Bound by a Promise
'...Gold?'
Noel stared at Sansin in disbelief.
How on earth did he get this?
'It's not a fake, is it?'
It was practically the size of his palm.
'Should I bite it?'
"Is this... is this really what I think it is?"
"It is gold."
Once Sansin gave his confirmation, Noel's eyes sparkled with a pure, crystal-clear light.
"Whether you sell it or do whatever you want with it, that is entirely up to you."
"Sansin-nim. May I come visit you often?"
As even Noel's voice softened to a gentle tone, Sansin burst into a hearty laugh once more.
One could say his intentions were incredibly transparent at times like this.
"Is it so difficult a task that it warrants giving him gold?"
Asin spoke up.
"Of course not. I merely handed him something he likes. I had a feeling he wouldn't budge otherwise."
Sansin lit his long pipe.
Puff.
A pure, refreshing fragrance drifted through the air along with the smoke.
"Noel is not that materialistic. He simply dislikes not receiving due compensation for his actions."
Asin corrected his misconception.
Her memories were filled with things he had done that he never would have if he truly cared only about money.
"Well, a mutually beneficial arrangement is always good, is it not? In the old days, people would have considered it an honor just to grant my request, but those times are long gone."
"That is true. Time has always changed many things."
Asin agreed with Sansin's words.
"So, I just need to find the retainer of someone you know?"
Noel slowly regained his composure.
It was a mission to find someone.
He had clearly said he knew where they were, so why did Noel have to go?
"Neither I nor that child can move outside our established domains. It is a very simple reason, so you do not need to overthink it."
"Well, in that case, there's no reason I can't do it. It's not super far away, is it?"
"It should be a quick taxi ride. Probably."
The last part sounded a bit suspicious, but Sansin's expression didn't waver in the slightest.
Noel braced his mind.
The being before him was a sly old serpent who had lived for thousands of years.
"But can you really not leave the mountain at all, Sansin-nim?"
"Oh, I can leave. If the countless entities targeting this mountain all decide to go on vacation at the same time, that is."
Sansin elegantly beat around the bush to say it was impossible.
"Who are these entities targeting the mountain?"
"Evil spirits, most notably. Absorbing the mountain's spiritual energy allows them to grow at a spectacular rate."
As he spoke, Sansin looked at Tam-rang once more.
Tam-rang stared back at him with a look of slight discomfort.
"Must taste delicious, then."
Noel's blunt, casual interjection made Sansin burst into laughter.
Others were always busy oiling their lips with obsequious flattery, but this was the first human to state the facts so plainly.
"I suppose so. Ah, by the way, did you meet Yeomra?"
Sansin lightly tapped his pipe. The moment the ashes seeped into the ground, they transformed into flowers.
"...How do you know?"
Noel flinched.
"From the moment you stepped onto this mountain, you carried the scent of the Underworld. It is the polar opposite of my nature."
Sansin made a show of looking disgusted.
A mountain was a place that nurtured countless lives.
And the Underworld was the exact opposite.
"I wonder what business that fellow had to take an interest in you?"
Disgust aside, Sansin looked at him with genuine curiosity.
"Huh...? You don't know?"
Noel was the one who was puzzled now.
Wasn't all of this because of the power Sansin had given him?
He must have given him the power because he saw that scene.
"My child, it would be troublesome if you thought I could see everything."
"But didn't you give me the power knowing everything?"
"It was merely a single scene."
"What did you see?"
Asin asked.
She had been curious about this.
"It is nothing so grand as to warrant such anticipation. Come, don't just stand there, sit down. My legs are aching."
Sansin plopped down onto the ground.
He looked incredibly comfortable.
Noel sat down as well.
Turning his head slightly, he saw Kkamang-i playing with Horong-i.
'And here she was saying she hated him just a moment ago. They're playing so well together.'
Was she just shameless, or had she been pretending to be shy?
"I saw a scene of you grasping some sort of sphere."
Sansin spoke as he placed the pipe back in his mouth.
'He saw it clearly.'
Noel waited for Sansin's next words.
"The moment you grasped the sphere, you screamed. And then, something came looking for you."
"Something? Please, speak more specifically."
Asin urged Sansin.
This was an incredibly important matter.
"That is the part I do not know. It was as if it were invisible. At any rate, it was clear that it was nothing good for the child. I had to intervene to prevent such an event from occurring."
'...So, if I had touched that sphere, whoever made it would have come looking for me?'
Noel imagined the scenario where Sansin hadn't intervened.
'Why would I scream?'
The only times he had ever screamed like that were when his body was pierced by sharp blades.
'Does that mean it could attack me?'
He made the assumption for now, but didn't jump to conclusions.
After all, as Sansin said, it was merely a single scene.
"Trivial, is it not? Yet, a single trivial moment can twist one's destiny. I did not wish to see you roll down a thorny path, so I intervened."
"Does intervening like that bring any bad consequences to you, Sansin-nim?"
"The bond between you and me simply deepens. Is there any way to know whether that is a good thing or a bad thing?"
Sansin shrugged.
Fated connections took many forms. Whether they turned out to be a blessing or a curse depended entirely on the parties involved.
"Then, I'll say thank you for now."
Noel bowed his head slightly and raised it.
"Yes, let us leave it at 'for now.' I, too, do not know what the future holds. Regardless, it is strange that King Yeomra has attached himself to you because of that incident."
"A single shaman used that strange power to suppress another deity."
"...Ah, I see what happened."
Sansin understood the situation upon hearing Asin's explanation.
In short, the boy had blocked the wrath of a god.
It wasn't just the mortal realm that was thrown into chaos by a deity's wrath.
The Underworld was no different.
"Was it about a hundred and fifty years ago? A minor incident of another god's wrath occurred back then, and an even larger one happened long before that, so it is only natural they would be sensitive. At any rate, keep in mind that Yeomra despises both lies and flattery."
"Why do you sound like I'm going to keep meeting him in the future?"
Noel caught on to that detail immediately.
"Could one easily come across a child like you? When one has the chance to see you, they ought to see you as much as possible. I suspect that is what he is thinking. For I feel the same way."
Sansin smiled warmly.
"...That's a bit uncomfortable. It makes me feel like some sort of zoo animal."
"If Yeomra truly bothers you, you may use my name."
"Really?"
"Of course."
As Sansin gave his permission, Asin tilted her head.
'Is there a reason to go that far?'
Allowing someone to use one's name was no simple matter.
If Sansin's name was brought up in whatever trouble Noel caused, it meant Sansin would have to share the responsibility for those actions.
For the Mountain God, who oversaw and watched over so many things, to grant such a privilege to a single individual...
'Why...?'
Asin was still filled with doubt.
"My child."
Sansin called out to Noel affectionately.
"Yes?"
"When you left, a sudden emptiness washed over me. Even though it was a brief encounter. That is why I sent the squirrel. Was it not cute?"
Noel was quite taken aback by the grandfatherly, doting tone.
'What is this...?'
It had only been once last time, and this was only their second meeting.
Yet he was acting as if they had known each other for a lifetime.
Noel rolled his eyes and quickly changed the subject.
This kind of reaction was highly unfamiliar to him.
"Well, that's why I brought a smartphone. You can just contact me whenever you're bored. I'll teach you how to use it."
"I already know how to use it."
"How do you know? No, wait, why?"
"I was curious, so I watched and observed other humans, and that is how I learned."
Sansin smiled as he turned on the phone.
Noel swallowed his disappointment.
'I was hoping to milk this for a bit of profit.'
"Input your number."
Sansin's confident attitude made Noel chuckle.
He felt almost like a member of the younger generation.
Noel giggled as he typed in his phone number.
"Ah. I forgot to mention one thing."
"What is it?"
"The retainer of the child I know has been bound by a spell for several centuries."
"...Several centuries?"
"Yes."
"By this point, shouldn't the spell have naturally broken on its own, regardless of what kind of magic it is?"
Noel asked with a dumbfounded expression.
"I, too, find it strange. But there is no way to know without checking."
"Why didn't you ask other shamans?"
"Those who can see us as clearly as you do are rare. It is difficult to communicate. Back then, there was a strict caste system, making it hard to even ask. In truth, what difference would there have been between asking them and telling them to die?"
"...Ah. It would have been like pushing them to their deaths."
Noel understood immediately.
Those who could see ghosts were usually of low birth in the old days.
If the person Sansin wanted to help was trapped inside the estate of a noble lord, what could they possibly do?
'They would have had to refuse. It would have been an impossible task to begin with.'
While Noel was lost in thought, something was suddenly popped into his mouth.
He chewed it reflexively.
"It is wild ginseng. A very precious specimen. You seem to have trouble sleeping at night, so this should make you feel refreshed."
"...How did you know?"
"I have nothing to boast of but my age, so I must at least be able to perceive such things."
Sansin held out a bundle that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"Give this to your uncle as well. He is someone you cherish, is he not?"
Noel stared blankly at the bundle.
To think he would even look out for his uncle.
"Now, now, you must depart."
"Already?"
"Your journey is a busy one."
Sansin waved his hand, forcing Noel to his feet.
This, too, felt incredibly effortless.
"Do I just ride Horong-i down?"
"Indeed. Ride comfortably."
Fwip.
Sansin whistled, and Horong-i bounded forward.
Kkamang-i was already riding on Horong-i's back.
"...I thought you said you hated Horong-i?"
"I like him now!"
Kkamang-i blinked, loafing comfortably on the tiger's back.
'That little bean.'
Noel shook his head in disbelief and approached Horong-i.
The tiger immediately crouched down, and Noel climbed onto his back.
"Send me a text once it is resolved. I shall text you the approximate location as well."
"I will."
"We shall depart."
Asin nodded slightly.
Sansin waved his hand lightly.
As Tam-rang, who had been crouching in a corner of the mountain, stood up to leave, Sansin pointed his pipe at him, halting him in his tracks.
"You."
At Sansin's sharp voice, Tam-rang's eyes shifted toward him.
"I know not why you wander about carrying the scent of a Calamity Deity, but your face is remarkably familiar."
"What is it you wish to say?"
Tam-rang asked, showing his exhaustion.
That was the typical reaction directed toward a Calamity Deity.
It seemed there were some things that could never be erased, no matter how hard one tried to hide them.
"It seems that child has bound you, but I trust you know your own condition well enough to decide how long you should remain by his side."
Sansin warned him.
That entity was too dangerous to remain near a human.
"I shall handle that myself."
Tam-rang spat out the words and turned away.
Sansin placed the pipe back in his mouth.
'...I am certain I have seen him somewhere before.'
The Mountain God felt a strange, lingering unease regarding that entity.
His familiarity, his gaze—everything about him.
'Why on earth did destiny entangle him with that child?'
What bothered him most was the thread of fate connected to the child.
Though many strands had been severed time and time again, a single thread still clung on with stubborn tenacity.
It was incredibly persistent.
The thread of fate was not just tied to the child, but was connected to his Guardian Deity as well.
How could a bond run so deep?
It was a connection destined to bring them together, no matter how much time passed.
'Should I ask another god?'
Sansin inhaled deeply, the pipe held between his lips.
'...Hmm.'
Noel's eyes darted left and right.
He had harbored doubts even when he saw the location in the text message Sansin sent, but actually arriving here made it even harder to comprehend.
It was the National Art Museum.
"Asin, do you feel anything?"
Noel forced his tilting head upright.
An art museum, of all places.
Sansin's request and this location did not seem to align at all.
Was there something buried beneath the museum?
"I cannot tell yet."
"What about you, Tam-rang?"
"I do not know."
"Kkamang-i, you..."
Before Noel could even finish his question, Kkamang-i shot forward like a bullet.
"...Sigh."
Noel let out a dry chuckle.
"Is she not remarkably spirited?"
He had no idea what Asin saw when she looked at Kkamang-i.
Did she just find absolutely everything the creature did adorable?
"I feel like putting a leash on her."
At the mention of a leash, Tam-rang unconsciously touched his own neck.
"...Cruel bastard."
To think he would put a leash on that tiny thing just like he did to him.
Tam-rang muttered quietly under his breath.
"Huh? What did you say?"
"It is nothing."
Tam-rang turned his head away.
Knowing exactly where Kkamang-i had run off to, Noel took another deep breath and headed toward the museum.
What else could he do?
He had to go in first.
He bought a ticket and stepped inside the museum.
The place was so vast that his feet began to ache from all the walking.
The ratio of people who had come to appreciate the art to ghosts was roughly seven to three.
He wouldn't have minded ghosts who had died relatively peaceful deaths, like from a heart attack or a brain hemorrhage, but whenever he rounded a corner and came face-to-face with a spirit that was crushed or mangled, he couldn't help but flinch.
No matter how many times he had seen such sights, the shock never entirely wore off.
'I have no idea where that little bean is running around.'
He was slightly worried that she might flinch like him upon seeing those gruesome ghosts.
Her location was shifting rapidly.
'She must have been a horse in her past life.'
Otherwise, there was no way she would love running around this much.
Noel glanced at the paintings as he walked, eventually stopping in front of one particular piece.
It was a massive painting, large enough to occupy an entire wall.
Though it seemed to depict a scene of war, the dancing figures, the swords held in their hands, and the pools of blood on the ground formed a striking contrast.
As he stared at it, the spell was abruptly broken by a sound resembling a soft sob coming from nearby.
'Don't they know they're supposed to be quiet indoors?'
Noel was about to glare at whoever was being so rude, but his brow furrowed instead.
There was only a single man standing there.
He was holding a small picture frame in his hands, which he seemed to have brought along separately.
In that case, who was crying right now?
No matter how much he looked around, there was only himself and that man in this area.
There were no ghosts around either, as Asin had already chased them away.
'It can't be... that frame, can it?'
Noel bit his index finger slightly, filled with a sudden sense of foreboding.