Winter's Playful Trust
"Mom?" Saebyeok's eyes always drooped downward. They were gentle and kind, the sort that made you smile just looking at them. Whenever her gaze met her family's, she would flash a bright grin and wag her tail. Every little habit she had was utterly endearing.
Then, all of a sudden, Saebyeok changed. Her eyes lifted at the corners, and her mouth curved into a mischievous little smile. Even though the once-docile child had turned into a playful rascal, she remained just as lovable. It was all thanks to her striking appearance.
'Our Saebyeok is pretty no matter what she does…'
Would Saebyeok still be adorable even if she swore? Han Yeoreum seriously considered it. With looks like hers, even a child actor faking cuteness would have to bow out—twenty steps back, at least. In a modern society obsessed with appearances, Saebyeok's charm was downright unfair. Han Yeoreum could almost understand why adults handed out pocket money so readily to kids.
'And this Saebyeok is our kid.'
Han Yeoreum smirked and pulled Saebyeok into her arms. Saebyeok, never one to stay still for long, squirmed in her embrace.
"Let's play! Let's play!"
"Uh, yeah…!"
She still needed to break Saebyeok's hypnosis. Maybe she could count playing together as payment for the trouble. Han Yeoreum rationalized it to herself and gently tugged at Saebyeok's soft cheeks. They were the softest thing in the world.
"But what should we play?!"
"Hmm? Is there something you want to do, Saebyeok?"
"Tail! Tail biting!"
"Tail biting?"
What on earth was that? As Han Yeoreum voiced her confusion, a white tail appeared right in front of her face. The tip wiggled invitingly, as if urging her to bite it.
'Gasp!'
She wanted her to put that in her mouth? Was this Saebyeok's plot to make her big sister die of happiness?! Just as Han Yeoreum grabbed Saebyeok's tail, Levinas darted over and chomped down on it first.
Snicker, snicker. The two children laughed mischievously. Saebyeok, who had been hovering nearby, hesitated for a moment before offering her own tail to Saebyeok's mouth.
No, that was her tail! While everyone else enjoyed themselves, only Han Yeoreum, robbed of her tail, could voice her disappointment. Still, seeing the kids happy made it bearable.
"Saebyeok, why did you suddenly want to play tail biting?"
"Because tails are precious!"
"Ah…"
It was a clumsy explanation, unlike her usual self. Even so, Han Yeoreum understood exactly what she meant—thanks to what Sofia had told her before.
For beastkin, tails were as precious as eyes or hands. They used them to express emotions and thoughts, and even sent signals with them during battle. Tails were a beastkin's unique communication tool.
Entrusting that precious tail to someone else? It was the highest form of affection a beastkin could show. It meant "I trust you! Here's my tail as proof!"
Saebyeok had simply chosen a game to show how much she trusted the people around her. What an adorable game!
Han Yeoreum covered her mouth with both hands without realizing it. She couldn't stop the corners of her lips from rising.
"Saebyeok, you like your big sister that much?"
"Yeah! I like you!"
"Huh…!"
Saebyeok was usually too shy to say things like that so freely. But right now, she wasn't hiding her feelings at all. Maybe she had been suppressing her emotions all this time just to protect herself. Expressing affection so openly made her far too vulnerable.
"Summer! Hug Saebyeok!"
"Gasp! I'm already hugging her, what do I do?!"
"Gasp! Then hug me tighter!"
"······!"
Mother. This must be heaven. Han Yeoreum squeezed Saebyeok's small body closer. Whenever that tiny frame wriggled in her arms, her maternal instincts overflowed. She was seriously starting to wonder if she should just call herself "Mom" instead of "big sister."
"L-Levinas too!"
"Okay! Levinas likes you!"
Saebyeok reached out toward Levinas. She immediately nestled into Levinas's arms and rubbed her cheeks against her however she pleased. Saebyeok, no longer hiding her emotions, was downright shocking.
"Uhh…! Uwaa…!"
Levinas's ears shot straight up. The same Saebyeok who used to only give hugs was now being hugged instead. Her body, bursting with joy, bounced up and down, unsure what to do with itself.
"U-Uwaa! Uwaa…!"
"Levinas, why are you glitching?"
"Waa, it's Winter! It's Winter! Uwaa!"
Stomp, stomp— Levinas hopped in place while still holding Saebyeok. After a while, Saebyeok approached with both arms spread wide, silently asking for a turn to hold her too.
Levinas looked reluctant but handed Saebyeok over anyway. Being greedy with family was forbidden.
"Saebyeok likes you too!"
Squeeze—! The moment Saebyeok settled into her arms, Saebyeok's body trembled. Even the usually stoic Saebyeok had been emotionally conquered.
Goodness. My word. She was incredibly cute to watch, too. Click, click— Han Yeoreum pulled out her smartphone and started taking pictures and videos of the children without pause.
"Our Saebyeok, are you being cute?"
Han Yeoreum pushed a little harder, trying to coax more aegyo out of her. She knew today was the first and last time she would see Saebyeok like this. The hypnosis had happened by accident, but from now on, it was strictly off-limits—no matter how adorable it was.
"Saebyeok is… I don't know!"
"You don't know?"
"Yeah!"
Saebyeok nodded with a bright smile. Han Yeoreum held up eight fingers in front of her.
"Saebyeok is eight years old!"
"Eight…! Uwaa!"
Saebyeok held up seven fingers. Han Yeoreum helped her with the missing one.
"Saebyeok is a total baby, huh?"
"Yeah…!"
Snicker. Saebyeok laughed and threw herself into everyone's arms again. After playing "hug time" for a while, she perched on the sofa. Her smiling eyes kept darting between her family members, and she had Saebyeok's tail in her mouth—exactly the sort of thing Levinas usually did.
"Mmph!"
"Hm?"
"Mmph-mmmph!"
Han Yeoreum couldn't make out what Saebyeok was trying to say with the tail in her mouth. Still, the way the tail wiggled gave her a rough idea of her feelings.
"Yeah. Big sister loves Saebyeok too."
"Mmph!"
Saebyeok bounced happily and even pushed her own tail toward Han Yeoreum's mouth. She clearly wanted to play bite-the-tail together.
'Tails!'
Saebyeok really made people lose all self-control. Was it okay for an adult to do this? She knew she shouldn't, but this was Saebyeok offering her trust. At the very least, she could imitate it a little…!
Just as Han Yeoreum was debating it, Sofia opened the front door after finishing her work. Thud, thud, thud—! Saebyeok reflexively dashed toward her. Han Yeoreum missed her chance with the tail once again. If another opportunity came, she wouldn't hesitate next time. Han Yeoreum shed silent tears inside.
"Shark! Shark!"
"Shark…?"
Sofia looked puzzled at Saebyeok's innocent voice, but she caught the running child without hesitation.
"Did the shark that Saebyeok really likes come?!"
"Well, I did come, but…"
Why was Saebyeok acting like this? Sofia asked with her eyes. Han Yeoreum pointed at Levinas with her gaze and mouthed the word "hypnosis."
"Oh dear."
Sofia assumed Saebyeok had been hypnotized into being honest with her emotions. It wasn't entirely accurate, but it wasn't wrong either.
"Shark! Let's play with Saebyeok!"
"You little rascal, why are you suddenly calling me Shark?"
Sofia grumbled but still patted Saebyeok's back as she held her. No matter which version of Saebyeok it was, she was equally lovable. Sofia had the exact same thought as Han Yeoreum.
"Sharks are cool sharks!"
"That's right!"
At Saebyeok's firm answer, Levinas nodded in agreement. She couldn't complain when the kids were just saying they liked her because she was cool.
"Ahem… If you're going to do that, you might as well call me Mom."
"…Mom?"
"Yes, Mom."
She knew it wasn't right to take advantage of the child's hypnosis. Still, just once should be fine. She would let herself hear "Mom" one more time, then break the hypnosis. The moment Sofia made up her mind—
"Saebyeok's mom… passed away, though?"
A shocking statement slipped from Saebyeok's lips. Hypnosis had a way of dredging up buried memories.
** Mother had passed away. The words came from an innocent face, yet they were devastating. Han Yeoreum quickly sent Saebyeok and Levinas to their room.
"Mom's insides… blood and guts?"
Saebyeok muttered to herself. Something felt like it was on the verge of surfacing, making her head feel stuffy. Something terrible had happened, but why couldn't she remember? Saebyeok frowned and tilted her head.
"S-Saebyeok…"
Han Yeoreum's face had gone pale. From the combination of words, she could easily imagine what had happened to Saebyeok. Blood and guts. Her mother had died in that horrific way—the most miserable death a human could suffer.
Han Yeoreum felt grateful to Saebyeok for erasing those memories. A child of eight couldn't possibly handle seeing her mother die with her insides exposed.
"Saebyeok."
Sofia called out to her in a gentle voice. Unlike the pale Han Yeoreum, Sofia maintained an air of composure—at least on the surface.
"Hm?"
"Your mother isn't here, is she?"
"Mom… Sofia?"
"That's right. It's Sofia."
Sofia. Saebyeok smiled brightly. She really did like Sofia a lot.