Side Story 22
Translator: RaidenTL
Side Story 22
Ga-ya vaulted through the window and into the room.
So-ya and Ga-hyeon, who were sitting side by side at the desk, looked up at him simultaneously.
"Ga-ya Orabeoni?"
"Brother...?"
Ga-hyeon’s expression turned profoundly skeptical.
It was because Ga-ya was draped from head to toe in glittering jewels. Every time he took a step, the gems hanging from his body clattered and swayed. They were dazzling enough to blind anyone whenever the sunlight hit them.
Ga-ya, looking intentionally overdressed to anyone’s eyes, sat down heavily in front of So-ya.
"What... exactly are you doing, Brother?"
"I must cultivate Som-som’s aesthetic sense," Ga-ya replied with a feigned air of gravity.
"My aesthetic sense?" So-ya asked back, her expression puzzled by this sudden talk of aesthetics.
"Look closely, Som-som. No matter how you look at it, I’m better than Father, aren't I?"
"Pardon...?"
"My eyes are more handsome than Father's, my nose is more handsome, and my lips are more handsome."
Ga-ya began to point out his best features one by one as he explained.
"When I transform, my ears are perky and even my tail fur is glossy. My tiger whiskers are quite magnificent, too. And this is a secret."
Leaning slightly toward So-ya, he held up his palm and whispered as if sharing a monumental secret.
"My paw pads are pink. Just like Som-som’s eyes. Very cute."
"...?"
Unlike So-ya, who could only blink in bewilderment, Ga-ya was dead serious.
"Well, Som-som? Do you still think Father is cooler than me? If so, think again. He’s older than this brother of yours, and he’s not cute at all. He’s just an old tiger with four kids tagging along."
"What on earth are you teaching So-ya right now, Brother?"
Unable to listen any longer, Ga-hyeon spoke up in disbelief, but his words didn't faze Ga-ya in the slightest.
"Oh, dear. Look at your second brother. They say an ugly man is quick to anger. He’s only losing his temper because he knows he’s inferior to me."
"Ga-ya Orabeoni, I think you got that proverb a little wrong..."
"And Som-som, I’ll give you this."
Ga-ya now began to rummage through his sleeves and pull something out.
"It’s much tastier than what the youngest tiger brought. It was bestowed upon me by His Majesty the Emperor."
"...? Did you watch Yul-i Orabeoni come and go?"
"Is this that homework? I’ll do it for you. You just rest here, Som-som."
Following the barrage of gifts, he eventually went as far as snatching the brush and paper from So-ya’s hands. Despite having called his younger brothers childish, he was acting more childish than anyone, following exactly in their footsteps.
"You are being pathetic, Brother," Ga-hyeon criticized in a cold voice. "Doing all sorts of nonsense just to win the favor of our young sister."
"What? Nonsense?"
"Yes, nonsense. So-ya, don't fall for such trickery. Though I know our So-ya is smart enough not to."
"Hah! Look who’s talking. You’re the one who says the most outrageous things to Som-som."
Ga-ya didn't back down and fired back at Ga-hyeon.
"Talking about how if you want to provoke someone, you should attack the person they hold dear. Where did you learn such wicked things to teach your sister?"
"Targeting an enemy's weakness is the most basic of military tactics. Since you don't even know that, you must have spent your time on the battlefield in vain," Ga-hyeon sneered with a short snort.
It was while the two of them were growling at each other with So-ya in the middle.
"Cotton Bal—!"
Ga-yul, who happened to return to So-ya’s room, widened his eyes at the sight of his two bickering older brothers.
"What’s this? Are you guys fighting?"
"Yes. I don't know why they're acting like this when they aren't babies anymore."
"It’s because they’ve grown older without gaining any wisdom. Sigh. What can you do? We just have to be understanding."
At So-ya’s explanation, Ga-yul shrugged and spoke.
"I suppose so, right? I wonder when they'll ever become adults. Sigh."
So-ya let out a deep sigh and shook her head.
*
The four White Tiger siblings climbed Mt. Horim together.
So-ya and Ga-hyeon sat on the ground weaving flower crowns, while Seol-yo—who had followed them without fail, insisting on protecting So-ya—roamed here and there to find the flowers So-ya liked.
'Tsk. In the end, I never got to hear Som-som say I’m cooler than Father.'
Ga-ya, leaning his back against a tree trunk, was watching them with a sulky expression.
Rustle—
Pale pink petals showered down on his head like rain.
"...?"
Frowning slightly, he looked up to see a large tiger perched atop the flowering tree, shaking the branches.
"Cotton Ball! I’ll make it rain flowers for you!"
Ga-yul shouted excitedly, letting out a series of happy huffs.
'That idiot.'
A tiger in its adolescence, having completed its First Growth, was as large as a grown man. Because they called him 'Baby Tiger' all the time, he seemed to think he really was a baby despite that massive body.
"It’s dangerous, Youngest. You’re going to break the tree at this rate."
"Hmph, are you trying to keep me in check?"
Ga-yul snorted at Ga-ya’s warning.
"What? Why would I be keeping you in check?"
"It can't be helped, I guess. Since I’m such a cool brother who picks out only the things Cotton Ball likes, I understand why you’d be wary of me."
"You think I’m wary of a little brat who still reeks of his mother's milk?"
Ga-ya felt wronged.
"Listen well, Baby Tiger. I am not wary of you. There’s no need for that in the first place. I’m simply worried that the tree won't be able to withstand your weight."
However, Ga-yul, thrilled by the delusion that his brother was wary of him, didn't take the words to heart at all. Instead, he only shook the branches harder.
"Baek Ga-yul. Listen to Brother. You really are going to break the tree."
Ga-hyeon, who was beside So-ya, also added a word.
Yet, Ga-yul persisted, refusing to come down despite his brothers' repeated urgings. His mind was already filled with the thought of making So-ya happy by giving her a rain of flowers.
"No. If you’re jealous that I’m making it rain flowers, just say you’re jeal—"
"Yul-i Orabeoni, don't do that and please come down."
At that moment, So-ya made her request.
"The flower crown I made for you is finished."
"Huh? Already?!"
Ga-yul, who had shown no sign of descending, leaped down instantly at So-ya’s single word.
"There, here you go."
So-ya smiled brightly and placed the flower crown on his head. The crown perched atop the large tiger’s head looked dainty.
"Hmm, is it too small?"
"No! It fits me perfectly! Thank you, Cotton Ball!"
As So-ya tilted her head in doubt, Ga-yul purred in delight.
Watching the scene from the side, Ga-ya arched an eyebrow and tilted his head.
'Hmm?'
The disobedient youngest became well-behaved and stopped causing trouble in front of So-ya. Even the cynical second brother became somewhat more gentle and kind...
'Soft?'
Yes, soft.
In front of So-ya, his brothers became strangely soft. Considering that White Tiger beastkin were generally born with aggressive temperaments, it was quite a fascinating sight.
[Should I say... soft? Or fluffy? Warm and fuzzy?]
Ga-ya felt he was beginning to understand San-yu’s words, which had once been so cryptic.
Soft. Fluffy. And warm and fuzzy.
It wasn't just his brothers who had become soft. The flowers blooming around So-ya, the birds flying by, and even a single passing breeze felt fluffy and warm.
And even his own heart as he watched it all.
'It’s strange.'
He felt he understood why Jeok San-yu had called So-ya a gem.
Watching her like this, So-ya truly sparkled. Even though she sat playing on the grass without a single common jewel on her person, she shone.
'Father picked up a gem.'
Jeok San-yu was right. So-ya was a gem. The loveliest gem in the world.
"Ga-ya Orabeoni!"
So-ya’s voice broke his reverie.
"Don't just stay there by yourself, Brother. Come over here and play with us."
So-ya called out to him with a radiant smile.
"Well, shall I?"
At that smile, which made his heart feel cozy just by looking at it, Ga-ya let out a short chuckle and nodded.
[I just found myself wanting to protect her. From all the evil things in the world... So that she can only see good things and hear good stories, forever.]
At some point, Ga-ya had come to agree entirely with Jeok San-yu’s words.
He always wanted to show her only good things. He wanted her to hear only good stories. So that her bright smile could warmly color the White Tiger Palace for a long, long time.
She was a sister he only ever wanted to protect, and yet...
"I can't find Seol-yo."
So-ya wept.
"Seol-yo..."
She sobbed so sorrowfully that it seemed as if all the moisture in her body might dry up.
"Seol-yo has disappeared."
It was a summer day when Seol-yo, his sister’s longtime childhood friend, vanished without a trace.