Chapter 102
The real owner of my body has appeared.
How should I explain this to Yeoreum?
I paced back and forth before rushing out towards Yeoreum.
I gestured for Saebyeok to stay put for now.
"Welcome..."
Yeoreum's expression as she entered the living room was far from normal.
She was on the verge of bursting into tears.
Had something happened outside?
Her downtrodden mood brought even my wagging tail to a stop.
"Gyeoul..."
"Yes..."
She staggered towards me and suddenly hugged me.
Though I didn't understand the situation, it felt good to share our warmth.
"Gyeoul, I'm really sorry..."
"What for...?"
"Uh... It's nothing."
Hehe.
Yeoreum stepped back with an awkward smile.
I felt a bit disappointed.
"There's something..."
"Yes."
"I need to tell you something..."
"Yes. What is it?"
She matched my eye level with a gentle expression.
Which made me hesitate even more.
"Something strange has happened..."
"Strange?"
"Yes. It's..."
How should I explain this situation?
As I hesitated and looked up at her, Levinas screamed from the room.
"Yikes!"
"...!"
The scream was so loud it made my ears and tail perk up.
Just as I was startled, Yeoreum flung open the door.
"What's going on...!"
Yeoreum froze in place as she opened the door.
She was shocked to see someone who looked just like Gyeoul.
Not knowing what to say, I just watched silently from behind.
"Is that Saebyeok?"
"Yes."
"Yes?"
How did Yeoreum know Saebyeok?
Were they not meeting for the first time?
Just as questions began to rise in my mind, Levinas charged towards me.
"King! King, we have a big problem!"
"Uh, yes...?"
"A Dark King has appeared! Is this the other personality of the King?!"
A dark personality.
It was a concept from the Animal Kingdom animation.
The protagonist had another self.
Levinas's innocent attitude was endearing.
It eased my mood.
I joked with Levinas in a playful tone.
"That's right. My dark personality has appeared."
"Whaa! The King's darkness..."
Levinas trembled and then buried her face in my stomach.
With quick reflexes, I noticed the horn on Levinas's forehead disappear.
As if to avoid being in the way when hugging.
'Fascinating.'
I wondered if Levinas's horn, like my tail, moved naturally on its own.
The physiology of beast-kin is truly a mystery.
"King, please tell your dark personality not to attack Levinas...! Tell them Levinas is on our side...!"
"Yes. I've already mentioned that."
"Really?!"
"Yes."
I chuckled and gently patted Levinas's head.
Looking at her adorable self, all my worries vanished.
'Well, yeah.'
Even if my real body appears, I am still me.
I decided to just accept the current situation.
"Gyeoul, could you give me and Saebyeok a moment to talk? It might be a bit scary for Gyeoul to hear."
"Okay. Then, I'll go play in the park with Levinas."
"Sorry to ask you to leave."
"It's okay."
I took Levinas's hand and headed to the park.
Levinas was still bothered by the 'Dark King', making a concerned face.
<+>
Yeoreum was able to hear everything from Saebyeok.
Including how the adults who were experimented on with her saved her life.
"Gyeoul was buried so deep she couldn't get out."
"Really...?"
"Yes. But the adults being experimented on made a dungeon so she could escape."
"Oh..."
Since a dungeon sucks in everything nearby, a dungeon created from grudges must have absorbed the soil.
She wondered why there was an additional level 1 dungeon in the past.
All of this was the adults' 'miracle' to save Gyeoul.
'But which guild cleared that dungeon?'
If they cleared the grudge dungeon, they must have discovered the terrible experiments done to people.
Something was fishy.
It was something worth looking into.
As Yeoreum was thinking this, Saebyeok was also sorting out her thoughts.
'Gyeoul wanted to keep her identity a secret.'
Having seen the world through Gyeoul's eyes, Saebyeok knew her better than anyone.
However, Saebyeok was determined not to do anything Gyeoul disliked.
After all, Gyeoul was a child who had suffered due to Saebyeok's selfishness.
Saebyeok felt a certain guilt towards Gyeoul.
She hoped that a child who suffered more than even herself would receive more love and happiness.
A little lie might be necessary.
The more guilt the guild members felt towards Gyeoul, the more love and affection Gyeoul would receive.
"Hey, I have a favor to ask about Gyeoul."
"What is it?"
Yeoreum stroked Saebyeok's head with a gentle smile.
Saebyeok's tail wagged slightly, despite her impassive face.
"Actually, Gyeoul is a personality I created to survive. She's a brave and spirited child who can do anything."
Saebyeok emphasized the word 'created' when she spoke.
It was a lie made so that Gyeoul could receive more love.
The more Gyeoul is seen as a 'created', pitiful child, the more love she would receive.
"So, that's how it is... Yes... Gyeoul really is brave and spirited."
"Yes. But now, Gyeoul and I have separated."
"Hmm...?"
Right.
Should I see Saebyeok and Gyeoul as different people?
Yeoreum frowned, puzzled by the situation.
"Gyeoul may have been created, but she's a real person with a life. So..."
Saebyeok deliberately left her sentence hanging.
It was to spark Yeoreum's imagination.
"I understand what Saebyeok wants to say."
A child not born out of love, but artificially created.
What would happen if Gyeoul found out about this?
If Gyeoul, who had no attachment to life...
"Ugh."
Yeoreum squeezed her eyes shut.
She didn't want to imagine such a terrible future.
At least for her, her memories with Gyeoul were 'real'.
"Gyeoul suffered because of me. Now, I just want her to be happy."
"Yes. Me too."
And Saebyeok as well.
Yeoreum thought to herself.
"You know this is a secret, right?"
"A secret?"
"Yes. A secret."
Saebyeok put her index finger to her lips in a 'shush' gesture.
However, Yeoreum found it hard to nod in agreement.
She had promised to share things about Gyeoul with the guild members.
"Well, um..."
In the moment Yeoreum hesitated, Saebyeok spoke up.
"It's okay to tell the guild. I know the guild members care about Gyeoul."
"…Yes. Thank you for saying that."
Yeoreum reached out and hugged Saebyeok tightly.
Saebyeok looked like Gyeoul but was always expressionless and looked fiercer than she did.
Yet, Yeoreum knew.
She knew how kind and gentle Saebyeok truly was.
"Saebyeok being the older sister, should take good care of Gyeoul, right?"
"Yes. Gyeoul is my precious younger sister."
Saebyeok's tail swayed gently.
Unable to hide her emotions just like Gyeoul.
Yeoreum burst into laughter.
<+>
Levinas and I were sitting on a park bench, discussing the 'Dark King'.
"King, the Dark King is a being that will bring destruction to the world!"
"…Is it that serious?"
"Yes! A very terrifying existence!"
The dark being is terrifying?
It felt somewhat discriminatory, but I doubted Levinas meant it that way.
In the animation, the 'dark personality' was portrayed as a dangerous entity.
So, I decided to play along with Levinas's imagination.
"What should we do then?"
"I'm not sure either..."
"That's too bad."
I placed my hand on the trembling Levinas's shoulder.
Just as I was about to comfort her, Saebyeok approached us.
"Gyeoul."
"Yikes!"
Levinas buried her face in my chest.
I could tell how much she feared Saebyeok.
"Saebyeok is here?"
"Yes. Saebyeok has come."
Saebyeok's tail swayed gently.
She was in a good mood, perhaps having finished the conversation well.
"What has Saebyeok decided to do?"
"She decided to become friends with Gyeoul."
"Aha."
It probably means she intends to get along from now on.
My tail swayed in sync with hers, resonating with her mood.
It was then that Levinas's ears perked up while nestled in my arms.
"Is the Dark King not going to be friends with Levinas...?"
"The Dark King is also friends with Levinas."
Levinas jumped up and looked at Saebyeok with wide eyes, surprised at the idea of befriending such a frightening entity.
"Really...?"
"Yes. Let's get along by picking up empty bottles together in the future."
"Wow!"
Levinas, possibly delighted at the idea of picking up empty bottles together, raised her hands in joy.
It wasn't bad for Levinas to have a new friend.
<+>
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