Episode 246: Now, let’s get out of that narrow and stuffy place.
“I want to play more.”
Ma-bul nodded at Geommu-geuk’s words.
“No more.”
Mabul had pinned all his hopes on changing Geommugeuk’s mind.
“Let’s get out of here instead. I don’t want to wander around a place teeming with poisonous insects without the Poison King.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The sword dance and the demon lord went back the way they came.
After the Poison King left, Mabul’s face looked much more relaxed. It seems that Mabul was also uncomfortable with the Poison King.
“thank you.”
“what?”
“You came all the way here to find me, didn’t you?”
“I think you’ve been having a hard time lately.”
“I went swimming and walking for the first time in a while. I feel much better. How are you, Mabul?”
“I liked it too.”
However, Mabul’s mood was not that good. When the Poison King revealed that he supported Geommu-geuk, he became more anxious. Now, there was only one way left. Change the mind of Geommu-geuk, the person involved.
“As the saying goes, ‘a person who has played knows how to play,’ I was planning to have fun with Mabulnim today, but it’s not easy.”
Mabul answered Geommugeuk’s honest words.
“When you’re young, it may seem like everything you do is play, but when you get older, resting is play.”
Mabul stopped for a moment and looked up at the sky.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve rested like this.”
You could tell that Mabul was always a tense person just from the way he looked up at the sky for a moment. It looked like he had come up from the deep sea and was taking a breath. When he was spitting out curses next to his brother, he just seemed like a vicious demon lord… … .
“My father always tells me to take a rest when I’m tired.”
Mabul looked at the sword dance and asked.
“Do I look like I’m having a hard time?”
Then an unexpected answer came out.
“When I see Mabulnim, I think that he must have worked harder than anyone else.”
It wasn’t flattery, it was sincere.
“Thank you for your hard work so far.”
Mabul would consider it flattery, though.
This is what Geommugeuk is trying to preserve these days.
If you have something to say to someone, say it without delay.
Ma-Bul-Do would like someone to truly understand his suffering, and that is how Geommu-Geuk expressed it.
You’ve worked hard, Mabul.
Mabul felt that what was in Geommugeuk’s eyes was sincerity.
Mabul tried hard not to show his emotions, but passion flashed across his eyes.
‘shit!’
How can someone so young look at people with such deep eyes?
Mabul took the first step, and Geommugeuk followed quietly behind him.
The two walked in silence for a while and then stopped for a moment at a place with a nice view.
“Let’s take a short break here before we go.”
“Okay.”
I dipped my feet in the clear stream with the flowing water of the Black Pearl.
“It’s so cool and nice. Lord Mabul, please dip your feet in it too.”
“Aren’t you scared?”
“What is it?”
“Isn’t there all sorts of poisons in Cheondokrim? Do you know what kind of poisons are in that stream?”
“I heard from the Poison King a long time ago. He said that there is no poison in a flowing stream. Come.”
“I’m done.”
“When was the last time you dipped your feet in a stream?”
Mabul couldn’t even remember. When had he dipped his feet in water, other than when he was very young? Surely not even once?
“It’s my wish! Let’s soak it together just once.”
“Is there really nothing to wish for?”
“I’m saying this so I can brag about it later. When I was little, I soaked my feet in the stream with Mabulnim, went for walks, and even bet on finding poisonous plants. I did it all.”
Mabul laughed with a look of bewilderment.
“It’s a place where blood flows and feet are splashed, but sometimes you have to treat yourself like this.”
When the swordsman forcibly dragged him away, he pretended to be helpless and took off his shoes and soaked his feet. His feet were small and shining.
“I’ve done all sorts of things in life.”
It was the same for the Poison King. The Poison King said it was the worst of the worst.
“It’s cool, isn’t it?”
Mabul stared intently at the sword dance.
“Why do you look at me like that?”
“When I see you like this, you don’t seem like a young person.”
“That’s because I grew up watching my father’s face since I was little. You know what kind of person my father is.”
“He is not an easy person.”
My father is a panacea. If it’s hard to explain, I can use the excuse of my father, and people will understand to some extent.
“When was the happiest time in your life, Mabulnim?”
Ma-Bul was lost in thought for a moment at the question of the sword dance.
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When was it?
The past years flowed through Mabul’s mind like a stream in which he had dipped his feet. However, he could not recall any happy memories. There must have been some.
Instead of answering, Mabul asked Geommugeuk a question.
“You?”
“I’ve been there a few times recently. As you know, I’ve been going around a lot. If I had to pick one, it would be when I went hunting with my father.”
Where was the only time he had fun? However, he did not tell Mabul about the incident with the demons.
“What did the leader say when you went hunting?”
“You always laugh at me if I talk, you know that?”
Geommugeuk imitated his father’s laughing face. Mabul nodded.
“Similar.”
“I’ve been through so much that I’m good at imitating now.”
Still, Mabul couldn’t recall the moments when he had enjoyed himself, so Geommugeuk thought of other pleasures.
“It was fun when I left school and pretended to be someone else. Oh, there’s my right-hand man, Inspector Seo. It’s fun when I tease him. You know, there’s someone like that? Someone who accepts everything you tease them about. Not because they’re stupid, but because they have a big heart. Oh, and there’s another one. There’s Ian, the prettiest subordinate in the central plains. Not only is she pretty, she’s smart, and she has a kind heart. Just thinking about her makes me happy. Also… it’s fun when I’m alone and quiet.”
Meanwhile, Mabul couldn’t think of anything.
“What about Mabulnim?”
“I’m done.”
“No matter how happy you were, if you don’t remember it, it just passes by. Isn’t it such a waste? So, even if it’s something trivial, just think about one thing.”
The swordplay was persistent.
“If I were you, I would answer any question, even if it’s annoying.”
It was at that moment that Mabul blurted out.
“cave.”
Mabul recalled his childhood, a long time ago.
“There was a mountain behind my house that I often climbed when I was young. There was a small cave there. I felt good when I was in that cave.”
Mabul’s gaze deepened.
He was small since childhood and was different from other children. He could tolerate being teased and bullied by his friends. However, the fact that even his parents and siblings treated him no differently from others left a deep scar on Mabul’s heart.
The day I first discovered the cave was the day I first got beaten by my younger brother. I was so small that I couldn’t even match his strength against my younger brother who was several years younger. What made me even more angry and resentful than getting beaten was that my older brothers who were watching didn’t stop me.
I wandered the mountains alone, crying.
Then I found the cave. I was able to enter because I was small. The entrance was so narrow that even children had a hard time entering, but Mabul was able to enter. After passing through the narrow entrance, there was a small space inside where the young Mabul could sit. And there was a gap so I could see outside.
Being there made me feel at ease and at ease.
From that day on, it became Mabul’s hideout.
“I remember feeling good when I was in that cave.”
I felt sorry for the sword dance. When I asked about the happy moments, I thought I had to go back to my childhood?
“Could you describe the cave and the surrounding scenery in detail?”
“Why is that?”
“Just like that.”
After Mabul gave a rough explanation, Geommugeuk asked again and again to get the details. Only after he had heard enough to draw a picture did he stop asking questions.
“Why on earth did you ask that?”
“Don’t be surprised.”
Exactly!
The moment Geommugeuk snapped his fingers, the two were standing in front of the cave.
Mabul was startled. It was the cave from his childhood. It was his own sanctuary where he had crawled and hidden from the world.
“Is it an illusion?”
Mabul’s voice trembled. I knew that the martial arts of Geommu-geuk were excellent, but I didn’t know that they could use illusions.
“It’s a martial art called time-space transfer.”
When Geommugeuk answered honestly, Mabul asked in a trembling voice.
“Is this by any chance the martial arts of the leader of the Pungcheon sect?”
“Yes.”
“ah!”
He was once the closest person to the leader of the Pungcheon sect, so he also knew about martial arts.
“I passed this on to you?”
“Yes, the fact that I learned illusionism is known only to one Demon Lord other than the Fengchun Sect Master. It’s a secret that even my father doesn’t know.”
“!”
Mabul was surprised.
“Why are you telling me this secret?”
“I need to tell you so I can bring you to this cave.”
Then Mabul jumped up from his seat and pulled his feet out of the stream.
“Scholar of engineering!”
He was really angry.
“This is what worries me. This emotional state of yours! This spontaneous emotion of yours that tells me, your enemy, these secrets!”
Geommugeuk said, still staring at the stream.
“Why is Mabulnim an enemy?”
“!”
“You will be my Demon Lord, just like the other Demon Lords.”
The gaze of the swordsman slowly turned towards Ma-bul.
Their gazes met in midair. The eye level of the seated Geommugeuk and the standing man was similar.
So Ma-bul could clearly see that Geom-mu-geuk’s gaze was more determined and intense than ever. The playful Geom-mu-geuk disappeared, and there was Geom-mu-geuk who was trying to become the next Cheon-ma.
“Please be my Amazon.”
The moment he heard those words, Mabul’s heart sank. The overwhelming emotions mixed with the feelings of denial of those words.
Geommugeuk continued speaking calmly.
“That’s right. There are some demons that I like more. They are the ones I follow like my parents or masters, and the ones I consider to be my older brothers or friends. Just like the Poison King, he was someone I could bark at like a dog.”
“Yes, but why? Even if we are not enemies as you say, I am the last in line among the demons you cherish. Why did you tell me your secret?”
The gaze of the swordsman turned back to the two feet submerged in the stream.
Visit, visit.
Geommugeuk, who had been kicking his feet like he was splashing water, spoke calmly.
“To be honest, I don’t know. Should I say something cool to Ma-bul-nim like, ‘This is my winning move!’, or is it just a spontaneous feeling like Ma-bul-nim said, or is it my respect for Ma-bul-nim’s loyalty to his brother?”
The footsteps of the sword dance have stopped.
“Or maybe it’s just the cheap, easy-to-kill sentiment my father talked about. I don’t know.”
Mabul said softly.
“Someday, these feelings will lead you to make a big mistake.”
“Then, please stop me then, Ma-Bul-nim.”
“!”
“I am also trying to become that kind of relationship with Mabulnim. Did you ask me to be picky about my work because I cleaned the Poison King’s residence? No, even after I become a Heavenly Demon, I will clean the rooms of the Demon Lords if necessary. I will become that kind of Heavenly Demon. Please stop me from being that emotional Heavenly Demon. You shouldn’t do that, you emotional Heavenly Demon!”
After a moment, Ma-Bul refused.
“I don’t like it.”
He was still single-mindedly loyal to the Grand Duke.
The two were silent for a moment.
Then Mabul suddenly said.
“Please enlarge the cave entrance. Let me go in. Oh, and there was a small gap in front of the cave, so I could see the village below.”
The sword dance changed the cave as Ma-bul said.
The devil crawled inside.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s not that great. It’s so cramped and stuffy that I can’t breathe.”
What was so good about this stuffy cave that I came here every day?
I looked out at the village for a moment. The smoke from the rice being cooked rose in the distance, showing how meticulously the Geommu Theater had been constructed.
After doing this, I would leave the cave and look down the path leading up to here from where the sword dance stands now. With a slight expectation that my mother or brother might come looking for me to eat. Of course, that expectation was never fulfilled even once.
Then one day, instead of going down the mountain, I went down the opposite direction and left my hometown. I haven’t been back to my hometown since.
Mabul looked at Geommugeuk through the narrow gap. Geommugeuk had turned around and was looking down at the village.
“If you think about it, there must have been many happy times. Is it okay to say that these old memories are the best? Like when you first learned martial arts, or the day you became a demon lord. There must have been a day when someone truly acknowledged you as a demon lord. There must have been many happier days that you can’t remember now. How was your day? Wasn’t it fun?”
A golden light radiated from the narrow crevices of the cave.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Still with his back turned, Geommugeuk said:
“I am the one who will be your heavenly horse. So now, come out of that narrow and stuffy place.”
It seemed like he would start with, ‘Hey, you bastard!’, but Mabul left without saying a word. Then he sat down next to Geommugeuk.
The two looked down at the village in the distance for a moment. Then they looked up at the sky and saw a bird flying.
“That bird from back then. You little punk, I don’t envy you at all anymore!”
Mabul thought to himself at the shout of the sword dance. He really should find a way to express himself other than by saying he is crazy.
The sword dance fell backwards.
“I’m going to lie down for a bit.”
A large cloud was passing across the blue sky.
“Look at those clouds. I made them, but aren’t they amazing? Oh, they’re great.”
I’ve been looking up at the sky with Mabul many times recently, and right now is the moment I feel the most relaxed. I feel like the tension in Mabul, which always feels tense, is loosening.
Yeah, that’s good enough. That looseness is good enough.
Geommu-geuk did not do this to become his successor. He also cherished Ma-bul because he was the one who would become his Demon Lord.
I just hope that my feelings are conveyed to him.
It was just then.
Mabuldo also slowly lay back down.
I lay down with my head supported by both arms and looked up at the sky.
Then I closed my eyes.
I recalled the moment when I was young, lying here and looking up at the sky. The feeling of the grass tickling my back, the sound of birds and the stream I heard then. The ants tickling my feet. Those memories came back vividly as they combined with my present senses.
Geommugeuk, who was watching a faint smile forming on Mabul’s lips, closed his eyes with a relaxed mind.
A cool breeze blew and I felt sleepy.
