The Reaper
Bzzzzzz.
Chirrrrrp.
"They're making a racket everywhere."
Walking with Bo-ri and the other cats in the playground, Seung-wan frowned at the noise echoing around them.
The dreadful sound, which had vanished after they sprayed pesticide, was once again filling the schoolyard.
Watching Seung-wan, Do-hee, who was also out for a stroll with Ttorang-i, spoke up.
"Autumn is just around the corner. It's the season when bugs run rampant."
"Sigh... I absolutely loathe bugs."
How many women actually liked bugs?
Ever since she had seen hundreds of insect carcasses in the playroom, Seung-wan's dislike had escalated into a full-blown phobia.
"Should we ask Do-jin to spray the pesticide one more time?"
"You should just give up. If we try to turn this place into a bug-free zone, we'll probably end up dying first."
Seung-wan's face fell at Do-hee's response.
In truth, she knew her suggestion was impossible.
There was no way to completely rid such a vast area of insects, especially during their peak season. She had only said it because she detested them so much.
"If you keep listening to it, it might actually become soothing. You know, like white noise or ASMR?"
"If I listened to bug noises for that, I wouldn't feel calm—I'd have a panic attack. Even now, I feel like it's a bit hard to breathe."
"That's just because you're out of shape, Seung-wan. Lately, you barely move at all except when you're editing. Is your weight doing okay?"
"Ugh!"
Seung-wan reeled from the unexpected attack.
She had already been worrying about it, and Do-hee had ruthlessly poked at her sore spot.
And with the most innocent face, no less!
Is this what they call pure madness?
The shock was twice as potent when delivered with those clear, sparkling eyes.
"I couldn't help it. The mushroom rice is just too delicious."
Seung-wan patted her stomach.
Do-hee nodded in agreement.
"I'll grant you that. I never knew shiitake mushroom rice could taste so amazing."
Ever since Do-jin brought back mushrooms from the mountain, their dining table had been overflowing with mushroom dishes every single day.
At first, they had been dismayed by the sheer volume of mushrooms, but now they were more captivated by their charm than anyone else.
Their absolute favorite among them was the shiitake mushroom rice.
Cooked with thickly sliced shiitake mushrooms, the rice itself was infused with a rich, savory aroma, turning out perfectly moist and fragrant.
When mixed with the special seasoned soy sauce, they could easily empty a bowl without needing any other side dishes.
Gulp.
As if on cue, both of them smacked their lips at the same time.
It was a natural reaction triggered by the mere thought of the mushroom rice.
"Thinking about food is making me hungry. Isn't it about time for lunch?"
"Yeah, it's pretty much lunchtime. We'll probably eat as soon as Oppa gets back."
"Ah, Do-jin said he was going to make a round through the village, right?"
"Yeah. He wanted to share some of the crops and mushrooms we harvested this time."
Even after distributing them to all their acquaintances, they still had a massive surplus of produce.
Seeing this, Do-jin decided it was better to give them to the village elders rather than letting them rot, and was currently delivering them in person.
The villagers were delighted by Do-jin's gifts.
As they grew older, they had rarely farmed in recent years.
The mushrooms, in particular, were highly popular among the elders.
Twitch.
Ttorang-i and Bo-ri, who had been walking peacefully, suddenly twitched their ears.
Then, they began to cry out at the same time.
"Woof!"
"Meow!"
Despite the sudden change, Do-hee and Seung-wan weren't particularly surprised.
All they did was turn their heads to look toward the main gate.
And sure enough.
A familiar vehicle was just pulling into Sekki House.
Do-jin, who had gone to distribute the crops to the village, had returned.
The two women walked over to the parking lot with the animals to greet him.
"You're later than I thought... Did something happen?"
Do-hee, who was running toward Do-jin as he got out of the car, quickly changed her tone.
Do-jin's expression was unusually grim.
"Ah, yes, something did happen. I had to rush the village chief to the hospital."
"To the hospital?"
"Was he badly hurt?"
Do-hee and Seung-wan asked in surprise at Do-jin's words.
Since the schoolyard had been opened to the public, they had also grown close to the village chief, so they couldn't help but worry.
Seeing their concern, Do-jin reassured them.
"He's doing better now. But the doctor said it would have been dangerous if we had been even a little later."
"What happened? Did he have a pre-existing condition?"
Sigh...
Do-jin let out a sigh at Do-hee's question and answered.
"He was stung by a hornet."
"Oh my gosh!"
"Oh no!"
Both Do-hee and Seung-wan gasped and covered their mouths in shock.
Getting stung by bees was a common occurrence in the countryside.
But if it was a hornet, that was a completely different story.
Depending on the person, hornet venom could trigger anaphylactic shock and lead to death.
Hornets during their breeding season, like right now, were particularly aggressive and dangerous, requiring extra caution.
Hearing that the village chief had been stung by one made them deeply concerned.
"You don't have to worry too much. Fortunately, he was stung right when I was there. We got him to the emergency room quickly, and they said the first aid was done well, so there shouldn't be any lasting effects."
"Whew..."
The two women finally let out sighs of relief at Do-jin's words.
Just then, a strange sound caught Do-jin's attention.
Bzzzzzzzz.
Hearing a low hum that sounded almost like a drone, Do-jin quickly turned his head.
After scanning the surroundings carefully, Do-jin's face contorted.
"Sigh, they're here too."
Following Do-jin's tense gaze, the two women spotted a few insects flying nearby.
At a glance, they almost looked like small birds rather than insects.
Even from a distance, they were large enough to be clearly visible, their stripes sharply defined.
But the two women knew exactly what they were.
They knew it so well that they immediately looked around for weapons.
"Damn it! Why are they showing up here?!"
"If I had known, I would have brought the electric flyswatter."
Since they had only come out for a walk, they had nothing on hand that could be used as a weapon.
As if sensing the humans' defenseless state, three hornets slowly drifted toward Do-jin and the others.
Gulp.
Seung-wan and Do-hee swallowed hard.
Unlike honeybees, hornets had nasty temperaments and would attack anything that moved, making the situation incredibly tense.
That was when Do-jin stepped forward.
In his hand, he held a badminton racket he had retrieved from somewhere.
"I don't know if I can swat them with this."
"Shouldn't it be possible? But Oppa, don't you have another one?" Do-hee asked, remembering that badminton rackets usually came in pairs.
However, Do-jin's reply was disappointing.
"The other one broke last time, remember?"
"Ah..."
Do-jin's words brought back a memory from a few days ago.
She had begged him to play badminton in the evening, saying it was her dream to play with her boyfriend.
However, the game hadn't lasted very long.
Do-hee had swung and hit the ground instead of the shuttlecock, snapping the neck of the racket.
The racket Do-jin was holding was the sole survivor of that incident.
"You two go inside. I'll distract them until you're safe."
"Huh? By yourself, Oppa?"
"Will you be okay?"
Do-jin chuckled at their worried expressions.
From the way they sounded, one would think he was facing a wild beast.
"They're just a few hornets. Besides, neither of you has a weapon anyway."
"...Alright. Swat them away and come inside quickly."
"Whew, I'm definitely carrying an electric flyswatter with me from now on."
With those words, the two women turned to head back to the main building.
Or rather, they tried to.
That was, if the hornets hadn't charged first.
Bzzzzzz.
As if their hovering had been a mere feint, the hornets suddenly darted toward them at high speed.
Do-jin was momentarily startled, but he quickly swung the badminton racket in his hand.
"Take this!"
Smack!
The lead hornet was struck by the racket and sent flying backward.
But there wasn't just one hornet.
The remaining two bypassed Do-jin, flying straight toward Seung-wan and Do-hee.
Just as one of the hornets was about to reach Seung-wan...
Bo-ri, who had been staring intently at the hornets from the moment they appeared, sprang into action.
"Meow!"
Leaping into the air, Bo-ri snapped her jaws open.
And—
Crunch!
"A-Ah! Bo-ri! That's dirty! Dirty! Don't eat that!"
Seung-wan, who had been terrified by the approaching hornet, gasped in horror when Bo-ri chewed it up. She frantically tried to pry the cat's mouth open.
She wanted to make sure Bo-ri didn't swallow it.
Just then, Do-hee shrieked from beside her.
"Ah!"
"Do-hee!"
Do-jin spun around at Do-hee's scream, his heart dropping.
His girlfriend was crouching on the ground, clutching her left arm.
"Oh no!"
Realizing instinctively that she had been stung, Do-jin rushed over and pulled up her sleeve.
Do-hee's arm was already swelling red, with a distinct sting mark visible right in the center of the swelling.
"It's going to hurt, but bear with me for a second."
After checking the sting, Do-jin raised Do-hee's arm.
It was one of the first-aid measures the doctor had performed when he brought the village chief to the hospital.
"Ugh..."
"Hang in there. I'll bring the car around, and we'll head straight to the hospital."
With that, Do-jin sprinted toward his car.
Fortunately, the vehicle wasn't parked far away.
"Woof!"
At that moment, Ttorang-i suddenly snapped her jaws.
Just like Bo-ri, she had chewed up the remaining hornet.
The only difference was that she spat it out immediately after crunching it.
"Seung-wan, please take the animals inside. I'm going to take Do-hee to the hospital."
"What? Ah, yes! Please take care of her. Oh dear..."
After helping Do-hee into the passenger seat, Do-jin climbed into the driver's seat.
Having only just returned from the hospital, Do-jin's car was once again speeding back, carrying another sting victim.
"Sigh, do I need to spray pesticide again?"
Lying in the night-duty room, Do-jin voiced the thoughts swirling in his head.
Fortunately, Do-hee was in good condition.
She was young, and because the first aid had been administered so quickly, there were no lasting side effects.
However, seeing first a village elder and then his girlfriend get stung by hornets right before his eyes left Do-jin's mind in a tangle.
"I'd have to use strong chemicals to get rid of hornets..."
Considering the security team who frequently exercised in the schoolyard and the animals that enjoyed their walks, it was best to avoid harsh chemicals.
Yet, leaving things as they were posed an even greater danger.
They had gotten off easy this time, but there was no guarantee they would be as lucky next time.
Furthermore, there was another reason he had to deal with the hornets.
"Ttorang-i and Bo-ri might be fine, but it's too dangerous for Samsaek-i and the kittens."
The dog and cat could at least bite and chew them like they had just done.
But to the young kittens, a hornet's stinger was nothing short of a lethal weapon.
"If only Hwindung-i were here, it would be much better. Why hasn't he been around lately?"
When Hwindung-i was around, hornets didn't dare approach Do-jin and his companions.
The goshawk would snatch and eat them the moment they showed their faces.
But Hwindung-i had been absent lately.
It was common for him to disappear for two or three days to hunt or clear his head, so Do-jin wasn't worried, but his absence at this particular moment was highly regrettable.
Perhaps the bird had sensed Do-jin's thoughts?
The very next day, Hwindung-i returned to Sekki House.
Spotting Hwindung-i's striking white plumage from afar, Do-jin quickly headed toward the goshawk's dedicated perch.
The bird always rested there whenever he returned.
"Hwindung-i, you rascal! Where have you been... wait, what is...?"
Do-jin's voice trailed off.
He had spotted an unfamiliar bird sitting next to Hwindung-i.
"Who... are you?"
With its sharp beak and talons, anyone could tell it was a bird of prey rather than an ordinary bird.
But that was all Do-jin could deduce; he had no idea what species it actually was.
Actually, there was one thing he could tell.
Kee... keee...
The bird, whose neck was pinned down by Hwindung-i's foot, let out a pitiful cry toward Do-jin.
Having seen Hwindung-i eat sparrows before, Do-jin wondered if this large bird was meant to be the goshawk's next meal.
However, what happened next revealed exactly why Hwindung-i had brought the creature here.
Bzzzzzzzz.
Screeech!
The now-familiar drone-like sound echoed.
Hearing the buzzing of a hornet, Hwindung-i released his grip on the other bird's neck.
The newly freed bird cast a wary glance at Hwindung-i before spreading its wings wide.
Kee-yaaa!
Letting out a sharp cry, it took flight and snapped the hornet right out of the air, devouring it.
The hornets, which had been flying in a trio just like yesterday, immediately launched a counterattack when their companion was caught.
Kee-yaaa!
But the bird paid them no mind. It swallowed the first hornet, snatched another one that was attacking it, and ate that one too.
Having devoured the final hornet in an instant, the bird spread its wings and flew toward Do-jin's mountain.
That was where the hornets had been coming from.
Watching this unfold, Do-jin finally realized the bird's identity.
"Hwindung-i, don't tell me... did you go fetch him? To catch the hornets?"
Kee-yak!
As if understanding Do-jin's words, Hwindung-i spread his wings triumphantly.
That day, a grim reaper descended upon the hornets plaguing Sekki House.
A reaper known as the Honey Buzzard.