“Wow… Wow…”
Nab-in exclaimed in amazement as he looked at the entities.
The biggest animal Nab-in had seen in his life until now was a horse. Mi-ho was similar in size to a horse, so it wasn’t that surprising, but seeing the real entities left Nab-in with his mouth agape.
Looking at Seok Woong and Hwa-jeo, Nab-in couldn’t help but gush.
“They’re as big as my house…!”
Nab-in approached Seok Woong, marveling at the fact that his face was reflected in Seok Woong’s eyes as he got off Mi-ho.
Seok Woong took a deep breath, watching Nab-in come closer. Suddenly, Seo Gong, who had entered the village alongside Ho Cheon-an, appeared and mumbled something about needing to play with a human, bringing back an actual human.
With a heavy sigh, Seok Woong welcomed this annoying turn of events.
Swoosh!
Nab-in’s clothes fluttered as Seok Woong’s breath hit him, and his hair flew wildly, instantly becoming disheveled. For a moment, Nab-in held his hair and wore a dazed expression before bursting into laughter.
“Amazing! So cool!”
Nab-in hung on Seok Woong’s nose. Despite finding Nab-in incredibly annoying, Seok Woong felt helpless.
Swoosh.
Since Ho Cheon-an ordered it, he had no choice but to comply.
Seok Woong shook his head slightly, and Nab-in cheered, shaking his body in excitement.
Entity amusement park!
After letting Nab-in enjoy the force of gravity while hanging on his nose, Seok Woong finally set him down on the ground. Breathless but bright-eyed, Nab-in gazed at Seok Woong.
There was a look of expectation in his eyes.
Seok Woong, seeing Nab-in’s eager stare, let out another sigh, then jumped to his feet.
Roll, roll.
He started rolling like a ball. It wasn’t just rolling forward; he rolled around freely, and Nab-in couldn’t help but exclaim in excitement.
Keng.
Mi-ho raised her snout to the sky, as if refusing to be outdone.
Whoosh!
A burst of red flames soared skyward, forming a ring. Nab-in’s jaw dropped at Mi-ho’s fireworks display.
Zap!
Soon, Seo Gong showcased his own talent. He began to leap over the fiery ring that Mi-ho had created.
As Mi-ho joyfully emitted more rings and Seo Gong displayed his dazzling moves, they both moved in sync.
Entity performance!
Nab-in soon became completely absorbed in the spectacular show put on by the entities.
—
Nab-in surveyed his surroundings.
The children were engrossed in other games, while the adults were busily attending to their tasks.
Nab-in finally took in Ho Cheon-an, Jeong Sam, and Yeo Jin-sang, who were focused on playing a board game. Seeing the three of them, Nab-in beckoned to Seo Gong and slipped out of the house.
Just like yesterday, Nab-in headed to the clearing to play with the entities.
“It seems everything is going well.”
Yeo Jin-sang commented, and Ho Cheon-an nodded.
While Nab-in thought he had secretly sneaked out, how could he deceive the eyes of a martial expert?
They acted oblivious, even though they knew.
Ho Cheon-an played a few rounds of the board game before getting up.
The entities were certainly keeping busy, but it was still necessary to check how they were doing.
‘If the atmosphere seems right, it wouldn’t hurt to try improving relationships.’
Ho Cheon-an made his way toward the clearing where the entities were resting.
Noticing his presence, the entities turned their heads, and Ho Cheon-an quickly waved his hand, hiding behind a tree to observe Nab-in.
Nab-in was adorning Muk-geum’s horns with flowers.
‘Hmm…’
With flowers adorning Muk-geum’s horns, it had literally turned into a flower deer. Looking over, he noticed flowers also hanging from Seo Gong’s tail, and a flower anklet on Mi-ho’s leg.
Mi-ho lifted her flower-adorned leg with a puzzled look as if questioning, “Why do I have to wear this?”
Why indeed? It couldn’t be eaten.
Thinking she should just rip it off, Mi-ho was about to do just that.
At that moment.
As Mi-ho was desperately trying to bite off the anklet, she noticed Ho Cheon-an frantically waving his hands and tilted her head, closing her mouth and placing her foot back down.
Ho Cheon-an sighed in relief, having barely managed to protect her innocence while Nab-in clapped his hands in joy, having completed Muk-geum’s floral makeover.
“Pretty! So pretty!”
Would the male deer Muk-geum really accept the flowers positively?
Ho Cheon-an was anxious that Muk-geum might reject the flowers, but fortunately, Muk-geum behaved maturely. After quietly licking Nab-in’s cheek, Ho Cheon-an let out another sigh of relief.
“Hmm…”
Then, Nab-in’s gaze fell on Seok Woong and Hwa-jeo. From the looks he was getting, it seemed they wanted decorations too but couldn’t muster the courage.
After hesitating, Nab-in placed a flower on the tip of Hwa-jeo’s fang.
“Ugh.”
Even he felt it didn’t suit the beast, and Nab-in showed his disappointment by drooping his shoulders.
“Ha-ha, it looks good on you.”
Suddenly, Ho Cheon-an’s voice came from behind, startling Nab-in and making him jump up. Seeing Nab-in’s expression change to one of wariness, Ho Cheon-an couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
“Thanks for decorating the entities.”
Nab-in silently hid behind Muk-geum. Instead of aggressively approaching Nab-in, Ho Cheon-an sat down right there.
Woosh, woosh!!
While Ho Cheon-an sat, countless flowers began to float in the air. Picking flowers from the atmosphere, he gently stacked them and started to make a floral crown.
It was easy for Ho Cheon-an, a master of craftsmanship, and soon he created two large crowns.
He held out the two crowns to Nab-in.
“What do you think? I think it would look great hanging on Hwa-jeo’s horns.”
Watching Ho Cheon-an’s handiwork, Nab-in swallowed nervously as he gazed at the crowns. Caught between wanting to decorate Hwa-jeo and wanting to keep his distance from Ho Cheon-an, Nab-in ultimately accepted the crowns.
Before long, one crown was placed on each of Hwa-jeo’s fangs. Perhaps due to the scent of the flowers, Hwa-jeo, who had been keeping his eyes shut, opened them and began to cry.
Squeak.
With a massive body and horns the size of a human torso, the duo of crowns hanging from Hwa-jeo lulled Ho Cheon-an into wondering if the visual was too much, but it seemed Nab-in was quite pleased as a smile spread across his face.
Ho Cheon-an slyly suggested.
“Why don’t we make a wreath for Seok Woong? I’ll teach you my method.”
Nab-in thought back and forth between Ho Cheon-an and Seok Woong. Just then, Seok Woong let out a timely, sorrowful cry, leaving Nab-in with no choice but to nod his head.
“…Okay.”
Flowers from the surroundings began to gather at Ho Cheon-an’s gesture, and he began demonstrating the simple method to create a wreath. Though it involved some complicated knots and loops that might be tough for a child to follow, Nab-in managed to keep up well after just a couple of demonstrations.
Ho Cheon-an and Nab-in quietly tangled their fingers for quite a while, weaving the wreath. Before long, a flower-shaped crown rested atop Seok Woong’s head.
Nab-in looked on with pride and turned to Ho Cheon-an.
“Is it because you want me to be your disciple that you’re treating me so well, Grandpa?”
Ho Cheon-an, who had prepared several sweet words, felt his mind clear as he faced Nab-in’s sincere acceptance of his situation.
“It’s for treatment. Your condition is difficult to heal with typical methods. Jeong Sam and Yeo Jin-sang care for you too, but they want you to live long, so they’re thinking of letting you go.”
“…Treatment.”
Nab-in bit his lip tight.
He was all too aware that his body wasn’t in good shape. No matter how much he chewed his food, he was smaller and weaker than his peers. And the gap was widening visibly.
He also understood that his family worried for him.
Nab-in looked at Ho Cheon-an.
To Nab-in, Ho Cheon-an was someone from an entirely different world. Just by petting his head, he uncovered secrets he had kept hidden, moved things without touching, and commanded those magical entities.
To Nab-in, Ho Cheon-an was much closer to a deity than a mere human.
Such a person was telling him he would cure him.
Nab-in realized the gravity of the opportunity presented to him. Perhaps a lifetime once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Yet, he felt fear.
Fear of leaving the village where he was cherished and adored, to venture out into a world filled with harsh memories.
But was it still like that now?
Snap, snap.
Nab-in looked down at Seo Gong, who was gazing up at him. He had only taken a few steps out of the village, but the forest was filled with wondrous entities.
As he looked back at those entities, Nab-in thought: Yesterday and today had been genuinely joyful. Perhaps with the entities, it could be fun to venture beyond the village.
“I’ll do it. I’ll be your disciple.”
Nab-in made up his mind.
—
Jeong Sam and Yeo Jin-sang’s household was in tears. Women were sobbing as they held Nab-in, while the men were in a bother for failing to send him off properly. The children were preparing for their farewells in their own way.
“Ugh, I’m sorry for being insufficient.”
“Waaah! How can this small body endure a journey?”
Ho Cheon-an watched Nab-in while shaking his head at the sight of Jeong Sam and Yeo Jin-sang squeezing out tears. They had asked him to take Nab-in, yet here they were, sobbing uncontrollably, which was both touching and amusing, leaving Ho Cheon-an unsure of his own expression.
“Hey, I’ll be back as soon as possible, so stop the tears. Your faces will swell up. I’ll take good care of him, so don’t worry.”
“You cold-blooded bastard! How can you take care of a child?!”
“The bachelor who hasn’t even married—what do you know about children? Ugh!”
Veins popped on Ho Cheon-an’s forehead. Since they were already parting ways, would smacking them once really hurt? He contemplated giving them a light slap but, after glancing at Nab-in, he held back his anger.
“It’s alright, Grandpa. I promise I’ll come back healthy!”
Even Nab-in, the person parting, was acting maturely.
“Waaah! Ugh!”
“Children, enough already! Be reasonable!”
Ultimately, Ho Cheon-an had no choice but to forcibly detach Nab-in from the two who wouldn’t let go of his clothes.
“Make sure to come back quickly!”
“Just come back tomorrow!”
Watching the two yelling from the village entrance with apparent annoyance, Ho Cheon-an shook his head, while Nab-in couldn’t help but smile at the scene.
Ho Cheon-an lifted Nab-in and placed him on Hwa-jeo’s back while saying,
“Well then, it’s time for us to really set off.”
“Yes.”
Squeak!
After spending a few days resting in the clearing, Hwa-jeo was filled with energy and charged ahead with a powerful roar.
“Yay!”
Along with Nab-in’s cheerful squeals of excitement, the journey of the Thunder Name Zhonja Ho Cheon-an had resumed.
