The unknown entity continued to emit strange sounds, as if urging its own identity to be revealed quickly.
Ticka-tack-toe.
Tick-tack-toe!
It sounded like lips were being carelessly snapped.
However, Lee Jae-soon did not respond to the question.
“If the ritual proceeds smoothly, it will urge you to sing while saying your name. But you must never say it.”
“No matter what happens, you must never utter the fairy’s name.”
“If you keep listening to the song, a strange conviction will settle in. And as the melodies combine, a few words may float to the surface of your mind. But you must absolutely not say them.”
“If you’re drunk, you might inadvertently blurt out words. If that happens…”
“Good luck.”
He remembered a very strong warning written on the paper.
It wasn’t just a warning.
It was an extremely intense warning.
Unlike the previous caution that simply stated the facts calmly, this warning declared, “Absolutely under no circumstances should you do it, and if you do, pray.”
He didn’t know what would happen if he disobeyed the warning….
Well, he didn’t want to find out.
Given how strongly the warning was issued… it wouldn’t be surprising if that entity became a monster and attacked him.
“Leipreachan.”
Thus, even though words were floating in Lee Jae-soon’s mind, he desperately turned away from them.
“Leprechaun.”
He concentrated on the line on the ground to avoid thinking of that word and even plugged his ears as if trying not to hear the song.
“Leith bhrogan.”
But they said if you don’t think of an elephant, paradoxically, you’ll think of an elephant.
The more Lee Jae-soon tried not to recall the entity’s name, the more words incessantly popped into his head, causing dizziness.
“Leith phrogan.”
Incessant words swirling around.
This peculiarity where music seemed to combine into words.
“Luchryman.”
It felt as if some invisible giant was stirring his unconscious, coaxing certain words to surface.
“Clurachan.”
This flooded his mind with words, seemingly set to burst forth from his lips, influenced by the intoxication of the drink.
“Fear dearg, Clobhair-ceann, Fear gorta.”
The persistence was so horrifying that he felt he might suffocate from the torrent of those words.
One letter would emerge, scatter into dust, bounce, and then reassemble as text.
Hangul combined and jumbled, transforming into characters.
Dust swayed and formed sound waves, coloring his mind with words.
That horror.
That persistence.
It was truly enough to make him feel nauseated and collapse to the floor.
Yet even so, Lee Jae-soon kept his mouth tightly shut and continued walking.
When his throat twisted and he felt like he might spew out what was inside, he took a sip of his drink to force it down, and fearing that he might inadvertently move his lips, he pressed them tightly together. He looked down at the ground lest he be entranced by the unknown entity, and despite closing his ears, he still heard sounds, so he didn’t cover them with his hands; instead, he tuned his ears to the sound of the murky drink stirring.
“Haha!”
Did the unknown entity notice Lee Jae-soon’s desperate resistance to saying the name?
The entity, watching from a distance, opened its mouth.
No, it would be more accurate to say that the song flowed from it rather than just opening its mouth.
It had a mouth that didn’t move, yet the sound should ideally emerge from the throat, but the entity sang from its feet.
This was the bizarre appearance that could be seen because its form wasn’t fixed.
“Big boots! Sandals!”
“For those going to the banquet, splendid shoes!”
“For the dancing ladies in the ballroom, beautiful shoes!”
“For travelers going far, sturdy leather shoes!”
“With a fairy’s hammer, one! Two!”
“Folding leather, stitch by stitch!”
“Like this, one pair! Like that, another pair!”
“That’s how you become rich! Stitch by stitch, you become rich!”
The entity seemed to sing joyfully, pleased that Lee Jae-soon hadn’t opened his mouth.
“If you use a lot of leather, it’ll be expensive!”
“If you use less leather, carve patterns to make it pricey!”
“Shoes aren’t worth their price!”
“By all means, shoes should be bought filled with gold all the way to the ankle!”
“Fill those long shoes up to the ankle with gold!”
“Fill the inside of the shoes with gold coins!”
“Here, fill the jar from bottom to top with gold!”
“One, two, three, four!”
“Four, six, seven! Nine!”
“Nine is one-two ten-eleven!”
“Ninety-nine treasure jars are my pride!”
“Lip-lap, tip-lap, tick-tack-toe!”
As the song progressed, the more Lee Jae-soon held onto his drink, the more distinct the entity became.
The blurry outline of its body began to solidify, coalescing into something clear, and the height that had been shifting became that of a dwarf. Its beastly feet transformed into large shoes, mismatched to its body as darkness coalesced around it, and wrinkles began to form on its skin as if a sculptor was laboriously chiseling the stone.
The writhing wrinkles.
A face filled with mischief and playfulness.
And even an expression that clearly resembled that of a miser.
It became increasingly distinct.
“Ho, ho, ho!”
Finally, it took on the appearance of a “fairy.”
With a wrinkled face and a long beard that seemed to touch the floor.
And a long, thin, pointed nose that looked almost like Pinocchio’s.
On its nose sat glasses with red rims, and though it wore leather clothes, they shimmered here and there, as if adorned with silver and gold. It also sported a large silver buckle belt reminiscent of a champion’s belt, along with massive shoes that rose above its knees.
It looked down at Lee Jae-soon with a hunched posture.
“Hrum.”
That gaze seemed to harbor a peculiar curiosity.
The fairy took out a small metal container from a leather pouch at its waist.
Then it pulled out tobacco leaves, stuffed them into its mouth, and began to chew while speaking to Lee Jae-soon.
“Hey, ugly friend. Why are you moving so busily? Just take a moment to look at me.”
Lee Jae-soon stopped walking as the fairy, or rather, the “fairy mimicry,” called to him.
He swallowed hard and recalled what was written on the paper.
“If you ignore the fairy’s song, it will eventually take on a clear form.”
“Congratulations. You have succeeded in creating a fairy mimicry through the ritual.”
“If the fairy calls you, stop spinning in circles.”
“Now it’s time to give the correct answer to the fairy’s questions.”
“Until the fairy calls you by the ‘correct name’, refrain from speaking.”
“From now on, you must recite what’s written without changing a single word.”
“First…”
The movement was over now, and he had to provide the designated answer.
For that, Lee Jae-soon tightened his focus.
“Hey, do you like to spin around? Are you Fomóraiġ?”
“…”
“No? Then are you a rookie just coming back from Taimhleacht Muintire Parthaloin?”
“…”
“Oh, then are you a fool from the place where the tower touches the heavens?”
“…”
Lee Jae-soon remained silent to the fairy’s questions.
Because the name it desired did not come forth.
“Oh, if it’s not those, could you be tuath dé?”
“Oh, how could I possibly be among those glorious beings? I might only be a distant descendant of Danú.”
“Ha, ha, ha!”
Hearing Lee Jae-soon’s response, the fairy seemed pleased and laughed.
Though its laughter was peculiar, it bore no malice; it was mischievous but conveyed an intent of illusion.
It was as if it said, “What you said is correct.”
“A piece of Tuatha dé Danann!”
“Time is all jumbled! Letters are all jumbled!”
“Like the races of Erin, everything is mixed up!”
“But since the bloodline is connected, you still qualify to talk to me!”
The fairy approached Lee Jae-soon, smiling with joy.
Then it reached out its arm as if wanting to sit Lee Jae-soon beside it.
Thud.
But the fairy’s hand bounced back, as if blocked by some kind of barrier, leaving it puzzled. It then pulled out a small hammer and swung it into the air.
Boom!
The grand sound echoed, resonating through the air.
Yet the unseen wall seemed to reject the fairy’s hammer as well, bouncing it back.
The fairy scowled and addressed Lee Jae-soon.
“Hey!”
“What is it?”
“I can’t get in, so you have to come out!”
“Oh, that’s impossible. I was instructed not to go outside this wall.”
“Ugh, how annoying! It’s okay to break this wall, right?”
“Oh, dear Daoine Maithe! Please! You mustn’t! If this crumbles, I’ll be held responsible! Please show some generosity as a noble entity to the far-off descendant!”
“Daoine maithe, Daoine maithe, Daoine maithe! Since you called me a good person, I can’t break this wall!”
The fairy, upon hearing the words “Daoine maithe,” gave up on breaking the wall. Yet, it seemingly didn’t give up on luring Lee Jae-soon outside, as it twitched its nose and spoke with an enticing voice.
“Hey, distant descendant, human child. You look poor; why not come out? I’ll prepare a feast and serve you the most delicious food in the world.”
“That’s very kind of you. But, dear Daoine maithe! I may not have warm soup or soft bread, but I do have plenty of liquor, so I want for nothing more!”
“Child of the Danú, lacking in appearance, how pitiful you look! I can even call forth a beautiful fairy for someone like you. Why not come out and drink with a fairy beauty by your side?”
“If it’s a beauty, that would be wonderful! But, dear Daoine maithe! If I drink a lot, I’ll dream of lovely witches dancing with Púca and embracing me! What more could I want from there?”
“Then let’s go out and play music and dance! Let’s enjoy the banquet until the sturdy sole of the shoes I made wears out!”
“Oh, dear Daoine maithe! When I drink, my steps turn into dance! There’s nothing more joyful than that!”
Lee Jae-soon refused the fairy’s temptations and continued to recite the answers written on the paper.
The fairy then groaned in annoyance and shouted.
“Ugh! You damn drunkard!”
