Episode 11
‘So… it’s the earthworm.’
It was a difficult reality to accept.
“I’m sorry. Why did I do that? I’m so sorry…”
No, it was a reality he refused to acknowledge, even after witnessing it.
The woman seemed unfazed by having exposed her naked body to a stranger. She adjusted her sash, cinching her waist tightly, and tilted her head at Joon-wan, as if wondering what had just transpired.
“How did you do that?”
Would a magician ever reveal their secrets to the audience? Joon-wan knew he wouldn’t get a straight answer, but he had to ask.
“Do what?”
“That light… how did you create that light?”
“Light?”
The woman shrugged.
“What light? Oh, the light that emanated from my body?”
She seemed to have misinterpreted his question. She sat up straight and patted Joon-wan’s back with a hearty laugh.
“Are you surprised to see Geoshindwang (擧身光) for the first time? Haha! Don’t worry, it’s harmless. In fact, it’s proof that your prayer is working, that my divine power is returning…”
‘What is she talking about?’
It wasn’t the answer Joon-wan wanted to hear. He couldn’t understand a word she was saying, and he felt tears welling up in his eyes.
“But I haven’t finished my meal… May I go back and eat?”
“Yes… please.”
Although he hadn’t completely abandoned his suspicions, Joon-wan couldn’t find any concrete evidence that the woman was a con artist.
“Human culinary skills have truly improved.”
The woman, perfectly normal when she wasn’t speaking, finished her meal, her face adorned with a cheerful smile, while uttering strange comments.
And then, as if in a trance, Joon-wan found himself washing the dishes.
‘Why am I…?’
The dishwasher, which had remained pristine despite being purchased, was now in use.
‘Why am I doing the dishes?’
The woman sat on the sofa, her smile unwavering, her head tilted as she observed his every move with fascination. Joon-wan felt like a monkey in a zoo.
“The human world has changed so much while I was asleep.”
She spoke as he returned to the sofa with two cups of tea on a tray.
“…”
“Thank you for the tea.”
Despite her appearance and attire, which gave no indication of her age, her innocent expression resembled a five-year-old child, fascinated by everything.
‘If this is an act, no actor could pull it off better.’
Joon-wan shuddered, then steeled his resolve and sat down on a single-seater chair next to the sofa. The woman sipped her tea.
“If you can transform from an earthworm into a human, shouldn’t the reverse be possible too?”
“…”
“Can you show me now, if you can?”
He had reached this conclusion after much deliberation while washing the dishes.
‘If she transforms into an earthworm right before my eyes, I’ll believe her. How could I not believe it after witnessing such a thing?’
“Right here, right now.”
However, the woman chuckled, covering her mouth with her sleeve.
“Why should I?”
Her response surprised him. It was as if he had expected her to transform on command.
“Why should I do that?”
She lowered her sleeve and spoke clearly.
“What if I transform back into a worm, and you crush or step on me?”
“…”
“Or what if you capture me and use me for evil purposes? You don’t trust me and doubt me, so why should I trust you?”
Her words struck a chord.
“You caused me to fall from the heavens, and you just tried to assault me. Why should I trust you?”
He was speechless.
“And even if I show you, haven’t you seen enough already? You’ve already decided not to believe, so would you believe even if I transform again? You would just find another reason to doubt.”
Her words were not entirely wrong. Joon-wan felt a pang of shame.
“So now…”
“…”
“What are you going to do now?”
Her eyes sparkled.
“Well, first…”
Her red, lipstick-like lips stretched into a wide smile, reaching almost to her ears, making Joon-wan flinch.
“I need to focus on regaining my powers. And while I’m at it, I’d like to explore the human world. Will you help me?”
“Explore the human world?”
“I’m curious to see how much the human world has changed while I was asleep.”
***
Joon-wan couldn’t sleep that night, troubled by the woman’s request.
“…”
It wasn’t an unreasonable request, which made it even more unsettling.
‘Why am I even listening to her?’
He didn’t even know her true identity.
It made no sense. It felt like he was under a spell.
‘Why am I acting like I have no choice but to obey her?’
He was afraid that this mysterious woman, who had suddenly entered his life, would disrupt his carefully structured existence. Or had things already started to change?
He couldn’t pinpoint what exactly had changed.
‘What is happening to me?’
The woman, whose naked body he had just seen, was sleeping in the next room.
“…”
He tried to ignore her presence throughout the night, but it was impossible.
To put it bluntly… he was a man.
‘Her naked body…’
Contrary to his parents’ and brother’s suspicions, and the rumors circulating, Joon-wan was a healthy adult male with normal physiological responses to female beauty.
He simply hadn’t met the right person yet. As a result, his lack of dating experience had fueled all sorts of speculation.
‘Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. It’s not like that, Min Joon-wan.’
But had he finally met the right person? Or, as his mother had jokingly suggested, had he encountered his destined partner?
‘But seriously, why wasn’t she wearing any undergarments?’
Or had his prolonged solitude led to a buildup of suppressed desires?
He couldn’t escape the image of her white, smooth body, even with his eyes closed.
‘Why am I like this?’
He was clearly no match for the stoic scholar Seo Gyeong-deok, who had famously rejected the advances of the courtesan Hwang Jin-i, even when she appeared at his door in rain-soaked white undergarments.
‘Please… Joon-wan.’
The more he tried to suppress the memory, the more vivid it became.
‘What’s wrong with you? You’re not this kind of person, are you?’
He felt miserable.
***
“I need to focus on regaining my powers. And while I’m at it, I’d like to explore the human world. Will you help me?”
The woman’s request from the previous day was more of a command. Her words carried a subtle but undeniable authority.
‘But I could have refused.’
Joon-wan could have kicked her out at any time. However, the relentless rain, as if a hole had been punched in the sky, prevented him from acting rationally.
It had been raining for a week straight.
“Didn’t you find it strange that it’s been raining nonstop since that day?”
Her words triggered his guilt. It was an absurd notion, but the possibility that he was responsible for the rain, which was causing widespread suffering, weighed heavily on him.
‘It’s just climate change. Global warming is causing longer rainy seasons.’
But that would be resolved once the rain stopped.
The previous night, he had resolved to kick her out the moment the rain stopped, regardless of her excuses or justifications.
…But it was still raining.
“Are we starting our exploration today?”
He was wearing a black sweater and cotton pants. He shook his head at her unchanged attire.
“First… you can’t wear that.”
“My clothes? What’s wrong with them?”
The woman glanced at her robe with a puzzled expression.
“They’re not appropriate.”
“…Hmm?”
She looked confused.
“Don’t you have any other clothes?”
“What’s wrong with these clothes?”
“…”
“They’re of the finest quality. They’re much better than your clothes, don’t you think? Beautiful, and much more fabric was used.”
“…”
“As I understand it, clothing reflects a person’s status, doesn’t it?”
“…”
“Judging by your attire… are you a commoner?”
He didn’t know where to begin. Joon-wan felt a headache coming on.
***
Geoshindwang (擧身光) : (Ji Shen Guang(In Chinese Pinyin)) can be translated to “Lifting the Body of Light” or “Raising the Radiant Body”. This phrase might refer to a state of enlightenment or spiritual awakening, where one’s body or being is filled with light and radiance.