“You shouldn’t brag about having a lot of money—!” Gyeoul whispered, just loud enough for Yeoreum to hear, cupping her hands around her mouth as if to keep the sound contained.
Yeoreum thought she understood why but decided to ask anyway.
“Why not?”
“Bad people will steal it or take it away!”
Ah.
Had that happened to her before? Yeoreum matched Gyeoul’s whispering tone and asked softly.
“Has someone stolen from you before?”
“Yes!”
What kind of terrible person would do that? Yeoreum felt a surge of anger but held it back in front of the child.
“Tell me if it happens again. I’ll make sure to scold them.”
“Yes, yes… but please don’t be too harsh on them…”
She was asking not to be too harsh on those who stole from her. Despite everything, the child’s heart was still incredibly kind. Yeoreum wanted to pat Gyeoul’s head but remembered Gyeoul’s dislike for physical contact and stopped herself. For now, she decided to focus on the clothes.
“Gyeoul, I’m really curious. What’s the first thing you want to do?”
“I want to donate to the free food kitchen!”
“The, food kitchen?”
Even with such a large sum of money for the first time, Gyeoul’s thoughts were selfless. She was thinking of others before herself.
“Yes! It’s a food kitchen that runs on donations, and I’ve received a lot from them! Now, I want to give back!”
“Wow, that’s incredible. Gyeoul, you’re even more remarkable than I thought.”
“I’ve been hungry a lot—! I know how hard it is to be hungry—! That’s why I want as many people as possible to have food—!”
The child’s earnest murmurs were touching. Yeoreum felt a pang of regret for having treated such a compassionate child poorly in the past. Feeling miserable, she closed her eyes tightly. The more she learned about Gyeoul, the more guilt she felt.
“Hey, Gyeoul. After you donate, maybe we could use some of the money to buy you new clothes?”
“Clothes?”
“Yes. The ones you’re wearing are just a bit dirtier than most people’s.”
Gyeoul looked down at her clothes and then glanced around at others. After a long comparison, she nodded.
“Yes, you’re right.”
“Um, yeah. So I was thinking it might be good to get just a few new ones.”
“Um…”
Gyeoul crossed her arms in thought, then looked up at Yeoreum cautiously.
“Do you think there are clothes for just a thousand won?”
Clothes for a thousand won? Knowing well there weren’t any, Yeoreum decided not to correct her. She had plenty of clothes set aside for the child anyway.
“I have some clothes I used to wear when I was little. I can give you one for a thousand won.”
“Ah—Yes.”
✱✱✱
I felt deceived. I had wanted to buy new clothes, but now I was being pushed to accept second-hand ones. Helpless, I can only cursed this kidnapper inwardly.
‘This conniving woman!’
The girl led me back to the same hotel we had been to before. I thought she would be taking me to get used clothes, only to find myself in this wretched place once more. Perhaps she had lied just to keep me here.
“Gyeoul, can you wait here for a bit?”
“Here?”
In the lobby of the hotel’s first floor, I looked around and saw the same ominous figures I had seen before. She was leaving me in this nest of beasts. Truly, she was a heartless and mad witch.
“The master has called for me unexpectedly. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
“Yes, yes…”
Fine. If anyone tried to harm me, the witch would get angry. Once she was gone, I hurried to a corner of the hotel and crouched down.
‘For a place full of villains, it’s surprisingly well-decorated.’
Luxurious artworks and golden lights adorned the space. The ceiling was so high that even five of me standing on top of each other wouldn’t reach it. Did they earn all this money from altering people?
Curious, I began to look around when I suddenly heard a door creak open behind me.
“Huh?”
I turned quickly, though there wasn’t any visible door. Behind me stood a burly man, staring down at me.
“I-I’ll move!”
Before he could say anything, I crawled sideways, not daring to stand up.
“No, it’s fine…”
The man extended his hand toward me. I stayed in my seated position, pushing myself backward using my hands.
In this isolated part of the hotel, there was no way to escape far.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that was a door…”
“No need to apologize…”
Gulp–
The man swallowed audibly. What sinister plans did he have to swallow his saliva like that? Fear sent my tail curling between my legs and pressing against my belly.
I had come to this den of monsters just for some used clothes. The sheer absurdity of it made me want to cry.