Boy Monster Chapter 55

The road back to the mansion was crowded with people. The child held tightly onto Eunho’s sleeve. Jae Eunho was also on edge, worried he might lose the child in the street teeming with rickshaws and cars.

Jang Hwonwoo, pressed close to Jae Eunho’s body, said,

“It’s scary because there are so many people….”

No matter how powerful a Poong Hwelju or a first-rank fire Hwelju he was, as a child, he seemed to be frightened by the chaotic street. Eunho gave a hollow laugh. The boy, who had been darting his eyes around in the crowd, suddenly clutched his groin and let go of Eunho’s hand.

“Teacher, I suddenly need to urinate. I’ll ask to use the restroom somewhere in that residential area over there.”

“Let’s go together.”

“No, it’s okay. There aren’t many people over there. I’ll be right back.”

Before Jae Eunho could stop him, the boy plunged into the crowded street. Jae Eunho, who had tried to grab his retreating back as he entered a shopping district alley, stopped in his tracks. He couldn’t find the kid, who had run far into the alley. If he moved from his spot, they might miss each other, so it was better to stay where he was.

“He’s fast. He really is a trained Hwelju.”

Finishing his thought, Jae Eunho waited for the boy in front of a hat shop.

As soon as Jang Hwonwoo entered the alley, he released the hand that had been clutching his crotch and straightened his back. As Jang Hwonwoo spread his hands and slowly moved them, an ox-drawn cart passing by the Cheonggyecheon Bridge began to swerve. The gangsters gathered on the bridge didn’t even realize the cart was rushing toward them.

They were the men from the café who had been coveting Jae Eunho. The more he thought about it, the more disgusted he felt, and he wanted to vent his anger. Jang Hwonwoo hid behind a building where they couldn’t see him and flicked his fingers. The horse, regardless of its own will or the driver’s whip, charged onto the bridge.

Huh…? Huh? By the time the gangsters realized the situation and started to panic, it was already too late. The horse pulling the cart crashed into them.

As the flustered gangsters fell from the high bridge, people gathered in shock. Jang Hwonwoo fiddled with his prayer beads and let out a curse. His eyes, full of contempt, were emotionless and cold.

“Ugly bastards.”

The men who had fallen into the Cheonggyecheon far below let out horrific screams. The horse that had charged at them regained its direction as if nothing had happened.

“Pissing me off….”

After muttering one last phrase, Jang Hwonwoo turned back the way he came. He ran quickly through the alley to find Jae Eunho, who was standing in the same spot where they had parted. Rushing to Jae Eunho, Jang Hwonwoo bent over, hands on his knees, and gasped for breath, saying,

“I heard screams from the Cheonggyecheon Bridge. I got scared and ran back.”

“Screams? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Let’s not go look. We should hurry back to the mansion.”

Jae Eunho glanced at the commotion where people were gathered, then grabbed Jang Hwonwoo’s hand. As he was pulled by Jae Eunho’s hand toward the tram, Jang Hwonwoo’s cheeks were filled with a proud smile.

:･⚜️⊹.️

From around late autumn of that year, the family head began wearing a Western suit even inside the mansion. New Western culture… coffee cups, typewriters, billiard tables… began to enter the Sashimcheon family’s mansion. The heir, Jang Hwonwoo, also never wore traditional Korean clothing in the mansion. Except for when he wore a military uniform to practice swordsmanship or marksmanship, he was always formally dressed in a white shirt and suit trousers.

The Hwelju and Yeonri also began to wear Western suits with the family head’s permission. However, the family head did not permit Eunho to wear a suit. He ordered him to always wear a traditional Korean overcoat, a durumagi or dopo, except when going out.

Even though Jae Eunho’s hair was now short due to the long-past topknot prohibition, he was made to wear a dopo made of translucent fabric. The reason given was that a man’s Western suit could make him forget his duty as a Sa Yeonri.

A Sa Yeonri’s role was to resonate with and control Sa Hwelju through copulation. That was the reason the family head had kept Jae Eunho alive, so even in that year when it became common for the people of the mansion to wear suits, Jae Eunho had to wear a white dopo through which his skin was visible.

The next year, in the summer of 1935, a new organization led by Kim Wonbong, the Korean National Revolutionary Party, was founded in Nanjing. Even in a situation where a sense of powerlessness was rampant, with the land of Joseon completely taken over by Japan, those who sought to reclaim the country secretly gathered their strength. Behind them were the activities of the Sashimcheon family. Even in the darkness of a ruined nation, the activities of the psychics who helped with intelligence, assassination, and escape related to the Government-General continued.

Even after turning eleven, Jang Hwonwoo would occasionally ask Eunho for romance advice.

They went to the Jeil Theater, which reopened on August 24th, and at the family head’s special request, they even observed the film projection process with the projectionist. Jang Hwonwoo, who was very interested in automatic photographs and motion pictures, often pestered Eunho to go to the movie theater, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but be afraid of crowded places.

Watching the kid, who was afraid of streets crowded with cars and rickshaws, return after completing a task with the family head brought many thoughts to mind.

When Hwelju went out on a major task, they usually disguised themselves as assassins. They covered their bodies from head to toe in black clothes. Jang Hwonwoo, dressed in black and holding a sword, did not look out of place despite his young age.

In Gyeongseong, which was being consumed by Japan, the family head was plagued by the anxiety that he might end his life as a soldier of a fallen country. It was clear that the railways laid on this land were a means for transporting war materials. Although they had helped the independence army and righteous armies in countless great deeds, the Japanese colonial policy was cunning and thorough. Independence activists were captured every day, and screams flowed from Seodaemun Prison.

This nation, which had overcome countless crises, was now truly at its end. That winter, the family head made a big decision.

“No matter what, I will awaken Sa Hwelju and drive the Japanese bastards from this land.”

“We still haven’t found the bloodline….”

“Before the Japanese bastards burn it or something, we must secure the folding screen in which Sa Hwelju is sealed.”

While the family head’s attention was elsewhere, Jae Eunho steadily carried out his scheme.

That evening, the next morning and evening, and the day after that… Jae Eunho secretly threw away the pills. Around that time, there were no incidents that required him to resonate with the whole of Gyeongseong, so Jae Eunho was often able to implant negative thoughts in the family head’s mind.

The happiest thing about being able to secretly use his resonance ability was avoiding the copulation sessions. He was able to avoid them by subtly swaying the family head’s thoughts.

「Finding a copulation partner for Jae Eunho is not the priority right now. First, I must focus on finding the master of Sa Hwelju.」

After implanting such a hallucination, the family head really did skip the copulation practice for several months in a row. Jae Eunho couldn’t hide his joy. Seeing his enemy being manipulated by his own ability was an indescribable pleasure.

It really didn’t seem far off now. The thought of getting rid of the family head while he was weak, living a life of freedom, and carrying out the great work of independence made life worth living.

Yes, life was worth living. It really was.

One day, as the winter sun shone down on the frozen air, the family head made Jae Eunho wear a Western suit.

“We have a place to go. Bring your prayer beads and come out.”

The family head ordered an attendant to pack a dopo for Eunho to change into and got into the car first. Jae Eunho, dressed in a suit, got into the car without knowing what was going on. Jang Hwonwoo also quietly followed them with an attendant.

The car, driving through downtown Gyeongseong, stopped somewhere and picked up a manshin shaman. Jae Eunho slowly felt a sense of unease creeping up on him.

Being told to bring his prayer beads and having a manshin accompany them meant that there was a task that required a major hallucinatory ritual, but the family head said nothing.

‘This is a big problem. I’ve been using my resonance ability continuously, so a wide range will be difficult.’

If he had known this, he would have taken the pills properly. The family head was always willful and never gave a kind explanation. Jae Eunho’s chest began to tremble with great anxiety. His mouth went dry from the tension.

The car passed through the bustling downtown area. The place they arrived at was a large restaurant in Namdaemun-tong. The boy was unusually quiet that day and tried to maintain a dignified air. It was the first time the family head had personally dressed Jae Eunho in a suit and brought him to such a place, and the sight of the boy standing there with all traces of childhood erased was also unfamiliar.

After getting out of the car and waiting for the restaurant’s main gate to open, the family head spoke.

“I will meet with Prince Uichin and ask him for the folding screen where Sa Hwelju sleeps. We’ve arranged to meet secretly, so watch what you say.”

“Yes.”

After confirming Eunho’s reply, the family head turned his head to Jang Hwonwoo and explained.

“I changed the location to here because I thought Sontag Hotel would have too many eyes. It’s best to set the meeting place with a code if possible, and to change it at the last minute if you suspect you’re being followed.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Jang Hwonwoo answered with a calm demeanor.

After the passing of Emperor Sunjong, there was no king who could become the master of Sa Hwelju. The family head deeply lamented this fact.

Crown Prince Yeongchin, who had inherited the throne in the chaos of not being able to find a crown prince who could possess the power of Sa Hwelju, had married in Japan and enlisted in the Japanese army. It was too risky for the family head to contact him and propose a national-level undertaking. Although Crown Prince Yeongchin never failed to boost the family’s morale by sending a personal letter to the Sashimcheon mansion whenever he entered the country to pay respects at the royal shrine, that was the extent of their possible interaction.

The nation’s sovereignty had already been handed over to Japan. The history of the Sashimcheon family was also on the verge of being handed over. Now, it was only a matter of time before the divine power bestowed upon this land was taken away.

There is no king in Changdeokgung Palace, and Sa Hwelju is sealed in a folding screen.

There was a reason for the family head’s anxiety and greed.

The sound of a man’s hearty laughter could be heard from inside the restaurant. It was Prince Uichin, whom they were to meet. Jae Eunho’s party passed through the restaurant’s spacious rear garden and headed toward the secluded back. After passing through the garden, a deep bamboo grove appeared.

A short while later, Prince Uichin, heavily intoxicated, came through the rear garden. His tailcoat buttons undone in a mess, he entered the bamboo grove and shouted boisterously.

“It has been a long time, my old glory and friend!”

However, as soon as people’s eyes were gone, Prince Uichin immediately corrected his posture and gaze. His clever and sharp eyes met the family head’s.

“Tell me clearly what kind of war you wish to propose to reclaim the lost imperial family.”

“Yes, I will explain, Your Highness.”

The family head whispered quietly to Jae Eunho.

“Go, change your clothes, and come back prepared for the resonance ritual.”

“…Yes.”

“Hwonwoo, you follow and watch him.”

“Yes.”

The family head sent his son along with Eunho. Eunho entered the restaurant with Jang Hwonwoo. The two were guided into an empty room. His throat was constantly dry. It would be fine as long as they didn’t find out about his deficient resonance ability. What kind of trick did he plan to have Eunho perform in front of Prince Uichin?

As he took off his clothes, Jae Eunho was lost in thought. He became naked amidst worry and tension. After fumbling to change his clothes and even putting on the dopo, Jae Eunho turned around and, with a jolt, remembered the presence of Jang Hwonwoo, whom he had completely forgotten.

“…Were you watching?”

“Ah… Am I not allowed to watch?”

“Since when?”

“From the beginning.”

At the utterly unabashed reply, Jae Eunho was at a loss for words. An outdoor bell under the eaves at the back of the restaurant tinkled in the wind.