10. Fishing

10. Fishing

“… If Seol-ah gets even a little hurt, I will never forgive you.”

The Polar Bear, hereinafter referred to as Polar Bear, scratched his cheek, recalling Seol-yeon’s chilling threat.

He found it hard to understand why she needed such a grand pledge just for going fishing, not for hunting something strange.

“Hmph, hmph.”

“Hey, don’t pull my ear.”

The Polar Bear smacked Seol-ah, who was riding on his shoulders like a horse. A clear and cheerful sound echoed with a “Kong,” and Seol-ah let out a weak “Ae-aeng!” sound, hitting the Polar Bear’s back with her tail.

The Polar Bear, continuing to walk, said.

“Why does your sister coddle you so much?”

“Huh?”

“No, think about it, you’re a wolf too. Even though you’re young now, you’ll grow up soon, so why is she only protecting you like that?”

A child cannot remain a child forever. Eventually, they must grow up and become an adult.

Even if they receive protection from adults for now, they must eventually break free from their embrace and become full-fledged adults. Why is she protecting her so much?

Even if she gets hurt trying something, that would be another experience, and it would be better to teach her more rather than keeping her in a greenhouse. At least, that’s what the Polar Bear thought.

“I’m not taking you to a dragon’s lair or anything, just going fishing, and yet she’s growling at me… sigh….”

The Polar Bear, feeling unfairly treated, started grumbling. Seol-ah, holding her tail high in the air, said.

“Because if I get hurt, it’s a huge loss for our wolf tribe!”

“Ing?”

“I’m going to become a very cool, big, strong, and powerful wolf, and if I get hurt and can’t use my strength properly when I grow up, it will be a huge loss for the future wolf tribe! That’s why Sister is trying to protect me!”

Of course, the biggest reason is that Sister loves me-

Seol-ah placed her hands on her hips and smiled foolishly. The Polar Bear, feeling a bit annoyed by her confident and elated expression, smacked her head again.

“Kkang!”

“But what kind of wolf makes a sound like that? Are children always like this?”

“Why, it’s a totally cool howl! Sister even praised it as unique!”

“Ah, I see.”

The Polar Bear turned his head and walked forward again. Seol-ah, who had been idly wagging her tail while riding on his shoulders, suddenly looked at the fishing rod the Polar Bear was holding and asked.

“Uncle, where did you get this fishing rod?”

“Where did I get it?”

“I mean, you didn’t make it yourself, did you? It’s too small for you to have made it!”

Seol-ah snatched the fishing rod and held it high in the air horizontally. The modernly designed fishing rod was too large and heavy for Seol-ah’s body, but in the Polar Bear’s hand, it looked small, like a miniature.

“All of Uncle’s things are huge. It’s strange that only this is small.”

“Well, I’m not using it. I don’t really use fishing rods much; I just go into the water and catch them. I got this for you guys to use….”

The Polar Bear paused for a moment before continuing.

“So… its name was Mado something. Anyway, I bought it from there.”

“Mado something?”

“Mado… I think? I can’t remember the rest.”

The Polar Bear, carrying Seol-ah on his shoulders, walked and walked into the forest. Seol-ah looked at the familiar trees and tilted her head, asking.

“Why are we going in here?”

“To go fishing, of course.”

“Do you fish in the forest?”

“There’s a lake in the forest. Haven’t you been here a few times?”

Seol-ah closed her eyes tightly and tried to recall. Snow, trees, snow, snow, and occasionally delicious Ice fruit. Not a single one of them could be identified as a lake.

Seol-ah smiled foolishly and exclaimed.

“I don’t know!”

“Well, you’ll find out when we get there.”

The Polar Bear pushed through the trees that stood firm even in the cold. The leaves, pushed aside by his massive body, not only blocked the mighty Polar Bear but also hit Seol-ah’s weak face, bothering her.

After a while, an open space appeared.

A circular clearing, as if someone had pulled out the trees from the middle of the forest, leaving it empty. On the snowfield covered only by snow, Seol-ah got down from the Polar Bear’s head and stood on two feet.

The Polar Bear said.

“Here.”

“Here?”

Seol-ah looked around. All she could see was the snow piled up on the ground and the snow that had started to fall lightly from the sky. She couldn’t see any water, let alone a lake.

“Where is the lake? There isn’t one.”

“This is the lake.”

The Polar Bear stomped on the ground a few times with his foot, then clenched his fist and thrust it forward.

Kuaang! A deafening roar that shook the heavens echoed all around, and Seol-ah, startled, covered her ears, curled her tail, and widened her eyes.

Where the Polar Bear had punched, a large hole had been created. Water gushed out from it.

“Huk….”

“What are you doing there? Hold out your fishing rod.”

“Yes!”

Seol-ah straightened her hunched body and ran with quick steps, standing beside the artificially created waterside. Inside, along with remnants of ice, an immeasurable amount of water churned.

“I thought this was just a snowy field!”

“The trees are all gone here, so there must be something under the ground.”

Seol-ah tilted her triangular ears towards the water. With her ears perked and her tail wagging, Seol-ah soon heard something swimming in the water.

“Oh….”

The sound was like that of an Arctic mouse or an Arctic hamster digging through the snow.

If it were fish in the water, it would be one thing, but it couldn’t be a hamster. However, consumed by instinct, Seol-ah didn’t realize this and, as usual, lifted her tail and jumped high into the air.

“Ah.”

But in front of her was not snow, but cold, icy water.

Seol-ah’s life flashed before her eyes.

“Hyeong!”

At that moment, the Polar Bear grabbed Seol-ah’s large tail. Just 1cm away from entering the water, Seol-ah dangled in the air, trembling.

The Polar Bear said.

“What are you doing!”

“It’s a… habit….”

“What wolf just throws themselves into a hole?!”

“Hehehe… Thank you for catching me!”

Children are truly incomprehensible. The Polar Bear calmed his momentarily pounding heart and spread out a foldable chair on the snow. This, like the fishing rod, was also an item purchased from Mado something.

Seol-ah wiggled her bottom to thread her large tail through the gap in the foldable chair and lifted the fishing rod, which was much larger than her body. It was heavy, but with the Polar Bear’s help, she could hold it upright.

“This is how you fish….”

“I know!”

“Oh? Really?”

This is the time when past life experiences shine, Seol-ah said with a very confident expression.

“I’m going to catch something huge, so look forward to it!”

“Oh, okay.”

——

“Hye-eeng.”

“There she goes again.”

“It’s boring….”

“Fishing is about waiting.”

Seol-ah shivered, shaking off the snow that had accumulated on her body. The snow, which had started to fall lightly as they approached the lake, had covered her.

Even though Seol-ah held the fishing rod still for a long time, there was no bite. If she had at least snagged a rock, it would have been something, but there was absolutely no reaction.

If it continued like this, she felt like she would die of boredom.

Meanwhile, the Polar Bear, who had gone into the lake and come out, had already caught several fish and put them in a container. Seeing that, it wasn’t that there were no fish, so why was only her fishing rod being ignored? Seol-ah stamped her feet in frustration, then almost dropped the fishing rod and quickly gripped it again.

“Ae-ae-ang.”

“Agh….”

The Polar Bear, disgusted by the whining wolf’s sound, took off his upper garment and plunged into another hole he had made. Water splashed with a “splash,” and bubbles rose with a “gurgle, gurgle.”

In the icy water. Fish could be seen. There were certainly many of them.

However, they all skillfully avoided the fishing rod. At this point, she suspected the fishing rod might be cursed.

The Polar Bear swam skillfully and roughly grabbed the fish. Then, he swam back towards the hole where Seol-ah was fishing.

The fishing hook swayed. The bait had already dissolved and melted into the water.

‘Sigh…’

The Polar Bear hooked the fish he was holding onto the fishing hook. The fish, struggling to escape, got caught on the roof of its mouth, and simultaneously, the fishing line began to be pulled by the fish’s strength.

Twitch, twitch, Zzzzzzz.

Did Seol-ah notice the moving line? The fishing line suddenly stopped. Then, the fishing rod and the fish began a strength contest.

Moving away, getting closer, moving, stopping….

The Polar Bear watched only until that point and then swam out of the hole. As soon as he emerged from the water, the cold wind brushed his face. He exhaled and wiped off the moisture. The Polar Bear saw Seol-ah holding the fishing rod and pulling it with all her might.

“Ah, Uncle!! Something caught it!!”

“Did it?”

“Yes!! It feels really big!!”

The Polar Bear helped Seol-ah by holding the fishing rod together. Seol-ah, who repeatedly pulled the fishing rod with all her strength without realizing the Polar Bear was helping her, was finally able to reel in a wriggling fish.

“Wow!!!!”

“Congratulations.”

“I really am a cool wolf!”

A strong, big, powerful, cool wolf who’s good at drawing and fishing- Seol-ah smiled foolishly and carefully placed the fish in the container. She planned to show this huge fish to her sister.

Two small pupils were intently watching that container.