Chapter 34: Whispers Beyond the Window

Alone in the room. No, the three of us, including Bamtol, finished our conversation, and I was completely drained.

Ju-biyeong, thankfully, assured me she’d keep quiet about the characteristics of ghosts, which put me at ease. 

I wasn’t sure if it was something to be relaxed about, but just knowing I didn’t have to dwell on that topic anymore eased my mind a bit. 

After the conversation, still feeling a chill in my body, I tightly hugged Bamtol and left the room. 

Regarding the target of enchantment, Ju-biyeong gave a vague explanation that it manifests as the most beloved person to easily lure the target. It was a kind gesture. 

Perhaps because of the “most beloved person” explanation, Hayul, whose lips had been pouting like a duck, seemed to cheer up a bit. Though his lips were still sticking out this much. 

When it was mentioned that I was still slightly under the ghost’s enchantment and shouldn’t go outside, with everyone told to keep an eye on me, Hayul looked at me with a determined, fiery gaze. 

As a result, the laundry I planned to do alone ended up being done with Hayul, and I was completely excluded from hanging it up. 

Hayul and Kang Do-jin seemed intent on keeping me from even going to the second floor. 

Thanks to the kids’ excessive care, I was sitting in the living room, playing hwatu with the elder at her request. 

To be honest, I didn’t know how to play hwatu and was learning from Ju-biyeong and the elder, but it wasn’t as fun as I thought, and I kept hearing something about “cheap” cards, though I didn’t understand what it meant. I just laughed when others did. 

Hwatu seemed to suit Gamja better than me. Surprisingly, Gamja was practically a pro. 

It was a relatively enjoyable and peaceful break. But it wasn’t entirely relaxing. 

“Oppa…” 

Because, like now, I could faintly hear a voice calling me from outside the window. 

Still, I wasn’t worried. If I even tried to turn my head toward the sound— 

“Grrr!” 

Gamja would block my view with its massive body. 

To others, it might look like Gamja was randomly hugging me, but, well, it’s heartwarming and nice to see, right? 

“Oppa, can’t you come out for a bit? I don’t want to be alone… It’s too dark and scary here…” 

When the voice persisted, sounding even closer— 

Slap! Smack! Smack-smack! Slap! 

“Oh, Bamtol-ah. So refreshing. Oh, that feels nice.” 

Bamtol’s firm paws struck my cheeks. 

Each hit felt like it cleared my mind, so it was worth getting slapped. 

Maybe I should get hit like this more often. 

The day passed quickly. 

★★★

As darkness deepened, it seemed the ghost gained more power, as the voice sounded much closer than before. 

While preparing for bed and ignoring the water ghost’s voice, a faint bluish light slowly appeared in my vision. 

‘Huh? What’s that?’

[Sudden Quest] 

Ignoring is the answer. 

Use all your strength to ignore the temptation of the malevolent entity! 

Ignore the Water Ghost’s Call: 30/30 (Completed)

Reward upon Success: Orb of Mental Fortitude 

‘What, Status Window? When did this quest even start?’ 

A quest that appeared out of nowhere and completed itself was shocking enough, but the reward surprised me even more. 

‘An Orb of Mental Fortitude, huh…?’

[Orb of Mental Fortitude]

An orb that randomly increases the Intelligence stat upon use. 

Can raise Intelligence by a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 10 points. 

Higher Intelligence increases immunity to mental attacks like corruption, confusion, panic, disruption, and enchantment. 

Use it as soon as you receive it! 

Bound Item / Cannot be Discarded 

‘Hmm, this feels a bit strange.’ 

It’s like the system is saying: 

‘If your Intelligence was even a bit higher, you wouldn’t have gone through this. Here, take this for free and boost your Intelligence now.’ 

That kind of vibe, right? 

And it felt a little suspicious. I knew the Status Window was friendly to me, but this was, how should I put it, a bit too generous? 

Knowing that there’s rarely such a thing as kindness without a price made me feel both reassured by the supportive system and uneasy at the same time. 

Still, I didn’t hesitate. The faint, pitiful voice of young Hayul was still calling from outside. 

The fact that the ghost didn’t feel all that scary meant I was still under its enchantment, so strengthening myself with this would at least make me less of a burden. 

Would you like to use the Orb of Mental Fortitude?

[Yes] [No] 

“Yes.” 

The orb floated into the air, split in half, and a brilliant white light burst from the crack. 

Accompanied by the Ba-ba-bam! Bam! Bam! Ba-bam! sound that made me worry about copyright lawsuits from movie studios, the orb vanished, and my status window popped up. 

“!!” 

Stat Info: Strength: 3 / Agility: 4 / Intelligence: 8 / Stamina: 4 

8!! 

My Intelligence, which was 0, shot up by 8 in one go! 

I didn’t feel like my brain had suddenly gotten sharper. But I wasn’t disappointed either. 

From the item description, it seemed Intelligence didn’t boost knowledge but rather immunity to mental attacks. 

Anyway, 8 was a solid gain. I was satisfied. 

“Thanks, Status Window. I’ll try to behave a bit better.” 

I didn’t know what the Status Window wanted from me, but for now, I thanked it for giving me such a near-cheat-level benefit. 

Even though I had no clue what it expected and it felt unsettling, it’d be helpful for now. 

Plus, from what I heard in my conversation with Ju-biyeong, this world seemed to have far more diverse entities roaming around than we expected, so preparing wouldn’t hurt. 

‘Elementals like the wind, spiritual beings called guardians of specific areas like mountain spirits, ghosts, monsters… maybe even yokai?’

As the kids finished spreading out their blankets and sat down, Hayul and Kang Do-jin entered the room. 

Hayul, who had diligently trained in self-defense until just before bedtime, looked a bit tired but also more confident. 

“Hyung, how’s your body? Still cold?” 

“It’s a bit chilly, but I think I’ll be fine sleeping with Bamtol. Bamtol-ah, take care of me.” 

“Kyaang!” 

I stepped out of the room briefly to exchange goodnights with the others. The elder was already asleep. 

Gamja seemed to be guarding the living room, as usual. Perhaps because of the malevolent entity outside, it looked more alert than normal. 

Hayul, who had been active all day, fell asleep the moment he lay down. He’s always been a good sleeper, but today, he was out as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

Instead of lying down right away, I gazed at the sleeping Hayul. 

Then, 

“Oppa… Are you really not coming out?” 

“……”

I shifted my gaze to the window where the voice was coming from. 

There was nothing to see, but for some reason, just ignoring that voice made my heart ache a little. 

It was a completely different feeling from when I was enchanted. 

I know it’s fake now. But there’s only one reason it still hurts. 

‘I miss you.’

The longing that hadn’t faded, even after many years, was the cause. 

They say time is medicine, but for me, time wasn’t a cure. 

Sure, over time, I became a bit more resilient. But that didn’t mean the desire to see them or the longing went away. 

I still loved them, still missed them. 

Over time, all those feelings coalesced into the word “longing,” and that longing remained as strong as ever. 

Sometimes, while walking down the street, before going to bed, or even while brushing my teeth in the morning, a sudden, overwhelming urge to see them would surge up. 

In those moments, all I could do was cry. Time only slightly dulled the sadness. 

It took me a long time to realize that the phrase “time is medicine” is relative. 

No matter how many seasons passed, the piercing longing and the love within me never diminished—they stayed intact. 

No, they grew stronger. 

“Oppa. Oppa…” 

Turning my gaze away from the window, I looked back down at my sleeping brother. 

The moment I first saw Hayul, now sleeping by my side, I couldn’t help but love him. 

This boy is my brother. No matter what anyone says, I’ll protect him to the end, and I’d vowed from the start that I’d do anything to keep him safe. 

But I absolutely wasn’t trying to replace the Hayul I loved—the one I raised with my own hands, always hugged, and believed I’d be with forever—with this boy. 

‘Hayul-ah, if you’re watching over me, please don’t feel hurt. To me, you’re always precious, the most loved person in the world. There hasn’t been a single day I didn’t think of you.’ 

“Oppa… Stay with me…” 

‘I always told you, didn’t I? Having another precious person doesn’t mean splitting love in half—it’s creating a new love just as big.’

That was the explanation I gave to Hayul when he cried, saying he wished I’d only love him forever and not be kind to other kids. Back then, he didn’t understand. 

If the Hayul watching over me now heard that explanation again, would he understand? 

I think he would. 

Hayul was smart, kinder than anyone, and knew what love was. 

Honestly, I think he understood back then too. He just pretended not to, crying and whining because he didn’t like me being kind to other kids. 

“Oppa…” 

“Haak!” 

The persistent voice calling me finally provoked an angry Bamtol, who hissed at the window. So even red pandas hiss like that. First time I’ve seen it. 

“Oh, our Bamtol is so fierce. Thanks to you, Oppa will sleep well tonight. Come on, let’s sleep.” 

“Kyaang.” 

Lying down with Bamtol in my arms, I fully embraced the sadness I felt. 

I still love you, still miss you, and I’m sad because I can’t see the one I love. 

This must be the difference between an enchanted self and an unenchanted self. 

I didn’t want to realize it this way, but I was glad I could grieve properly. 

Though it hurt, I lay down with a calm heart, holding Bamtol, and closed my eyes. 

Thanks to Bamtol, or maybe because I’d let go of a burden, I felt like I’d sleep peacefully without dreams tonight… 

“Oppa? Are you asleep?” 

“Haak!” 

‘It’s okay. Ignore it. It’s fine. Oh, good boy. Bamtol, let’s sleep. Sleep…’ 

I just want to sleep peacefully. Ugh. 

★★★

The voice that called me all night stopped by dawn. 

It must’ve gotten tired or left. 

Thanks to my increased stamina, I felt better than expected despite barely sleeping. 

But my mental state was still shaky. 

“Noona, what did you want to talk about?” 

Called to the living room first thing in the morning, I knelt in front of Kang Do-hee, holding Bamtol, waiting for her to speak. 

She said she had something to say, and the atmosphere suggested it was important. 

Swallowing hard with nervous anticipation, I watched as Kang Do-hee, sitting with her legs crossed, tapped her raised leg and spoke. 

“Haje.” 

“Yes.” 

“I thought long and hard last night.” 

“You didn’t sleep again?” 

“That’s not the point. Anyway, I did some thinking.” 

“What… what were you thinking about?” 

I’m trembling. I don’t know what, but something big is coming. 

I tried to swallow again, but my mouth was so dry there was nothing to swallow. 

With a mix of anxiety and fear, I waited for her to continue. Then Kang Do-hee handed me the bow she’d placed on the sofa. 

‘?’

I took it, but it didn’t seem like she was just asking me to practice archery, which made me even more uneasy. 

“Why the bow all of a sudden?” 

“I think you got enchanted by that ghost or whatever yesterday because you have too many stray thoughts. You had the mental leeway to get enchanted.” 

“Ugh.” 

That’s unfair! That’s not true! I just have a weak spirit! 

But I didn’t bother explaining to Kang Do-hee. 

Since I caused trouble by being enchanted, I had to endure the unfairness. 

“It looks like the rain will stop by morning, so let’s go scouting once it clears.” 

As Kang Do-hee said, the rain seemed to be letting up. Weak sunlight filtered through the gaps in the boarded-up windows. The clouds must be clearing. 

“But where are we going?” 

She’s not suggesting we invade the mountain spirit’s territory, is she? 

My worries were unfounded, as Kang Do-hee didn’t mention the mountain spirit’s domain. 

“Let’s check out the area of that bug, our quest target.” 

“……”

The problem was, she mentioned something even worse.