Little Pink Starfish

After testing it in many ways, they found that the golden bell Saeon had tied on only made sound for Sowol and Soil. According to Sowol, it was a bell enchanted with tracking magic. Ebi tried all sorts of methods to remove the string or bell, but nothing worked.

Completely giving up, Ebi sat alone on the sofa. The golden bell on his ankle shone brightly, as if it had been polished. Like Saeon had said, it did suit him. Well, he generally looked good in any color, including red.

Ebi lay around with his head resting on Dongjitdal’s thigh while he sat on the sofa, when Igok appeared. Normally, Igok would sit by the window, enjoying the city nightscape while smoking his reed pipe, but this time he went straight to Soil and abruptly said:

“I’m going to Yayeon.”

“Oh, right, there’s a Yayeon near here today. Please enjoy yourself.”

Yayeon! Ebi’s ears perked up, and he quickly approached. The chance to attend a Yayeon was rare. Igok didn’t particularly like going to them.

“Can I come with you too?”

“…It’s not like you can’t.”

Dongjitdal looked like he wanted to come too, but after glancing at Igok once, he quietly sat back down on the sofa. With the King of Wandering Spirits there, he must’ve judged that Ebi would be safe. Ebi turned into dokkaebi fire and quickly entered Igok’s sleeve. A blue flame swept around them, and in the next moment, they arrived at a secluded mountainside with no people.

Ebi slipped out of the sleeve in the form of a mouse. He climbed up Igok’s robe hem, and Igok offered him a palm. Ebi quickly sat in his hand and busily groomed his ruffled fur.

“What’s this bell?”

Igok flicked the little gold bell tied to Ebi’s tail. It seemed Igok couldn’t hear the bell either. Ebi pulled his tail with the bell close and hugged it.

“I just tried wearing it once… Does it not look good?”

The tiny field mouse sparkled its black eyes. Igok stared silently at the red string and bell swaying from Ebi’s tail, then rubbed Ebi’s cheek with a finger.

“It suits you.”

Ebi let out a quiet sigh of relief. He couldn’t possibly tell Igok that a human hunter had tied it on him. Igok already had a hard time dealing with dokkaebi—and he didn’t like humans either. Ebi couldn’t say he’d let his guard down and ended up with a tracking bell tied to him. Thankfully, Igok didn’t know much about enchantments.

Around them, a thick fog hung so dense a human wouldn’t be able to see an inch ahead. But Igok, walking through a path only yokai could follow, didn’t waver at all. When Ebi looked up, a thin crescent moon hung in the dark sky like a hairline crack.

Recently, three dokkaebi had disappeared at once.

Maybe some clueless hunter had captured two by accident. But once was chance—twice was concerning. Disappearing was completely different from dying. Igok, bothered by the idea that a third and fourth disappearance might follow, had decided to join this crescent moon’s Yayeon—a rare outing for him.

After walking a while, the narrow mountain path suddenly ended, revealing a valley. A stream seemed to trickle below, but what flowed there was thick, eerie yin energy. They followed the valley down until they reached a basin filled with cold mist.

In the mist-hidden basin, guests had already arrived. Twisting, grotesque yokai shapes squirmed, half-shrouded in fog. Red and yellow eyes of different sizes blinked from the dark.

“King of Wandering Spirits, it’s been a while. A hundred years, perhaps?”

A massive snake wrapped around a tree spoke in a thin voice. At the end of its long snake body was a chicken’s head—this was Gyeryong, the master of the mountain.

“No way, the King’s here? Now that’s a surprise.”

At Gyeryong’s words, a deer that had been grazing bounded over. Its glossy golden-green fur shimmered with purplish iridescence under the moonlight.

The stream soaked in yin energy swelled and formed a large pool. Fish scales the size of a hand skimmed the water’s surface, then a huge eye settled beneath it. A deep voice rumbled from the pond.

“King of Wandering Spirits, it’s been too long.”

“Stop with the same greetings already!”

Igok snapped, and the monster fish rolled its eyes, sulking. The other yokai, who’d been rushing to greet him, all fell silent. These long-lived yokai reacted strongly to even slight changes—and Igok’s rare visit to the Yayeon was definitely unusual.

Ebi looked around curiously and met eyes with a white fox lounging on a wide boulder. The fox’s eyes curved into a smile. Realizing it was Arang, Ebi flicked his tail with the bell as a greeting. Arang gently waved her fluffy tail like a fan. The movement naturally drew attention, and even Igok glanced her way.

“What brings you here? You came all the way to Yayeon.”

A naked child puffing on a tobacco roll asked. Despite his childish looks, he acted like a cranky old man.

Yayeon was a gathering of local yokai and their followers. Usually held on crescent moons, but it could happen during full moons too, if any yokai wished it. The schedule was irregular, and the nature of the feast changed based on who hosted it. Tonight’s Yayeon was peaceful.

“I won’t stay long.”

Speaking bluntly, Igok pulled out his reed pipe. Just waving it a few times in the air lit it with a blue flame. He puffed deeply, blowing out thick smoke. Curious eyes fixed on him, wondering why he’d shown up.

Ebi took this chance to freely roam Igok’s shoulders. While listening to the conversations between the king and the yokai, he wandered around, taking in the crowd.

“A cute little mouse brat. Looks tasty.”

A sudden voice made him twitch his whiskers and look up. A black cat sat on a branch above Igok’s head. Its smile stretched all the way to its triangle ears. The predator’s aura triggered Ebi’s instincts, and he let out a sharp squeak. The cat swiped with its paw.

“Just one bite!”

But in the next second, the cat yowled—Kyaaao!—and leapt into the air. It flew to the far side of the basin and hit the ground, coughing and gasping. Ebi quickly ducked back into Igok’s sleeve, peeking out with just his head.

“What? It was just a prank!”

“You think I can’t tell the difference between a joke and a threat?”

The cat had clearly been struck by something in that brief moment. It leapt in pain. A few yokai snickered.

“I told you it wasn’t a dokkaebi! Looked like some weird thing it picked up.”

“Pathetic.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I said I’m sorry! Kyaaaak!“

Only after rolling on the ground and losing several claws did the cat get forgiveness. From inside the sleeve, Ebi let out a high-pitched chirp. That’ll teach you to pick your fights right! It was a triumphant little squeak. Exhausted, the cat slunk to a corner and licked its paw sadly.

Looking displeased, Igok tapped his pipe and declared his purpose.

“Five dokkaebi have gone missing recently.”

“Dokkaebi, gone?”

“Who would bother with such pointless things? Not even edible!”

One yokai blurted out, but shut up instantly under Igok’s glare. Seeing even strong yokai silenced by the king’s stare made Ebi hop with glee inside the sleeve. He always got a bit more mischievous in his mouse form.

“I’ve come to say: if anyone is connected to those who took even one of my children, you will not live whole.”

Igok’s glowing blue eyes swept the crowd. The yokai gathered here were all leaders of local groups, so the message would be passed down.

“Even those slightly acquainted with the culprit will suffer the pain of having their guts ripped to shreds. I won’t spare anyone. Even you.”

His declaration was followed by silence—then indignant protests. The yokai were powerful and proud.

“What an arrogant, insane bastard!”

“Still the same old temper. Absolutely unhinged.”

“Tsk. Still not married, no wonder he’s like that. Yokai or human, they all need a spouse…”

But as Igok’s cold gaze swept over them, they shut up again. Especially the one who mentioned marriage—he coughed loudly, drenched in cold sweat.

“But—if anyone gives me information, they’ll be properly rewarded.”

At that, the yokai all perked up like nothing had happened. They fell into thoughtful silence, tempted by Igok’s reward—and intrigued by the dokkaebi disappearances.