Episode 6
Joon-wan sprang from his bed and, seizing the front of the mysterious woman’s purple robe, flung her onto the floor.
Whoosh!
He wasn’t about to entertain the ramblings of a stalker who had invaded his home.
While not identical, he had experienced similar situations before. As a frequent guest on television, Joon-wan was considered a minor celebrity and had amassed a considerable fan base. Among them were obsessive fans who claimed past-life connections and other such delusions.
Crazy people were unpredictable. Even her hairstyle was bizarre. She could be concealing a weapon beneath those loose-fitting sleeves; he couldn’t simply dismiss her as harmless just because she was a woman.
“Aaaagh!”
The woman screamed as she tumbled into the iridescent clouds that carpeted the floor.
Tinkle!
Poof!
‘Poof?’
He expected a thud as her back hit the floor, no matter how light she was, but instead, he heard a strange sound effect.
Cough, cough!
Joon-wan instinctively covered his nose with his sleeve and rushed to the window, flinging it open.
Creak!
While it was likely just a theatrical effect created with dry ice and a mirrored light source, there was a slim chance it could be a hallucinogenic gas.
‘What kind of crazy person is she?’
The lengths stalkers would go to often defied logic.
Rain splattered on his face as he leaned out the open window.
Whoosh!
It was still raining outside.
Whoosh!
The smoke-like iridescent clouds rapidly dissipated into the night air. Joon-wan took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh, cool air.
Gasp!
The cold air jolted him awake. He ran a hand through his hair and turned his head, mentally picturing the location of his phone.
“Excuse me, I don’t know who you are, but this is…”
He spoke in an irritated tone, but the room was empty, the smoke completely gone.
“…unacceptable?”
Except for a single earthworm lying on the floor.
“…”
He stepped out of the room and checked the hallway, but there was no one there. Joon-wan turned on all the lights in the apartment, checking every nook and cranny, opening closets and cupboards.
“Hello? You can’t do this. This is trespassing! Come out!”
He shouted, even checking the intercom, but there was no sign of forced entry.
Joon-wan returned to his room, feeling as if he had encountered a ghost.
“…”
The earthworm was still there. He picked it up between his thumb and forefinger.
Droop…
The earthworm was limp and lifeless.
“You…”
Tinkle, tinkle…
“Why are you here?”
Joon-wan asked, but the earthworm remained motionless, as if unconscious.
“…”
He narrowed his eyes.
While Joon-wan was a scholar who studied tales from millennia past, he was a rational individual living in the 21st century.
As Confucius said, “Without evidence, there is no belief.”
‘But… can what I saw with my own eyes be considered evidence?’
Of course, things had taken a strange turn from the moment he brought home the earthworm, believing it to be a dragon.
“…”
He recalled securely closing the lid of the plastic container holding the earthworm before going to bed. It was designed to seal automatically with a click, and even if it hadn’t been properly closed, a single earthworm couldn’t possibly have pushed it open and escaped.
“Hey, why are you here? Huh?”
Joon-wan shook the earthworm and asked.
“…”
“Say something.”
“…”
He listened intently, but the captured earthworm remained silent.
It would be even stranger if an earthworm could talk.
“…”
Silence.
A tightness in his chest made him want to scream, but he restrained himself and clutched his head with his hands.
‘What is going on?’
He was experiencing a reality check.
‘Min Joon-wan, are you crazy?’
It was just an earthworm.
‘Pull yourself together. Pull yourself together, Min Joon-wan.’
He closed his eyes tightly, trying to regain his composure.
Whoosh!
The sound of rain drew his attention to the window. It was still raining. Joon-wan bit his lower lip and pondered.
‘Is this… not my earthworm?’
Logically speaking, it could have come from outside. Although, he lived on the 28th floor of an apartment building.
‘Where did it come from?’
However, his keen eye told him this was his earthworm.
Just to be sure, Joon-wan took the earthworm to the container where he kept the others. He rummaged through the soil with his bare hand, but there were no other earthworms in sight.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
It was a baffling situation. As he squatted before the container, a sudden thought struck him.
‘Oh no, the burn. The burn.’
Young-shin had warned him.
“You want a book? I don’t have any books on earthworms. It’s not my field. But whatever you do, don’t touch it with your bare hands.”
“Don’t touch it with my bare hands?”
“You could burn it. Their skin is sensitive, and they perceive human body temperature as hot.”
Remembering Young-shin’s cautionary advice, Joon-wan quickly placed the earthworm back on the soil. It remained motionless.
He touched his remaining hand with his soil-stained hand.
‘Is it hot or not?’
He had no way of knowing if the temperature of his hand was suitable for the earthworm.
“…”
He went to the kitchen and washed his hands thoroughly with cold water. Still feeling uneasy, he retrieved ice from the refrigerator and held it in his hands for a while. Then, he opened a cupboard, retrieved something, and returned to the container.
He scooped some soil into the tumbler he had brought, placed the earthworm inside, and tightly closed the lid.
Throughout this process, the earthworm remained still, either dead or feigning death.
“…”
He couldn’t sleep that night. Not only could he not fall asleep, but he was also afraid that if he did, the events of the night would fade away like a dream.
***
However, Joon-wan was a rational man.
He woke up early the next morning and professionally attended to his scheduled appointments.
He started with a three-hour broadcast at the TV station and then headed straight to his parents’ house.
‘Ugh.’
His family wasn’t exactly struggling financially, allowing him to pursue a doctorate in the unprofitable field of folklore.
Whir…
The automatic garage door opened as he arrived at the mansion, its expansive grounds enclosed by a tall wall.
‘I’m already exhausted.’
He sighed, parked his car in the already crowded garage, and ascended the stairs, passing through a garden resembling a miniature pine forest.
Thud.
Joon-wan placed the black tumbler on the coffee table in the living room with a thud and took a sip from one of the teacups the housekeeper had placed on either side.
“You should visit more often.”
His mother, Mrs. Yang, said without touching her teacup.
“I’m starting to forget what you look like.”
“Mother, just watch TV. I’ll let you know when I’m on.”
He retorted, setting his teacup down on the saucer.
“You’re just like your father, cold to the bone. So, how long are you going to keep pursuing that unprofitable career?”
“As long as I can.”
“You should start helping with the family business. With both my sons gallivanting around, what am I supposed to do?”
“You have my brother. Why are you picking on me?”
“Your brother says he has you. It’s heartwarming to see my two sons passing the buck to each other.”
“…”
“But even I think you’d be better suited to inheriting the family business than your brother. Anyway, are you seeing anyone?”
“No. And I don’t plan to. I’m married to my work.”
“I wouldn’t mind even if it was a celebrity.”
“Have you asked any celebrities? They wouldn’t be okay with me.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Mother.”
“I raised you to be perfectly normal, and you’re wasting that handsome face of yours. Or are you really seeing a man? Should I prepare myself mentally?”
“Mother!”
If their words could clash and produce sounds, it would have been a cacophony of clanging metal.
“Then go on a blind date.”
“Respect your elders. Get my brother married first.”
“Your brother is about to leave the nest, but you’re still under my wing.”
“What do you mean?”
He couldn’t understand what his mother was implying.
“I was so worried about your fortune that I visited a shaman recently. She said you’ll meet your destined partner soon, someone you’ve been waiting for for a long time. She said you haven’t been seeing anyone because you’re meant to meet this person…”
“Destined partner? I am the master of my own destiny. And why are you consulting shamans when I’m a folklore professor?”
“Because I want to.”
“Please don’t waste your money. Let me know if you need a place to donate.”
“I’m already donating enough.”
“Donate more.”
“Why don’t you donate?”
Their faces remained calm, but their words were like swords and shields clashing.
Mrs. Yang suddenly noticed the tumbler on the coffee table and stared at it silently.
“…”
It was an incongruous object in a house meticulously decorated to her taste.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a tumbler.”
Joon-wan replied.
“You never carry those around.”
“I’m trying to be more environmentally conscious.”
“Well, alright…”
Mrs. Yang sighed, seemingly resigned. She had asked, but she hadn’t expected much.
Joon-wan also sighed, his shoulders slumping.
“It’s good to see you in good health, Mother. Take care. I’ll be going now.”
“Don’t be so formal. What are you doing afterward? Let’s have lunch. The housekeeper prepared your favorite dishes.”
“I have a prior engagement, Mother.”
Joon-wan picked up the tumbler and stood up.
“What prior engagement?”
“I’m going to see my brother while I’m in Seoul.”
Mrs. Yang chuckled as she followed his movements with her gaze.
“Does he even have time to see you?”
***
While he had claimed a prior engagement, it was an appointment he had hastily scheduled after leaving his parents’ house.
“Brother, I need to see you today. It’s urgent.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell you over text. I need to see you in person.”
“Alright, let’s have lunch then.”
It was what one might call a “family favor.”
Traffic was heavy in downtown Seoul during lunchtime.
“…Hmm.”
Stopped at a red light, Joon-wan tapped the steering wheel with both hands, trying to appear nonchalant. However, he couldn’t resist the urge and quickly opened the tumbler to check its contents before the light changed.
‘Is it alright… Huh?’
The earthworm was gone.