Chapter 110
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Hiking with Chairwoman Choi
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The first time I met Chairwoman Choi Gwijae, she had been bedridden and barely able to move, and ever since, I'd only seen her through the lens of doctor and patient.
So I'd been worried about her in all sorts of ways, but when we actually climbed the mountain together, she handled it far better than I'd imagined.
"Isn't this a bit too fast?"
She was even concerned about my pace.
"This feels just right to me!"
She clearly had excellent cardiopulmonary endurance, thanks no doubt to her long years of running.
She said it had been ages since her last hike, but she quickly got her mountain legs and even had the spare breath to chat.
"...Yeah, that's how it was back then. Everyone thought I was crazy for trying to sell cars in a country without proper roads. But that's exactly what made it an opportunity! By the time everyone jumps on the bandwagon, it's already too late. You have to move one step—no, three steps—ahead and prepare in advance."
Like many elders, Chairwoman Choi Gwijae launched into tales of the old days.
"I'll keep that in mind and think about fields where that might apply. I do run a little business of my own, after all."
"That's the spirit. When you're young, you need to dream big and sketch out your visions. Kids these days... no ambition, no grit!"
She'd occasionally drop some cranky old-folks complaints, but they didn't surprise me.
At least she was someone who'd lived the life she preached, which commanded respect.
"Director, you're hardly breaking a sweat. Aren't you tired?"
"I come to this mountain pretty often."
"Whew, I thought I was in pretty good shape myself."
"Have you always enjoyed exercise?"
"Yes. It even saved me once when I got stranded in Russia..."
Her stories were so captivating that time flew by before we knew it.
We'd only paused once the whole way up, right?
It wasn't a particularly tall peak, so we reached the summit in just two hours.
Gurgle...
A rumble came from Chairwoman Choi Gwijae's stomach.
We'd met after breakfast, but after a hike like that, it was plenty of time for her meal to digest.
Plus, the savory aromas wafting from the groups picnicking on mats around the summit were teasing everyone's noses.
"Ahem!"
The chairwoman turned her head, embarrassed.
Even chaebol grannies couldn't resist the smell of cup ramen, huh.
"Chairwoman, if you're okay with it, how about some ramen?"
"Oh, is there a convenience store around here?"
She glanced around at my suggestion, but no such luck.
The only vendor in sight was hawking ice-cold water.
"Just in case, I came prepared."
I'd packed my bag with emergency supplies and medical tools.
She'd mentioned a touch of diabetes, so candy for low blood sugar was a must.
On the way to buy that, I'd grabbed cup ramen and filled a thermos with hot water.
"Oh my!"
Her face lit up when I pulled out the ramen cup.
"Not sure if you'll like this flavor, though."
"Anything tastes amazing at a mountain summit."
We spread out a mat and dug in.
"You were talking about preparedness earlier, and Director... ahh, if only my granddaughter were like you, I'd have no worries."
"You're too kind."
"I don't know what's wrong with my kids—they hate exercise and never think to grab what they need until I mention it. And yet they wonder why they can't make money."
She grumbled nonstop between bites of ramen.
Once they retired, it seemed merchants and martial artists alike all suffered the same loneliness. Just listening to her tales and preparing ramen had won me this much goodwill.
In the murim world, I'd even inherited fortunes from folks like this...
I'd have to warn Park Seonyoon to steer clear of any weird flags.
"Next time, with Director Park..."
We finished our snack, cleaned up the trash, and were about to head down when—
"Kyaaaaah!"
A terrified scream pierced the air from behind us.
"Wha—?"
Chairwoman Choi Gwijae startled and stumbled, so I quickly steadied her.
After making it up here unscathed, tripping over a scream would be a disaster!
"I'll just check what happened real quick."
I moved to assess the situation.
No unusual presences, so maybe someone got hurt?
Sudden collapse? A body discovered? Or someone brandishing a knife... My mind raced through scenarios.
"It's a snake!"
But the shouts hit before I even saw it.
"Kyaaaak!"
"Eek, honey, what do we do?!"
"Sh-should we call the cops?"
"Where? Eeeek!"
"Hey now, snakes happen in mountains! Get outta the way!"
Luckily, someone else handled the snake without me stepping in.
Unlike the panicked young folks, an old man jumped up and splashed it with bottled water.
Hiss—!
The snake retreated into the brush to avoid the water.
"A real snake?"
Even Chairwoman Choi Gwijae, who'd shrunk back, asked me—turns out snakes scared her too.
"Yeah, looks like a rat snake. Good thing someone chased it off."
"Phew, what a relief. Snakes still show up on mountains these days, huh."
She shuddered and hugged her arms tight.
I pulled her into a reassuring shoulder hug and patted her back.
"Whew... thanks. I got a real scare there."
The other hikers settled down soon enough.
"Man, that was nuts. Thought it was gonna bite."
"Why'd you drag us hiking anyway?"
"I come here all the time, and I've never seen a snake before."
Everyone had bolted in panic, but no one tripped or got hurt.
"Let's head down quick."
The chairwoman urged me on.
She hadn't even seen it herself, but she was visibly rattled.
I hurriedly cleared the last of the trash and helped her along.
A chaebol grandma's weakness being snakes? Unexpected.
"Sorry. Shouldn't have suggested this place. You must've been shocked."
"No, no. These things happen. Just bad luck. Still... next time, let's run instead. Along the beach—that sounds perfect."
She descended three times faster than the ascent.
She knew the terrain as well as I did, stepping surely and practically bounding down.
We cleared the trail in 40 minutes, and the parking lot came into view when—
Hm?
I sensed a powerful aura hurtling toward me at tremendous speed.
I wasn't planning any meditation today, and with weekend crowds, I'd kept my senses minimally open.
But an aura this strong was impossible to miss.
Whoosh!
I stepped in front of Chairwoman Choi Gwijae.
I reached for my three-inch needles—
Squeak!
What flew at me was... a furry ball? No, a mammal?
"Eek! ...Not a snake. A flying squirrel...?"
They say a heart startled by a gourd startles at a pot lid.
Chairwoman Choi Gwijae, still jumpy, relaxed at the sight of the flying squirrel.
Sque... squeak...
Do flying squirrels normally make such weird noises?
The sound was bizarre, but it was adorable to look at.
Unlike a snake's instinctive terror, those perky ears melted your heart on sight. Its beady, sparkling eyes were like jewels, its bushy tail like cotton candy—and watching it tremble and wag that tail stirred protective instincts.
"This mountain's full of wildlife, huh. Do flying squirrels really glom onto people like this?"
"Beats me."
"Hm, I didn't grow up in the mountains myself."
Neither of us knew much about flying squirrel habits, so we just tilted our heads.
I'd seen them occasionally in the murim world, but never ones clinging to people like this.
And since coming to Korea, only once in Gyeongju.
That one had disrupted my meditation, then led me to the thousand-year-old reishi like a guide... Huh?
This little guy, could it be?
That Gyeongju squirrel had kept its distance from me.
The appearance, the aura... memories fuzzy.
But piecing together the vague image...
Yeah, it matches that flying squirrel.
Had to be the same one... creature.
I hadn't paid much attention to its aura then, but it felt similar.
No way a flying squirrel develops this strong an aura naturally. The hypothesis that it'd grown by eating that reishi and absorbing spiritual energy made the most sense.
"It really likes you, Director. And it's not even a dog or cat."
She eyed the parking lot curiously, but the squirrel's cuteness couldn't override the snake trauma—or maybe just plain fatigue and a desire to get home.
"You must be tired—go ahead. I'll return this one and catch up."
I carried the flying squirrel as I escorted her to the parking lot.
"Thanks for today. Let's do it again sometime."
"Yes, Chairwoman. It was a blast."
Once she was safely in her car, I headed back up the mountain.
This time, not the trail, but the rugged path I used for meditation.
Squeak! Squeak!
It seemed desperate to tell me something, but sadly, I lacked any cross-species communication skills.
All I could tell was that the flying squirrel was terrified.
"...What to do. I can't take you home."
Squeak...!
"Back to nature with you!"
I tried persuading it earnestly, but now it was rubbing its tail against my leg.
Should I feed it? Nah, that'd only make it cling harder.
...No choice.
I steeled myself.
Whatever fate had brought it, my place banned pets. Raising one at the clinic would be unhygienic too! No way I could take it home.
Poof!
I concealed my presence completely and shook it off.
Squeak?
Vanishing from its sight left it utterly bewildered.
Last time in Gyeongju (assuming it was the same), it'd fled at a speed that almost lost me, but no way it could track my fully suppressed aura.
The flying squirrel circled frantically, lost.
Squeeeeak!
...Crying?
Starting to feel a little guilty...
I watched from hiding as it flailed about.
I could just leave, but its weird behavior nagged at me.
Staying concealed, I followed it.
It bolted in one direction like searching for me, then circled a tree.
Like a human in full panic mode.
About 10 minutes later...
Not long into my stakeout, I figured out why it was acting strange.
Whoosh!
An aura far stronger than the squirrel's—nearing the peak of mastery—washed over me.
"...?!"
Slither...
"..."
The source was a snake.
Slither!
Definitely that rat snake from earlier.
Unlike before, when it felt like any ordinary animal, this one pursued with clear intent.
Squeeeak!
The flying squirrel scampered up a tree, but the snake coiled up after it with insane speed.
An ordinary snake wouldn't hunt a flying squirrel.
This wasn't ordinary.
Neither was the squirrel.
Whoosh!
The squirrel leaped to a neighboring tree.
Hiss!
The snake unleashed inner energy and... transformed.
No other word for it.
Well, what do you call a plain rat snake suddenly hooding up like a cobra?
Good thing Chairwoman Choi Gwijae hadn't seen this.
I'd been through every battlefield imaginable—even witnessed people enter trance from sheer awe—but spirit beasts? First time.
Yeah, that was a spirit beast.
Why one was lurking in a city suburb's mountain, I had no clue—felt like a dream.
But definitely a spirit beast.
Even with zero zoology knowledge, no normal flying squirrel hurls leaves to block a snake's path like that.
Squeak?!
Our eyes met for a split second.
Presence hidden, but I wasn't invisible.
It had spotted me.
Squeak! Squeeeak!
This time, the message came through loud and clear.
Save me—it was begging.
"What a mess."
I'd stopped plenty of human threats, but never meddled in animal predator-prey stuff.
Hard to call this natural, though.
Even if it was a spirit beast defending territory, the snake's behavior was... off.
"After the flying squirrel's inner core?"
No better guess came to mind.
I flung a three-inch needle.