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Maurice gazed at him with hollow eyes.

His body, almost devoid of flesh, moved, and his skeletal face twisted into a smile.

Thus, he looked at Jinseong with an appearance reminiscent of the dead and said,

“So, Jinseong Park, I kindly request the shaman from Japan to share with me a bit of that byproduct.”

To share the byproduct.

That’s what Maurice said.

His words carried a clear conviction.

He was certain that Jinseong and the Shinto priest would conjure something, and amidst that process, the ‘byproduct’ he desired would emerge.

Seeing Maurice like that, Jinseong tilted his head, clueless.

His head turned slightly, and his round, wide-open eyes brimmed with innocent light, as if he knew nothing. His sparkling gaze shone brightly, genuinely looking at Maurice as though he understood nothing.

“What do you mean by ‘byproduct’? What are you talking about?”

The Shinto priest was similarly puzzled.

Having never been a body to begin with, he stood there like a scarecrow, turning his fox mask towards Maurice, standing stiffly without any movement or sound, as if he had stopped even imitating a human.

Jinseong and the priest gazed at Maurice, clearly not understanding his words.

Their expressions were so sincere that most people would easily fall for it.

“I see. So you refuse to respond straightforwardly, huh?”

But Maurice was not so easily deceived by their appearances.

Neither Jinseong’s innocent expression nor the priest’s blank stare could fool him.

For it was evident from the undeniable evidence he possessed.

“The reason I waited for you two here was not merely to test the waters. The divination led me here.”

Maurice took something from his pocket and showed it to the two.

It was completely charred, appearing at times like a hard rock and at others like a pile of charcoal, yet oddly shaped, resembling a melted plastic toy.

“Hmm.”

Jinseong looked at what Maurice had shown with curiosity.

“It’s a bone divination, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I learned it from a gypsy when I was young.”

With a jingle, Maurice clinked his bracelets and rings together and continued his explanation.

“A gypsy once came to our village. Like other gypsies, they were merry but not the kind you’d wish to keep around for long. The male gypsy loved his drink and did nothing while urging his wife and daughter to scurry around. His laziness was depicted as something to be shunned, so the village elders didn’t want to show that man to the children, and the kids were put off by the scent of alcohol and violence he exuded.”

Jingle.

“The female gypsies, while somewhat adorned, radiated the scent of poverty and bore that unique air of crime without any shame. They appeared flamboyant on the surface but were filled with poison, looking amiable yet always ready to break the law at a moment’s notice. In fact, when those women were about to leave the village, they swiped the wallets of those who looked well-off; my instincts on them were spot on.”

Jingle.

“But amidst those gypsies, there was one who caught my interest. It was the old female gypsy.”

Jingle.

“The old gypsy woman seemed rather mysterious. Unlike the male gypsies who reeked of alcohol, her scent was pungently clear yet curiously refreshing, exuding an air of mystique despite her strange appearance. At that time, I might have thought she resembled my grandmother who had returned to the Lord’s embrace in my childhood.”

Jingle.

“So, I approached the old woman and said, ‘You know, in fairy tales, wandering grandmas often wield tremendous magic. Can you do such things too?'”

Maurice paused for a moment, staring into the void as if recalling.

“Perhaps my question pleased the old woman. She truly showed me something akin to magic. To be precise, she showed me ‘magic’ that looked like it. Then she accepted the pocket money I had saved as payment and even shared some spells with me before departing.”

This magic was what the old woman had taught him then.

Maurice gazed at Jinseong as he said this.

His eyes held a significant light.

“I gathered the bones of various animals and threw them into the fire pit, adding appropriate spells and simple rituals, thereby gaining a divination. The blackened bones revealed my future, and those that melted and stuck together indicated the path I was to take. The bones used for divination communicated the answers to me through all five senses, leading me here.”

Maurice finally stopped the jingling of his hand.

He awkwardly clenched one hand to secure his rings and bracelets, bringing the metal to the bones and slowly scraping it.

Tick.

Ting-ting.

The sound of metal rubbing against bone.

The scorched, warped bones made bizarre sounds as they scraped against the metal, dropping ash to the ground while revealing their white flesh.

Ting.

Ting.

The bones were continuously scraped.

With each scratch of metal against bone, a bizarre sound emerged, and with each instance, they revealed more and more white flesh, starting to shine under the moonlight.

And as the shining parts under the moonlight increased, the sound began to grow clearer.

As if a mumbled voice were gradually finding its true form.

Ting-ting-ting.

Ting-ting—

The bones began to speak.

Rubbed by the metal, they were trying to convey words.

As the ash that had sealed their mouths fell, the sound gradually loosened, reflecting the moonlight, finally taking on a shape of sound.

Thus, the bones spoke.

He’s there.

Here lies the man you seek.

Maurice beamed widely.

“Yes. This is my evidence. The divination, the bones are speaking. The man you seek is here. The one who can provide me with the materials is right here.”

He looked at Jinseong and the priest with a fierce gaze, as if telling them not to deny any longer.

“The divination led me here. It guided me to where death is abundant and revealed the person who will bring about that death. The divination states that the person who can provide me with the necessary materials is right before my eyes. So, once again, I request…”

“Hmm…”

“If I might be allowed to conduct my experiments here, then grant me the byproduct. The cost… yes, you likely guessed it. Given how long I’ve rambled about my childhood and introduced you to my magic, it should have been apparent.”

Maurice looked at the two, offering what he could.

Something of value to the shaman.

Perhaps something that would hold even more value to the young and promising shaman, Park Jinseong.

“What I showed you is this divination. I will share with you this fortune-telling taught to me by the gypsy old woman.”

He could not afford to give away divine objects or materials.

They were meant for experimentation.

He also could not treat wealth as a bargaining chip.

For most shamans, wealth did not hold great value.

Therefore, what he could offer was intangible.

Skills and knowledge.

But selling his skills would cost him time that he desperately needed for experimentation.

Thus, the remaining option was to share the magic.

Though simple fortune-telling rather than a full ritual, the price to buy the ‘byproduct’ was far above what it could be worth.

“Oh.”

Jinseong smiled broadly upon hearing Maurice’s proposition.

“How could I refuse something so enticing?”

Maurice’s gamble hit the mark perfectly.

Jinseong accepted the deal with a grin, and the standing priest readily agreed as well.

The agreement satisfied all parties: Jinseong and the priest would provide the ‘byproduct,’ while Maurice would offer ‘fortune-telling.’

“The deal is settled. Mr. Maurice will obtain what he desires.”

“However, that byproduct will not appear on this island.”

What is the byproduct?

Isn’t it an item that arises as a secondary result?

Naturally, to acquire the byproduct, primary actions must be taken to first gain essential results.

And that was not to occur upon this Dokdo.

“Oh. Is that so?”

Maurice responded nonchalantly to the words of Jinseong and the priest.

“It doesn’t matter. If I can obtain quality materials, does it truly matter where they originate? As long as they are of high quality and freshness, that’s enough. Even if they aren’t fresh, it would be fine as long as they are valuable.”

“Is that so?”

Jinseong chuckled, seemingly pleased with Maurice’s words.

“You’ll likely be satisfied. Without a doubt.”

* * *

In France, there exists an expression.

The hour between dog and wolf (l’heure entre chien et loup).

It refers to that brief moment around dawn and dusk when night and day intertwine and mix.

During this time, darkness and light blend together, emitting a bluish glow, making it impossible to distinguish whether what stands before you is a dog or a wolf.

This mysterious hour blurs the lines between familiar and threatening entities, rendering the everyday strangely alien. It can swiftly transport a person from the ordinary to the extraordinary, as anxiety and tension slowly seep in before darkness arrives.

Thus, this blue hour makes people vulnerable.

Without the fullness of night, the tension and vigilance don’t compare, and without the clarity of day, one cannot even clearly discern allies from enemies.

Furthermore, the peculiar light surrounds all, inducing a sense of mystery that lulls people into carelessness and fills their minds with distractions, delaying their responses.

Thus, this hour can be said to be a time that isn’t dangerous yet perilous.

Yet, such a blue hour exists not only for individuals but also for nations.

That very point existing between war and peace.

The moment boundary and hostility, kinship and tranquility intermingle.

This moment is when a nation becomes vulnerable.

Since it cannot be deemed peace, vigilance rises, and focus shifts toward the army.

As it cannot be called war, confusion ensues, maintaining a state of indecision and ambiguity.

Jinseong yearned for just such a moment.

The moment when one cannot distinguish between dog and wolf, where darkness and light strangely mix, making it impossible to guard treasures.

 

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