Chapter 7
A cold sweat trickled down Moa’s back.
Along with the memory of herself snapping just moments ago… the face of Jin Doyoon—whose expression hadn’t changed in the slightest no matter what—rose vividly in her mind.
Feeling as though she wanted to grab hold of the fading words again, Moa hurriedly called out to stop Jin Doyoon, who had already walked some distance away.
“Wait!”
Hearing her shout, Jin Doyoon turned his body and looked back at her.
The moment she saw his flawless face—more perfect and unyielding than the plastic dolls in the orphanage—her courage began to falter.
‘No, I can’t back down! I don’t even know what the reward is!’
Still, Moa remembered clearly.
‘But the last reward… what if it’s something like that again?’
The reward that had allowed her to hide her ears and tail had been incredibly useful.
After all, today’s outing had only been possible because of it.
As Moa hesitated, fidgeting anxiously, Jin Doyoon tilted his head slightly and asked,
“Do you have something to say?”
“Th-that’s… I mean, it’s not that I don’t…”
As Moa stumbled over her words, Jin Yeongang—now fully awake—looked puzzled and asked,
“What is it? You were so bold with me earlier, but now you can’t say a word to my brother?”
“Th-that’s because…”
Moa’s face crumpled more and more, as if she were about to cry.
And then, finally—
“Oppa, we’re close, right?!”
The words she had meant to say—about becoming closer—came out all wrong, and she blurted something completely ridiculous.
From Jin Doyoon’s otherwise expressionless face, only his eyebrows rose slightly.
He looked utterly baffled.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Moa’s ears turned bright red, and her clenched fists trembled.
Sure, she had misspoken! But did he really have to respond in such a blunt, incredulous tone?
“If that’s all you have to say, I’ll be leaving.”
With an irritatingly curt voice, Jin Doyoon tossed out the words and disappeared from the garden without another glance.
Left behind as if she had been cut off in a single stroke, Moa pouted, her lips twitching.
“My brother’s always like that now. He wasn’t like this before…”
Jin Yeongang spoke as if trying to comfort her.
“Yeah. He’s been like that since three years ago. Before that, he was actually very kind…”
“Really?”
At Jin Yeongang’s words, Moa recalled what she had seen in her dream.
If she hadn’t seen that gentle expression herself, she would have thought it was a lie.
The difference in warmth between the two versions of him was too extreme to believe they were the same person.
Sehee smiled gently, as if sympathizing with Moa, and added,
“It’s true. The eldest young master used to be very warm and considerate.”
“Then why is he like that now?”
Moa asked with a sulky expression.
Then suddenly, something about the mention of “three years” clicked, and she gasped.
“Ah! Could it be… because Yeongang oppa got sick, his heart started hurting too?”
Three years ago was when Jin Yeongang’s insomnia had first begun.
At her words, Jin Yeongang shook his head with a bitter expression.
“It was around the same time… but that’s not it. We… well, never mind.”
He hesitated, as if debating whether to continue, then cut himself off. It seemed he couldn’t easily explain it to Moa.
‘What happened…?’
Naturally, Sehee couldn’t explain either. As a servant, she couldn’t casually speak about the household in front of the young masters.
An awkward silence suddenly fell over them.
In the end, Moa gained no new information and was led back to Cheongbindang by Sehee.
“You don’t want to go inside yet, do you? I’ll bring you some snacks, so you can eat in the backyard of Cheongbindang.”
Sehee offered a small, understanding smile as she tried to comfort her. Moa, slightly dejected, followed along.
‘Hmph…’
Sitting on a flat rock in the yard, Moa picked apart the mooncake Sehee had given her, nibbling at it bit by bit. Then suddenly, she grabbed at her neatly braided pigtails.
“Ughhhh!”
Her already puffed cheeks stuck out even more.
“I’m only trying to get close because I have to!”
Her face flushed red with frustration.
Seeing that kindness in her dream had only made things worse.
Because now she knew—he could be that kind of person!
It was still too early for Moa to fully understand that what she was feeling was humiliation.
“I even wanted to say something nice earlier!”
It wasn’t like she desperately wanted to be close to Jin Doyoon, whom she had barely met.
Having grown up in an orphanage, she already knew well that not everyone would like her.
‘Still… it would be nice if he were like in the dream.’
She couldn’t forget the way he had looked at her with such warmth.
If someone looked at her like that, she felt like she might become a more special person.
‘Ugh, don’t expect anything.’
Right. She was only trying to get close because she was curious about the reward—and maybe, just maybe, it could be something very helpful to her!
…That’s what she told herself, trying to feel better.
It had been two days since she had been dropped alone into this strange world.
Jin Yeongang waking up healthy made her happy, and she had met kind people like Sehee and Jin Saheon.
Even so, Moa still felt lonely, upset, and wronged.
“Som-i… I miss you…”
Her eyes filled with tears.
For some reason, the mooncake tasted salty.
“And it’s weird. How do you even know when you’ve become close to someone?”
If she just said, “We’re friends now!”—would that count?
Moa found the game window’s demand unreasonable.
At this rate, depending on Jin Doyoon’s attitude, she might never be able to complete the mission.
“This is so unfair!”
Clenching her fist tightly, Moa punched the air once.
And then—
A soft, warm breeze suddenly brushed past the tip of her nose.
‘…Som-i?’
It was the cozy, toasty scent she used to smell when she buried her face in Som-i’s belly.
“…Som-i?”
Why wasn’t she showing herself? Why had she left her alone? Did she not want to stay by her side anymore…?
A mix of longing and faint resentment toward Som-i crossed Moa’s mind.
But soon, the scented breeze vanished as quickly as it had come.
And in front of her, the words of the “game window” reappeared.
– Side Mission: Become close with Jin Doyoon
The letters warped and trembled violently.
Then, new text appeared.
– Side Mission: Drink tea with Jin Doyoon ten times (at least 20 minutes per session)
Moa blinked in surprise.
This was much easier to understand than something vague like “become close.”
Whether she could actually drink tea with him… well, that was another matter.
Still, to Moa, it didn’t feel like a simple coincidence that the mission had changed right after she sensed Som-i’s scent.
“…Is Som-i helping me?”
Cats were nimble.
Maybe Som-i was nearby, moving around faster than Moa could even notice?
Whether it was true or just what she wanted to believe—
Moa decided to believe that Som-i was helping her, and resolved to complete the mission faithfully.
There was no way Som-i would lead her toward something harmful!
Meanwhile, in the outer hall of the Jinryong Clan.
“Elder Chairman. Have you heard the news that the Head has taken in a child of unknown identity into Cheongbindang?”
“I heard that the maids of Cheongbindang have begun moving about…”
“Cheongbindang is right next to the Head’s residence. It’s a reckless decision.”
Two elders spoke in hushed voices inside the meeting room.
One wore an openly displeased expression, while the other scanned their surroundings with a deeply furrowed brow.
“In times like these, bringing a child of unknown origin so close to the inner residence…”
His words trailed off ominously.
The Jinryong Clan was already going through a difficult period due to the illness of the matriarch and the heirs.
Recently, even movements of assassins targeting the Head of the family had been detected.
Under such circumstances, what if trouble arose because of this suspicious child?
Lowering their voices further, the two men made their stance clear—they did not welcome Moa’s presence.
“Even if it is the Head’s decision, rules are rules. The laws of the Jinryong Clan cannot be taken lightly.”
“If she is suspicious, allowing her to remain is itself a risk.”
“We’ll observe for a few more days. If she is still kept here, we must report it to the Head.”
It was the elders’ duty to share their wisdom and ensure that not even the slightest threat reached the clan.
They concluded that they must thoroughly investigate Moa’s existence.
If the child proved dangerous, they intended to have her expelled without fail.
At last, the Elder Chairman drafted a document to be circulated among all the elders.
At the top of the document was a single line:
“Formal Objection to the Head’s Decision”
