Magic on the Dead Chapter 102

The group members, one by one, set down their luggage and then sat in a row, hurriedly quenching their parched throats. When Jeffrey, who had taken off his socks and dipped his feet in the valley water, shivered his shoulders as if feeling a jolt and let out a small scream, Miso lightly chided him.

“Jeez, have some manners! What do you expect me to do when you’re dipping your feet right above where I’m drinking water, Jeffrey!”

At the not-so-unpleasant rebuke, Jeffrey chuckled, heheh, as if embarrassed. Oh for goodness sake, she stood up from her spot and, as if for revenge, began splashing water at him.

“Pfft!”

When he was caught off guard by the attack and fell on his butt with a thump, everyone rushed at him as if they had been waiting. An excited Pie also stepped on the fallen Jeffrey’s thigh and climbed on top.

[Ugh! What the. Everyone, glug…! You got a problem with me?!]

[It’s because you’re so filthy.]

“Let’s give our uncle Jeffrey a shower!”

Starting with the water fight disguised as Jeffrey’s shower, sides were naturally formed. When Eden ambushed Byeol from behind as he was excitedly splashing water, Hajin, who was next to him, grabbed the child in his arms and started running around here and there.

The group, which had continued the game joyfully until their clothes and hair were soaked, tiredly lay their bodies on the ground again. It felt like an eternity since they had been able to laugh their hearts out without worrying about the noise. At the freedom they felt for the first time in a while, a pleasant smile did not leave anyone’s lips.

“Ah, if only I had a phone, we could take some pictures together.”

Miso muttered as if in regret. Hajin let out a chuckle at the word ‘phone’, which had become so unfamiliar in that time.

“I know, right. The time when we used phones feels like a past life.”

The sunlight shining through the trees warmed their damp bodies. Chirp chirp—amidst the persistent chirping of the mountain birds, the scent of green foliage was gradually deepening.

After changing into clean clothes and finishing the laundry, the group climbed the stairs again, dangling their wet clothes. Even after about an hour of playing in the water, the surroundings were still bright. Around the time their stomach clocks rumbled, grumble grumble, they could spot a line of colorfully decorated lanterns floating in the air in the distance.

From where the stairs ended, a stone wall path continued all the way to the far end. Fortunately, the gray wall that embraced the temple only showed signs of being worn down by time; there were no other traces of struggle, such as bloodstains.

Hajin, out of habit, checked Pie’s reaction. Pie, who was usually busy baring his teeth and raising his butt high whenever he came to an unfamiliar place, was wagging his tail and smiling brightly today. As he let out a short sigh of relief, Eden tapped his shoulder, tap tap.

When he raised his head, a navy blue handkerchief was swaying before his eyes. It seemed he had washed it in the valley water when he was not looking, as the handkerchief was damp with moisture.

“Do you want to wrap it around your neck even now?”

“What’s the point of covering it up now….”

Despite the timid reproach, Eden shrugged his shoulders without a single sign of embarrassment. That sight was quite irritating, so Hajin had to secretly clench his fist for a while.

“It’s here!”

Miso, who was walking ahead, stopped at the entrance. She pointed theatrically at a large wooden nameplate that read ‘Hwayeonsa Temple Temple Stay’. On both sides of the entrance, two lotus-shaped stone lanterns displayed their majesty.

“Just in case, everyone stay back. I’ll talk to them first.”

Miso waved her hand at the huddled group as if telling them to back away.

“It’s dangerous alone. I’ll be by your side.”

Eden, paying no heed to the warning to step back, approached her. However, as soon as he stepped beside her, pop, Jeffrey suddenly appeared and blocked the space between them.

“Hmm?”

[Get away. I get along better with this one.]

Jeffrey took the spot next to Miso, replacing Eden who had stepped back. He puffed out his chest confidently and grinned at Miso as if to reassure her.

“Jeffrey. I appreciate the thought, but I don’t think it’s going to be that dangerous.”

Miso pointed to the thick wooden door, which was shaped like a floral lattice. Upon closer inspection, a crudely torn and taped warning sign made from a sketchbook was attached to the entrance. It was probably a child in the lower grades of elementary school. The clumsy and crooked handwriting was written with a green crayon.

Are you a person?? Then knock five times!! X No zombies allowed X

Next to the word ‘person’ was a drawing of a tall stick figure, and next to the word ‘zombie’ was an emoticon sticking its tongue out, bleh.

Just then, from beyond the stone wall, the sound of laughter, presumed to be a boy’s, could be heard, giggle giggle. At that bright and clear sound of laughter, an early sense of relief bloomed on the faces of everyone who had been tense.

Only the leader, Eden, did not let his guard down, taking a step back from the entrance and gripping his weapon. Naturally, Hajin, Byeol, and Pie stood in a line behind him.

“Ms. Yoon Miso. Be careful, just in case. As you know from experience, these days, people are scarier than zombies.”

Miso made an okay sign with her thumb and index finger and clenched her fist tightly. Her determined hand knocked on the entrance door five times, thump thump! Not long after, the sound of several pairs of footsteps could be heard running, patter patter patter, on the dirt ground.

“Wow! Someone came!”

Following the bright exclamation, a shushing voice, shh, followed, reining in the child. Miso pressed her ear tightly against the door.

“Who… is it?”

“Was that a knock just….”

“…it can’t possibly be a…bie…”

“We don’t know. Instead of this, go get the monk….”

“It’s been so long….”

As she analyzed the sound of the whispering conversation, the corners of her mouth relaxed into a circle.

“Thank goodness. Hongju bosal-nim is here too.”

As soon as she muttered to herself, the sound of a hinge scraping, creak, was heard. The door opened, leaving only a tiny gap just big enough for a person’s hand to fit through. As she took a step back, a middle-aged woman with her hair tied up tightly peeked her head out.

“Who’s there….”

“Hongju bosal-nim!”

The woman, whose name was suddenly called, was startled and her shoulders flinched. Soon, upon recognizing Miso, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh my, my, who is this?”

The woman, who had been timidly sticking only her face out as if on guard, threw the door wide open as if in welcome once she confirmed the identity.

“I was wondering who the guest was that climbed all the way up this rocky mountain…! My goodness, I’m so glad you’re safe, Miso bosal-nim!”

“Hehe. Have you been well?”

The woman with a warm-hearted impression who greeted Miso happily was a temple kitchen worker who served the monk here at Hwayeonsa Temple. She tightly gripped Miso’s thin hand and was busy letting out exclamations close to being moved, saying, “My goodness, my goodness…. What in the world is going on.”

Miso quickly scanned the inside. A group of about ten people, who seemed to be families, were gathered together in the back. Fortunately, there were no particular weapons in their hands. A relieved Miso gently stroked the back of Hongju bosal-nim’s hand with her thumb and asked.

“Bosal-nim. By any chance, is the head monk here too?”

“Oh, of course. He went to check on the bell tower a while ago… oh, oh, there he comes now!”

She turned around and pointed to a monk in a gray monastic robe approaching in the distance. Facing the monk, Miso politely joined her hands in prayer and bowed her head halfway toward him.

The elderly-looking monk with eyebrows as thick as charcoal recognized Miso at once and his eyes widened as if in surprise.

“Well, isn’t this Yoon Miso bosal-nim? The journey must have been difficult, how did you manage to come all the way here….”

“Monk, have you been well?”

Miso, after briefly explaining the circumstances, got straight to the point without further delay. When she politely requested lodging for one night with her hands joined in prayer, Jeffrey, who had been standing there blankly, also hastily gathered his hands over his chest in a flurry and bowed his head with a nod.

Only then did the monk turn his gaze to Jeffrey, standing next to Miso, and the group behind them. The monk’s eyes, as he carefully observed them, were as gentle and affectionate as the warm evening glow. With a smile on his lips, he stepped back as if to let them in.

“As it happens, there are two empty rooms left, so please stay comfortably before you leave.”

At the readily given permission, sighs of relief flowed from the mouths of the tense group members. Hongju bosal-nim, as if she had been waiting, opened the door even wider and asked.

“By the way, where are you all coming from?”

“We’re on our way from Sangwon, walking. We had quite a few ups and downs.”

“Oh my, you really came from far away. The people who came before only came from the next town over, at most.”

During the brief chat, Pie leaped into the temple grounds with a jump. Perhaps because the sight of the child’s hat on his head fluttering in the wind was cute, smiles bloomed on the faces of the people standing in the courtyard all at once.

“Mom, Mom. The hat on that dog’s head!”

“My goodness, that’s so cute…!”

The group, who exchanged greetings with the temple people with an awkward nod, followed the guidance of the head monk and Hongju bosal-nim.

The entrance they came through was the back gate of Hwayeonsa Temple, a door that connected directly to the lodgings for the temple stay. In front of the green courtyard where weeds had grown, stood four tile-roofed houses used as guest rooms for the temple stay. The group, divided by gender, entered their respective empty rooms, unpacked their luggage, and then went outside again.

Miso, following Eden’s advice, handed a set of sturdy hiking socks that she had packed from the outlet to Hongju bosal-nim.

“Bosal-nim. It’s something small, but it’s a token of our gratitude for letting us stay the night. If I give it to the monk, he obviously won’t accept it, so please keep it and use it when you need it.”

“Oh my, what is all this…!”

The surprised Hongju bosal-nim waved her hands in refusal, but at Miso’s insistence, she reluctantly accepted the gift, saying she would use it gratefully.