A Forest flowing with Milk and Honey - Chapter 5.1

A week had passed since the third petal-shaped mark had appeared on Urim’s neck. That morning, after showering, she noticed something strange as she was drying herself: one of the petal marks had disappeared.

“There’s only two now…?”

For the past week, there had been three marks, and now, suddenly, there were only two. She had suspected that these petal-like marks might be more than just an ordinary tattoo, but she hadn’t expected one to vanish like that.

Urim, who had been avoiding looking at the marks out of fear and unease, now stood still, lost in thought, staring at them. The way the petal had disappeared, as if it had bloomed and then withered, being absorbed into her body, left her with a deep sense of dread.

Just as her fingertips brushed over one of the remaining marks, she heard a click. The doorknob was turning.

“Huh?”

She glanced at the door, wondering if it was Taeo, but the door remained closed. Urim hurriedly slipped on her robe and approached the door.
Click. Click. No matter how many times she tried to turn it, the doorknob kept slipping.

“Am I… locked in?”

Her breath quickened as she anxiously looked around the bathroom.

“Baek Urim. Did you lock the door yourself?”
Taeo’s voice came through, followed by a sharp knock on the door.

“I’m stuck. Help me, Director…”

Relieved to hear his voice, she pressed herself against the door and called out.
“Step away from the door,” Taeo instructed firmly.
Though confused, Urim backed away as told.

“Are you clear of the door?”

“Yes!”

Click. Click. The doorknob rattled violently before a loud bang echoed through the bathroom as Taeo forcefully opened the door. He quickly scanned Urim from head to toe, making sure she was unharmed.

“Doesn’t Kim the housekeeper have a spare key?”
“When you’re prone to accidents, there’s no time to go looking for that,” Taeo muttered, half-joking, but the concern was clear in his tone.
Despite being treated like an accident-prone troublemaker, Urim couldn’t argue. She had always had her fair share of mishaps, but lately, they’d been happening at an alarming rate, as if something was off.

“Maybe I really should get an exorcism,” she said, half-seriously.

“A talisman might not be a bad idea,” Taeo replied, surprising her with his unexpected reaction. She had expected him to dismiss her comment.

Urim, still slightly puzzled, stepped out of the bathroom.

“Oh, Director… look, one of the marks has disappeared. Now there’s only two left.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“I saw it this morning.”

“Oh… you saw it…”

For the past few nights, Urim had been sleeping beside Taeo, and with all the time they spent together, physical affection between them had become more frequent, almost natural. It suddenly hit her that Taeo had been kissing and nibbling on her neck earlier that morning.

“Don’t you think it’s strange?”

“What is?”

“I think it is… it’s like I’m possessed or something,” Urim muttered, nervously touching the marks on her neck. She was starting to feel that the strange occurrences happening around her were somehow connected to these marks, and the thought unsettled her.

“You hate anything to do with ghosts, don’t you? You never liked it when your grandfather would consult with shamans.”

“I didn’t hate it, I just thought it was ridiculous. Believing in something you can’t see and wasting time on rituals always seemed foolish to me.”
Urim had avoided bringing up anything about ghosts or the supernatural with Taeo, partly because she knew he didn’t like such topics, and partly because she was scared of what she didn’t fully understand.

Taeo, on the other hand, hadn’t mentioned anything either, likely not wanting to worry her more. But they couldn’t ignore the situation forever.

“What about now? Do you still feel the same way?”
“I believe what you’re saying.”
His firm tone made Urim forget her worries for a moment, and she smiled faintly. When she was with Taeo, everything felt a little less frightening.

Thud! No matter how cautiously Taeo drove, the rough road made the car jolt violently.
“What a terrible road…”

“Mmm… Director?”

Urim, who had dozed off in the passenger seat, was woken by the shaking. Another jolt sent the car bouncing, and Taeo, steering with one hand, used his other to hold Urim in place, his face twisted in frustration.

“We’re almost there.”

The air conditioning was blasting in the car, making it cool and comfortable. Urim was wrapped snugly in a soft microfiber blanket, which she hadn’t been covered with when she fell asleep—Taeo must have draped it over her. She felt warm and cozy beneath the blanket, her face cooled by the fresh air. It was a comforting balance.
A dreamy song played through the speakers, a track from one of Urim’s favorite playlists. She began humming along softly, resting her head on Taeo’s shoulder.

Despite the cold air, the warmth from Taeo’s body seeped through, making the blanket feel even cozier.

“We have to get out now,” Taeo said as he brought the car to a stop on a rough patch of ground. There was no proper parking lot—just open space. From here, they would need to continue on foot, as the road had become impassable for the car.

“Where are we?”

Stepping out of the car, Urim looked around at the eerie, quiet summer mountains. There wasn’t even the sound of cicadas. Even though they were only three hours from Seoul, the place felt completely remote and untouched by human presence.
“A shaman’s place,” Taeo replied.

“A shaman? Are we really doing a ritual?”

“It’s a place your grandfather used to visit frequently. Surprised you’ve never been here before.”
“No, I’ve never seen this place.”

“You might’ve been here when you were too young to remember.”

The mountain path was as rough as the road had been, and Urim, despite her training in modern dance, quickly found herself winded. The humid, suffocating heat only made things worse.

Meanwhile, Taeo, even while carrying a large bag, seemed to ascend the trail effortlessly, as if hiking were second nature to him. Dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans, he looked much younger than his usual sharp, businesslike appearance. He led the way, often reaching back to steady Urim when she stumbled. Each time, Urim couldn’t help but notice the defined muscles in his arms, making her cheeks flush slightly.
Though the path was rough, the hike wasn’t too long. After about 20 minutes, they arrived at a secluded villa, standing alone in the middle of the forest.

“Wow… the, uh, architecture is… unique.”
The place looked like something straight out of a horror movie, as if it were designed to resemble a haunted house. The villa seemed to have been dropped into the forest, isolated from the world. The dark wooden structure was covered in ivy, blending so well with the trees that it would be hard to distinguish it from the forest at night.
There wasn’t a doorbell, of course. Taeo knocked heavily on the door, but when no one answered, he simply pushed it open.

Creak. The old, rusted door groaned loudly as it swung inward.
“Are we allowed to just walk in?”

“They left it open for a reason.”

Taeo shrugged and stepped into the dimly lit house. The entire place—whether the living room or hallway—was shrouded in darkness, except for one illuminated room.
“It looks like a shrine…” Urim murmured.
Colorful lotus lanterns hung from the ceiling, and the walls were adorned with vibrant, fresh red flowers. A long row of candlesticks gave off a bitter scent, their flickering flames casting eerie shadows on stern, intimidating statues of deities.

Creak, creak. The old wooden floor groaned with every step, filling the silence with an unsettling noise. Everything about the shrine felt creepy and bizarre. Avoiding the intense gaze of one of the statues, Urim reached out to lightly grab Taeo’s sleeve for comfort.

“Are you really scared of this?” Taeo looked down at her with a hint of disbelief. He didn’t share her unease. To him, this place was nothing more than a crudely decorated playhouse, hardly something to be feared.

“Who’s there?”

A girl’s voice, quiet and sudden, broke the tension. A young girl with short hair, probably no older than a high schooler, stood before them. Her eyes were closed, and she wore a brightly colored saekdong jeogori—a traditional Korean jacket with vivid stripes—that somehow looked cheap despite its elaborate design. Unlike the creaky floor under Taeo and Urim’s feet, the floor beneath the girl was eerily silent as she approached.

“We’re here to see someone called Kang Dosa,” Taeo said, glancing briefly at the girl’s quiet footsteps.

Taeo had heard that Kang Dosa was a striking woman with brightly dyed red hair—a shaman known for her beauty. This blind girl was clearly not the person they were looking for.
“My mother’s dead,” the girl replied, twisting her lips into a mocking smile as she opened her eyes, revealing pale, pupil-less whites.

“I’m not like my mom. I don’t really care about money, but if you insist on paying a fee…”
Her sightless gaze fixed directly on Urim, unnervingly precise.

“How about giving me your pretty eyes, sister?”
The pale, eerie eyes of the girl bore a chilling resemblance to the torn-lipped face of the son gaksi that Urim had encountered. Her face turned ashen, like a prey animal caught by its predator.
“Is this how fortune tellers treat their guests?” Taeo grumbled, glaring at Urim for being frightened by such a small girl. Still, ever since the girl had appeared, even Taeo felt an unusual tightness in his chest, an uncomfortable sensation weighing him down. The incense in the air was thick and suffocating, clouding his mind like a fog.

The girl cackled, her lips stretching into a wide grin.

“Don’t get mad, I was just teasing. I’ll take money instead,” she said, holding out her hand toward Taeo, now appearing more like a proper fortune teller. Taeo had come here today fully expecting to be conned by some charlatan, so he figured he might as well hear what she had to say. Without a word, he handed her the bag.

The bag was filled with crisp bills, but the girl barely glanced at it, as if she already knew what was inside or simply didn’t care. She tossed the bag aside without a second thought, then sat down on the floor, cross-legged, without ceremony.
Taeo shrugged and stepped into the dim house. The entire place, from the living room to the hallway, was dark and shadowy, with only one room illuminated.

“It looks like a shrine…” Urim whispered.
The ceiling was adorned with brightly colored lotus lanterns, and the walls were covered in vivid red flowers. A row of candlesticks emitted a bitter scent, and the flickering flames cast eerie shadows on the stern, intimidating statues of deities.

Creak, creak. The old wooden floor groaned with every step, adding to the unsettling atmosphere. Everything about the shrine felt bizarre and creepy. Urim, feeling uncomfortable, instinctively reached out to hold onto Taeo’s sleeve.

“Scared of something like this?” Taeo looked down at her with disbelief. He seemed completely unfazed by the ominous surroundings, viewing the shrine as little more than a crudely decorated set.