"That's Not a Dog! It's Something Wearing a Dog's Skin!" (4)
Warm sunlight tickled my eyelids.
"Yaaawn..." I stretched and rubbed my eyes open. Elia was sleeping soundly beside me. At my feet, Kkamang was curled up in a little ball. So cute and squishy, Kkamang.
"Squish squish!" I poked it with my hand and tugged its tail, and it let out a little "Kkiing!"
It was a peaceful morning. Maybe because I'd stuffed myself full yesterday? I woke up in such a great mood. Though something felt a bit off...
Huh?
Wait a sec. I bolted upright. Last night, that shiny silver coin and gold watch Kkamang had spat out. Where were they? I'd wrapped them neatly in my skirt hem and put them by my head.
No matter how much I patted around, those jingly treasures were gone. My empty skirt hem just flapped uselessly.
"Huh? My money! My watch!"
I scrambled around on the bed and crawled under it, searching every inch of the floor. I had to find them. Did I lose them? No way, I'm a grown-up. I wouldn't be dumb enough to drop stuff like that. I definitely brought them...
But the floor just kicked up dust bunnies—no sign of the silver coins.
Someone must've stolen them!
I scanned the orphanage. Everyone was sleeping quietly. Except for that room with the door cracked open, where I heard snoring.
In this whole place, only one person could've taken my stuff.
Time to stand tall like a grown-up and give her a piece of my mind!
I huffed and kicked open the creaky door.
"Director Grandmaaa!"
I flung open the door to her office. The hooked-nose old hag, sipping tea and humming first thing in the morning, jumped and turned to me.
"W-what? Bursting in without knocking, you ill-mannered brat!"
"Give me back my money!!"
I planted my hands on my hips and demanded it boldly. A flash of panic crossed her face.
"Have you lost your mind, you little shit?"
She quickly switched to a brazen smirk, clearing her throat and tilting her chin up.
"Money? Where would a worthless orphan brat like you get silver coins? Don't throw your tantrums at me!"
"I found them! In my skirt! I wrapped them up all pretty, and you stole them, Grandma!"
"How dare you, you filthy ragamuffin, accuse an adult of theft!"
The director slammed her desk and shot to her feet in a rage.
"How'd a runt like you even find silver coins? If you picked up someone else's stuff, be grateful an adult took it off your hands! Now get out, you scum!"
She shoved my shoulders roughly and booted me out the door.
"Ugh...!"
I tumbled to the floor. My butt stung from the impact. I held back the tears prickling my eyes. Can't cry here.
Bam! I pouted at the mercilessly slammed door.
"Ugh... it's miiiine!"
Grown-ups were all thieves. I boiled with anger. I wanted to protest more, but...
Click! Click!
"Eek!"
Too short to reach the doorknob. Why am I so tiny?
I stomped the floor once in frustration and turned away.
Right after Chloe stomped off down the hall, grumbling...
Behind the door, the director cackled greedily as she fondled the gold watch.
"That brat's got some nerve! Tsk!"
As Chloe suspected, the director—true to her greedy nature—had swiped all the silver coins Chloe brought and stashed them in her cabinet and pockets.
"Tsk tsk, good thing I took them. She almost squandered that windfall!"
The Asphodel Club she dealt with regularly vanishing overnight was shocking, but whatever the reason, she'd pocketed some nice side profits.
As she smacked her lips and counted her coins...
Slither.
A small shadow seeped through the crack under the closed door like ink in a swamp. It writhed like an ancient bog, then a pitch-black puppy materialized atop it.
"Grrrrr..."
"W-what the?"
The startled director grabbed a broom and yelled irritably.
"How'd this shit-pup sneak in again? Scram!"
That's when her eyes met the black beast's.
"Huh...? H-huhhhh—"
A grotesque pressure from the abyss crashed down in an instant. A bluish maw that swallowed even light. Beyond it, countless blood-red eyes gleamed.
"H-heek...!"
Crushed by heart-stopping terror, the director collapsed to the floor.
Her vision flickered. Breath choked off. It sees. It sees me. It burrows. It surges. Endless—
When she squeezed her eyes shut and opened them, the office floor was empty.
"Huh?"
The monstrous beast from moments ago, the crushing pressure—all vanished like smoke.
"D-did I imagine it...?"
Wiping cold sweat, she hurriedly hid the gold watch deep in a drawer.
That night.
As the director tossed and turned trying to sleep, a chilling, ear-scratching hallucination clawed into her eardrums.
-■^%#$!%■■
The director's eyes snapped open to an unimaginable sight.
"E-eeeeek—!!!"
Beyond the window, dozens of blood-glowing eyeballs filled the air, densely staring down at her.
D–Don’t embezzle!!!
"Chloe, look! It's ham!"
Elia and I ran to the dining hall, grinning ear to ear.
"Whoaaa! Sausages too!"
Me and the other orphanage kids couldn't shut our mouths at the feast covering the table. The usual slop-like oatmeal porridge was gone, replaced by steaming dishes and mountains of big bread. Sausages, ham! Potatoes and cheese! The rickety old stove in the corner was stuffed full of coal.
We always had to huddle under blankets because it was so cold. Now the whole orphanage was toasty warm.
What a treat!
Munch munch.
"Yummy!"
I shoved two sausages in my mouth.
"Chloe! Eat slower."
Elia handed me a cup of water.
"Auuu... thanks!"
Why are cheeks so small? I wanna stuff in more food. It's a shame.
Actually, the director grandma had been acting super weird these past few days. Whenever she saw me in the hall, she'd go "Eek!" and plaster herself against the wall in panic. Did her conscience finally kick in? She'd sneak peeks at me, fidgeting nervously.
Then suddenly, the orphanage food got way better. Not like fancy steaks or anything, but we got salty ham, cheese, veggies. And yesterday, she even shared fruit for the first time—kinda mushy and sour, but still!
Why'd Director Grandma turn nice all of a sudden?
This world made no sense. Was it because it's a romance fantasy? I racked my adult brain trying to analyze it.
"Mmm!"
The ham's salty juices short-circuited my brain. Whatever! Full belly and warm = perfect!
I wiped my greasy hands roughly on my clothes and looked up at the shimmering blue window in the air.
The blue window was packed with people besides Cradle sis and the Wanderer. Folks with weird symbol names were chatting up a storm. It reminded me of my past life. Like an internet stream? No idea why a romance fantasy world has streaming.
Whoa! Am I like an extra in a broadcast?
Ah, maybe this regressor villainess novel's actually a streaming genre. Anyway, cool!
Lots of viewers probably means donations, right?
"Hi everyone!"
I waved both hands with a big smile. The chat exploded.
Suddenly, blue windows popped up everywhere.
Plop plop! Weird items rained down from thin air like a storm.
"Whoa! Gifts!"
I scooped up the stuff excitedly. But the gifts were... odd.
Some were blindingly shiny rocks that hurt my eyes. Others were just polished black stone chunks.
The weirdest? A sticky purple tentacle wriggling on the floor.
"Food?"
Curious, I skewered it on a sharp twig and roasted it over the stove fire. It crackled, giving off a strangely nutty smell.
"Mm, nom!"
The moment I bit in, a horrific taste exploded—like mud mixed with rotten fish.
"Ptoo! Ptoo!"
I stuck out my tongue and rolled on the floor.
Last was a smoking hunk of ice stabbed into the floor.
The Wanderer sent it as a sorry gift. What was this called? Dry... dry ice?
I picked up the bluish ice chunk. My fingers stuck fast.
"Uweee!"
Too cold—tears welled up. I rolled it in my mouth; no taste.
"Ugh! Tasteless and hurts! I don't want your gift!!"
I flung the ice chunk away. The chat went nuts.
These guys are just messing with me. I turned from the useless donations when another chat popped up.
"Huh? Toy?"
Knot guy's offering a toy. The orphanage was boring. No smartphones in this romance fantasy world, not even books. Just ratty dolls and wood scraps—useless to my adult memories.
A toy would help with the boredom.
"Yeah! Gimme!"
I nodded. Plop. Something dropped onto my lap—a ball of yarn glowing with eerie rainbow hues.
"Whoa!"
Looked like normal yarn. In the light, it shimmered like oil on water.
I touched it with a finger. Zap!
"Ehehehe!"
A pleasant static tingle tickled my fingertips.
What to do with it? Elia came over and saw the yarn.
"Chloe! What's that?"
"Uh, yeah! Found it!"
Elia's eyes sparkled.
"Chloe! Let's do cat's cradle with it!"
"Cat's cradle?... I don't know how..."
"I'll teach you!"
Elia tilted her head at the yarn in my hand.
"The color's weird..."
Yeah, heavenly gift—colors and feel are trippy.
We sat facing each other by the stove and looped the yarn over our tiny fingers.
"Okay, Chloe, watch! Cat's cradle goes like this..."
We started playing cat's cradle by the fire.
To Chloe's innocent, sparkling eyes, they were just pretty toys. But those were remnants of terrifying powers that should never exist in the human world.
Shards of collapsed stars spewing primordial light. Pitch-black that suppresses light, sinking all into eternal darkness. Abyss flesh mocking life's laws, endlessly writhing. Frost of the end, stripping warmth from all, leading to absolute zero's silence.
These grotesque fragments, tossed like playthings, embodied cosmic laws that would incinerate a normal human mind on sight, driving instant madness.
How much more that rainbow yarn the girls looped on their delicate fingers? It was a mockery of the universe—a fundamental force twisted into abomination.
"Whoa! Chloe, look—sparkly dust!"
"For real! So pretty!"
Clueless Elia pulled the yarn into a cross knot. Chloe clapped and beamed innocently.
Her cotton-candy-soft brain couldn't comprehend.
Crackle!
Each taut pull tore space unwillingly. The primal force binding the universe's smallest units was savagely rent asunder.
The girls tugged happily. Rainbow knots formed, untied, tautened in the air.
Spark.
Pale, bluish flames flickered coldly.
To Chloe's pure eyes, just pretty fireworks.
But each crossing slash...
Silently. Invisible laws holding the world firm snapped helplessly. Shattered without form in distant collapse.
Those lovely gleams? Silent screams of scattering particles, torn apart unknowing, shrieking.
The orphanage night, warmed by the stove's glow.
Worn out from cat's cradle, Chloe and Elia snored under threadbare blankets.
At their feet, Kkamang coiled like a snake.
Cold wind outside couldn't seep through the sturdy door.
Unbelievably bountiful and peaceful for an orphanage.
Rumble!
Thunder like splitting skies, then torrential rain poured.
Fierce sheets battered the old roof and windows.
Through the roar—bang! Bang! Bang! Brutal pounding shattered the silence at the front door.
The director, woken from deep sleep with a lamp, irritably unlatched and flung it open.
"Who is it? Barging in without manners at this hour!"
Her irritated voice cut off.
Beyond the door stood three men in sodden, pitch-black robes pulled low. Rain hid their faces under hoods. Only a faint, fishy earth scent from wet hems.
The lead man silently tossed a heavy leather pouch into her arms. Jingle. Dazzling silver gleamed through the gap.
"Gasp, a-all this...!"
Her eyes glittered grotesquely with greed. Their eerie, chilling aura? Ignored.
The old crone clutched the silver bag, forgetting the rain pouring on her face, and grinned obsequiously.
"Aigoo, sirs! What brings you to this humble place? Anything you need, just say!"
A dry, cold voice drifted from the deep hood toward her bowing form.
"Seen any strange phenomena around here lately?"