chapter_0627

627 – Windy

627 – Windy

The next day.

Haneul arrived at the blacksmith early in the morning.

Seeing the bustling activity between the blacksmith and outside the guild filled me with a sense of warmth.

‘Looks like they’re working hard.’

Was it because of what happened yesterday?

I heard the word Cinderella.

Curiosity piqued, I went to find Gaeul.

“Tu tu tu.”

In the lobby of the Dawn Guild on the first floor, a piano was set up.

Gaeul was diligently tapping the piano keys.

She was randomly pressing keys, pretending to play sweet music.

“Gaeul, are you playing the piano today?”

“No! I’m not.”

“Oh really? If it’s not a game, then what is it?”

“I’m just… playing!”

Oh my.

Gaeul, who had covered her mouth, shook her head firmly.

She didn’t seem to have any intention of sharing what she was doing.

“Hmm… how about we just play the piano together?”

“No. It’s not.”

Was she asking me to play beautifully?

I moved my body like a pianist and played a piece as Gaeul requested.

Of course, it wasn’t a difficult piece; I played the theme song from the Animal King animation.

“Heehee.”

Gaeul seemed to enjoy my piano playing, clapping her hands and giggling.

Once I finished the piece, Gaeul started to mimic me and play the piano.

Thump thump thump—

The sound was monotonous, but her posture while playing was quite impressive.

Her elegant expression and movements were rather beautiful.

“Wow, Gaeul, you look like a wonderful pianist.”

“Pianist?”

“Yeah. It’s someone who makes a living playing the piano, and you look like that right now.”

“Really?!”

Was she that happy to be called a pianist?

Gaeul began to play the piano even more beautifully.

“Gaeul, are you practicing how to play the piano?”

“No…?”

She nodded her head, then shook it again, denying it.

I couldn’t help but giggle at Gaeul’s amusing reactions.

I was curious about what she was doing.

Surely, she would tell me someday, right?

Leaving Gaeul, who wanted to practice a bit more, I set out to find the other kids.

“Mom! Dad! Do you know what a pierrot is?”

“A pierrot? I don’t think I’ve heard of that before.”

“A pierrot is a scary but kind person!”

Levinas was explaining pierrots to his parents, Ravi and Ian.

Ravi’s complexion turned pale as he looked at a pierrot on his smartphone.

“Sweetheart, isn’t this a demon…?”

“Yeah…! Actually, some pierrots are mixed with demons…!”

“R-really…?”

There are indeed scary pierrots among them.

I smiled at the memory of what happened yesterday and quietly slipped away.

I didn’t want to interrupt Levinas’s cozy time with his parents.

‘I wonder what Saebyeok and Bom are up to.’

I should play with Saebyeok and Bom this morning.

I left the area and headed to the Ggaemmi Guild to find them.

The two were having a pretty deep conversation in front of the guild container.

“Hmm… honestly, I’m not sure if it’s good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It feels just ordinary, neither good nor bad?”

Bom said as she walked out of a cardboard box.

Saebyeok looked a bit disappointed at this.

“Bom, what are you doing in the box?”

“Gyeoul said it was cozy to be inside the box. But I don’t really get it.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re a dragon?”

“Dragon?”

“Yeah. Dragons fly in the sky, not on the ground. Vastness suits them better than coziness.”

Upon hearing my words, it seemed like Saebyeok and Bom had an epiphany, their tails perked up.

“You’re right! It must be because I’m a dragon!”

“Dragons are definitely different.”

Saebyeok nodded in understanding but still couldn’t shake off the disappointment.

It seemed she felt bad for not being able to share the coziness of the box with Bom.

‘It is sad when a friend doesn’t understand what you like.’

But I couldn’t keep recommending something that I didn’t even like…

I quietly crawled into the box that Bom had just exited.

The inside of the box was so cozy that my heart felt at peace.

“Do you like the box, Gyeoul?”

“Yeah. I love it.”

Was it thanks to my cat instincts?

The box brought me peace beyond just coziness.

Perhaps thinking it was a sensation she could never feel, Bom looked at me with envy.

“I’m jealous. I want to like the box too.”

“The box?”

“Yeah. Everyone but me likes the box. It’s a bit disappointing that my family and I are different.”

“Hmm…”

Is she feeling isolated because of her different taste?

I understood very well what that feeling was like.

But I couldn’t just make something I didn’t like into my taste…

It was a moment where I hesitated, not knowing what to say.

Saebyeok pointed at the box I was in and said, “Then how about trying to get in now?”

“Now? What would be different if I got in now?”

“Yeah. You’re here.”

“Oh!”

Bom squeezed her way into the box.

The narrow box stretched out a bit, but thankfully, it didn’t tear.

“Wow! It’s so nice to be with Gyeoul!”

“Yeah. I’m happier being with Bom.”

Whether Bom was truly happy or not, she wagged her tail excitedly.

I felt a strange joy, thinking that Bom seemed to have learned about the coziness of the box.

“Gyeoul, do you think we’ll be like this forever?”

“Do you think so?”

It was a moment filled with laughter at Bom’s playful words.

Saebyeok, who had been staring at us blankly, suddenly shoved her feet into the box.

“Whoa.”

The cardboard box we were in was already cramped for two.

As Saebyeok tried to join us, the box began to tear.

Rip—

The box, which had been slowly tearing, suddenly burst when Saebyeok put both feet in.

Bom and I, who were lying inside, widened our eyes, then burst into giggles.

“The box burst.”

“It’s okay if it bursts! There are plenty of boxes in the world!”

Next time, let’s find a really big box that everyone can fit into.

We made that promise together.

**

After playing with Saebyeok and Bom, we moved to the Ggaemmi Guild building.

With nothing to do, I was watching the two work when I heard Gaeul’s voice from outside.

“Pyulnono.”

“Pyulnono?”

What could “pyulnono” mean?

Curiosity sparked, I walked outside the building.

There, I found Gaeul holding Levinas’s staff.

“Pyulnono.”

Gaeul spun around in front of the mouse Divine Beast Jjikji and the horse Divine Beast Wing.

Then, Jjikji and Wing quickly ran over, and the horse Divine Beast Hihihing took their place.

“Dash!”

At Gaeul’s request to do it again, Jjikji and Wing returned.

As Gaeul made special sound effects with her mouth saying “pyulnono,” Jjikji and Wing ran again, and Hihihing came running.

‘What is this?’

I wanted to ask what she was doing, but since Gaeul kept it a secret, it was hard to understand.

I had no choice but to watch Gaeul from a distance.

“Pyulnono.”

More than ten times, twenty times.

After spinning continuously, Gaeul finally nodded her head in satisfaction.

“Just a moment.”

“Click!”

“Heehee!”

The Divine Beasts took a break and Gaeul pulled out the balloon and doll she received from the pierrot through the portal.

It seemed that shaking the balloon and doll alternately was Gaeul’s way of resting.

“Gaeul, are you resting now?”

“Yeah. I’m just playing.”

“Wow, are you going to play again later? You’re really working hard.”

“Heh…”

Perhaps pleased by my compliment, Gaeul smiled brightly.

As she diligently shook the balloon, Gaeul was impressive when she played, fully engaging in her fun.

“You have to rest well so you can do better when you practice later.”

“Do you mean?”

“Yeah. You have to rest your best?”

“Okay!”

At my words, Gaeul plopped down on the nearby grass.

Just by scanning the grass with her eyes, I could tell what she was doing.

“Are you looking for ants?”

“Yeah. Ggaemmi.”

Watching something you love while resting is one of the best ways to relax.

I searched for ants with Gaeul and quickly found some.

Tap-tap—

Gaeul carefully poked the ants, taking her own rest.

As I relaxed alongside Gaeul, I noticed something strange.

“Gaeul, but where did the balloon go?”

“…Huh?”

Gaeul looked down at her hands with a puzzled expression.

The very hands that had been poking the ants.

“It’s gone.”

“Did it disappear?”

“Heh…”

Did she lose focus for a moment while playing with the ants and let it slip away?

It was definitely a balloon filled with helium…

I naturally looked up and spotted the balloon floating in the sky.

“Gaeul, the balloon is up in the sky.”

“Huh?!”

Gaeul looked up, her eyes widening.

The balloon was drifting away, carried by the wind.

“Balloon!”

Gaeul reached out her hand toward the air.

She jumped a little, but the balloon was at a height that was impossible to reach.

I waved my hands toward the sky and even tried a belly bow.

Gaeul tried every action she could think of, but the balloon didn’t come back.

“Ju-in…”

Thinking that nothing would work, Gaeul eventually looked back at me.

Her eyes were pleading for help, but I also had no ability to retrieve the balloon that had flown away.

“Gaeul, it seems like the balloon wants to go on an adventure.”

“…Do you mean?”

“Yeah. It will become a more wonderful balloon and come back to find you someday.”

I told Gaeul a little white lie for her sake.

At that, Gaeul’s eyes sparkled as if she had never heard such a thing before.

“The balloon will come back.”

Gaeul waved her hand at the balloon drifting far away.

I also waved my hand toward the balloon.