chapter 17
The crowd’s attention, which had been fixed on the shocking scene, slowly shifted away from me.
A bloodstained pouch. Scattered gold trinkets.
And the vivid scar carved into a bare leg — as if it carried a grudge.
People forgot to breathe, unable to process what they were seeing before their eyes.
“T-That…”
At that moment, a woman staggered forward.
Her dark brown hair was unkempt, and her sunken cheeks gave her a gaunt look. Her bloodshot eyes trembled with fury.
“That looks like my child’s handprint.”
The village head’s son turned pale as a sheet.
“No… no way.”
The woman’s once-gentle black eyes now glimmered with madness. A metallic rasp escaped her swollen lips and echoed across the square.
“It’s my child’s handprint!”
She lurched forward as if to attack, but her body wobbled — dizzy and unsteady. The culprit used that moment to try to run.
“Grrrr…”
He must have forgotten that I was right beside him.
I spat out the filthy smell of his trouser leg and charged forward with a brave body slam!
“Arghhhh!”
“Hyeon-ah!”
From the sensation that ran through me, I knew instantly — the bastard’s leg had snapped.
If this were my past life, I’d have screamed, “I hit a person!” in shock.
But now? It felt unbelievably refreshing — like clearing a blocked throat.
“My baby!”
Four years of raising a haetae (guardian beast) had made my mother quick-witted in situations like this. Pretending to shield me, she subtly blocked me from view — making it look as though the man had simply fallen after bumping into her.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
“Uh… uh…”
The onlookers, frozen like statues in a game of freeze tag, finally regained their senses.
“Catch him! Grab that man!”
“My son’s killer! I’ll tear you apart and die with you!”
“Someone stop that otter-tribe woman!”
Chaos erupted.
Villagers charged in to seize the culprit, while the grieving otter-tribe woman lunged too. Others jumped in to restrain her before she lost control.
That was my cue.
I quickly shifted into my act.
“Waaah! Waaaah!”
Crying pitifully. Pretending I was terrified!
I wailed loudly and buried myself in my mother’s arms.
Everyone immediately forgot that I had ripped the man’s pants leg — and shouted instead to get the “poor child” to safety.
“What on earth— We came because of the report and— what happened here?!”
Officials from the local office arrived late.
Then the village chief showed up too, screaming, “My son! What did my son ever do?”
It was total chaos.
* * *
Rose Village was in an uproar.
It was confirmed that the corpse found a month ago had been murdered — and that the killer was none other than the village chief’s son, who everyone thought had recently “turned over a new leaf.”
The commotion that began at dusk showed no sign of calming, even late into the night.
Of course not.
How could anyone sleep peacefully after learning the person they’d laughed and eaten with was a murderer?
“So he finally confessed?”
“The culprit?”
“Yes.”
Under the cold, moonlit sky at its highest point — the murderer had at last admitted his crime.
He claimed he’d just found the bloodied pouch by coincidence, but the evidence was clear.
The wound on the bare leg, grotesquely healed, matched perfectly with the mold of the victim’s handprint that the grieving family had taken earlier.
He could no longer deny it.
“Why did he do it?”
“That’s not a story for a little one to hear.”
“I want to know. I’m a haetae, remember?”
After a moment’s hesitation, my mother sighed and nodded.
It turned out the man had always had bad habits.
He was quick to pick fights — and the only reason he’d managed to live and work here for so long was because his father was the village chief.
A month ago, he’d gotten drunk and caused trouble again.
He’d been drinking in a tavern when he got into a fight with a tourist — and lost.
It started as a verbal spat but escalated to blows, and he’d been overpowered.
He begged for forgiveness, and when the otter-tribe tourist turned away with a warning not to repeat his mistake—
“He struck him.”
“…”
Hit him on the back of the head with a rock.
The victim hadn’t died immediately — that’s why it wasn’t murder at first.
The wounded man had grabbed the attacker’s leg, and the chief’s son had fled.
But then… he came back.
He claimed it was to apologize — but that was a lie.
Mother thought so too.
“If he’d really felt guilt, he’d have confessed — not tried to destroy the evidence.”
When he realized the tourist had died, the murderer stole anything valuable and threw the body into a river with a strong current.
Fortunately, it was harvest season.
The town and the officials were too busy to investigate properly.
Everyone was fooled into thinking it was an accident.
* * *
Most people might have felt relieved by then.
But not him.
Sure, things were being glossed over now because of the busy season — but what if, after harvest, the officials reopened the case?
Especially here, that was a real possibility.
The prestigious Hyun family, who oversaw local security, worked closely with Rose Village. They wouldn’t let things slide.
So the murderer decided to flee — but not empty-handed.
That year had brought a record harvest.
No one would notice if a few dozen sacks of rice went missing.
He roped in a few others, and while pretending to “guard” the granary day and night, he secretly prepared his escape fund.
At that part of the story, I tilted my head.
It seemed odd how freely he was confessing all this in detail.
“There are two reasons he talked so much,” said Mother.
“What are they?”
“First, to get leniency.
Second, because he didn’t want to go down alone.”
How shameless.
So he wasn’t repenting — just trying to help himself!
“It’s disgusting, but his confession will help us catch the accomplices.”
“…What about the victim’s family?”
At my quiet question, Mother gave a bitter smile.
“They fainted as soon as they heard his confession.”
It had been pure chaos.
While I had been quietly enjoying my golden matsutake rice with fried shiitake and meatballs in clear broth at the villa, all this had unfolded.
“I heard the main house requested an emergency inspection.”
“But weren’t they short on manpower?”
“When an emergency audit is issued, it takes top priority. They’ll come even if they have to delay everything else.”
Wow.
All I did was charge in because of the bad smell — and everything fell into place neatly afterward.
“It’s thanks to our little one.”
“Hehe.”
“But promise you’ll be more careful next time.”
“Yes!”
Meanwhile, I was completely cleared of suspicion.
After all, toddlers running off suddenly was common — and biting or tearing someone’s clothes was something every fanged species did at least once.
Everyone thought I’d just had a scare and fainted.
When in fact, I was later at the villa feasting to my heart’s content.
“How’s your nose?”
“Perfect! My stomach’s fine too, and I’ve got so much energy!”
Strangely, once the murderer was caught, the awful, restless feeling I’d had vanished completely.
I felt like I could stay up all night — but the moment Mother tucked me in, I fell fast asleep.
It was the sweetest sleep ever.
* * *
When I woke up, I was in Mother’s arms.
Her wolf form was warm — and a bit suffocating.
I wriggled and squirmed until I managed to crawl out from her embrace.
She’d turned into a wolf at some point during the night.
I shook myself, stretched wide, and let out a big yawn.
My stomach rumbled — demanding breakfast.
Even after eating so much yesterday, I was hungry again.
Guess I’d have to eat heartily today too.
Turning human again, I clung to her furry neck.
“Mom, it’s morning!”
One golden eye cracked open — hazy and gentle, like the golden fields I’d seen yesterday.
“Wake up, okay? Let’s have breakfast!”
I clung to her neck and planted a kiss — and suddenly, she bolted upright.
“Eep!” I fell backward and rolled onto the floor, hair scattering around me.
“Mom?”
“My baby…”
She shifted back into human form and crawled toward me, reaching out a trembling hand.
Blinking, I felt her fingers gently brush my hair aside.
“My baby… you’ve grown.”
“What?”
“I’m sure of it. You’ve grown.”
Her face lit up with pure joy.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Really! Wait — stay there. I’ll get a mirror.”
She rushed to fetch one — more excited than I’d ever seen her.
When I saw my reflection, I screamed louder than she did.
“I really did grow!”
It was true — my body, which had barely changed since I was three, had grown a little, but noticeably!
My sleeves were shorter — proof enough.
Mother began packing in a hurry.
“I’ll ask them to prepare lunch boxes. We should leave immediately.”
There was no reason to stay any longer — and I agreed.
We’d caught the culprit, I’d grown, and…
“I miss Dad.”
Yes — more than anything, I just wanted to go home to my waiting family.
Mother pressed her forehead against mine and whispered softly.
“I miss Do-yi too.”
We giggled, still touching foreheads.
* * *
When we said we’d leave that very day, the caretaker nodded like he’d expected it and packed us a meal.
Other tourists were leaving too, after hearing about the murderer.
“Here’s lotus-wrapped rice with chestnuts, mushroom pancakes, braised meat, and seasoned greens. Enjoy it on your way.”
“Thank you. We had a peaceful stay thanks to you.”
“Please visit again!”
After saying goodbye, we boarded the carriage — and this time, I truly slept through the entire ride.
For some reason, no matter how much I slept, I stayed sleepy.
“My baby, want to eat first?”
“…Food!”
Except when it was time to eat.
I devoured every bit of the lunch box — then drifted back to sleep.
When I woke again, I was in my own room.
I hadn’t even realized we’d arrived.
“You’re awake, my darling!”
“Dad!”
Father scooped me up and showered me with kisses.
After our joyful reunion, he told me what had happened while we were gone.
First, Uncle had gone personally to Rose Village.
The case had grown big enough that the elders decided it was best handled directly by the family’s young master.
Then came news from my aunt and uncle — from the region they’d been sent to investigate.
There, they’d found a legend about the haetae:
“The haetae grows stronger by devouring evil.”
“Sounds just like you, doesn’t it?” Father said, his eyes gleaming with certainty.
I felt the same way.
Finally — I’d found it.
The key to my growth!
I cheered with delight.
