mindwomanjigrave
(The Witch's Cat)
-The Witch's Cat-
W. Seolha
Trigger Warning,
There are many violent scenes,
There may be some graphic depictions of violence that may be offensive.
The witch Dongbaek, despite her short life, always yearned for death. She always dreamed of eternal rest, but the life she had acquired as a witch, at great cost, constantly prevented her from attaining it. Living eternally was tedious. For her, who held no interest in anything, it was nothing more than a repetition of eons of time.
"Really, do you want to die?"
"...."
Dongbaek stared at the woman before him without answering. Her red eyes were chillingly cold, but Dongbaek wasn't frightened by them. The second witch's name was no longer a memory in Dongbaek's mind. All he remembered was that she had given him the name "Dongbaek" because her eyes were as red as the camellia flower, and that she was the woman who had gifted him this tiresome, tedious eternal life.
"Can you die?"
"If you want."
"I want it."
"And if you do it."
"What should I do?"
Dongbaek's answer was unhesitating. The second witch glanced at her, dumbfounded, as she watched Dongbaek's eyes, which had always been dead, begin to brighten. But that was all. What could she do if he wanted to die? She had already received payment for turning Dongbaek into a witch. What happened after that was none of her business, but seeing Dongbaek, who always lay there with those dead eyes like an old man, made her feel uneasy, and she simply offered a favor. But still, the reason those dead eyes had come to life was death. Even after all these years together, she still couldn't understand him, the second witch thought.
"Do you know 'The Witch's Grave'?"
"... I don't know."
"I thought so. Anyway, make a 'Witch's Grave'. Then tell them to kill you."
"Then can I die?"
"maybe."
"Then how do you make that witch's tomb?"
"I don't know."
"....."
"But I can introduce you to someone I know."
Dongbaek's eyes sparkled. "Really? Where should I go?" Dongbaek asked, her voice faintly filled with joy. "Do you really want to die?" the second witch muttered. The second witch, holding a pipe she had stolen from the small village below the day before yesterday, picked up a large leaf. Her sharp nails scratched the leaf, scribbling what appeared to be letters. Dongbaek couldn't figure out what the letters meant. It was a language she had never seen before.
"What is it?"
"My native language. You can't read it."
As the second witch had said, Dongbaek couldn't read the letters. The second witch continued to scrape away at the leaves, regardless of whether Dongbaek looked at them or not. Only when the large leaf was completely covered with the second witch's writing did she speak, removing the bits of leaf caught between her fingernails.
"If you carry this and go east for four days and nights, you will come to a wide river. Don't try to swim across it and fall in, and suffer. Just follow the flow of the river and you will come across a small ferry."
"...."
"There will be a wooden boat at the ferry terminal. Near that boat, there will be an old man with a beard that reaches down to his navel. Ask him to take you to 'Baekryeon'."
"....."
"If the old man asks who you are, tell him that 'Gahye' sent you. If he still doubts you, show him the leaf."
"...."
"If you meet 'Baekryeon', give him that leaf. Oh, and he likes cute things, so catch a squirrel on the way and give it to him. He'll like it, right?"
"Well then, goodbye," Ga-hye said. That was the second witch's name.
Dongbaek, clutching the leaf in her bosom, ran toward the rising sun. Running day and night, the soles of her feet quickly became worn, but once the witch's power enveloped her, as if protecting her, the wounds all over her body healed cleanly as if nothing had happened. So Dongbaek ran without stopping. Without sleeping, without eating or drinking, she simply ran as Ga-hye had instructed. The day Dongbaek arrived at the river Ga-hye had mentioned was the morning of the fourth day since she had set out on her journey.
Dongbaek paused by the river. As soon as she stopped, the red auras that had been swirling around her, as if waiting, enveloped her. Her wounds began to heal once more. Dongbaek glanced at the vast river. It seemed like she could swim across it. She longed to meet that "Baekryeon" as soon as possible. The reason for this was no different from the reason she longed to die. Dipping her feet in the river, Dongbaek immediately recalled Ga-hye's words.
"Don't try to swim across the river for no reason and fall in, and suffer like hell."
Dongbaek quietly emerged from the river. She wasn't trustworthy, but at least during her time with Ga-hye, her words had rarely been wrong. Dongbaek followed the direction of the water flow. Occasionally, when she felt thirsty, she would scoop up a handful of river water to quench her thirst. Yet, Dongbaek's footsteps never stopped following the water's path. Just as she had run toward the river, Dongbaek's pace in search of a ferry never wavered.
At the ferry landing, which I had walked down for a full day, I saw an old man sitting on the bridge with a beard that reached his navel, just as Ga-hye had said.
"Who are you?"
"... Take me to 'Baekryun'."
"'Baekryun'... No one has found her in nearly 120 years. Who are you to be looking for 'Baekryun'?"
"This is the person sent by 'Gahye'."
The old man gazed at Dongbaek for a while, then pushed the boat he had left on the riverbank into the river. "Get in," he said, and Dongbaek cautiously sat down on the boat. The old man began to row, humming an unknown boat song. He continued to row against the current, continuing his song until he reached the other side. Only when he reached land did he cease singing and simply nod at Dongbaek, as if to tell her to get off.
"If you keep going along the dirt road ahead, you'll come across a hunter's cabin. Be careful not to run into the owner."
"...."
"If you go a hundred paces from the hut and turn left, you will come across another cliff."
"...."
"There is a cave beneath the cliff. That is where the 'White Lotus' you seek lives."
Dongbaek gazed blankly across the dirt road. As soon as Dongbaek's feet touched the ground, the old man, as if his work had been done, hummed an unfamiliar boat song and rowed again. Dongbaek resumed walking. The well-maintained dirt road felt warm against her feet.
Watching smoke rise in the distant sky, Dongbaek realized the hut the old man had spoken of was nearby. As she walked along the dirt road, Dongbaek finally remembered Ga-hye's words.
"He likes cute things, so catch a squirrel on the way and give it to him. He'll like it, right?"
"What a bother." Dongbaek clicked her tongue, then dug a small hole in the dirt path where she had been standing, marking her location before running into the mountain. "Squirrel, squirrel. If it's cute, wouldn't other animals be okay too?" Dongbaek, who had never considered wild animals cute in the first place, began searching for squirrels without a second thought.
"Gang-! Gang-!"
"... fox?"
Its luscious orange fur was stained with crimson blood. The fox, seemingly in pain from its trapped paw, struggled to free itself with its good one, but the more it moved, the tighter the trap tightened around it. "Is it still a cub?" Dongbaek pondered, looking at the tiny fox.
"... cute."
A red light flowed from Dongbaek's hand and advanced toward the fox. Listening to the cub's cries, "Kkeke!" Dongbaek absentmindedly broke the trap. The trap was loose. Perhaps someone unskilled in hunting had made it. The broken trap quickly released the cub's paws. The cub, frozen in fear, stared at Dongbaek, its eyes gleaming with terror. Dongbaek grabbed the cub by the scruff of its neck and, without a second thought, turned away from the mountain.
"don't worry."
"...squeak,"
"That guy said he likes cute things, so he wouldn't skin you or anything."
"....“
"... maybe."
Unsure, Dongbaek's voice gradually grew quieter. The fox cub, terrified, simply froze in Dongbaek's grasp. "Well, it's none of my business," Dongbaek thought, and continued walking. The cabin was nearby. A hundred paces from the cabin, to the left. Judging by the sharp wind blowing, there seemed to be a cliff, just as the old man had said. Dongbaek's steps were unhesitating. The lush bushes were no obstacle to her path, and it was not long before she reached the cliff.
Dongbaek, staring at the sharp, sheer cliff, let out a sigh of relief. "Where's the cave?" she asked, cautiously poking her head out from the edge. The sheer cliff, stretching endlessly downward, was shrouded in thick fog, making it impossible to predict its end. "What should I do?" Dongbaek pondered, then gazed for a moment at the fox cub, whose body had stiffened even more upon encountering the precipice. She couldn't leave it behind. If she threw herself off the cliff like she always did, the fox cub might be startled and her heart might stop. That was a problem.
"What a bothersome gift."
A red aura flowed in from afar. Dongbaek's entire body was enveloped in the red aura, resembling her own eyes. She didn't forget to cover the cub's eyes so as not to startle them. The whimpering was jarring. "Just hold on a little longer," Dongbaek muttered, and without hesitation, she stepped forward.
"Gang!"
On the cliff where the red wind had blown, there was not even a trace of anyone having been there.
Baekryeon squinted. A pungent, bloody scent drifted in on the wind. It wasn't human. Perhaps it was some poor wild animal caught in a hunter's trap. Baekryeon couldn't quite hide her pity. Breathing in the bloody scent mingled with the wind, Baekryeon could only pray for the poor creature to find a peaceful death.
"...Are you 'White Lotus'?"
Baekryeon opened her closed eyes at the unexpected visitor. A strange scent emanated from the girl standing at the cave entrance. The smell of blood mixed with the scent suddenly felt familiar, and she turned her gaze to see the fox cub frozen in the girl's arms. Only then did the girl, seemingly aware of what was in her arms, stride briskly before Baekryeon.
"Okay, here's a gift."
"....“
"Gahye said that you like cute things."
Baekryeon, who had unexpectedly found herself holding a cub in her arms, blinked wide-eyed. The girl in front of her finally looked at Baekryeon, her expression filled with relief, as if she'd finally gotten rid of that annoying burden. Ah, Ga-hye. It had been a long time since she'd heard her friend's name.
"Are you the person sent by Ga-hye?"
"...not a person. She's the third witch."
"iced coffee,"
"And to be precise, I asked you to meet me."
"Anyway, then you must be 'Dongbaek'."
Watching the girl's delicate brow furrow slightly, Baekryeon couldn't help but wonder if she'd made a mistake. The girl, who hadn't responded to Baekryeon's words, suddenly muttered something about changing her name, then opened her mouth again.
"I came to learn how to make a 'witch's tomb.'"
"Ah, if that's the case, I'd be happy to teach you. But it'll take a long time."
"Well, it doesn't matter."
"Yes. As you know, my name is Baekryeon. I am the first witch. May I call you 'Dongbaek'?"
The girl remained silent again. She frowned slightly, as if pondering something, and then suddenly reached out to Baekryeon.
"no,"
"....“
"Please call me Hongwol."
Baekryeon smiled and took his hand.
Yes, Hongwol.
-From the story of the storyteller, the witch 'Dongbaek',
"Hongwol,"
Hongwol turned his head at the soft voice. Jeongguk, who had been blankly gazing at the moonlight-drenched hair swaying beautifully, had to blink as the image of his master came back to him vaguely. Perhaps it was because they were both witches, but they exuded such a similar aura. Hongwol tilted her head as if asking what was going on. Only then, with a start, Jeongguk came to his senses, cleared his throat, and spoke.
"...Jimin has departed from Gyeongguk. He will arrive soon."
"... Okay, then."
"...."
"What did I ask you to do before?"
"...."
"I couldn't do it."
"... sorry."
Jeongguk's hand trembled slightly. Hongwol, not missing the movement, smiled brightly. "Well, I didn't expect that," he said, causing Jeongguk to shiver.
"If you don't do it, I will eventually do it."
"...."
"If I gouge out the prince's eyes with my own hands, will that relieve your guilt?"
"...."
"Rather, wouldn't you regret it?"
Hongwol asked. Jeongguk didn't respond. He simply shut his large eyes tightly. The price he had to pay for the tiger flower fruit, for the happiness of the crown prince, for his lord, for his freedom, was too much for Jeongguk to bear. The woman before me hadn't even blinked when she ordered me, the crown prince's bodyguard, to gouge out his eyes. If she were to lay a hand on the crown prince herself, it was clear as day what would happen. Indeed, it would be a hundred times better for Jeongguk, for me, to do it myself, even if it meant losing Taehyung's trust.
Yet, Jeongguk hesitated again. Just like the day he'd successfully fed Hongwol the poison brewed in his own blood, and upon hearing that the witch had fallen, he'd shouted to Taehyung that they needed to run away from here, Jeongguk was once again contemplating running away. Run away, yes. As long as he didn't fall into the witch's hands, that was all that mattered. Jeongguk, who already knew everything about the tombstone, knew how useless Taehyung was to Hongwol. So, if he stalled for just a little longer and then ran away—
"...Please give me a little more time."
"Well, okay. But still, bring it to me until Jimin gets back."
"...."
“Otherwise, the prince you are so fond of might get seriously hurt.”
"If it gets worse, I'll die," Hongwol muttered. Jeongguk bit his lip. He couldn't run away. Nothing was more important to Jeongguk than Taehyung's life, and if running would threaten Taehyung's life more, Jeongguk would choose to gouge out Taehyung's eyes again and again. The pungent taste of iron lingered in his mouth. Jeongguk gave a curt "yes" in reply.
"You can go out."
Hongwol's eyes narrowed gently. Jeongguk raised his head and met her gaze. Her crimson pupils, like those of his teacher, gleamed as if they might devour him at any moment.
-
Have you all heard the song?
King Tan Boys,,,,I love you,,,
-
and
A new work has been serialized on FanPlus :)
It's a work called IN GAME!
I'm very interested in the new work!
