Chapter 3
“Kim Sojeong? That’s a unique name.”
Oops. I accidentally said my original name.
“Ah, Hailey.”
“Hailey. Then what’s Kim Sojeong?”
“It’s the name I used before. My family name is Kim, and my given name is Sojeong.”
I lightly bounced Baron on my back and adjusted my hold. His body stiffened for a moment. It seemed he wasn’t used to being carried like this.
Still pretending to be calm, he asked again,
“Are you a noble too, noona?”
“No. In the world I used to live in, everyone had names like that.”
“The world you used to live in?”
“There’s something like that. Kids can just accept it as it is.”
“…Okay. Where do you live?”
I smiled at how obedient he was. He didn’t complain like most children.
“By the seaside. There’s an old hut there.”
“Do you have family?”
“No. I’m alone. I don’t even know my age.”
“Really? What about your parents?”
“I don’t think they’re around.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Then… maybe you’re an orphan too.”
“I’m an adult, so I’m not really an orphan, right?”
“How old are you?”
In my original world, I was twenty-eight. But I didn’t know Hailey’s age.
“I’m not sure.”
“What?”
“I don’t know my birthday. Judging by how I look, maybe early twenties.”
“Why don’t you know?”
“I don’t have identification. There’s probably no record of when I was born.”
“Ah… I see.”
The mood became a little awkward, but just then we arrived at the orphanage.
“Alright, we’re here. Get down.”
After making sure Baron’s feet touched the ground, I straightened my back.
“Ugh…”
Baron looked at the orphanage building and frowned.
“It looks like a prison.”
The square wooden building was surrounded by a fence made of sharp wooden stakes, and the entrance was locked with a heavy padlock.
As I stayed silent, Baron asked,
“Do I have to go in?”
“Y-you need a place to live. And maybe you’ll meet some good adults here.”
I stuttered without realizing it. Baron spoke again.
“I could go to your house instead. You said you live alone. That sounds better.”
“My house? Are you saying I should raise you?”
“…Is that how it works?”
His eyes widened, as if he hadn’t thought that far.
“If you come to my house, of course that’s what it means.”
I sighed, thinking about my messy home. No matter how I thought about it, my hut was barely livable, let alone suitable for a child.
Then Baron said something I hadn’t expected at all.
“Because I’d just waste your food?”
He must have misunderstood my sigh. But still—what kind of child says something like that?
“That’s not it! Why would you say such a thing? Where did you learn that?”
“The innkeeper said it when he kicked me out.”
He shrugged.
“Isn’t it true?”
“No, it’s not!”
I denied it firmly.
Even adults would be hurt hearing those words. The fact that a child said them so casually made my heart ache.
It felt like proof that Baron was used to verbal abuse.
“Don’t say things like that. Adults should never say that to a child. They mustn’t.”
Baron stared up at me.
“I may not be able to give you delicious food, but I can manage to feed one child somehow. The problem is, there’s nothing at home right now. And the house is in terrible condition.”
Just then—
“You little brats who only eat and do nothing! Move faster!”
A man’s angry shout came from behind the orphanage.
Startled, I moved closer and carefully peeked over the wall. Beyond the wooden fence, I saw an adult man and several children of different sizes.
The children were pulling weeds in a small field with their bare hands. They weren’t crying, but their expressions were gloomy.
No wonder.
“Why do you all look so miserable? We feed you and let you sleep here! You should be grateful you’re not slaves!”
The man, who seemed to be in charge, kept yelling insults.
Soon, tears began to fall from the children’s eyes.
“If you don’t finish before sunset, you won’t get dinner!”
“Ah…”
A sigh slipped from my lips. Many emotions mixed together.
That’s when I noticed their clothes.
‘Their clothes don’t even fit. They’re patched over and over.’
They looked no different from beggars.
Baron tugged at my skirt.
“Am I really going into the orphanage?”
“……”
I couldn’t answer and just looked at him.
If I left him here, those beautiful purple eyes would fill with sadness. I couldn’t save all the children… but—
I gently patted his head.
“My house is really uncomfortable, and we don’t have much food… but can you bear with it for a while? If I work hard, I can at least feed you.”
It seemed far better than sending him into that orphanage.
Baron looked smart. Maybe in a few years, he could become independent.
“Can I really live at your house?”
“Yeah. Let’s go to my house.”
His eyes shone with joy. He grabbed my hand tightly and smiled brightly.
“Okay!”
By the time we reached my house at sunset, Baron’s expression was priceless.
“This is… a house?”
A crooked door. Broken windows. Blankets hanging from a tilted clothesline. A small garden full of weeds and a broken fence.
At the end of a sandy beach scattered with stones stood the lonely hut where Baron and I would live.
“I told you. It’s uncomfortable, and there’s no food. But there’s a stream behind it, so at least we won’t worry about water.”
When I spoke awkwardly, Baron quickly waved his hands.
“No, it’s good. Way better than the orphanage.”
“What a positive kid. Wait here. I’ll make dinner.”
I patted his head, went inside, and put the dried blankets on the bed. Luckily, they were dry enough to use tonight.
‘I’m fine, but kids catch colds easily…’
Thankfully, the fire inside the stove still had weak embers because I had covered it with ash that morning.
As I blew on it and added kindling to bring the fire back to life, Baron looked around the house and clicked his tongue.
“There are broken pieces of furniture everywhere. This is practically a ruin. How did you live here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Huh?”
“This wasn’t where I originally lived.”
I had spent all of yesterday gathering firewood and cleaning the most urgent areas, so this was already an improvement.
Baron looked like he wanted to ask more, but I ignored it and looked outside.
Under the red sunset, I could see the tide going out.
Perfect timing for gathering seafood.
“First, I need to get something for dinner. Wait here.”
I grabbed an old bucket and went outside. Baron quietly followed me.
“Where are you going?”
“To the sea. I’ll be back soon. Wait here.”
“The sea is dangerous at night. Don’t go into the water.”
His eyes looked small and serious as he stared up at me.
“Heh, cute.”
I ruffled his hair.
“You’re right. But it’s fine. I’m only going somewhere so shallow you can’t even call it water.”
“Only shallow water?”
“Yeah. It won’t even reach my ankles.”
“…Well, if that’s the case.”
“I’ll be back before the sun fully sets.”
Baron touched his hair with both hands and nodded obediently.
Leaving him behind, I walked into the muddy sand and looked around.
In the very shallow water, I saw many fist-sized sea snails and sea cucumbers. It didn’t look like anyone was harvesting them.
‘Is there something I don’t know?’
I examined carefully but didn’t see any immediate danger.
‘Maybe there are better spots closer to town.’
If seafood was easy to gather elsewhere, there’d be no reason to walk all the way here.
That explanation made sense.
‘I needed time to think anyway. This works out.’
As I picked only the larger sea snails and put them into the bucket, I thought about the timeline of the original story.
‘Since Baron was almost kidnapped, that event must still be ongoing. Which means the male lead, Bloden, hasn’t arrived here yet.’
