Chapter 12
Second Tale
You Shouldn’t Take in an Animal You Can’t Raise (1)
If someone were to ask me whether I believe in gods, my answer would be extremely ambiguous.
The questioner’s intent would likely be twofold: whether I believe in the existence of gods, and whether I believe that such gods will save me. But I had no choice but to separate the two.
Even if gods exist, that doesn’t mean they’re connected to human salvation.
So, to answer plainly: yes, and no.
I know well enough that what humans call gods exist. One is even right in front of me.
But believing in them—trusting them—is a different story.
I do not believe that gods will save me. They have no interest in saving humans.
Gods are only slightly superior to humans; they feel joy, anger, sadness, and pleasure. They love, they hate, and they bear grudges just like humans.
As long as they remain bound by attachments and desires, there’s nothing special about them, even if they are gods.
So, what could I possibly believe about gods? Life is inherently solitary, and it’s more hopeful to strive for survival than to spend time praying for someone else’s help.
Besides, my life hasn’t been easy enough to have been ‘helped’ by gods so far.
Rather, I’ve been living each day more laboriously than most.
I do not trust gods. In fact, I tend to dislike them.
And I didn’t see that changing anytime soon.
“Si-ha, why do you look so gloomy? Did something happen?”
Si-ha was at her uncle Dok-go Kyung’s mother’s house—her aunt Ju Hye-on’s home—because Ju Hye-on had called her over, ostensibly to bring some side dishes.
Normally, Kyung would have brought them himself to Si-ha’s house, but with his legs bandaged and carrying loads, it was too much, so Si-ha came herself.
And it wasn’t as if she had the pride to refuse something being given.
While Ju Hye-on had gone out to the shrine, Kyung was packing various side dishes and daily necessities into Si-ha’s bags. Yet today, Si-ha seemed unusually out of sorts.
She couldn’t even tell Kyung, limping around, not to overexert himself.
Dok-go Kyung looked at her cousin with a faintly pitiful expression; she seemed drained in just one day.
Si-ha rubbed her tired eyes and drank the Americano Kyung had handed her as if it were medicine.
“Well… there was a bit of a headache yesterday…”
“What? Something happened yesterday, huh? That’s why I told you not to go hunting alone at dusk.”
“Well, it’s just that…”
Si-ha hadn’t told Kyung yet, but after what happened yesterday, she was on edge, worried that Cheon-yul might do something strange.
She started to explain what had happened but shook her head.
“No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
But that only made Kyung more curious.
“Why not? You won’t know unless you say. If you don’t, I’ll just worry. You said it’s nothing, right?”
Kyung narrowed her eyes and pressed her. Reluctantly, Si-ha spoke, her voice flat as if not expecting much.
“Unni, could you make a talisman for me?”
“A talisman? Why? Did something go wrong at dusk? Did it leave a mark?”
“Well… it’s not the dusk that’s the problem…”
Si-ha gave Kyung a rough explanation of what had happened. She had saved a brainless creature being chased at dusk, and in return, it had made absurd demands about making love with her…
Dok-go Kyung nearly spit out her coffee at that, managing to swallow just in time, only to cough in surprise.
“Uh-ha! Uh-hahaha! What?! It asked to make love? Ahahaha!”
Kyung laughed, wiping the coffee from her face, while Si-ha looked on sullenly.
“Don’t laugh. I’m serious.”
“So? Where is that crazy brainless creature now?”
“The land deity chased it to a suitable distance…”
Si-ha’s uncertainty made Kyung shake her head.
“From what you’re saying, it doesn’t sound like it’s the type to leave just because it’s chased.”
“I think the same.”
“Still… well, I only heard about it, but that Cheon-yul isn’t such a bad guy. If he were truly evil, he wouldn’t just be banished from the heavens to the human world. He’d be sealed in the abyss. So he probably won’t do anything bad to you. Besides, the land deity is there. He can’t touch you.”
“It’s not about being good or bad.”
“True, it would be annoying enough.”
“I think I got involved in something weird.”
Si-ha sighed deeply, and Dok-go Kyung clicked her tongue.
“So you want a talisman to keep him away?”
“Yes.”
Kyung thought for a moment, but no sharp solution came to mind.
“First, I can’t make a talisman for this. Talismans can block evil spirits or lingering souls, but the brainless creature isn’t inherently evil. He’s just… strange. And a demigod. You can cover it up with a talisman, but it won’t last long—he’ll notice.”
Si-ha’s expression showed dissatisfaction. Kyung continued, rolling her eyes.
“Another option is sealing him, but I can’t do that. I don’t have the strength. Sorry…”
Kyung trailed off, feeling apologetic.
“Then… don’t you know an exorcist?”
“Not… exactly, but it’s hard to recommend one.”
“Why?”
Kyung made a circle with her thumb and forefinger.
“That’s the problem.”
“Ah…”
Si-ha was a poor high school student; she couldn’t afford to hire another exorcist.
And she couldn’t ask her aunt for help over something like this.
Cheon-yul hadn’t done anything bad yet, anyway.
At first, it was hard to judge whether he was dangerous or not.
Kyung and Su-won had both said Cheon-yul was just eccentric, not deliberately malicious, so for now, it seemed best to watch and wait.
“Don’t stress too much for now. If it becomes serious, we’ll deal with it. And you know what happens if you forcibly expel a god who hasn’t caused any trouble yet. So don’t get too worked up.”
“He’s just a demigod, anyway.”
Si-ha murmured, smacking her lips, while Kyung changed the topic.
“By the way, there’s another request that came in this morning. When will you handle it? It’s not a personal request, it came through the Shaman Association.”
Si-ha paused, thinking. After yesterday’s payment, her living expenses were low, so she could take a breather.
No rush, but she still needed some extra funds.
If she insisted on working hard right away, Kyung would probably transfer her the money again under the guise of support.
So she relaxed, watching Kyung’s bandaged leg, and spoke leisurely.
“Since you can’t move, we should postpone it until we find a substitute.”
Kyung shrugged, raising and lowering her bandaged leg.
“I think I’ll manage…”
“I won’t be okay.”
They were both uneasy about the other.
Si-ha worried Kyung would overexert, and Kyung worried something would happen if Si-ha went alone.
“Yeah, this task might be dangerous, so we should both avoid overdoing it.”
Kyung’s words piqued Si-ha’s curiosity.
“Why?”
“It’s reached a stage where it could affect people negatively.”
“Then why haven’t you done anything until now?”
Kyung shrugged.
“The situation was unusual, so it was discovered late.”
“Unusual situation?”
Kyung cleared her throat and explained.
“It’s a recluse living alone. No one was paying attention, and since they never came outside, no one noticed.”
This was the tricky part.
If discovered early, dusk creatures are weak and easy to exterminate. But the later they’re found, the stronger they become, feeding on darkness, requiring more effort to remove.
Plus, the negative emotions of humans.
A recluse isn’t cheerful or positive—perfect prey for dusk creatures.
And in that case, the twin-headed offspring they produce could also be significant.
“But that alone doesn’t make it a special situation.”
“Right. The real problem is that the host is protecting the dusk creature.”
“Protecting it?”
Kyung shrugged, as she didn’t really know why either.
“That happens more often than you’d think. If the host can’t escape the negative emotions the creature feeds on, they inevitably protect it. Also, many times, even if the mother divines it, it doesn’t show up properly. And we can’t forcibly enter a civilian’s house to hunt a dusk creature. So there was no way to respond. But this time, the Association decided it can’t be ignored. So they’ll provide protection while hunting. Don’t worry. Also, this is a bit riskier than usual, so the pay will be better than other requests.”
“That’s promising.”
“Just wait until I find another substitute. Alright? I’m looking around, so hang tight.”
“Got it.”
Si-ha nodded, smiling, while quietly thinking about other things inside.
