Chapter 8

8 times. How long did it take

to escape ?

I searched for the monster outside the bronze mirror that was mating.

The monster that was sitting on the junk seemed to have grown bigger in the meantime.

Eyes met with the monster.

I could feel the curiosity in his eyes.

It was only natural that he had done nothing but jinki-donap for a long time.

He waved his hand at the monster as if asking him to come closer.

The monster approached slowly while being wary.

With the bronze mirror in between, Yeonjeokha and the monster’s eyes met head-on.

It is the moment when you see the black eyes like the abyss of a monster.

Suddenly, deep sorrow and terrible pain rushed towards Yeonjeokha.

“...”

I could never have imagined that such feelings would exist in the mind of the monster who was flirting outside the mirror.

‘omg!’

Yeonjeokha’s eyes widened.

The yokai seen up close were neither ghosts nor ancestral spirits.

‘This can’t be...’

The monster outside the mirror is quite surprised and embarrassed.

With trembling hands, they traced the face of the youkai reflected in the bronze mirror.

Yokai is also a face that even a ghost has seen.

Yeonjeokha, who had been staring at it for a while, murmured.

“You... you were me.”

The truth finally appeared in the eyes of Yeon Jeok-ha, who had reached the age of nine.

The monster, or the boy, was the true self he had lost.

The self that was lost in the abuse of his aunt and the Yeon clan. The wish to live innocently appeared in the form of a boy.

But as her mother died giving birth to her, that became an unattainable dream. Dad left him in the hands of his eldest mother, and he has been like this ever since.

Time that has already passed cannot be returned forever.

Tears streamed down from the younger brother’s eyes.

The boy was also in tears.

“Mom...”

I sobbed for a long time, lowering my head in anger.

And when he raised his head again, he was out of the mirror.

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. A skinny boy stood in the mirror with red, bloodshot eyes.

“hi.”

I waved my hand at myself in the mating mirror.

It’s that moment.

The boy disappeared and a fairy appeared in his place.

When I opened my eyes and looked closely, it was Gucheonhyeonnyeo engraved on the back of the mirror. The background in the mirror had also changed from a warehouse to a beautiful scenery like a painting.

The fairy smiled faintly and soon flew away on a cloud to the distant sky.

Surprised by the unexpected news, only the eyes of the couple blinked.

Then, suddenly, the bronze mirror began to be covered with the grime of the years as before. Before long, the bronze mirror turned black before I had time to try my hand at it.

“uh? uh?”

The serial killer carefully lifted up the broken mirror and examined it.

Unfortunately, I tried to wipe it with a cloth, but the time did not come off at all.

“ha!”

Unbeknownst to me, the shooting ceremony flowed.

The belated realization that all of this was the harmony of Gucheonhyeonnyeo passed through my mind.

It seems that Gucheonhyeonnyeo, who was in the fairy world, felt sorry for him and helped him.

I couldn’t think of anything else.

He placed the rusted Gucheon Hyeonnyeogyeong on one wall and made a big bow.

rattle.

I thought the side door was open, and a basket of food came in.

This time, it was all about fireballs hard like a stone, greens, and a water bottle.

As I picked up the basket, I heard a warrior muttering in the distance.

“her! it’s ten years But, being the son of a samurai family, your life is going to be tough...”

Only then did he realize that he had been confined to a warehouse for ten years.

So you’re sixteen now?

“under. under. Ha...”

It’s absurd.

The person who imprisoned him was the general’s uncle, but he must have been forced to do so by his aunt.

Seeing what their lives are doing, it seems that they have no intention of letting go.

hey now what

Yeonjeokha’s troubled eyes saw a window pierced for ventilation.

I flew up lightly, held onto the iron bars, and looked out to see the dusky twilight.

At least it was torn and tattered after running all night.

Her body, which had not been washed, was swollen with soy sauce, to the point where she vomited even when she saw herself.

Right.

A stone came flying and hit me in the forehead.

I stroke it with a tingling feeling, but my fingertips are smooth. When I checked it, there was blood on it.

In an instant, he said, ‘Woo’ and got angry.

“These guys!”

When the young enemy screamed and pretended to chase it, the children ran away with a ‘wow’.

An adult passing by scolded the children, ‘Don’t bully the poor man’. Only then did the children flock to find other things to play.

It was midsummer, so the blood dried quickly.

Someone called Yeonjeokha who was trudging along.

“hey. there.”

I turned around and saw an old beggar beckoning.

“Are you a disciple of openness by any chance?”

“no.”

“no? But why are you acting like a beggar?”

“...”

I couldn’t say anything to connect.

It was very sad that I looked like a beggar when I wasn’t a beggar.

An old beggar came up and asked.

“Are you homeless?”

“yes.”

“Do you have a rice bowl?”

“no.”

“Are you going to die of hunger?”

“yes.”

“Tsk tsk,” said the old beggar, clicking his tongue.

“You foolish bastard. Aren’t you starving because you don’t have a bowl of rice? He’s a non-standard guy. Take this.”

An old beggar held out a red gourd that was hanging from his waist.

I accidentally received the broken gourd with both hands.

“Clean your ears and listen carefully. Men don’t fight enemies, so look for women. A lady is seen in the distance. Then run quickly and say this.”

Mangwugae, the elder of the old beggar opening, said quickly after clearing his voice.

“‘oh my! Merciful mistress like Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, save one poor life! Madam, I was orphaned early and have no one to turn to. please have pity on me The Buddha will not forget your merits. Yes?’ He looked at me with a face that looked like he was going to cry while raising his end. Got it?”

“...yes.”

“try.”

“yes?”

“You said you knew? Then do what I did. Let’s see how well you do.”

Mangwoogae looked at Yeonjeokha with expectant eyes.

When the boy was intelligent, he intended to take him and make him his disciple.

However, I couldn’t understand the words of an old beggar who had just come out of the world. Still, I kept trying to follow it, so I forcibly searched for my memory.

“...Mrs. Avalokiteshvara... Please save me. I’m an orphan...”

I’m about to cry when I try to say ‘I became an orphan’.

I kept my mouth shut tightly.

The impression of Mangwoogae, who had been expecting a lot, was distorted.

I recited so many things, but I seem to remember only the words ‘Gwaneum Bodhisattva’ and ‘orphan’. With a head like this, there’s no reason to make him a disciple.

Still, I decided to pass on the basics of begging.

Even if you are not a disciple of openness, shouldn’t you live on!

“Hum hum. listen carefully. It’s a little different to say to the lady. I have to say this to the ladies. ‘Ouch! The beautiful girl has a kind heart, so her parents will be delighted. Meet a good man, give birth to a son like a rice cake toad, and make it a hundred years old!’ Just stick close and repeat the words. Girls are shy, so give them well even if you don’t hold on to them for a long time. Did you understand?”

“...yes.”

Mangwugae didn’t ask me to memorize it again. I already know that the boy’s head is not good, so I just want to be independent as a beggar.

“It’s a gift from me, so use it well.”

“yes? yes.”

“Then, let’s meet again later.”

Mangwoogae patted Yeonjeokha on the shoulder as if encouraging him and walked away.

I stared blankly at the back of the old beggar.

It’s the first time I’ve talked to someone for such a long time since I was born. The samurai who manage the warehouse used to say only what they had to say and go home.

growl

I woke up to the sound of the boat.

Only then did he grab a gourd and start snooping around.

My stomach hurt, but my mouth didn’t come out.

Still, it was a generous neighborhood, so around lunchtime, the gourds were full of food. It looked messy, but the taste was rather better than the dried up rice rolls I used to eat in warehouses.

They ate the food in the gourd that they were paired with and moved southward without rest.

I walked along the Guandu, and when a mountain came out, I crossed it, and when a field came out, I crossed it.

Then, another gwando appeared.

Maybe it was because he came out after being locked up in a small warehouse for 10 years, and everything was strange.