Heading Home (1)
The realization that I could go home hit me like a bolt, and I scrambled to my feet in a hurry. I even pulled a towel from my bag and scrubbed at the seat where I'd been sitting. Even as I wiped down the chair, the girl kept offering me more food, but after a few refusals, she gave up quickly. Just as I finished cleaning the chair and was about to sling my bag over my shoulder, I noticed my clothes were cleaner than usual.
"Um..."
"Yeah?"
"I'd like to change into my own clothes..."
The outfit I was wearing was so luxurious it made me uncomfortable. One wrong move, and I might end up owing tens of thousands of won. It was clearly a shackle the girl had put on me to control me.
"That's a gift, so why not just keep wearing it?"
She pressured me to stay dressed like that. She was a dangerous woman I couldn't let my guard down around for even a second.
"I prefer my own clothes..."
"Really? The ones you usually wear are so worn out, aren't they?"
"Yes. But they're my treasures."
Worn and torn clothes as treasures? It was a ridiculous excuse, but I had no choice. To get back to my tent, I'd have to climb the mountain. If my clothes got dirtied by dust or snagged on branches, my life would be over that day.
"Hmm... Okay. Wait just a sec?"
"Yes."
I glanced around while the girl chatted with the hotel staff. In the corner of a nearby restaurant, the man who'd shoved my head earlier was sitting.
"Eek."
Our eyes met. I flinched and started to look away, but he turned his head first. He seemed downright frantic about it.
Huh?
The guy who always glared at me whenever he saw me. Why was he avoiding my gaze first? It was odd, but better than picking a fight, so I decided not to dwell on it. Something far more important was right in front of me.
Empty bottles. Stacked high on the table, each one worth a hundred to a hundred thirty won—an absolute fortune. Picking up just a few and selling them would net me a windfall.
"Whoa."
I'd wondered what would become of me when that witch grabbed me. Guess people only get rewarded after enduring trials.
I swallowed hard and walked toward the bottles. Considering the empty space in my bag, I figured I could fit about four beer bottles. As I reached out and tucked one into my bag, I heard footsteps approaching from behind. My beast ears made me hypersensitive to presences now.
"What're you doing?"
I just tilted my head back at the girl's voice. They were worthless bottles about to be thrown out, but it felt like I'd been caught stealing priceless jewels.
"B-Bottle..."
"Bottle?"
"B-Beer bottle, hundred thirty won..."
I was so startled my words wouldn't come out right. I set the bottle back on the table before anything could happen.
"Oh, you were gonna take them to sell?"
"Y-Yes..."
She'd surely say no. Staring regretfully at the empty bottles, the girl started putting them into my bag one by one.
"They won't all fit, huh?"
"Y-Yes, four is enough!"
I frantically held up four fingers toward her. Maybe she didn't know the value of empty bottles.
"Big sis'll fit four in for you. Then you can sell more, right?"
"Y-Yes..."
Four bottles in my bag. Four more in her hands. And one hugged to my chest. In no time, I'd earned over a thousand won.
Yeomyeong Guild. Even Korea's strongest guild headquarters had a convenience store.
Part-timer Joo Sang-wook scanned the empty store with dead eyes. In this peak hour that only made his boss happy, not a single customer was in sight.
Feels like ages since it was this slow.
He decided to enjoy the rare downtime. It'd get busy again soon enough.
Sang-wook let out a long yawn, then flashed his sales smile the instant he spotted a customer entering.
"Welcome...?"
The face walking into the store was one he knew well. It was Han Yeoreum, one of the top powerhouses in the Yeomyeong Guild, packed with the elite.
Huh?
Working at the convenience store meant he often saw famous guild members. He had no reason to be surprised by Yeoreum's face alone, but even so, Sang-wook's eyes went wide—a rare sight.
It was because of the little beastkin girl trailing beside her.
What the heck is that?
Beastkin, a race with fewer than fifty in all of Korea. Despite her adorable white ears and tail making her utterly lovable, Sang-wook couldn't muster a smile. Her outfit and demeanor looked off somehow.
Bloodstained rags for clothes, clutching a single empty beer bottle like a treasure. She even glanced around nervously, looking so pitiful anyone would feel sorry for her.
What's really going on here?
Sang-wook eyed the relationship between Yeoreum and the beastkin child suspiciously. It was weird seeing the famously wealthy Yeoreum treat a kid like that.
Abuse... nah, couldn't be.
Yeoreum was known for being sweet to kids. Hell, the whole Yeomyeong Guild was. They'd wiped out a crime syndicate even the government had given up on, just to rescue one kidnapped child.
There had to be some unavoidable reason. As Sang-wook convinced himself of that inwardly, the beastkin girl approached the counter with her bottle.
"P-Please buy my bottle..."
"Bottle?"
Was she selling bottles to survive? Why would a kid this young...? Sang-wook instinctively glared at Yeoreum.
"H-Here, nine bottles total."
Yeoreum stammered as she set the bottles on the counter. He had a lot he wanted to say, but decided to stick to his job as a part-timer first.
"Nine bottles come to twelve hundred won."
As Sang-wook opened the register, the kid peeked her cute face over the counter.
"Um, can I get coins instead of bills...?"
"Sure. Coins it is."
Sang-wook handed her the shiniest coins he had. Delighted by their sparkle, she hugged them tight and hopped in place. Her cute ears bounced adorably.
"N-Now that we've sold them all, shall we go?"
"Yes!"
Yeoreum glanced nervously at Sang-wook and took the girl's hand. She looked unmistakably anxious.
Sang-wook decided to say something that might be overstepping with Yeoreum. He knew the gap between them, but as an adult, he couldn't help worrying about the kid.
"Excuse me. Shouldn't you buy some proper clothes for the child?"
"Y-Yes, sorry..."
She wasn't angry—she was apologizing. And with a very meek attitude at that. Sang-wook let out a relieved sigh. It meant she knew exactly what she'd done wrong.
Four coins. Two of them were a whopping five hundred won each. I held the coins, more beautiful than jewels, up to the sunlight. They sparkled brighter than any diamond I'd ever touched.
"Wow."
To pick up even one bottle, I'd have to wake before dawn and scour the neighborhood. Earning money this easily? Hard to believe.
"Gyeowol, big sis has a question."
"A-A question?"
Was she going to ask something now that she'd let me earn money? My lips drooped at the thought of falling for it. Having taken the money, I had to answer her questions.
"Nothing big. Why'd you take coins instead of bills?"
"Coins don't get lost as easily."
"Oh, 'cause they're heavier?"
"Yes."
Unlike bills, coins had weight. They wouldn't blow away in the wind, and if dropped, they'd jingle on the ground, making them easy to find. Stack enough, and no one could just snatch and run with them.
The girl seemed to get it, clapping her hands with a smack!
"Amazing. Street smarts, huh?"
"Y-Yeah..."
It wasn't really street smarts. I'd just once watched bills fly off into the sky during a typhoon, staring helplessly. It'd saddened me so much I couldn't eat all day. Even though it was way in the past, it felt as vivid as yesterday.
Coins are great 'cause even a big pile is too heavy to blow away.
I hugged my coins, wondering if my piggy bank was still safe at home, when the girl led me to a stop in front of an expensive-looking car.
"Wanna ride?"
She opened the passenger door for me. The inside looked way nicer than my house.
"Wh-Why would I ride there?"
"Your Horn Rabbit hunting ground home isn't far, right? It's a bit of a ways from here."
"Oh..."
No wonder the area was full of skyscrapers. I'd been moved this far while unconscious.
I stared at the car's interior for a long moment before cautiously stepping back.
"I don't wanna ride."
"Why? Big sis drives well."
She showed me her license. I'd thought her youthful looks meant minor, but she was a full adult.
"Then you drive over. I'll walk."
"Why...?"
Why? Was she seriously asking? Annoyed, I pulled out my coins and showed her.
"I have no money. This is my whole fortune."
The car screamed billions. Borrowing it would cost at least hundreds of thousands of won, for sure. Not for someone whose everything was a few coins.
"Uh... you don't have to pay."
"...Why not?"
"Big sis said she wants to see your house first. The one who wants to see should pay, right?"
"Ah."
True enough. She'd be the one disappointed if she didn't come to my house. Convinced, I stepped up to her.
"Then I'll wipe the seat after."
"N-No need for that."
As if. To avoid complaints later, wiping the seat was best.
"Otherwise, I won't ride."
"O-Okay. Wipe it if you want, just get in?"
"Yes!"
I carefully sat on the car seat. Now, it was really time to go home.