Daldal: Main story

Chapter 132

Suddenly, a hand-sized dagger flew and struck Eun-oh on the back of his head. His head snapped forward, and Eun-oh, unable to immediately straighten it, cautiously glanced at the shaman.

"...Did I make another mistake?"

"I hit you because you made a mistake. Would I have hit you if you drew it correctly?"

The shaman took the talisman Eun-oh was drawing and tore it apart.

"What's hanging on your arm is just a hand, but the real thing is in the footwork. How can there not be a single properly drawn sheet among them when all you have to do is copy it as it is?"

"I've never drawn anything like this before..."

Eun-oh had something to say.

One had to have picked up a brush and drawn something in their life before but he didn't. Moreover, the talisman was supposed to chase away evil spirits, featuring the eyes of Yeomra in the center, surrounded by lines and dots that were characters used in the afterlife. However, even at a glance, it was ridiculously difficult. Saying "draw as you see" might sound easy, but it was far from ordinary difficulty.

"Aigoo. Saving a dying soul against their will is not rewarding at all, just a bunch of trouble. No gain, just stuffing their faces with food, that's all."

"What are you good at anyway?"

"I'm good at gathering herbs and wild vegetables. Also, cleaning well."

"I can do that too, you idiot."

"I'm also good at fishing. I can catch fish with my bare hands."

"I don't eat fish, you idiot."

"Sorry. I'll redraw it."

"Leave it. Watching you do it is enough to make my head burst open. I might die from embarrassment."

"Still, i seem to be improving. If i try about ten more times, it might get close to perfect."

"You rotten rascal! Your mouth keeps running, useless words spewing out. Not long ago, you were pretending not to know how to speak."

Eun-oh opened his eyes a week ago, exactly a month after being discovered by the shaman. Most of the major wounds had healed, and he seemed perfectly fine at a glance, despite a troublesome leg that had been significantly fractured.

However, his behavior was the issue. He spent the entire day staring into space like a corpse with open eyes. No response when spoken to, no eating despite being given food. Not only that, he would suddenly sob while sleeping, kneeling and wetting his palms with tears, begging fervently.

The shaman was convinced he must have hurt his head.

Then, about three days ago, frustrated by
Eun-oh not eating the painstakingly prepared meal, the shaman couldn't hold back and smacked the back of Eun-oh's head, scolding him to eat or leave and die outside. Only then did Eun-oh finally look at the shaman and asked, 'If I eat, can I stay here without going out?' Since then, he started talking frequently, even babbling about trivial things.

"I tell him to eat, and all he says is useless and pathetic nonsense... aigoo"

It was harsh treatment, but in reality, the shaman's actions towards Eun-oh could be considered quite kind. After all, she didn't kick him out and provided three meals a day.

Moreover, she didn't pry into Eun-oh's story, not even asking how he almost drowned in the river.

Of course, the shaman had her reasons. What's the point of digging into someone's life? She settled in this remote valley, leaving the royal palace, simply because she disliked meddling in other people's lives and peering into them.