Chapter 53
Chapter 53
I was just passing by and you looked cold."
His cheeks were flushed, likely from the biting winter wind.
"Aren't you cold too, Young Cult Leader? I'm fine, so take it back." 'If you catch a cold, it'll just mean more work for me.' He was already swamped as it was. Adding his duties on top of mine would kill any chance of personal time. I hated work more than colds, so I tried to shrug off the coat to hand it back. But the Young Cult Leader reached out and stopped me.
"I'm hot. I don't need it."
"Hot? In this weather?"
I glanced pointedly at the trees shaking violently in the howling gale.
"I spend all my time indoors. It's different for me. I run hot anyway."
He rattled off excuse after excuse, then tugged the coat collar snug around my neck so I wouldn't even think of taking it off.
"So keep it. It's yours."
With that, he headed off to his office like always. 'Poor office ghost...' "Thank you! I'll wear it well!"
My grateful shout went unanswered as he vanished inside without breaking stride or reacting. 'Is the Young Cult Leader kind or prickly? I can never tell.' Anyway, now wasn't the time to get distracted. I had far more pressing matters than his personality. I resumed my watch over the red fruits. 'Still, one more layer makes waiting way more bearable.' I was newly grateful to the Young Cult Leader for the good gear. That's when I spotted a familiar bird fluttering in from afar.
"Peep? (Red fruit?)" 'It's Ppippi!' Ppippi spotted the red fruits and flew straight over without hesitation, perching right there.
"Peep peep? Peep peep! Pip pip peep? Ppippi peep! (Did Seol Cheon-seong leave these for me to eat? Hmph! You think that'll make me forgive you so easily? Choosing that Gwang-yu punk over me? It pisses me off just thinking about it again!)" Ppippi wasn't just a little mad—it huffed and puffed nonstop with the red fruits right in front of it. 'My poor Ppippi... I hurt your feelings bad by going with Gwang-yu, huh?' There was a good reason for following Gwang-yu, and I'd explain everything once I caught it. So hurry up and eat the red fruit already, Ppippi! My desperate plea must've gotten through, because Ppippi brought its beak close to the red fruit.
"Peep peep? Pip pip! Peep peep! (Well, since Seol Cheon-seong went to the trouble... maybe I'll eat it? Not that it fully fixes things! I'm only eating because it's a waste otherwise!)" 'You just want the red fruit.' Ppippi, rattling off reasons why it had to eat it, finally started pecking away. 'Now's my chance!' "Ppippi!"
"Peep pip? Pip! (What's this? Let go!)" I pounced on Ppippi with my whole body the second it got distracted by the fruit.
"Ppippi, I'm sorry!"
"Peep pip! (Let go already!)" Ppippi struggled wildly, but I couldn't let go.
"If I do, will you just tell me one thing?"
"Peep peep! (Fine, let's hear it!)" "Can you take me to where the person who gave you that scroll is? Or just tell me the spot!"
"......"
Ppippi went quiet for a long moment at my earnest plea, then looked up at me with a grave expression.
"Peeeep? (Why should I?)" "Come on, Ppippi! You're really gonna do me like this? This is super important to me."
"P-peep! Peep! Peep peep! (Well, can't be helped! If you're that desperate, fine! Just go that way! Over there!)" Ppippi thrust out a wing in some direction. I followed the tip of its wing with my eyes. 'What? There's nothing there.' "Peep pip! (Fooled ya!)" Ppippi slipped out of my arms the moment I blinked and flew off with a smug look, taunting me from afar. 'Ppippi, you little...!' "Get back here!"
I chased after it with everything I had, but no human on the ground could catch a winged bird.
"Peep! Peep, peep! (Bye! Dummy Seol Cheon-seong!)" Ppippi mocked me thoroughly before shrinking to a dot in the vast sky and vanishing.