Despite her adorable white ears and tail, Joo Sang-wook didn’t smile.
Her appearance and demeanor seemed off.
The beast-kin is wearing blood-stained shabby clothes, and in her hands are a couple of empty beer bottles, being hugged to her body, as if it’s a precious thing.
Her fearful demeanor, constantly looking around, was pitiable.
‘What’s going on?’
Joo Sang-wook suspected the relationship between Han Yeoreum and the beast-kin child.
It was strange for the wealthy Han Yeoreum to treat a young beast-kin child like this.
‘Th–There’s no way Yeoreum is abusing her… right?’
Yeoreum was known for being kind to children.
In fact, one of the reason why the Daybreak Guild was famous is because of the Guild member kindness to children.
They had even wiped out a criminal organization the government had given up catching, just to rescue a single kidnapped child.
There must be a reason for her behavior.
As Joo Sang-wook tried to make sense of the situation, the beast-kin girl approached the counter with the bottles.
“Pl–Please buy these bottles…”
“Bottles?”
Was she selling them to make a living?
Why would such a young child do this?
Joo Sang-wook reflexively glared at Han Yeoreum.
“He–Here are nine bottles.”
Stuttering, Yeoreum placed the bottles on the counter.
Joo Sang-wook had a lot to say but decided to fulfill his duty as a clerk for now.
“The total for nine bottles is one thousand two hundred won.”
As Joo Sang-wook operated the cash register, the child peeked out with a cute face.
“Could I get it in coins instead of bills?”
“Sure. I’ll give you coins.”
Joo Sang-wook handed the child several of the cleanest coins.
The child, seemingly delighted by the shiny coins, clutched them tightly and hopped joyfully.
Her adorable ears bounced cutely with each hop.
“Shall we go now that we’ve sold them all?”
“Yes.”
Han Yeoreum, looking a bit anxious, glanced at Joo Sang-wook and took the child’s hand to lead her away.
Anyone could tell she was in a hurry.
Joo Sang-wook decided to speak up, even though it might be overstepping his bounds.
He was aware of the gap between himself and Han Yeoreum, but he was concerned about the child as an adult.
“Excuse me. Shouldn’t you get the child some new clothes?”
“Yes, y-yes. I’m sorry…”
Instead of getting angry, she apologized.
And quite meekly at that.
Joo Sang-wook let out a sigh of relief at her response.
It meant she knew what she had done wrong.
✱✱✱
Four coins.
Two of them were five-hundred-won coins.
I looked at the coins, which seemed more beautiful than jewels, in the sunlight.
They were the shiniest coins I had ever touched, even more so than diamonds.
“Wow.”
To collect a single bottle, I had to wake up before dawn and roam around the neighborhood.
Earning money this easily was unbelievable.
“Gyeoul, I have a question.”
“A question?”
Maybe, because she helped me earn money, she thought she had the right to dig information?
The corners of my mouth drooped at the thought that I had been tricked.
Having received the money, I felt obligated to answer her question.
“It’s nothing much, but why did you want coins instead of bills?”
“Coins are harder to lose.”
“Ah, because they’re heavier?”
“Yes.”
Coins, unlike bills, have weight.
They wouldn’t fly away in the wind, and if dropped, they made a sound that made them easy to find.
Also, it was harder for someone to run away with a lot of coins.
Realizing this, the girl clapped her hands with a pop!
“That’s amazing. It’s like life wisdom, isn’t it?”
“Yes…”
In truth, it wasn’t life wisdom
I just had an experience of watching bills fly into the sky on a stormy day.
I was so sad that day that I couldn’t eat at all.
Though it was a long time ago, it felt as fresh as yesterday.
‘Coins are good because they don’t fly away when there’s a lot.’
I wonder if my piggy bank at home was alright.
As I held the coins close, the girl led me to a car that looked expensive and stopped in front of it.
“Do you want to get in?”
She opened the passenger door for me.
The inside of the car looked much nicer than my house.
“Why would I get in here?”
“Isn’t your home near the horned rabbit hunting ground? It’s a bit far from here.”
“Oh…”
That explained why there were so many tall buildings around.
I never imagined I had been moved such a distance while unconscious.
I stared inside the car for a while and then cautiously stepped back.
“Are you going to drive?”
“Why? I’m a good driver, you know?”
The girl showed me her driver’s license.
I had assumed she was a minor due to her appearance, but she was actually a legal adult.
“Then you go by car. I’ll walk.”
“Why…?”
Why, she asks.
Does she really not know?
Feeling annoyed, I showed her the coins in my pocket.
“I don’t have money. This is all I have.”
It was obviously an expensive car, likely costing a fortune even just to rent.
There was no way I could afford to ride in a car like this with just a few coins.
“Oh… You don’t need to pay.”
“…Why?”
“Well, I was the one who wanted to see Gyeoul’s house first. It’s only right for the person who wants to see it to pay.”
“Oh.”
That made sense.
She would be the one missing out if she didn’t come to my house.
Convinced with her reasoning, I approached the car.
“Then, I’ll clean the seat after.”
“That’s, um… not necessary.”
But it was.
To avoid any issues later, it was best to clean where I sat.
“If not, I won’t ride.”
“Okay, okay. You can clean it. So, shall we go?”
“Okay.”
I carefully sat on the car seat.
I was finally able to go home.