chapter 07
The time I could remain humanized was barely half an hour.
Within that, I had to quickly greet people, participate in the event, and return—there wasn’t a single second to waste.
My dad and mom knew this, too, so after checking my appearance, they immediately left the annex.
“Huh? Minister Oh?”
“Greetings.”
Since my dad was the Outer Minister, many people recognized him. Naturally, many spoke to him, but fortunately, no one stopped us.
“Have a wonderful day!”
People were dazzled by my dad’s radiant smile. His polished and dazzling appearance from early morning was simply extraordinary.
Men are said to be judged by their hair, but my dad had none of that issue. Every strand was slicked up, his hairpins and ceremonial cap in place, highlighting his distinguished features even more.
And as they say, clothing is like wings.
For my dad, his clothing only enhanced him. His tall, elegant frame, draped in silk, was so dazzling that even walking briskly looked magnificent.
By the time my dad reached the banquet hall, he had already turned away five people.
Mom couldn’t help but express admiration.
“You’re really putting your face to good use today.”
“Yeah. Yours too.”
Mom blinked in surprise at my dad’s immediate reply, then laughed.
From my place in dad’s tall embrace, I could see mom’s face clearly. Her narrowed yellow eyes were sparkling with mischief.
“Is it just the face that’s mine?”
“Not at all.”
Dad responded with a smile that made the heart flutter.
“From head to toe. Nothing here isn’t yours.”
“You believe me?”
“That’s too much.”
“Hyun’s collar is crooked.”
Without stopping, mom adjusted the pretty hat on my head and gently pressed the crown of my head. Huh?
Ouch.
“Didn’t you say you believe me?”
“…Really too much.”
I had been used in their display of affection.
The banquet was held in the central courtyard of the Hyun family estate, which resembled a small palace.
The courtyard was paved with non-slip stone slabs, making it a versatile space for gatherings.
From the annex to here, it took roughly 10 minutes in human time. Considering it had taken 5 minutes to get dressed, that left me about 45 minutes, and accounting for 10 minutes back to the annex, we were left with roughly 30 minutes—Grandmother had been right.
We had exactly this time slot to complete everything!
Once we arrived at the banquet, I clung tightly to dad. The bustling noise and the tempting smells all around were distracting, but I couldn’t afford to look elsewhere.
We had two tasks.
One was to greet people, and the other was to be washed in calamus water—a traditional activity on Dano.
Grandmother had told us to skip the initial ceremony and arrive around noon. At this time, the elders, including grandmother, would be indoors, and energetic children would be taking their calamus bath—perfect timing for a quick in-and-out.
When we arrived, neither grandmother nor the elderly relatives were in sight. Several basins of calamus water sparkled under the harsh midday sun in the courtyard.
“Huh? Doi? Isn’t that Doi?”
“Doi’s here?”
Relatives visiting for Dano finally recognized our arrival.
Good. Just greet them and move on to the next event, I thought naïvely.
“Is that the newlywed Lang family next to them?”
“The famous hunter, right? His prey’s hides were so popular.”
Someone recognized mom as well. Mom was famous? I peeked out from dad’s embrace.
The person closest let out a gasp.
“What? What’s going on?” I froze in tension.
“The baby is so beautiful!”
Before I could react, another person checked my face and screamed the same.
“No way… the baby looks just like Doi!”
“Looks just like Doi?”
“They say Doi brought a little Doi!”
“Little Doi?”
Suddenly, people started crowding around.
Wait, wait a minute!
Grabbing dad’s clothes, I looked up. It seemed even dad hadn’t anticipated this. Startled, he quickly handed me to mom, trying to block the crowd, but the relatives had already surrounded us.
“It’s real! The baby is gorgeous!”
Our plan to just make a brief appearance was ruined.
It became chaos.
It was good that the time for greetings was shortened by the crowd, but being surrounded by big, dark figures was overwhelming.
There were several reasons for the sudden attention.
First, our dad.
“Doi is already a father?”
“My goodness, that precious, flawless child?”
“Look at the spouse! So dignified and impressive!”
Turns out, dad was like an idol in this family. And now, he brought out the baby he had been hiding—of course, all eyes were on us.
“Sorry to startle you all.”
While dad personally distracted the relatives, my great-uncle approached mom to explain another reason for the commotion.
“Girls are rare in our family, so the relatives are excited.”
“Really that rare?”
“Believe it or not, Hyun is the only girl under ten among the direct and collateral lines.”
“….”
So, just greeting people wasn’t going to be enough.
Unintentionally, I let out a squeak, drawing more attention.
Probably because of my wolf ears—everyone’s hearing was very sensitive.
I cautiously smiled, worried they might react badly.
“Hmph.”
But the reaction was funny.
“The cutest baby ever.”
Apparently, this was what adults meant when they twisted their faces in exaggerated ways—it was all playful. I laughed, and people groaned in amusement.
“Is the child okay?”
At that moment, a woman with red hair and eyebrows, named Jo Yeon-ri, spoke.
“I heard from the head of the household and Doi that even a half-hour of outside air makes her feverish. The calamus water is ready, so let’s just wash the baby’s hands quickly and head inside.”
She was my great-aunt. She gently guided mom away from the crowd. Mom exhaled in relief once we were at a safe distance.
“We’ll meet later,” she said, heading toward her two sons.
“Everyone, hold the children tight!”
One elder gathered the relatives like a host.
A dozen basins were spread out across the spacious courtyard. The calamus water sparkled in the harsh May sun, and guardians held thick-pawed wolf children.
Seeing my peers for the first time, I glanced around.
Though called children, these black pups were almost medium-sized dogs. Their wagging tails smacked the guardians’ faces.
“Don’t let go while washing them! Oh no, here we go!”
Splash!
Watching the water fly, I understood why they bathed the children at noon.
“Ah! I told you not to shake!”
“The basin tipped over! Wait, that one is rolling in the dirt!”
“Yun-sik!”
In an instant, the cheerful pups turned the area into chaos.
It was the best time to dry them quickly.
“Grab them!”
Even then, the chaos was beyond imagination—I couldn’t hide my astonishment.
Bathing in basins, shaking off water, rolling in the dirt, charging at adults in their muddy state, leaving paw prints on clothing—all happened in less than a minute.
Meanwhile, mom calmly washed my hands and retreated successfully.
“Ye-ryeom!”
Dad approached with a towel.
With the family fully assembled, all that remained was a smooth exit.
“Already leaving?”
“Doi said they would go first! Focus on the kids!”
Crash!
“Aaah, kids!”
The wolf children’s energy was incredible. Even adults trying to contain them were sent flying toward the knocked-over folding screens.
Dad, mom—now’s the moment!
I tugged on their clothes as a signal, and they quickly withdrew from the banquet.
Phew. That was exhausting.
I felt itchy as I tried to wipe my sweat.
Surprised, my heart raced in mom’s arms. How much time had passed? There were still so many people nearby!
Not knowing my anxious feelings, my hand slipped out of the sleeve of my colorful jacket—my wolf paw revealed itself.
“Shh.”
Thankfully, no one noticed.
“The child seems cold.”
“You’ve been out too long.”
Dad detected my condition by scent and blocked the crowd, while mom wrapped me tightly in a towel.
She even tucked me inside her thin silk robe, as if shielding me from the cold.
How long did we walk like that?
Creak!
The familiar sound of the annex door opening reached us. Mom’s slightly urgent movements paused.
“Ah, our baby.”
Mom lowered me gently to the floor, finally relaxed.
“It’s okay now.”
At home, I sat on the warmed floor, feeling the cozy heat of the room, and completely sprawled out.
Mom and dad were equally exhausted. Unable to remove their outer garments, they collapsed on the floor, gradually letting out quiet chuckles.
I, lying on my stomach, blinked while wagging my tail.
“I thought we’d be discovered.”
“But we weren’t.”
“My heart was racing more than during the hunt.”
“Hahaha.”
Mom and dad laughed at their mischievousness.
I felt the same. Despite the tension, the outing had been fun.
I rolled over and stared at the ceiling.
The outside world—it was amazing.
I had glimpsed it during the move, but this was the first time I could truly observe it.
The world was vast. Staying confined to the small annex room was such a loss.
I resolved to practice humanization to enjoy the outdoors.
Yes. From now on, training day and night!
Yet, despite my firm resolution, my young body couldn’t withstand the exhaustion of the outing and fell into a deep sleep.
A five-month-old baby’s limit.
