Mudoo - Chapter 32

At Tae-shin’s completely random comment, Seula and Hobun exchanged puzzled looks mid-air. Tae-shin caught the glance and frowned, clearly annoyed.

“There’s a shaman gathering on New Year’s Day every year,” he said. “Our job is to blend in naturally—Seula and I.”

“So this hanbok is for me?” Seula asked.

“Do you think it’s for me? Or Dong-gil, maybe?”

It was obviously for her—it was a women’s hanbok—but since Tae-shin was being sarcastic, she decided to mess with him right back. She picked up the hanger with the hanbok and held it up to Tae-shin’s body.

“Hmm. It suits you, actually.”

Tae-shin gave her a dumbfounded look and scoffed. Seula nodded seriously and kept going.

“Since we’re cosplaying anyway, why not go all out?”

Watching from the side, Hobun covered his mouth to hide a grin and quietly stepped away.

Tae-shin shot a glare at him for no real reason, then handed the hanbok over to Seula with a sigh.

“Just try it on. Though, I’m worried it might look like a potato sack on you, you’re so tiny.”

“I’ll have you know I’m of average height and a healthy weight.”

“Really? That’s… surprising.”

Seula turned away with the hanbok in her arms, then suddenly paused and looked back at him, something just occurring to her.

“Wait—what are we even going to the shaman event for? You’re not a shaman, right?”

“We’re doing our job. That’s all.”

“…To catch a spirit?”

“Probably.”

Judging by his vague tone, even he wasn’t exactly sure. He looked like he’d rather be doing literally anything else. Seula watched him rub his face like he was already exhausted and thought, People are the same everywhere, huh.

***

A few days later, New Year’s Day arrived.

A day when families come together to bow, share a meal, and swap envelopes stuffed with cash—Korea’s biggest holiday, Lunar New Year.

But with no families of their own, Seula, Hobun, Tae-shin, and Dong-gil gathered around one table like their own little makeshift family.

They sat in a circle around steaming bowls of ox bone soup topped with egg garnish, seaweed, and beef. Seula took the first sip and smiled.

“It feels kinda special, having breakfast together on a holiday like this.”

“Since we’re all here—how about a round of Yut Nori? Just one game?” Dong-gil chirped. He was the only one in full hanbok, even wearing a traditional jokduri headpiece, and looked way too excited.

“I’m heading out with Seula. You hold down the fort with the fox,” Tae-shin replied flatly.

Dong-gil’s tail visibly drooped.

“Aww, come on. We could play games, kick the jegichagi, throw arrows into pots, hang out all day…”

Even Hobun tried to console him, gently patting his shoulder, but Dong-gil just pouted.

Trying to distract him, Seula adjusted Dong-gil’s slightly crooked jokduri and asked Tae-shin, “So we’re working during the day today?”

“Yeah, the event starts at 1 p.m. We should get ready as soon as we clear the table.”

“Wow… I never thought I’d be attending a shaman convention in my life. Are they going to be reading fortunes and walking on blades and stuff?”

The image in her head grew more ridiculous by the second. Shamans swinging ritual tools, breaking into trance dances, maybe even staging a full-on gut right there. She snorted at her own imagination.

But Tae-shin, who’d been watching her, answered completely seriously.

“They might.”

“You’ve never been to one of these before?” she asked.

She figured with the line of work he was in, he’d have attended dozens. But Tae-shin frowned.

“This is my first. It’s probably gonna be a mess.”

“Sounds exciting though!”

“Don’t get swept up in the energy. Some of them might be certified by the association, but there’ll still be frauds, shamans worshipping unstable spirits, and newly initiated ones who can’t control what they say or do.”

Half of what he said made sense. The other half flew over her head. Seula gave up trying to fully understand and just focused on finishing her soup.

After breakfast and dishes, she changed into the hanbok Tae-shin gave her.

“Is this… how you wear it?” she murmured, checking herself in the mirror.

Then she remembered the norigae (a traditional ornament) Hobun had given her. She grabbed it and ran to Tae-shin’s room.

“Tae-shin, what about this? It might look good on you.”

Tae-shin stood there in a full suit and tie, draped in a deep blue dopo (traditional scholar’s robe), looking absurdly regal—like some ancient noble.

Seula blinked, stunned.

“You’re way too excited. You going to a party or something? Meanwhile, I’m dying inside because I don’t wanna work.”

He pulled out a gat (Korean traditional hat) from a shopping bag, came over, and gently placed it on her head. Then, he carefully tied the ribbon under her chin.

The way his long fingers brushed her jaw made her flinch ever so slightly.

“W-Why are you… putting this on me?”

“The shop tossed it in as a freebie.”

“I feel like it’d suit you more.”

“Too bulky. Not my thing.”

Then he gently took her wrist and slipped the norigae from her fingers. His touch was warm.

And then—he started untying her skirt.

“W-Wait! What are you—”

“You said you wanted to wear this, didn’t you?”

He threaded the norigae onto the sash and retied it tightly. Seula instinctively tensed her stomach, caught off guard.

A loose strand of hair fell over his forehead. His mouth curled ever so slightly. Then his eyes softened.

But Seula had no idea what he was thinking—and that only made her heart race.

“D-Don’t mess with me.”

His hands paused mid-tie.

Seula licked her dry lips and spoke.

“You say you don’t like me, but you keep getting close, touching me, holding my hand… If this isn’t flirting, what is it?”

“I thought we settled this back in Sokcho. Didn’t know you liked revisiting your cringe phase voluntarily.”

“I was trying to forget it, but you’re the one bringing it up again.”

“Maybe it’s not me stirring things up. Maybe it’s you—your heart just doing whatever it wants.”

“……”

“Obsessing over every little thing I do. Lying awake all night overthinking it.”

“……”

“I don’t have time to play around with feelings like that.”

His words were clear and final—like a knife cutting straight through.

It stung.

There was no ambiguity—he was rejecting her, outright. Seula bit her lower lip. Two rejections in just a few days.

At this point, it wasn’t just embarrassing—it was infuriating.

“Fine. Just don’t come crawling to me later, begging for attention.”

Tae-shin chuckled quietly.

***

They arrived at the convention center where the shaman event was being held.

Seula had worried their outfits might draw too much attention, but once she saw what other people were wearing, she relaxed.

“…Okay, now I get why you called it cosplay,” she muttered.

“This is actually on the tame side.”

Some people were dressed in glittering hanbok with extravagant wigs. Others wore bright red ritual garments like they’d just walked off a gut stage. There were even a few in full armor and helmets, probably channeling military spirits.

It was a wild sight—unlike anything she’d ever seen.

Scanning the crowd, Seula’s eyes lit up when she spotted a familiar face. She rushed over.

“Hey! Good to see you again!”

Cheonwol-mansin, heavily made up today, flinched when she saw Seula.

“What the—what are you doing here?”

Then she spotted Tae-shin approaching behind Seula, and the realization clicked. She sighed deeply.

“Aigoo… Today’s gonna be a mess, isn’t it?”

“What’s with that reaction? You’re hurting my feelings,” Tae-shin replied coolly, clearly not thrilled to see her either.

Cheonwol-mansin was a big name in the community. People kept flocking to her, bowing and trying to curry favor.

But Tae-shin’s gaze was fixed on one specific shaman among the crowd. He narrowed his eyes.

“Looks like you were right,” he muttered. “Something’s definitely gonna go down today.”

Seula turned sharply. “What did you say?”

“Keep your head on straight. Don’t go diving into danger like last time—or I won’t go easy on you.”