Hyeol let out a sigh as he rolled on the bed, he couldn't get the face-off he had with his parents off his mind.
"Why can't they let me be? Why do they expect so much from me when I don't want to get involved with anything?" He asked himself as he turned to the other side of his bed, his thick brows furrowed in uneasiness. He thought for a bit before he pulled out his phone and began to scroll through it. He then finally stopped and immediately dialed the number he stopped at. After a bit of ringing, the other receiver picked up the phone.
"Hey Hwan" Hyeol spoke.
"Yes master" Hwan answered over the phone. Hyeol let out a strained sigh,
"I warned you to stop calling me master, didn't I? Anyways, just come down to the house" Hyeol demanded.
"The one in the mortal realm?" Hwan asked. At this point, Hyeol was boiling inside.
"Doesn't he know I'm not in the spirit realm?" Hyeol asked himself as he tried to hold back.
"Yes the one in the mortal realm. Now come here asap" Hyeol ordered before he hung up. In about a minute, Hyeol could hear a mild but strong knock on his door. He stood up from his bed and pulled the door open. Standing in front of him was a slim figure, which was almost his height standing in front of him. His full, well-groomed black hair and grey eyes which stared delightfully back at Hyeol, made Hyeol remember what young office workers he had seen on TV looked like. He chuckled before gesturing to this person to come in, which the visitor gladly did.
"That was fast Hwan" Hyeol commended, to which Hwan turned as let out a childish grin"
"I can't waist anytime to respond to the Lord of Baekja mountain" Hwan responded. Hyeol rolled his eyes, before going to take a seat on the couch located at a corner of the room.
"I am not the Lord of Baekja mountain Hwan" Yeol sighed.
"By the way, have a seat" he said as he gestured to Hwan. Hwan playfully walked over to the couch and sat down, after he had bowed to Hyeol.
"I'm tired of your formalities Hwan, it's annoying. You are my friend but you still find a way to act like I'm above you " Hyeol complained. Hwan smiled shyly, but his demeanor was now quite serious than before.
"You aren't just any fox Hyeol, you are a nine-tailed fox. You are above other foxes like myself who came to this family or actually belong to this family. It is only fitting that you are the Lord of Baekja mountain, that is if you wouldn't be the Lord of seven mountains like your father" Hwan explained. He tried to bow slightly, but he remembered himself and sat up straight.
"What if I don't want any of that? What if I just want to live my life and do my thing my way?" Hyeol asked.
"It's your destiny. You are to be the guardian of the foxes and all spirit beings, you aren't just an ordinary being" Hwan responded.
"What if I don't want it Hwan? All I just want to do is exist and probably explore the mortal world. I don't want to be a part of any deity or whatever that comes with it" Hyeol revealed. Hwan stared at him, his eyes widened, a mixture of both horror and surprise filled his round greyish eyes.
"You don't want to be made a soul collector, do you?" Hwan asked.
"I don't want to be anything" Hyeol answered, as he looked into the distance. "I just want to be me, I just want to be Lee Hyeol". Hwan sighed, a deep one at that.
"That decision is up to the higher gods to decide. But, I know one thing, you have a destiny. Maybe one day, you'll be guided down it's part. But for the meantime, you just be you" Hwan responded, with a smile spread across his face. Hyeol looked at him and slowly began to smile as well. There was something infectious about Hwan's smile.
"I knew you would cheer me up bro. Now, why don't we go explore the whole of Seoul? I'll just book a ride for us" Hyeol said, as excitement rang in his tone.
"Uhhh what's a ride?" Hwan asked, his face didn't do a good job at hiding his confusion. Hyeol chuckled for a bit,
"It's like summoning a spirit to do your bidding. Only that this time, it's a car. And you can tell that car to take you anywhere you want, of course for a few bucks" Hyeol explained. Hwan's face relaxed, as it seemed he understood what was being said.
"Ohhh I get it now. I didn't know one could do that, I just take a taxi after appearing into the mortal world" Hwan said.
"Speaking of worlds, what's going on over there in the spirit world?" Hyeol asked. Hwan chuckled,
"I've got all the latest happenings going on over there stored up in my brain, especially what the Dokkaebi's have been up to all these while" he narrated. Hyeol's eyes widened in excitement.
"Let's commence our trip first, it would be more interesting hearing these stories outdoors". Almost immediately, Hyeol's phone beeped and he picked it up to see what it was.
"Our vehicle is here, let's get going" he said to Hwan. The pair stood up immediately and headed for the door.
The sky was beginning to dim, as stars slowly began to spring up in twos. Bora got up the stairs in slow unsteady steps till she got to the second floor. She walked towards the second door on that floor and knocked on it. She did this for about two times, before he door finally flung open. Her two younger brothers Min-Jun and Si-won ran towards her. She in turn bent over so they could give her a hug.
"Good evening sis" they chorused.
"Good evening my babies, where's mom?" Bora asked.
"She's in the kitchen, she's cooking something" Min-Jun, the elder amongst the two boys answered, as he pointed over to the direction of the kitchen. Bora got in and shut the door before handing her brothers some biscuits. Excited, they ran over to the middle of the living room to devour their goodies while Bora headed over to the kitchen. She could see her mother, chopping some vegetables while some brought boiled violently in the pot. Bora smiled before heading towards her mother.
"Good evening mom" she greeted. Her mother raised her face from the work she had at hand and turned. Immediately she saw Bora, her face lit up.
"Welcome back my baby. Go freshen up and wait for dinner" Bora's mom announced, as she still beamed with smiles. Bora let out a sigh,
"Ma I told you not to stress yourself too much. You sell fish all day, despite your ill health. I can't watch you keep stressing yourself" Bora complained. Her mother's eyes sunk, despite the smile she tried to put up.
"Bora I'm sick not handicapped. I don't want my young daughter shouldering so much responsibilities. You work to support me and help me get my dialysis done every week. The least I could do is to prepare a warm meal for you when you return" Bora's mother responded.
"But….."
"No buts, just go freshen up. I'm making rice and seaweed soup, you wouldn't want to eat it cold" Bora's mother interrupted, and went back to chopping her vegetables. Bora let out a faint smile before nodding slightly.
"Okay mom, I'll come joining you here before you know it" she said, her voice sounding excited. Her mother smiled while still chopping the vegetables, while she left the kitchen into the room she shared with her family.
Dinner was served, and after light hearted jokes and the meals were consumed, the two boys went to bed, and Bora tucked them in to sleep. Bora and her mother lay their sleeping mats in the living room, just next to each other. They chatted about random things, and about people they knew and unforgettable events. As they were both laughing, Bora's mother looked carefully at Bora, and noticed she might be hiding something.
"Baby, are you okay?" Her mother asked. Bora adjusted, letting out a cute smile,
"I'm fine ma. Why do you ask?" Bora asked. Her mother let out a sigh,
"I noticed you haven't talked about your day since our conversation tonight. Besides, your eyes looks tired and sad, I couldn't ignore it" Bora's mother answered. Realizing her cover was blown, Bora heaved a sigh, but it wasn't of relieve.
"Mom, I'm scared. I'm really scared and tired" Bora managed to mutter.
"What's wrong baby? Talk to me" Her mother asked. Her eyes curiously searching through Bora's face.
"School is tough ma. I got to deal with this girl that picks on me from Monday through Friday, I don't have any friends cos people think I'm weird, and now the principal just added to my school workload. Only that this is coming with some form of reward" Bora narrated.
"Okay let's start from the first one" Bora's mother started.
"I know it's pretty difficult for you to deal with school and trying to help out in the family. People don't get that, because you probably aren't out hanging out. But for one I know that it's going to change, I can feel it" her mother explained. Bora's eyes were still sunken, her mother moved closer and took her hand.
"I know you might be asking how things would change in your final year in high school, but I assure you, that's when the magic happens, you'll see. And even if it doesn't happen, I'll advice you to enjoy your life in anyway you can, life is too short to worry about things that come in phases. Besides, I always trust your judgement" Bora's mother continued to encourage. Bora smiled faintly, as her mother squeezed her hand gently.
"Ohh and least I forget, what's this extra workload about?" Bora's mother asked.
"Ohh, well, there is this transfer student I'm tasked with brushing up academically because he just resumed in the middle of the school year. Although I've been promised two hundred dollars every week if I can do a good job, I don't know how to juggle this activity with my part-time job" Bora complained. Her mother on the other hand, sat there wild-eyed.
"Wow, two hundred dollars is a lot, it could go a long way" she muttered.
"But anyways, just try to work out this session in the morning, before school hours. If you can pull this off, then I believe your part-time job wouldn't have to be affected" Bora's mother suggested. Bora nodded her head, as it made sense to her.
"That's very correct ma, I didn't even think much about it. I'll just try seeing the principal early in the morning tomorrow at her house, I would explain the terms to her and know if it's doable" Bora stated.
"That's my girl, I know you can pull this off" her mother encouraged. Bora smiled, this time, it was a smile full of peace.
"I don't know what I would have done without you mom. Whatever it is, please don't ever leave" Bora said, as tears began to gather in her eyelids. Her mother pulled her close, placing her daughter's head on her breast.
"I'm not going anywhere my baby, I'll not leave you for any reason" her mother said softly, as she stroked her daughter's hair slowly.