Kidnapped (2): A Spoonful of Soup and a New Name
I savored the last mouthful of corn water. Reluctant to gulp down this nutty delight in one go, I lingered on the flavor for a good long while.
Delicious. The corn taste was overwhelming. Just one extra spoonful had made all the difference. Maybe my tongue had grown more sensitive along with my youth. Or perhaps, since part of my body had become beastkin, my senses had sharpened.
Whatever the reason, I was happy right now. I decided to enjoy this moment to the fullest.
From now on, should I add just one extra spoonful when making corn water? I pondered it seriously, then shook my head. I didn't have the luxury for that kind of extravagance yet.
"Um... is that really enough for you?"
The girl spoke up as I savored my corn water. I wanted to keep it in my mouth longer, but I had to reply, so I just swallowed.
I had no intention of indulging in pleasure right in front of this enemy girl.
"Yes. With this, I won't need to eat all day."
In truth, I should eat more. Split into lunch and dinner. With the vegetables I grew myself and the occasional grilled loach, that would balance the nutrition.
But the reason I lied was to apply some pressure: my belly's full, so don't force me. Unless she was some crazy witch who enjoyed starving people, she wouldn't shove food down my throat here.
"You could have bread or soup too. Want me to order a steak?"
"Ah."
She really was a crazy witch. Frightened, I lowered my gaze.
She was even more dangerous than I'd imagined.
"Don't look so scared. That just didn't seem like enough."
"Ah, no, it's fine? Corn's so nutty and nutritious..."
"Really? Can I have a sip too?"
The girl held out her hand for the corn water. It pained me to lose a whole meal, but I handed it over anyway.
"How much powder did you use?"
"Just as much as I had."
Gulp. I'd added an extra spoonful so I wouldn't look pathetic. The corn powder was so precious, I felt like crying.
Han Yeoreum stared at the corn water in her hand. How on earth had she survived drinking something that looked so devoid of nutrition? With a heavy heart, Yeoreum gulped it down.
Gulp—
'Ah.'
The taste of corn ground into powder and mixed with water. After one sip, she couldn't stomach any more and set the bottle down.
It was blander than fresh corn, lacking both flavor and nutrition.
'Horrible.'
A child who deserved love had endured adults' curses and scorn. After desperate struggles for life against Horn Rabbits, her only sustenance was corn water.
It was no life an eight-year-old could bear.
Yeoreum couldn't even begin to imagine how horrific and hellish the girl's life must have been.
'What the hell have I done?'
What had she said to the girl, bleeding and begging to be saved? Yeoreum felt such disgust for herself that she nearly retched.
'How did it come to this?'
The girl's body lacked mana, essential for any chance at life. That might have caused precocious puberty as a side effect. More than enough reason for her parents to abandon her.
A body impervious to potions or healing magic due to the absence of mana. In that reality-shattering moment, Yeoreum had no choice but to use their final resort to save her.
The Beast God's Blessing.
A unique, top-tier item that bestowed the power of the beastkin king upon its consumer. Immensely powerful, but with the fatal drawback of "restarting everything from the very beginning"—no one in the guild had ever used it.
It was perfect for the frail girl. The blessing reconstructed the body from scratch, bypassing mana entirely.
An item worth a fortune that money couldn't buy, but no one in the guild objected.
They all knew they'd tormented an eight-year-old girl to the brink of death.
'Good thing it worked out.'
At first, Yeoreum had worried it might turn an adult into a child, but seeing the nameless, ageless girl with no school records confirmed it: she truly was just a kid.
'If she'd died that day...' She shook her head repeatedly, refusing to dwell on it, then gave the girl a warm smile.
"Thanks for sharing the tasty drink. Want to try some of sister's too?"
"N-No thanks. I don't want any..."
The girl's white ears drooped flat. Her eyes stayed glued to the floor. She looked terrified no matter how you sliced it.
What on earth had been done to her to make her so wary of people? Yeoreum swallowed a sigh.
She couldn't show any negative emotions in front of the child.
"You called me sister first..."
Ah. She'd been calling her "you" this whole time.
Yeoreum decided to gift the nameless girl a name.
"...Sister's name is Yeoreum. Han Yeoreum. Can sister give you a name too?"
"A-a name?"
"Yeah."
A girl white as snowflakes. A girl who would receive only love from now on. Yeoreum settled on a pretty name for her.
Han Gyeowol.
That was the name the girl had given me.
'I'm losing it.'
She'd remodeled my body, and now she was arbitrarily naming me too. Anger surged at her possessive attitude.
It was all my fault for lying about not having a name.
No more risky statements from now on. The moment I resolved that, a spoonful of soup approached my lips.
"Sister's arm's gonna get tired. Just one spoonful, okay?"
The girl pressed the spoon against my lips. I clenched my mouth shut to refuse, and soup smeared everywhere.
Just the aroma rising up tempted me to lick it off.
"No. I don't...!"
The instant I opened my mouth to refuse the soup, she shoved the spoon inside.
"Mmph...!"
My eyes flew wide at the stimulating flavor. I could even feel my ears twitching upright.
Thicker than corn water by leagues, with hearty chunks too. Hands down the best food I'd eaten in nearly eight years.
"Wow..."
Did food this incredible even exist in the world? Lost in bliss, I smacked my lips long after the soup vanished.
"How's it? Tasty, right?"
The girl smiled as she scooped up another spoonful. I reflexively opened my mouth—then snapped back to my dire situation.
"I-I said no..."
Falling right into the witch's trap by eating the soup. What a pathetic idiot.
I ignored her feigned surprise and mentally tallied the soup's price. My daily earnings were two to three thousand won. A fancy restaurant soup would easily top ten thousand.
The amount I'd have to toil for days to afford.
"Ruined."
Ten thousand won could do so much. Buy needle and thread to mend my torn clothes and bag, or tape to patch the tent holes.
All gone in one of her schemes.
Ha.
How far did she plan to torment me? Unable to stomach more absurdity, I spoke curtly.
"I wanna go home."
"Home? Do you have family or something?"
She kept probing my personal details whenever she got the chance. Impressive, in a twisted way.
"Don't know. Not telling."
"Ah, yeah. Got it."
Even after my surprisingly fierce retort, she was nonchalantly calm. Maybe she was the type of psycho who never got mad.
Scary, but I decided to push a little harder.
"My tomatoes need watering at home."
"Hmm... Mind if I come along?"
"Huh? Why...?"
"Just wanna see how Winter lives, sis."
To keep me in her clutches forever, she wanted my address. That's all her words sounded like.
"My home's super dirty? Bugs come out too?"
"F-Fine. Sis can handle that stuff."
She flashed an awkward smile. She clearly hated bugs and filth, but was forcing it to track my place.
Time to scare her a bit more.
"Wild boars show up sometimes? Wild dogs at night?"
"R-Really? Where the heck do you live?"
Scared of boars and dogs, huh. I'd found her weakness. A smug sense of triumph welled up.
"I pitched a tent deep in the mountains. Poison mushrooms grow right next to it—would be rough for you."
"Oh my god..."
I flashed a victorious grin at her gaping shock.
No need to grovel now that I knew her weak spot.
"See? Can't handle it, right? I'll just go alone."
"Nah, let's go together. Sis loves dangerous spots."
"Huh...? Why...?"
"'Cause sis is a top hunter managing the Beginner Hunting Ground?"
Ah. Right. She was a top-tier hunter who oversaw the Beginner Hunting Ground.
I couldn't fathom why I'd forgotten that crucial fact.
It was bizarre, but I focused on the girl in front of me first.
"Y-You're really coming? Cockroaches too?"
"Yeah. Curious how Winter lives."
She'd follow no matter what. What insane obsession.
In despair, I squeezed my eyes shut.
'Lost.'
No more ways to shake her off. Though I hated it, I decided to invite the girl to my home.