Why did I feel fear from a yawn?

I looked up at Yeoreum, but she was hesitant to explain, merely dawdling.

I had to ask directly.

“What’s a snarl?”

“That’s…”

“That’s?”

“That… Isn’t it what cats do when they’re trying to threaten, a snarl?”

Yeoreum imitated a fierce cat with her yawn.

It felt like she would leap at me and bite my neck.

“Hey, we have Levinas here, so we shouldn’t show something too scary…”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry.”

I accepted Yeoreum’s apology and glanced at Levinas.

I worried that Levinas might have been scared, but she just looked at us blankly.

She wasn’t frightened at all.

“Levinas, weren’t you scared just now?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The yawn just now.”

Yeoreum, known for her strength in the Yeomyeong Guild, had displayed threatening behavior.

It was as threatening as a tiger, not just a simple cat.

I was afraid, and Levinas wasn’t?

Knowing she was usually scared of the things, I couldn’t understand the situation.

“Why would a yawn be threatening? Levinas isn’t scared of yawns.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

Does she not know that’s how feline predators threaten someone?

Confused, I just tilted my head, and Yeoreum poked my shoulder.

“Hey, Gyeoul.”

“Yes?”

“It’s because Gyeoul is a feline beast-kin, she’s sensitively reacting to the threats of feline species.”

“Oh…”

That’s purely animal instinct.

Surprised, I raised my hand over my head.

My ears, which had pricked up, were pressed down by my hand.

“It hasn’t been long since Gyeoul changed.”

“Oh…”

Surely, as she said, I haven’t been a beast-kin for long.

It was natural to have problems in this area.

It took ages to adapt when I first became a woman, too.

Since this wasn’t my first time experiencing a change in my body, I should regain stability soon.

“Don’t worry too much, I’ve heard that as beast-kin grow, they can freely control their instincts.”

“That’s a relief.”

As a beast-kin, I was like a child.

I decided to acknowledge my shortcomings and focus on growth.

“We should avoid yawning when Gyeoul is around.”

“No, yawning is fine as long as you don’t do it while looking at me.”

“Oh… Is that so?”

“Yes. I was okay with yawning alone.”

Now that I think about it, Sophia used to cover her mouth and turn around when she yawned.

I thought it was just to maintain decorum, but maybe it was to consider me.

‘She’s been thoughtful in many ways.’

I should be nicer to Sophia.

With that thought, I entered the building.

—

—

Upon returning home, I found Sophia sitting in a massage chair.

Did she manage to soothe Kwon Arin?

As I recalled Kwon Arin shedding tears for no apparent reason, Levinas urgently hid behind me.

“King! The shark is sitting in the ghost chair again!”

“Ghost chair?”

“Yeah! When Levinas sat in the chair last time, it attacked her with bangs and thumps!”

Levinas glared at Sophia with eyes full of hostility, specifically at the massage chair she was sitting in.

“Levinas, that chair is supposed to thump and bang.”

“Is, is that so? Why does the chair thump and bang?”

“It massages you by pounding on your body. It feels really refreshing.”

“Massage…?”

Levinas was too young to understand the refreshing feeling of a massage.

Wanting to introduce her to something new, I led Levinas towards Sophia.

“Sophia, can I sit there too?”

“Feel free to sit.”

Sophia stood up from the chair, and I took her place, enjoying the warm sensation she left behind.

“When you sit here, the chair pats your back and legs like this.”

Pat-pat-pat-

The massage chair pounded on my back.

However, the pounding felt twice as powerful as any massage chair I had experienced.

“……!”

The massage was painfully beyond my imagination.

I involuntarily jumped up from the chair.

My ears and tail were standing on end, shocked.

“Why is this so strong?”

“It’s not that the chair is strong, but your skin is delicate, Gyeoul. You’re still a child, aren’t you?”

“Ah…”

Indeed, without mana, my body was no different from that of a normal child.

I hadn’t used any mana against the massage chair.

I foolishly sat in the massage chair without considering my delicate skin.

Feeling embarrassed, I scratched the back of my neck.

“King, is this too strong for us?”

“Uh, yeah. It is.”

I resolved to use the massage chair only after becoming more physically robust.

While I was making this resolution, Yeoreum approached us with a drink.

“Gyeoul, can you sit here for a moment?”

“Yes.”

I followed Yeoreum and sat on the sofa.

She was holding a bunch of unfamiliar documents in her hand.

“Gyeoul, you know the tea you’re selling. We settled the accounts this time. Want to take a look?”

“Yes, I’d like to.”

I nodded, and Yeoreum handed me a document.

It was filled with financial details.

“You don’t need to look at everything, just this part. This is the profit you’re taking home.”

I wondered how much the total revenue was.

Counting from the bottom, my eyes widened in surprise.

Fifty million won.

It was an amount I had never touched in this life, boldly printed on the document.

“How did we sell so much…?”

“It’s the buff. Buffs are always like that.”

“Ah…”

With this amount of profit, couldn’t I pay off my debt soon?

My tail wagged happily.

“Let’s fix the profit at this amount for now. We could sell more, but that would mean Gyeoul would have to work harder.”

“I don’t mind working hard…”

“Just hold on a little longer. Once Gyeoul grows as an adventurer, she can earn much more than this. At least hundreds of millions as a baseline, right?”

“Ah…”

Not to be deceived by the immediate profit, but to focus on training and hunting for a better future, is that it?

Knowing she was right, I decided not to argue anymore.

“And the profit…”

“Please use all the profit to pay off the debt.”

“All of it…? You really don’t have to pay off the debt if you don’t want to…”

“No. If a person is in debt, they must pay it back.”

Feeling my determination, Yeoreum sighed.

Her expression clearly showed reluctance.

“…Got it.”

“Yes. And please use this to pay off the debt too.”

I pulled a bundle of bills from my pocket.

Most of it was from hunting, collecting empty bottles, and selling mushrooms and vegetables at the stall.

“…Gyeoul, what if I say I won’t accept this money?”

“There’s nothing I can do… At most, I won’t talk… maybe…”

“Ah, okay. I’ll take the money.”

Yeoreum, startled by something, accepted my money.

I felt relieved that I was gradually paying off the debt.

Well, I hadn’t paid off even one percent yet, but still.

“I’ll continue to pay off the debt like this in the future.”

“Uh, okay… But Gyeoul, you don’t need to pick up empty bottles anymore, right? You’re earning a lot from hunting and dandelion tea.”

“Yes. In fact, I don’t need to, but Levinas still needs to. I’m helping her.”

“Ah… Such a great unni.”

Yeoreum, sitting beside me, wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

Feeling good, my tail kept wagging for a long while.

—

—

“I’ll go outside now.”

“Okay. I’ll do some work and then follow. If something happens, ask the people around for help, okay?”

“Yes.”

As Gyeoul and Levinas left, Yeoreum stayed home to count the money.

There wasn’t even a slight intention of putting the precious money Gyeoul gave to pay off her debt into the guild’s treasury.

It was a conclusion reached after meeting with the guild members.

‘This money should be used entirely for Gyeoul’s happiness.’

Yeoreum knew very well that Gyeoul’s will to live wasn’t that strong.

A life that wouldn’t be surprising if it ended at any moment.

For this, it was necessary to make Gyeoul feel her life was joyful and happy.

‘Focusing on growth for now would be good, right?’

There’s nothing more fun than seeing oneself progress bit by bit.

This was one of the reasons Yeoreum didn’t stop Gyeoul from doing wilderness training.

‘For Gyeoul to live a long life, become a great adventurer, and…’

Uh…

Get married…?

Gyeoul getting married?

‘Absolutely not.’

Thump-!

Yeoreum, without realizing, slammed her hand down on the table.

Sophia, who had been dozing in the massage chair, jolted in surprise.

“Why, why the sudden noise?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I got angry all of a sudden thinking about Gyeoul living happily…”

“Why would you get angry thinking about a happy Gyeoul…?”

“Well, that, I ended up imagining Gyeoul getting married…”

Ah.

That would indeed make her angry.

Yeoreum, who cherished Gyeoul to the point of obsession.

Sophia nodded in understanding, just as the front door opened with the sound of light footsteps bounding down the hall.

“Did you call me?”

It was Gyeoul’s voice.

Startled, Yeoreum peeked towards the entrance.

“Gyeoul, weren’t you going down in the elevator?”

“No, Levinas went down by elevator. I was going to take the stairs.”

“Is, is that so?”

“Yes. I wanted to keep my distance from civilization as much as possible. Then suddenly, I heard a loud bang and my name, so I came back.”

How sharp must her hearing be to hear her own name through a closed door?

Perhaps her hearing had focused because of the bang.

Gyeoul had been training to selectively hear sounds because her hearing was too sensitive.

“It’s nothing, we were just talking about the future.”

“The future?”

“Yes. A very happy future. You were there too.”

“That, that’s nice…”

Embarrassment tinged Gyeoul’s voice.

Yeoreum and Sophia were able to catch that.

“Then I’ll go again.”

“Could you please use the elevator when you can?”

“Yes…”

Gyeoul closed the front door and, following Yeoreum’s request, pressed the elevator button.

No one saw that Gyeoul’s tail was wagging at a speed they had never seen before.

—

1/5 Enjoy the chappy!

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