Dohwang-ri, My Hometown (2)
Once the truck started pushing properly into the mountains, the PD and the rest of the crew went so quiet I figured they'd gotten thoroughly spooked. Worried I'd laid it on a little too thick, I was the one who finally broke the silence.
"Lucky for us, there's no anomaly warning today. Nice and peaceful."
"...What happens on days when there is a warning?"
"We don't come up here at all. The only reason we're driving up is because it's safe."
The cameraman and the PD must have decided that even that was good television, because they were soon smiling again, cameras trained on me.
When we arrived at the nearby shooting range, the faint crack of gunfire drifted over from the far side. Bang, bang.
"Looks like other people come here besides you, Huntsman Jang?"
"On paper, it's a recreational sports facility. Most of the people who actually show up are huntsmen like me, or Hunters coming to practice their shooting."
"Hunters too?"
"There are indoor ranges, sure, but some people just prefer being outdoors."
I said it like it was nothing, and the PD nodded along.
We climbed down from the truck and walked into the range. Off to one side, a handful of Hunters were popping clay pigeons out of the air with pistols. People like that treated a handgun as little more than a BB gun, so even with live rounds flying they were more interested in horsing around with each other.
I ignored them and walked over to a bench where I could assemble my firearm. I opened the case and the ammo box and started putting the pieces together with practiced hands.
"Wow, you're really good at that."
"I may not look it, but this one gun puts food on the table for three."
"It's dangerous, so please film from behind the safety line. Even a shard of broken clay can sting pretty bad if it hits you."
"Don't you worry about us! We've filmed plenty of Hunters before."
The PD sounded awfully sure of himself, which made me a little nervous... but if they got hurt, that was their problem.
"I'll take your word for it, then."
I left it at that, put on my safety glasses, and stepped onto the range.
I opened the ammo box and started loading rounds. I could feel the Hunters who'd been shooting off in the distance glancing my way. A woman, out here in times like these, coming to shoot? They were all watching me with little smiles, like that was the joke.
Hah. They think I won't hit a single one.
"Pull."
At my word, a clay disc whipped into the air with a sharp whistle. I tracked its arc with my eyes, lifted the gun like I'd done it a thousand times, and squeezed the trigger without a second's hesitation.
Bang!
The clay shattered into a thousand pieces.
Two more sailed up at once. Then one after a long pause. Then one that burst out faster than expected. They came in every pattern the machine could throw, and I didn't miss a single one.
Some of that was the kind of skill that only comes from years of experience. But I had a secret, too. This was the closest shooting range to Dohwang-ri, and I'd been here so often I had the timing and the trajectories memorized cold.
I started off just quietly breaking clays. Then I got a little showy and started hitting them while I reloaded. Not something I'd ever need in a real hunt, but it looked cool. And this ought to be more than enough footage for TV.
When I finished and turned around, the PD and the cameraman were staring at me with their mouths hanging open.
"Well? Think that came out okay?"
"Yes! That was on par with most Ranker Hunters!"
"I got a little lucky, too."
"Not at all! Wind direction, speed, the trajectory of the clays — there were a lot of variables in play!"
Oh. So he wasn't lying about having followed Hunters around.
"Compliments aren't going to get you anything extra, so shall we move on to the next location?"
"Yes! Sounds great! So after you finish shooting practice, where do you usually go?"
"First I return the firearm to the police substation. After that I either head into town, or I deliver things the village elders need sold into the city."
"Wow, that's really something! Looking after the village on top of everything else."
"I do it because I want to, but also because I'm pretty much the only person in the village with time on my hands."
Once I was done chatting with the PD, I broke the gun down again with the same easy familiarity, wiped the barrel down thoroughly, and packed the parts back into the case. I gathered up the remaining ammo boxes, neat as you please, and headed back to the truck. The PD just stood there watching me in silence for a while.
"Is something wrong?"
"No... it's just that every single thing you do is so professional."
"What, did you think I was some kind of amateur?"
I chuckled and climbed into the driver's seat. The PD stood there looking a little dazed, then hurriedly scrambled up into the passenger seat after me.
After that, the PD and the cameraman must have gotten all the footage they needed, because they stopped bothering me. They didn't even follow me when I returned the gun to the police substation, and they kept their word — I didn't see a single member of the film crew lurking around the house.
I parked the truck back in front of the house, and the film crew who'd been riding with me climbed out as well.
"I'll just change clothes and come right back out."
"Ah... yes! Please, go ahead!"
That was when the camera drifted toward our house windows, so I followed its gaze. Through the glass, Nureongi, Poppy, and even Eunseo — who'd come out of the water — had their heads poked out in a row, staring straight at us.
"What? Those are my kids."
"Ah... no, it's nothing! It's just... they're all beastfolk..."
"Cute, aren't they? Like that."
I flashed them a grin and stepped inside. The moment I opened the door, Nureongi, Poppy, and Eunseo came tumbling over to greet me. Eunseo seemed to have already swapped her fins for legs. She still wasn't great at it — she was dripping water all over the floor.
"Did any of the film people come by while I was gone?"
"Nope. Nobody came."
"Really~ Unnie, you worry way too much~ It's public broadcasting, remember?"
"She's right. Those people seem pretty good about keeping their promises."
The three of them chimed in one after another that everything was fine, and I was able to relax a little.
"I'm just going to change and head back out."
"Hee~ Going to the village hall for a drink this time?"
Poppy snickered as she teased me, so I gave her plump cheek a little pinch.
"I'm going to act like a proper lady in front of the camera~"
"Ow! That hurts! Proper lady, my foot!"
Poppy grabbed my arm and whined. I let go of her cheek and went into my room to change.
As always, a neatly folded set of going-out clothes that Poppy had prepared was waiting for me. I didn't even have to think about what to wear. I changed into a dress with a long skirt and stepped back into the living room. Poppy looked me up and down, then made a big circle with both arms and beamed.
"Perfect! You don't look like a country bumpkin at all!"
"This is the countryside, you know."
"That's exactly why you have to dress even prettier!"
I could feel another of Poppy's lectures coming on, so I hurried outside.
The camera that had been filming the scenery swung back toward me.
"Can you drive a truck in an outfit like that?"
"Why wouldn't I? It's only a few minutes away."
"Hahaha... I suppose it is just a few minutes."
I walked back to the truck, opened the door, kicked off my dress shoes, and swapped them for sneakers. They were old, a little muddy, and didn't match the long skirt in the slightest, which was probably why everyone was staring at me like I was some kind of curiosity.
"Everyone changes into comfortable shoes when they drive, right?"
"Ah... I suppose so? You're just so well adapted to all of this."
"If you want to survive out here, there are times you have to give up looking pretty for a minute."
I got the truck moving again and headed for our last stop: the village hall.
As for what I actually did at the village hall, it was always the same. Cadge a drink, shoot the breeze with the old folks. That was about it.
But the moment I walked in and sat down with uncharacteristic demureness, the sharper old-timers picked up on it immediately and started playing the part of ordinary, generous country elders.
"Huntsman Jang! What brings you by today?"
"Ah, we're here to do a bit of filming."
"Oho~ Filming! Dohwang-ri's going to be famous!"
"Does that mean we'll be on TV too?"
"If you folks don't mind."
The old folks chuckled and started straightening each other's clothes. The same elders who normally just traded jokes with me treated me today like I was some precious granddaughter.
"Did you bring anything to eat?"
"Ah, I came empty-handed today."
"Then I guess we'll have to put something out. Hey, bring some makgeolli over here."
"Yes, yes!"
Watching the camera soak up this peculiar little performance with obvious satisfaction... I figured I ought to treat the old folks to some meat before the summer was out.
Once we'd wrapped up my performance as Dohwang-ri's dutiful youngest, I stepped back outside. There was the old man who normally drove around in a foreign car, standing next to a cultivator he never used, wiping down farm tools. Putting on a whole production.
Half the old folks at the hall today were retirees who'd moved back to the countryside, and the other half each owned a pension or a guesthouse. Whether the film crew was actually buying it or just pretending to be fooled, I couldn't tell. They were shooting without a word of complaint either way, so I decided to just wipe this little nationwide con from my memory.
By the time we finished filming at the hall, the sun was starting to go down.
"For the last shot, we just need you walking home, nice and natural."
"How about I walk with the sun at my back? Make it look a little cool?"
"Haha! That works! Sometimes you need a little staging."
"Then get a good shot of it. My feet hurt if I wear these shoes too long, so let's wrap it up quick."
I started walking slowly toward the reddening sunset.
If they aired what we'd filmed today, the network and the rest of the world would probably be satisfied. I didn't want to be some sensational star. I'd be happy if they just thought of me as an ordinary person living in the countryside.
But.
...What if people see this and think I'm some simple, kind-hearted country maiden?
Ah... damn it.