What I Want to Do with Money
Thick buns sandwiched a hefty shrimp patty. For nutritional balance, they’d thrown in cabbage and other veggies too. But what really tempted me was the king of food luxuries: the sauce. The chemical scent, crafted purely for flavor, was so intense it nearly numbed my nose. Maybe my sense of smell had turned beastly too.
"Wow."
To think there’d come a day in my life when I’d eat a hamburger. Lost in bliss, I gazed down at its substantial form.
"Gyeowol, what’re you waiting for? Eat up."
"Yes. I'm about to."
I carefully brought the hamburger to my mouth. I tried to take a big bite, but my mouth was smaller than its thickness. Regrettably, I decided to split it into two bites.
Crunch—
Crunch—
The bun, cabbage, and freshly fried shrimp patty all danced in perfect harmony inside my mouth.
"Mmm...!"
How many years had it been since I last tasted a hamburger? I savored every bit of that single bite for a long time.
It's really delicious.
It was the most stimulating food I’d eaten in this life. Happiness made my shoulders bounce involuntarily.
"Gyeowol, is it good?"
"Yes. I want to save it till tomorrow, but I'm just gonna eat it all today."
"Why?"
Why? Didn't the witch know something this simple? Feeling good, I decided to just tell her.
"Last time, I tried saving some red bean bread, and it got moldy. So now, if there's something tasty, I eat it all right then and there."
"I-I see..."
Crunch—
The girl took a bite of her hamburger. Maybe because she ate them often, she didn't look as ecstatic as I felt. I figured it was time to teach her the value of food.
"That time, the red bean bread was so precious that I just picked off the moldy parts and ate it?"
"Y-You ate it...?!"
"Yes. I thought I was gonna die that day."
I knew I shouldn't eat it, but I couldn't help myself. To a starving person, mold was no different from a hamburger's chemical sauce.
"Gyeowol, never eat moldy stuff again, okay?"
"Yes. I don't eat mold anymore."
That should enlighten the girl about food's preciousness. As I reached for the cola and glanced at her, her face somehow looked even darker.
"Is the hamburger not tasty...?"
"N-No, it's not that. It tastes even better because you bought it for me."
Of course it did. It was a hamburger bought with someone else's money. I looked away from her and down at the cola.
"Zero cola...?"
"Yeah. No calories, so it's better for you than regular cola."
Of course I knew what zero cola was. What shocked me was that she'd gone out of her way to buy the zero-calorie kind.
"If there's no calories, you could eat a ton and still not get any energy..."
"Oh."
Cola's calories were twice that of water mixed with corn powder. She had to know that, yet she'd bought zero cola on purpose. Clearly to torment me and see my reaction.
She's a real bad person.
Is teasing people that fun? Annoyed, I slurped at the cola hard. The intense sweetness and fizzy bubbles were more shocking than any drink I'd had in this life.
It took Gyeowol about an hour to finish her hamburger. She ate it slowly, savoring every moment, but Yeoreum just waited patiently without a word. She didn't want to interrupt the child's happiness.
"...Gyeowol, all done?"
"Yes."
Yeoreum smiled in satisfaction at Gyeowol patting her belly, then picked up a tissue. Maybe because the girl's mouth was small, hamburger sauce was smeared all around it.
"Sauce on your mouth—want sis to wipe it?"
"N-No thanks! I'll do it...!"
Gyeowol snatched the tissue in a panic. Yeoreum's eyes caught the dirty, stained clothes contrasting sharply with the white tissue.
At least get her some new clothes first.
Forcing the reluctant girl to buy clothes felt wrong. After some thought, Yeoreum decided to guide her into the idea herself.
"Um, Gyeowol?"
"Yes?"
"You've got a bunch of money now. What's the first thing you wanna do with it?"
She was at that age where girls care about appearances. Hopefully she'd say buy clothes. Just as Yeoreum thought that, Gyeowol's eyes widened in surprise, and she raised her index finger.
"Shh!"
"Huh?"
Had she said something she shouldn't? Yeoreum instinctively clamped her mouth shut.
"You can't brag about having lots of money...!"
Gyeowol whisper-shouted just loud enough for Yeoreum to hear, even cupping her hands over her mouth to muffle it.
Yeoreum had a hunch why, but asked anyway.
"Why not...?"
"Bad people steal it or take it...!"
Ah. Had someone done that to her? Matching Gyeowol's quiet tone, Yeoreum whispered back.
"Has someone stolen or taken it from you before?"
"Yes...!"
Who the hell would do that? Yeoreum wanted to rage right then, but held back in front of the child.
"If you run into them later, tell sis. I'll give 'em hell."
"Y-Yes... But don't bully them too much..."
Don't bully the person who stole her money too hard? Despite the deep wound, the girl's heart was endlessly kind. Yeoreum reached to pat her head, then lowered her hand. She'd learned from experience that Gyeowol didn't like that kind of touch.
For now, prioritize getting her clothes.
"Gyeowol, sis is really curious—what's the first thing you wanna do?"
"I'm gonna donate to the free cafeteria...!"
"The, cafeteria?"
With that much cash for the first time, you'd think it'd sway her. Shockingly, the girl was thinking of others first.
"Yes...! It's run on donations, and I've eaten there a lot...!? This time, I'll donate...!"
"Th-That's amazing. You seem more incredible than sis."
"It's 'cause I've starved a lot...! I know hunger's the hardest thing in the world...! So I hope lots of people don't have to starve...!"
The girl whispering in her small voice was so lovable. Yeoreum wanted to tear apart her past self for tormenting this angel-like child. Feeling wretched, she squeezed her eyes shut. The more she learned about the girl, the bigger her own sins felt.
"Um, Gyeowol. Then after donating, shall we buy you some clothes with what's left...?"
"O-Oh, clothes?"
"Yeah. The ones you're wearing are just a tiny bit dirtier than other people's?"
Gyeowol looked down at her own clothes, then glanced around. After comparing hers to others' for a while, she nodded.
"Yes, you're right."
"Y-Yeah. So wouldn't it be nice to get a few new ones?"
"Hmm..."
Gyeowol crossed her arms in thought, then cautiously looked up at Yeoreum.
"Um, do they have thousand-won clothes there?"
Thousand-won clothes? Yeoreum knew they didn't exist, but brushed it off. She had tons of clothes bought to dress the girl in anyway.
"I've got clothes I wore as a kid. I'll sell 'em to you for a thousand won each."
"Ah... Okay."
Damn it, Gyeowol thought inwardly. She'd hoped for new clothes, not get strong-armed into used ones. Knowing she had no power here, she cursed the girl in her mind.
This wicked woman!
Led by the girl's hand, they arrived back at that hotel. She'd followed thinking it was for selling used clothes, not to return to this dreadful place. Maybe the girl had lied just to keep her here.
"Gyeowol, wait here a sec?"
"H-Here?"
The hotel's first-floor lobby. Looking around, she spotted those monster-like guys she'd seen before. Leaving her in this beast den? A truly evil, insane witch.
"Master suddenly called. Be back in ten minutes."
"O-Okay..."
Fine, whatever. If they messed with her modified body, the witch would get mad. Once the girl left, Gyeowol boldly darted to a corner of the hotel and crouched down.
Nice setup for a villains' lair.
Lavish artworks and golden lighting. The ceiling was so high, five of her stacked wouldn't reach it. Did they make this much modifying people? As she curiously looked around, a door opening sounded behind her.
"Huh?"
No door in sight—why behind? She whipped around in a panic. A giant man, at least two meters tall, loomed over her.
"M-Move!"
Before he could say anything, she scrambled sideways on all fours. Standing up would've taken too long.
"No, wait..."
The man reached out. Still seated, she pushed back with her hands on the floor. Being in a corner, she couldn't flee far.
"S-Sorry! I didn't know there was a door there..."
"No need to apologize..."
Gulp—
The man swallowed. What horrific thing was he planning that he needed to swallow first? Terror made her tail slip between her legs and stick to her belly. Not gold or jewels, but entering a monsters' den for some old clothes? She felt so pathetic tears nearly came.