"Gyeoul, remember, we're here to rest, so don't run around too much or exert yourself, okay?"
"Yes..."
We are in a children playground, what could possibly require me to exert myself?
Sighing, I stepped onto the stairs and climbed up to the top of the slide.
Standing at the highest point of the playground, I surveyed the area. Only a few people were in sight.
From a child gleefully climbing the jungle gym to a mother pushing her child on a swing.
As diverse as the people were, there was an entity that seemed out of place in this playground.
An adult about to slide down a slide meant for children.
If those who knew me saw this, they would undoubtedly sneer.
"Haah."
How did it come to this?
Sitting on the slide with a heavy heart, unfamiliar legs came into my view.
It wasn't as if time had reversed, yet my legs had somehow shrunk twice over.
It was troubling in many ways, but I tried to think positively.
After all, I was experiencing something no one else ever had.
'Maybe I'll live longer now that I've become younger.'
Lost in my own rationalizations, someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind.
Startled by the sudden contact, I flinched and shrank back.
"Wh-what?!"
Turning around, I saw a young boy blinking at me.
His innocent appearance brought a sense of relief.
"Excuse me, I want to go down the slide."
"Uh, okay."
I must have been blocking his way, waiting behind me.
Feeling apologetic, I hurriedly moved to slide down when the boy suddenly asked a question.
"But why are your ears on top of your head? Are you a cat?"
"I-I don't know!"
Ahhhh~~
I let out a long, echoing sigh as I slid down the slide.
Being shorter made the ride seem longer than usual.
Not that it was any fun.
"Haah."
Why did the girl bring an adult like me to a playground?
Was it just to embarrass me?
As I got up from the slide and sighed, the girl approached me.
"How was it? Not fun?"
Her feigned kindness and smiling eyes seemed detestable.
Now, I was certain of it.
She had brought me here to mock me, she must have wanted to treat me like a child, given my younger appearance.
What a wicked witch.
I suppressed my displeasure and clapped weakly.
"Wow..."
Clap-
Clap-
Clap-
I clapped at a slow pace, and the girl visibly flinched.
Clearly, she was surprised by my show of defiance.
It was a strategy I learned from the girl herself, appearing kind on the outside while being cunning on the inside.
"Did-did you not enjoy it?"
The girl looked flustered.
Feeling slightly better knowing I had gotten back at her, I decided to show a bit more defiance.
"I'm not sure if it was fun..."
I looked up at her with an expression of uncertainty.
It was my way of saying I didn't want to play anymore.
"Oh... Then, how about trying that?"
"That?"
I followed the direction of the girl's finger.
There was a small swing, seemingly designed for children, at the end.
"Yes. Have you never tried it? I'll push you from behind, want to sit on it?"
"Y-Yes..."
From the slide to the swing.
She really was relentless in her torment.
I trudged over and climbed onto the swing.
"Ready?"
"Yes..."
I nodded weakly, and the girl began to push me from behind.
Each time her hand touched my back, my body shivered slightly.
'What is this...'
Was she being careful not to knock me off with her gentle and soft pushes?
Even though she was pretending to be kind, her touch felt warm.
Even I, aware of her true identity, was almost fooled by it.
"How is it? Fun?"
"Yes, y-yes..."
It had been years since I felt such a kind touch.
Even knowing the truth, I felt pathetic for the fluttering in my heart.
Maybe it was because I couldn't see the girl standing behind me.
'I really hate this.'
I thought I had been living resiliently.
Had I been unknowingly yearning for human affection?
Feeling suffocated, I swung my legs and said,
"Can you push me harder, please?"
The higher I went, the longer it would take to come down, reducing the frequency of her touches.
It was my form of resistance.
"Okay. I'll push harder, but make sure to hold on tight, okay?"
"Okay."
Even though the girl's pushing became stronger, it didn't feel rough or fierce.
It seemed like she was just being considerate, ensuring I wouldn't fall.
Despite my dislike, a strange warmth filled my heart, becoming unbearable.
At the swing's highest point, I jumped off.
"Ah! Gyeoul!"
The girl's surprised voice came from behind.
She couldn't possibly be worried about me; perhaps she was concerned about her carefully crafted body getting hurt?
Her blatant attitude quickly snapped me back to reality.
The girl was never someone who could offer me affection.
'Tch.'
If only her touch just now had been genuine.
With such absurd fantasies, I walked towards the girl.
I reminded myself several times internally that she was not on my side.
"I'm sorry. I thought it was a game to jump far."
"Uh, yeah. There is such a game, but you have to be careful not to get hurt, okay?"
"Y-Yes..."
As expected, she was primarily concerned about the changed body.
In a way, I had discovered her weakness.
She wouldn't just stand by if my body got hurt.
"How about it, was the swing fun?"
"Yes. It was fun."
"Really? Then shall we go on the swing again?"
The girl pointed to the swing with a bright smile.
Not wanting her kind touch again, I quickly shook my head.
"No, I want to try something else."
"Okay. There are lots of fun things here, so how about we try each one?"
"Yes..."
All of them?
How many play structures were there?
I counted the number of equipment she was pointing to with her fingers.
'One, two, three...'
Even a rough count exceeded ten.
I really didn't want to do it, but her attitude was so forceful that I gave in.
It's certainly not because I liked her kind touch.
✱✱✱
An hour later.
Yeoreum returned to the tent with Gyeoul, as lunchtime had arrived.
She pondered seriously about what nutritious and tasty food to give to Gyeoul.
While Yeoreum was deep in thought, Gyeoul cautiously tugged at the hem of her clothes.
"Would you like some dandelion tea?"
"Dandelion tea?"
"Yes. It's good for your health."
She was offering to serve tea.
This provided Yeoreum an opportunity to host a meal.
"Then I'll treat you to lunch."
"Lunch? But I was only offering a cup of tea..."
"Just a cup of tea? But it's tea you brewed yourself from hand-picked dandelions."
"Yes, but..."
Gyeoul's eyes darted back and forth, clearly confused about how much the tea was worth.
"These days, the price of tea is quite high. If it's handmade and premium, it could go for ten thousand won per cup?"
"That much?"
"Yes. It's wild dandelions, after all."
It wasn't a lie.
In this era, attaching meaning to something could skyrocket its value to hundreds of thousands of won in the premium market.
"Then, I'll charge less than ten thousand won."
"Okay. I'll just step out for a bit. Is that alright?"
"Yes..."
Yeoreum nodded and left the tent, leaving Gyeoul behind.
Her first destination was the deep forest where her colleague was waiting.
"You're here."
"Yes."
A burly man emerged from behind a tree, pushing through the forest.
His name was Choi Jinhyuk, the biggest man in the Daybreak Guild.
Jinhyuk seemed to have something he wanted to say, fidgeting with his large hands.
"What is it?"
"Well, I ran into the kid unintentionally this morning. I need to talk about that."
"Oh?"
What had happened when they met that he felt the need to report?
Yeoreum's eyes widened in curiosity.
"I apologized to her first."
"Apologized?"
"Yes. But it seemed like she didn't believe the apology."
An apology.
Come to think of it, had she ever apologized to the child?
Yeoreum recalled the first day the child with the blessing woke up.
She had intended to apologize as soon as she opened her eyes.
But the child had run away in fright before she could do so.
Then, her stomach growled, so she took her to a restaurant.
She then despaired over her miserable situation.
It was so chaotic that she couldn't remember if she had actually apologized.
'I didn't apologize...?'
With so much to think about and her mind in disarray, she couldn't clearly recall the events of that time.
Well.
Even in a hurry, she wouldn't have forgotten to apologize, the most important thing.
After organizing her thoughts, Yeoreum looked up at Jinhyuk.
"So, even though you apologized, she didn't believe it?"
"Yes. It's nothing unusual, but I thought you should know."
"Okay. Thank you."
Perhaps she still couldn't trust because of the many things she suffered from people.
Unconsciously, Yeoreum let out a deep sigh.
"She must be suspicious of you, too. Keep that in mind."
"Right. I'll remember."
She was well aware that the child's eyes harbored suspicion.
Since it was a natural reaction, she didn't pay much attention to it.
After thanking Jinhyuk for the warning, Yeoreum headed to a nearby restaurant.
She believed that there is nothing in this world that can heals a wounded person heart better than a meal.
<+>
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