The Beast
Six o'clock in the evening.
At the mouth of the alley that led home, Iseor came face to face with a sight she had not expected.
"There you are."
It was Mother.
She had come all the way out to the front gate to meet her. An elegant woman standing perfectly upright before the glass door — it might have been a painting. The setting, however, was far too shabby. A glass front door still carrying a crack from some drunk who had stumbled into it not long ago only deepened the drop. Figure and place refused to belong to each other; a strange, lingering dissonance hung over the whole scene.
"Were you waiting for me?"
"Of course."
At Iseor's cautious question, Mother's lips curved into a gentle arc.
Because we're outside.
It was a smile of boundless tenderness, so thick with maternal warmth that the heart fluttered of its own accord. Even knowing it had been fashioned with other people's eyes in mind, it still did that.
"Ah — you must be her mother."
Dongcheol, who had followed her in, scratched the back of his neck and dipped his massive head. He had insisted on tagging along to the end, saying he simply couldn't feel right sending a child home alone.
"And this gentleman is...?"
The corners of Mother's eyes went sharp. Iseor's heart dropped through the floor. If this person — no, this being — had her temper spoiled, there was no telling what kind of atrocity might follow.
"Ah, this is who I am."
Fortunately, that chill subsided just as quickly. Dongcheol had drawn his police identification from his jacket and held it out. Mother's eyes curved softly again, as though the edge had never been there at all.
"So you've been keeping our Iseor safe. You have my sincere thanks."
"Oh, not at all. Just doing my job."
With her hands folded demurely at her chest, Mother bowed at the waist — a posture so flawless it was the very picture of a virtuous wife. A textbook specimen of a proper, modest lady.
So this is the wife.
Dongcheol, however, did not fall for the surface. If anything, every nerve in his body drew taut. He had caught something coming off the woman — an otherness he could not easily put into words. On the face of it, she wore the mask of a kind mother. And yet from that body, some kind of presence was leaking out, something beyond any measure he knew. The sort of thing you would never catch unless you were unusually sensitive.
Clench—
This is dangerous.
At some point, Dongcheol realized both his fists were locked tight. A defense mechanism. The instinct of prey — the feeling that rises when you stumble upon a beast crouched beyond the undergrowth. Having never actually faced a predator in the wild, he could only register it as an "uncanny presence."
Whether she knew what was moving inside him or not, the woman leaned slightly toward her child.
"From now on, you are not to go out alone in the late evening. And if you do go out, you will be back before seven."
"Why?"
"There have been a great many ugly stories going around lately, have there not?"
"...Okay."
It was a conversation so natural that no one listening would have found a single thing to doubt. Iseor nodded and reached out her hand. Mother took the small hand in hers just as naturally, then turned her gaze back to Dongcheol.
"Inspector. I would love to offer you something to drink — won't you come in for a moment?"
The hulking detective gave a light shake of his head.
"That's very kind of you, but I'm fine. Still on duty."
"I see. Well, if the chance arises, I would be delighted to treat you to a meal."
"Ah — Miss Iseor and I already exchanged numbers. If you happen to witness anything suspicious in the area, please contact her right away. I'll be there as fast as I can."
"Oh my, is that so?"
Mother glanced at Iseor, and the girl gave a small nod of confirmation. Only then did the woman curve her eyes prettily and offer Dongcheol a final farewell.
"Thank you so much for looking after our child today. Take care on your way."
"Yes. I hope you both have a pleasant evening."
Dongcheol bowed his head deeply as well. He did not even realize he had bent lower than he had the first time. He turned around.
Thud. Thud.
And then, just as he was about to leave the alley—
Wait.
Dongcheol stopped walking. A realization flickered through his mind.
Did I tell her my rank earlier?
He had shown his police ID, but only the front. The rank was printed on the back. And yet that woman had called him Inspector without a moment's hesitation.
Dongcheol looked back at the studio. Iseor and her mother were already gone. Beyond the cracked glass door, all he could see was the indoor light going out.
...I'm going to need to look into that woman more carefully.
The detective furrowed his brow and started walking again.
But he never knew.
Squelch.
Above the CCTV camera at the studio's entrance, something was blinking its eyelids, watching his receding back.
"Quite an exceptional human. He seems to have noticed my presence."
The words spilled out the instant the door closed, and Iseor tensed for a moment.
"Mother, you aren't going to—"
"Don't worry, Chae Iseor."
Mother spoke as she slipped off her coat and hung it up.
"Human society is rather tightly woven. And swallowing an entire organization takes effort. He will be safe for a while."
"..."
It was not a reassuring answer. It meant that police officer might well have died today. Still, she could at least be certain that the meddlesome detective was safe for now. The only reason Mother was this unhurried was because she was certain that no matter how much he investigated, he would find nothing.
Iseor changed the subject — to what Mother had said to her earlier.
"Lately... something's been happening around here. Did you know about that?"
Mother tilted her head.
"Yes. The rats have been scurrying about."
"Ah."
The moment she heard that offhand reply, Iseor let out a silent sigh of relief. Mother was a being of extremely high pride. If she herself had been hunting humans under cover of night, she would never have used the word "rats" for the culprit — herself. Even if Hayan's gang had been the true perpetrators of the disappearances, the situation would have been similar. Now that those children were Mother's familiars, the odds of her denigrating her own limbs so harshly were slim. That would have been no different from diminishing the standing of their master — Iseor herself.
Of course, this was nothing more than a subjective inference with no evidence to back it. But the guess was unlikely to be far off. Not when Mother was wordlessly stroking her hair.
Rustle.
"Eat. Wash your hands first."
"Yes."
After a quick wash, mealtime followed. The food was excellent, as always. To be honest, a little more so than usual.
Sorry, cafeteria ladies.
Iseor offered a silent, heartfelt apology to the women who ran the school lunch line. Because she had just thought that Mother's braised short ribs and side dishes could not even be compared to what they served. Tender chunks of meat, already slipping from the bone, kept disappearing into her mouth. Sweet and savory juices soaked her tongue. It was almost sad that she could not happily savor this fantastical flavor, given the circumstances.
"Those 'rats'... what exactly did you mean?"
Mother chewed and swallowed what was in her mouth before she spoke.
"To your ignorant eyes, they would look not so different from me."
Iseor lifted her water glass and wet her throat. Her mouth had gone suddenly dry. She pressed on for an answer.
"Are there... many things like that in this world?"
"Many."
A short, firm reply. Then Mother fell silent for a moment. The girl waited without rushing her.
"Humans call us yokai, monsters, sometimes fairies. But those are nothing more than names slapped on by the ignorant."
"The ignorant..."
"Yes. Conversely, the arrogant ones who think they understand our world even a little call us Entities, or Anomalies."
Iseor swallowed. The terms were all too familiar. Commonplace on the Earth of her previous life, yet somehow she had never once encountered these web-novel proper nouns since being reborn.
This world... could it be...
Just as Iseor was drawing a little closer to the truth, Mother picked up her chopsticks again and cut the thought short.
"I cannot tell you much. When the time comes, you will come to know naturally. For now, just remember one thing."
"What is it?"
"Lee Hayan and her pack's transformation is not yet complete. There are still deficiencies."
"What?"
Iseor's eyes went wide. She could not understand why Hayan's name had suddenly come up. Paying no mind to the girl's confusion, Mother continued.
"Those immature things have no master yet."
"Weren't you their master, Mother?"
"No. I am merely the creator who fashioned them, and the one who reigns at the top of the food chain."
"Ah..."
Hayan and the children, reduced to monsters. The reason they followed Mother was because she was the origin that had made them, and an overwhelmingly superior predator. Which also explained why those children were so affectionate and obedient toward Iseor. Because a part of Mother now resided within her.
"Is my guess correct?"
"Precisely. Along with the genes of that frail female who gave birth to you, a part of me has seeped into your body as well."
Having affirmed the girl's clever deduction, Mother reached out and pointed at Iseor's chest.
"Before long, those things will demand something of you. If you grant that desire, you will at last become their master."
"Do I have to accept that demand?"
"If you do not want to, you may refuse. But remember this one thing."
Mother's voice sank.
"Just because they obey your words does not mean a leash has truly been fastened around their necks."
Iseor stared up at Mother, dazed. In the center of those black irises, a blood-red pupil rose and locked onto her gaze.
That viscous voice was ringing out from inside the girl's own skull.
Step. Step.
Eight o'clock in the evening. The hour when a deep blue dusk was swallowing the sky, chasing after a sun that bled out in red. A woman was walking quickly through a deserted back alley in the southern residential streets of Hanseong-gu.
Ugh, I'm so late today.
Song Jihyeon, twenty-six. An ordinary office worker who had only just gotten off, crushed under overtime. She just wanted to get inside, wash up, and lie down. She wanted to crack open the beer she had stocked in the fridge and watch her usual streamer's broadcast. Tomorrow was her day off, so she could stay up as late as she wanted.
Bzzz.
A short vibration buzzed from her pocket. Her phone. She pulled it out and saw the words on the screen.
It was her older sister. Jihyeon glanced at the screen for a moment, then hit decline. Her sister was always on her case. It would be about calling Mom more often. She couldn't deal with that today.
I'll call her tomorrow.
Thinking that, Jihyeon picked up her pace.
But then—
...Why is it so dark?
Her feet faltered. This alley she always walked through looked strangely unfamiliar — because it was so much darker than usual. Night had not fallen yet. A thin red sunset still lingered at the western edge, and the streetlights that had come on early were working just fine. And yet none of that light was reaching the ground. As if something were blocking it.
Sh, shhhh...
From somewhere, a sound like dry leaves being rubbed together all at once. Goosebumps rose on the back of her neck.
What is that.
Her instincts screamed. Turn around and run. Right now. But her legs would not listen.
At her feet. Something that had already risen to her ankles was wrapping around her shoes. A lukewarm, damp sensation — countless things writhing all at once.
"H-hhk—"
The moment she opened her mouth to scream, a fishy, greasy smell surged in.
Shhhhhhh—
The bone-chilling sound filled every direction in an instant. In her final moment, the things that crossed Jihyeon's mind were trivial, mundane things. The movie she was supposed to see with a friend next week. The drama she had not even finished half of. The beer in the fridge that she would never get to drink.
And.
Unnie...
Her older sister, whose face she had not seen once since walking out after a fight. But looking back, every word of it had been out of worry for her.
...I'm sorry. Unnie.
The face she had never reconciled with flickered before her eyes.
The shadow ate her head.
The sensation of countless legs groping across her skin.
I don't want this. Not like this— I don't—
Injustice. Rage. Terror. Every emotion tangled together and died without even becoming a scream. Her whole body, as if being torn into thousands of strands——
Shhhh—
Then silence returned.
Nothing remained in that place. Only a deep pool of shade, gathered like a puddle, then scattered away.