SFNFS Ch 8

Chapter 8

For now, it was time to think calmly.

Sitting cross-legged, Bipa closed his eyes and slowly inhaled through his nose. He repeatedly exhaled through his mouth in long, thin breaths, trying to calm his chaotic mind.

Then he decided to carefully sort through the absurd incident that had just befallen him.

To summarize this bizarre phenomenon he had perceived so far:

First, his face had turned into that of a green frog monster. The sight of a human body topped with a frog’s face was utterly grotesque.

Second, even his fragrance aura had changed into the stench of fish. Rather than being fragrant, it leaned toward unpleasant.

However, for some reason, it seemed others did not see Bipa’s face as monstrous. When he called over the servant who had slapped his cheek to wake him when he fainted, he confirmed this fact.

‘Hey, didn’t you say you’d be attending me in my quarters starting today?’

‘Yes, my lord, that’s what I said. Is something wrong? Do you need anything? Are you unwell? Should I call a physician right away?’

‘No, don’t call a physician. I just want to ask you something. Right now, my face… how does it look to you?’

‘Your face, sir? Hmm… well… how should I put this…’

‘Why? Do I look like a monster to you? Horrible and disgusting?’

When Bipa shouted as if yelling, the servant’s eyes widened in shock. As though struck out of nowhere, the servant rolled his eyes nervously, gauging Bipa’s expression.

‘A… a monster? Why would you say that, sir? Everyone knows you’re beautiful. There’s no way you could look horrible or disgusting. You are still beautiful. It’s just that… since you fell into the water yesterday, you smell a bit like the pond, and you look a little unkempt, so I was going to suggest that you take a bath…’

The servant, whose face looked so innocent it seemed he had never even known how to lie, stammered an explanation. But in Bipa’s ears, only one word lodged itself firmly.

‘Beautiful? You mean, in your eyes… I’m beautiful right now?’

‘Y-yes… even in this unkempt state, you are still beautiful. Isn’t that obvious?’

‘That’s absurd. In your eyes, I don’t look like a monster? Not strange at all?’

‘Uh… is there some sort of predetermined answer I’m supposed to give here?’

Even when he called over other servants and warriors one by one to ask them repeatedly, every reaction was the same.

Not only that, even when he checked using a mirror — rather than seeing himself face-to-face — it was the same. To Bipa’s eyes, the reflection in the mirror was monstrous, yet others saw nothing strange at all.

Faced with this situation, Bipa eventually summoned the physician he had initially been too afraid to call. But even the physician found no particular abnormalities in his body.

How could this possibly be happening? Bipa simply could not accept the situation. The difference wasn’t only visual; it extended to touch as well.

When Bipa touched his own face, it felt just as bumpy and grotesque as it appeared in the mirror, with the clammy texture of a frog’s skin sending shivers down his spine. But to others, it felt completely different.

Following his orders, servants touched his face and, baffled by the strange request, remarked instead: “It’s soft. It’s smooth. Like a baby’s skin.”

However, at least regarding his fragrance aura, it seemed others could indeed smell the fishy odor that Bipa himself noticed. Usually, it was faint and subtle, but whenever Bipa shed tears or sweat — any bodily fluids — the fishy smell intensified. This matched the characteristics of fragrance auras in general.

Which meant, truly, that this fishy smell was his fragrance aura—!

Realizing this anew, Bipa briefly despaired, but soon found a slight relief upon discovering that applying strong-scented oils to his body or carrying a fragrance sachet effectively masked the odor.

“What a truly strange symptom this is.”

As Bipa sorted through his thoughts, he let out a heavy sigh and opened his eyes.

Then, naturally, he dipped his hands into the water bowl beside him.

Tap, tap.

With wet hands, he flicked water onto his face, as if moistening something dry. He repeated this precise, meticulous action several more times.

“…Does my skin really dry out like this, like an actual frog’s? And this is only visible to me?”

Bipa groaned, yelling in frustration, then sighed and splashed his face a few more times.

Though it wasn’t ideal, it was still a relief — something to be grateful for.

If others could also see him as a frog monster, he wouldn’t even have the chance to try to fix it; he would have had to shut his eyes tight and throw himself into a pond by now.

If word spread that the youngest son of the Hongwu Trading Company had turned into a frog monster, it would cause immense trouble for his mother, sisters, and the entire trading company.

In such a situation, Bipa would never be able to go on living with a sound mind.

So yes, this was fortunate, in a way…

But why? For what reason had he suddenly become embroiled in such a bizarre event? It was impossible to guess, and blindly thinking positively about it was far from easy.

Even the most broad-minded and stoic saint would never utter some nonsense like, “You just need to think positive,” if they experienced what Bipa was going through now — Bipa was sure of that.

“So, to summarize: three days ago, I arrived in Seogyeong, watched the royal procession… drank with the uncles at the tavern, talked with Baekbong… even up until watching that puppet show, there was definitely no problem…”

After Baekbong arrived, perhaps relieved to have someone to look after him, Bipa drank quickly.

After that, his memories were spotty. But what was missing were only trivial recollections — like what exactly he had rambled about or why he had laughed so loudly.

The problem started after the slick-faced storyteller entered the tavern carrying a large box on his back and began the puppet show.

The man’s puppeteering was clumsy; he wasn’t very skilled. But whether it was because Bipa was drunk or because his heart had been restless that day, he couldn’t recall now.

The contents of the puppet show, though now forgotten, had filled him with warmth and satisfaction at the time. So much so that Bipa had handed the storyteller his entire coin pouch.

It was far too much money to give merely as haengha — gratuities customarily given to servants or performers — but at the time, it felt right. Spending that money itself wasn’t the issue.

Swept up in the mood, he even covered everyone’s tab at the tavern, but that, too, wasn’t particularly serious.

“The real problem is that after that, my memory is completely blank…”

So if something suspicious had happened to him, it must have occurred after that point.

But no matter how hard he tried to recall, the severed memories remained a pitch-black void; no amount of shaking his head, straining, or wracking his brain brought them back.

If only he could retrieve that memory, he felt he might find the key to solving this — but it was truly vexing.

He could, of course, openly ask Baekbong or the warriors if anything strange had happened. But that wasn’t an option.

Informing Baekbong about this bizarre condition was hardly wise. If Baekbong knew, then Lady Manpa would find out, and inevitably the entire family would too. He didn’t want to worry them with such a ridiculous situation.

So before Baekbong found out, he had to resolve it himself—!

Determined, Bipa clutched his head with both hands, pressing firmly as though massaging acupressure points. Suddenly, he snapped his eyes wide open.

“…Huh?”

Could it be the strain paid off? In the pitch-black void of that day’s memories, suddenly — flash — something burst forth like light.

The feel of a large hand supporting him as he stumbled, and simultaneously, a voice filled with reproachful resentment:

‘Is that really all you came here to say?’

…Someone’s voice.

Footnotes:

Fragrance aura (향훈 / Hyanghun): In some Korean fantasy settings, individuals are described as possessing a personal fragrance or aura unique to them, which can indicate their emotions, nature, or status. Here, Bipa’s fragrance aura turns into a fishy smell, symbolizing his transformation.

Haengha (行下): A traditional term referring to gratuities or additional compensation given to entertainers, servants, or subordinates beyond their regular payment. It often implies generosity or favor from a person of higher status.