Wishes at the Fountain
"Make a wish." The boy handed me a single 100-won coin. It was more than enough to carry a wish. Even if it was only a hundred won, giving it away must not have been easy for him. For some reason, the people in this neighborhood were incredibly kind.
"Yeoreum! It's a hundred won! Even Yeoreum has hope now!"
"Yeah. You're right."
A hundred won was something I could repay anytime. I'd have to return the favor the next time we met. Clutching the coin, I looked at the children.
"Let's make our wishes in our hearts and throw the coins at the same time."
"Okay!"
"Okay."
I wondered what wishes the children would make. With a hopeful heart, I closed my eyes and made my own wish.
Please let my family be happy.
Each of us tossed our coin into the fountain, carrying our own wishes. Mine wasn't so much a wish as a personal resolve—I would make my family happy. Depending on how I acted, they could be happy or sad.
"Did Yeoreum and the dark Yeoreum make their wishes?!"
"Yeah."
"What did you wish for?!"
The dark Yeoreum? The police officer who had been watching us from behind muttered to herself. Realizing it was just children's play, she didn't take it seriously.
"I wished that Levinas and Saebyeok would be happy."
"Whoa! Really?!"
"Yeah. What about you two?"
I looked at them with curious eyes. Saebyeok spoke first.
"I wished that the two of you would have your wishes come true."
"Whoa! Same as Levinas!"
Both children had wished for someone else's wish to come true instead of their own. It was exactly the kind of wish my kind-hearted kids would make. Touched, I gently patted their heads.
For some reason, Levinas's pupils were trembling.
"Everyone's wishes came true...!"
"Already?"
"Yeah! Levinas is super happy right now! What about Saebyeok?!"
In answer to Levinas's question, Saebyeok wagged her tail. It was the beastkin way of communicating—sometimes more expressive than words.
"Saebyeok says she's super happy too."
"Wow...! Thank you, angel...!"
Levinas's eyes sparkled as she looked up at the baby angel statue in the fountain. She even clasped her hands together as if in prayer.
"The wish came true the moment we made it, huh?"
The police officer watching us wore an expression like she owned the world. I knew it was because the children were simply too adorable. Of course they were. Our kids were the cutest.
Feeling good, I played along in a way I normally wouldn't.
"Yes. The fountain really granted our wishes."
Even as I said it, I knew the truth—the fountain hadn't actually granted anything. Still, I pretended not to know for the sake of preserving the children's innocence. A fountain that granted wishes would feel like a dream to them.
"Eep...!"
The police officer's face flushed as she looked down at me. Her trembling hand suddenly reached out and rested on top of my head. She gently stroked my hair.
Why was she patting my head instead of the kids'? I rolled my eyes left and right in confusion. A girl nearby covered her mouth and squealed, while a middle-aged man smiled warmly. I got the feeling everyone around us was looking at me—but no, they were probably looking at the children behind me. It made me happy that people were being kind to the kids. My eyes crinkled into a smile, and my tail wagged.
The police officer's face fell when she saw my expression.
"Hic..."
Her hand on my head trembled. She bit down hard on her lip.
"W-why are you...?"
"I'm just so happy..."
It wasn't sadness—it was joy. They say people sometimes cry when they're too happy. Were our kids really that precious? I couldn't help but feel a little smug.
"Sob..."
The officer closed her eyes. She really was someone with a lot of emotional range.
**
Back home, I harvested the vegetables. The moment I hugged a cabbage bigger than my head, Seol-i grabbed onto my clothes.
"Meow! Meow!"
Seol-i clung to the hem of my shirt, which hung down to my thighs. Her body swayed like a pendulum. The weight made one side of my shirt slip off my shoulder, but it was her behavior that worried me more.
"Seol-i, what's wrong?"
"Meow!"
Letting go of my clothes, Seol-i ran off in a certain direction. She stopped halfway and looked back, as if telling me to follow. Was there something over there?
I set the cabbage down and went after her. It was amazing that I could run at a speed similar to a four-legged animal.
"That's..."
Following Seol-i's guidance, I arrived at the pond. Right beside it, I found Saebyeok and Levinas completely absorbed in something.
Whoosh—!
The children were filling an old bathtub with water from the pond. They scooped it up one ladle at a time, working hard. What were they doing? Curious, I asked Saebyeok.
"What are you two up to?"
"Making a fountain."
"A fountain?"
"Yeah."
Saebyeok came over and fixed my slipped shirt, even pulling a clothespin from her pocket to secure it.
"Thanks."
"...It's my job."
She patted my head. She must have learned it from watching the adults. Patting heads was something adults did to kids, so it felt a little strange—but it was better than learning something bad. I just smiled at her.
"So, why are you making a fountain?"
"It's going to grant wishes!"
Levinas answered as she poured water into the tub. They wanted to share the joy of the fountain with the people in the park. I decided to help the kids who were working so hard.
"I'll help you."
"Okay!"
I brought a ladle from the tent and carried water back and forth. Beside us, Seol-i chased after butterflies.
"Seol-i, don't go too far, okay?"
"Meow!"
Seol-i nodded as if she understood. I wasn't surprised—she was a smart kid. I kept an eye on everyone to make sure the children didn't get hurt and Seol-i didn't wander off, all while hauling water from the pond. With three of us working, we filled the tub in no time.
"It's done!"
Levinas cheered and threw her hands in the air. Saebyeok clumsily copied her. They were this happy just because we'd filled an old tub with water. It felt worth it to have helped.
"Now everyone's wishes will come true, right?"
"Yeah! But you have to throw a coin! One coin per wish!"
Levinas giggled, covering her mouth. Turns out the bathtub fountain was Levinas's business idea.
"You were trying to make money?"
"Yeah! The fountain owner gets to keep the coins!"
Where had she learned that? I scratched my cheek and examined the bathtub fountain. I was proud that Levinas had come up with her own way to earn money. Granting wishes in exchange for a coin was meaningful work. Still, I doubted anyone would actually throw coins into an old bathtub. If we left it like this, Levinas might be disappointed when no coins appeared.
"Levinas, I think we need to decorate the fountain more."
"More?!"
"Yeah. The fountain we made our wishes at had an angel spouting water, remember? Real fountains are supposed to shoot water. That's what makes them pretty."
A fountain that didn't shoot water wasn't really a fountain. Realizing this, Levinas's eyes went wide like a horned rabbit's.
"Levinas doesn't have any water to shoot?!"
"Yeah... What should we do...?"
Was there no way to draw people's attention? While I was thinking, Levinas stepped into the tub.
"Levinas can shoot water!"
"You can?"
"Yeah!"
Levinas filled her mouth with water from the tub. Then—
Pfffft—!
She sprayed it out like a water gun.
"Mmm..."
A living fountain, huh. She couldn't keep this up for long. Just as I was about to stop her, something amazing happened. Vegetables started growing where she'd sprayed the water—carrots, eggplants, all kinds of things.
"Levinas, over there too."
"Pfffft."
Fill and spray. Fill and spray. Levinas kept going for a long time. Soon the entire area around the fountain had turned into a vegetable garden.
"Whoa..."
Levinas's plant-growing ability was always impressive. I clapped with admiration—
And then Levinas sank beneath the water in the tub. Bubbles rose to the surface.
"......!"
I frantically pulled her out. She hung limply in my arms.
"Wah, Yeoreum, Levinas is tired..."
"Sorry. It was just so amazing that I..."
I patted her back. Saebyeok suddenly climbed into my arms for no reason, so I patted her too. Saebyeok let out a purring sound like a cat.
"Now it's Yeoreum's turn...!"
"Me? I have to do it too...?"
"Yeah!"
"Uh... okay..."
I wouldn't have done this normally, but I felt guilty for overworking Levinas. Hesitating, I stepped into the tub.
"Wow! An angel fountain!"
"No, Yeoreum is prettier than an angel."
"Whoa! You're right!"
The children's pure words made me embarrassed. My face burned, so I lowered my head.
"Yeoreum, spray the water!"
"U-uh... okay..."
This was just playing with the kids. Thinking that, I splashed water out of the tub with my hands—little by little, not like Levinas with her mouth. That was when someone pushed through the tall vegetables and approached.
"I saw something growing tall and came to check... and of course it's you guys."
Jeong Yuna laughed softly as she walked toward the fountain. She crouched down in front of me to meet my eye level.
"What are you kids doing here?"
"Fountain!"
Levinas answered for me, puffing out her chest proudly.
"A fountain?"
"Yeah! Make a wish!"
"Oh my, are you wishing to Yeoreum? Like an angel statue?"
Jeong Yuna chuckled and pulled a coin from her pocket. It was a 500-won coin. Of all the times for her to show up, it had to be while I was inside the tub. My ears and tail drooped.