Chapter 486
“Om Mani Padme Hum–.”
O jewel within the lotus.
“Om Mani Padme Hum—.”
O jewel within the lotus.
“Om Mani Padme Hum—–.”
Om, jewel within the lotus, hum.
The one blocking the path chanted the mantra.
Beginning with the sacred sound, he spoke of wisdom and compassion, closing with the truth.
Crack.
Thus, he recited the mantra, moving forward carefully, step by step.
He dragged a something along the ground, bringing it from a world shrouded in darkness into the glimmer of light.
As the darkness lifted and shapes appeared.
Chaine could see the form of someone who was merely a silhouette in the gloom.
“Yikes….”
Suddenly, blocking the way of the madman, she thought a hero had emerged.
She imagined a warrior with a sword had come to help, or a citizen overflowing with justice and courage had stepped forward.
But that wasn’t the case.
What reflected in her eyes was….
Another monster.
“Om Mani Padme Hum-.”
Could that be called a person?
Could that thing, resembling a cockroach’s shell stuck to a human body, be called a person?
Could that existence, some parts absorbing the streetlight’s glow while others shined with a polished armor-like sheen, be called a person?
The mask on its face resembled an insect’s jaws, wide open, with teeth looking so gruesome they could make anyone shudder. Moreover, something resembling saliva dripped from its mouth, so by all appearances, it was akin to a monster straight out of a horror movie, not a person.
With each step the man took, shiny black legs emerged, glimmering forward. Sharp ends reminiscent of spider legs left rounded marks on the ground, followed by feet eerily similar to a human’s making imprints. Feet resembling those made of iron plates would befit a knight, moving onward, absorbing the streetlight’s illumination.
One foot left sharp footprints.
The other foot left human-like footprints.
It moved, leaving behind such strange traces as if it were someone with a missing leg shuffling along with a crutch.
“Om Mani Padme Hum-.”
With a ghastly visage, poised to swallow a human head as if a flower were about to bloom, it approached her, drooling.
No.
Not her.
Its gaze was fixed on the madman.
It looked directly at the journalist who introduced himself as Lee Jae-soon.
With a sound like crunching gravel, it moved slowly, glowing eyes like will-o’-the-wisps, approaching the madman.
“Om Mani Padme Hum-.”
Continuously chanting the mantra with its mouth.
Reciting sounds one might hear in a temple endlessly, it advanced.
Its appearance resembled that of an insect heading towards its prey.
An insect revealed in the dark, moving as if drawn by an irresistible urge.
Thus, Chaine could no longer suppress the rising disgust and fear intertwined within her.
But only Chaine found the newly emerged monster revolting.
Facing the monster, Lee Jae-soon was filled not with disgust but ecstatic delight.
“Is that you, elder?”
Lee Jae-soon asked, tilting his head nearly 90 degrees to gaze at the monster.
He looked at the suddenly appeared monster as if seeing a benefactor, smiling as if it brought him joy.
Just that expression resembled running into a high school friend on the street.
The more he looked, the more his guard seemed to drop effortlessly.
Yet the monster, undeterred by Lee Jae-soon’s welcome, kept moving.
“Dear elder, it’s so wonderful to meet you again. Thanks to the method you taught me, I’m doing quite well nowadays. I’ve gained money, fame, and incredible connections. Most people respect me now. It’s all thanks to you, elder.”
Lee Jae-soon began sharing his recent circumstances with the monster, who was slowly approaching him.
“Do you know how much I’ve wanted to see you? This Lee Jae-soon, a thriving elite journalist, has been so busy I can hardly catch my breath, but I’m not one to forget a grace. Even while working in my hectic schedule, thoughts of you continually popped up, and I always thought that if I had the chance, I’d love to treat you to a splendid meal.”
“Of course, it doesn’t just end with a meal. Whenever you need my assistance, I’ve been ready to help with all my might. No matter how busy I am or how overwhelmed with work, I’ve kept a corner of my life to ensure I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to repay your kindness.”
“But the more I thought about it, the more impossible it seemed to see you. You didn’t give me your contact info, I don’t know your face, and I don’t even know your name. All I know about you is your peculiar looks and the title of ‘elder’. So I always wondered, when will I get to meet you? Would I ever run into you by coincidence, or would I live my life burdened by this debt forever?”
“Yet, lo and behold! Isn’t it true that you’ve come to simply lift the heaviness from my heart and appear before me? Isn’t that right? You recognized my sincere desire to treat you, elder, and showed up here! If that’s the case, this elite journalist, Lee Jae-soon, can only say that I’m truly moved!”
Lee Jae-soon spoke without pause.
Like two people exchanging dialogue, he unleashed a long cascade of words without catching his breath.
His speech was laced with joy at merely encountering the monster again.
Yet the monster kept walking, unresponsive to his words.
Walking, and walking.
As it reached a distance of about 2 meters from Lee Jae-soon, the creature finally halted, stopping its drooling chant.
Then, it posed a question to Lee Jae-soon, who was spreading his arms as though in welcome.
“Young one. Have you met the fairy…?”
A sound like metal scraping.
The noise emerging from the monster’s throat was closer to a noise than a voice.
Yet Lee Jae-soon regarded even that voice delightfully, nodding without a hint of hesitation.
“Of course! Thanks to you, I was able to meet her!”
“If so, did you follow the cautions I instructed?”
“Oh, you mean the ones you gave me? I read them thoroughly!”
Lee Jae-soon replied without a moment’s hesitation.
As if he were speaking nothing but the truth.
As if his answer came straight from the heart.
Upon hearing that, the monster inquired further.
“Then, tell me, did you keep the cautions?”
“Ah, it’s still vivid in my mind, elder. I can hardly recall a time I’ve read something with such fervor except when I was preparing for the journalism exam. It’s been ages since I made sure to memorize every word so I wouldn’t forget… Regardless, owing to your kindness in writing them down for me, I was able to remember the rites quite well!”
“Well, that’s a relief. Then young one, did you keep the cautions?”
The monster repetitively asked.
Lee Jae-soon maintained his cheerful demeanor, answering without a hint of discomfort.
Despite the monster repeating the same question, he obliged each time.
Lee Jae-soon looked at the monster and replied.
“It would be foolish not to follow the carefully laid instructions, wouldn’t it?”
The monster gazed at Lee Jae-soon and questioned.
“Indeed, indeed. So you managed to uphold the cautions?”
“Unless I’m an alcoholic, I would’ve adhered to them quite well! Hahahaha.”
Lee Jae-soon laughed.
And the monster, standing opposite him, chuckled as well.
The monster’s mask, akin to an insect’s mouth, moved to create an appearance of a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
“That’s right. But tell me, young man. I have just three more questions.”
“Haha. I’m more than ready. I can answer your questions without any trouble.”
“Well, I appreciate that….”
The monster, still donning that grotesque mask, posed his question again.
“Tell me then, young man, what is your name? The name registered with the authorities….”
“It’s Lee Jae-soon.”
“Then, when you met the fairy, what did you say…?”
“I called it Sundae.”
“Thank you for your answer…. Heh, then I’ll ask my final question.”
With a slight tilt to the insect-like mask, the monster looked across and inquired.
“What is the name you’re hiding?”
To which Lee Jae-soon, wiping the smile off his face, replied.
“It’s a secret.”
