We arrived at the base of the mountain where my home was located.
After getting out of the car, I kept my promise to the girl by taking out a towel from my bag.
Swoosh, swoosh-
I diligently wiped the seat I sat on, ensuring no fault could be found.
Seemingly displeased by this, the girl sitting in the driver's seat sighed.
Had I done something wrong?
I stopped wiping and looked up at her.
"Why?"
"It's just... I'm not comfortable with this."
Was it because of me that the car got dirty?
I glanced at the girl, then scrubbed the car seat even harder.
It was my way of showing that I would clean so thoroughly I couldn't be blamed for anything.
Swoosh, swoosh-
As I used my whole body to clean the seat, people nearby who looked like hikers started murmuring.
"Hey, isn't that Han Yeoreum?"
"Yeah. Why is she making the kid do that...?"
What did they mean by 'making the kid do that'?
I perked up my sensitive ears and focused on the people's conversation, hoping they might reveal a weakness of this 'Han Yeoreum'.
But she seemed to have read my thoughts and hurriedly opened the car door and approached me.
"Stop, stop! Let's just leave it!"
She pulled me back.
The difference in strength was so vast that I couldn't resist.
I resented my weak body in these moments.
"But I haven't cleaned it properly yet-"
"It's okay, we'll have to ride again anyway. Is there really a need to clean it now?!"
"Again?"
Her shocking statement made me freeze.
Foolishly, I had thought I would be free the moment I reached home.
After showing her the house, she would probably take me back.
With a sense of despair, I stopped cleaning and just looked up at her.
"Shall we first look at your home? I really want to see it."
"Okay..."
Since we would be riding again anyway.
It was unnecessary to clean any further, as she said.
So, I led the girl towards the location of my tent.
Deep into the heart of the mountain.
To get to my home, we had to climb a steep mountain trail, not a well-maintained hiking path, but a rugged, wild slope.
The girl seemed dubious about this and kept glancing at me.
"Is this the right way...?"
"Yes. Just a bit further."
I found it easier to climb the rugged mountain, perhaps due to my lighter body.
Nonetheless, it was still challenging.
The smaller my body, the more steps I had to take.
"Isn't it too dangerous to live here?"
"Yes. But-look, a dandelion!"
"A dandelion?"
Just as I was about to answer her, I spotted a dandelion growing under a rotten tree.
It was a bit bitter but incredibly healthy.
I decided to carefully dig it up to avoid damaging its roots.
Swoosh, swoosh-
I used my small hands to dig energetically into the earth.
My tender hands were sore from rubbing against the dirt, but I endured it to get the dandelion.
"Wait, wait. Let me do that."
The girl urgently grabbed my hand and started digging the soil with a dagger strapped to her waist.
I didn't understand why she wanted to help, but I decided to speak up.
"Be, be careful not to damage the root..."
"Yeah. I'm good at this."
She leveraged the dagger like a fulcrum, and the dandelion began to emerge from the soil, roots and all.
"Wow."
I never knew the witch had such a skill.
I quickly put the uprooted dandelion in my bag.
"Do you like flowers?"
"Yes. Dandelions are a bit bitter, but they're good for the body."
"A-Ah, it's for eating?"
I tilted my head at the girl's stammering words.
There was no need to dig up a flower that wasn't meant to be eaten.
"Dandelions are best eaten when you are colds or tired."
"Really?"
"Yes, and also-"
As I talked to her about the benefits of dandelions, we soon arrived at my home.
It was a tattered tent, but it was more comfortable than anywhere else in the world for me.
"Is, is this your home?"
"Yes!"
Finally, home.
I hoped my tomatoes and lettuce were doing okay.
I happily ran towards my vegetable garden, only to be filled with despair.
The tomatoes, lettuce, and a few other plants had all withered.
"Ack."
My precious plants were dead.
How long had I been unconscious?
Shocked, I collapsed onto the vegetable garden.
I felt like crying, but I forced myself not to.
After all the injustices I had faced in life, I couldn't cry over something like this.
Well.
I planned to lie there for a while, at least.
✱✱✱
Seeing Gyeoul's home, Yeoreum involuntarily gaped in shock.
Gyeoul's home was just a worn-out tent, barely qualifying as a dwelling.
'How can someone live like this...'
The tent, barely standing with a few branches, looked like it would collapse with a strong wind.
"Goodness."
With holes all over the tent, any rain would soak the interior.
Yeoreum swallowed hard and stepped into the tent.
'The ceiling is so low.'
To enter the tent, she had to bend over.
Originally, Gyeoul was as tall as herself.
Thinking about how uncomfortable Gyeoul's life must have been, Yeoreum felt uneasy.
"Really..."
The inside of the tent was no better than the outside.
Mold from the humidity, unnamed insects crawling on the floor.
On a box that seemed to be used as a bed, there was only one faded blanket.
There were none of the basic elements required for a human to live decently.
It was definitely not an environment a child of eight could endure.
'What have I done...'
In this old tent deep in the secluded forest, what kind of life had this child been leading?
Yeoreum's legs gave out under her, and she slumped to the ground.
She felt disgusted with herself for always scolding and driving away a child who needed help, even though Gyeoul had often peeked around looking for help.
Was it because the child seemed too big to be recognized as such?
She wouldn't console herself with such an excuse.
After all, the child had probably never known the concept of rest.
"Gyeoul?"
Looking around, Yeoreum realized Gyeoul wasn't in the tent.
Was she outside?
Yeoreum hurried out of the tent.
Gyeoul was in the small vegetable garden, not covering more than a few square meters.
"What are you doing, Gyeoul?"
Startled by the sudden voice, Gyeoul flinched.
Afraid to converse, she always showed this frightened demeanor when spoken to, probably due to the harsh treatment from adults.
"...Pulling out the dead crops."
Gyeoul was pulling out wilted lettuce.
She also scraped the soil with a sharp stone, smoothing out the vegetable bed.
Her drooping shoulders and ears showed her deep sense of loss.
"Sorry, Gyeoul. You've been asleep for over a week, so everything must have wilted."
"A week?"
"Yes. It's my fault, so let me help."
Yeoreum grabbed the soil around a tomato plant.
Pulling at the soil, the tomato came out with its roots.
"Wow."
Gyeoul's eyes widened in amazement.
Dirt from Gyeoul's white face trickled down her soft cheeks.
"How about it? Am I strong?"
Yeoreum playfully flexed her arm.
The smooth muscles under her short sleeve startled Gyeoul, who then cast her eyes down.
'Ah.'
She's scared of strong adults.
It shouldn't be a surprise to her, considering that the girl word implied that she's been mistreated by them for so long.
Realizing her mistake, Yeoreum quickly lowered her hand.
"I'll pull these out. What can you do, Gyeoul?"
"I'll go check the traps, then."
Traps?
The young child had been doing so much just to survive.
Yeoreum felt a pang in her heart as she turned her gaze toward the stream next to the tent.
"Okay. I'll pull out the crops while you check the traps, alright?"
"Okay..."
Gyeoul ran towards the stream.
Her bouncing ears and tail were adorable, yet Yeoreum couldn't muster a smile.
Watching Gyeoul's retreating figure, Yeoreum carefully reached for the next tomato.
And at that moment.
"Uaa!!!"
Gyeoul's exclamation echoed from the stream.
"Gyeoul?"
It wasn't a scream of danger.
Still, Yeoreum ran towards where Gyeoul was, just in case of any emergency.
"Gyeoul, what is it?"
"A big fish got caught!"
Gyeoul proudly extended the trap towards Yeoreum.
Inside the trap, which looked like it could tear apart at any moment, was a minnow no bigger than a pinky finger.
It certainly wasn't what anyone would call a big fish.
"See? It's the biggest fish I've ever caught in my life."
Gyeoul held up the trap triumphantly.
Water from the trap dripped down, wetting Gyeoul's hair and ears.
Her white cat ears quivered as they got wet.
'Um...'
Next to the pinky-sized minnow, there was another minnow only as big as a fingernail.
It must indeed be a very big catch for her.
Yeoreum smiled with her eyes and extended her hand towards Gyeoul.
"Yeah, it's really big. Can I see it up close?"
"Up....close...?"
Gyeoul hugged the trap to her chest, ignoring the fact that her old shirt was getting soaked.
At that moment, Gyeoul was thinking:
'She's trying to take my fish!'
This is biggest fish she had ever caught.
Gyeoul couldn't believe she might have to hand over this impressive catch to Yeoreum.