Chapter 44: Missing

The interior of the building the girl was pushed into was just as dark as its exterior.

The ceiling lights had more burnt-out sections than working ones.

Fist-sized clumps of dust rolled around, and mold grew in various spots.

It was a scene that made you wrinkle your nose at first glance.

“…Sit there and wait a moment.”

Click-

The man locked the door and staggered over to open the refrigerator.

A sticky liquid dripped out, spreading an indescribably foul odor.

“Ugh…”

Even the girl, who was usually tolerant of such things, reflexively felt nauseous.

The man, however, focused solely on making lemonade, ignoring the girl’s reaction.

“Lemonade… you must like sour things.”

Mumble, mumble.

It was hard to tell if he was talking to her or to himself.

The girl looked at the man’s back with pity.

She’d already noticed when she first met him that he was in deep despair.

That’s why she’d followed him despite the monks’ warnings not to go with strangers offering food.

Because he was pitiful.

Whatever had happened, it was right to help if she could.

“Here… drink up.”

Despite the dirty surroundings, the cup the man handed her was clean.

A crystal-clear glass without a single water stain, filled with bright yellow lemonade.

The girl gave a small smile.

“Hehe, I’ll enjoy it.”

The taste was just okay.

The carbonation had gone flat, making it bland.

The lemon was just sour without any sweetness.

Still, the girl held the glass with both hands and gulped it down eagerly as usual.

“Is it good?”

Ah, of course, she couldn’t lie.

“No. It’s just sour.”

Flinch.

I guess kids these days are all this bold.

The man awkwardly made an excuse.

“…It’s actually syrup meant for alcohol, so I guess the taste is different.”

Alcohol?

Isn’t alcohol the drug adults take when they’re having a hard time?

Why on earth do adults like this useless stuff?

Thud-!

The girl set down the glass loudly and frowned deeply.

“Alcohol is bad. Don’t drink it.”

Yeah. Good adults don’t drink things like alcohol.

The monks said so, and so did the Guild Master!

The man nodded blankly at the girl’s forceful warning.

But the girl wasn’t satisfied with just that.

“And living in a place like this is bad for your health! You should clean properly too!”

Whether the drink tasted good or not, she’d accepted it, so she had to repay the favor.

The girl jumped down from her chair with an “Oomph!” and looked around.

She spotted an old rag in the corner of the sink!

“I’m going to use some water, okay?”

“Uh… okay…”

She immediately started washing the rag with her tiny hands and wiping down the dusty table.

The man’s eyes widened at her clearly practiced movements.

“You seem used to housework?”

“Yes. I used to do it all when I was younger.”

Huh? When you were younger?

She looks about ten years old, but she says she did all the housework when she was even younger?

The man’s blank eyes gradually regained focus.

He’d thought she was a pampered child based on her refined appearance.

It was clear she’d been abused by strange parents.

“Wasn’t it hard?”

“Is there any work that isn’t hard? I’m just glad I could do this much.”

“Usually, kids your age don’t have to do such difficult work.”

“Still… someone has to do it in the end, right?”

She meant it.

Until she settled in the cult, she’d taken on all sorts of tasks, and though she’d found them difficult, she’d never wanted to quit.

It was only natural to do this much for the people raising her, who had no other merits.

Rather, after sacrificing her arms and legs as payment for wishes later on.

When she couldn’t even move freely, let alone eat and sleep without relying on others, there were many times she wished she could move like when her limbs were intact, even if it was hard.

“Phew…”

The girl wiped away her sweat after thoroughly cleaning the large table with her whole body, then smiled brightly.

She looked at the man full of despair, reminding her of her past self, and said,

“So… I don’t know what happened, but don’t give up!”

Looking back now, life in the cult was just hard.

If she went back to that time, she couldn’t bear it.

And all of that was thanks to the people by her side now.

“Monk Jamyeong, and Mr. Guild Master… Just like I met good people, you’ll meet good people too. I’ll pray for that to happen!”

The girl’s smile was bright, even though she should have been scared to be in a strange place with a stranger.

A slight blush appeared on her slightly chubby cheeks.

She’s a good child.

She must have suffered abuse that other children couldn’t even imagine.

Yet she didn’t become twisted, and she’s kind and thoughtful enough to worry about others.

Monk Jamyeong and Mr. Guild Master.

Whoever they were, the man felt envious of them for a moment.

“Alright! Now tell me what happened!”

The girl climbed back onto the bar stool, which was as tall as she was, with an “Oomph!”

She dangled her thin legs in the air, resting her chin on the table as she looked at the man.

“Hahah…”

She looked ready to listen to anything.

The man let out an awkward laugh at her expression, as if she were about to hear an interesting fairy tale.

Indeed…

It’s not just her appearance; her personality is similar too.

As if entranced, he began to speak.

“I had a daughter a little younger than you.”

“How old was she?”

“She’d be about 7 now.”

The girl flinched at the man’s words.

She’d be…?

From his strange phrasing, she could guess that the man’s daughter wasn’t safe.

I see.

So that’s why he had the expression of someone who’d lost everything, like me.

She remembered feeling like the sky had fallen and the whole world had ended when her parents died.

How hard it must have been.

The man continued his story with an awkward smile at the girl’s sympathetic gaze.

A Gate that suddenly appeared.

His wife and daughter were swept into it.

But as usual, with the lack of manpower, the Awakened were dispatched according to priority.

“You know what? They say these multi-family housing areas are pretty low on the dispatch priority list.”

The problem was that several Gates had opened in the city center that day.

The Gate that the man’s family was pulled into was pushed to the back of the queue.

“…Why?”

“Apartments and commercial areas have more residents, so they’re higher priority. The expensive houses where you lived are even higher priority because important people live there.”

So in the end, it’s because there’s less money and fewer people.

The girl’s beautiful face fell.

Were the people on the surface not happy after all?

The Guild Master was so worried about Gates…

That damned Gate, Gate.

Hearing these terrible stories all the time, the girl had imagined what it might be like beyond the Gates.

It must be a hell crawling with demons.

Since the Almighty God watches over the surface, they must appear to torment people somehow.

“Then… what about your family…?”

At the girl’s cautious question, the man averted his gaze slightly.

Ah, as I thought… they must have died…?

“They were rescued later. Would you like to meet them?”

But the man’s answer was unexpected.

“What?! Th-they’re alive?!”

“Let’s go. I’ll introduce you. I think you’ll be alright.”

His family was alive.

He’d looked away simply to glance in their direction.

“Yes! Please introduce me!”

Thank goodness!

As long as they’re alive, it’s okay.

Even if they’re badly hurt, I can help them!

The girl stood up first, urging the man on.

“If you had a daughter, you should have cleaned properly!”

“…I’m sorry.”

The man slowly approached the tightly closed door.

The room was so dark that she couldn’t see his expression, but.

“Just trust me! I’ll help you somehow!”

The girl believed without a doubt that everything would end happily.

*

Meanwhile, Kim Seongyeong, who had no idea the girl had gone off with a suspicious stranger…

“Tsk… I guess just buying this won’t be enough?”

He was lost in deep thought.

He’d already picked out the tanghulu the girl said she wanted, but.

It seemed a bit lackluster to come back with just two tanghulu after using his acceleration ability to get here.

So he started grabbing everything that caught his eye.

Macarons, shortcakes.

“What’s this?”

Even meringue cookies that looked like flour-dusted poop, things he’d never heard of before.

He picked out all sorts of desserts he usually dismissed as “girly food.”

Kim Seongyeong’s monthly allowance was 500,000 won.

“That’ll be 68,000 won.”

“…Here.”

He’d spent over 10% of that on this one gift.

With trembling hands, he held out his debit card and received a heavy paper bag in return.

“Thank you. Have a nice day!”

Kim Seongyeong grinned at the employee’s mechanical farewell.

Yeah. I’ve shown this much sincerity, so she won’t dislike it, right?

It’s embarrassing to say I bought it just for her, so I’ll say it’s a housewarming gift.

Seeing how she smiled when talking about tanghulu, she’ll probably be really happy.

She might even smile at me like that!

When Kim Seongyeong returned to the spot, clutching the paper bag to his chest and using his acceleration ability…

“…What? Did she go back to the Guild Master?”

Only an empty street greeted him.

Maybe she got impatient because she’s a girl.

Kim Seongyeong tried to hide his anxiety and hurried back to the cafe where the Guild Master and his parents were, but…

“Huh? Why are you looking for her here if you left together?”

He flinched at his mother’s answer that the girl hadn’t returned.

“…Has the child disappeared?”

He trembled at the Guild Master’s voice, which was so hard it gave him goosebumps.

—