༺ What A Pity ༻
{Which role is it again today?}
Miho, who found no joy in watching because Yoomyeong was only appearing as an extra, had stopped following him to the shooting for a while.
And the spirit fox was accompanying him today after several days.
“I’m playing a soldier participating in the Battle of Hwangsanbeol,” Yoomyeong explained.
{Oh, a battle scene. At least I’ll have something to eat today.}
It was a battle scene involving over a hundred extras.
Miho eagerly anticipated the dramatic and flavorful scene, commenting on how the energetic remnants of the scene would be rich and unique.
Yoomyeong smiled faintly and entered the set, leaving Miho behind.
The location was a mountain in Mungyeong, carefully chosen for its similarity to Hwangsan’s terrain.
On a giant crane, the camera and cinematographer adjusted their positions, while the lighting was strategically placed to complement the flickering bonfires and torches.
“It’s dark so watch your step, everyone!”
It was a big battle scene shot at night.
It was easy to see why.
The darkness would help in post-production VFX (*Visual effects), especially in making a hundred extras look like thousands. Brighter scenes would reveal the effects more easily.
Moreover, the budget was likely tight since the Battle of Hwangsanbeol wasn’t directly related to the theme of the movie, hence the choice of a night shoot.
Regardless, there was still a sense of urgency to it.
Depending on the flickering bonfires, Yoomyeong donned protective gear woven with planks around his chest and abdomen, covering his lower face with a dirty cloth under his helmet.
This was prepared by the costume team to prevent his face from being captured on the Steadicam.
“Actors! We’ll start with the overhead shot, so I’ll start with the movement chart we discussed earlier. Let’s rehearse,” the assistant director announced with a clear voice.
After several rehearsals and adjustments, the filming finally began.
Miho circled the set, planning to absorb the energy remnants while following the action.
But then…
“Start the main take!”
After the soldiers started running, the spirit fox reached their previous spot and was baffled at the lack of residual energy, which was surprisingly scant considering the intensity of the scene.
{Why… why is this happening?}
The situation was the same even as the spirit fox followed the soldiers’ paths.
Considering the intense scene of many humans increasing their momentum in battle especially in pursuit of a retreating enemy, the lack of residual energy was incomprehensibly low.
The spirit fox followed the soldiers, puzzled. In the midst of the crowd, the spirit fox spotted a familiar figure.
Familiar…?
The figure was definitely familiar.
{Huh?}
Had Yoomyeong’s energy grown since a few days ago?
Miho lifted his little front paw and rubbed his eyes.
Originally, the spirit fox visually perceived the energy emanating from humans, so he wouldn’t notice a slight increase in Yoomyeong’s energy.
Yet, for him to feel that he had ‘grown’ indicated a significant change.
In just a few days, Yoomyeong’s presence had increased, and the recent scene had an unusually low amount of residual energy.
Putting these two events together…
Chill—
{No… could it be?}
The spirit fox realized a shocking possibility; Yoomyeong was absorbing the energy.
*
{It’s impossible!}
Miho could only stare in disbelief.
Absorbing energy wasn’t a human capability. Despite his disbelief, the spirit fox soared into the sky for a clearer view.
Hovering above the forest with a panoramic view, Miho maximized his vision to observe the ground below.
And then,
Swoosh—
Miho sensed a faint energy converging towards a point.
Residual energy was usually hard to detect, but the spirit fox’s heightened senses made it clear.
And that point was… there was no doubt about it.
{What the hell…? What’s going on…?}
Why was a human absorbing acting energy?
Was it because of our contract?
No, that can’t be it.
There were no known side effects like this in the contracts between humans and beings from the celestial realm.
Could Yoomyeong be not entirely human? Was he perhaps half-human and half-spirit?
No, that would mean their contract would never have been valid.
So… were there humans with the ability to absorb energy?
In fact, there were.
Individuals like hermits or enlightened ones, who aimed for ‘enlightenment’, practice spiritual fasting (a step in becoming an immortal by not eating grains and only consuming food like pine needles, dates, and chestnuts) and Metamorphosis and Circulation to absorb natural energy, aspiring to ascend to immortality.
Yet, this had nothing to do with Shin Yoomyeong. More importantly, wasn’t he absorbing the energy of acting? This wasn’t a type of energy that a human without special abilities could absorb.
As every hypothesis was dismissed, the spirit fox felt increasingly frustrated.
‘This is… dangerous.’
If Yoomyeong can absorb enough ‘acting energy’ to raise his innate presence above 50, their contract would become meaningless.
Since a human’s total presence couldn’t exceed 100, the phenomenon of <Existential Usurpation>, which only occurred when the presence Miho granted was greater than Yoomyeong’s own presence – would become impossible.
‘I need to quickly find the cause.’
Hovering in the air, the spirit fox trembled slightly before darting off towards the west.
His destination was Shenxianju, the abode of immortals in Hangzhou, China.
*
Miho entered the entrance to the Shenxianju.
Chanting a spell, the mist shrouding the famous mountain dispersed, revealing a landscape unseen by human eyes.
This place was the ‘Half-Celestial Realm.’
It was inhabited by immortals who, for various reasons, chose not to stay in the Celestial Realm and instead repeated their ascetic practices to ascend directly to heaven.
The immortal the spirit fox sought to meet was…
Growl—
A giant tiger blocked his path. The massive tiger that was as big as a small hill bared its yellow fangs at the uninvited guest.
However, as the small fox emitted a silvery glow and transformed into its human form, the tiger stepped back and bowed its head.
{It’s been a while, Suho (Guardian Tiger). Have you been taking good care of Mother?}
Grr— Rub—
The tiger gently rubbed its head against the spirit fox’s shoulder.
{You’re still a cute one. Where is Mother?}
Growl—
{Sam-eundam? I see… She must be bathing. Go and tell her I’ve arrived, though she probably already knows.}
With a swift motion, the great tiger vanished, heading towards his mother’s residence.
*
{My dear Hye-ho (the spirit fox’s true name). It’s been a long time, my child.}
A voice as clear and fresh as blooming rapeseed flowers tickled Miho’s ears.
The figure that appeared was a seductive woman, resembling the spirit fox with thin and shimmering silver hair and gracefully curved eyebrows over captivating eyes.
The woman named Hwaho (Flower Fox) was once a mere spirit, but she became known for her unparalleled beauty that even enchanted the Celestial Emperor.
She had since ascended to the status of an immortal. Hye-ho, the child of Hwaho and the Celestial Emperor, was a fox born with the grace of the Celestial Emperor.
{Have you been well?}
{I’m always here, continuously cultivating. It’s a peaceful and beautiful life, though a little boring.}
Hwaho covered her mouth and laughed.
Each of her movements was enchanting enough to make anyone fall in love with her, but Hye-ho remained calm and simply sipped his tea.
{I came to ask you something.}
{I guess there’s a lot of interesting stuff happening lately. Your name has been buzzing excitedly in the talkative Celestial Realm, hasn’t it?}
{It’s related to that. Are there cases where humans directly absorb acting energy?}
{A human absorbing residual energy left after acting, as you do?}
{That… seems to be the case.}
Hwaho fell into thought. Such an idea was absurd. But knowing her son wouldn’t speak without reason, she combed through her long-lived memories but couldn’t recall any such instance.
{It’s common for humans to become sages by absorbing the energy of nature. Unlike us spirits, humans don’t need to gather much energy to ascend. Or, they might learn sorcery to absorb another’s energy, risking the collapse of their soul.}
{I’m aware of that.}
{But ‘acting energy’… It’s impossible to absorb specific energy without a spiritual profession.}
Hye-ho sighed deeply.
If even his mother didn’t know, then this might be an exception with no answer.
{If they’re a human you’ve contracted with, then that means their energy must be connected to you. Show me.}
At Hwaho’s request, Hye-ho extended his hand.
She grasped it and closed her eyes, her long lashes settling softly.
Haaa—
Sighs escaped her lips as she delved into whatever she saw.
After a moment, she released his hand and opened her eyes again.
A single tear welled up at the corner of her long, elegant eyes.
{Why… are you crying?}
She gazed at him quietly before speaking.
{What a pity, both for that boy and my son.}
*
{You’ve figured out the cause.}
Hwaho nodded in response.
{The answer lies in that boy’s original life.}
{His original life? Why?}
{Those fools in the Celestial Realm botched their job, and that’s how he came into the world. With such a frail life force, he was almost crushed by the world’s energy.}
Her beautiful lips spit out harsh words, revealing her disdain for the Celestial Realm.
{I knew that.}
{And he has a twin sibling. When they were young, his sibling’s identical and strong energy must have protected him. Even their grandfather’s given names, Yoomyeong, meaning ‘having fame’ and ‘having life,’ are ironically wise. Humans sometimes can be surprisingly insightful.}
{I’m aware of that, too. But what’s your point?}
Hye-ho was growing impatient, so he urged his mother to continue.
{Once he became an adult, the protective energy weakened. He should have rightly died. But then, he started acting. He struggled to escape the overwhelming energy exerted by actors, which is stronger than ordinary people’s energy.}
{Yes.}
{That’s when something miraculous happened. A tiny, feeble energy, in an attempt to overcome the overwhelming force, started to absorb traces of other energies into his body.}
Hye-ho’s eyes widened in disbelief.
It was something that couldn’t be happening and shouldn’t be happening.
{I find that hard to believe… But if that’s the case, then why did that ability only manifest now?}
{His energy was extremely weak and the situation was special, so you probably didn’t notice it. And in this reincarnated life, the need wasn’t as dire, so he was only absorbing a little at a time. But it now seems to have significantly manifested again as he’s making ‘efforts similar to those in his original life’.}
Hye-ho recalled Yoomyeong’s resolve to project his presence just like in his original life.
{Is something like that really possible?}
Hwaho sighed and looked at her son with pity.
{Human will is truly remarkable. Hye-ho, can you imagine how difficult it is? It’s like an ant being stepped on by a human. But instead of running away, it gathered all its strength to withstand it.}
{…But why would he do that?}
{You’re right. I asked that ant, ‘Why didn’t you run away?’ Do you know what it said?}
{…}
{It said, ‘Because I love acting.}
Miho knew.
He had seen flashbacks of Yoomyeong’s life.
He thought it was foolish and naive, but he had never guessed how much pain and suffering Yoomyeong endured every day for 15 years.
{It’s understandable that you didn’t know. Even I haven’t seen such a case. A human, who should have just withered and died, lacking even the minimum life force, survived among the most energetic humans without running away… It’s either remarkable or foolish.}
Then, she revealed another shocking fact.
{But the interesting thing is…}
{…?}
{His foolish stubbornness saved him. You know he was ill in his original life, right?}
{Yes, he had liver cancer…}
{That’s not it. The liver, an organ supposed to be filled with life force, had empty spaces due to lack of energy. The little energy he absorbed while acting patched it up haphazardly. It seems like a misdiagnosis based on its abnormal form. I bet they said it didn’t look like typical cancer.}
The spirit fox staggered slightly, shocked.
{Does that mean he wasn’t meant to die back them?}
{If he continued to endure the pain and act, he would have survived as long as he acted. He has a truly incredible will and a pitiable child.}
Silence followed for a moment.
Miho voiced his last lingering question.
{Even so, why did you say I was pitiful too?}
{My child. You’re cold and distant on the outside, but you have the kindest soul.}
Hwaho silently approached and embraced him.
{Ah, what are you suddenly…?}
{A mother often knows her child better than they think. I think I know the path you’re headed on.}
{…What do you mean?}
{I’ll pray… that it doesn’t end too sadly for all of us.}
She then gently pushed him away.
{Go back quickly.}
{…?}
{The scoundrels in the Celestial Realm must be plotting something since the situation has grown too large to hide. At least the decision should be made by you or that boy, not them.}
Prompted by Hwaho’s words, Hye-ho quickly stood up.
{I’ll see you again.}
He transformed into light and shot off towards the east, hoping that nothing would happen before he arrived.
[TL/N: Hi! Upon further inspection, I decided to use ‘he’ for Miho as default despite his/her gender in the novel’s cover.
This is because I’ve uncovered details and certain parts in the story that would be understood and translated better if Miho was referred to as a ‘he.’ Miho’s androgynous anyways, so it probably wouldn’t matter much, but I just wanted to let you guys know so you’d be informed moving forward. Thank you so much for reading this note!]
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