Side Story 3
Translator: RaidenTL
Side Story 3
“A-Are you out of your mind?!”
Jeok Yeong jumped back, a look of pure horror on his face.
“Don’t say such terrifying things! You’ll ruin my marriage prospects! I haven’t even been able to date because I’ve been so busy helping the First Young Master manage the White Tiger Palace while you were away, Clan Head!”
“I don’t think it’s necessarily my fault that you haven’t dated. Blaming your superior for your lack of popularity with the ladies is a bit cowardly and petty, Jeok Yeong.”
“What are you talking about? Believe it or not, I was the most popular fox in my hometown!”
“Hmm… Sure, let’s go with that.”
Sa-eon nodded as if he were generously granting a favor to the bristling Jeok Yeong.
“Just you wait! I’ll prove to you that I’m telling the truth!”
Watching Jeok Yeong huff and puff as he stomped out of the room, Sa-eon let out a long, hearty laugh.
How long has it been since I laughed like this, without a single care?
It finally felt real—he was back at the White Tiger Palace.
In truth, he had missed it dearly.
This peaceful, beautiful White Tiger Palace where he had been born and raised.
By the way, a younger sibling, huh…
Sa-eon thought of Ga-yul, who had been throwing tantrums because he wanted a younger sibling of his own.
Ga-ya was the type of person who made himself the center of the universe, and Ga-hyeon, with his somewhat sensitive nature, preferred solitary contemplation over mingling with others.
They were likely a bit lacking when it came to being the kind of affectionate older brothers a social, play-loving baby tiger like Ga-yul needed.
A bittersweet smile touched Sa-eon’s lips at the thought that Ga-yul might have longed for a younger sibling to fill the void his older brothers couldn't.
But now that he was back at the White Tiger Palace, things would be different.
He would stay by the children’s side and provide whatever they were missing.
But what was Hyeon thinking when he said that?
To tell Ga-yul, who was desperate for a sibling, that he already had one and would meet them soon out of the blue…
“It’s not like he could have picked up a sibling I don’t know about from somewhere…”
His puzzled murmur drifted through the room before vanishing into the air.
* * *
Ever since hearing Ga-hyeon say he would meet his younger sibling soon, Ga-yul had been counting down the days.
“What are you practicing so hard, Young Master?”
Su-ri asked as he passed by, spotting the baby tiger staring intensely at his own front paws, flexing them open and shut all day long.
“Grrr, meow… (I’m practicing hiding my claws.)”
“Hiding your claws? But you’re already good at that without even trying, aren’t you?”
“Kwang! (That’s because I have to teach my younger sibling how to do it!)”
In the meantime, Ga-yul had learned how to hide his claws from his father, as well as how to swim in the stream and catch fish.
He was practicing diligently so that he could teach his younger sibling everything he had learned from his father.
“Kwang, kwang! Kwa-ang! (I’m not like my big brothers! When I meet my sibling, I’ll play ball with them, play hide-and-seek, and run around together. And I’ll teach them how to hide their claws just like Father taught me!)”
Ga-yul spoke with a proud shrug of his shoulders.
He had been told that younger siblings were very small and precious, so they had to be protected.
So, when he finally met his sibling, he would treat them with the utmost care.
He would protect them from getting hurt, play with them so they wouldn't be bored, and always stay by their side.
Because, unlike his own brothers, he was going to be a ‘very cool big brother.’
But the sibling he had been waiting and waiting for turned out to be…!
“Wh-Why is she my sibling?!”
Ga-yul, who had come running at the news that his sibling had arrived, shouted in horror.
Where he was pointing, Ah-rang, with her brown hair tied up in buns, was hopping down from a carriage.
“What’s wrong, Yul? By blood, she’s your second cousin, and since you share the same great-grandfather, Ah-rang is your family and your younger sister,” Ga-hyeon said, patting Ga-yul on the shoulder.
Just then, Ah-rang, who had jumped down from the carriage, looked up and spotted Ga-yul.
Their eyes met.
“Oh? Baek Ga-yul! I heard you finally succeeded in your beast transformation! I succeeded ages ago!” Ah-rang shouted at the top of her lungs, waving her arms vigorously.
Ga-yul’s eyes shook violently.
Ah-rang had intended it as a friendly greeting after not seeing him for a while, but to Ga-yul, it felt like a mean-spirited taunt.
“N-No! I hate this!”
This brown tiger—who had a loud voice, wasn't cute at all, and had even succeeded in beast transformation faster than him despite being a year younger—was his sibling?!
“No! Absolutely not! I really hate this! I hate it so much! I’m not going to be her big brother!”
“You don’t call yourself a ‘big brother’ to a girl, Yul. You’re her orabeoni.”
Ga-hyeon explained in a gentle voice to the protesting Ga-yul.
“Orabeoni…?”
Ga-yul blinked at the unfamiliar word.
“Yes, orabeoni. That’s what a younger sister calls her older brother.”
“…?”
“Wow, an orabeoni. How lucky you are, Yul.”
Ga-hyeon spoke in an exaggeratedly cheerful tone, smiling at Ga-yul, who was looking at him with a bewildered expression.
“…N-No! I’m not an orabeoni!”
Ga-yul, who had been staring blankly at the strange title, suddenly snapped out of it and denied it.
“I don’t want to do that, Hyung. I’m not going to be an orabeoni.”
Finally, Ga-yul grabbed the hem of Ga-hyeon’s robe and shook his head vigorously.
However, Ga-hyeon smiled and gently pried Ga-yul’s small hands off his clothes one by one, as if they were a lifeline.
“Then our Yul should be a cool orabeoni and look after his younger sister.”
Ga-hyeon gave Ga-yul a little push on the back with a bright smile.
Watching the scene from a distance, Ah-rang approached Ga-yul with a suspicious look, demanding an explanation.
“What is it, Baek Ga-yul? Were you talking behind my back?”
“G-Go away! Don’t come near me!”
Ga-yul shrieked and began to run away from the approaching Ah-rang.
At that, Ah-rang transformed into a small brown tiger and chased after him.
“Grrr! (Where do you think you’re going?!)”
“Eek…!”
Startled, Ga-yul realized that a tiger’s four legs were faster than a human’s two and quickly transformed himself.
“Kwang, kwa-ang! (Don’t follow me!)”
The cry of the baby tiger, which sounded almost like a sob, echoed loudly.
He won’t be pestering me for a sibling for a while now.
Ga-hyeon watched them for a moment before turning away, leaving the two baby tigers to their squabbling.
…Stupid. It’s not like you can just have a sibling because you want one, and it’s not like a stork brings them.
Even though he was only a seven-year-old tiger who hadn't even reached his First Growth, Ga-hyeon was smart because he read a lot of books. He knew the truth.
Siblings weren't brought by storks; they were born from a mother.
And if there was no mother, there could be no sibling.
His father had told him that their mother had left because of something very important, and that she would definitely come back one day.
But Ga-hyeon had seen it. He had seen that his mother’s name had vanished from the family register in his father’s office.
His mother was never coming back.
“…”
Thinking that far made him feel a sudden wave of gloom.
But Ga-hyeon quickly shook his head and pulled himself together.
Whatever. It’s not like I’m an underdeveloped baby tiger like Yul. Besides, having a sibling would just be a nuisance anyway.
Just as Ga-hyeon was about to walk away with renewed resolve…
“Don’t bully the youngest too much.”
At the sound of the voice, Ga-hyeon glanced up.
Ga-ya was leaning casually against a nearby wooden pillar.
“You’re going to make the little tiger cry.”
He must have watched the whole thing, as he approached Ga-hyeon with a word of caution.
“Bullying? Why would I bully Yul? I did no such thing, Brother.”
Ga-hyeon replied with a straight face, his voice as smooth and gentle as ever.