That evening, when I returned home, the Master ordered me to take some time off to rest. He insisted I stay home and relax after the rough day I’d had.
“Hey, Wang-ah, what’s that?” Levinas pointed the remote at the television, where a man and a woman were kissing each other’s cheeks.
“They’re kissing because they like each other.”
“Why do people kiss just because they like each other?”
“Hmm…”
Now, that was a deep question. I didn’t know the history behind kissing, so I wasn’t sure how to explain it to her.
How do I even explain this to a child? While I was pondering, a shadow loomed over my head.
“You two…”
*Bonk!*
I looked up just as Sophia lightly tapped Levinas and me on our heads with her cane. Judging by her stern expression, we must have done something wrong.
“Why are we in trouble…?”
“Did you not see the ‘15 and older’ sign on the screen?”
Sophia pointed her cane at the top right corner of the TV. A yellow label with the number 15 was there.
Oh. I wasn’t used to watching TV, so I hadn’t thought about the age rating. How could I have shown such a stimulating scene to a ten-year-old? This was a mistake with no excuses.
“Sophia, I’m really sorry…”
“As long as you understand. Leave those kinds of shows until you’re older.”
“Yes…”
I took the remote from Levinas and put on an animated show featuring animal characters. Yeoreum, who was working at the living room table, let out a chuckle.
“Sophia, they probably don’t even know what an age rating is. They just saw something on the screen and watched it.”
“…Then you, Yeoreum, should’ve told them.”
“It wasn’t that bad of a scene. It’s a movie I saw back in the day.”
“Oh, is that so…”
Sophia patted Levinas and me on our heads, seemingly feeling a bit guilty for the reprimand. It didn’t hurt, but it felt nice to have her gentle touch.
“Hmm…”
Even with her head being patted, Levinas was deep in thought, arms crossed, looking unusually serious. Just as everyone turned their attention to her, Levinas blurted out a question that caught us all off guard.
“Have any of you kissed someone you like?”
Levinas asked, her question directed at everyone. Yeoreum was the first to answer.
“When I was little, I used to kiss my family.”
“With your family?!”
“Yep. But I don’t really do it anymore because I’m an adult now.”
“Whoa…”
With her big, curious eyes, Levinas looked between Sophia and me, clearly wanting to know if we had similar experiences.
“I used to live with my family when I was young…”
“Gasp! Even you, Shark?! Then that means Wang has too!”
Levinas looked at me with an expectant sparkle in her eyes. But I could only shake my head.
I had another life, sure, but I didn’t have a family in this one. I couldn’t claim family experiences from a past life that didn’t exist in this one.
“I don’t have a family… so I’ve never tried it…”
“Oh…”
Yeoreum made an odd sound right after I spoke. When I turned to her, both she and Sophia had sad expressions.
“What’s wrong…?”
“Well, I mean… aren’t I and Yeoreum like family to you?”
“…We’re family?”
Since when? My tail curved into a question mark, reflecting my curiosity. Sophia sat down next to me.
“When people live together and care for each other, that’s family, isn’t it?”
“Really…?”
“Yes, so don’t go saying you don’t have a family.”
“Um… okay…”
Family. Just hearing the word made me feel warm inside.
*Thump!* *Thump!*
My tail thudded against the floor with excitement, and Sophia’s shark tail joined in, tapping along. This was a unique way to share joy, a beast-kin way of expressing feelings through our tails.
“Me too! I want to be family too! I don’t have a family either!”
“Of course, Levinas, you’re family too.”
“Yay! I have a family now!”
Levinas jumped up, a bright smile on her face. The warm atmosphere brought a smile to mine as well.
If every day could be like this, my life would be perfect.
*Thump-thump-thump!*
As my tail kept thumping the floor, Yeoreum crouched down next to me.
“Gyeoul, do you want your big sister to give you a little kiss right here?”
Yeoreum pressed her finger gently to my cheek. Though it sounded lovely, I felt too shy about it. I was an adult, just like Yeoreum.
“I-it’s okay…”
“Really?”
“Yes, I think I’ll head to bed now…”
My cheeks felt hot, and I quickly got up, making my way to my room. Yeoreum chuckled behind me, and though it made me feel a bit annoyed, I didn’t dislike her for it.
---
That night, in the deep dark, Levinas opened her eyes. She looked over at me, asleep beside her.
‘Levinas and Wang are family now…!’
So happy. Levinas wanted to jump up with joy but held herself back, not wanting to wake me.
“Mmm…”
She remembered that it was okay to kiss family on the cheek. But since I had refused her earlier, she hesitated.
Still, she wanted to try. After a bit of thought, Levinas decided to sneak a kiss while I was asleep.
*Peck*
Levinas’s lips brushed against my cheek, though she was so unsure about how to do it that there was no sound. Even so, her eyes sparkled.
‘Oh!’
This feels so nice! Why wouldn’t Wang want to do this? She decided to give the rest of her “family” the same treatment.
‘I’ll kiss Yeoreum and Shark, too!’
Levinas crept out to find her sleeping family, moving as quietly as she could so as not to wake them.
As she left the room, she didn’t notice my tail, wildly wagging back and forth behind her.
---
The next morning, I entered a convenience store with Levinas. After selling five empty bottles, we browsed the store together.
“Hehe.”
Levinas held my hand, swinging it back and forth as she walked. I knew exactly why she was in such a good mood, but I decided to keep it a secret.
“Levinas, do you want to buy anything?”
“No! I just want to look around!”
“What are you looking for?”
“The Animal King cards!”
Animal King cards. It was the name of the cartoon we’d watched together last night. Apparently, they were quite popular with kids lately, and Levinas was intrigued.
“You can only see the cards once you open the package, though.”
“Huh…? So I can’t just look at the cards…?”
“Yeah, sorry, but that’s how it is.”
“Oh…”
Levinas’s hand stopped swinging as disappointment crossed her face. I had enough money to buy her a pack, so to cheer her up, I decided to buy the cards.
“I’ll get you some Animal King cards.”
“Really…? Aren’t they expensive…?”
“No, they’re not that pricey.”
The price was only about a thousand won per pack. I bought her two packs, letting her pick them out herself.
We sat by a nearby pond and started opening the packs.
“Thank you for buying the cards, Wang.”
“Of course. Which card is the strongest?”
“The Silver Tiger! It’s the King of Animals! It has ten stars!”
Levinas sat on the bench, swinging her legs as she opened the packs. Out of around twenty cards, the best one was a two-star card.
“Oh…”
Even I, who didn’t know much about Animal King cards, could tell it was a bad draw.
She must be disappointed. Maybe I should buy her another pack?
I glanced at Levinas, but instead of looking upset, she was practically bouncing with excitement.
“I got two of the best cards!”
“The best cards?”
“Yep!”
Levinas held up two cards for me to see, featuring a horned rabbit and a white kitten. They only had one star each, but she was thrilled, kicking her feet back and forth.
“Isn’t the Silver Tiger supposed to be the best?”
“Just because it’s strong doesn’t mean it’s the best!”
“Oh…”
So in Animal King cards, strength isn’t everything. Embarrassed, I scratched my neck.
“Wang is amazing. How did you pick such good cards?”
“Guess I got lucky.”
Seeing Levinas so happy made me feel good, too. As she wagged her tail and admired the cards, she handed them all to me.
“Let’s play with these.”
“Sure, but how do we play?”
I’d heard you could battle with the cards, but neither of us knew the rules.
“We’re supposed to battle with them, but I don’t want to fight you.”
“I don’t want to fight you, either.”
“Then… how about we imitate the animals instead?”
“Imitate?”
“Yeah!”
The rules were simple: act like the animal on the card you drew. It was straightforward and fun.
“Okay, I’ll go first.”
“Alright!”
I pulled a card from the shuffled deck, which featured a seagull holding a sword. I flapped my arms up and down, making squawking sounds.
“Cat!”
Cat? That wasn’t even close. I showed Levinas the seagull card, shaking
my head.
“Wrong.”
“Huh? It’s a seagull?!”
“Yeah, a seagull.”
“Oh… Let me try next!”
Levinas picked a card and began hopping around. She’d drawn the horned rabbit, clearly.
“Is it… a horned rabbit?”
“Nope! It’s a frog!”
She held up her card, showing a frog dressed like a ninja.
‘Wow.’
With all her hopping, I thought it had to be the horned rabbit. Turns out, this game was harder than expected, and I couldn’t help but break into a sweat.