Chapter 70 (1/2)

“Well, it’s all superstition…”

“But you said your grandmother was a mudang.”

“Apart from that, I don’t really like that kind of shamanism.”

Chandeul looked like he was sick of it, despite having claimed he had certain vibes. Sajun tried to explain it with logic.

“It’s similar to how the son of a fried chicken place family wouldn’t like fried chicken so much.”

“Grandmother Samsin is the deity who protects children. You know, kids don’t get hurt easily even when they fall from high places, until they’re 11. They say it’s all thanks to Grandmother Samsin’s protection. That’s why they give offerings to her until the child turns 11.”

“11…”

Myohan couldn’t recall when he had heard about it. He frowned, but then Jagyeom gave answer to his question. He moaned deeply and said,

“…That’s when I started changing into a rat.”

“Oh.”

Myohan could then remember what Jagyeom had said. He had started changing into a rat around his 11th birthday.

“Oh, right. I didn’t transform even when I was a baby, even if I cried.”

“I was 11? 12? When I first became a snake. My family took a trip to Sapporo, Japan. It snowed back then.”

“I first transformed when I lied about not peeing on my blanket.”

“…Jino, you peed on your blanket when you were 11?”

“Cheong, I really couldn’t help it.”

They all started to talk about it. The cat got up, rubbed its face on Myohan’s back, and left the living room. It went into one of the rooms. Myohan watched its tail as it went away, but then he realized something and looked at Yuja.

“You started as a chick?”

“…Yes.”

Jino’s eyes sparkled when he heard that. He must have been imagining a little chick with yellow fur, as he looked so happy. Of course, Myo Cheong slapped the back of his head and told him to snap out of it.

“Anyway, you’re not a child of Grandmother Samsin. I would have to know the date and time of your birth to find out more, but according to your fate, you should have died as a child.”

Chandeul hesitated as he spoke, but he got to the end of it. Myohan turned to look at O Shin. He had been looking at the back of Myohan’s head. He smiled, just like he always did when he met eyes with Myohan.

“Then what? Myohan’s a ghost?”

Yuja asked halfheartedly, and Chandeul quickly waved his hands, saying he couldn’t be a ghost as he was alive. He moaned and frowned, and then he came up with a different kind of possibility.

“Maybe it wasn’t Grandmother Samsin but another…”

“Another?”

That was the end. Chandeul rubbed on his belly with a troubled look, and then his stomach growled so loudly that everyone could hear it. Next second, Chandeul disappeared.

It was silent. In place of Chandeul there were his clothes and a little piggy. Now I wonder why he’s so small. Myohan thought so.

“Another what? I’m curious.”

“Let it go, pigs can’t talk.”

“Aagh!”

Sinsul pulled his hair, but there was no one to give him the answer. There was only a mini pig looking down in a pile of clothes.

The winter became colder really fast. After roping Chandeul in, the finals were right in front of them. Again, they studied at Myohan’g place. Myohan was able to get even better grades, thanks to Yuja’s teaching, but he folded his test papers without taking a proper look at them. They were full of circles, after all.

‘Even if I give you both the sun and the moon?’

He recalled the voice he had heard in his dream the night before. The sun and the moon were up in the sky. How could anyone give them to someone? O Shin asked, turning to where Myohan was looking.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing.”