Battle of the Sea Dragon

제 15 장: A Dinner Act and An Interrogation

"Where am I?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"Oh, dear, you don't remember?" Jin's mother said, immediately looking concerned. Jin was both relieved and annoyed at how easily her mother had believed the act.

Woo Sung rubbed his temple with the heel of his hand and winced. "I was on a ship, I think?"

"Jin, go get another bowl so our guest can eat," her mother ordered.

Jin immediately opened her mouth to protest. "But—"

She was silenced by a single raise of her mother's right eyebrow—a dangerous look that spoke volumes. It was a message of you brought him here, so you care for him.

With a sigh, Jin struggled to her feet, ignoring the way her brother continued to snicker behind his spoon. It would serve him right if he turned into a goblin, she figured. And now that she had seen a gumiho with her own eyes, her brother turning into a goblin wasn't such a far-fetched thought.

"Here," she said when she returned to the table, plunking down a heavy bowl and a spoon in front of Woo Sung.

"Thank you!" he said cheerily, either oblivious to or choosing to ignore her discontent. This, of course, only made Jin's mood worsen.

"Jin and her friend found you on the beach," Jin's mother said, scooping a hearty glob of rice into Woo Sung's bowl. "You must have been involved in a shipwreck and washed ashore."

"And where is here?" Woo Sung asked, and Jin had to admit he played innocent well. He had gone from looking around the room in wonder to now eyeing the food as though it was his very first meal.

"You're in a small town on the east side of Tamna Island," Jin's little brother piped up, leaning forward with a gleam in his eye. "You're accent is funny. Where did you come from?"

"Jung Min! That's no way to talk to guests," their mother admonished. Then she turned back to Woo Sung. "Please forgive my son's rudeness. He didn't mean to insult your speech, but it is quite different, and we don't get many visitors on this island."

"That's all right," Woo Sung said with an easy smile. Jin hated the way her mother returned the expression so easily. The man was a criminal for goodness' sake. But no matter how much she wished to tell the truth and send this traitor back to his prison, the gumiho's threat loomed large in the back of her mind. One slip up, and the yokwe would kill them all and eat their livers. She only just resisted a shudder at the thought.

"What's your name? Mine's Jung Min," Jung Min said, before shoveling another spoonful of food into his mouth.

Woo Sung scratched his head and squinted, as though trying to remember. "Uh, Kim Tak," he said. "I was traveling from Jindo—"

"Jindo Island?" Oh, our 'ather 'oes there 'ometimes. 'E's a sailor," Jung Min interrupted from around a mouthful of food.

"Manners, Jung Min!" their mother scolded.

"Does he?" Woo Sung said, casting a nervous look at Jin, who merely shrugged and took a bite of her own food. She wasn't about to help some criminal come up with his cover story. "I have to say, it's not as nice a place as this," he continued, and Jin nearly rolled her eyes. He was laying the flattery on a bit thickly, wasn't he?

"Where were you trying to go?" Jin's mother asked, scooping vegetables into Woo Sung's bowl with a look of concern.

"I don't really remember," Woo Sung said. "I think...Busan?"

Jung Min guffawed, little flecks of rice falling from his mouth. "Well you really went the wrong way!"

"Jung Min!" Jin and her mother exclaimed. Jin covered her bowl with her hands, lest any of her brother's half-chewed food end up in it.

At last, her brother had the decency to look ashamed. "Sorry."

"Well, Kim Tak," Jin's mother continued. "Don't you worry. You can stay here with us until you're feeling well enough to leave. Though, since my husband is away on a sailing trip, might I ask if you'd help out with some chores during your stay? It would be a great help to have an extra hand around the house."

Woo Sung swallowed a bite and nodded eagerly. "Of course! Thank you."

Jin's mother beamed. "Wonderful! My daughter, Jin, can show you the chores that need to be done tomorrow morning."

At her name, Jin froze with the spoon halfway to her mouth, and gave a smile that felt more like a grimace. "I'd be happy to, Eomoni," she said.

"Well, that settles it, then!" her mother said. "Kim Tak, after we're done with dinner, you can use the spare bedroll for the night. What a productive day we'll have tomorrow! Perhaps the floor will even be swept. How fortunate I no longer need to find a broom-goblin to do it for me."

Jin exchanged a glance with her brother, who looked just as annoyed as she felt at the comment.

"Yes, Eomma," Jin said. "How fortunate indeed."