Chapter 114: Together with God

About 15 minutes later, Geon Kim, who had been soundly asleep, opened his eyes.

"Huh? When did I fall asleep? How long have I slept?"

Trying to regain his senses, Geon vigorously shook his head and lifted his body up from the bed, dangling his legs off the side. As he was trying to wake up fully by rubbing his face with his hands, Yeongseok entered the tent, pushing the door open.

"Huh? You fell asleep already? Well, it was a meeting with the President of the United States, so you must have been tense. Are you feeling okay?"

Rubbing his eyes, Geon responded.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I didn't think I was that tired, but I guess I passed out without even realizing."

Yeongseok handed him a drink, saying,

"Try this. You like this, right?"

Geon tilted his head, looking at the drink Yeongseok handed him. It wasn't a canned drink but an orange-colored beverage in a plastic bottle, prominently labeled 'Stewart's Cream Soda'. Taking the drink, Geon asked Yeongseok,

"Huh? How did you know I like this? And how did you get it? They don't sell this here."

Drinking from another bottle of the drink he held, Yeongseok replied,

"Ah! This really hits the spot. That chief secretary or something said you'd like it and left a few boxes. But now that I think about it, it's odd. He was a stranger, yet he knew your drink preference?"

Geon grimaced and laughed after drinking.

"They must have done their research on me. But researching down to my drink preference seems a bit creepy, doesn't it?"

"Well… they probably didn't intend to research your drink preference specifically. He's an aide to the President of the United States; maybe it just came up during their background check. Don't think too much about it. Logically, they would've done some homework."

"Haha, well, it's okay. Thanks to this, I got to taste such a drink in Nepal."

"What did you talk about with the President anyway? The journalists were really curious."

"Nothing much, just some compliments. Nothing else really memorable."

"What? That's it? They moved all those people for just that? Sounds bland."

"Haha, you react just like Chae-eun noona, brother."

Yeongseok, holding the drink, plopped down next to Geon, who was sitting on the bed.

"Should we go now? It's almost been two months since we came here."

"Yeah, we should slowly start preparing. Now that more volunteers are coming in, there's not much left for us to help with."

"Right, Chae-eun must be feeling the pressure too. She's currently the talk of the town in Korea, so her schedule is getting packed. The company seems to be in a frenzy telling her to come back since she's done enough to stir the pot."

"Yeah, brother. Let's start preparing to go back."

"Alright, then… Oh? Timo, the village chief?"

Just as Yeongseok was about to speak, Timo peeked inside the tent through the fabric serving as the door. Recognizing Timo, Yeongseok opened the tent further and said,

"Sorry for dropping by suddenly. I came to pay my respects to Deva."

"Ah, yes! Come in, please. Geon, I'll go check our flight schedule. Have a chat!"

As Yeongseok left the tent, Geon stood up and said to Timo,

"Please have a seat, chief. I'll make you some tea."

Timo, leaning on his cane, hesitated upon realizing the only place to sit was the bed, until Geon, with a smile, pulled up a makeshift chair for him.

"Please sit here, chief."

"Ah, thank you, Deva."

"Ah, really, I'm not a Deva, but you keep calling me that."

Timo did not stop referring to Geon as Deva, regardless of what Geon said. Watching Geon brew tea with a benevolent smile, Timo asked,

"When will you be leaving, Deva?"

"Ah! I told you, I'm not a Deva."

"Yes, Deva."

"Sigh… I should start preparing soon."

"Will you be leaving soon?"

"Probably, there's not much left for me to help with."

As Geon handed Timo a steaming cup of tea and pulled another makeshift chair to sit opposite him, Timo took a sip of the tea and looked at the cup in surprise.

"Huh? First flush? This is high-quality tea, Deva. You've gotten quite good at brewing tea."

Laughing, Geon took a sip from his cup.

"I've been living in

 Nepal for two months now. Serving tea to the guests who visited me, I naturally improved. It feels like my skills are peaking just as I'm about to leave, though I'll probably forget all about it once I'm back in Korea. Haha."

"When are you leaving?"

"Well, I need to check the flight schedule and sort things out here, so maybe in about a week."

"Um.. I see. Uh... Deva."

"Yes? Ah! I responded without thinking again. I'm not a Deva, okay?"

"Yes, Deva."

"Ahem! Yes, yes.. what is it, chief?"

"Haha, actually, in ten days, there's a night of Shiva at the Pashupatinath Temple."

"What's the night of Shiva?"

"It's a festival, also known as Shivaratri. Pashupatinath is also one of the most sacred Hindu temples. Since you're in Nepal, I thought you might want to see the festival. The Brahmins gathering for the festival also wish to pay their respects to Deva."

"Pashupatinath Temple? Ah.. I think I've heard of it. Where is it?"

"It's on the eastern riverbank of Kathmandu, Deva."

"Um.. I do want to see it, but I'm not sure if my schedule will allow it."

Timo spoke with a slightly urgent tone,

"It's a festival that people from all over the world want to see, Deva. When will you come to Nepal again? Don't miss this opportunity. It's not far from the capital, so it won't be difficult to return. Your group can go ahead, and I will accompany you."

After a moment of thought, Geon smiled.

"Alright, since I'm here, I might as well see it. My schedule doesn't match with my group, but I can return by myself. I do want to see it."

Timo beamed with joy and stood up excitedly.

"Thank you, Deva. The Brahmins were so eager to see you that I would have been stoned if I couldn't bring you, haha. Then, I'll prepare for your visit."

"Yes, chief. But I'll go by myself when the time comes. It's not far from Kathmandu, so I thought I'd take a walk and do some trekking."

"Ah, will you? How will you get to Kathmandu?"

"I'll go with the group when they leave."

"Ah, I see. Alright. I'll wait for you at the temple, Deva. It's in ten days. The festival lasts a week, so please remember."

"Yes, I understand, chief. Please go inside."

As Timo bowed politely, Geon went out of the tent to see him off until he was out of sight. That night, Geon expressed his wish to stay a little longer to Yeongseok and Chae-eun, smiling through Yeongseok's concerns about the dangers.

Three days later, a helicopter landed to take the Himalayan Song filming staff from the Gorkha village. As Geon turned to wave at the reporters calling out to him just before boarding the helicopter, numerous flashes went off. Geon's face, with its scruffy beard, was captured in photographs and spread around the world, moving many who saw it. The pictures were also released in Korea, prompting numerous netizens to leave comments.

- ChicYeonni: Look at Kay's beard, totally sexy

- chaos9999: That's the face of someone who's genuinely suffered and served, unlike some celebrities who lie about not washing for a week during their service in Africa.

- BlueAngel: I can't believe I'm third...

- Eunyayoung: You really worked hard ㅠㅠ

- FengYunHai: I cried a storm after seeing Kay's UNICEF ad

- GuroWhitey: No no my love Kay ㅜㅜ

- TheHolic: Kay!! You've earned the right to work more!

- ParaaanBlue: Really proud to be Korean

- EuitaeDad: I want continuous articles about Kay!!

- OLDBOY: Watching with interest.

- BlackDumpling: Seeing Kay's beard makes me want to make seaweed soup tonight~

- Supermarket: Hasn't Teacher Choi Tae-soo met at the Nepal earthquake site yet?

- Moon'sIrun: Recruiting for a Kay raid. Want to lock him in the basement and feed him only dumplings while making him sing.

**

As Geon and his group were heading to Kathmandu, a black buffalo was slowly walking along the cliff road from Lalitpur to the east of Kathmandu. The very old black buffalo moved sluggishly, its eyes unusually red and its body covered in wounds. A man sat atop it, his legs crossed, his throat dyed blue. The

 man, scratching his blue throat as if it were a large spot, continuously muttered to himself while puffing on a tobacco pipe.

Turning his neck to the right, the man said in a fine voice,

"This Shivaratri, that guy is coming? Wonder what kind of guy he is."

Then, turning his neck to the left, the man spoke in a coarse bass voice,

"Vishnu, what's so curious to you?"

Straightening his neck, the man said in a gentle voice,

"Shiva, Vishnu can be curious about things, why not?"

"Brahma, have you forgotten how much trouble I went through because of Vishnu's curiosity?"

"Shiva, what did I do? I just wanted peace."

"Vishnu, you, ignorant of splendor, only longed for the land of milk and honey, leading to the sea of milk turning toxic and falling upon the earth! I had to swallow the poison to prevent it, turning my throat this color! This is deadly poison, I tell you, which is why I couldn't swallow it and ended up with a blue throat."

"And what about you, Shiva? You? Thinking your wife was unfaithful upon seeing a grown son and wife, you, a hasty father, beheaded your own son, didn't you?"

"That was a mistake. My son has died only once so far, he still has many days ahead."

"Hehe, Shiva, Vishnu. How long will you argue?"

"Brahma, you stay out of it. If it weren't for you meddling, I would have smashed Vishnu's head in by now."

"You, thinking you're so powerful, frolicking recklessly, will get in trouble someday, Shiva."

"Who dares to scold me? Let them come."

"Shh, Vishnu, Shiva, both of you quiet down. The one coming to Shivaratri is backed by Gamagin."

"Pfft, let that high demon come at me."

"Kiki, don't be so cocky, Shiva. No matter how strong you are, fighting him would bring about the end of the world."

"Stop fighting and let's go quietly. We still have a long way ahead."

The man with a constantly shifting head, voicing different personas, slowly made his way along the beautiful cliff road towards Pashupatinath Temple.

The next day, at Barber Mahal Villa in Kathmandu. After filming the finale at the hotel where the program "The Song of Himalaya" had begun, Chae-eun said to Geon,

"Geon, are you really not going to come with us? It's lonely to travel alone."

"Ah, noona, I usually travel alone anyway. I'm okay."

"Sigh, you're really stubborn as a bull. Even CP Yeongseok tried to dissuade you but you wouldn't listen."

"Haha, Yeongseok hyung always says that too."

"Tomorrow we'll be leaving, and after spending over two months together, it really feels like we've become a family. I feel like crying just thinking about separating."

"We'll see each other in Korea, what's the problem?"

"Tsk, maybe I won't see CP Yeongseok, but you? You seem hard to catch, always traveling abroad."

"Well...that might be true, but let's definitely meet up for a meal when I'm back in Korea."

"Is that a promise?"

"Haha, okay. I'll definitely contact you."

Chae-eun grabbed Geon's hand and said,

"Come here. I'll shave you before I leave."

"Shave? I can do it myself, noona."

"Tch! You'll hurt yourself trying to shave that long beard alone. Listen to me, okay? We're separating tomorrow."

"Haha, alright, leave it here."

Led by Chae-eun's hand, they went to the hotel lobby on the middle floor where a large mirror was placed. Chae-eun positioned the mirror in front of a sofa, sat Geon down, and brought shaving tools from the room. Seeing the tools, Geon asked,

"Why do you have those? A woman carrying that around?"

"I didn't carry it around. I borrowed it from the staff oppas. Now, lift your head."

After applying shaving cream properly on Geon's face, Chae-eun began to shave his beard with a razor blade, which was impossible with a disposable razor. Watching Chae-eun concentrate to avoid cutting him, Geon closed his eyes, feeling at ease. Only the sound of shaving filled the lobby for a while before Chae-eun broke the silence,

"You know, Geon."

"Hmm?"

"I think it was really good to do this program."

"Yeah, me too. I couldn't have such an experience while in school."

"No, not that. I mean, doing it together with you."

"With me?"

"Yeah, I really think it was good to do this program together with you."

"Haha, that's nice, noona. I also enjoyed doing it with you."

"Sigh, silly. I didn't mean to say something so cliché."

Chae-eun, wiping off the shaved area with a towel, said,

"Meeting you here, and trekking together, I think these will become unforgettable memories. And the volunteer work we did together. It was different from the Sichuan volunteer work. Thanks to you, I even got to see the President of the United States from afar. The company's CEO is ecstatic, saying we've caught a great program, and my manager even got promoted."

Geon, with his eyes closed, smiled and said,

"I'm glad it turned out well. Actually, if I had insisted on leaving the program shooting and going to Gorkha, I would have felt sorry for you. I'm happy it turned out to be a good thing for you since you voluntarily came with me."

Chae-eun, stopping her shaving, stared at Geon's side profile. Realizing Chae-eun had stopped moving, Geon squinted at her, and then she finally spoke,

"You're strange. How can someone have no selfish side? During the past two months, I've seen you genuinely share in others' joy and sorrow more deeply than the person involved. How can you be like that?"

Geon chuckled softly,

"I just did what a human should do, living by doing what people ought to do. It's nothing special. Just finish the shave, noona."

Chae-eun's hand moved again after a long pause, but her gaze on Geon became more complex,

'If I speak my heart out, it might become awkward, right?'

With her lips sealed like a clam and spouting myriad words of love in her head, Chae-eun ultimately didn't say anything to Geon that day. She did not say a word to Geon until the time to leave for the airport the next day.

The next morning, after sending off the group heading to the airport, Geon stayed one more day at the hotel before setting off for the temple. Geon, who had exchanged a hefty amount of rupees in downtown Kathmandu, left downtown with a backpack and J 200, hiding his face with a hat and sunglasses, smiling broadly,

'It

's been a while since I've traveled alone again! My pockets are full, so I'll buy something delicious in the villages I pass through and stay in nice places.'

After wandering around downtown Kathmandu, Geon finally left the bustling area. Just moments before, there had been densely packed shops and numerous buildings, but just a bit outside the downtown, a rugged cliff road appeared, which Geon found fascinating as he enjoyed the view, entering a trekking path with no one in sight.

Intending to etch the beautiful Nepalese landscape into his eyes like a tattoo, Geon caught sight of a man riding a black buffalo far ahead on the road.

'Wow, lying down on a buffalo. Impressive, lying on a walking buffalo without a saddle and even smoking, that's a master in his own right.'

As the man on the slow-moving buffalo got closer, because Geon's pace was faster, Geon glanced at the man's face as he passed by and tilted his head,

'Why is his throat blue? A spot...?'

Thinking it rude to stare again, Geon moved on. After walking for a while, he sat under a cool-looking tree shade, pulled out water from his backpack to quench his thirst, and took a break. Then, he saw the man he had seen before on the buffalo. The man, passing slowly in front of Geon, tapped the buffalo's head with his tobacco pipe, and as if the buffalo understood, it stopped. The man stared intently at Geon for a moment and then spoke in a rough, coarse voice,

"Hey, do you have money?"

"Yes? Me?"

"Who else is here? You seem quite dense."

Feeling awkward, Geon thought,

'What's with this guy?'

Geon closely observed the man lying on the buffalo. The man appeared to be in his mid-forties, with long black hair tied back and a stylishly groomed mustache, but his clothes were shabby. The man, noticing Geon's silent observation, pointed with his tobacco pipe and said,

"Are you deaf? I asked if you have money, kid!"

"Ah, yes.. I do have some."

"Good? Climb up, I'll give you a ride. Just buy me a meal at the next village we pass."

"Um...walking might be faster..."

"Get on, kid!"

"Ah! Yes!"

Geon hesitated as he looked at the buffalo. The buffalo, with red eyes, looked intimidating like a rabid dog, but it slightly lowered its hindquarters to make it easier for Geon to climb on. Geon, though hesitant, climbed behind the man on the buffalo. As Geon mounted, the man tapped the buffalo's head with his tobacco pipe and said,

"Let's go, kid. We have a long way ahead."

Caught in the sudden turn of events, Geon ruffled his hair behind the man,

'Ah, I failed to refuse again. I should have cursed and walked away.'

The man, unable to lie down because of Geon, sat cross-legged and shook his head with the movement of the buffalo, saying,

"When an adult offers a ride, you should say thank you and get on. Why so much hesitation?"

"Ah, yes? Ah, sorry."

Without realizing, Geon answered and tilted his head,

'Huh? Did I say that out loud? How did he know?'

After watching the man silently for a while, Geon turned his gaze to the passing scenery. The buffalo wasn't as slow as he thought, and sitting on its back, the ride wasn't so bad, pleasing Geon. Lost in the beauty of the Himalayas, Geon smiled,

'Riding a buffalo for trekking isn't bad. The breeze caressing my cheeks feels nice, and I'm seeing beautiful landscapes that I missed while tiredly looking at the ground.'

Geon looked at the back of the man in front of him who kept shaking his head,

'This weird man, but thanks to him, I'm having a good experience.'

Suddenly, the man in front of Geon abruptly turned his head to the right and asked in a different, gentler tone,

"So, where are you headed?"

Caught off guard by the change in tone, Geon was momentarily speechless. Noticing Geon's silence, the man, who had turned his head to the right, looked back and asked again,

"Is something bothering you? Why no answer, is there a problem?"

Geon, seeing the man speak with his head tilted in an unusual angle, waved his hands,

"No, no, I'm comfortably enjoying the ride. I'm heading to Pashupatinath Temple to see Shivaratri."

"Oh~ Really? We're also heading there, how convenient, let's go together."

Geon's eyes widened as he looked around,

"Sorry? We? Is there someone else with you?"

The man suddenly shook his head vigorously, straightened his

 posture, and spoke in a dignified tone,

"Ahem, no, I mean my buffalo and I."

Geon let out an awkward laugh at the man's sudden change,

'Maybe he has some psychological issues, and I misunderstood. Well, we're heading the same way, so let's go together. It would be inconvenient for him alone.'

After a moment of thought, Geon brightly said,

"Oh, I see! Let's go together, it won't be lonely then. It's about a three-day journey, so I'll take care of meals and lodging in exchange for the ride, haha."

The man smiled warmly but suddenly turned his head to the left and muttered,

"Look at this kid? Nicer than I thought. The one looking after this kid..."

Then, snapping his head back straight, the man said,

"Ahem, nevermind, just talking to myself, don't mind me."

Geon shrugged, indicating it was fine,

"Okay, understood."

"What's your name?"

"I'm Kay."

"Hmm, Kay, eh.."

"And your name?"

"I'm Bra... no, Birasi."

"Ah, Mr. Birasi? Nice to meet you."

"Indeed, please take good care of us on the way to the temple."

As Birasi turned his head forward again, he kept shaking his head from side to side, muttering to himself. Though it seemed like he was arguing in different voices and personalities in Nepali, Geon, unable to understand Nepali, just saw him as someone with a psychological condition.

'Brahma, how old-fashioned, Birasi, what's that about?'

'Could it be, Brahma, you... Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, did you just take one letter from each? Oh, how childish.'

'Quiet, you two. Doesn't the kid think I'm crazy because of you? How embarrassing because of you two. And Shiva, if you mention Gamagin one more time in front of the kid, I'll wrap a scarf around my neck so I can't turn it towards you, so be careful.'

Riding behind the continuously muttering man, Geon paid attention to his words but, unable to understand Nepali, eventually shrugged and enjoyed the surrounding landscape from the back of the buffalo. Smiling at the majestic mountains, Geon was unaware that no birds or animal sounds reached his ears, only the sound of the wind brushing past.