Sophia, Levinas, and I took a seat in the back of the police car.

“Ugh…”

Was this it?

Was I about to be taken away and live a life behind bars?

With sorrowful eyes, I took in what might be my last glimpse of the world.

The city buildings, people walking along the streets.

To think I would long for the everyday life of this world I so despised.

Once I’ve served my time, I’ll be someone who appreciates the mundane.

Such thoughts crossed my mind as I gazed outside.

That’s when my eyes locked with Yeoreum’s, walking along the street.

-What are you doing there, Gyeoul…?

Her eyes seemed to say that.

-Goodbye.

I replied with my eyes.

There was so much I wanted to say to her, but as a captive, my words were limited.

I could only bid her farewell by tapping on the window with my clenched fist.

As the car began to move and Yeoreum disappeared into the alleyway, she suddenly started chasing after us in a frantic manner.

I was worried she might bump into someone due to the crowded street, but she skillfully weaved through, chasing after me.

People didn’t even seem surprised by Yeoreum running so fast.

It was as if they were used to such things.

Right.

This was a world with fantastical elements.

Watching Yeoreum following us, the female police officer in the driver’s seat cautioned me.

“Gyeoul, it’s dangerous. Sit properly.”

“Okay…”

“And wear your seatbelt.”

“Right…”

I adjusted my position and reached for the seatbelt.

Trying to fasten it, I glanced at Levinas sitting right next to me.

There was no seatbelt in the middle seat.

It seemed better to share it with Levinas.

“Stay still for a moment, Levinas.”

“Why?”

“Let’s share this.”

We both fastened the one seatbelt.

It was meant for one, but we managed because of our small size.

“What is this? Levinas doesn’t like feeling constricted!”

“This protects you in case of an accident. You must wear it in a car.”

“Huh…!”

Seemingly disliking the idea of getting hurt, Levinas tightly gripped the seatbelt.

And so, we quietly made our way to Yeomyeong Park.

“Huh?”

Weren’t we headed straight to prison?

Why come here?

As I looked around in surprise, the middle-aged policeman in the passenger seat got out and opened the back door for us.

“Alright, we’ve arrived. Time to get out.”

“Get out…?”

Could it be they were just dropping me off at home?

Blinking in disbelief, I looked up at the middle-aged policeman.

Just then, Yeoreum, having raced with the wind, skidded to a stop right in front of me.

“Gyeoul…!”

Her grip on my shoulder was incredibly strong.

The pain made me grimace involuntarily.

“Ugh…”

It hurts, so please let go of my hand.

With a desperate look, I gazed up at Yeoreum, but her attention was solely on the middle-aged policeman.

“Officer, is there any problem with our kids?”

“No, no. We just thought it was unsafe for beast-kin children to be out alone, so we brought them here.”

“Is that so?”

Yeoreum seemed relieved as she brushed her chest.

I, too, felt relieved.

“I’m not being arrested, am I?”

“No. You haven’t done anything to warrant it.”

That was a relief.

So, I wasn’t going to prison.

Exhaling a heavy breath, the middle-aged policeman whispered something to Yeoreum, soft enough for only her to hear.

But I heard it all.

“You’re Han Yeoreum from the Yeomyeong Guild, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“You take care of these children in your guild?”

The policeman’s gaze shifted to me, Sophia, and Levinas.

It felt like he was interrogating Yeoreum.

“But why do the children look like this? They were rummaging through trash cans.”

“Well, that’s because our kids have a strong sense of independence…”

Yeoreum looked down, avoiding the policeman’s gaze.

His brow furrowed slightly.

“Independence?”

“Yes… They like living close to nature…”

“Wow! How did you know?! Levinas really loves trees!”

“I, too, prefer the scent of grass over concrete.”

Levinas and Sophia chimed in, and I nodded in agreement, indicating I felt the same.

Recently, I had grown fonder of nature.

“I see. We must have misunderstood something. My apologies.”

“Oh, no. It’s an understandable situation. In fact, I’m grateful that you cared for the children.”

Hehe.

Yeoreum smiled awkwardly and waved her hand, and the policemen left, saying to call them if anything happened.

“Phew…”

Was it the suddenness of the situation that drained her energy?

Yeoreum slumped down on the nearby grass.

Noticing her condition, I cautiously sat beside her, knowing this trouble was my fault.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Unni is always fine.”

Hehe.

Yeoreum smiled with her eyes and turned to look at me.

It was a while before she spoke again.

“But Gyeoul.”

“Yes?”

“Won’t you consider living at the guild? You don’t have to worry about rent or anything; Unni will take care of it.”

“Well, that’s…”

I knew she wanted to help me.

But I didn’t want to live off someone else’s charity.

I appreciated the offer, but it was fine.

I wanted to tell Yeoreum this, but the recent events made me hesitate.

Realizing that she and the Yeomyeong Guild might be misunderstood because of me made it harder to speak.

“Um… Gyeoul, how about this?”

“What is it?”

“Try living at the guild just once a week. Like a trial. What do you think?”

A trial, huh.

Considering her offer to try living there a few times before deciding, I eventually nodded in agreement.

I felt guilty about the suspicion she had drawn from the police.

“Then shall we do that?”

“Really? Once a week is okay?”

“Yes…”

It wasn’t as if I was committing to live there forever.

And experiencing the life of the upper class didn’t seem like a bad thing for me at this point.

—

—

The next morning, I entered the guild building with everyone.

Due to the particularly shabby appearance of Levinas and me, I felt the glances of people as we walked in.

The building, overwhelming in size no matter when I entered, was imposing.

Levinas, seemingly unbothered, ran around the interior like a child in a playground.

“Do you remember where you woke up last time?”

“Yes…”

“That was the first floor, where we receive guests. Our actual living quarters are much higher up.”

Dozens of floors high.

We have to go all the way up there?

I sighed deeply and stepped onto the nearby stairs.

“Climbing all this way is quite the task.”

“Hmm… Gyeoul doesn’t know about elevators yet?”

“Ah.”

Elevators.

I hadn’t ridden one in nearly eight years, not even considering it as I had avoided being confined in small spaces with people.

Of course, I had never been in a building grand enough to have an elevator.

“You mean we don’t have to climb the stairs if we take the elevator? Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Yes… Elevators are amazing…”

Now treated as a primitive who doesn’t know elevators, I was sad but couldn’t argue since it was my mistake.

I simply followed everyone into the empty elevator.

“See these numbers? You can press them to go to the floor you want.”

“Wow…”

Clap clap clap.

I clapped awkwardly.

Levinas, following my lead, clapped her hands with shining eyes.

“Levinas has never ridden such an amazing thing! What about you, King?”

“Me, too…”

This was indeed my first time in this life.

Somehow, it felt like my life had gained more value, my heart fluttering with excitement.

Even my tail, which only swayed when I was happy, was flickering.

“Elevators are frequently used by people, so we shouldn’t treat them like amusement rides, okay?”

“Got it!”

“Yes…”

Levinas energetically raised her hand in response.

I replied, albeit reluctantly.

Arriving at the living quarters, Yeoreum guided us and opened the front door.

The first to enter the house was none other than Sophia.

“Hmm…”

Sophia looked around the inside of the house with interest, her shark tail fluttering excitedly.

It was my first time seeing Sophia wag her tail.

‘Wow.’

This was the first time I’d seen Sophia this happy.

If I had known she would enjoy it this much, I would have come here sooner.

Feeling sorry, I found myself aimlessly following her around when suddenly, Levinas, completely drenched, ran up to us.

“We’re in big trouble! Big trouble!”

“Huh?”

Had Levinas caused some sort of accident?

Sophia and I quickly turned towards the source of the commotion.

“There’s no fire, but hot water is coming out!”

Hot water.

That single phrase made my eyes widen in shock.

Even the usually composed Sophia seemed surprised, her tail shooting up into the air.

“Hot water is coming out?”

“Yes! It’s pouring out! This must be where the gods live!”

“Wow…”

A house where hot water flowed freely – it was overwhelming.

I clasped my hands together as if in prayer, overcome with emotion, then realized that it’s normal for regular households to have hot water.

Of course, it wasn’t something ordinary for me now.

“Hot water…”

I looked up at Yeoreum with eyes filled with admiration.

She just scratched her cheek, looking down at us.

—

5/5 Enjoy the chappy!

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