If Silk Flowers Bloom by the Water’s Edge Chapter 28

“You might be sleeping over for more than two days, so pack some extra clothes.”

“I got it, Halmeom.”

“If there’s anything you need, just say so.”

Old Lady Yomyung, while listing the precautions, went around to every room in the dormitory starting from 3 PM, her senses on high alert. Pack clothes, pack underwear, toothbrush, toothpaste…. Even after packing everything she was told to, there were still four hours left until the departure time.

Shinwoo and Yirok stood in front of their respective desks with their bags packed as instructed. There was a premonition that talking back to Old Lady Yomyung would extend the nagging by at least two hours.

Yirok opened his bag and rummaged through his things, pretending to pack. The bag, filled with black socks, a toothbrush set, and a few new items of clothing, looked like it had enough for a good ten days. Old Lady Yomyung, saying she couldn’t trust the boys, was about to do an old-fashioned bag inspection. Fortunately, Shinwoo, who shared the room, defended their privacy with an affable smile. Yirok quietly fastened his bag.

“You won’t be allowed to go out separately, so you have to pack everything you need now. I’ve said this many times, but acting alone is absolutely forbidden, and we will travel exclusively by car. While I go stop by the room next door… right, I forgot to ask that. Are you two going to share a hotel room?”

“No.”

“No.”

The two, who had been tuning out the nagging the entire time, spoke simultaneously, shooting daggers at each other at the same time. Afterwards, they glanced at one another before opening and closing their desk drawers. Guessing something from the ensuing silence, Old Lady Yomyung asked with a displeased expression.

“I see…. Then who is going to share a room with Chaho?”

“That would be me.”

There were four girls, an even number, but only three boys. As if he had been waiting for her to ask, Shinwoo raised his hand like a kindergartener.

“And Yirok. Will you be alright in a room by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then.”

Old Lady Yomyung, who seemed about to say something more, finished with a sigh and closed the door. The meeting time was 8 PM. Yirok, not wanting to stay in the same space as Shinwoo, slung his bag over his shoulder. He turned off the desk lamp and walked straight to the doorknob.

“Yirok, I have something to ask.”

It wasn’t quite spoiling a finished meal, but in a situation where all he had to do was push the door open, Yirok looked back. The detestable Shinwoo was one thing, but Yirok had his own reason for needing to leave early. In response to his look that said, “get to the point,” Shinwoo crossed his legs and laughed, “Haha.”

“Surely you’re not going to be that obvious in front of the young miss, are you?”

“What, exactly, do you mean by ‘obvious’?”

“The fact that you and I hate each other.”

“It’s true that you and I hate each other. To not let it show, you say… Alright.”

“Thanks.”

“However.”

Shinwoo, who had been reaching for the bookshelf as if to relieve his boredom with a book, paused. Yirok didn’t leave and returned the smile he had received.

“Your young miss already knows. That I hate you. That I hate not just you, but everyone here. So I’ll… hmm, I’ll just do as I’ve been doing.”

“What?”

Watching Shinwoo’s lips tremble almost pitifully, Yirok left the room. He didn’t feel any relief from having landed a blow. Walking down the hallway, Yirok’s own lips drooped.

It was a comment that didn’t need a response. He knew what proud, nerdy types like Shinwoo were like, didn’t he? He was becoming increasingly suspicious of himself for taking the bait every time a provocation came his way.

“Excuse me.”

By a stroke of great luck, he caught up to his intended target. Old Lady Yomyung, holding the stair railing and descending at a turtle’s pace, was that target. She was wiping sweat with a handkerchief in the middle of the stairs, and her eyes widened when she saw Yirok with his bag.

“Why? Is there something you need?”

“Could you possibly….”

The moment he heard they would be out for more than two days, he began to worry about the life and death of the sprout. Even in the moment of making the request, Yirok was plagued by contradiction. The only thing that was certain was the premonition that letting that pot dry up and die would be detrimental to his mental state.

“If you could water the flowerpot on the first floor… I was wondering if I could ask you to do that.”

“A flowerpot?”

Old Lady Yomyung, who seemed to be thinking hard, smiled with a look of belated understanding.

“Oh. You mean that new sprout pot on the first floor. Was that yours? I had no idea. Of course. It’s no trouble, so I’ll take good care of it. How much water should I give it?”

“Just once a day with the watering can.”

Having said that much, Yirok bit his lip out of pride. To think he’d developed an attachment to something while infiltrating as a spy. But the plant had too much potential to just let it die. It had just sprouted. Whether it would bloom a flower or bear fruit, it seemed he wouldn’t have any lingering regrets if he could at least see it through to fruition before it died.

Old Lady Yomyung reassured Yirok, saying she would make a firm note of it. In any case, he had achieved his small goal. Listening to her final nag to be on time for the meeting, Yirok stepped out of the dormitory.

Carrying just a single bag made him feel like it was his first day all over again. Yirok had planned to stay in the guest room until the meeting time, just as he’d intended. If things went according to plan.

But today, it seemed the heavens were in a foul mood, as nothing was going according to plan. On the secluded path past the hackberry tree leading to the guest room, Yirok encountered an unexpected person. The other person seemed just as surprised, stopping in their tracks and hopping slightly.

What a sight, the two of them wandering around with luggage bags like twins. Before he could feel any sense of shared misery, the other person hastily fled. But before she disappeared from view completely, Yirok opened his mouth.

“I have a question.”

“……”

“Do you… have a moment?”

From Yirok’s perspective, he had asked very politely, but there was no reply. He had something to ask, even if it meant forcibly stopping her. Jangsi, the girl who was being ostracized among Nanjubeol’s Haenangs. The one who had returned Sarira’s letter was, by all appearances, highly likely to be a Haenang. Even if it was highly likely, the suspicion was only around 10 percent. But with no one else to suspect right now, it was necessary to have a word with her.

“I-It’s better for you not to get involved with me.”

Unlike her gloomy appearance with bangs covering her eyes, her voice was like that of an ordinary girl. Yirok ignored her words and sat on the stoop of a rented room, the purpose of which he didn’t even know.

“Don’t be scared. It’s just one outcast wanting to have a few words with another.”

Placing his light bag beside him, Yirok gave a nod. It was a gesture to come over, but Jangsi didn’t budge. Seeing her take a step back instead, Yirok rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t want to say anything harsh to a kid who looked like she could be knocked over by a fan’s breeze. If absolutely necessary, he was prepared to use a little force.

“I’m the one avoiding them. I’m not being ostracized.”

Jangsi mumbled in a mousy voice. When he tilted his head because it was hard to hear, Jangsi put strength into her voice.

“When I was little… I touched the wrong thing and a malevolent Yogwi possessed me. It was such a vicious one that it didn’t want to leave me. We managed to get it out somehow, but, um, a part of it is still left, mixed with my soul.”

“And so?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I, uh, have a malevolent Yogwi dwelling in my body. It’s not something I can control, so it’s better for you to stay far away.”

“I just want to have a few words… does it matter if your soul is mixed or kneaded with something?”

“Uh…?”

“Sit.”

Seeing how she carried herself, he figured she had a story. But what he wanted to hear wasn’t someone’s unfortunate past. Listening to a sad story he couldn’t solve and saying it would be okay someday was something only the kind of person Yirok detested most would do.

“I said, sit.”

When Yirok casually took off his sneakers, Jangsi writhed with even more awkwardness. Just then, Jangsi, who had been hesitating whether to go or not, let out a short scream, “Ah,” and bowed her head. The sudden performance left Yirok speechless. It felt like watching a video on 2x speed and then suddenly hitting the pause button.

[Hey.]

A weightiness was added to the voice of the formerly timid-looking Jangsi. And the voice was not the main problem. Not compared to her arm starting to bend behind her shoulder, and her back beginning to swell like a hunchback. Her neck turned a full circle to face Yirok’s direction. Her bangs were pushed aside, and the eyes revealed, to put it nicely, had no whites. To put it badly, they were nothing but black pupils without any whites.

[To think someone carrying a dead soul on their back is looking down on someone else. Who do you think you’re looking down on?]

The words didn’t enter through his ears but crashed in from all directions like a storm. It was the typical speech of a Yogwi. Small, wriggling granules under the skin moved, pulling up the corners of Jangsi’s mouth. The place where they rose was left with a mark like a stitched scar.

[Don’t take an interest in us. You filthy outsider.]

After finishing its one-word warning, the area occupied by the whites of her eyes increased. A bone-crushing sound was heard as her hunchback-like spine returned to normal. A filthy outsider. It was almost a welcome sound to hear after such a long time.

As sunlight cut through the dark clouds, Jangsi’s hair, which had been standing up as if from static electricity, settled down. Snapping back to her senses, Jangsi turned pale and bit her thumb.

“I, I did something weird again, didn’t I? Right?”

He hadn’t felt much when he only heard about it. But living with a crazy Yogwi in one body did seem exhausting. Himself, bound to Sarira, or Jangsi, bound to a formless evil spirit. Feeling a sense of human compassion, Yirok didn’t want to press the bewildered Jangsi.

There are people who live in pain because of things that were not their choice. Picking up his bag and standing up, he decided to postpone the interrogation. Before leaving, after slipping on his sneakers, Yirok turned back and said softly.

“This here.”

“……”

“Your bangs.”

As Yirok stopped, Jangsi slowly lifted her head. Her face was the very model of an intimidated person. Yirok brought his hand in front of his forehead and waved it.

“Move them. Your impression is much better when your eyes are visible.”

Although they were black eyeballs, her facial features themselves were ordinary. As if the sincere advice had reached her, Jangsi stared blankly with her mouth open. Feeling his motivation somehow drained, Yirok moved forward without hesitation.

One who carries a dead soul on their back, a filthy outsider. Words he had heard countless times when he was with the Bansi family. Which meant the possibility of Jangsi being an insider had increased.

To about 20 percent.