Chapter 62
Chapter 62
“N-Nari. What made you call Dad?”
‘…Damn it.’
In a café not far from Busan Station, Nari’s father, who looked haggard, sat across from her. Of all places, why did he have to be in Busan?
Nari looked at her father. He was gaunt and worn out. Maybe because she had looked at the framed photo only a few hours earlier and old memories had come back, Nari dropped her gaze and stared only at the fingers fidgeting under the table.
Her mom and dad had gotten along very well. They had dated since middle school, so the albums always had sticker photos from their school days.
She still remembered clearly how she had loved flipping through her mom’s albums when she was little.
Mom had been a fierce, energetic Hunter, and Dad had been a gentle stay-at-home parent. Given the times, there were people who didn’t look kindly on a woman working outside while the man kept house, but the two of them hadn’t cared.
Because they had been that close, after Mom’s death, Dad’s betrayal had hit even harder.
‘…What if Dad has forgotten everything about Mom.’
The thought itself felt unfair. Mago, a group that had nothing to do with them, kept Mom’s trace so vividly, yet how had the man in front of her forgotten her so quickly.
A man who had feelings for Mom had even become her godfather and protected her, and yet Dad, who had been married to Mom, had thrown Nari away like this.
As these thoughts spun, Nari swallowed the surge of irritation. Biting her lip tight, she thought for a long time about how to start and then spoke.
“I came because I have questions about Mom.”
“…Mom?”
“Before Mom died. It seems like she did a lot of things here.”
“…Your mom did have a lot of work here.”
Her father’s eyes narrowed slightly. Nari knew that was his habit when he was angry.
Here, Mom had left a connection with Mago, and in Mago there was someone who had liked Mom. Was that why Dad hated Mago? Following that small change in expression, Nari guessed and then carefully bent the conversation.
“A-And… I hear Mom is, um, born with a… a heavenly mandate? Do you… know what that is?”
At that, her father’s eyes widened. Then he beamed. Seeing him look like the happiest man in the world, Nari lost her next words.
“Nari! You finally feel interested in Mom huh!”
‘…Huh?’
Nari’s brow drew together. They say that a cold prickle is an ancestral red light pressing down on you. Her sharp intuition told her something was off.
“D-Dad…? Do you still remember things about Mom?”
“Of course. It’s your mom, no one else. There’s no way I forgot about her.”
“But you set up a new home right away. You said you wanted to be with that woman…?”
She chose the most careful words she could, afraid her pointed suspicion would show. Dad nodded over and over with a smile.
“That was a smokescreen, since you didn’t believe in your mom. Now that you can believe in her, I can show you.”
“I didn’t believe…? What does that even mean?”
Gooseflesh ran down Nari’s back. Something was wrong. Very wrong. That big expectant grin was a face Dad had never shown, neither when Mom was alive nor after she died. Still smiling, he spoke to Nari again.
“Nari, you know your mother ruled and managed the Three Realms, right?”
“…You mean a Constellation?”
“Right! Did you not know that, daughter?”
He nodded. Mom’s Constellation had not been well known. Even Nari, her daughter, hadn’t known.
Twenty years ago in Korea, revealing a Constellation’s name often led people to discover a countermeasure and harm the Incarnation, so they rarely talked about it. After things stabilized, any mention of Mom had become taboo because of what happened ten years ago.
“Do you really think your mom failed to close the gate ten years ago? No, right? No… Nari, your mom only went to another world for a bit.”
“…Another… world?”
“Yes. Your mother’s heavenly mandate is surely to save the world. But for now, to escape an evil scheme, she hides her presence from the present world!”
“What do you mean, an evil scheme. No, Dad. What are you even saying right now?”
Nari let out her irritation, but Dad didn’t care. He only went on at length.
“She will appear to save us. Then I will see your mother again. To do that, we have to do well. That’s why I had no choice but to borrow travel money from you. Okay?”
Under the table, Nari gripped her pants tight. A chill certainty grew in her. Wasn’t this too cookie-cutter?
This was the classic talk of a religion.
Since Constellations and Incarnations had appeared, many religions had sprung up to venerate Incarnations. Most of them were cults.
Judging by his appearance and how he had been living, she was certain this was not a healthy religion.
And on top of that, the person that religion revered sounded as if…
‘No, no. It can’t be. It has to not be.’
Just as back at the Wargod’s place, just as when she meddled with Kang Ihyun, Nari could never pretend not to know something she knew.
Her long-standing distrust of the world had turned into suspicion, and at every moment she tested whether the person in front of her would harm her. And Nari’s intuition was usually right.
But this time she wanted to ignore it. It was too frightening. Still, she couldn’t. If she let this pass, she would regret it forever.
She had to see with her own eyes what they were doing with Mom. And if they were doing anything insulting to the dead.
[If they do that? says the Lord of Chaos as he looks down at you.]
‘…I don’t know, what do I do…?’
Her heart pounded. It felt like when her panic attacks came. Nari calmed herself as much as she could. Excessive emotion gets in the way of rational judgment.
Smiling, Dad said,
“Let’s go take a look at where Mom is. Mom will be happy too, Nari.”
Nari clutched her pants. Then she spoke in a compliant voice. Maybe fear of what was coming weighed down her shoulders, or maybe she wouldn’t be able to respond if Dad reacted badly to her bristling.
“…Uh, yeah… T-Take me there, Dad.”
At Nari’s words, Dad smiled brightly and stood up.
* * *
With Dad, she rode the subway several times, then a bus, and went underground beneath a crumbling building in a shabby, empty town.
They stopped before a pale green door threaded with round jade. Dad took a key from his pocket. From inside, the clash of small gongs rang with an ominous tune.
“Dad. Where is this?”
Forcing down the bad feeling, Nari looked at the door.
A person’s intuition can be wrong, she told herself, and even as she was half dragged along by Dad, she tried not to think ominous thoughts.
As he unlocked the door, Dad spoke in a trembling voice.
“Nari, this is where Mom is. Your mom is here.”
“…Dad, Mom is—”
She was about to say she was dead, but Nari snapped her mouth shut. Dad was looking down at her with a blade-cold glare. A chill raced up her spine, and she simply followed his lead.
Creak, the door opened. With the barrier gone, the sounds of gongs and other instruments came through vividly.
Inside the small room, Nari saw it. Speakers blaring music like a shamanic rite. A jade-colored coffin placed in front. People bowing before it. A woman counting money.
And a large golden statue of Mom before the coffin.
Terror hit her in an instant, and Nari gripped her father’s arm. Her mind went blank. No thoughts came.
The woman who had been sitting at the desk counting money rose and approached Nari. Nari stared at her in a daze.
It was the woman she had thought Dad had an affair with. With heavy makeup, the woman smirked and held out a hand to Nari.
“Hello, Shin Bitnari. It has been a while. You really do look exactly like your father.”
At the woman’s words, Nari covered her ears. The clamor of gongs felt like it was numbing her reason. Her legs trembled.
She couldn’t think straight. She didn’t even know what situation this was.
To protect itself, her brain instinctively separated reality from herself. Seeing the dazed Nari, Dad smiled and said,
“You’re startled, Nari. But Nari, Mom guards the order of the Three Realms, right? She deserves this treatment. I am only sorry we cannot do more. Mom will surely return. To save us.”
At Dad’s words, the devotees stopped what they were doing and looked at Nari. But the gong sounds did not fade. The heavily made-up woman took Nari by the shoulder.
The moment the hand gripped her shoulder, a violent impulse surged up. Startled by Nari’s expression, the woman flinched and pulled her hand back, then smiled again with feigned ease and pointed ahead.
“Miss Nari. Your mother’s body is inside that coffin. When we gather enough devotees, Lady Kang Hana’s soul will return. Then we will be saved, and you can see your mother again. Would you like to check?”
At those words, dazed Nari walked slowly toward the coffin. The devotees stepped aside and bowed their heads to let her pass.
With trembling hands, she lifted the jade lid. She hadn’t wanted to check, but she had to.
If they had done something strange to Mom, she had to verify it, and then—
Nari recalled how the Lord of Chaos had asked a little earlier, “What will you do?”
‘What should I do, should I kill them?’
Lost in that thought, Nari slid the lid fully aside.
Clack. Nari looked down into the opened coffin. There was a mannequin with long brown curls, wearing hanbok and set with jade-colored eyes, the same height as Mom.
Jade, the color that symbolized Mom, was scattered everywhere around it. With lighting to reflect the glow, they seemed to be trying to create a mystical atmosphere.
To Nari, who had seen Mom’s truly beautiful jade-colored spiritual power, it looked cheap.
‘Nari! Mom will be back!’
Mom’s voice rang in her head. Nari’s mouth opened on its own. Air filled her lungs. Her black eyes burned with fury. Her vocal cords went taut.
She was sure she was screaming right now. In that instant, Nari’s consciousness was cut out.