Hwayugi 2

Chapter 7

The group approached the only river near the village. It's not that wide actually, a bit smaller than a river and a bit bigger than a stream.

Son Oh Gong observed the water with Seo Mijin beside him doing the same.

"This is not an ordinary river," both of them said.

They looked at each other, surprised, especially Son Oh Gong. It's not always to have someone see exactly what he sees.

"You're seeing what I'm seeing?" Again, both of them asked at the same time.

This is weird. Son Oh Gong thought.

Seo Mijin gestured that she speak first. "What do you see?"

Stubborn, Son Oh Gong asked back, "No. You tell me first what you see."

Seo Mijin sighed. "There's an another dimension beneath the river. I think it's sort of a dimensional pocket." She looked to Son Oh Gong boredly. "Happy?"

Son Oh Gong shrugged. "It's just rare for me to meet someone who sees what I see."

"Neither do I," Mijin agreed. "We can't enter this dimension without permission. What do we need?"

Son Oh Gong grinned. "Not what but who."

Mawang inserted into their conversation out of nowhere. "Uhm Junghwa, of course."

As the master of pranks and tricks, Son Oh Gong has a plan.
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Uhm Junghwa yawned in boredom. She has finished reminding the villagers for their quarterly offering to her master and was back to manning the village square.

She sees some villagers walking here and there for the event when she heard someone scream, "EVERYONE! ILWOO IS BACK!"

Everyone's eyes bulged including Junghwa's.

This can't be happening.

She knew Ilwoo. He's the son of Jung Nara, one of the village's market vendor. And she was sure Ilwoo was taken almost 5 years ago.

She ran to where the people gathered-- Nara's residence.

The door was closed and locked.

"Nara-ssi! Let us see Ilwoo!"

"Is he alone? Was anyone with him?"

"Nara-ssi! We saw Ilwoo there! Open the door!"

The villagers continue to pester Nara to open the door.

Junghwa pushed the people aside until the door was right in front of her.

The villagers didn't know that she wasn't human. They thought she was an ordinary priestess for the river god but they were wrong. She was a minor demon. With her powers, she unlocked the door from the inside and slammed the door open.

Inside, they saw Jung Nara embracing Ilwoo, her now 10-year-old son.

Junghwa saw that Ilwoo and Nara were shaking.

I have to take care of this mess.

"Everyone, please prepare for the offering," she said. And when someone tried to talk to Ilwoo, she faced them and glared their eyes at them. "NOW!" And with that, they all left.

She turned to the mother and son and smiled menacingly. "Ilwoo-ya," she enterd their house and approached them. "How did you get here?"

Ilwoo's tears started streaming down his cheeks and cried to Nara as he hugged her tighter, as if he knew he was going to be taken away from her again, "Eomma..."