Why Is Riri on the Wall?

Sowol hummed a tuneless melody, the very picture of a man who had noticed nothing at all. As he patted Riri's back, he counted silently to himself. One. Two. Three……. ……Ten. By the time he reached ten, the prickling stare had vanished as though it had never been there. Before long, the frogs that had fallen silent began croaking again. Ribbit. Ribbit. Only then did Sowol speak, his voice low.

"Baekya."

From deep inside the inn, a familiar presence stirred.

"Go see who that was."

"Okay."

Creak. The inn door opened quietly and shut again. Moments later, Baekya's presence melted into the night air. Only then did Sowol climb down from the roof. Riri, tucked against his chest, had already drifted off, breathing soft and even. He carried her inside and laid her down in her cradle, then took a seat before the long chest of drawers to wait for Baekya. It was half a shijin before Baekya returned. He hung his sword back behind the chest and shook his head, his face downcast.

"Gone."

"I see. Good work."

Sowol replied with a gentle ruffle of Baekya's hair, but the unease in his gut refused to settle. If even Baekya couldn't find a trace, whoever it was was no common thug. Sowol scratched at his head in irritation, then lifted the cradle. Despite his sullen expression, his steps up the stairs were careful and measured. Creak. Creak. Holding his breath so as not to wake Riri, he eased open the door and set the cradle down right beside the bed. Riri slept on, blissfully unaware of the world. Sowol tucked her rumpled blanket back around her, then drifted over to the window. When he pushed it open, the cool night air rushed in. He gazed quietly into the darkness beyond. Nothing stirred. Even stretching his senses wide, he found nothing. Frowning, Sowol shut the window again. Come daylight, he'd comb the surroundings once more. He shed his outer robe and lay down on the bed, and without thinking, his hand reached toward the head of the bed. His fingers closed on empty air. With a dry little laugh, he drew his arm back.

"……"

It had been more than a dozen years since he'd put down the sword. And yet whenever his heart grew restless, his hand went searching for it before his mind even knew. "Habits truly are a frightening thing." Clicking his tongue, Sowol fluffed his pillow. Sleep wouldn't come, but with a full day of business ahead, he needed to rest his eyes, if only for a little while. He let out a long sigh and forced his eyes shut.

Drip. Drip. The sound of water gathering at the tip of a stalactite and falling echoed through the cavern. Over it ran the sound of ragged, gasping breath. Sowol looked down at the boy sprawled across the cave floor. Lips blue and bloodless. Wounds gone black with corruption. A wreck of a body that wouldn't have surprised anyone by dying tomorrow.

"This one. I'm taking him with me."

Bewilderment flickered across the instructor's face.

"I beg your pardon, Mangryang? This one is a discard. Where exactly do you intend to use a fool who can't even run a single errand properly—"

"So what if he's a discard? Save your breath. Put him in my room."

"……Understood, sir."

The instructor answered obediently, though his face was twisted with distaste. Just as Sowol was about to reprimand that insolent look— Something soft smacked against his cheek.

"……What now."

Sowol opened his eyes, brow furrowed.

"Wah!"

Baekya was peering down at him, Riri cradled in his arms. The moment Sowol opened his eyes, Riri flailed her little hands in delight. Her tiny palm smacked his cheek once more. Smack. Only then did Sowol realize he'd been dreaming of the old days.

"Hyung-nim, you were dreaming?"

"……I was."

Sowol slowly pushed himself up. His shoulders ached, stiff from sleep.

"Riri looked for hyung-nim."

"Looked for me, did she. You just brought her over."

"No. Riri said go to hyung-nim."

"Sure. Let's say that's what happened."

Sowol shrugged. It was impossible to tell whether the two of them really communicated, or whether Baekya simply believed they did. Baekya lifted Riri high with a proud look.

"Hyung-nim, Riri crawls now."

"She does what?"

"Riri crawls."

And he set her down on the floor.

"Baekya, when you put Riri on the floor—"

Sowol's warning never made it to the end. Because Riri was pushing off her belly and inching toward him. A handspan. Another handspan. She crawled bravely all the way to him and seized hold of his trouser leg.

"Ah!"

"Well now. So you've learned to crawl, have you? That'll spare me carrying you around all day."

Sowol chuckled and scooped her up. Riri beamed and waved both hands in the air. And those hands—merciful heavens, they were so black it looked as though she'd shoved them into the firebox and pulled them back out.

"……What is this."

He hastily gave her a once-over. The ends of her sleeves were caked with dust, and dark smudges streaked her knees. Riri, blissfully ignorant of the state she was in, smiled up at him.

"Ah!"

Sowol looked from her blackened palms to her grimy knees and back, then heaved a long sigh. Perhaps it really would be simpler to keep carrying her everywhere after all.

"……Fine. Let's get you washed first."

He dragged himself to his feet.

By the time the commotion died down, it was already time to open for business. Sowol swept the main hall floor, looking thoroughly worn out. He'd heated bathwater at dawn, scrubbed the child from head to toe, and changed her into fresh clothes—every ounce of energy was gone. Whether she knew of his suffering or not, Riri kicked her arms and legs about in her cradle, in the highest of spirits.

"Baekya-yah, feel better?"

"Aoo!"

"Well, as long as you're happy."

Sowol poked Riri's freshly scrubbed cheek and glanced around the main hall. Now that the child had started crawling, things that had never caught his eye before were suddenly impossible to ignore. It wasn't that the inn was dirty. If anything, it was cleaner than most. But no matter how diligently he swept and mopped the floors each day, a place where people came and went in their shoes could never be clean enough for an infant to crawl across. Staring down at the floor, Sowol crouched and ran his fingertips across the boards. Rough patches caught his touch here and there.

"A splinter would be a real headache."

He needed somewhere the child could crawl about without a care in the world……. Pondering what might serve as a floor covering, he remembered the fur hides stored away in the back room. The leather was fairly thick; laid over the floor, they'd make a nice soft bed. He'd taken two steps toward the storeroom when—

"Hueeeeng……"

A whimper rose up behind him. Sowol stopped mid-stride and turned. Riri was reaching both arms toward him, tears welling in her eyes. He went straight back and picked her up, and instantly—nothing having ever happened—Riri began patting and squeezing his cheek. Sowol gave a helpless little laugh and turned to Baekya.

"Baekya. Go to the storeroom and fetch a few of the fur hides, will you?"

"Okay."

While Baekya went for the hides, Sowol pushed the table and chairs in the corner of the hall aside to make room. Baekya returned in no time and spread the hides across the floor. The thick leather blanketed the boards in softness. As Sowol pressed a palm against it to test the give, Baekya appeared from somewhere hauling a long bench overhead.

"Baekya. What's that for?"

"Fence."

"A fence?"

"Yeah. Riri can't come out."

Baekya laid the long bench on its side and pressed it against the edge of the hides. One wasn't enough, so he brought another. One gap at a time, he sealed them off, until a rather respectable fence had risen all the way around the circle of fur. It looked, unmistakably, like a chicken coop.

"……"

Some instinct told him something had gone deeply wrong here, but Sowol chose not to dwell on it. What did the shape matter, really? It was clean, it was soft, and there was no chance of Riri hurting herself.

"This should do."

He set Riri down in the very middle of the fur. The strange texture seemed to fascinate her; she kneaded the fur with both little hands.

"Ooo?"

Then she began rolling back and forth across it. She clearly approved of the fur hides. When Sowol stepped back a few paces, Riri lifted her head for a moment. But once she confirmed he was still in sight, she went right back to playing with the fur. This much should be fine—he could check on her now and then between serving customers. Best of all, he loved that he wouldn't have to carry her around all day. Only then did Sowol breathe easy and turn to the pile of chores he'd neglected. He wiped down the tables. Counted the coins in the chest of drawers. Laid out the dishes and chopsticks in tidy rows. How long had he been at it? At some point, Riri's babbling had gone quiet. Sensing something amiss, Sowol stopped mid-wipe and looked around. Baekya had his head tipped all the way back, staring up at the ceiling. Following his gaze, Sowol slowly raised his own head. Right in the middle of the wall. Riri was flattened against it, arms and legs splayed wide.

"……"

Am I still half asleep? Sowol scrubbed at his eyes and looked up at the wall again. Nothing had changed.

"……Baekya."

"Yeah?"

"Why is Riri climbing the wall?"