chapter_0647

647 – Shadow Play

647 – Shadow Play

Buuuuung-!

A flying snail, spinning its propeller like a drone, hovered around us.

Looking around, there was no one in sight who seemed to be controlling the snail.

Who on earth is moving the snail?

Could it be that the snail is flying of its own will?

In my astonishment, I could only stare at the flying snail.

Then, the snail flew far away into the high sky and disappeared from view.

“Goodbye, snail.”

Gaeul waved her hand at the snail as if bidding it farewell.

In response to her innocent gesture, I found myself waving at the snail too.

No, should I call it a propeller snail now?

“Hmm…”

I gazed up at the sky for a while.

What would the snail see now that it was flying in the sky?

Lost in such meaningless thoughts, Levinas approached me with a book in hand.

“Wanga! Wanga! Levinas found this storybook while picking up empty bottles!”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

What Levinas held out was a thin storybook.

It was a storybook about a kind old man with a hump, one I was familiar with.

“Wanga, will you read the storybook to Levinas?”

“Sure. Shall I?”

As I said I would read the storybook, the children began to gather around me.

I looked at the children sitting comfortably and started reading the storybook.

“Once upon a time, in a certain village, there lived a kind old man with a hump.”

“Wanga! What’s a hump?”

“See the picture? The bump on his cheek is called a hump.”

“Really?! I thought a hump meant a new animal!”

I chuckled at Levinas, who was pouting his lips like a bird’s beak, and continued the story.

The old man tricked a goblin into exchanging the hump for gold and treasures.

He even went to find the greedy old goblin.

Just as the story was reaching its climax, something shocking happened.

“What?!”

“Ikgu-muyak?!”

The last few pages of the storybook had been torn out and were missing.

I had wondered why a perfectly fine storybook was in the trash, and now I understood the reason.

“Ah.”

“It’s a shame there’s no ending…”

Was it because it ended at such an exciting part of the story?

The children expressed their disappointment.

‘What should I do?’

I knew the ending of the story, but should I tell it without the storybook?

As the time for contemplation stretched on, the children’s sense of loss grew.

“Hey, kids, I…”

Just as I was about to say I knew the ending, Saebyeok made a suggestion that piqued their interest.

“How about we write a new story ourselves?”

“We?”

“Yeah. We’ll create the ending ourselves.”

“………!”

The children’s ears perked up.

Writing a story ourselves could only be fun.

“How do we write the content?!”

“Um… how about we take turns writing one line each?”

“Wow! Then Levinas will bring the drawing supplies!”

Levinas fetched a drawing set from the guild container.

There were sketchbooks, colored pencils, scissors, and tape.

Confirming that all preparations were complete, I looked around at the children and asked,

“Then who wants to write the first line?”

“Gaeul!”

“Alright, shall Gaeul give it a try?”

The children’s gazes turned toward Gaeul.

What would happen to the greedy old man with a hump and the goblin in Gaeul’s world?

As I waited in anticipation, Gaeul began with a shocking development.

“Juin deunjan.”

“Me?”

Why am I suddenly appearing?

While I was momentarily bewildered, Levinas started drawing.

It was a picture of me appearing with a sound effect of ‘Dudung!’ between the old man and the goblin.

“Um…”

The story was unfolding in a completely unexpected direction.

Watching the completed drawing with a puzzled look, Haneul began to continue the story.

“The master went ‘Kong!’ and scolded the goblin…”

“Huh?”

I scolded the goblin?

It was a strange yet intriguing turn of events.

Swish-

We waited for the drawing of me hitting the goblin on the head to be completed.

It depicted me attacking a goblin that was twice my size, making it cry.

“The next scene is… um… shall Levinas give it a try?”

“Yeah!”

Levinas drew instead of speaking.

It was a picture of me hitting the greedy old man with a hump on the head too.

“Um…”

Since he’s greedy, he should get scolded a bit.

Having somewhat accepted the development, I turned to Bomi.

“Next is Bomi’s turn.”

“Okay! Next, let’s attack the kind old man with a hump too!”

“Is that so…?”

In the story, I wasn’t a being that punished the bad ones, but rather someone who just liked violence.

It was a scene that could be considered a twist.

“Hmm… how about Saebyeok for the last part?”

“The ending will be that Gyeoul defeats everyone and becomes the king.”

“Huh.”

Despite the chaotic content, Levinas diligently continued to draw.

Thus, the storybook was completed, depicting me defeating the goblins and the old man with a hump and becoming the king.

“Wow!”

Levinas used tape to stick all the drawings into the storybook.

Holding the completed storybook close to his chest, Levinas looked as if it were a treasure.

“Do you like the storybook, Levinas?”

“Yeah! This is Levinas’s treasure!”

Is it really something to be called a treasure?

When the last pages of the storybook were torn, I thought it was a disaster.

But I was truly proud of our children for turning a crisis into new happiness.

**

Levinas proudly showed off the storybook he created with everyone around.

He even went to strangers in the park to boast about it.

“Grandma, will Levinas read the storybook to you?”

“Oh, shall I listen to it?”

Levinas read the storybook to many people in the park.

Even with a huge twist at the end, people listened with smiles on their faces.

“What a wonderful story.”

“Yeah!”

It seemed Levinas really liked the storybook.

It was then that I was watching Levinas from a distance.

I perked up my ears at the conversation between Bomi and Gaeul, who were sitting near the extinguished campfire.

“Gaeul, do you know shadow play?”

“Isn’t that…?”

“Yeah. Let me try to make a dove with my shadow, want to see?”

“Hek…!”

Bomi reached out her hands toward the sunlight and overlapped them.

As she shook her palms back and forth, a shadow that looked like a dove flying was created.

“What do you think? Isn’t it amazing?”

“Mu-yak?!”

Gaeul’s eyes widened in surprise.

It was astonishing that a person could create a dove shadow.

“Bang! Jjaekjjae-yak?!”

“Yeah. Actually, I was a new animal!”

“Huh?!”

Gaeul’s eyes bulged out in disbelief, and Bomi began to giggle.

“You’re lying.”

“Huh?!”

Was Gaeul going to be fooled by Bomi again?

Gaeul’s eyebrows shot up fiercely.

Fortunately, it was easy to calm our Gaeul down.

“Do you want to make a Jjaekjjae shadow too?”

“Hek…!”

Bomi took Gaeul’s hand, who nodded, and helped her create a dove shadow.

Watching the dove flapping its wings as they shook their hands, Gaeul burst into laughter.

“Jjaekjjae! Jjaekjjae!”

It was while Gaeul was playing with the shadow dove.

Roar.

Bomi, who made a wolf shadow, pretended to eat Gaeul’s dove shadow.

“Huh?!”

This was even more shocking than the story we made earlier.

Gaeul seemed to share the same thought as me, making a forlorn expression as she looked at the devoured dove.

“Hehe, shadow attack!”

Bomi threw a punch into the air.

Then, Bomi’s shadow began to attack Gaeul’s shadow.

Of course, it didn’t actually attack Gaeul.

“……”

For a moment, Gaeul stared blankly at her shadow being attacked.

Then, realizing she couldn’t just be attacked, she made a fierce expression and began to counterattack.

“Yak! Yak-yak!”

Gaeul threw punches at Bomi’s shadow.

She stomped on the ground, and Gaeul’s shadow seemed to stomp on Bomi’s shadow.

“Hek! My shadow!”

“Yak! Yak-yak!”

Thump thump thump, Bomi and Gaeul played by stomping on the ground for a while.

To be precise, they were playing by stepping on each other’s shadows.

Thump thump thump-

Suddenly, Gaeul dashed toward me.

I wondered what she was doing, but Gaeul climbed onto my back, making her shadow much larger.

“Wow.”

What a giant strategy.

It was an incredibly clever tactic.

“Ah! Run away!”

Bomi fled to the guild container, seeing the enlarged shadow.

Watching this, Gaeul, who was on my back, puffed out her chest.

“Wow, Gaeul won?”

“Yeah!”

Gaeul got down from my back and stretched her arms wide.

As she embraced the air, looking down, Gaeul’s shadow was hugging my shadow.

Was this a shadow of victory?

I took a step back to avoid the shadow hug.

Then, Gaeul made a visibly flustered expression.

“I don’t want to do a shadow hug with Gaeul.”

“Eh…”

Gaeul’s ears and tail drooped sadly.

I chuckled at Gaeul’s expression.

“I’d rather have a real hug than a shadow hug.”

“……!”

Gaeul perked up her ears as if to say when did I say that.

With a bright smile, her tail began to wag.

“Shall we have a real hug?”

“Yeah!”

I hugged Gaeul tightly as she nodded.

It was warm and cozy, incomparable to a shadow hug.

A word from the author (Author’s note)

Thank you so much for reading today, PIA1747014585384!

Thank you for the comments and recommendations! They always give me strength!

Playing with shadows was so much fun when we were young!

Why was it so enjoyable?!

───

Thank you for the 10 coin support, AABABBA!