LOOKS LIKE THE EXPLANATION IS MOSTLY FINISHED,
SO YOU TWO TALK FREELY... I'LL GIVE YOU SOME PRIVACY.
I have nothing to say to you.
THANK YOU, ELDER...
THANKS
THIS RIGHT HERE...
IS THE YOKAI THAT DEVOURED THE WOMEN.
IT LOOKS LIKE A FISH,
BUT HUMAN LEGS SPROUT FROM UNDERNEATH,
AND IT'S MASSIVE ENOUGH TO CHEW UP A WHOLE BOAT.
THEN...
WHERE IS MY WIFE...?
LOOK HERE. DON'T YOU SEE?
...?
THE YOKAI'S BELLY IS COMPLETELY EMPTY.
IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S ALREADY DIGESTED EVERYTHING IT ATE.
WH-WHAT ARE YOU SAYING...?
THAT'S NOT WHAT'S IMPORTANT.
I HAD ANOTHER REASON FOR CALLING YOU HERE ALONE...
A GOD HAS TAKEN ROOT IN YOUR DAUGHTER.
EXCUSE ME...? IN MY DAUGHTER?!
SOME PEOPLE REACT STRONGLY TO A YOKAI'S ENERGY,
AND WHILE SOME JUST FALL ILL FOR A FEW DAYS AND THAT'S THE END OF IT...
OTHERS, LIKE YOUR DAUGHTER, ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A GOD COME DWELL IN THEM.
BUT SHE'S A GIRL, SO SHE CAN'T BECOME AN EXORCIST,
AND LEAVING HER LIKE THIS WILL ONLY WORSEN HER ILLNESS...
IS THAT... REALLY TRUE...?
TH-THEN...
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO ABOUT OUR JAKYEONG...?!
HAND THAT GOD OVER TO ME, AND I'LL GIVE YOU ONE HUNDRED NYANG.
ONCE THE GOD IS SAFELY TRANSFERRED, SHE'LL BE ABLE TO LIVE WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE-
DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH.
YOU COULDN'T EVEN DEAL WITH THE YOKAI PROPERLY,
AND NOW YOU WANT TO FLEECE US FOR A GOD LIKE SOME PEDDLER?
MAYBE THAT'S HOW YOU GOT TO BE AN EXORCIST, BUT...
THE ME? HAVE
I'D NEVER LAY A HAND ON SOMEONE
WHO'S BEEN BROKEN IN BODY AND HEART.
THREE DAYS LATER...
"LEAVING HER LIKE THIS WILL ONLY WORSEN HER ILLNESS..."
"IF YOU HAND THAT GOD OVER TO ME, I'LL GIVE YOU ONE HUNDRED NYANG."
"I LEAVE IN A WEEK, SO THINK IT OVER CAREFULLY AND LET ME KNOW."
...YES.
HEY, JAKYEONG...!
AUNTIE...!
OH MY, YOU LOOK LIKE YOU HAVEN'T EATEN IN DAYS...
Go-on, take this.
WE'LL BRING YOU THINGS FOR A WHILE,
SO YOU DON'T GO HUNGRY...
THANK YOU...
AND YOUR FATHER...
DOESN'T LOOK LIKE HE'S GETTING BETTER AT ALL.
HE CAN LIE THERE ALL HE WANTS,
BUT IT WON'T BRING HER BACK...
THE LIVING HAVE TO GO ON LIVING. WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?
...MAYBE I SHOULD JUST TAKE THE ONE HUNDRED NYANG?
AT LEAST WE'D BE A LITTLE BETTER OFF, BUT...
I JUST KEEP FEELING...
LIKE THAT MONEY IS THE PRICE OF MOTHER'S LIFE...
!!
JAKYEONG...?
EXCUSE M-
!!!
WH-WHAT IS ALL THIS...?!
IT WASN’T LIKE THIS JUST A FEW DAYS AGO...
HOW FOOLISH...
HAVE YOU COME TO MAKE THE TRADE?
YOU’RE LATER THAN I EXPECTED.
SINCE IT’S MY LAST NIGHT BEFORE LEAVING,
I FIGURED YOU WOULDN’T SHOW UP AT ALL.
...I CAME TO ASK YOU SOMETHING.
WHY DIDN’T YOU KILL THE YOKAI?
THE APOTHECARY ELDER AND THE VILLAGERS STRUGGLED TO SCRAPE TOGETHER
TWO HUNDRED NYANG, AND YOU POCKETED EVERY BIT OF IT
JUST TO DRAW ONE BIZARRE LITTLE PICTURE.
ADMIT IT YOU JUST DIDN'T THINK YOU COULD CATCH IT, DID YOU?
IS THAT YOUR CLUB?
WHY? ARE YOU SCARED?
IT'S ALMOST A SHAME YOU WERE BORN A GIRL.
THE YOKAI GORGED ON SEVERAL PEOPLE AT ONCE BEFORE GOING BACK UNDER,
SO IT WON’T WAKE FOR AT LEAST TEN YEARS.
STIRRING IT UP RIGHT NOW FOR NO GOOD REASON
WILL ONLY ENRAGE IT, AND IT’LL DEVOUR EVEN MORE PEOPLE.
IF YOU’RE STILL FINE WITH THAT,
I’LL HEAD OUT TO THE SHORE RIGHT NOW.
IF YOU WISH TO AVENGE YOUR MOTHER,
YOU’D BE BETTER OFF GOING TO THE SHAMAN BUREAU.
EVEN EXORCISTS ARE TREATED LIKE NOBILITY,
BUT A SHAMANESS REVERED BY THE PEOPLE IS ANOTHER STORY ENTIRELY.
HOWEVER, BECOMING A SHAMANESS REQUIRES TRIBUTE MONEY PAID TO THE STATE.
TWO THOUSAND NYANG, TO BE EXACT...
I HEARD YOU ARE FIFTEEN,
AND THEY DON'T TAKE WOMEN OVER NINETEEN AS SHAMANESSES,
YOU'LL HAVE TO SCRAPE THAT SUM TOGETHER WITHIN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.
ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF ME...?
THAT'S WHY I KEEP TELLING YOU TO JUST SELL IT TO ME.
AND WHAT WOULD YOU EVEN USE IT FOR?
I'D KEEP IT SAFE
AND PASS IT ON TO ANOTHER MAN WORTHY OF BEING AN EXORCIST.
THEN,
WHY CAN'T IT BE ME?
WHAT?
I MEAN, WHY DIDN'T YOU CONSIDER MAKING ME AN EXORCIST?
BEING BOLD IS ONE THING, BUT THIS...
YOU WON'T STAY A MAIDEN LIKE THE SHAMANESSES,
SO WHY WOULD I BOTHER WITH A GIRL WHO'LL JUST END UP MARRIED OFF?
WHAT, YOU'D TUCK A WHOLE BROOD OF BRATS UNDER YOUR ARM
AND GO HUNTING YOKAI...
?!
IF MARRIAGE IS ALL THAT'S STANDING IN THE WAY,
YOU_!
TAKE ME ON...
AS YOUR DISCIPLE.
A Tree Beyond the Years Chapter 2 follows Jakyeong as she faces the aftermath of her mother's death and a fateful offer from the exorcist. After showing her grieving father the fish-bodied yokai with human legs and its empty, digested belly, the exorcist claims a god has taken root in Jakyeong and offers one hundred nyang to transfer it because she is a girl. Three days later in poverty, Jakyeong rejects the money as her mother's price, confronts him for not killing the yokai, and asks to become his disciple.
