[ I lived until the acorn sprout of the oak grew robustly enough to touch the mountaintop. ]
The fairy lamented.
[ I’ve never seen such a horrible drunkard like you! ]
With a wrinkled face scrunched in disdain, the fairy let out a deep sigh and strapped the hammer back to their waist. Then, they plopped down in a suitable spot, stuffed a tobacco leaf into their mouth, chewed it, and glared at Lee Jae-soon.
[ Right, you drunkard. Horrible drunkard! You remind me of some old Merrow living deep in the sea! A dreadful creature that fills a barrel with booze and drains it at every meal! ]
Ah, if only you knew how much I suffered because I had to use shoes as snacks when I was drunk!
The fairy shook their head as if they were indeed sickened.
[ You human child. What’s your name? ]
“Ah, my name is—”
Lee Jae-soon unintentionally opened his mouth but quickly shut it, startled.
『 Do not reveal your name to the fairy. 』
『 If you tell them your name, they’ll use it as a reference point to appear before you. 』
『 It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the cost will not be small. 』
『 So, when introducing yourself, try to be as vague as possible. The important part is the name. 』
『 But never tell a lie. 』
『 Each time you lie, the fairy’s favor towards you will diminish, and eventually, something unfortunate will happen. 』
The chilling warning written on paper kept him from speaking further.
He slowly moved his lips and instead of a name, he said something else.
“I am the second son of a family with the surname Lee.”
[ Oh, such an unmelodious surname! I wouldn’t be surprised if a bug living under a walnut shell bore that name! ]
“My hometown is full of stones and iron. It has many people, but it’s not a place with much warmth.”
[ Stones and iron! Ha-ha-ha! ]
Lee Jae-soon was a native of Seoul.
Besides, Korea had seen quite a bit of development when he was born, so there wasn’t really any undeveloped area left.
In other words, when he mentioned stones and iron, he was actually referring to ‘concrete’ and ‘rebar.’
Even the fact that he grew up in a city was something he had stated indirectly.
But it wasn’t a lie.
After all, the city was made of concrete and rebar, wasn’t it?
“I truly loved the food made with intestines that were packed tightly when I was young. They called it sundae, and because of that, I was called sundae in my childhood.”
[ Oh, really? Then I shall call you Sundae! ]
Upon hearing the word ‘sundae’, the fairy grinned mischievously.
[ Childhood nicknames indeed reflect one’s innocence! ]
Just like how the sun shines brightest in childhood.
Just as tender as a sprout just breaking the ground!
Just like a newborn babe fresh out of its mother’s womb!
Names are just the same!
[ So, Sundae. Sundae, Sundae! A distant kin with a ludicrous nickname? Now that I know your name and we’ve exchanged stories, I want to give you a gift! ]
“Oh, a gift? That’s too much!”
[ No, you are nothing like those Milesians who keep pestering me for the whereabouts of riches or the weird fairies who only know how to pop out from ponds to hand over swords. You called me a good person and treated me right. Therefore, you are more than worthy of my gift! ]
The fairy rummaged through a pouch at their waist and pulled out something to hang around their neck.
It appeared to be a leather apron.
Rather than an ordinary apron, it looked more like one a craftsman would wear before starting their work.
[ Now you shall experience my craftsmanship which cannot be easily acquired even with a sack full of gold! What do you wish for?! ]
The fairy hummed cheerfully as they sang.
Boots, sandals, shoes!
If you cover the soles of sandals with a cat’s footsteps, it won’t make a sound!
If you fill the boots with lazy human thoughts, you can walk faster than the wind!
If you make the soles of shoes from the hem of a lady’s skirt after her first night, you’ll be popular with women!
If you twist the beak of a noisily chirping bird to make shoes, they will be exceedingly loud!
[ Tick-tock, tick-tap, lip-tap! Speak, speak! What kind of shoes do you desire? ]
With the fairy holding the hammer and singing to him, Lee Jae-soon gulped nervously.
Then, he spoke of the ‘shoe’ he wanted in his mind.
“S-Sundae! Please create shoes using the tongue of a chatterbox!”
[ Oh, a chatterbox! How noisy that would be! ]
The fairy grinned widely at Lee Jae-soon’s words.
[ Why would we use that for shoes? Wouldn’t it be better to pound the beak of a great sea pig? ]
“No! While the great sea pig is noisy, it can’t talk!”
[ Then how about pounding a stag’s large antlers? It’ll tell you about things happening in the forest! ]
“No, the happenings in the forest may be important, but I’m no hunter, am I?”
Gulp.
Lee Jae-soon recited his set line.
“I only need a drinking buddy when I drink!”
[ Ha-ha-ha! ]
The fairy burst into laughter, as though they found it utterly ridiculous.
[ You wretched drunkard! You win! I shall craft you shoes from the tongue of the chatterbox that I uprooted myself a long time ago! ]
Lee Jae-soon quickly bent down and took off his shoes. Then, he tossed them towards the fairy.
“Oh, Daoine Maithe! Those shoes were my excellent companions and they served as great drinking vessels during drinking sessions! Please turn them into my drinking buddy with the tongue of a chatterbox!”
[ What? ]
“If I’m going to have a drinking buddy, wouldn’t it be better to have one that has been with me for a long time?”
[ True! That makes sense! ]
The fairy chuckled softly and agreed with Lee Jae-soon.
[ Alright! I shall make you a glorious chatterbox! ]
Having said that, the fairy pulled out something long and bright red from a leather pouch.
It was soaked in a thick liquid that looked like saliva, wriggling as if it wanted to say something, slithering like a snake. The movement was so vigorous that it seemed about to slip from the fairy’s grasp any moment.
But the fairy’s unimpressive hand gripped it tightly like a claw.
Kaboom!
The fairy brought the hammer down hard onto the wriggling tongue.
Not just once, but repeatedly.
As a result, the continuously writhing tongue wilted as if it had fainted, and in that limp state, it was hammered down until it turned into thin paper.
The fairy placed the thinned-out tongue against the inside of the shoe and began to sew them together using a needle, thread, and hammer.
How long did this go on?
By the time the night sky turned its darkest.
The fairy’s work was completed.
[ Now, you human with the ludicrous nickname of Sundae! Here is the gift I present to you! ]
The fairy, wiping the sweat from their brow, threw the shoes toward Lee Jae-soon.
The shoes tossed by the fairy flew unimpeded through the air and unexpectedly nestled into a circle, at which point they twitched as if to convey a sense of pain.
[ Huh, I had fun working today! Although I didn’t acquire any gold coins, I granted a gift to this distant kin, so I guess I’ll need to sleep without being able to withstand it! ]
The fairy smiled contentedly at what had unfolded.
[ When well-cooked pancakes roll and greet you! When an acorn splits in half and swallows the long river’s water in one gulp! Until we meet again, soon! ]
The fairy turned around and blended into the darkness as if finishing their business.
They left behind a strange farewell and…
Thus ended that peculiar encounter.
“Oh.”
The fairy fades away.
The darkest darkness before dawn is lifting.
Faint light begins to emanate from afar, and the density of darkness is thinning.
Finally, as the sun rises softly from between the deep valley,
Lee Jae-soon realized it at that moment.
“Heh, I succeeded.”
That he had successfully performed the magic.
That he had received a ‘gift’ from the fairy successfully.
Thud.
He sank down to the ground as the tension melted away.
And, with a laugh that sounded like a lunatic, he gazed at the shoes lying beside him.
The divine object he had painstakingly crafted.
And the treasure that would guide him down the path of success.
Lee Jae-soon moved slowly, dragging himself over to the shoes.
He carefully cradled them in his arms as if they were an egg.
『 If the ritual has been completed successfully, the divine object should be finished. 』
『 The performance of the divine object won’t be extraordinary. But it should communicate at the level you desire. 』
『 However, this is not eternal; each time it speaks, the shoes will decay, and ultimately, it will be unable to speak. 』
『 Whether to be satisfied there or to take one more step is solely your choice. 』
He smiled, recalling the warning written at the bottom of the paper.
“Heh, heh, heh.”
You say it won’t be very extraordinary?
What does that even matter?
As a journalist, all I need is information for my article.
I don’t wish to uncover all the secrets of the world.
“Now I, I…”
His eyes sparkled with a smile.
“I am now invincible!”
*
『 Magic requires a cost. 』
『 But this time, the karma is tied to me. 』
『 The cost for you won’t be that great. 』
『 However, from then on, it will solely depend on your choices. 』
『 You mustn’t forget that you must fully bear the cost. 』
…
…
…
『 I have written what is correct on paper. 』
『 However, what is incorrect may also be written on paper. 』
『 Should there be contradictory items, 』
『 I wish you luck. 』
