Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Saryeoni Forest
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When was it? Probably not long after I graduated from university.
After finishing my second solo exhibition and taking a break, Hyorin had said something like that.
She suggested that since there was a bit of time before the next exhibition, why not go on a backpacking trip together.
The first thing I asked was that.
"Where to?"
For a backpacking trip, the destination matters, right?
Hyorin thought for a moment before answering my question.
She said there was a place she'd always wanted to visit her whole life.
A place most of her friends had gone to at least once in elementary, middle, or high school, but she'd never been to.
"Jeju Island."
It was Jeju Island.
I'd never been there either, so I agreed without hesitation.
"Let's go, to Jeju Island."
And so, even though the backpacking trip was decided on a whim, we prepared for it with great excitement.
A 6-night, 7-day schedule.
We'd take the ferry to Jeju with no plans, just wander wherever our feet took us, walk and walk, take the bus if needed, and head off with nothing but our backpacks.
I glanced out the window at the Jeju scenery and couldn't help but think back to that time.
A smile tugged at my lips.
'Everything was just wonderful back then.'
Walking the roads of Jeju with Hyorin, sightseeing, watching the sea.
Every moment with her was pure happiness for me. Of course, now they're all just memories.
"Dad, but where are we going?"
At Daeun's question, I pulled up the map on my phone and pointed to one spot.
"We're going here. It's called Saryeoni Forest."
"Saryeoni sounds weird."
She sounded just like Hyorin.
I always got a little startled whenever I noticed these similarities.
"Yeah, your mom thought the same thing when she first heard it. She said it was super weird, just like you."
"Really? Mom said the same as Daeun?"
I nodded.
"Yeah."
She'd even looked up why it was called Saryeoni.
'But what did it mean again?'
I remembered looking it up with Hyorin back then, but it wasn't coming to mind.
I cleared the map from my phone screen and was about to search for the meaning of Saryeoni when...
"Wow, this must be Saryeoni Forest."
"Yeah, we should get off here."
"Sure, next stop."
At the words of another passenger, I quickly pocketed my phone and said to Daeun,
"Daeun, we get off here too."
"Oh, really? Okay!"
Daeun hurriedly got ready to get off, and soon after...
Screech.
The bus came to a safe stop, and I was able to get off holding her hand.
Whoosh!
As the bus pulled away, Daeun looked around excitedly.
"Dad, is this the place you were talking about?"
"Yeah, Saryeoni Forest. We have to walk a bit from here, okay?"
I'd known it was like this from the start, so we'd dressed in the most comfortable clothes and shoes we'd packed.
"Yeah! Daeun can walk good!"
Then she stomped her feet on the ground as if to prove how sturdy her legs were.
"Like this!"
I grinned.
"Right. Daeun's legs are so strong, it won't be tiring at all. Shall we head up bravely then?"
"Yeah!"
And so, Daeun and I started walking up the Saryeoni Forest path together.
As we followed the path deeper into the forest, old memories naturally resurfaced.
'It really hits different now.'
I was walking the same path I'd walked with Hyorin, but now with Daeun.
If Daeun had been there back then too, we could've shared those happy memories, but it was a memory only I held.
That meant I had a duty to pass on the joy and emotions from those happy times with Hyorin to Daeun.
"Dad! Look here!"
The path was surrounded by trees on all sides.
As we walked up it, we spotted several small piles of stones clustered together.
"Stones here! Stones!"
Stone cairns that people had stacked along the path as they climbed.
At Daeun's words, I looked around quickly, picked up a small stone, and handed it to her.
"Here."
"Yeah, Dad, what's this?"
"Yeah, you put this stone on top of those piles and make a wish."
"Stones grant wishes?"
Pfft!
Her saying the stones grant wishes reminded me of something Hyorin had said.
It was probably right around here.
Hyorin had crouched in front of a cairn, thinking hard, and said something similar.
Do people really think the stones grant wishes?
I'd responded to her unique perspective like this.
Hmm, do you think people wish because they believe the stones will grant them?
People probably know.
That just stacking a stone and wishing won't make it come true.
And yet, people still placed their stones on the cairns and made wishes.
I'd explained the reason like this.
"Daeun."
"Yeah, Dad."
"It's not that the stone grants the wish. The stone is, like, your heart, Daeun."
"My heart?"
"Yeah. When you make a wish on the stone and leave it here, the mountain spirit passes by and sees it.
'Oh my, there's a pretty wish with a beautiful heart here! With such a lovely heart, I have to grant it, hehe!'
And grants it."
I even put on my best acting voice to help her understand, though I'm not great at it.
Luckily, it seemed to work.
"Then I gotta wish with a really pretty heart."
I nodded.
"Right? Then the mountain spirit can spot Daeun's stone easily."
After hearing the explanation, Daeun's eyes changed.
She started diligently brushing the dirt off the small stone I'd given her with her tiny hands.
"Daeun's gonna wish with a super pretty heart. So the mountain spirit can find Daeun's stone."
I smiled and agreed with her.
"That sounds good. That's why Dad gave you a pretty stone. Right?"
"Yeah, thanks Dad."
I hadn't said it for praise, but hearing it from her made me feel great.
Daeun brushed off all the dirt, clasped the stone tightly in both hands, and began praying.
"......"
I was dying to know what she was praying so earnestly for, but...
"Prayer done."
"All done?"
"Yeah, now I'm gonna put it up."
I grinned.
For the sake of her heart, I decided not to ask.
Daeun carefully tried to place her prayed-over stone on top of the cairn.
But it wasn't that easy.
"Ah."
Whenever she tried, the existing stones wobbled and threatened to topple.
Adults could balance it well, but it was a real challenge for little Daeun.
I'd thought it'd be simple, but seeing her struggle, I smiled and asked,
"Want Dad to help?"
But Daeun wasn't about to accept any help.
"Nope. Daeun has to do it herself."
Her determination to do it on her own was admirable.
Still, it might take forever alone, so I offered a little guidance.
"Then want Dad to teach you the trick?"
"Twick?"
"Trick, not twick. A way to make it easy."
"Daeun can put it easy!"
I nodded.
I nodded and explained how to stack the stone easily.
"First, find the flattest spot and hold the stone with both hands like this."
I pretended to hold it with both hands and lowered it slowly. Daeun's eyes widened as she replied.
"Like that? Can you do it?"
"Ah! Daeun gets it!"
She grabbed the stone with both hands just like me, lowered it very, very slowly, and finally placed it on top.
"Wow! Daeun did it!"
"Good job!"
"For real? Dad taught me, so Daeun put it easy! Thanks a ton, Dad!"
'Oh, praise again.'
Just as I was thinking she was more generous with compliments than expected...
Daeun stood up and said to me,
"Now Daeun wants to go."
"Already?"
"Yeah! If Daeun stays too long, mountain spirit'll be too shy to come."
Wha, shy?
What did she think the mountain spirit was? Though I'd admit I hadn't explained it perfectly.
I grinned.
'Cute.'
Imagining the mountain spirit suddenly getting shy, I said,
"Then we can't do that! If the spirit gets shy and doesn't grant Daeun's wish, that'd be bad. Let's hurry on!"
"Yeah! Let's go up!"
And so, we quickly left the spot and resumed walking the forest path.
That's when Daeun asked me first.
"But Dad."
"Yeah?"
"What wish did Daeun make?"
Huh, so I can ask?
I'd been planning not to, in case it hurt her feelings, but since she brought it up, it seemed okay.
I tilted my head and played along.
"Hmm, what could it be? Did you wish for a huge chocolate?"
"Ah!"
What was with that deeply disappointed sigh? It felt like she'd wished for something else and regretted it.
"N-No."
She even stammered, so chocolate must have tempted her.
"Hmm, then what did you wish for?"
At my question, Daeun giggled "Hee!" and answered.
"I wished for Mom to be super super super happy."
"Y-Yeah... Mom..."
"Yeah! When Mom smiles, Daeun feels super happy too!"
How could she be this lovable?
If Mom's happy, I'm happy too.
Her sweet, adorable answer made me want to tease her.
"Then what about Dad?"
"D-Dad..."
She hadn't expected that question, huh?
Her pupils shook hard.
"What? You didn't wish for Dad to be happy?"
"D-Dad! Daeun... Daeun's right here!"
Whoa, I almost burst out laughing.
I had to pretend to be upset or hurt, but a laugh slipped out before I could stop it.
In the end...
Pfft!
I burst out laughing.
"Right, with Daeun here, Dad's already super happy."
"R-Really?"
She let out a relieved sigh.
'This is why I tease her.'
Some might say teasing a kid isn't mature, but that's because they haven't seen this.
Anyone seeing Daeun's cuteness would want to tease her.
The way she panicked and tried to cover...
"Ah, I remembered."
Right then, a forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced.
"What, Dad?"
"Oh, I remembered what Saryeoni means."
The name of this forest path we were strolling.
I'd been wondering about all the stone cairns at the entrance, and now it clicked.
Why the forest was called Saryeoni.
"What does it mean?"
Hyorin had said the name was weird, just like Daeun.
We'd naturally looked it up, and learned what Saryeoni meant.
"Yeah, Saryeoni means..."
There are various theories about the name Saryeoni, but they all share one meaning.
It's a name that means something extremely precious, rare, and sacred.
Explaining it straight would be too much for young Daeun to grasp.
So I explained it as simply as possible for her.
"It means a super super mysterious place."
At "mysterious place," Daeun's eyes went wide.
"Because it grants wishes!"
Uh, saying it out loud made it sound like...
"Then it'll grant Daeun's wish, right!"
I'd just meant to explain the meaning.
But somehow it turned into me affirming her wish would come true.
How to fix this? I was thinking when...
"Mom'll be happy, so Daeun too!"
'I'll explain later.'
Much later.
When Daeun's a bit older.
This moment today...
"Then our whole family is happy!"
"Yeah! Right! Our whole family happy!"
I'll treasure as a beautiful memory.