66. Errand

66. Errand

Drip, drip-

Rainwater fell from the sky. My head got wet.

Of course, it wasn’t real rain. This was the North Pole, a place where nothing but snow fell. The source of the water was the lake.

“Wh-what’s happening?!”

“Kkae-aeng…!”

We quickly stood up and looked at the center of the lake where Uncle was submerged. Just moments ago, there were broken ice floes floating there, but now, as if nothing had happened, a clear, round hole had appeared.

And inside that hole, it was glowing bright red and bubbling. Steam was also rising, indicating it was unusually hot.

I was careless. I thought the mechanical worm that Sister broke last time was the end of it, but I didn’t expect there to be another one.

Perhaps this was why Seol-gu brought me here. But now was not the time to leisurely ponder.

“Oh, Uncle….”

“Kkang…!”

“Seol-gu! If this continues, Uncle Polar Bear will turn into bear soup! We have to help him!”

I want to eat bear tail soup.

Ah, no, that’s not it.

The laser’s power was unusual. I could feel the scorching heat even from here. I couldn’t even imagine Uncle’s condition inside.

When I shouted to Seol-gu, Seol-gu nodded and stood at the edge of the ice with a determined expression. He was probably preparing to enter the water.

I also quickly stepped my toes into the water to enter… but then recoiled and came back onto the ice.

“It’s, it’s too cold….”

Although I felt intense heat in the air, the water was unexpectedly not very hot. Rather, it was so cold it felt like it would freeze my bones.

Even though it didn’t seem that far from the center of the laser, it was this cold… It seems the water temperature doesn’t change easily, more than I thought.

In that case, there’s a good chance Uncle is safe. At least, I don’t think he’s become bear soup.

Meanwhile, Seol-gu was getting into position to dive into the water. I grabbed Seol-gu and stopped him.

“Seol-gu, stop! We have to do our exercises first!”

“Kkang?”

The water was terribly cold. I didn’t know how hot the bubbling center was, but at least the path there would still be cold.

And when entering such cold water, one must first do sufficient warm-up exercises. Entering the water suddenly can cause muscle cramps, and most importantly, it helps prevent shock by allowing the body to adapt to the cold temperature.

This is something Sister strongly emphasized would be necessary if I ever went swimming, so I absolutely could not disobey.

“Okay, Seol-gu, follow me.”

“Kkang!”

“Hut, two, three, four…!”

Spread your legs shoulder-width apart, place one hand on your hip, and extend the other arm straight up to the sky. Then, twist your body while making “Kkiiing-kking” sounds to loosen your muscles.

Once you’ve done one side, do the other. Do the same as before, just in the opposite direction, to loosen your muscles. Seol-gu also diligently moved his stubby legs, following me to loosen his muscles.

“Now for the legs! Two, two, three, four…!”

“Kkang!”

After loosening the upper body, it’s time to loosen the legs. Kneel on one knee, extend the other leg, and press down on the extended leg.

Of course, you shouldn’t press too hard. Since it’s just to loosen up the body, pressing with appropriate force is the key to exercise.

“Finished!”

“Kkyang!”

After finishing the exercises, we stood in a T-shape, enjoying our now flexible bodies. Since I was already flexible for my age, after the exercises, I felt like I could fit into a glass bottle like a cat.

“Kkae- Kkae-aeng!”

“Whoa! Not yet. We have to get wet first!”

Seol-gu seemed to think this was the end and was about to jump into the water. Fortunately, just before Seol-gu plunged into the water, I managed to grab him.

The most important step was still remaining.

“Okay, let’s splash some water on ourselves!”

“Kkang….”

“Even if you’re in a hurry, no! Sister said that when you’re in a hurry, you need to think calmly!”

It’s not that I don’t want to save Uncle Polar Bear. But if I mess up, we might end up needing rescue ourselves while trying to save Uncle Polar Bear.

There’s a saying, isn’t there? ‘Heart of fire, head of ice.’

“Ah, cold!”

“Kkae-aeng.”

I bravely dipped my hand into the water, but it was so cold that I quickly pulled my hand back. The thought of having to enter this water makes me a little scared.

“Kkang kkang.”

“D-don’t rush me! I’ll do it.”

Seol-gu, whose body was already damp, cried out to me, urging me to hurry. Ugh, since you’re small, you finished quickly, but you’re rushing me.

I took a deep breath and splashed water onto my arms and legs, rubbing it in. My body felt like it was freezing.

“Eueuue.”

“Kkang kkang kkang.”

“A-are you already in? I haven’t even finished applying it all….”

Meanwhile, Seol-gu was already in the water, swimming and splashing around. His movements were very stable, so it seemed Seol-gu was a better swimmer than I thought.

“Eueu….”

Looking down from above like this, I could feel how deep the water really was. It was so dark I couldn’t see inside.

Will I be able to swim well?

To be honest, I hated getting my tail wet the most.

When my tail gets wet, it becomes heavy, damp, and unpleasant. Even when I wash with Sister in warm water, it’s like this, but if I were to immerse myself in this ice lake… Ugh.

But I couldn’t abandon Uncle Polar Bear because of that. A cool wolf wouldn’t do that. After hesitating, I finally gathered my courage and stood at the edge of the ice cliff.

“Okay, here I go. One, two, three!”

And finally…!

“… Four, five…!”

Ah, I don’t think I’ve quite gathered my courage yet. I think I need a little more time.

Seol-gu, who was already swimming, let out a deflated “Kkang” sound as he looked at me. It was a cry asking if I was still doing that.

“Don’t look at me like that…! I don’t know how to swim!”

“Kkang kkang.”

“Whoa? Hey, if you pull-“

After procrastinating for so long, I finally fell into the water when Seol-gu bit my pants and pulled me.

My body tilted forward, and my head submerged underwater. My vision turned black.

“Kkang…!! Splash splash, save the wolf!!”

It’s deep! My legs can’t reach! It’s scary! And it’s cold!

I flailed wildly in panic. Then, my fingertips touched Seol-gu’s tail, and I hugged it tightly as if it were a lifeline, letting out a loud scream.

“Kkang?! Kkang! Kkaeng!!”

“Save me, Seol-gu!! Save me!!”

It might actually be a lifeline. I tried to get to the surface by pulling on Seol-gu’s tail, which was floating on the surface, and as a result, Seol-gu, who was swimming gracefully, had to flail and cause a commotion just like me.

Splash, splash, splash, splash.

My ears dipped into the water, then came out, then my nose and mouth were submerged again. I couldn’t tell if water was entering my nose or my mouth.

“Kkae-aeng!”

“Uwaang!!”

Is this the end? Such a foolish ending.

If this is how it goes, I might be forever recorded in the history of the wolf tribe with a foolish reason like ‘Drowned while trying to swim with a fox.’ I don’t want that!

But whether I want it or not, my panicked body wouldn’t stop. Seol-gu was trying to get up, and I was pulling him down, so it was bound to be a mess.

“Kkae-aeng!! …… Huh?”

After struggling with Seol-gu for a long time, I suddenly realized that I could breathe relatively well, considering I had fallen into the water.

What could it be?

When I turned my head, I understood why.

“Uncle!!”

“My goodness… After a commotion in the water, why are you two struggling in the water?”

Uncle Polar Bear, who had emerged from the water, had grabbed my tail and lifted me into the air! Normally, I would have been angry about him grabbing my tail without permission, but now Uncle was like my savior.

Uncle swam skillfully and placed me on the ice surface.

“Oof, hoo….”

“Uncle!! I thought you were in danger…!”

“It was dangerous… but anyway, I found this.”

Uncle wiped the water off his body with his coat, which he had taken off earlier. Then he also wiped me down, which made me feel a little less cold despite falling into the water.

Then, Uncle casually tossed me the transparent stone.

“Every time I meet you, I feel like I’m getting into a fight with something.”

“It’s just a feeling. Hehe, the stone….”

Fortunately, the stone was intact even after going into the deep lake and coming back out. The stone, which had turned gray for a moment in Uncle’s hand, returned to its usual beautiful appearance when it was in my hand. I couldn’t be happier.

Now that I’ve found the lost stone, should I head home!

Although it hasn’t been long since I got into the water, I’m sick of water now. I probably won’t even look at bodies of water for a while. I’ll even refuse to bathe with Sister during that time.

… As I thought this and started to get up, Seol-gu, dripping water, bit my leg and pulled me.

“Huh? Why?”

“Kkang kkang, kkang!”

Seol-gu was pointing to the very center of the hole in the lake from which the laser beam had shot out. And when I combine that with Seol-gu’s action of trying to defeat the mechanical monster….

“You don’t mean… you want to go into the water?”

“Kkang.”

“N-no!!”

I screamed.