Echoes of the Past
We'd done it with corn flour and cleaned minnows, horn clover and foxtail grass, and the like. I wondered what kind of dish we were making with ingredients like these, but it seemed we were just tossing everything together to make porridge. As someone whose hobby was cooking, Han Yeoreum couldn't accept it at all.
This is definitely not cooking.
It was a dish whose taste she couldn't even begin to imagine. She didn't know for sure, but it was obvious it wouldn't be delicious.
"Winter, if you're going to eat it anyway, you should at least enjoy it."
"Enjoy it?"
"Yeah. If we mix everything and turn it into porridge, won't it taste weird?"
"Yes. It probably will, but at least it fills your stomach."
"Well... that's true..."
Fill the stomach first, taste be damned. For Winter, who had once treated hunger as an everyday occurrence, it was only natural. Knowing this, Han Yeoreum could only feel sorry for her.
"Winter, haven't things gotten a little better lately? Is it still that hard to buy food?"
"It's better than before, but it's not good to spend money recklessly just because we have some now."
"Uh, right..."
A child her age could have stubbornly demanded things without anyone thinking it strange, yet here she was calmly discussing frugality. Her grown-up attitude was admirable, but it left Han Yeoreum uneasy.
Of all things, only adventurers don't get meal allowances.
Guild members who received a monthly salary were given lunch money. They could use it at the Korean, Western, or Japanese restaurants on the first floor of the guild building. But those classified as "adventurers" received nothing. After all, adventurers earned money by hunting monsters and selling the byproducts. It was only natural that meal allowances came from hunting monsters too.
It was discriminatory in a way, yet no adventurer complained. The official adventurers of the Yeomyeong Guild earned billions of won a year, so none of them felt burdened by meal costs. Besides, guild-affiliated adventurers rarely bought food inside the guild anyway—their main work happened outside.
Winter is the same.
She went to hunting grounds so often that she usually solved lunch on her own outside. Lately Han Yeoreum had wondered what she was eating, but it turned out she was still surviving on things like this. The thought made her heart ache.
What should I do?
Winter was a special case. Couldn't she just give her meal tickets? But would Winter accept tickets that other adventurers didn't receive? She hated freebies and special treatment, so the chances she'd refuse were high.
Han Yeoreum let out a long sigh.
Winter fidgeted with her fingers and glanced at Han Yeoreum's expression.
"Um..."
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry..."
"For what?"
Sudden apologies? Han Yeoreum's eyes widened.
"I didn't know you'd hate it this much..."
"Huh...?"
Han Yeoreum froze in her seat. Had she made her dislike obvious? She probably had worn exactly that kind of face—the one she should never show in front of Winter. Complaining about bad food was the same as denying the child's entire life.
"I don't hate tasty food either, but filling my stomach comes first..."
"N-no! It's not like that at all...!"
Her voice rose in panic. At the loud tone, the three children's ears perked up.
"It's not?"
"No. Unnie just wants Winter to eat delicious things whenever possible. That's all."
"Oh..."
So she had only been worried. Winter's tail, which had been drooping, gave a faint wag.
"Then, Winter..."
"Yes?"
"Should Unnie buy you something tasty?"
"N-no, thank you."
As expected, she refused. Now that Han Yeoreum knew Winter's past, she didn't even feel frustrated. She understood why Winter rejected help.
Because it was a world that had ended.
In a ruined world, you had to be as wary of people as you were of monsters. You had to doubt kindness and make sure every transaction was fair, or trouble would follow. It was her own survival rule.
She doesn't remember, but her actions are still stuck in that time.
She must have gone through something so terrible it was carved into her very soul. Han Yeoreum gently placed a hand on Winter's head.
"Winter, how about this instead?"
"What do you mean?"
"We'll split the ingredients half and half—yours and mine—and cook together."
"Half and half... Should we...?"
"Yeah."
So a fair trade was acceptable after all. The influence of that ruined world ran deep. Han Yeoreum could only hope Winter would someday adapt to peace.
**
After eating the food Han Yeoreum had made, they went out to the park with the children. The kids played at something like house, while I sat alone on a bench, lost in thought.
"Hmm..."
Arms crossed, I pondered seriously—my qualifications as an adventurer. I was so deep in thought that I didn't even notice someone approaching.
"Winter, what are you doing?"
"Huh?"
When I turned, I saw Jeong Yuna and the Guild Master. My tail wagged happily at the sight of them.
"I was just thinking about something."
"Thinking? Something you can talk about?"
"Yes. It's not a serious worry."
"Really?"
What kind of worry was it? Jeong Yuna's eyes asked the question.
"I can clear Level 1 Dungeons pretty easily now, right?"
"Yeah. Because you're strong, Winter."
"So... maybe I could try aiming for the next level?"
"Hmm..."
Jeong Yuna fell into thought just like I had moments ago. I decided to wait quietly until she spoke again. It took quite a while before she finally opened her mouth.
"...Honestly, with your current skills, you could probably clear up to a Level 3 Dungeon on your own."
"R-really?"
Was I that strong? Surprise and joy made me clasp my hands together like I was praying. Jeong Yuna shook her head, cutting off my rising excitement.
"But it's still too soon for you."
"W-why...?"
"Statistically, someone at your level has about a one percent chance of dying."
"One percent?"
She was worried I might die, even at such a low probability. I appreciated the concern, but it didn't really matter to me.
"It's fine. I've always had good luck with my life."
"Really?"
"Yes. I've come close to dying plenty of times, but I never actually did."
"Uh..."
Jeong Yuna let out a small sound. Not understanding why, my tail curled into a question mark. The Guild Master spoke up.
"You almost died recently too?"
"No, not recently. The guild helped me a lot. Thank you so much."
I bowed politely. The Guild Master gave a small chuckle, apparently pleased by my gratitude.
"Then how about we go to a higher-level dungeon together sometime?"
"Together?"
"Yeah. I have to do adventurer training anyway. Let's go then."
Training with the Guild Master? Opportunities like that didn't come often.
"I'd really like to go together."
"Good. Let's do it."
The Guild Master turned to Jeong Yuna. Is that okay? his look seemed to ask. She nodded.
"Well, if you're with the Master, it should be safe. But Winter has to stay right next to you, okay? Not even one meter apart."
"...You worry too much."
"Even worrying this much isn't enough."
"I got it, I got it." The Guild Master waved his hand dismissively at Jeong Yuna. I was simply grateful that she cared about me.
A higher-level dungeon...!
If the dungeon rank went up, I'd earn more money, right? I planned to use every bit of it to pay off my debt. At this pace, maybe I could clear it quickly? My tail wagged with anticipation.
**
That evening, after the children went out to play, Han Yeoreum was left alone in the empty container. Without the kids, it felt strangely hollow. Feeling an inexplicable loneliness, she looked down at her smartphone. Maybe she'd check the reactions to the photo of Winter she'd posted last time.
The moment she opened SNS, someone knocked on the container door.
"Unnie, are you there?"
Thud thud thud—!
The knocking was loud, as if the person was in a hurry. Han Yeoreum called out the visitor's name.
"Arin?"
"Yes. Can I come in?"
"Sure. Come in."
Creak—
The rusty door opened, revealing a furious Kwon Arin. Why was she so angry? Han Yeoreum looked her over in confusion.
"Unnie, did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
Arin's face twisted savagely. Ominous mana rose from her body, fueled by rage.
Arin has grown stronger?
At this level, she was almost on par with Winter. Why had she suddenly grown so much? Han Yeoreum's eyes widened as she scanned Arin up and down.
"Some crazy people apparently bullied Winter."
"W-who?"
People had bullied Winter? Han Yeoreum's brows furrowed deeply.
"They're completely insane. How could anyone do that to a kid?"
"What exactly did they do?"
Even if her personality was a little twisted, Arin was fundamentally a good kid. The fact that she was this furious made Han Yeoreum tense without realizing it.
"Winter is eight years old right now, isn't she?"
"Yeah."
"A few years ago she would have been about five or six. Apparently people gave up on her because she was slow to learn at that age. They just left her to fend for herself."
"Huh...?"
Was she talking about—? Han Yeoreum froze in her seat.
"Is that something a human being would do? How can there be trash like that in the world? Even I don't mess with kids carelessly."
"U-um, Arin..."
"If I saw them right now, I'd beat them half to death."
"Arin, Arin..."
That was us. Unable to say the words, Han Yeoreum tightly shut her eyes. She couldn't get angry at Arin for cursing them. It was one hundred percent their fault.
"Sorry. I got a little worked up."
"......"
"Unnie?"
Arin waved a hand in front of Han Yeoreum's face. Had she said something too harsh? That was all Arin thought.
Ha...
Han Yeoreum clenched her fists. There was no point in hiding their mistake like a fool. She knew that admitting the truth was the better path to becoming a good person.