By Zephyria 
The group unloaded their belongings one by one, then sat in a row, eagerly quenching their parched throats. Jeffrey, having removed his socks and dipped his feet in the stream, shuddered as if electrified, letting out a small shriek, prompting Mi-so to lightly scold him.
“Jeez, have some manners! How can you soak your feet right above where we’re drinking, Jeffrey!”
Jeffrey chuckled, seemingly embarrassed by the harmless teasing. Annoyed, she got up and started splashing water at him as if retaliating.
“Pfft!”
He was caught off guard by the sudden attack and fell on his butt, and everyone pounced on him as if they had been waiting for it. Pie, also excited, stepped on Jeffrey’s thigh as he got up.
[Ugh! What is it? Everyone, cough…! Do you have a problem with me?!]
[You’re just too dirty.]
“Let’s give our Uncle Jeffrey a shower!”
Starting with a water fight disguised as Jeffrey’s shower, the group naturally split into teams. When Eden playfully ambushed Byeol, who was splashing water, Ha-jin, who was next to him, hugged the child and started running around.
The group continued the game joyfully until their clothes and hair were soaked, then they lay back down on the ground, exhausted. It had been so long since they had laughed freely without worrying about the noise. Everyone’s face was filled with joy at the freedom they felt after so long.
“Ah, it would be nice to have a phone to take pictures together.”
Mi-so muttered regretfully. Ha-jin chuckled at the word “phone,” which had already become unfamiliar.
“I know. It feels like when we used phones was a past life.”
The sunlight streaming through the trees warmed their damp bodies. The chirping of the mountain birds remained the same, and the scent of greenery was gradually intensifying.
After changing into clean clothes and finishing the laundry, the group carried their wet clothes and climbed the stairs again. Even after an hour of playing in the water, the surroundings were still bright. Just as their stomachs started to rumble, they spotted colorful lanterns hanging in a row in the distance.
From the end of the stairs to the far end, a stone wall stretched out. Fortunately, the gray walls surrounding the temple only showed signs of wear and tear from the years, with no traces of bloody battles.
Ha-jin habitually checked Pie’s reaction. Pie, who usually bared his teeth and raised his butt high when entering an unfamiliar space, was wagging his tail and smiling brightly today. As Ha-jin let out a sigh of relief, Eden tapped him on the shoulder.
He looked up and saw a navy blue handkerchief waving in front of him. The handkerchief was damp, as if it had been washed in the stream while he wasn’t looking.
“Do you want to put it around your neck now?”
“What’s the point of covering up now….”
Despite the timid reproach, Eden shrugged without any embarrassment. Ha-jin had to secretly clench his fists for a while, quite annoyed by the sight.
“Here it is!”
Mi-so, who was walking ahead, stopped at the entrance. She pointed excitedly at a large wooden sign that read “Hwayeonsa Temple Stay.” Two lotus-shaped stone lanterns stood proudly on either side of the entrance.
“Just in case, everyone, step back. I’ll talk to them first.”
Mi-so waved her hand as if telling the huddled group to step back.
“It’s dangerous alone. I’ll be by your side.”
Eden approached her, ignoring the warning to step back. However, as soon as he got close, Jeffrey suddenly popped out and blocked him.
“Hmm?”
[Go away. I’m a better match for this one.]
Jeffrey took Mi-so’s side, replacing Eden, who had stepped back. He puffed out his chest proudly and smiled reassuringly at Mi-so.
“Jeffrey, I appreciate the thought, but I don’t think it’s that dangerous.”
Mi-so pointed to a warning sign crudely torn from a sketchbook and attached to the thick wooden door with a flower pattern. It looked like it had been written by a first or second grader. The clumsy, crooked letters were written in green crayon.
Are you a person?? Then knock five times!! XZombies not allowedX
Next to the word “person” was a tall stick figure, and next to the word “zombie” was an emoticon sticking out its tongue.
Just then, the sound of laughter, presumably from a boy, echoed from beyond the stone wall. The clear and bright laughter brought a sense of relief to everyone’s faces, who had been tense.
Only Eden, the leader, remained vigilant, stepping away from the entrance and gripping his weapon. Naturally, Ha-jin, Byeol, and Pie stood in a row behind him.
“Yun Mi-so, be careful just in case. As you know from experience, people are scarier than zombies these days.”
Mi-so made an okay sign with her thumb and forefinger and clenched her fist tightly. She knocked on the door five times with a thud! Soon, the sound of several pairs of feet running on the dirt floor could be heard.
“Wow! Someone’s here!”
A cheerful shout was followed by a voice scolding the child. Mi-so put her ear close to the door.
“Who… is it?”
“Did they just knock….”
“…Zombie… can’t be….”
“Who knows. We should call the monk….”
“How long has it been….”
Her lips curved into a smile as she analyzed the whispering voices.
“That’s a relief. Hong-ju is here too.”
As soon as she muttered to herself, the sound of a creaking hinge was heard. The door opened, leaving only a small gap for a person’s hand to fit through. She stepped back, and a middle-aged woman with her hair tied back peeked out.
“Who’s there….”
“Hong-ju!”
The woman, suddenly called by name, startled and shrugged her shoulders. Then, recognizing Mi-so, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh my, who is this?”
The woman, who had been cautiously peeking out as if wary, opened the door wide with a welcoming expression as soon as she confirmed Mi-so’s identity.
“I wondered who the guest who came all the way up to this Dol-san was…! My goodness, I’m so glad you’re safe. Mi-so!”
“Hehe. How have you been?”
The woman with a kind face, who greeted Mi-so warmly, was a cook who served the monks at Hwayeonsa. She held Mi-so’s dry hands tightly and repeatedly exclaimed with near-emotion, “My goodness, my goodness…. What is going on?”
Mi-so quickly scanned the inside. About ten people, seemingly families, were huddled together in the back. Fortunately, they were not holding any weapons. Relieved, Mi-so gently stroked the back of Hong-ju Auntie’s hand with her thumb and asked.
“Auntie, is the head monk here too?”
“Oh, of course. He said he was going to check on the bell tower earlier… Oh, he’s coming over there!”
Turning around, she pointed to a monk in gray robes approaching from afar. Mi-so, facing the monk, respectfully bowed to him with her hands clasped together.
The monk, who looked old with thick eyebrows like charcoal, recognized Mi-so at once and widened his eyes in surprise.
“Oh, isn’t that Mi-so? It must have been a difficult journey to get here….”
“How have you been, Monk?”
Mi-so briefly explained the situation and got straight to the point. As she politely requested a night’s stay with her hands clasped together, Jeffrey, who had been standing blankly, hurriedly put his hands together over his chest and bowed his head.
Only then did the monk cast his gaze on Jeffrey, who was standing next to Mi-so, and the group behind him. The eyes of the monk, who was carefully examining them, were as warm and gentle as the evening glow. With a smile on his face, he stepped back as if telling them to come in.
“We happen to have two empty rooms left, so please stay comfortably.”
At the welcome permission, a sigh of relief escaped from the lips of the tense group. Hong-ju Auntie opened the door wider as if she had been waiting for it and asked.
“By the way, where are you all coming from?”
“We’re walking from Sangwon. It’s been quite an eventful journey.”
“Oh my, you’ve come from so far away. The people who came before were only from the next town over.”
While they were having a brief chat, Pie jumped into the temple grounds. The sight of the children’s hat he was wearing on his head fluttering in the wind was so cute that smiles bloomed on the faces of the people standing in the yard.
“Mom, Mom. The dog has a hat on its head!”
“Oh my, so cute…!”
The group, exchanging awkward nods with the temple people, followed the head monk and Hong-ju Auntie.
The entrance they entered was the back gate of Hwayeonsa, which was directly connected to the temple stay accommodation. Four tiled houses used as guest rooms for the temple stay were located in front of a green yard with weeds growing. The group, divided into men and women, entered their respective empty rooms, unpacked their luggage, and went outside again.
Following Eden’s advice, Mi-so handed a set of sturdy hiking socks she had brought from the outlet to Hong-ju Auntie.
“Auntie. It’s a small token of gratitude for your hospitality for the night. If I give it to the monk, he’ll probably refuse, so keep it and use it when you need it.”
“Oh my, you shouldn’t have…!”
Hong-ju Auntie waved her hands in surprise, but at Mi-so’s insistence, she reluctantly accepted the gift, saying she would use it well.