The green man frowned deeply. His sharp eyes narrowed as he stared down at her small, trembling form. 'Is this what I get for saving a human child from the Oenunbaki's pit?' he thought bitterly, lips curling into a quiet scoff.
Eum Muak didn't know what to make of his expression until she caught a glimpse of his thoughts. Despite being trapped in a weak, six year old girl size body, she didn't lose her mind reading ability.
It wasn't that he was a cruel monster. Far from it. He had seen her fall into that endless dark pit, had risked who-knows-what to pull her out, and had somehow linked her to that glowing spirit essence—something so divine, so rare, that no ordinary creature in the Goemul Realm could possess it.
The green man's voice pulled her back to reality. "You won't tell me your name?"
His tone was softer this time, almost curious.
Eum Muak's throat felt dry, but without thinking, she answered timidly, "Nari…"
The word slipped out in a small, shaky voice, lacking confidence and weight. The green man's frown deepened. 'Is there something wrong with the little girl's brain?' he wondered, crossing his arms.
But Eum Muak's heart pounded wildly. Had she… just lied for the first time?
And hey… did this handsome, strange creature think she was crazy?
Before she could spiral further, the green man held out a delicate object, a hairpin, glinting faintly in the fake sunlight.
"Do you remember this?" he asked quietly.
Her breath hitched. The pin… It was Yang's Pin. The very one she had seen stuck into the eye of the giant monster before she had fallen.
She wanted to shout, to leap with joy, to say yes! Yes, this is Yang's pin! But her face remained calm and unreadable. Slowly, she stretched out her tiny hand and took it.
The moment her fingers touched the pin, a rush of thoughts flooded her mind. It was like a bridge that was still connected to Yang Noori no matter where he was. The heavens must have blessed it with unbreakable magic because she could suddenly hear his thoughts from wherever he was just by touching the pin.
"Eum Muak should be dead by now. I'm sick of dealing with her. I wish those monsters would shred her body to bits already. But the damn timing is always wrong. She dies just when my bad side kicks in. Then who else can I blame?"
The words crushed her. Her eyes stung, tears slipping down like raindrops falling silently into a still pond. More thoughts poured in.
"Of course, I blame her for every bad side I manifested. That's why I followed her to every academy she attended, against my own wishes. When those vegetables turned into beast meat, it was because of me. My bad side took over like a wolf in heat—there's no stopping it. Only ten percent of the time I'm evil, but she… she should always be evil. Even when I tell her to be good, she isn't supposed to obey. Hmph!"
Eum Muak's breath caught. She could barely hold back a sob.
She was supposed to not obey? To be bad?
The brother she had looked up to, the one she trusted, thought this way?
Her grip tightened around the pin until her knuckles whitened. She wanted to break it, shatter it into pieces, but her small hands, trapped in this child's fragile body, were powerless. No immortal essence surged from her veins. The spirit essence nurtured her soul, her human soul, but did little to restore her immortal strength.
A cold, bitter resolve settled deep in her chest. Then fine. If he wants her to be evil, she will be.
The green man watched the little girl clutching the pin, her tears flowing like a child gone mad in sorrow. His sharp gaze flicked to the faint bruises he had noticed when he first scanned her body… yes, even with his eyes closed, he had seen the marks.
The tender distress in her eyes pulled at something inside him, and he asked quietly, "Were you beaten by someone? These wounds on your body… your face too?"
Eum Muak lowered her head, biting her trembling lip, but no words came.
The green man had saved her, showed no ill will, as far as she could tell by reading his mind. But still, she would not reveal her past. It was buried deep, a part of a life long gone. The pain was hers alone.
Seeing her silence, the green man stopped pressing.
Gently, he took the hairpin from her small, tight fingers and slipped it into his pocket. 'Is the kid afraid of a green man?' he wondered. 'Hasn't she ever read about a Dokkaebi before in those childish pictorial story books?'
His voice softened, "Don't be afraid. You're safe as long as I am safe too."
Eum Muak raised her big blue eyes. She had just read his mind. He was a Dokkaebi—the trickiest of all monsters. Beautiful, almost divine, but dangerous all the same. There was no reason to trust him blindly. And what was that cryptic promise? Safe as long as I am safe too?
Curiosity pulled her deeper into his thoughts.
'The curse of over 900 years, almost a 1000, burns beneath the goodwill in my heart toward this little human girl. Do good, and face eternal punishment. That was what the eternal will commanded. But look: I saved a little human girl, gave her spirit essence so she doesn't die, helped retrieve her Yang's Pin from the Oenunbaki's eye, even blessed the Oenunbaki with a new eye. Is that not enough to earn the eternal punishment? Unless, I have been redeemed by the little human girl. The little human girl is truly a treasure.'
Eum Muak blinked. She was bamboozled. She was being praised? She, a treasure? Wait, could it all be true?
Before she could ask, a harsh masculine gruff voice echoed down the corridor. Like the owner of the voice was approaching. "You old Dokkaebi! What have you done now?! Did you just do a good deed because you're tired of spending time with this old red dragon and courting eternal death?"
Eum Muak: "....."
Dokkaebi: "!!!!!"