As he grabbed my arm and stepped through the door with me, he spoke quietly.
“After we send the guest off, we should talk about the curse as well.”
Only after we crossed the threshold did it occur to me. I quickly raised both hands politely and pointed toward the tiger, then shook my head just as fast.
“But who exactly is that person? …Ah, you don’t have to tell me. No, actually, please don’t. I don’t need to know.”
I had a rough guess anyway.
Seeing the fox and the tiger in the yard widen their eyes and greet him with both excitement and deep respect was enough.
Listening to my rapid explanation, Lord Bihyeon let out a low laugh.
“Him? One of the Five Directional Deities—the White Tiger. It’s the season between summer and autumn now, so it’s about time for him to start moving.”
“Though even that season is slowly disappearing.”
Murmuring the last part under his breath, Lord Bihyeon crossed the yard and headed toward the pavilion where the White Tiger was resting.
The White Tiger exhaled quietly as if tired, then settled fully onto the ground, its tail swaying gently.
Breathing in the clear air seemed to sharpen its presence little by little. Even so, it still felt strangely weak.
And Lord Bihyeon… you really didn’t have to tell me.
The White Tiger of the Five Directional Deities.
Which meant…
A god…
I squeezed my eyes shut and grabbed Lord Bihyeon’s arm tightly.
I should’ve prepared something better than citron tea. Maybe I should’ve just served everything on the menu…?
“Hm?”
Watching my expression, he laughed softly.
I let out a long sigh and rubbed my eyes.
Lord Bihyeon sat me down beside the White Tiger, then casually walked toward the dining hall without saying a word.
Realizing the faint teasing in his laughter, I shot him a desperate look that clearly said Where are you going?!—but it was already too late.
Left alone together, the atmosphere felt awkward.
And uncomfortable.
Still, I couldn’t exactly show that.
I glanced at the White Tiger, who lay there quietly, its tail flicking lazily.
The calm blue eyes watching me lifted slightly.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, you can go wait in a room.”
“Huh? No—no, it’s fine…”
It was more like this kind of feeling.
The stiff tension you get when you’re suddenly sitting beside some incredibly powerful chairman.
And honestly, being avoided would feel even worse.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly, relaxed my posture, and gave a small smile.
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to sit here, Mr. Tiger?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
Well… beings like you might feel uncomfortable around humans…
I couldn’t bring myself to say that out loud, so I just laughed awkwardly.
Just then, Lord Bihyeon returned from the dining hall carrying a tray with snacks and tea.
When I stood up to take it, the White Tiger gently wrapped its tail around my waist and guided me back down into my seat.
The tail. The tail…
“Guests shouldn’t be serving. It’s disrespectful to the host.”
I see…
His tone was blunt, but it somehow felt considerate.
I nodded with a quiet laugh.
“Okay. I’ll stay put.”
At my answer, the White Tiger’s tail waved slowly in the air.
Now I understood.
That must be its way of showing it felt pleased.
“Baekyeon. Your condition?”
“I’m fine. Being here helps me recover.”
“Go down to the lake later.”
Lord Bihyeon placed the tea and snacks beside us and sat down next to me.
The White Tiger rose slightly and reached for the cup, drinking slowly.
Then it shook its head as if to say it was fine.
For just a brief moment, Lord Bihyeon’s eyes darkened with something that looked like sadness.
But it lasted only an instant.
I stared at them for a second before turning my head away as if I hadn’t noticed.
“I should eat this and get some sleep. Could you lend me a room?”
“Of course.”
Despite being enormous, the White Tiger somehow gave off a fragile feeling.
Like it might disappear at any moment.
Blinking, I watched it for a moment before picking up a honey pastry and nibbling on it.
Ah. Today’s batch turned out really crispy.
“Oh—try one of these. They’re good normally, but today they’re especially good.”
At my suggestion, the White Tiger leaned toward the plate and ate one.
It swallowed the entire pastry in a single bite, then nodded at me.
“You’re right. Today it’s particularly good.”
Its normally stoic eyes seemed to soften, almost smiling.
I smiled back and popped another pastry into my mouth.
Beside us, Lord Bihyeon watched quietly, sipping his tea while gazing up at the sky.
There it was again.
That look.
The one filled with longing.
Was he remembering someone whenever he looked at me like that?
“You’re a kind child. You…”
The White Tiger started to say something, then suddenly pressed its mouth shut and shook its head.
“…No. You’ll understand someday.”
It looked at Lord Bihyeon for a moment, then turned its gaze elsewhere.
After finishing its tea, it climbed down from the pavilion on all fours and followed the fox—who had appeared out of nowhere—toward one of the rooms.
I watched until they disappeared completely inside.
Only then did the tension drain from my body, and I slumped back with a heavy sigh.
Watching me, Lord Bihyeon laughed.
“If I get struck by divine punishment, it’ll be your fault, Lord Bihyeon…”
“I think you should worry about the curse before divine punishment.”
Still chuckling, he tapped the phone in my hand with his finger.
“If something can overpower even my energy, whoever did this must have committed quite a few atrocities.”
“Huh?”
Lord Bihyeon watched me for a moment, then grabbed my arm as I tried to put the phone back in my pocket.
“Normally, when a human worships an evil god, the way both of them grow stronger is through murder.”
Murder…
The word was so heavy I could barely speak.
“It can’t be just any murder. They must imprison a clean, pure soul and kill it through cruel methods. Repeat that enough times, and the human gains power far beyond what they should be able to bear.”
My aunt…
Frowning, I pressed my fingers against my eyes.
Lord Bihyeon gently pulled my arm and took the phone from my hand.
He removed the case and pulled out the paper inside, which had already turned more than halfway black.
Then he burned it in the air.
“I’ll draw a new one. Haru.”
He hummed thoughtfully and called for the fox.
Haru returned from showing the White Tiger to a room, carrying a piece of fine white cloth along with a brush and ink.
Lord Bihyeon glanced at the cloth and nodded.
He spread the large cloth across the ground and began drawing intricate patterns with the brush.
“Lord Bihyeon?”
This was starting to make me nervous.
After finishing the pattern, he wrote unfamiliar characters inside it.
Then he bit his own finger—CRUNCH—drawing blood—and traced over the design again in red.
When he finished, he clapped his hands once.
Clap!
The cloth folded itself in half.
Then again.
And again.
After several folds, it shrank down into a tiny talisman.
I stared blankly before meeting Lord Bihyeon’s eyes.
What kind of terrifying price was he planning to ask for this…?
I had nothing to give. No money. And even my body didn’t seem very healthy anymore…
Perhaps sensing what I was thinking, he laughed.
“Let’s just say it’s payment for all the cookies I’ve eaten so far.”
Even if I brought cookies for the rest of my life, it probably wouldn’t be enough.
A talisman made directly by a god…
My hands trembled as I hesitated to accept it.
Seeing that, Lord Bihyeon took my hand and placed the talisman gently in my palm.
“Isn’t this a bit too much?”
You said giving too much wasn’t good either.
When I asked worriedly, he smiled again.
“If you feel that way, then bring more snacks next time.”
“That part isn’t hard…”
So he really liked what I baked.
Or maybe he was concerned about the nosebleed and the ominous blood earlier.
Either way…
I finally clutched the talisman tightly and slipped it into my pocket, feeling restless.
Now there were two important things inside.
I held the pocket tightly along with the pocket watch inside it, then finally let go with a sigh.
“Now take the medicine and get some sleep. They said they’ll make ginseng chicken soup later.”
“Ginseng chicken soup!”
My eyes sparkled as I looked at him.
Lord Bihyeon smiled with his eyes.
* * *
THUD!
Thud. Thud.
Gah—what, what was that?
I had definitely eaten ginseng chicken soup, then taken a short nap.
Then the mountain spirit came to visit, and we talked for a while…
After dinner I had another short conversation with the White Tiger…
Did I fall asleep again?
Seriously, in someone else’s house—no, a god’s house—why have I been sleeping so much?
This is ridiculous.
Lately I’ve been getting sleepy all the time.
THUD!
Ah. That loud noise had woken me up.
Still half-dazed, I rubbed my eyes.
Then I suddenly snapped awake, threw off the blanket, and rushed out the door.
“Huh? Wow…”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
The White Tiger, the mountain spirit, and everyone who lived in the palace were gathered in the yard.
Firefly-like lights floated through the air, and jewel-colored birds drifted above us.
The palace gates stood wide open.
As if they were the source of the loud noise, enormous figures were gathering around the palace grounds.
There were giant trees unlike the mountain spirit, and animals from the mountain—deer, wild boars, and others—peeking their heads over the wall.
Each of them dropped something from their mouths.
Small fruits.
Flowers.
Fish.
Thud. Thud.
Watching the scene with gentle eyes, Lord Bihyeon noticed me and smiled.
“You’re awake?”
“Happy birthday. I didn’t wake up too late, did I?”
“It just turned midnight.”
Then it was time to give him my gift.
I ran back to the room, grabbed the cake I had brought, and handed it to him.
Beside him, the White Tiger also pulled out the cookies from its inner pocket and offered them.
Lord Bihyeon accepted both personally.
After opening the cake box, he smiled in satisfaction and placed it in the pavilion.
“But what about all of them…?”
“They’ve come from the mountain to celebrate with me.”
The animals that had set down their gifts all bowed their heads toward him.
Their expressions looked bright.
Happy.
Joyful.
Ah… I see.
Everyone in this mountain loves Lord Bihyeon.
“Hey! Hey, human!”
Huh?
While I was smiling at the scene near the gate, a tiny voice came from below.
I looked around.
Then I saw the mouse pounding the ground with its feet.
“Oh! Mr. Mouse!”
“Greetings, Lord Bihyeon. Happy birthday.”
“Thank you, Seodam.”
When I held out my hand, the mouse climbed onto my palm with a small huff.
Then it pulled two beautiful flower-patterned rice cakes from its pocket.
They looked a little big for such a small mouse to carry.
Closing its eyes, the mouse muttered something under its breath before offering them to Lord Bihyeon.
“May everything precious to you—and to this human—find happiness.”
At the mouse’s whispered words, spoken almost like a spell,
Lord Bihyeon laughed softly.