If Silk Flowers Bloom by the Water’s Edge Chapter 75

Flashing things announce the beginning of the night of the Naryesik. The stars in the night sky became lighting in their own right, and the bonfire became a game in its own right. The kitchen staff, who had become experts at Jwibulnori, played by lighting the ends of strings, suggesting they add to the excitement. Those who were selected for the Twelve Earthly Deities by drawing straws sat in a circle around the bonfire and waited for their names to be called.

Meanwhile, those wearing the masks of beasts, ghosts, and goblins linked arms and formed a huge procession at the mansion. Originally, it was a matter to be held on the first day of the lunar new year, but this year, the date was brought forward at Chaehwa’s request. Because it is an event to ward off evil spirits, she wished for it to be a bit faster. Although they say the landlord had no choice but to change the date since the invitations had already been printed and sent out, the subordinates did not care what the day was for an event where they play and eat.

As the large procession linked shoulder to shoulder turned into a dance floor, the roles of the janggu and kkwaenggwari became all the more important. The bonfire, splattering sparks at those who were dancing as if possessed, was soaring up to the sky.

Around the time those who toured the mansion and prayed for a smooth year began to gather again, it became the turn of the Twelve Earthly Deities. Chaehwa, who drew this year’s rat, came out swaying her arms gently as if performing a exorcism and circled the bonfire once. Because there was a melody she performed every year, Chaehwa’s dancing skill was excellent.

Her softly curved fingers lightly touched the moon and came out, then fell to the ground. At the moment her hands rose to the sky again, her body spun around. The skirt Yeonrye had made for her to wear to the Naryesik rippled like a wave. Anyone could tell that her mouth corners were turned up, though her face was hidden behind the gray rat mask.

Shinwoo, who wore a cat mask instead of going out for this Twelve Earthly Deities as a way of atoning, pursued that blue skirt with his eyes. Like leaves falling in autumn, like a bird having wings, it was a gaze that followed Chaehwa around like an utterly natural thing.

Because it is natural for a bird to love the first person it sees upon hatching from an egg. However, there must also be people who hate to take responsibility for the one who broke the egg and came out. It is only he for whom spring feels like winter because the love flowing in only one direction is sorrowful.

Is it not an unrequited love that remains unrewarded even if one pours affection until the rivers and mountains change? If only his heart could feel comfortable, if only she couldn’t dance, if only she weren’t beautiful. Shinwoo was in agony because the flower shoes sporting lightly beside the bonfire were lovely just the same as what he saw on the day he hatched from the egg.

“Now, next is the ox’s turn!”

When the goblin mask taking the role of the host shouted, a woman wearing an ox mask stood up. Even though the person dancing changed, Shinwoo’s gaze remained unchanged. His gaze ended up locked wrongly onto Chaehwa, who was sitting down, placing her hand on her chest, and catching her breath. Tearing it away was not a matter that would happen by his own will.

“Shinwoo Haenang, try eating some of this.”

“I’m fine.”

Shinwoo shook his head and refused the rice cakes and sweets colorfully contained on the plate thrust in front of him. Just when the plate that had been shaking right in front of his nose out of disappointment went away and Shinwoo turned his gaze again. Shinwoo, who should be sitting, clapping hard, and playing, stood up abruptly from his seat.

“Shinwoo Haenang, what’s wrong.”

The words worrying about Shinwoo were buried in the boisterous noise. His gaze, which had been persistently scanning the dancing Twelve Earthly Deities, distanced from the ritual hall where the Naryesik was being held. The rat mask vanished and was gone. Shinwoo looked around everywhere the full moon shone, searching for the rat mask that vanished during the brief moment he took his eyes off.

“Shinwoo Haenang? Shinwoo Haenang!”

Those who were distracted by dancing and drinking did not care much about the rat’s absence. Only Shinwoo, who hatched from the egg, left the ritual hall frantically. The full moon hid behind the dark clouds as if it couldn’t bear to watch his unrequited love.

🌹₊ ⊹

Yirok has returned. Chaehwa, who was catching her breath after sitting down upon finishing the rat’s dance, moved her feet at the intuition felt inside her chest. A feeling of her inside opening up clearly like a carbonated drink was moving around the house. She couldn’t sit still at the thought of Yirok, who would enter in the middle of the Naryesik and be wandering. Come to think of it, isn’t it because of her that Yirok entered the Nanjubeol family and sat down? Fundamentally, the person who should naturally take charge of Yirok was Chaehwa herself.

However, Yirok, whom she thought would obviously be at the Haenangs’ dormitory, was distancing toward an unexpected place. Her head pointed to the dormitory, but the intuition in her heart was pointing to her own room. Unless Yirok had gone stark mad, there’s no way he would have unpacked his bags in her room, but because her intuition had never been wrong, Chaehwa turned her steps and went straight to her room.

The beautiful moon and tree branches met on the way made Chaehwa’s steps slow. Since the fireworks lit at the Naryesik were very huge and grand this year, the bad luck must have been washed away. It would have been good if Yirok had entered one step faster and joined the Naryesik. So that the dark piece of heart Yirok possesses could be washed away together.

“Mmm, mmm, mmm…”

The excitement she came with without being able to unleash it at the Naryesik remained in her mouth and became a song without lyrics. The head of Chaehwa, who arrived in front of her room without exerting effort, became busy. The place where Chaehwa’s gaze, which had been searching around for the hidden Yirok, stopped was her open room door. To think that the door Yeonrye must have closed and come out of is open. Chaehwa, excited as if she had found evidence that Yirok had frequented, went up the stairs in one breath.

“Yirok!”

However, even before entering, Chaehwa felt an ominous feeling upon seeing the room turned off in pitch darkness. Looking only with her eyes at the room where no sign of presence was felt, she stealthily pulled her feet out. That Yirok would not be there was something she could tell even without using intuition.

However, if it wasn’t Yirok, what on earth is the reason for the door to open? Just when Chaehwa’s feet, which were coming down the stairs blankly without being able to withdraw her uneasy mind, were about to touch the ground. As soon as her flower shoes crushed the soil, a low voice came flying.

“You said you were sick.”

It was the voice that had tortured her inside with text messages sent sparsely until the beginning of the year after disappearing somewhat suddenly at the end of the year. When meeting is scarce, aren’t you unnecessarily curious even about a person you hate to see? She thought that thinking about Yirok both at night and during the day was because they couldn’t meet.

“Yirok?”

As she looked steadily in the direction where the sound was heard, the human silhouette that had been hiding beneath the shade of the eaves was revealed. The mask she had set aside separately to give to Yirok appeared in front of Chaehwa while catching the moonlight. Releasing the hand that was clutching the hem of her skirt, Chaehwa smiled like a newly blossomed spring. It was a smile that was a relief to be hidden by the rat-shaped mask.

The mask, on which a fox resembling Yirok was drawn, fit perfectly. Chaehwa, who turned her feet urgently and ran, stood in front of him. However, unlike Chaehwa who could not control her body out of joy, he was very static. After uttering the first word, he does not say anything.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? If you arrived, you should have come to the ritual hall quickly.”

Chaehwa, who had now reached a point where she wondered if it was really Yirok, reached out her hand at will and touched his mask.

“You are Yirok, right?”

The joy that Yirok wore the mask she had made while getting her hands dirty for days was short-lived. Yirok, who was only looking blankly, grabbed her wrist without warning. Being obstructed in her movement to take off the mask, Chaehwa was flustered and her body froze.

“You said you were sick.”

Upon hearing the exact same words twice, a text message also popped up in Chaehwa’s head. She had sent a text message saying she was sick to death to Yirok who wasn’t coming. As if knowing Chaehwa whose chest felt a pang of guilt, Yirok trapped a sigh inside the mask.

“Is it a lie?”

“Are you angry?”

“I asked if it’s a lie.”

“…Yes.”

When she felt Yirok trying to turn his back, Chaehwa hurriedly snatched his shoulder. Grabbing the shoulder of Yirok who was trying to shake her off and leave, she pressed him against a nearby wall. The one who lied about being sick was Chaehwa, but the one whose body was hot was Yirok. There was no way for her to know that it was a body that became hot from running around the whole house to search for Chaehwa.

“It’s because I was worried since you didn’t come for so long.”

“I guess you worry with that kind of text message prank. I see. It’s fine, so… move your hand.”

“If you let go of your anger.”

“I’m not angry. Move it.”

“You are angry.”

“I said I’m not…”

While Yirok was caught off guard by being embroiled in a fight like wordplay, Chaehwa’s hand did the background work. She had untied the string hooked on Yirok’s ear and quickly stripped off the mask. At his face that finally came out beneath the moonlight, Chaehwa’s gaze quietly shook.

Red cheeks, red lips, the gaze showing a man who was quite huge could not be more innocent than that. The face hidden behind his harsh speech skill was not angry, just as he said. It was merely eyes that worried for her. Unable to tease him any longer, Chaehwa looked at his face seriously.

“I went to your bedroom… but you weren’t there. There was a mask with my name written on it, so just…”

“Yirok, it’s yours right. I made it to give to you.”

She did not miss Yirok blurring his words as if embarrassed about coming out with the mask. Yirok’s habit of biting his lip whenever emotions rose came out this time too. He, who was unable to move while being pressed by Chaehwa’s slender hand, changed his gaze, whatever mind he had made up. Then he reaches out his hand.

What Yirok touched with his raised hand was her mask. As if to take revenge, Chaehwa’s mask, which he stripped off, fell to the floor. After the sound of a thud was heard, the two people facing each other with bare faces thought of the same thing for once.

It was better when doing it by text, it was better when doing it by phone. The face imagined with sound and the face drawn with text were different from the opponent’s face.

It was lovelier than what was imagined, and it was ripe redder than what was drawn. The gazes that had been engaged as if they were one fell away quickly. Wrapped in the dazzling moonlight, the two people spent a time without words.

That is to say, spring has come.