Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Month
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Just because of an ordinary, mundane life.
A month passed.
Time passed so quickly.
‘How did I end up staying for a whole month?’
I originally had no intention of staying long.
The kids were so annoying that I planned to return to my base if Red didn't show up after a week.
And when a week passed with no sign of her, I was about to head back.
-Are you leaving?
-Stay with us.
-She might come soon.
The children clung to the hem of my clothes. And they looked at me with incredibly sad eyes.
I could have coldly shaken them off and gone on my way, but an image of my base suddenly came to mind—the cold air, the lonely interior.
The thought of being there alone again made my feet feel rooted to the spot.
Why?
A familiar feeling blossomed in my heart.
At first, I didn't know what it was, so I frowned under my mask.
I soon realized what the feeling was, but I didn't want to admit it.
More than that, I wondered why such a feeling had suddenly appeared.
I'd always lived just fine there. There was never a problem.
When morning came, I would sift through the mountain of trash for useful items or go for a walk in the streets.
If I ran out of snacks, I'd go buy more. If there was someone I didn't like, or some thugs causing a scene at a dessert shop...
I would remember them, and then, as the Grim Reaper, I'd make them pay the price.
And when night fell, I would sleep quietly at my base.
It was a familiar life. Even when I was running wild in the underworld, I never felt anything.
So why did the thought of leaving this place stir such emotions?
No matter how much I thought about it, I just couldn't understand.
On the other hand, this place was never quiet.
The children were always looking for a chance to peek under my mask and hood.
Snack time was a chaotic war every day.
Like typical kids, they loved playing outside and always dragged me along.
I even did some studying, which I never used to do.
Anyway, it was truly bothersome, annoying, and there was never a moment's rest.
For someone like me, who had spent so much time alone, it was a very unfamiliar life.
It should be human nature to want to escape an unfamiliar environment quickly.
But strangely, my feet wouldn't move, and in the end, I chose to stay longer, telling myself it was because 'I had time to kill' or 'I had no choice because of the kids.'
And so, I spent a month there.
‘This was never part of the plan….’
Some days, I'd nap while listening to Lena's singing. Other times, I'd cut paper into fine pieces and sprinkle it over Lena, decorating her little stage.
-Ah…! How can you sleep when I'm singing my heart out?
-Did you prepare this for me? Wow~ thank you so much.
Some days, I'd learn to write from Bada, a timid, blue-haired girl much younger than me.
-You got it wrong again….
-You seem to be good at reading… but you keep making mistakes when you write….
Some days, the heating would break, and we'd spend the night huddled together under one blanket.
-It's not cold like this.
-Here, look. Hoooo... see? It's a star shape.
Whenever it was snack time, a war would break out.
-That's mine!
-I can't forgive you for eating what I was going to eat!
It was a series of truly uneventful days, and sometimes it felt stupid and noisy, but surprisingly, I found myself living a normal, happy life in this silly place.
…It was truly strange.
“Wow!! You’re so good at drawing!”
Ah!? I got caught drawing in my sketchbook out of boredom.
I hurriedly closed the sketchbook and hid it.
But a child who has seen something once doesn't give up. Besides, the other children heard the commotion and gathered around me.
One by one, they started begging to see my drawing.
‘They'll never give up. Fine, I lose.’
I raised the white flag and finally showed them the picture I was drawing.
The children's eyes widened as they let out gasps of admiration.
Praises poured in.
“Wow~ it’s pretty.”
“How did you learn to draw so well?”
It wasn't an amazing drawing, but the kids kept praising it, making my face flush.
Honestly, it wasn't that well-drawn.
I just have a little bit of dexterity, so the result is slightly decent, that's all.
“It’s pretty….”
The picture I drew was simple.
An ocean in the forest.
The ground undulating like the sea.
In the middle of the forest was a small boat, with a silver-haired girl in it.
It was just an ordinary picture of a girl rowing under the pouring sunlight.
“Teacher, look at this. She drew it, isn't it good?”
Ah!
A child snatched my sketchbook and showed it to Rene.
Rene quietly admired the drawing.
Feeling like I was being judged, I grew tense without realizing it.
*Gulp*.
“……You're right, it's very well-drawn.”
She was clearly praising it with her words, but her eyes looked somewhat sad.
Why? Was it that bad? I thought it was at least better than a child's drawing.
A wave of embarrassment washed over me.
*Sob*.
Anyway, this is how I was spending my trivial and utterly ordinary days.
***
Evening.
“How about taking off your hood and mask?”
It was my turn to bathe last when Rene said that.
Of course, I shook my head.
“I didn't explain well. What I mean is, it must be uncomfortable to live wearing a hood and mask all day, so how about wearing a proper mask instead?”
Wear a proper mask?
I had also been finding it a bit, no, very stuffy to be wearing the mask and hood all the time.
If I wore a mask, my hair would be exposed, but something that trivial should be fine.
The important thing is whether my face is covered or not.
I nodded.
“Really? That's a relief. Here, follow me. I've prepared a lot of them.”
I followed Rene into a room. She laid out the masks one by one on a table.
The masks were displayed.
“Here, pick one you like. No, you don't have to pick just one. You can switch them out every day, so it doesn't matter.”
That's true.
Still, I had to choose a mask to wear after I bathed.
I started looking through the masks one by one. There was a variety of them, from animal masks to ones with strange shapes.
‘The most modest ones are probably the animal masks...’
Just as I was about to pick a safe choice from among the animal masks, one caught my eye.
I chose a skull-shaped mask.
“Eh?! Really?”
Even though she had prepared them herself, Rene looked quite surprised, as if she never expected me to choose this one out of all the options.
I nodded.
The reason I chose the skull shape was because I felt it somehow suited me.
For one, I have the nickname 'Grim Reaper.'
Since I chose it because I liked it, Rene didn't try to stop me.
With the skull mask in hand, I headed to the bathroom.
Some of the children bathe together, but I shower alone. That's because I don't want to show my face to others. That's also why I'm last in line to bathe.
*Sshhhh*.
The sensation of the warm water pouring over my body is the best.
‘I wish I could stay like this forever...’
After washing thoroughly, I quickly finished up and got out.
I dried myself with a towel, put on my underwear and clothes in order, and then stood in front of the mirror on the wall.
My reflection was in the mirror. To be precise, a beautiful girl was reflected.
She had an extremely elegant face. So much so that it was hard to describe with words. But her two blue eyes were devoid of emotion. Her firmly closed lips also added a touch of loneliness to her face.
She looked like a doll.
A very, very precious and lovely doll, the only one of its kind in the world.
And people would do anything to get their hands on that doll. They always have.
So, I hide the doll from the world.
I covered my face with the skull mask.
‘My hair is visible, but this much should be fine.’
I started walking toward the room, and I could hear the children chattering inside.
When I opened the door and went inside, it suddenly became quiet.
Everyone looked surprised.
Well, I had taken off my mask and hood.
As if wanting to touch something new and fascinating, the children gathered around me.
“Your hair is pure white. It’s like snow. I wonder if it’ll melt if I touch it.”
‘It won't melt.’
“*Sniff, sniff*. It smells sweet.”
‘That's the smell of soap.’
“Can I try eating it?”
‘Of course not.’
As I retorted internally to the children's words, a wave of regret washed over me. The increased attention was already making my head spin.
I was careful not to let the mask fall off.
In the midst of the chaos, I heard fast-approaching footsteps from outside.
It was Rene.
“Everyone, Red is coming soon.”
What?
For a moment, it was silent. All the children froze. Then, after three seconds, they let out a huge cheer and started jumping up and down.
The room erupted in a crucible of excitement.
“Teacher, is that true?”
“Yay! She's coming!”
Everyone was excited by the news of Red's arrival.
I, on the other hand, felt a little nervous.
*Shudder*.
***
Red didn't arrive until after midnight.
Of course, the children tried their best to wait for Red, but in the end, they couldn't fight off their sleepiness.
They kept nodding off and eventually fell asleep.
And me?
Of course, I stayed awake until then. I'm used to sleeping late, after all.
The reason was, naturally, to see Red.
The person who entered the front door late at night was indeed Red. Her face was clearly weary, perhaps because of a job.
Additionally, she was carrying two bulky bundles of gifts in her hands, presumably for the kids.
Anyway, the red pigtails, the fierce eyes, the sharp teeth. And the black coat she was wearing back then.
Her impression was so strong that I remember it clearly.
‘And how could I forget after we fought like that? My body still trembles just thinking about that day.’
Rene went out to greet Red.
“Red, welcome back.”
“Are the kids asleep now?”
“Yes, they all got tired of waiting and fell asleep.”
“Then don't wake them.”
“Oh, right. Speaking of which….”
*Step, step*.
I appeared in front of Red.
Rene didn't seem particularly surprised, as if she knew I was awake.
Red, on the other hand, looked at me with some surprise before turning her head to Rene.
“Who is this kid?”
“Ah, she's the child you mentioned before, Red.”
Red's brow furrowed as if in thought, and then her eyes widened as she seemed to remember.
“What…?!”
I debated whether to wave or bow, but in the end, I raised my hand in greeting.