The Real Owner Appears
Saebyeok’s real body had appeared. How on earth was I supposed to explain this to Han Yeoreum? I fidgeted in place, feet tapping restlessly, before dashing toward her. I waved a hand at Saebyeok, silently telling her to stay hidden for now.
“Welcome home…”
Han Yeoreum’s expression as she stepped into the living room was anything but ordinary. She looked ready to burst into tears at any moment. Had something happened outside? My tail, which had been swaying, froze under the weight of her downcast mood.
“Winter…”
“Yes…?”
She trudged toward me and suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace. I still didn’t understand what was going on, but feeling her warmth was comforting.
“Winter, I’m so sorry…”
“For what…?”
“It’s nothing. Really.”
She gave an awkward little smile and carefully stepped back. For some reason, I felt a faint pang of disappointment.
“Um, actually…”
“Yeah?”
“There’s something I really need to tell you…”
“Okay. What is it?”
She lowered herself to my eye level, her face gentle and attentive. That only made me hesitate more.
“Something strange happened to me…”
“Strange?”
“Yes. It’s just…”
How was I supposed to explain any of this? While I stood there stammering, a loud shriek echoed from the bedroom.
“Eek!”
The sound was so sharp that my ears and tail shot straight up. In that same instant, Han Yeoreum flung the door open.
“What’s going on—!”
She froze on the spot. She must have been startled to see Saebyeok, who looked exactly like me. Not knowing what to say, I simply watched from behind.
“…Saebyeok?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh?”
How did Han Yeoreum know Saebyeok? Had they met before? Before the questions could fully form in my mind, Levinas came barreling toward me.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty, something terrible happened!”
“Uh, yeah…?”
“A dark version of Your Majesty appeared! Is it another personality of yours?!”
A “dark personality.” That was a concept straight out of the Animal King anime—the protagonist had a second self. Levinas’s innocent reaction was so cute that the knot of anxiety in my chest loosened a little. I answered her in a playful tone.
“That’s right. My dark personality came out.”
“Gasp! Your Majesty’s darkness…!”
Levinas trembled and buried her face against my stomach. Thanks to my quick reflexes, I caught the brief moment her forehead horn vanished, as if it had moved aside on its own so it wouldn’t get in the way.
How interesting. So Levinas’s horn could move just like my tail. Beastkin bodies were full of mysteries.
“Your Majesty, please tell the dark personality not to attack Levinas! Tell it Levinas is on the same side!”
“I already did.”
“Really?!”
“Yeah.”
I smiled and patted her head. Looking at her adorable face, all my worries seemed to melt away.
Well… even if the real body showed up, I’m still me. I decided to just accept the situation as it was.
“Winter, could you give me a moment alone with Saebyeok? Some of what we need to talk about might be a little scary for you to hear.”
“Okay. Then Levinas and I will go play in the park.”
“Thanks. Sorry for asking you to leave.”
“It’s fine.”
I took Levinas’s hand and headed for the park. She kept glancing back with a worried expression, clearly still uneasy about the “dark king.”
Han Yeoreum was able to hear everything from Saebyeok—including how the adults who had been experimented on together had saved her life.
“I was buried so deep I almost couldn’t get out.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah. But the adults made a dungeon so Winter could escape.”
“Ah…”
Dungeons absorbed everything nearby. The grudge-forged dungeon must have sucked up the soil where Saebyeok had been buried. That explained why a Level 1 dungeon had appeared again.
All of it had been the adults’ “miracle” to save Winter.
But which guild cleared that dungeon? If they had cleared a grudge dungeon, they would have discovered the horrific experiments. Something felt off. She would have to look into it.
While Han Yeoreum was lost in thought, Saebyeok was quietly organizing her own.
Winter wanted to keep her identity a secret.
Having seen the world through Winter’s eyes, Saebyeok understood her better than anyone. She had no intention of saying anything Winter didn’t want said. After all, Winter had been dragged from another dimension and suffered because of Saebyeok’s selfishness.
Saebyeok felt guilty toward Winter. She wanted the child who had endured more than she had to receive more love and happiness.
She would have to tell a small lie. The more the guild members felt guilty toward Winter, the more love and affection Winter would receive.
“There’s something I’d like to ask of you regarding Winter.”
“What is it?”
Han Yeoreum smiled kindly and stroked Saebyeok’s hair. Saebyeok’s usually expressionless tail swayed gently.
“Winter is actually a personality I created so I could survive. She’s brave and strong—she can do anything.”
Saebyeok deliberately emphasized the word “created.” It was a lie meant to help Winter receive more love. The more pitiful the title of “artificially made child” sounded, the more Winter would be cherished.
“I see… Yeah… Winter really is brave and strong.”
“Yeah. But now that we’ve separated…”
“Hmm…?”
That was true. Should she think of Saebyeok and Winter as two different people now? Han Yeoreum’s brow furrowed at the confusing situation.
“Winter was created, but she’s a real person with a life of her own. So…”
Saebyeok deliberately left the rest unsaid, hoping to spark Han Yeoreum’s imagination.
“Right. I understand what you’re trying to say.”
A child born not from love, but artificially created. What would happen if Winter found out?
If it was Winter, who already had little attachment to life…
“Ugh.”
Han Yeoreum squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t even want to imagine such a terrible future. At least the memories she shared with Winter were real.
“Winter suffered because of me. I just want her to be happy now.”
“Yeah. I do too.”
And so do I, Han Yeoreum added silently.
“You know this has to stay a secret, right?”
“A secret?”
“Yeah. A secret.”
Saebyeok raised a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture. Han Yeoreum couldn’t nod right away—she had promised the other guild members they would share everything about Winter.
“Well, um…”
Before she could finish, Saebyeok spoke again.
“It’s okay to tell the guild. I know they care about Winter.”
“…Thank you for saying that.”
Han Yeoreum reached out and hugged Saebyeok tightly. Though she looked just like Winter, Saebyeok’s face was always blank and carried a hint of wildness. Even so, Han Yeoreum knew how kind and gentle this child truly was.
“Since you’re Winter’s big sister now, you have to take good care of her, okay?”
“Yeah. Winter is my precious little sister.”
Saebyeok’s tail swayed happily. So she couldn’t hide her feelings either. Han Yeoreum burst into a bright laugh.
Levinas and I sat on a park bench, deep in discussion about the “dark king.”
“Your Majesty, the dark king is a being that will bring ruin to the world!”
“…That bad?”
“Yes! A truly terrifying existence!”
Calling darkness “terrifying” felt a little discriminatory, but Levinas probably hadn’t meant it that way. In the anime, the dark personality was portrayed as dangerous, after all. For now, I decided to play along with her imaginative game.
“So what should we do?”
“Levinas doesn’t know either…”
“Oh dear.”
I placed a hand on her trembling shoulder, about to comfort her, when Saebyeok approached us.
“Winter.”
“Eek!”
Levinas immediately buried her face in my arms. It was clear how frightened she was of Saebyeok.
“Saebyeok’s here?”
“Yeah. Saebyeok’s here.”
Saebyeok’s tail swayed gently. She looked to be in a good mood—perhaps their conversation had gone well.
“What did you two decide to do from now on?”
“We decided to be friends.”
“I see.”
So they were going to get along. My own tail began to sway in sync with hers, as if resonating.
At that moment, Levinas’s ears perked up from where she was nestled against me.
“Dark king, won’t you be friends with Levinas too…?”
“The dark king is friends with Levinas too.”
Levinas sprang up, eyes wide as she stared at Saebyeok. She looked shocked at the idea of befriending such a terrifying existence.
“Really…?”
“Yeah. Let’s collect empty bottles together and become good friends.”
“Gasp!”
Whether it was the promise of collecting bottles together or the new friendship, Levinas threw both hands into the air with delight. Having a new friend didn’t seem like such a bad thing for Levinas after all.