As Usual (1)
"Haa..."
Han Yeoreum sat on a park bench, letting out a deep sigh as she scrolled through posts on the internet. Somehow, word had gotten out about the kids getting scammed, and the online communities were buzzing.
Maybe because the victims were such hardworking kids, there wasn't a single nasty comment. If anything, it was all righteous anger aimed at the scammer.
At least that's a relief.
She'd been worried there might be posts blaming the victims. As Han Yeoreum set her smartphone down with a sigh of relief, a terrified-looking Levi Nas approached her side.
"Yeoreum..."
"Yeah?"
"Levi Nas has something to say..."
Levi Nas stood hesitantly in front of Han Yeoreum, swallowing hard and not even trying to hide her tension.
"What's up?"
"W-Well, you see..."
"Yeah."
"Actually, the one who got scammed wasn't the king—it was Levi Nas..."
Levi Nas trembled, convinced she was about to get an earful. She was scared to tell the truth, but for the king's sake, she decided to come clean. She didn't want to be a bad beastkin.
"Not Gyeowol, but you got scammed?"
"Y-Yeah... Levi Nas was scared of getting in trouble, so the king lied and said it was her instead..."
"Ah..."
She'd thought Gyeowol—mature beyond her years—still had some childish side left when she fell for the scam. But really, she'd just covered for Levi Nas's mistake.
So kind. So lovable. Even Levi Nas, bravely owning up to her own fault.
"Hurry up and hit Levi Nas..."
"W-Why would big sis hit Levi Nas?"
Han Yeoreum glanced around self-consciously. She didn't want anyone in the park overhearing and getting the wrong idea.
"Yeoreum, you aren't gonna hit Levi Nas...?"
"Of course not! Big sis would never hit Levi Nas! I'm actually really grateful you told me the truth!"
"R-Really?!"
Relieved she wasn't in trouble after all, Levi Nas clasped her hands tightly together.
"The scammer's the one at fault. It was absolutely not Levi Nas's mistake, so don't worry about it, okay?"
"Yeah! Got it!"
Hop—!
Levi Nas bounced around like a rabbit, and Han Yeoreum watched with a warm smile. Then Levi Nas tugged at the hem of her clothes.
"But it's great we caught the bad guy!"
"Uh, y-yeah...?"
Bad guy—did she mean the scammer? They hadn't caught him yet, though? Han Yeoreum blinked in confusion.
"Levi Nas thought we couldn't catch the bad guy, but the king did, and we got the million won back, right?"
"Ah..."
So Gyeowol had dipped into her own pocket to cheer Levi Nas up. What kind of warm heart did it take to think of something like that?
Han Yeoreum smiled softly and patted Levi Nas's head.
I need to ask Yu-na to put in a little more effort.
Are there any kids as good-hearted as mine in this world?
Just then—
Bzzz—!
Han Yeoreum's smartphone vibrated lightly in her pocket.
A text?
She checked it casually, but her eyes went wide. There was a message in there that absolutely shouldn't have been.
"What the...?"
There was no sender number listed, for whatever reason. She couldn't help but wonder if she should trust it.
Don't tell me...
Wasn't there someone in the online community earlier bragging about tracking the perp in ten minutes? Han Yeoreum quickly logged back in, and sure enough, she found a shocking update.
Ah. Was this person some kind of tracking prodigy? Han Yeoreum decided to go find Jeong Yu-na first. With this info, they could confirm if the guy was really the scammer.
* * *
Crunch—
I bit into a freshly harvested cucumber. One cucumber, a mackerel from the pond, and corn on the cob—that was my lunch today. Even after blowing a million won, I was eating like a king. Thanks to the guild, my life really was getting better.
I should get them a gift or something...
But first, I had to figure out the rent. I munched on my cucumber as I headed toward Yu Sang-ah. Maybe she could help me sort this out.
"Excuse me..."
"Ah, Gyeowol! You're here."
"Yes."
Crunch— I nodded and took another bite of my half-eaten cucumber. Yu Sang-ah smiled softly at the sight, a gentle smile for no reason I could fathom.
"What brings you here?"
"I had a question."
"Sure. What is it?"
Yu Sang-ah leaned forward over the desk, her face close, as if ready to hear anything I had to say.
"Well, three of us are living in the guild building right now—me, Sophia, and Levi Nas..."
"Yes, I know."
"Right. If it was just two instead of three, would the rent be cheaper...?"
"Two?"
Had I said something ridiculous? I looked down, embarrassed.
"I was thinking if it was just Sophia and Levi Nas living there, maybe it could be cheaper."
"Uh... what about you, Gyeowol...?"
"I can live in the container just fine."
"Uh, umm..."
Yu Sang-ah seemed to ponder something, then glanced behind me. I turned around, wondering what was there, and spotted Han Yeoreum grinning ear to ear.
"Gyeowol."
"Yes."
"Big sis has good news!"
How good must it be for Han Yeoreum to smile like that? I couldn't help tilting my head.
"What good news?"
"Big sis caught the scammer!"
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. Well, technically a friend helped."
Friend—Jeong Yu-na, probably. To track down a scammer hiding their info... she must be even more skilled than I'd imagined.
"I gave the perp a real scolding. And this is the money you lost, Gyeowol."
Han Yeoreum handed me a wad of bills. Even stacked, my sharp eyes confirmed it was exactly one million won.
"Thank you. Now I won't have to move out."
"Yeah. Glad to hear it."
Seeing Han Yeoreum's happy grin made my tail swish back and forth on its own—whacking Yu Sang-ah's cheeks as she leaned over the desk.
"S-Sorry... I can't control it..."
I grabbed my tail in a panic and turned to Yu Sang-ah. Han Yeoreum, standing behind me, grabbed the tip to help.
"Hehe, it's fine. It actually made me happy."
"Y-Yeah..."
She liked getting hit? As a modern person, I'd respect her tastes. Han Yeoreum didn't seem to mind either.
"So we caught the perp, and everything's resolved now?"
"Yes, all sorted."
It felt like free money. I should use it on the people who helped me—maybe treat them to a nice meal. As I pondered alone, Yu Sang-ah straightened up and looked at Han Yeoreum.
"Yeoreum, there's still one issue left."
"Issue?"
"Yes. Government inspectors are coming tomorrow."
"Huh? Didn't we already do that last time?"
At Han Yeoreum's question, Yu Sang-ah glanced down at me.
"It's not about the guild—it's regarding Gyeowol."
"M-Me...?"
Why would government agents come see me? I had no idea, so I just felt flustered.
"Beastkin kids are so rare that the state's protecting them at a national level."
"Hmm..."
I'm not a kid, though. Wasn't it about Levi Nas? Before I could voice my doubts, Yu Sang-ah continued.
"They're coming to check if the guild's taking good care of the kids."
"Aha."
Like a fantasy version of endangered species protection. As someone from another world, it made sense. Beastkin were rare, after all. A young one like Levi Nas would be treated like treasure.
"Is there anything I need to do?"
"No, Gyeowol, just act as usual..."
As usual, as usual...
Han Yeoreum mumbled it a few times, then suddenly froze in place. Her pupils began to shake violently.
"Just act as usual?"
"Th-That's... as usual would mean..."
"Uh, umm..."
Han Yeoreum and Yu Sang-ah both looked awkward. I had no clue why.
I should show the government folks how hard Levi Nas works.
Prove we're productive members of society, and there'd be no issues. Just like Han Yeoreum said, I'd act as usual.