Chapter 172

<The Unchanging Thing (3)>

***

Splash—!

It all happened in an instant.

As unexpected accidents often do, it struck without warning, leaving no time to prepare.

One of the kids gathered on the narrow boat deck to pull the rope lost their balance and fell into the murky sea. In that moment, Son Yoo-jin faced a fear she had never felt before.

From the nape of her neck to her ears, from her chin to her cheeks and forehead, a tingling sensation spread.

‘What do I do, what do I do?’

She had learned to swim from her brother.

She even mastered the butterfly stroke, but her brother had always warned her to only use it for fun in the safety of a swimming pool.

– “When someone falls into the water, their survival instinct makes them grab onto anything they can. The less they can swim, the worse it gets. That’s why even the rescuer can be in danger. Yoo-jin, you’re not strong enough to save someone. So if someone falls in, don’t go into the water. Instead, throw them a long rope or a belt. Got it?”

The small boat, barely worthy of being called one, didn’t have a rope.

Her kindergarten uniform didn’t have a belt either.

Kim Ho-jin leaned over, stretching his arm, but he couldn’t reach Lee Dong-ho, who was flailing in the water. If he leaned any further, it seemed like he might fall in too.

‘Ahh, oppa. Oppa—.’

Is it instinct to look for the strongest person when in trouble?

She desperately called for her brother, who was in Seoul with no clear return date, but of course, he didn’t magically appear out of thin air.

She was so desperate she felt like she might wet herself.

But even as tears welled up, Yoo-jin calmly remembered what her brother had told her.

– “The most important thing is to ask for help before you act.”

Who could help? Who was around?

In this remote seaside village.

She frantically looked around and spotted a reliable figure staring at her, fidgeting as if waiting for her command.

“Jang Gun—.”

Her voice wouldn’t come out, her strength drained by the panic.

But Yoo-jin knew. Now was the time to summon her strength.

Lee Dong-ho had fallen into the water, and Kim Ho-jin was struggling to grab him.

Huuup—.

She took a deep breath, but it felt different from usual.

Her lower abdomen warmed up, and an unknown force surged up her throat.

“Jang Guuuun!”

Kyaaaaa—!

To her friends, it sounded like a scream.

An invisible wave split the water, shook the forest, and climbed up the hill.

In that brief moment, a faint memory surfaced.

It must have been the day her brother fought a wild boar. When she woke up from a nap and couldn’t find him, she had cried out like this.

Splash—!

Jang Gun, who hated water, leaped into the sea as if he had been waiting for her call.

Following their brave leader, Hongshi, Cheon-ma, and Gwang-ma also jumped in.

“Jang Gun! Hurry!”

Without a watch, she didn’t know how long Lee Dong-ho had been flailing in the water. The rescue happened in a short time, but it felt like an eternity.

Her vision narrowed, and she focused only on what needed to be done.

“Kim Ho-jin! Pull the rope!”

At Yoo-jin’s firm command, Kim Ho-jin pulled the rope.

They needed to get to shore to take further action—call for adults or carry him to the village.

As her thoughts cleared, her vision seemed to return.

Yoo-jin pulled the rope alongside Kim Ho-jin, checking on Lee Dong-ho’s condition.

Lee Dong-ho lay still, letting the dogs guide him to shore. Hongshi pushed his head up to keep it above water, while Cheon-ma and Gwang-ma supported his shoulders to keep him balanced. Yoo-jin’s heart sank at his pale face, but all she could do was trust the dogs.

Woof woof!

But why did Jang Gun climb on top of Lee Dong-ho…?

He sat on him like he was on a boat, barking forward. Did he misunderstand the command?

‘Ah, this is bad. I don’t have much strength without oppa.’

She hadn’t stored up much energy, as she had been staying with Jeong Won to avoid disturbing her brother, who was training for a national competition. She wasn’t even sure if her dark power could save Lee Dong-ho.

Her anxiety made her lower jaw itch.

Yoo-jin clenched her teeth, refusing to let fear take over.

Huff—huff—!

When they finally pulled the rope to shore, Kim Ho-jin, who had gotten off the boat first, was panting heavily.

“Ugh, I’m gonna die—.”

“Hey! Kim Ho-jin! Stop messing around!”

Why would he say he’s going to die at a time like this!

At her sharp yell, Kim Ho-jin froze.

From the perspective of a clueless kid, it was a natural reaction.

Yoo-jin, who was always smiling and gentle, suddenly changed her tone and became scary. Ah, but why is she glaring at me like I committed a crime just because I said I’m tired?

Kim Ho-jin avoided her gaze, and Yoo-jin turned away, thinking about what to do next.

‘What did he say to do?’

Ah, I should’ve paid attention when oppa was teaching me.

Her heart was racing from the shock and fear, but her mind couldn’t keep up, leaving her frustrated.

– “You have to ask for help. You must specifically point someone out. ‘Hey, you in the yellow shirt, call 119!’ Like that. If you ask a crowd, they might hesitate, thinking someone else will do it.”

Luckily, there was no one here named “Unspecified Crowd.”

“Kim Ho-jin! Call an adult!”

“Huh? Wha—?”

“An adult!”

Stumbling, Kim Ho-jin turned toward the direction of the houses. Having already been scolded by Yoo-jin once, it seemed best to do as she said.

‘Oppa, what was next?’

Most of the time spent with her brother was fun, whether playing or studying, but when he nagged her to brush her teeth or take a bath, she would run away. Well, he was much faster, so he always caught her.

Every time he caught her, he would tickle her, and Yoo-jin found it so fun that she made it a daily routine.

Even during safety lessons, Yoo-jin would doze off and get scolded by her brother. Anyway, she regretted not paying attention.

– “Yoo-jin, watch carefully. This hard part in the middle of the ribs is called the sternum. This is where you do CPR, which stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. You press down hard enough to compress the ribs. About twice per second…”

Still in a daze, the CPR demonstration her brother had shown played in her mind like a video. Yoo-jin had practiced on a stuffed bear until her brother praised her, sweating profusely.

That’s why the bear’s side burst open again.

Ah, no. Yoo-jin shook her head vigorously.

“Lift the chin with your fingers—.”

She pressed her index and middle fingers under Lee Dong-ho’s chin to lift it.

Her brother called this “securing the airway,” but Yoo-jin thought it was something only done in church.

“Now, press down hard—.”

She needed to apply her weight.

“Ugh, this is hard. What are you doing, friend…?”

“Stay still!”

Yoo-jin yelled again and focused on the task at hand.

Though she was bigger and heavier than her friends, it seemed better to stand and bend her waist to apply her weight.

Huuup—. She took a deep breath to calm her trembling chest and recalled her brother’s instructions, summoning her strength.

“Twice per second! Thirty times! Huff!”

“Ahhh! It hurts! Stop!”

This time, Lee Dong-ho screamed.

The ultrasonic wave echoed across the quiet countryside beach, shaking the ownerless forest by the shore.

Huh?

Yoo-jin’s big eyes wavered.

Kim Ho-jin, who had just returned after meeting Cheon Gil-ryong, couldn’t hide his bewilderment. Tsk, tsk—. He clicked his tongue.

“Well—. Lee Dong-ho said it hurts, so stop, Yoo-jin. Kids fall into water sometimes, and that’s how they grow. What, uh, what did he do to deserve that…?”

Yoo-jin blinked her big eyes three times.

“Lee Dong-ho’s alive?”

When did I die? Lee Dong-ho’s face seemed to say.

Lee Dong-ho, who had been lying flat, lifted his head to look at Yoo-jin. He sighed with an expression that said he had never seen such an absurd friend in his seven years of life.

“Even so, that was too much. Crushing the kid like that…”

If it weren’t for the rock, his posture would’ve been perfect—. Kim Ho-jin trailed off, hiding behind Cheon Gil-ryong, afraid Yoo-jin might yell again.

“Huh?”

Yoo-jin’s head tilted like Jang Gun’s as she looked back and forth between Lee Dong-ho and Kim Ho-jin.

Blinking her dazed eyes a few times, she remembered the part of the lesson she had missed.

– “You have to keep checking the victim’s condition.”

In her panic, her vision had gone dark, and her field of view had narrowed, making it hard to see. Or maybe her tears had blurred her vision.

– “You only do this for someone who isn’t breathing and has no pulse. Even if they seem unconscious, you have to check. Tap their shoulder and say, ‘Hey, can you hear me? Are you okay?’”

Her brother had definitely shaken the stuffed bear while saying that.

But in the moment, I was so out of it myself—how could I check someone else’s condition? Yoo-jin continued to blink, her body frozen except for her eyelids.

– “‘I’m Son Yoo-jin, trained in emergency rescue! Can I help you?’ You have to clearly ask for consent. If there’s no response, then you proceed. Got it?”

From checking consciousness to asking for consent—how was I supposed to remember all that at seven years old? Ah, the fact that I’m remembering now means I did retain it, right?

Sigh—.

Finally breaking free from her frozen state, Yoo-jin took off her hat and scratched the back of her head. Embarrassed, she twitched her nose.

Perhaps emboldened by Yoo-jin’s somewhat sullen expression, Kim Ho-jin finished what he had been trying to say earlier.

“Well—, the kid was just lying there tired…”

She totally crushed him. Kim Ho-jin, avoiding Yoo-jin’s gaze but still saying what he wanted, was quite the character.

***

“Chang-rim, you brat, if you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll test whether this old exorcist’s charm works on a lowly spirit like you.”

Swoosh—.

A prominent bamboo stalk shook vigorously.

“Damn it. Whether you lived or died a thousand years ago, here you’re just a wandering ghost—.”

Hehehe—.

The old man’s laughter, clicking his tongue in amusement, spread like a carpet over the hill.

“What kind of flesh is that? Flesh that shatters from a child’s scream isn’t flesh at all—. Hehehe—.”

Swoosh—.

Chang-rim, the spirit, felt wronged but couldn’t argue further.

He had staked his pride as a spirit on his claim, but the evidence—the ghostly flesh—had shattered into pieces at Yoo-jin’s scream. With the spirit jade broken, it meant complete annihilation.

“A child’s voice does summon ghosts.”

Ghosts of mothers who lost their babies, ghosts of baby thieves.

Tiger ghosts lured by cries, rooster ghosts.

All sorts of ghosts gather.

The saying that a long cry from a child brings misfortune to the household comes from this. The desperation of a mother trying to soothe her crying child goes beyond mere affection—it’s a mix of ignorance and fear of the supernatural. Late at night, while trying to calm a crying baby, the sound of footsteps outside an empty house sends chills down any mother’s spine.

“But it all depends on the child and the household. There’s no absolute rule—.”

Swoosh—.

Chang-rim shook the bamboo once in agreement.

Spirits, by nature, hate to lose. He wanted to argue, but Cheon Gil-ryong’s words were correct. Ghosts don’t gather around those born with strong yang energy—they flee.

Not only that.

He also had to be careful because the old man might suddenly decide to chop down the bamboo. A junior spirit named Cheok-myeong, who had once acted arrogantly toward Cheon Gil-ryong, had been turned into a fishing rod last autumn.

It was so effective that just dipping it in water would catch fish. With its trembling tip and flexible body, it had become Cheon Gil-ryong’s beloved tool, replacing his cherished staff.

“Bad luck is still luck. No matter how foul, luck changes moment by moment. What you carry, who you’re with, the alignment of the sun and moon—all matter. But above all, innate talent is the most important.”

More important than luck is intelligence. The ability to calmly assess and respond.

As far as Cheon Gil-ryong knew, Son Yoo-jin possessed a boldness and composure beyond her years. Her intelligence was well-known throughout the village.

Plus, she had four clever dogs by her side.

“Even if you wanted to die, you couldn’t—.”

***

Shaking off the salt from his quickly dried clothes in the sun and warm wind, Lee Dong-ho made a face.

“What do I do? My clothes are dirty.”

Lee Dong-ho, the victim of the shocking incident, had dropped his kindergarten teacher-like speech. Like Yoo-jin, who had abandoned her gentleness to yell, he spoke plainly.

“It’s Sunday, but Yoo-jin told us to wear our uniforms. Lee Dong-ho’s bag is wet too.”

“Kindergarteners wear uniforms and carry bags… That’s what the teacher said…”

Yoo-jin mumbled with a hollow look.

She had insisted that wearing yellow made them easy to spot from afar and that adults could find them easily if they got lost. That’s why Yoo-jin forced her friends to wear uniforms or yellow clothes when they came to play. For safety.

“But the bag saved me. It floated.”

Even while swallowing seawater, Lee Dong-ho realized something was keeping him afloat.

The kindergarten bag on his shoulder had caught under his armpit, acting as a buoy to keep him from sinking. Lee Dong-ho grabbed the strap and lifted his head, barely managing to breathe. That’s when Hongshi pushed him up from underwater.

“We have a washing machine and a dryer at home. We can take a bath there too. Let’s go.”

The shock of the near-death experience faded quickly, and the kids soon regained their composure.

Chattering and joking, they headed to Kim Ho-jin’s house.

“Kim Ho-jin, see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah—, go in—.”

Waving in front of Kim Ho-jin’s house, they headed toward Yoo-jin’s place, and Lee Dong-ho chuckled as if nothing had happened.

“Hehehe—. Still, I survived thanks to Yoo-jin.”

Lee Dong-ho vowed to always wear his kindergarten uniform and carry his bag wherever he went.

“My toys are fine too. I’ll show them to the older kids—.”

“Hey, wait!”

Walking along the bus route with the four dogs guarding her, Yoo-jin stopped Lee Dong-ho.

“Why?”

“Huh…?”

Yoo-jin slowly narrowed her eyes and stuck her head out like a turtle.

She had spotted a giant walking confidently toward them, bathed in sunlight.

Finally, she recognized who had come to meet her and widened her eyes to the size of saucers.

“Oppa…”

Her lips twitched once.

A deeper emotion than desperation seeped out.

“Oppa! It’s our oppa! It’s our oppaaaa—! Oppaaaa—!”

Laughing, Yoo-jin ran like the wind, tears she hadn’t shed yet trailing behind her.

“Waaaa—! Oppaaaa—.”

The giant knelt on the ground, spreading his arms with a bright smile.

In the midst of the noisy sibling reunion, even Jang Gun didn’t overtake Yoo-jin in that moment.