Hwan felt even more confused, but she simply shrugged with a smile. “Right now, that doesn’t matter.”
She reached out and helped him up. Then she glanced at the police outside the church. Fortunately, they still didn’t know he had entered. Hwan let out a relieved sigh and hurried toward the back door of the church.