Daldal: Main story

Chapter 1

Bang-!

The fierce sound echoed through the mountains. The bushes trembled, and birds that had been resting on tree branches, startled by the commotion, spread their wings and soared into the sky.

Eun-oh found himself equally startled. He, who had been crouched so deeply that his lower back protested with stiffness, abruptly straightened his head and traced the swift path of birds flying through the sky.

"What's that?"

A sound both familiar and unfamiliar
echoed-a strong disturbance followed by a subtle resonance, reminiscent of thunder.

"Maybe it's going to rain."

However, the sky above the tall grass was excessively clear, not a single cloud in the winter blue.

Of course, there was thunder on a day like this. Although sometimes. But was that roar from before really the sound of thunder? I wasn't sure. I think it was sharper than that.

My mother used to say that when thunder rumbles, the sky is shedding tears. She likened lightning to the scream of the heavens. If I were to delve into it, the sound i heard earlier seemed more fittingly described as a scream rather than a cry

Eun-oh waited, holding his breath, wondering if he would hear it again. Despite his focused anticipation, the earlier sound remained elusive. Concluding it to be of no significant consequence, Eun-oh resumed his hoeing. After all, amidst the backdrop of winter's short daylight, whether it's thunder or lightning, focusing on digging up herbs took time over being perplexed by an unknown sound.

"All right. I have to diligently wield my hands."

Tap, Tap, Tap-carefully digging into the ground revealed the roots of herbs. As Eun-oh pulled them out with care, a distinct noise interrupted his focused efforts.

"Huh?"

A different kind of sound reached his ears, faint and almost imperceptible. His heightened sensitivity, a residue from the earlier loud noise, allowed him to discern it. Intrigued, he set aside the hoe, reaching down to touch the ground with his palm. Despite its shallowness, he felt continuous vibrations in the earth, prompting a sense of curiosity to unfold.

Eun-oh, realizing the source of the sound, smiled. A muted chuckle.

"Well, well. You've come in."

The murmuring voice resonated with joy. In the cloudy, hazy eyes, a gleam of delight shone. There was every reason for such pleasure.

The sound of hoofbeats served as a signala guest had entered the mountains. It was a welcomed occurrence after a prolonged period, and, to add to the fortune, a mountain traveler on horseback had arrived. With luck, hunger wouldn't be a concern for a while.

Eun-oh quickly gathered the hoe and medicinal herbs into his sack. Then, he stood up, shook off the dust from his clothes, and cleared his throat.

"Yeoul!"

Above the dense thicket, a pair of white ears perked up. Soon, a fox with a pointed snout raised its head, chewing on a mouthful of grass. This white fox was none other than Yeoul. Because it was a fox, it was Yeoul. That was the name Eun-oh roughly gave.

"I'm going. You go home too."

Eun-oh waved his hand in farewell as he approached. Yeoul hopped over, lightly tapping Eun-oh's ankle with its thick tail.

"Want to go together? To our house?"

Thunk! That was the agreement.

This small fox had been following Eun-oh precisely since last winter.