ANTITOXIN Chapter 1

Clang-clang…

The sound of bells is heard.

It begins.

Once again.

Boom, boom, boom, boom. The beat of a drum echoes.

Clang, clang, clang, clang. A metallic clang joins in.

The rhythm created by the two traditional instruments, the drum and the small gong, battered the surroundings like thunder. The momentum of the seamless rhythm grew fiercer by the moment, as if intending to destroy everything.

Soon, a flat, monotonic voice blended into the thunderous rhythm.

Are you coming, are you coming, is the deity coming? By the sexagenary cycle, on the first day of the seventh month of the Year of the Earth Dog, in the Sahā World, Residing in Jambudvīpa, Haedong, the East, the Republic of Korea, Kim, born in the Year of the Water Snake, having passed away before the deity, And Kim, born in the Year of the Metal Dragon, inheriting the lineage, Descend upon this earth and accept this devotion.

The identity of what was chanted like a melody to the rhythm was a prayer, meant for a summoning.

Following that, a woman dressed in multi-colored shamanic robes stepped into the center of the yard, holding divine knives in both hands, and began to dance. It was a dance movement devoid of form or tempo, where only spiritual excitement existed.

Savor with a cup of liquor, agree with two cups of liquor, bow with three cups of liquor, The life and blessings unlived and unreceived, pass them down to the descendants’ house, and promptly descend upon this body today with devotion.

As if responding to the prayer, the wind grows bleak.

Bound tightly to the guardian deity tree, looking at the shaman, the terror in the boy’s eyes only deepened. The thick leaves overhead shook along the wind, making a rustling sound. It sounded exactly like a bizarre laugh. It was likely not an illusion.

Wearing a rotten skirt, holding rotten wrists together, one after another in succession, as you descend today, Make the path of incense a lucky omen, and descend to this training ground through the pure water of the Dragon Spring.

“Stop it! Please, just stop!”

Unable to bear it any longer, the boy screamed. Wanting to block his ears, wanting to run away, he struggled frantically.

However, it was a meaningless resistance. His scream was buried under the thunderous rhythm, and the ropes binding his limbs did not budge an inch.

We offer our prayers and devotion, yet we do not know the trace of your coming, nor do we know the trace of your leaving, is this not sorrowful, is that not heartbreaking?

At some point, from above the boy’s head, slither— slither— a bizarre noise dropped down. It was a sound as if something was moving along the tree.

The boy’s eyes, intuitively realizing what it was, were now completely stained with terror.

Slither— slither— the sound gradually draws closer.

He squeezed his eyes shut. He did not want to see. But ignoring and turning away was not permitted. Regardless of his will, his eyes snapped open again and his head was lifted. Thus, in the end, he saw it.

That thing which crawled down from the dense thicket and revealed itself.

While prostrate, using its numerous arms and legs to grip the tree trunk, the black silhouette crawling toward him.

The entity that people praise as a deity.

But in reality, nothing different from a hungry ghost that feeds on death and pain.

The subject of the stubborn and vicious curse engraved into his bloodline.

Summoning the deity to resolve the resentment, the head of the household and the housewife become one body to eradicate all impurities, Setting out fine rice wine, fresh fruits, alcohol, and meat offerings in the five directions, and inviting all the ancestors with internal and external devotion, Accept this devotion and fulfill the inner wishes and small desires of these descendants.

The shaman’s dance movements become even more bizarre, and the prayer, having passed its climax, rushes toward the end. Even during this, it crawled to establish its domain in the body of the offering. It kept approaching, on and on.

Before long, having drawn close enough for its shape to be distinguished, it opens its eyes. Blood-red eyes, like a lump of raw flesh, were revealed. Subsequently, dozens of eyes erupted like a rash over its pitch-black body. The sight of the eyeballs, each different in shape and size, rolling around, around, was dreadfully bizarre.

Have you come, have you come, has the deity come? Accept it, accept it, accept this devotion. Bestow, bestow, with miraculous heavenly blessings, Bestow smooth sailing in all matters and wealth and honor upon this earth.

In an instant, all the eyes stared straight at the boy.

Heh, it smiled.

Looking at the boy with a face sewn together from the torn skin of his dead grandmother, it smiled chillingly.

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe!

Tearing its mouth all the way to its ears, it laughed fitfully as if driven mad with joy.

Drip…

Tears fell from the boy’s wide-open eyes.

It stretched out a pitch-black arm.

And so, the moment it finally touched,

Caught you!

Bang!

…Bang, bang, bang!

A dull noise batters his consciousness, which was trapped inside the nightmare. Seolwon’s closed eyelids began to twitch. However, they did not open easily. It was because they were too heavy.

Bang, bang, bang! Bang-bang-bang-bang!

The noise, which had stopped for a moment before starting again, was fiercer than just before. Soon after, a familiar voice joined in.

“Hey, Seolwon! Are you alive?”

His consciousness was still losing its bearings, wandering without returning to its proper place. Nevertheless, the worry contained in the voice was clearly felt. To tell him that he was okay, that he was still alive, Seolwon opened his mouth to answer.

“Ugh…”

Regrettably, what squeezed out of his throat was nothing but rough breathing and a faint groan. It was likely due to the residual effects of the medicine remaining in his body.

Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!

The knocking, which bordered on violence, continued. It seemed it wouldn’t stop until there was a reaction. Since it was a building with poor soundproofing, it was obvious that neighbors would complain if this kept up. He had to snap out of it somehow.

Fortunately, his consciousness gradually found its place. His eyelids, which had been stuck together as if glued at the seams, also parted little by little.

Only when his familiar ceiling entered his blurry vision did Seolwon roll his body to the side. Then, he crawled on all fours toward the front door.

“Seolwon! Han Seolwon!”

The calling continued persistently. But…

“Ah, shit! That’s horribly loud! Let’s cut it out, will you, just a little!”

Suddenly, another voice cut in. Sure enough, the next-door neighbor couldn’t take it anymore and was complaining.

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry. But it’s an urgent situation right now. Excuse me for a moment. Seolwon! Hey, brat!”

The visitor, paying no heed to the complaint, began to call out to Seolwon loudly again. Thanks to that, Seolwon, whose consciousness became a level clearer, stood up by supporting himself against the wall and walked toward the front door with more speed.

Finally arriving at the front door, Seolwon unlocked it and opened the door. Creeeak, the rusty hinges made a metallic sound resembling a scream. The person who revealed himself through the slowly opening door was, naturally, someone Seolwon knew.

“What, you were alive?”

The man who held a posture as if he had been about to stop knocking on the door, Park Moon-hyuk, widened his eyes as soon as he saw Seolwon.

“…Yes.”

It was as he said. He was alive. He had survived this time too.

Whew. Park Moon-hyuk let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness. Since there was no response for so long, I thought something had gone wrong with you for real this time.”

“I just came to my senses.”

He didn’t know exactly how long he had been unconscious, but judging by how considerably stiff his eyelids felt, it seemed quite a bit of time had passed. Seolwon rubbed the corners of his eyes thoroughly with his fingers, then leaned his upper body further out. Then, he apologized toward the neighbor who had been glaring with wide eyes until now.

“I’m sorry.”

At the meek apology, the man next door went tsk, clicked his tongue, and muttered so he could hear.

“Oh, fuck. Every single time, it’s a fucking circus, a circus. I need to move out quickly or something, really!”

It seemed his irritation wasn’t fully dissolved by the apology alone. Fortunately, the complaining stopped there. The man didn’t add any more words and went inside his home. Slam! Even the sound made by the closing door was full of petulance.