JAKYEONG.
PLAY WITH ME.
EVERYONE HAS BEEN SENT AWAY,
SO THERE'S NO ONE HERE.
...ARE YOU REPROACHING ME FOR THAT?
AREN'T YOUR DUTIES AS LANDOWNER KEEPING YOU BUSY?
I'M A NUISANCE IN SUHARA.
PEOPLE HESITATE TO TOUCH ME BECAUSE I HARBOR A YOKAI,
YET MY NOBLE BLOODLINE KEEPS THEM FROM CASTING ME OUT.
THOUGH I BEAR THE TITLE OF LANDOWNER,
NO ONE ENTRUSTS ME WITH ANY WORK, NEVER KNOWING WHAT I MIGHT DO.
FROM WHAT I CAN SEE...
BEFORE LONG,
THERE WILL NO LONGER BE ANY DANGER OF THE LANDOWNER
BEING CONTROLLED BY THE YOKAI.
IS THAT TRULY SO?
IT WILL BE.
THOSE SWAYED BY A YOKAI NORMALLY
COMMIT ERRATIC, ATROCIOUS ACTS,
YET YOU HAVE BEEN GRADUALLY STABILIZING, HAVE YOU NOT, LANDOWNER?
EVEN THOUGH A FRAIL SEALING ART CAST MERELY TO SURVIVE THE MOMENT
SUBDUED A YOKAI POWERFUL ENOUGH
TO CONQUER AN ENTIRE FORTRESS,
AND THOUGH GOD'S WARNING THAT THE SEAL MIGHT NOT BE COMPLETE
WEIGHS HEAVILY ON MY HEART...
IF OVER THE NEXT FIFTEEN DAYS
THERE IS NO CHANGE IN YOUR CONDITION, LANDOWNER,
I WILL CONSIDER MY DUTY FINISHED AND TAKE MY LEAVE.
AFTER ALL, I CANNOT PLAY WITH THE LANDOWNER FOREVER.
...JAKYEONG.
AND FURTHERMORE,
PLEASE STOP TRYING TO TOUCH ME LIKE THIS.
BETWEEN TWO MEN,
IT IS UNCOMFORTABLE.
IF THERE'S NO FURTHER INQUIRY-
HAAH...
A FEW DAYS LATER.
I'VE THOUGHT THIS BEFORE, BUT...
THIS PLACE IS...
IS POINTLESSLY HUGE AND CAVERNOUS.
WHY DID HE GIVE ME SUCH A LARGE ROOM...?
THE LANDOWNER'S BEDCHAMBER IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR,
YET EVER SINCE THAT DAY,
NOTHING HAS HAPPENED,
AND NOT A WORD HAS COME—
...SO I FEEL HURT.
AFTER SETTING THINGS UP EXACTLY THE WAY I WANTED,
TO FEEL HURT NOW...?
HOW PATHETIC!
A MAN WHO LIVED SUCH A LONELY LIFE
THAT HE GREW ATTACHED TO A MERE EXORCIST.
HE TRUSTED ME,
WHENEVER HE SHOWED HIS TRUE FEELINGS,
"PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH ME."
"BETWEEN TWO MEN, IT MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE."
I WAS NEVER ONCE...
SINCERE WITH HIM.
KNOCK
A PERSONAL SERVANT?
WHAT IS IT?
...?
WHAT'S THE MATTER?
THERE IS SOME- ONE OUTSIDE.
ARE YOU SURE YOU DIDN'T SEE IT WRONG?
I AM CERTAIN.
The back gate is open.
IT WAS AS IF THEY DELIBERATELY WAITED FOR ME TO OPEN THE DOOR-
DON'T TELL ME...
JAKYEONG.
NO ONE IS HERE.
THERE SHOULD BE AT LEAST ONE PERSONAL SERVANT
STANDING SENTRY OR ON ATTENDANCE DUTY.
PARDON ME FOR A MOMENT!
LANDOWNER!!
PLEASE OPEN YOUR EYES, LANDOWNER!
FORTUNATELY, HE IS STILL BREATHING, BUT...
DAMN IT...
CAN YOU FEEL THIS?
I'M ASKING IF YOU CAN SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!
THERE IS NO RESPONSE.
HAS HE BEEN SUPPRESSED BY THE ENERGY OF THE YOKAI AGAIN?
IF SO, THEN ANOTHER WAY-
UGH
WHAT IS THIS...?
THIS DOESN'T TASTE LIKE HUMAN BLOOD.
YET,
IT ISN'T A YOKAI'S EITHER.
A SWEETNESS SO INTENSE THAT IT NUMBS MY TONGUE...
I'VE NEVER TASTED ANYTHING LIKE THIS–
LANDOWNER...?
...JAKYEONG.
THE LOOK IN HIS EYES HAS CHANGED.
LIKE AN OMINOUS FULL MOON,
A RED AURA...
WHAT ARE YOU?
ME?
YANG KI-SEOK.
In A Tree Beyond the Years Chapter 17, Jakyeong confronts the lonely landowner about his stabilized condition and sets a fifteen-day limit before leaving. After days of silence in the huge empty room next door, she learns the back gate is open and finds the landowner unconscious and unresponsive, tasting strangely sweet blood before his eyes turn red with ominous aura.
