A large, unidentified iron tray lay discarded at the recycling station.
It was so big that to carry it, one would have to balance it on their head.
The tray looked like it could be used for many things.
I hooked the iron tray over my ear and approached Yeoreum.
Tap-tap-tap-
Yeoreum was standing near the recycling station, using her smartphone.
Maybe she hadn't found what she was looking for?
I approached her and looked up.
"Did you find what you needed?"
"No, there was nothing I needed."
"Ah... It's not like there's always sothing useful."
I looked at the smartphone Yeoreum was holding.
Since it was above my height, I could only see the back, not the screen.
There were stickers of a rabbit, a cat, and a shark stuck all over the back.
"The photo I took with Gyeoul last ti is getting a really good response."
"Really?"
"Yeah. They say we're the prettiest in the world."
Of course.
Even at a glance, Yeoreum was a beauty everyone would say was pretty.
From her head to the shadow beneath her feet.
There was nothing that didn't fit the standard of beauty.
It would be strange if people didn't say she was pretty.
"You're actually beautiful."
"Um... are you talking about ?"
"Yes."
"That... um. Hehe..."
Yeoreum blushed and scratched her cheek.
She seed like she was about to say sothing.
With a question mark above my head, I just watched Yeoreum.
Then, soone approached us.
It was a middle-aged woman holding old clothes and a pot that looked almost new.
A pot brought to the recycling station.
Could it be that?
I looked up at the middle-aged woman, wagging my tail with anticipation.
"Excuse , are you throwing away that pot...?"
The middle-aged woman looked past to Yeoreum.
"I'm not throwing it away, but Yeoreum here..."
"Ahem!"
Yeoreum's sudden cough interrupted the woman.
Swish, swish-
I turned around, hearing the sound of arms waving quickly.
What I saw was Yeoreum standing at attention.
"...?"
What?
She was definitely waving her arms around.
As I wondered, the middle-aged woman handed the pot.
"I was planning to throw this away, but do you need it?"
"Ah, yes...!"
"It's almost new, so I felt bad about throwing it away. I'm glad."
It was just as the middle-aged woman said.
It was a secondhand pot that looked barely used.
"Thank you. I needed a pot."
"I should be thanking you. Thanks to the Yeomyeong Guild, the housing prices have gone up."
"Housing prices?"
Have the prices risen so much that she can throw away new pots without hesitation?
I was once again amazed by the greatness of the Yeomyeong Guild.
"Ho ho, that's how it is."
The middle-aged woman left, laughing with her hand over her mouth.
She looked so cheerful that it seed the housing prices had indeed risen significantly.
"Gyeoul, it's almost a brand-new pot, huh?"
"Yes. I got lucky."
Finding such a pot isn't easy.
Since receiving the Yeomyeong Guild's help, I've always been lucky.
Maybe Yeoreum was my good fortune.
Filled with gratitude, I looked up at Yeoreum.
Just seeing her made my wagging tail wag even harder.
"Shall we call it a day?"
"Yes."
A tray and even a pot.
Today's haul was good.
I could only hope that there would be more days like this in the future.
---
---
A makeshift recycling station at the bus stop outside the park.
It was a place where Levinas often stopped to collect empty bottles.
At so point, empty bottles were added to the recycling station, which previously only had cans and plastics.
The kids didn't know that the empty bottles were brought in for them.
"Turtle, turtle, I'll give you a new bottle, so give an empty one."
Levinas humd the nursery rhy she learned from Saebyeok while rummaging through the trash for empty bottles.
Today's haul was three.
But one of the bottles was in a strange condition.
There was trash inside.
Since it was a black beer bottle, it was hard to see the contents.
They wouldn't accept bottles with foreign substances, so Levinas imdiately took out a stick.
It was a special stick that Gyeoul had made to remove foreign substances from empty bottles.
"Co here."
Swish, swish-
She turned the beer bottle upside down and removed the trash.
With her experience, she could quickly empty the contents.
Thud-
A round badge fell to the ground.
When she saw the badge, which was about the size of a beer bottle opening, Levinas's face turned pale.
"Oh..."
It was a badge symbolizing the "worker" class of the beast-kin group Levinas had belonged to.
It wasn't sothing that would end up inside an empty bottle without reason.
Levinas quickly understood what the badge ant.
It was clear that soone from the village had put it there.
Co back, we're watching you.
We won't let traitors go.
Is that roughly what it ant?
Levinas felt her heart sink.
"Levinas has already switched sides..."
Should she tell the king the truth?
Levinas was conflicted.
Although King was incredibly cool and strong, she was still just a child.
A child two years younger than herself.
The beast-kin in the village was ruthless to children.
She knew exactly how they would treat King.
She didn't want to make kind King have a terrible experience.
King.
No, Gyeoul, was a precious family mber.
For the safety of the family, she had to keep this incident a secret.
"The pain is only for Levinas..."
After losing her parents, she t new family mbers who could give her the love she thought she'd never have again.
Levinas didn't want to cause pain to the family she had now.
She decided to hide everything about the bad beast-kin.
---
---
I placed the newly acquired pot and tray in the tent and returned ho.
I walked into the living room, thinking of everyone who would welco warmly, but for so reason, the atmosphere was strange.
The air felt cold, and the room seed dark.
It wasn't actually like that, but it felt that way.
I instinctively heightened my senses.
The air was warm as usual, and the room was bright with the lights on.
Was it just my imagination?
I looked around the room aimlessly and spotted Levinas sitting quietly in a corner.
Saebyeok and Sophia were watching her carefully.
"Gyeoul, when you co ho, you should wash your hands and feet first..."
Yeoreum, who had co in late, closed her mouth when she saw the heavy atmosphere.
Not knowing the situation, we moved towards Saebyeok and Sophia, who were keeping their distance.
"Sophia, Levinas looks down."
"Indeed."
"Do you know why?"
Sophia just shrugged at my question.
It ant she didn't know either.
In her stead, Saebyeok spoke up.
"I asked her, but she wouldn't tell ."
"Nothing at all?"
"Yeah."
What on earth could have happened to her?
I decided to ask Levinas directly.
"Levinas."
I cautiously approached her.
Her ears perked up as she faced , then drooped again.
"King, King..."
"Is sothing wrong?"
"Well..."
Levinas hesitated and shook her head.
It wasn't that nothing was wrong; it was more like she didn't want to tell .
"We're family. If you're going through sothing tough, let's share it."
At the word "family," Levinas flinched and hung her head low.
She fidgeted with her fingers for a long ti before getting up from the sofa.
"...King, Levinas wants to sleep."
"Are you tired?"
"Yeah..."
Plod, plod-
I watched Levinas walk weakly towards her room.
I couldn't just leave her alone in such low spirits, so I quickly followed after her.
I'll talk to her for a bit.
I communicated with everyone through a glance and closed the door.
I thought that with fewer people, she might open up more honestly.
"Levinas."
Levinas, lying facedown on the bed, buried her face in the pillow.
I lay down right next to her and looked at her.
"Do you still not want to talk?"
Levinas remained motionless, lying facedown.
Should I give her so ti alone?
I patted her head once and got up from the bed.
"You know I'm always on your side, no matter what happens, right?"
"...Yes, I know."
Levinas lifted her head.
The pillow where her eyes had been was slightly damp.
"When you sort out your thoughts, will you tell then? I'll help you no matter what."
"What if I can't tell you later…"
"Even later?"
It wasn't that we didn't trust each other.
It must be sothing really difficult to reveal.
My tail drooped at the thought that I couldn't help her.
"King..."
"Yes?"
"Levinas really likes King."
"I like you too."
"Levinas doesn't want to part King..."
With that, Levinas buried her face in the pillow again.
Hearing her softly breathing, it seed she had really fallen asleep.
Going to bed without even eating dinner.
She must be very tired from whatever is bothering her.
I turned her over to make sure she could breathe easily.
"Levinas, don't worry too much."
Unlike , Levinas was loved by everyone.
No matter how hard things got, there would be plenty of people willing to help her.
Levinas had the people of the Yeomyeong Guild.
What I needed to do was reassure her.
To do that, I needed to find out what had happened to her.
First, I decided to talk to Sophia.
---
3/5 Enjoy the chappy!
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