The Nature of Possession

421 – EP.15 Fog

***

The room was unharmed.

The congressman, who had come running in a hurry, felt Bangja’s pulse and said that he was safe.

He said that he was not only fine but also in good health.

“A person is foaming at the mouth and convulsing, and you say there is nothing wrong with him?”

At my question, the congressman looked embarrassed and pretended to feel my pulse again.

The thought, ‘Nothing will change even if we do it again,’ seemed to be written on the congressman’s face.

But was it because of his status as the son of a former vice minister and current inspector? The congressman checked Bangja again, pretending to feel his pulse and insert a few needles.

In fact, even from my perspective, Bangja’s condition seemed fine.

Unlike the man who was lying on the floor convulsing, he looked calm.

Her breathing was regular, her complexion was good, and she felt like she was just sleeping.

Seeing that he’s snoring, I think calling the doctor was an overreaction.

“Your Majesty is fine.”

“Yeah. It looks like that.”

The congressman repeated what he had said earlier, and I nodded.

There was no point in keeping the congressman any longer.

“Just in case, I’ll prepare some medicine and leave it for you.”

“Thank you.”

As the congressman left the room, Hyangdan followed him.

I looked at Bangja’s face once more.

There had been no change in Bangja’s condition in the meantime, but I was hopeful that something might happen.

If it had been a chronic illness, I would have worried less.

What Bangja said before losing consciousness weighs on my mind.

[Beware of the long-legged people.]

The fact that the Zhang tribe was lurking nearby was something only I knew, so why did Bangja say something like that?

What did Bangja see? There are so many things I want to ask.

As the night deepened, the noise of the day became covered in darkness.

The sound of cicadas and the scent of flowers entered the room.

Hyangdan, who had received the herbal medicine, went around the house and lit candles.

The faint light dimly illuminated the house.

Chunhyang and I spent time sitting next to Bangja.

Actually, I hadn’t decided what to do. I just waited for Bangja to come to her senses.

“Your Majesty is sleeping….”

Chunhyang spoke to me as I quietly watched Bangja’s breathing.

Chunhyang, with a stern face, looked at me and Bangja alternately.

“I’m okay, I took a nap.”

“But you still look tired.”

Chunhyang advised him to go into his room and rest, but he didn’t feel like doing so.

It was because I was worried about Bangja, but there was something I wanted to ask when Bangja woke up.

“master.”

Chunhyang grabbed my hand.

Chunhyang’s faint scent of flowers tickled my nose.

“Chunhyang.”

“You should rest. You don’t know what kind of face you have right now.”

“…….”

Chunhyang pleaded with an expression that looked like she would cry if she was even slightly provoked.

Although she didn’t raise her voice or cry out in sorrow, her pitiful expression touched my sense of guilt.

“Bangja is someone who has always been by my side. I can’t go in and sleep before Bangja regains consciousness.”

I avoided Chunhyang’s gaze.

I didn’t have the confidence to look straight into those worried eyes and be stubborn.

“Then why don’t you go get some fresh air? You’ve been sitting still for two hours already.”

Chunhyang took a step back.

“…I wonder.”

“I think it would be a good idea to sit down on the floor and catch your breath. I’ll prepare some refreshments to cheer you up.”

Since Chunhyang took a step back, it would be right for me to take a step back too.

I got up from my seat, trying to calm my uneasy feelings.

Perhaps because he had been in the same position for a long time, he was screaming all over his body.

When I came out onto the floor, the wind was blowing.

Although spring had come, the nights were somewhere between cool and chilly.

The scent of grass and flowers deepens as night falls.

The croaking of frogs coming from afar disturbed my ears.

I looked up at the sky mechanically and saw the moon.

The moon, hidden by clouds, was not enough to serve as a light source.

Tsutsui, I felt a movement from afar.

I just jumped up and ran out the front door.

“…….”

Was it a mistake, or did he already leave?

There was nothing where the sound had come from.

I felt dizzy and nauseous, as if someone was shaking my senses.

“…master?”

As I was standing blankly outside the door, Hyangdan came walking towards me.

“Uh. What’s going on?”

“The room has awakened.”

***

“Huh? Did I say that?”

Bangja, who had come to his senses, was gulping down cold water.

The water dripping down from under my chin soaked the blanket.

After confirming that Bangja was safe, Chunhyang seemed to have relaxed and went back to her room, saying she would rest, leaving me alone with Bangja.

“Yeah. You don’t remember?”

“Not at all. I just felt like my body was getting cold, and then this happened.”

“hmm….”

“What did I say?”

“Well… if you don’t remember, that’s fine.”

I was careful not to mention the Jang family to someone I didn’t even remember, because it would only make me more anxious.

“The doctor has made some herbal medicine, so drink it and get some rest. For the time being, focus on taking care of yourself.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m totally fine.”

Bangja said the same thing he had heard before.

“A guy like that would collapse while foaming at the mouth? If you tell him to rest, he’ll rest.”

I grabbed the shoulder of the guy who was about to get up from his seat at any moment and put him down.

“I understand. Now that you say so, Master, I think I should get some rest. You don’t look too well either.”

“My face?”

“Yes. It’s the color of dirt. Lady Chunhyang said that it was due to accumulated fatigue… From the looks of it, you look more like a sick person than me.”

It felt strange to be worried about someone who had fallen.

“Okay, okay. Now that I’ve confirmed that you’re okay, I think I should get some rest too.”

“Your Majesty, please get some rest.”

It was fortunate that Bangja was safe, but I couldn’t help but feel empty.

I thought I would definitely be able to get some information from Bangja… I’m very disappointed.

When I returned to my room, Chunhyang was waiting for me, having spread out her bedding.

“Is the room okay?”

I nodded, not even having the strength to answer.

“Well then, you should go to sleep now. It’s getting late.”

As they got under the covers, Chunhyang whispered.

When we turned off the lights, darkness took over the room.

Blinking my heavy eyes, I tried to untangle my tangled thoughts one by one.

But things didn’t go as planned.

“master.”

“huh.”

“Now that you’re feeling better, you should get some rest.”

“…okay.”

“Well… today, I won’t do anything, so take it easy…”

Let’s ignore Chunhyang’s voice that sounds small.

It must have been a day full of events, as my eyes closed quickly as if I had taken a sleeping pill.

I felt myself slowly sinking and surrendered myself to sleep.

***

I opened my eyes to a regular sound.

“Are you feeling sleepy?”

I turned my head to the sides at the monotonous voice.

“…Did you have a dream?”

I rubbed my heavy eyes and looked for the source of the sound.

A man with neatly cut black hair and wearing a women’s suit was looking at me.

In front of her were two large monitors, emitting bright light.

“Ah… I guess I fell asleep.”

As I scratched the back of my head with an awkward smile, Yimina laughed.

“You’ve been working overtime for a few days, so you’re probably tired. But don’t fall asleep. I’m fine, but other people might start talking if they see you.”

Yimina turned her head back to the screen and placed her hands on the keyboard.

Every time her fingers moved, a pleasant typing sound was heard.

Her fingers moved smoothly, as if she were playing the piano.

As I watched my boss concentrating on his work, I also turned my gaze to the blinking monitor.

“What was I looking at?”

Maybe it was because I was still half asleep? This desk felt very unfamiliar.

There must have been some work I was doing, but I can’t remember it.

“Ugh.”

Imina sighed and got up, having seen me clicking the mouse helplessly.

“Mina?”

“Just stay still.”

Yimina stood behind me.

Yimina’s two hands were placed on my shoulders.

“Mina?”

“You’re all very tired. Are you sleeping well?”

Yimina’s small hand stroked my shoulder. It wasn’t cool, but I was so embarrassed that I didn’t know what to do.

“I also do some stretching while working. Lately, I’ve been sitting at my desk like a bookworm.”

“Ah… yes….”

It was like that when I stayed still, and even when I twisted my body, I felt like I was in a strange situation and it wasn’t a very good feeling.

I’m not saying it was bad, but it was more awkward.

Even though we watch movies together and eat together, this kind of skinship is too sudden.

“Mr. Inho.”

“yes yes?”

“It must have been hard, right? You’ve had a hard time.”

“Oh, it’s hard… It’s just something I have to do….”

“Were you lonely without anyone knowing?”

Yimina spoke as if looking into the distance.

“It must have been hard without anyone understanding… Inho… must have been really lonely…”

thank you for your effort.

Imina’s words made my heart ache.