[BotB] Chapter 8

03. The Scent of a Male Tiger in Heat

Midway up Ihwang Mountain, a cliff seemed to have been chiseled away, on which stood a temple called Oge-am*. It was not a temple where humans offered prayers but a small hermitage with just one passing monk.

*Means rock of the five precepts. The Buddhist commandments against murder, theft, adultery, falsehood, and intemperance

Even before Sohwa settled on Ihwang Mountain, this hermitage, which had existed, strangely had a lavish offering table set up once a year. It wasn't a ritual for the dead, as no incense was burned.

Even when the country was hit by famine, cows, pigs, and goats were alternately offered, which seemed to be a tribute to the high heavens. Of course, no one ate the offerings. So, it was entirely a meal for Sohwa.

While the food that Dohwi prepared with care was delicious, sometimes she craved someone else's cooking. Sohwa would sneakily touch the offering table at the hermitage on such occasions.

While visiting the temple, she met the monk of Oge-am. The monk generously forgave the mischievous fox, coveting the offering intended for the heavens, and often became Sohwa's conversation partner.

Dohwi called it superstition, but he wasn't wrong.

"Monk, what should I do? As if possessed by a ghost, I dream every night of being bitten by a tiger, and this darn nose is causing trouble. I can't smell anything more and more."

Sitting in the pavilion, the glum Sohwa tapped her nose.

"Hunting is getting slower, and the one I'm living with is considering becoming a monk. I'm worried about how I'll survive alone. What should I do?"

The monk, who had been tapping his wooden gong, spoke loudly as if for others to hear.

"All of these are because your vital energy is weak."

"My vital energy is weak?"

With his eyes wide open, the monk glanced at Dohwi standing like a totem pole behind Sohwa, who was blinking rapidly, then tapped his wooden gong again.

"It's natural to follow the will of nature when yin and yang unite, and the five elements combine."

"If you're going to say something difficult, you'd better not open your mouth."

Knowing that Sohwa fell out of her group when she was young and didn't even receive a proper education, the monk clicked his tongue.

"Do you know what 'estrus' is?"

"Estrus? Of course, I know."

"Do you also know what to do?"

"I should lock the door tightly and sleep. Isn't that what Hoyoung told me?"

At Sohwa's innocent answer, the monk recited Amitabha Buddha and spun his prayer beads. Behind her, Dohwi was picking up Sohwa's robe, saying it was time to go.

"See you next time. Goodbye, monk."

Glancing at Dohwi, who was stepping over the threshold of Oge-am, the monk grabbed Sohwa's arm as she was about to turn around.

"It's not your nose that's the problem."

"Huh?"

"Listen carefully. There's a tiger on this mountain!"

"Huh?"

"Shush!"

The monk looked around as if scolding her.

Dohwi was staring at them. The monk hurriedly whispered.

"That tiger is eyeing you to devour you without leaving a single bone. You must leave Ihwang Mountain as soon as possible to live out your fox life."

Sohwa's eyes, like mulberries, shook wildly. Was there a tiger on this mountain?

'That can't be. It can't be!'

As Sohwa shook her head, her face pale, the monk shot her a strict look.

"Do you know the cherry tree in front of the living room?"

"How could I..."

"Dig under it well. You must soon realize what that wrongful thing you're clinging to is."

The monk's stern gaze pointed to Dohwi's back.

'That thing?'

Did he just call Dohwi that thing? Could it be... Could it be that Dohwi is a tiger?

"Karma, karma. Terrible karma has attached itself to you."

The monk whispered under his breath. Even though she scoffed at it, Sohwa felt a chill of fear and suspicion rise within her.

***

"Why do you look like that? What did you hear?"

"...."

"Your face is so pale. What’s wrong?"

Dohwi asked, wondering what nonsense the monk had said, but Sohwa had been distracted since she left Oge-am.

'He's... going to devour me... without leaving a bone... greedily....'

Her trudging steps had no energy. Dohwi, who seemed to be holding her small shoulders, bent over.

"Are there tigers on this mountain?"

Startled by the sudden voice in her ear, Sohwa was taken aback. What she saw immediately were Dohwi's red lips. His lips, which rose playfully, moved as if they mesmerized Sohwa.

"There's no such beast, Sohwa. At least it won't appear in front of you."

Sohwa looked up at Dohwi with a smile and swallowed her dry spit for no reason. His words were reassuring, but she wanted to ask, 'How do you know that?'

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Update, next week :)