"You're a fool, a fool! You're a simpleton, a simpleton."
The sleek black snake flicked its tongue and laughed with a hiss,
"Kekeke."
"Where did you come from?"
"Who knows? I've been here from the start! Kekeke."
The black snake slithered down the spirit's body and coiled itself in a spot directly in front of Seonoh, positioning itself in plain view.
"Why am I a fool?"
"Because you can't even open that door. That's why you're a simpleton. Who's the simpleton now! Kekeke!"
"No matter how hard I try, the door won't open. Grandpa put a talisman on it."
"No, no. You've never really tried."
"What do you mean?"
"It means you don't know how to use your strength. Kekeke."
Don't know how to use my strength? Seonoh looked down at his hands.
"What a waste of the mark of hometown. Such a waste. Kekeke."
"Hometown? ...What does that mean?"
"You asked where I came from, but you don't even know where you came from yourself. Goodness. Kekeke. Truly a fool, a fool. Kekeke."
Seonoh couldn't understand what the snake was talking about.
Every time the black snake flicked its tongue, a faint hissing sound escaped from between its teeth.
"Hometown is nothing, and yet it is everything. Kekeke."
"What are you talking about? I don't get it."
"It means hometown is everywhere and nowhere. Kekeke."
The black snake had vivid, blood-red eyes. Its tiny red eyes stared straight at Seonoh. The black snake slithered closer to Seonoh.
"Hometown is hometown. And you carry the mark of hometown."
"...What does that mean?"
"It means hometown cherishes you! Kekeke!"
Seonoh blinked in confusion.
"Think about it. Haven't the stray spirits trembled in fear whenever you got angry? Didn't they avoid coming near you? Kekeke."
"That's true."
"And when you wished for a sunny day, didn't it come true eight out of ten times? Haven't there been moments when your instincts or premonitions were remarkably accurate?"
"Yes."
"That's proof that you carry the mark of hometown. Those marked by hometown possess the power to command. That's why they're called the 'Ruler' or the 'Namer."
"The Ruler... the Namer...."
As Seonoh quietly repeated the words, the snake giggled.
"You really know nothing, do you? Kekeke."
The snake chuckled for a while before making a proposal to Seonoh.
"Can you free me from here?"
"Free you?"
"Yes. If you free me from here, 'll become your servant."
"Servant?"
"It means I'll become your follower."
Seonoh rubbed his eyes and thought for a moment. He didn't know where the snake had come from or what it was, but he didn't mind talking to it. Elder Yoon was often incoherent, so proper conversations were rare, and there was no point in trying with the stray miscellaneous spirits. For Seonoh, who was trapped in a garbage heap, the only person he could call a companion was the social worker who occasionally visited.
But Elder Yoon disliked Seonoh speaking with others, so the social worker couldn't be his conversation partner. After a brief exchange of words, Seonoh was beaten severely and ended up locked in the shrine room like this.
If it was a snake inside this place, it seemed like it might be okay to talk occasionally, avoiding Elder Yoon's attention. Even if he got caught, it wouldn't be a big deal since the snake wasn't a person.
"But I don't know how to free you..."
"Don't worry about that. You can definitely do it. Kekeke."
The snake hissed and explained step by step how to free it from the shrine. Seonoh listened carefully and nodded.
"Okay. 'll do it."
Following the snake's instructions, Seonoh stood in front of the shamanic painting. He rummaged through a drawer and found a suitable blade. After a moment of hesitation, he made up his mind and slowly cut his palm. Blood gushed out from the wound on his hand. Seonoh clenched and unclenched his fist, covering his entire hand in blood, and then reached out toward the shamanic painting, pressing his palm against the snake depicted in the painting like stamping a seal.
"Good. Now, focus on the sensation in your hand. Kekeke."
Seonoh nodded and closed his eyes. Following the snake's advice, he pictured the strokes of a character in his mind. At some point, Seonoh unconsciously moved his lips.
"Break （破）."
As soon as the word left his lips, a mysterious light emanated from beneath his hand, which was pressing against the painting. The candle flame flickered wildly. Seonoh remained motionless for a while. He had done as instructed, but wasn't sure if it had worked.
When he slowly lifted his hand, the snake that had been in the painting had vanished without a trace. As Seonoh looked at his hand in confusion,
"...Huh?"
A tiny black snake slithered under his skin, entering through the wound on his palm. The slender, fine snake coiled itself around Seonoh's wrist.
"Kekeke! As expected! This is a good vessel, very good! I like it!"
The snake embedded in his wrist looked like a tattoo or a thin black bracelet. In awe, Seonoh took a deep breath. He scratched his wrist with his fingernail, and the snake let out a small giggle.
"What are you doing! That tickles, it tickles! Kekeke!"
The snake laughed so hard it nearly gasped for air. Seonoh's lips slowly curled into a smile.
"What's your name? My name is Seonoh... and my grandpa is Yoon Wonjoong."
"Who knows? I don't have a name. Call me whatever you want.
You're my master now. Kekeke."
Seonoh met eyes with the snake coiled around his wrist. The black snake etched into his skin was slightly faded, as if the ink had dried, but its eyes were still vividly red
"Then from now on, you're Sisi."
"Sisi?"
"Because you make that hissing sound when you flick your tongue."
"Alright. From now on, I'm your Sisi."
Sisi immediately filled the emptiness in Seonoh's heart.
***
There were times when Sisi wouldn't respond even when called, and rarely, it would open its eyes even once every few days. According to Sisi, the vessel was so comfortable and nice that it kept making it sleepy.
Sisi was clever enough not to speak in front of Elder Yoon and only talked when he left the house. Sisi answered everything Seonoh asked.
"Do you know how to set up a barrier?"
That day, Seonoh was in a particularly bad mood. After Elder Yoon left, Seonoh was looking through a dictionary. He was occasionally scribbling and studying. While concentrating on the dictionary, he looked up and saw the water ghost scribbling on his treasured book.
The miscellaneous ghosts tended to mimic whatever Seonoh did, and this time was no different.
Sisi readily taught Seonoh how to set up a barrier, and Seonoh, being smart, was able to quickly create a simple barrier after just a few tries.
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
Seonoh intentionally kicked the ghost, sending it into a corner, and set up a tight barrier around it. He glared at the other ghosts with cold eyes. The ghosts, seeing Seonoh's expression, were terrified and clung to the walls.
"Let... me... out..."
Confined in a space smaller than one square meter, the ghost banged its body against the barrier, eventually starting to whimper about how much it hurt where the barrier touched it.
"Answer... me..."
The foolish water ghost would soon tire from circling within the small space and sit down in exhaustion. But since it would forget everything by the next day and wander around Seonoh with a silly grin, he didn't feel guilty at all.
As the days grew colder, Seonoh inevitably caught a cold, as was his yearly tradition. Living in such a dirty environment, Seonoh would always suffer a high fever whenever the seasons changed. This time was no different, and soon his body began to heat up.
Suddenly, he felt chills and his whole body became burning hot.
Eventually, the fever soared, making it hard for him to see clearly or breathe.
Elder Yoon, who returned home, looked at the bedridden Seonoh with a blank stare, then touched his forehead once and placed a cold towel on it. But there was no noticeable improvement.
Elder Yoon was at a loss, pacing back and forth. He had never taken Seonoh to the hospital, fearing that "they" would take him away.
Moreover, Seonoh had never been registered at birth, so he didn't officially exist on paper, which meant he couldn't receive treatment even if he went to the hospital.
He left the house, saying he would go buy medicine. Left alone in the small room, Seonoh sweated profusely, groaning in pain, and barely opened his eyes. When he did, he saw the ghosts gathered around him, staring down at him.
"Seonoh opened his eyes."
"Seonoh opened his eyes."
"Seonoh is sick."
"Don't be sick..."
The towel Elder Yoon had placed on his forehead had long since become warm. Seonoh desperately hoped Elder Yoon would come back soon. He didn't care if he got the medicine or not; he just wanted him to return quickly and place a cool towel on his forehead.
But strangely, not long after, he felt a cold touch on his forehead.
Seonoh blinked his eyes.
"...
He finally realized what was touching his forehead. The water ghost was standing still with its hand on Seonoh's forehead. Seonoh shifted his eyes to look at the water ghost's face. Its hair clung to its face like seaweed, looking eerie.
When their eyes met, the ghost flinched and mouthed softly,
"I'm... sorry..."
Normally, Seonoh would get angry whenever the water ghost even touched him. It seemed the ghost expected the same this time. But at this moment, Seonoh didn't find the cold, damp touch of the ghost unpleasant. The cool, refreshing feeling was nice. For the first time, the chill of the water ghost wasn't bothersome.
Seonoh quietly looked at the water ghost in front of him. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that patches of its skin were slightly peeled. He suddenly remembered that he hadn't lifted the barrier he'd set up out of anger, even after several days.
Ah...
The ghost had struggled through the barrier like a person forcing their way through a thorn bush, resulting in ugly wounds all over its body. The ghost grinned stupidly.
"..."
At that moment, Seonoh understood for the first time what guilt felt like.