Glue (2)
Thud, thud, thud— The steady rhythm of a knife echoed from the guild kitchen. Han Yeoreum was preparing snacks for the children. Fish treats for Winter and Saebyeok, carrot sticks for Levinas. Just as she lifted a carrot from the cutting board—
"Uwaaah."
A whimper drifted in from somewhere. Not real crying, more like a sulky complaint. Winter? Had something happened to her? Han Yeoreum set the knife down and followed the sound.
The shoe cabinet.
Three children stood in front of it, hands tightly clasped together. It was such an adorable sight that anyone watching would smile. Levinas bounced on her toes in delight while Saebyeok kept a blank face, her tail whipping back and forth. Only Winter wore a teary expression.
"Winter, what's wrong?"
"Y-yeah..."
Winter raised their joined hands. A clear, sticky substance coated their fingers. Han Yeoreum spotted the tube of super glue still clutched in Levinas's free hand.
"Don't tell me..."
"I sprayed it and now our hands are stuck..."
"Oh dear."
The children had been playing with the glue. Han Yeoreum clutched her head in mock despair, but Levinas only beamed innocently.
"Yeoreum! Hold Levinas's hand too!"
"You want me to stick with you?"
"Yeah! It's amazing! Our hands won't come apart!"
Levinas swung their joined hands back and forth, making Winter's body sway helplessly along with the motion.
"Hmm... that's not something you should play with. It's dangerous."
"What?! As long as you don't put it in your eyes or eat it, it's fine, right?!"
"W-well, technically yes, but..."
They hadn't done what she'd told them not to. It was hard to scold them now. After all, she was the one who'd said the glue was harmless to humans.
Phew. Han Yeoreum let out the breath she'd been holding. Winter held out their four stuck hands toward her.
"Um... how do we get them unstuck...?"
"Well..."
Removing the glue wasn't difficult. A spell or special solvent would do it, or they could simply wait three hours for it to wear off naturally. Yet Han Yeoreum pressed her lips together. She wanted to give the children a little scare so they wouldn't play with dangerous things again.
"This is quite serious."
"W-why...?"
"Once this glue sticks, it never comes off. Did you read the instructions?"
"Instructions...?"
Winter's gaze dropped to the tube in Levinas's hand. The label boasted that even a broken greatsword could be fixed with it. The words sank in.
"See the picture? This stuff can glue a heavy sword together. You put it on your hands. Looks like you'll be living like this forever."
"No way..."
Thud— Winter collapsed forward, dragging the other two down with her. They looked like one single creature now. Han Yeoreum couldn't hold back her laughter.
"That's why you shouldn't play with glue."
She poked Winter's nose. Each poke made the girl's drooping ears perk right back up.
Oh my. Just as Han Yeoreum smiled down at her, Levinas suddenly thrust her hand upward.
"Levinas did it?!"
"D-did you?"
"Yeah! Levinas sprayed glue all over our hands!"
"I see..."
Well, Winter's prank had been a bit too extreme. Han Yeoreum scratched her cheek awkwardly. Winter, meanwhile, remained deep in despair.
"Levinas... they said we'll have to live like this forever..."
"Wow!"
Levinas looked positively thrilled. The idea of staying stuck together seemed wonderful to her. She was still too young to grasp the gravity of the situation. Winter decided to deliver the crushing truth.
"...If our hands are stuck, we won't be able to touch the Animal King cards or play hide-and-seek anymore."
"Hic...!"
Levinas's ears shot straight up. She stared at Han Yeoreum with her mouth hanging open.
"Winter's right. You'll never play hide-and-seek again, Levinas."
"Th-then what do we do...? Is there a way...?"
"There might be one..."
Both Winter and Levinas perked up instantly. Saebyeok simply continued wagging her tail, unbothered.
"Tell Levinas the way!"
"Hmm... Yuna probably knows how."
"Really?!"
"Yeah."
Han Yeoreum had mentioned Jung Yuna partly as punishment and partly because she wanted to share the adorable scene with someone else. Honestly, the latter reason was stronger. It felt like a waste to keep such cuteness to herself.
"Th-then I'll go right now...!"
"Sure. Yuna should be in the first-floor meeting room."
"Uh... when does the meeting end...?"
"You can go in. It's not that important."
"Ah! Okay!"
Winter, now energized, dashed to the front door. Since she couldn't open it with her hands stuck, Saebyeok opened it for her.
"Hehe."
They were just too adorable. Only after the children disappeared did Han Yeoreum finally burst into laughter.
**
First-floor meeting room.
The moment they reached the door, Levinas dragged her feet like hitting the brakes. Their joined hands forced the rest of them to stop as well.
"King, was Levinas being bad...?"
"Well... you did something wrong, but you didn't know better."
"R-really...? Levinas is sorry..."
She tried to pat Levinas's head, but their stuck hands made it awkward. Instead, she wrapped her tail around Levinas's wrist.
"It's okay. I actually want to stay stuck with you forever too."
"Hic! You think the same as Levinas!"
Levinas bounced happily on the spot, her powerful jumps forcing their joined hands up and down.
"Shall we go in now?"
"Yeah."
Knock, knock, knock— Saebyeok knocked in Winter's place. The voice that answered belonged to the Guild Master.
"Come in."
"O-okay..."
If the Guild Master was in the meeting, it had to be important. While Winter hesitated, Saebyeok opened the door and stepped inside. Several familiar faces sat around the table: the Guild Master, Choi Jinhyuk, and Jung Yuna.
"Holding hands so tightly? What's going on?"
Jung Yuna greeted them with a gentle smile. Winter held out their stuck hands.
"Our hands got stuck..."
"Huh...?"
Everyone's eyes turned to their joined hands. Some people chuckled while others looked concerned.
"Oh my."
Jung Yuna rose from her chair and approached, followed by the Guild Master and Choi Jinhyuk.
"You used glue?"
"Y-yes..."
The Guild Master hummed thoughtfully, then pulled a piece of chocolate from his pocket and offered it. Winter tried to accept it politely with both hands, but the glue made it impossible.
"Open your mouth."
She wanted Winter to eat it directly. The situation felt strange, but Winter had no intention of disobeying.
"Ah."
She tilted her head back and opened her mouth. The Guild Master placed the chocolate inside. It felt oddly like being a baby bird receiving food.
"Hic! Levinas wants chocolate too!"
"Aaaah."
Levinas looked up with her mouth wide open. Saebyeok copied her exactly, staring upward with her own mouth open.
"You two only have one free hand..."
The Guild Master started to speak, then closed his mouth and simply fed them chocolate in silence.
"Oh dear."
Jung Yuna watched the children being fed, her cheeks turning pink. She covered her mouth with her hand, but the dimples that appeared showed she was smiling.
"Master, that's unfair."
"...Do it yourself."
"Sh-should I?"
Jung Yuna took the chocolate from the Guild Master and stepped closer. The three children obediently opened their mouths.
We need to get unstuck...
While savoring the chocolate melting on her tongue, Winter studied Jung Yuna's face. Noticing her serious expression, Jung Yuna let out a small sound of realization.
"Um... about your hands..."
"Our hands?"
"...I can remove the glue, but it'll take about an hour to prepare everything. You'll have to stay here until then. Is that okay?"
An hour wasn't so bad. It was better than being stuck forever. Winter's tail wagged in relief as she looked up at Jung Yuna. The Guild Master frowned at her.
"An hour? That long...?"
"Master."
"...Do whatever you want."
He waved his hand dismissively. Jung Yuna smiled at him with her eyes.
What exactly was she allowed to do? Winter glanced between the two adults in confusion.
"Winter, can you wait an hour? If it's too hard, I can do it faster."
"It's fine. I'm used to not using my hands."
"Huh? Used to it?"
"Yes. I sprained them a lot. Broke them a few times too..."
From getting hit or tumbling down slopes. There had been countless times when she couldn't use her hands. Compared to those, an hour was nothing.
"Ah..."
Jung Yuna's face went pale. The expressions of everyone else in the room weren't much better—even the Guild Master, who usually stayed expressionless.
What?
Winter looked up at them curiously, but no one spoke. Only the sound of Levinas happily munching on chocolate filled the room.