Chapter 20
Chirp, chirp.
A song drifting in through the window.
Sunlight slipping through the curtains.
“……….”
It all looked so real that, for a moment, it felt unreal.
Rustle.
I sat up in bed.
On an ordinary morning, this would be the perfect time to stretch, feeling refreshed, and shout cheerfully.
It was such a lovely morning, so why...
Tremble, tremble.
Why was my body shaking so much?
Why was I alone, gritting my teeth, clutching the edge of my blanket, and trembling?
“Little Squirmy….”
Hic.
Even though I tried to hold them back, tears welled up.
I started hiccuping without meaning to.
The reason was probably...
Family.
Friends.
Companions.
Because I'd lost someone precious.
Because I'd given it so much affection, the loss and emptiness were all the greater. I wasn't a god great enough to overcome those feelings.
At my core, I was just a powerless human.
That was me.
“Ugh.”
Crash!
Like a zombie, I staggered out of bed, then tripped and tumbled across the floor.
I lay sprawled on my back, staring at the ceiling.
I couldn't think of anything.
“……….”
Rumble.
I was hungry.
How hungry had Little Squirmy been?
It had been so plump, but in the end it became so thin and frail....
I wished there were a heaven in Yeoulrim.
I wished we could meet again there.
“Little Squirm... Little Squirm…….”
Sniff.
I was talking nonsense.
I sniffled to myself.
And so I spent the morning sprawled there, lost in pointless thoughts.
*
The middle of the afternoon.
“Time to finally get this appraised, huh?”
Kang Nari.
She paused and looked up.
Once again, she was standing in front of a building with a sign reading Shinseok Guild, here to have mana stones appraised.
“He'd better be here today, right?”
It had already been four days.
This was her fourth visit.
Each time, appraiser Min Jeong-woo had been absent. Min was normally diligent about work, but lately they were nowhere to be seen.
Still, handing them over to another appraiser made her feel strangely uneasy.
Dr. Min Jeong-woo was already getting excited and obsessive. If she brought someone else into it, too?
How exhausting would that be?
‘Dr. Min Jeong-woo wouldn't like it either, right?’
Perhaps to avoid creating a rival, Min had kept it from their colleagues.
They were devoting themself to research alone.
That was the problem.
Min never seemed to be at work, so it was hard to meet them. Who would've thought they'd be gone for more than three days?
But it was fine.
“I told them to show up, so they did, right?”
She'd called Min directly and told them to appraise the stones.
She had Min's contact information since they'd given her a business card.
Fortunately, when she said she was bringing in new items, Min agreed to come right away.
And that was how things stood now.
Bzzzt~
She passed through the automatic doors and went inside.
She'd made an appointment in advance, so she told an employee and headed straight to the mana stone appraisal room.
The result was...
“Incredible… Did you carve this many high-quality mana stones in just a few weeks? The quality's even better than last time.”
Just as expected.
Dr. Min Jeong-woo couldn't hide their astonishment.
“As far as I know, there are very few processors who can carve mana stones this uniformly. And the quality's improving, too?”
The muttering she overheard told her just how skilled Yeoul was.
Professional level.
No, beyond that.
At those words, Nari couldn't help puffing up with pride as if it were her own achievement.
Who could've guessed Yeoul, whom she'd thought was just an ordinary neighborhood kid, would turn out to be such a gem? Yeoul was far beyond her, but she couldn't help being happy.
“Ahem! Could you appraise this one, too?”
Nari showed another item to the excited, rambling Dr. Min Jeong-woo.
This time, it was the mana stone fragment crystal Yeoul had given her as a present.
Honestly, she wondered what use such tiny mana stones could possibly have, but for some reason, Nari had a hunch. This wasn't ordinary, either.
And sure enough.
“W-wha!? How can these tiny mana stones be joined so precisely, hic…? How on earth were they processed?! They can stick together like this!!”
Dr. Min Jeong-woo short-circuited.
After biting their tongue partway through and delivering an impassioned speech, Min excitedly examined the mana stones one by one, putting them into machines and looking at them under a microscope.
Then, with trembling hands, Min picked up one of the mana stone fragments they'd just snapped off.
“Can this truly be the work of a human?”
Thud!!
Min dropped to their knees.
One gasp of admiration after another.
As Min carefully studied the mana stone fragment before their eyes, their expression was brimming with scholarly curiosity, as if they were exploring an unknown world.
Naturally, Nari couldn't help but wonder.
Who had carved it?
“Tell me….”
“Pardon?”
“Whose work is this?”
“That again?”
“Why would someone with such incredible skill come here to get an appraisal? Is the world playing a joke on me? Doesn't that make no sense?”
“Well….”
“Who is it?”
“It's a trade secret.”
“So you won't tell me after all….”
Nari didn't reveal where the stones came from.
If even a mana stone expert was making such a fuss, things were bound to get exhausting. She needed to be firm when asked about the creator's identity.
Instead...
“Like I said, it's someone I know. A new talent has appeared.”
“Hah, this is the work of a newcomer?”
“Don't ask me any more. I can't tell you unless they're one of our employees.”
“An employee?….”
She let a little information slip to gauge Dr. Min Jeong-woo's reaction. To grow Yeoul Workshop, she needed talented people.
If Dr. Min Jeong-woo helped them, the mana stone business would be smooth sailing.
“Would I find out if I became an employee?”
“Oh my, you're already being treated well by a major guild. Why are you asking about that?”
“I-I'm just curious.”
“All right, just appraise them.”
Nari played coy and changed the subject.
The conversation just now had confirmed that she had some leverage.
Perhaps Dr. Min Jeong-woo might join the workshop someday.
“This… I don't know. Its mana concentration is terribly low, perhaps because the impurities were cut away, but if we can make proper use of its ability to bond, it could change the industrial paradigm.”
The mana stone appraisal was a huge success.
Dr. Min Jeong-woo's expression as they stared at the small mana stone fragment was especially priceless.
They looked like they were dying to research it.
“Would you sell this to me, too?”
“Hehe~ I can't. It was a gift.”
“A-a gift?”
“Yeoul Workshop takes good care of its employees.”
“Huh?”
After receiving the appraisal report, Nari spoke with Jeong-woo a little longer before parting ways.
Nari looked satisfied.
Jeong-woo looked unsatisfied.
Their expressions were opposites.
[Yeoul~ Can I come over later?]
Once outside, Nari sent a text right away.
She was so eager to tell Yeoul the results that her grin stretched from ear to ear.
But...
[Yes.]
[Aren't you super curious about the appraisal results??]
[Yes.]
[Is there anything you want to eat for dinner later?]
[Yes.]
One-word replies.
And every reply was slow, too.
The kid who usually sent messages like Come over anytime~ had answered everything with just ‘Yes.’
And when she asked what Yeoul wanted to eat, the answer was yes.
“Did something happen?”
She had a bad feeling.
Had Yeoul gone through something difficult?
If something had happened...
“Hmm… I wonder if Yeoul likes tteokbokki?”
She'd have to cheer Yeoul up.
First, she thought about food.
Using food to relieve stress wasn't ideal, but it worked pretty well.
*
Evening.
Nari headed to Yeoul's house carrying tteokbokki and drinks she'd bought at the market.
Yeoul's house wasn't far from hers.
About a fifteen-minute walk.
It wasn't much of a bother to visit or bring Yeoul something. Even if the house were far away, she wouldn't want to show up empty-handed.
‘Didn't Yeoul say they lived alone?’
She hadn't asked for details since Yeoul seemed reluctant to talk about it, but Yeoul lived alone.
Yeoul was always alone whenever she visited, and sometimes even went out alone at dawn.
If Yeoul had parents, Yeoul wouldn't be doing that.
It was admirable, but sad, too.
Living alone at that age.
But...
Knock, knock.
“Yeoul~ I'm here.”
She was confident now.
They were getting closer every time they met.
If Yeoul wanted, she could even be their guardian.
Yeoul was cute, capable, and easy to talk to despite being a little kid.
She almost wanted to worship Yeoul.
So if Yeoul was lonely or feeling down, she'd run right over to their side.
Just like now!
Knock, knock.
“Yeoul?”
“……….”
“Yeoul, answer me.”
“...Yeees.”
By now, Nari was starting to feel uneasy.
The tiny voice coming through the door had no energy at all.
“Y-Yeoul? Can I come in?”
“Nooo….”
“Y-you can't? Didn't you say I could come over earlier?”
“……….”
“I brought something tasty. Can I come in?”
“...Yeees.”
It sounded like Yeoul was only answering reluctantly.
Having barely obtained something resembling permission, Nari unlocked Yeoul's front door.
She'd memorized the passcode after visiting several times, so she could unlock and open it herself.
And what she saw was...
“Huu….”
Sadness.
Sulking.
Resentment.
Self-loathing.
Yeoul let a tear roll down their cheek, their eyes filled with all sorts of emotions.
“Yeoul!?….”
Yeoul looked truly miserable.
Nari was taken aback for a moment, but...
‘Huh. C-cute?’
For some reason, even that expression seemed cute to her, which startled her all over again. She even felt a dark urge to watch Yeoul cry.
Still, there was one good thing.
Yeoul didn't look utterly heartbroken.
Yeoul just seemed to be sulking and pouting because they couldn't accept something.
“Yeoul.”
“……….”
She couldn't just keep watching.
Nari set the tteokbokki on the table and gently sat down next to Yeoul on the bed.
She didn't barge in blindly, but approached cautiously.
“Do you like tteokbokki?”
Pat, pat.
Smiling gently, she patted Yeoul's back.
Sitting beside Yeoul, she offered a topic that might help them return to normal.