Episode 6:
Shinjae was exasperated.
“What’s with that confidence?”
“But I can’t help it, can I? You already found out.”
“Gwana….”
Shinjae rubbed his forehead.
In this world, there were beings that existed even before the appearance of the Towers and the Awakened.
Sometimes recorded in legends, sometimes in ghost stories, or even in myths—beings that were not human.
They were collectively called Inoe, or “Transcendents.”
Among them, Kim Shinjae was the leader—the alpha—of Korea’s wolf beastkin tribe.
Shinjae and his tribe had lived hidden among humans for nearly a millennium, blending seamlessly into human history.
But everything changed after the outbreak of the Gate.
With the Gate’s appearance came the System, and people could now see rankings.
Officially, the rankings were for Awakened individuals, but in reality, they included Transcendents too.
For now, only the Transcendents were aware of this.
“You know it’s not that simple,” Shinjae sighed.
Although the world had undergone a massive upheaval after the outbreak, it hadn’t completely collapsed.
Government agencies had some idea of Shinjae’s group, but revealing to the public that they were long-lived beings was inappropriate.
“Once you accept that teacher and the child into the tribe, it’s inevitable that people will find out eventually, right?”
“It’s not good if it’s discovered like this.”
“But it already has been.”
Hwan’s confident attitude made Shinjae groan in frustration.
“You really…”
“Uuuh…”
At that moment, Ayun, who had been snuggled up in Hwan’s arms, stirred.
“!”
“!”
Both men forgot what they were about to say and looked at Ayun, peacefully resting in Hwan’s embrace.
Finally, Ayun opened her eyes.
‘Ugh…’
Light filtered through her stiff eyelids.
She whimpered without realizing it, but no one came to soothe her.
It was familiar. The orphanage teachers were kind and attentive, but there were never enough of them. They couldn’t attend to every little whimper.
Ayun rubbed her eyes and blinked awake, as she always did.
But…
‘Huh?’
Black eyes were staring straight at her.
“Awake, huh?”
A gentle adult voice greeted her from across the room.
Looking up, she saw the man who had earlier chased away the healer.
“Thought you’d be sleeping soundly. Did something happen?”
Her stomach growled loudly at that perfect moment.
“I’m hungry…”
“Oh my, I didn’t expect that.”
The man muttered, and Ayun’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘Oh no…’
What if he scolds her for waking up in the middle of the night? The orphanage teachers were mostly kind, but not always. And no one liked being bothered.
“Jaja… I’m hungry.”
“Huh?”
“No, I’m not hungry. I’m lying.”
“But my stomach definitely…”
“Nope!”
She shook her head vigorously.
“I’m not hungry. So don’t get mad.”
“…….”
“…….”
Despite her apology, the atmosphere became awkward. Both men looked at her with expressions that were hard to read.
“Ayun, we…”
Grrr…
She hugged her growling stomach nervously. The man watched her with a complicated expression and sighed.
“First, we need to feed her, Hwan.”
“!”
His words were incredibly kind, and Ayun’s eyes widened. He really meant it.
She gazed at the bowl of porridge before her, eyes sparkling. The aroma made her legs jiggle involuntarily.
“The table’s pretty high.”
The man said, lifting her up.
“Ah!”
She reached out for the porridge as it moved away, but he stopped her.
“There, there.”
He sat her on his lap so the table height was just right.
“Let’s eat.”
He scooped a spoonful of porridge and offered it to her.
‘I can eat by myself.’
True, but spilling it on her clothes would be a disaster. She obediently opened her mouth.
The warm porridge, mixed with toasted sesame oil, entered her mouth.
Munch, munch, munch.
As she ate, she noticed Hwan watching her with a very serious expression.
What? Did he not like her eating? Or was he hungry too?
‘I could eat it all myself…’
But she decided not to be greedy. She pushed away the spoonful offered to her with superhuman patience.
“Are you hungry too?”
“…Yes, this man is hungry too. (We can share.)”
“Eh?”
The two men covered their mouths and looked away, making strange noises.
‘What’s happening?’
Another spoonful reached her mouth.
“It’s okay. He’s not hungry. That’s just his usual expression. You can eat alone, Ayun.”
“Really? He’s not hungry?”
Her eyes sparkled without her realizing.
“Sure, you can eat.”
Excited, her legs jiggled again, and she took the spoon.
Nom, nom, nom.
‘So happy.’
Humans can find happiness in such simple things.
“…I think I’m really glad to be alive.”
A voice seemed to echo in her mind, and Hwan nodded silently as if agreeing, but her attention was completely on the porridge.
Nom, nom, nom.
When she finished, a small burp escaped her stomach.
‘Full.’
Patting her plump stomach and sighing contentedly, the man carefully wiped her mouth with a tissue.
‘I didn’t make a mess!’
…but a few grains of rice were on the tissue anyway.
“Well eaten, Ayun, right?”
The man lifted her in his arms, and she hugged his neck.
“Thanks, mister.”
She puckered her lips and gave him a little kiss on the cheek. The man froze in surprise.
“Isn’t she dangerously cute?” he muttered.
When Hwan tried to pull out a cigarette, the man snatched it.
“Confiscated! What are you doing in front of a child?”
He placed the cigarette on the table and sat her in the middle of the sofa.
Her stomach full, she started feeling sleepy, but it seemed like they wanted to tell her something. She forced her eyes open.
“Hey, Ayun.”
“Yes?”
Raising her hand, she signaled she was listening.
The man tapped his chest and made a noise.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
Hwan answered coldly. She nodded.
“Clearing my throat… I have something to tell you, Ayun.”
“I’m listening.”
She tried her best to look alert, and after watching her sparkling eyes, the man, prompted by Hwan, continued.
“I want to talk about what you saw earlier…”
It had come. She brightened her face and spread her arms wide.
“Mongmongie!”
“Ah, I knew it…”
“There was a dog this big, but it’s gone!”
“…Huh?”
“The man came. The dog went.”
“….”
“….”
“Ayun likes the dog.”
The two exchanged glances.
“You don’t remember well, do you?”
“Seems like it…”
“Hmm.”
Hwan suddenly grabbed her cheek.
“What’s your name?”
“I… I’m Ayun…”
“I have a name too. Hwan.”
“Hwa…”
“And I’m not ‘mister’.”
“Yes.”
When she answered obediently, Hwan released her cheek. She rubbed her squished cheek with her hands.
“Isn’t that a bit much for a child?”
“I’m not ‘mister.’ Alpha maybe, but not that.”
Shinjae looked displeased but had no words to argue.
“Doesn’t that make it hard for you to be her brother?”
“I’m saying I’m not ‘mister.’”
Watching the two bicker, her vision started to blur.
‘Sleepy…’
Full and safe with kind adults around, she gradually drifted off.
