The Binding of a Promise, Part 4
Noel looked at the woman in the painting.
Her name was Ran.
The moment she saw the ghost, Ran's expression completely changed.
"—...Ah."
It was a sound close to a sigh.
Though she was capable of stepping out of the painting, she had hesitated only because she had asked for a brief moment of time.
It seemed she needed a moment to prepare herself.
"—Is that him?"
Asin asked gently.
"—...Yes."
Ran reached her hand out of the painting.
"—It is him."
Her voice gradually grew quiet.
"—That insignificant human."
Ran pressed her hands against the ground, bracing herself. Her long hair and head emerged first, followed by her body and legs as they finally touched the earth.
The manner of her emergence was so bizarre and eerie that Kkamang-i clung tightly to Asin.
"—...Why is she coming out so scary?"
"Because it's cramped. She has no choice, does she?"
"—Not me! I can just pass right through!"
Kkamang-i poked its head out slightly from behind Asin's leg.
"That's because you're basically liquid."
"—But I'm Kkamang-i!"
Noel chuckled softly at the response and looked back at Ran.
Ran was stumbling slightly.
Perhaps it was because the air outside was different from the world inside the painting.
Hm...?
As Noel watched Ran closely, his eyes widened.
"—...Why?"
Something black was bubbling and seething around Ran.
It was corruption.
"Ran!"
Noel grabbed Ran by her shoulders and called her name.
"—...Why?"
Ran turned her head and looked down at Noel.
Black blood was streaming from her eyes.
"—...Why did he abandon me?"
Purple flames flared from Noel's hands, beginning to consume the corruption wrapping around Ran's body.
"Calm down, Ran."
"—I would have stayed with him until the day he died. Why... why did he leave?"
Ran's black tears turned clear once more.
They sparkled like the river flowing beside them.
"—Shaman. Did that insignificant human grow to hate me?"
Looking at the blue sky and the river, her memories began to flood back.
She was inside the painting, and that insignificant human was outside.
Though they could not touch, had they not surely been together?
"—Were the countless skies and constellations we watched together merely words spoken to deceive me?"
Ran let out a sorrowful cry.
They had been together, yet she knew better than anyone that they could never truly be together.
That was why she felt so resentful.
"Ran. I'm sorry, but I am not him."
Noel spoke coldly.
He raised a finger and pointed at the ghost.
"I believe I've done my part by bringing you this far. If you want to know the truth, go ask him yourself. You're finally on the outside now, aren't you?"
Outside.
At those words, Ran lowered her head and looked at the ground.
She was standing on the earth.
Only then did Ran look around.
A somewhat biting wind brushed past her face.
"—...It really is the outside."
Only then did Ran smile.
Noel was right.
Now she could ask.
Now she could run to him.
"—Thank you."
Ran bowed deeply to Noel, then turned around.
She walked forward slowly.
This was the river she used to watch over.
It had been the same back then.
While moving along the riverbank as she always did, she had foolishly fallen victim to a spell.
...I thought my entire world was collapsing.
Perhaps he heard her footsteps.
The ghost sitting blankly by the riverbank—no, Chan-i—turned his head.
Ran's lips trembled.
It was the same foolish, dazed face he had made when she fell under the spell, completely at a loss for what to do. It was exactly how he had looked before he left her for the last time.
Chan-i's eyes widened as he looked at Ran.
"—...Do you remember me?"
Ran asked hesitantly.
Chan-i smiled brightly at the sound of her clear voice.
"—You came. You finally came!"
He looked truly, purely happy.
Because of that, Ran could not understand at all.
"—You waited for me? Why...?"
Ran was confused.
A sudden wave of doubt washed over her, making her wonder if this was all a dream.
"—Because I wanted to tell you that I didn't abandon you or leave you."
"—..."
At Chan-i's gentle words, Ran let out a long breath, her shoulders slumping.
"—I wanted to tell you not to stay in that place anymore. I desperately wanted to tell you that."
Chan-i approached Ran.
He still had that same dazed look on his face, eliciting a hollow laugh from Ran.
"—I..."
Seeing his gaze, still filled with the same warmth as before, Ran looked back at him with trembling eyes.
"—I was so foolish."
Chan-i paused and pointed to his own head.
"—I was climbing the mountain to find a flower to show you, but I fell and hurt my head."
"—...What?"
"—I lost my memories. I couldn't even remember who I was."
Chan-i laughed like an idiot.
Ran bit her lower lip hard.
"—I should have said something to you, but my injury worsened, and I just died like that. Pretty stupid, right?"
Though he was smiling, a deep, aching regret shimmered in Chan-i's eyes.
"—And so... you waited for me here?"
"—Of course."
"—But you said you lost your memories."
"—I did. But once I died, it all came back to me. I knew that because of the promise I made, you wouldn't be able to leave that painting."
"—So you waited...? For all this time?"
Ran asked, unable to believe her ears.
To think he had waited for a span of time far vaster than the life he had lived.
"—I spent hundreds of years searching for you."
Chan-i reached his hand toward Ran's tear-stained face.
"—And another few hundred years waiting for you."
How could anyone do such a thing?
She wanted to tell Chan-i he was lying, but there he was, standing right in front of her.
"—I... I resented you so much! I truly believed you had abandoned me! I didn't even stop to think that you might have had a reason. I didn't!"
As Ran cried out in anguish, Chan-i offered a gentle, sheepish smile.
"—Of course you did. I'm the bad one for leaving without a word. I'm the one who deserves all your resentment."
"—..."
"—Ran."
Chan-i wiped away Ran's tears.
He felt so incredibly, deeply sorry that his chest ached.
"—I was so worried you would be lonely. I was terrified that, in all those years, you might make the wrong choice."
Chan-i's eyes began to well with tears as well.
"—...Were you not alone?"
"—Your god stayed by my side."
"—She did?"
"—Yes. She is here even now."
As Chan-i spoke, a massive wave surged across the river.
Like rain falling in reverse, the water gathered and coalesced, taking the shape of a young girl.
Her hair shimmered like ripples reflecting the bright sunlight.
"—...My God."
Ran gasped, calling out her name.
"—There's my good girl, Ran."
When the deity opened her arms, Ran ran to her in a single bound.
She fell to her knees and threw herself into the deity's embrace.
It was the embrace of the god she had missed so terribly.
She wept aloud.
"—It's alright, shh. It's all alright."
Chan-i smiled warmly as he watched them.
After hundreds of years, everything had finally returned to where it belonged.
All because of the sin of harboring a feeling called love, things had become so tangled.
...Let me hide this feeling. Let me pretend I don't know and let it pass.
Chan-i repeated the thought to himself once more.
"Did you clear up the misunderstanding?"
Noel walked over slowly, taking his time.
The moment Chan-i saw him, he knew exactly who he was.
"—Thank you so much for your help. I do not know how I can ever repay this debt."
Chan-i bowed deeply to Noel before straightening up.
"I know you can't, so just put it on my tab. But how did you endure for so long?"
"—...I just wanted to see her one last time."
Chan-i smiled, keeping his eyes fixed on Ran.
This was enough.
With this, everyone had returned to their proper place.
All lingering regrets had vanished.
Chan-i took a deep breath and let it out.
"—Ran."
Chan-i called her name one last time.
A soft light was beginning to envelop his body.
"—Ran. Look over there."
Ran, who had been weeping in the deity's embrace, quickly stood up and ran over at her god's gesture.
"—...Wait. Just a moment, Chan-i!"
Standing before Chan-i, Ran panicked, unable to comprehend what was happening.
"—Why... why are you leaving already?"
"—I made a promise with the Grim Reaper. I asked him to let me wait only until I could meet you. Of course, why would he listen to a mere ghost like me? The River God helped me."
At Chan-i's words, Ran looked back at her god.
The deity was crying.
Ran looked at her, pleading for help.
"—Ran. That boy is a human. He is different from you, who are my vassal. He is beyond my reach now, and only one thing remains. Say your farewells so he can depart in peace."
The deity looked at Ran with deep affection.
This was not a matter that could be resolved by begging or pleading.
Chan-i had already received far too many blessings.
It was almost excessively generous.
Chan-i scratched his cheek sheepishly at those words.
"—Honestly, I know I'm being shameless. But still, could you say goodbye to..."
Before Chan-i could even finish his sentence, Ran threw her arms around him.
Chan-i froze, looking as if his breath had been stolen away.
"—Chan-i."
"—Yes."
"—For a very long time, I have felt the exact same way as you."
Chan-i's eyes widened in surprise.
To think she had felt the same.
With trembling hands, Chan-i wrapped his arms around Ran.
"—...I see. You did."
His feelings had not been in vain.
Even while looking at the same place, they had shared the same heart.
They had been together.
Tears fell.
"—Chan-i. I resented you so much, but... I am still so grateful to you."
Ran stepped back and, just as Chan-i had done, reached her hand toward his face.
"—You waited for me. And you showed me how vast the world is, didn't you?"
Smiling, she wiped away Chan-i's tears.
The expression on Chan-i's face as he looked at Ran was filled with a happiness that made him look as if he possessed the entire world.
Just once is enough. I want to see Ran again.
Had he not endured those long, agonizing centuries with only that single desire?
"—Because it was you, because we were together, I was happy."
Chan-i smiled brightly.
Let us leave no regrets behind.
Let us part with a smile.
Because he had resolved to do so, Chan-i said nothing more and simply waved his hand.
"—Goodbye."
"—...Goodbye."
Ran waved her hand in return.
Though they had taken an incredibly long detour, she was profoundly grateful that they could at least say goodbye like this.
Because she wanted their story to be remembered for its beautiful moments rather than a past painted in resentment.
Ran could feel that Chan-i had wished for the exact same thing.
After bowing to the deity, Chan-i dissolved into particles of light, like a firefly lingering for a brief moment before vanishing entirely.
He was gone.
He had clearly been right here.
She had clearly touched him with her own hands.
Tears streamed from Ran's eyes like the rippling river water.
Just then, a small hand slipped into hers.
Looking to her side, she saw her god.
She was gazing up at her warmly.
"—...Thank you."
Ran forced a smile.
"—Waiting for you was entirely that human's choice. I merely put in a word for him. To be honest, I was incredibly angry at first, you know? He stole my Ran away from me."
To comfort the weeping Ran, the deity squeezed her hand even tighter.
"—But seeing him search and search for you on my behalf, I couldn't bring myself to hate him anymore. That's why I told the Grim Reaper that this human would surely go to the underworld eventually, so please wait just a little longer."
She had seen the human's absolute sincerity toward Ran.
How could she possibly hate him?
"—I asked him if he was bored waiting for you, and he said he wasn't bored at all. So I wasn't bored either."
The deity smiled brightly.
The young girl turned her head toward Noel.
He felt incredibly refreshing, like a vast, clear sky.
She had felt that way the moment she laid eyes on him.
He was a fascinating human.
"—You're the one the old Mountain God was talking about, right?"
"Yes. That's me."
The moment Noel looked at Ran's god, he felt a strange sensation.
No matter how ancient the Mountain God was, the trace of having once been a ghost was never entirely erased. But this entity was different.
Rather than feeling like a ghost, she felt like something else entirely.
...An elemental! Yes, she feels like one of those.
Noel thought of the closest equivalent.
"—Thank you for bringing our Ran back. I truly mean it."
The deity giggled.
"But the Mountain God can't leave his mountain. How do you communicate with him?"
"—We write letters. Watch."
At her gesture, water flowed up and took the shape of a crab.
"—I just write my message on this."
"Ah, letters?"
A brilliant idea struck Noel.
Asin immediately noticed the sudden shift in Noel's eyes.
"—...Noel."
Just as Asin grabbed Noel's shoulder, the deity looked at Asin with sparkling eyes.
"—Big sister!"
"—...Are you speaking to me?"
"—Yes!"
Without a moment's hesitation, the deity ran over and threw her arms around Asin.
Ran gasped in surprise, while Asin, caught off guard, hesitantly patted her on the back.
"—You became a god way before me, didn't you, big sister? I haven't been one for very long!"
"—...I-I will explain everything."
Ran stammered as she approached.
Stopping a couple of steps away, she wiped her tears and bowed her head.
"—It is fine. I am glad to meet her as well."
Asin comforted Ran.
Meanwhile, the deity poked her head out slightly, glanced at Tam-rang crouching by the tree, and quickly looked away.
He looked incredibly gloomy.
But when she spotted Kkamang-i curled up in front of Tam-rang, she squealed with delight.
"—A kitty!"
Kkamang-i, however, was wary of something else entirely.
Looking at water was fine, but getting wet was the absolute worst.
When the deity bounded forward like a playful child, Kkamang-i startled and bolted.
Halting her chase, the deity stopped and stared blankly at Noel, her lips curling upward into a soft smile.
"—...That's your kitty, right? Can you call it back?"
"Before that, what kind of god should I address you as?"
Noel put on his most amiable, business-like face.
"—Ah. I am the River God. You can call me Arang."
Arang pointed to herself and grinned mischievously.
"Lady Arang. I assume you've heard that the Mountain God has recently gained access to a marvelous modern invention called a cell phone?"
"—Yes! I heard! I was so jealous."
Arang stepped closer to Noel.
"I'm the one who provided it."
"—What? That was you too?"
"Yes, indeed."
"—Buy me one too! I want to chat with the old Mountain God. What do you want in return?"
Since she had asked so directly, Noel casually inquired.
"...What exactly did the Mountain God say about me?"
"—He said you seem incredibly greedy for material wealth, but you always do your absolute best, and you're a very polite and good boy."
"—That describes you perfectly."
Asin nodded in agreement.
"...Asin?"
When Noel looked at Asin with betrayed eyes, she let out a hearty laugh.
"—Let's see, hmm, hmm... Ah! I'll give you this."
Arang ran over and dipped her hand into the river.
It looked like she was merely playing, but the way the water gathered around her hand was nothing short of extraordinary.
"—Since you brought Ran back, are going to give me a present, and most of all, because you're a good boy."
Arang stood before Noel, clutching something in her hand.
"—Take this."
What Arang held out looked like a sky-blue gem containing swirling ripples of water.
Noel didn't know what it was, but he could feel a potent power radiating from it.
"—As long as you carry this, water will never harm you. Oh, and you have family, right? Have them wear it, whether as a bracelet or a necklace."
"...What did you see?"
The smile vanished from Noel's face.
What did Shin Hyeon have to do with water?