By Zephyria 
171
Around the time the scorched rice water was running dry, Gil-sang, who was sitting next to him, called out to Ho-eun with a smile.
“Young Master.”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
Ho-eun quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve and answered clearly.
“Seong-im says he really likes the leather gloves.”
At those words, Ho-eun looked at Seong-im, who was next to Gil-sang. Seong-im then proudly stretched out his hand, wearing the leather glove. It was the glove that his father had bought for all the Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers.
“Ah… is that so? I’m glad.”
“Seong-im gets cold easily, you see. Thanks to the leather gloves and fur socks, I think he’ll be warm this winter.”
“Yes.”
Ho-eun smiled awkwardly. He hadn’t done anything, but he felt embarrassed and ashamed to receive such thanks. But whether that was the starting point or not, Man-soo also bowed deeply and greeted him.
“Me too. Thanks for letting me eat so much, Young Master.”
“Me, too, me, too. I have no regrets even if I die now. I’ll go to paradise, I will.”
Dong-ja grinned, her cheeks plump with oil.
“P, please don’t die, though.”
Ho-eun looked at her worriedly, afraid that his words might come true. Soldiers sitting around other bonfires began to offer their greetings in turn.
“Thank you too, Young Master.”
“We’ll enjoy the meal, Young Master.”
Surprised, Ho-eun shook his head and waved his hands frantically.
“Ah, no. It’s not much, but thank you all for enjoying the food. My parents will be happy too.”
Ho-eun was embarrassed by the attention he was getting, so he snuggled closer to Tae-muk. Then, he looked up at him with pleading eyes, as if asking him to save him.
But Tae-muk was twisting up one corner of his mouth into a smirk. It was an unsettling smile. Sure enough. He suddenly scolded the soldiers.
“You bastards, is that all the noise you can make after eating meat?”
Then the soldiers quickly straightened up. They straightened their backs and stretched their necks. Then they each began to shout differently.
“Thank you! Young Master!”
“Thank you so much!”
“The food is incredibly delicious!”
The expressions of gratitude that began nearby spread out like a wave, reaching the edge of the bonfire’s light. Some people jumped up and bowed, others raised their drinks or meat, and still others waved their hands wildly.
“Ugh… what do I do? What do I do? Please hide me…”
Unable to bear the embarrassment, Ho-eun buried his face in Tae-muk’s arm. Ho-eun’s ears and neck were all red. Tae-muk chuckled softly, as if he was amused by something. Even so, he tightened his military jacket that he had given to Ho-eun.
And Man-soo was quietly watching the two of them.
“……”
He rubbed his nostrils, which were twitching from the alcohol, roughly with the back of his hand. Then, he suddenly slapped his thigh and drew attention.
“Aigo, I’m feeling so damn good. Huh?”
Then he picked up his bottle of liquor and jumped up. But his body, drunk with alcohol, lost its balance and swayed greatly. Ho-eun exclaimed, “Oh…” in surprise. Dong-ja, who had been gnawing on the meat attached to the bone, grabbed him. Man-soo, who barely regained his balance, grinned and said.
“I’m feeling this good, I can’t not sing a song!”
At those words, Dong-ja, who had a bone in her mouth like a dog, clapped her hands as if it was right. Her hands were thick and large, so the sound of her clapping was as loud as thunder. Gil-sang and Seong-im also clapped their hands with expectant faces. Byeonguk leaned his upper body forward with his elbow on his knee, as if telling him to give it a try.
Man-soo smoothed down his hair, which had been ruffled by the cold wind, with the palm of his hand, pretended to adjust the tie that wasn’t even on his neck, and then greeted the people with his hands at his sides like a gentleman. His movements were quite elegant. Ho-eun watched Man-soo with curious eyes.
Man-soo cleared his throat. Then, he began to sing in a voice that was quite different from when he spoke. The song didn’t have a wide range of high and low notes, but that’s why it suited Man-soo’s voice well.
“
By the Nodeul River, the spring willows sway, shall we tightly tie the waist of ruthless time to the branches?
”
When he sang the first verse, the soldiers looked at Man-soo one by one.
“
Alas, even the spring willows cannot be trusted. Only the blue water flows and flows.
”
More soldiers in the next verse.
“
Footprints are trampled on every grain of sand on the white sand beach by the Nodeul River. How many have been erased by the vicissitudes of life and the rain and wind?
”
In the next verse, all the soldiers looked at Man-soo.
Man-soo’s shoulders moved up and down to the beat of the song. The hand that wasn’t holding the bottle of liquor also repeatedly lifted up and down.
Ho-eun’s eyes sparkled. It sounded like he could hear the sound of a janggu drum. He could also hear the sound of a kkwaenggwari gong.
“
Alas, even the white sand beach cannot be trusted. Only the blue water flows and flows.
”
Man-soo, who had been singing without a break, stopped singing for a moment, either because he was out of breath or because something was stuck in his throat, and took a deep breath. Then, this time, he closed his eyes and swayed his body slowly, finishing the song.
“
Nodeul River’s blue water, with what spirit did you take away so many talented and beautiful people?
”
Even though Man-soo’s voice wasn’t that loud, it reached all the way to the last soldiers without any obstruction. At that moment, the cold wind stopped blowing, and the bonfires were silent.
“
Alas, if you truly change your mind, take away all the accumulated grudges and sorrows of this world.
”
And when the song was over, the whole world was silent. No one laughed, and no one cried. Everyone was just staring at the air as if they were thinking about something, or longing for something.
It was none other than Ho-eun who broke the great silence first. He clapped his hands with a bright face. Only then did the others clap their hands one by one.
Man-soo bowed again like a gentleman. Ho-eun gave him generous praise.
“Man-soo hyung-nim is good at picking clothes and good at singing. You are truly multi-talented.”
At those words, Man-soo grinned, revealing his molars. The appearance of a neat gentleman disappeared in an instant.
“Isn’t that right? Huh? If it weren’t for those Eater Bug bastards, I would have become a faaa-mous singer.”
“Yes. That’s definitely what would have happened.”
Ho-eun nodded quickly. It was amazing to sing in front of others, but to sing well too. It was definitely not a talent that anyone could have. If there was no Devouring Ghoul in the world, he might have become a really famous singer. Instead of being Man-soo, a member of the Crimson Rain Brigade, he might have met him as Man-soo, a singer on stage, and himself as an audience member.
As Ho-eun looked up at Man-soo with admiring eyes, Gil-sang and Byeonguk also praised him.
“Man-soo hyung-nim, your voice is really good.”
“You’re just like a nobleman when you sing, hyung-nim.”
At those words, for some reason, shyness crept into Man-soo’s cheekbones. Shyness on a face that looked like a wild boar was truly out of place, but it still looked good. Man-soo seemed to be pondering something, then gulped down some liquor and suddenly picked up the empty brass bowl that had contained the yukjeon. He also picked up a spoon in his other hand.
“Aish, I’m in a good mood. I’ll sing one more song for you guys.”
Man-soo, who was more excited than before, banged on the brass bowl with the spoon. Tae-muk frowned and pulled his chin in at the sharp sound, but Ho-eun leaned forward as if he was curious.
Man-soo knocked on the brass bowl a few times to focus attention, then took a deep breath and smiled, slowly but powerfully belting out a verse of a song.
“
Kwajina- chingching- nane.
”
Ho-eun’s eyebrows arched up. Kwaji, kwajina? It was a strange sound. He had never worked in the fields, nor had he ever seen people gathering together to sing, so it sounded as foreign to him as a foreign language.
But.
“
Kwajina chingching nane.
”
Dong-ja, who had been out of her mind with the meat, followed Man-soo’s song as if she had come to her senses at some point. The melody went up and down. Man-soo looked at Dong-ja with an expression that said, “That’s right,” and began to beat the bowl with a rich rhythm, kka-gang, kka-gang, kka-gang. Dong-ja also picked up a wooden bowl and made a sound like deongdeok kungdeokdeok kungkungdeok by hitting the bottom of it with her palm.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go quickly.”
When Man-soo sang the first line.
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
Dong-ja sang the second line.
“Let’s cross the Yisu and go to Baekro.”
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
It was repeated again.
“There are many stars in the sky.”
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
It was repeated again. And from about that point on, the voices of other soldiers began to pile up on top of Dong-ja’s voice, one by one. It had changed to Man-soo singing the first line, and the soldiers singing the second line.
“There are many pebbles in the stream.”
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
“There are many stories in my heart.”
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
The soldiers followed the song familiarly. Even Seong-im moved his lips and followed along. Everyone seemed very familiar with this song. Ho-eun was staring at them blankly.
“The setting sun in Seosan.”
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
“Who will tie it up?”
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
The sound of Man-soo and Dong-ja hitting the bowls became faster and faster. As much as that, the soldiers’ voices became louder, and the speed of nodding their heads to the beat or tapping their thighs also increased. Some people even got up and danced. The tips of Ho-eun’s fingers also swayed along.
“When our lover leaves.”
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
“When will they return?”
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
It was a strangely exciting song. The soldiers sang at the top of their lungs. It was as if they were competing to see who could shout the loudest.
“Put a loom in the sky.”
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
“Catch a carp and weave a cloth. Eolssu!”
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
Ho-eun was completely captivated by Man-soo’s song and the soldiers’ song. He clapped his hands, singing along to the song, even if only a little.
“Kwajina- chingching- nane.”
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
The reddish light of the bonfire flickered over the faces of those who were singing the same song in one voice. Everyone was smiling as if they had nothing to fear, as if they were not afraid of anything, so much so that they forgot that this was a battlefield.
“Kwajina- chingching- nane.”
“Kwajina chingching nane.”
The song continued endlessly. But not a single person was tired.