IBHGNH 29

“Hey, where are you all going right now?”

“The Deputy Chief told us to bring food to those thief kids he brought earlier.”

“Huh?”

In an instant, the image of the shabby, filthy children who had followed behind the merchant group—tied up with ropes—flashed into Seorin’s mind.

“Wait… those scruffy kids who came with the merchants earlier?! They were thieves?!”

“Yeah! And why do we have to feed thieves when we haven’t even had a proper break?!”

Still grumbling, the temple helpers passed through the small gate in the Hye-eumwon wall and climbed the stairs toward Hyeeum Temple.

“Hyeeum… Temple? We’re going to the temple?”

Seorin grabbed some of Gabi’s load and asked.

“Y-Yeah… t-they said the kids a-are in a r-room at the t-temple. M-Monk Hyegwang apparently gave them a r-room…”

Gabi said carefully as she climbed the dark stairway.

“I see…”

A short while later, the helpers arrived inside Hyeeum Temple—only to freeze.

“…Is this the right place?”

The room where the thieves were staying looked like the best room in the entire temple.

“Did we come to the wrong place…?”

“No, they definitely said the room in the middle of the building facing the main hall!”

While the helpers hesitated outside the door, it creaked open.

It was Monk Hyegwang.

“Oh, you brought the food? Thank you. Just leave it inside.”

Why are the thieves inside the monk’s own room?!

Through the small opening, they could see the children who had been dragged here earlier. When the helpers entered awkwardly to set the food down, they were shocked all over again.

These kids… are thieves? Really??

Each child looked starved to the bone—thin as dried anchovies, their faces haggard and gray.

How could these kids be thieves?! They couldn’t even thread a needle like this!

“F-Food!!”

The children’s eyes locked onto the bowls, and before the helpers even fully set them down, the starving kids swarmed the table like wild animals.

“Ah!”

One helper yelped and fell backward in surprise.

Monk Hyegwang laughed kindly as he poured water for the children, patting the ones who were choking from eating too fast.

The helpers gathered the now-empty bowls—cleaned down to the last grain by the children—and left.

As they walked back to the kitchen, each voiced their worry.

“Does the monk have no fear? How could he share a room with thieves?”

“Seriously. Kindness is one thing, but thieves?”

“…He won’t get hurt in his sleep, right?”

After venting for a while, the helpers finished cleaning up and returned to their rooms.

“S-Seorin, aren’t you going in?”

Gabi looked at her as Seorin was packing leftover lavash into a big basket.

“That’s for us to eat?”

Daseom stared at the pile of warm, golden-brown lavash hungrily.

“Oh, this? It’s not for us.”

Seorin grunted as she lifted the heavy basket.

“T-Then…?”

“I’m going to give some to those kids. Our portion is over there—take it to the room and eat first.”

“S-Seorin? Y-You’re going back there?”

“Yep! Go ahead without me—I’ll be right behind you!”

Struggling with the basket, Seorin headed back toward Hyeeum Temple.

The children’s faces—so gaunt their cheekbones protruded sharply… the way they’d scraped the bowls clean with their tongues… the patches of dry skin… their thin, torn clothes completely unfit for the chilly autumn night—

For someone like Seorin, who had never gone truly hungry in her life, the scene had been a shock.

She returned to the same room and knocked.

“Who is it?”

Monk Hyegwang opened the door and gasped. “Goodness!” He quickly took the heavy basket from her arms.

“A-All this? What is it?”

He asked in surprise, staring at the unfamiliar food.

“I don’t think what they had earlier was enough…”

The children inside perked up instantly and stared.

“This is called lavash. It’s a type of bread from Daesik.”

Their eyes widened at the sight of the warm, crispy flatbread.

If I knew they’d like it this much, I would’ve made extra kofta too… They would’ve eaten that well…

As Seorin watched the children tear into the lavash, she felt a pang of regret.

Then something dawned on her.

Wait… for kids, their bone structure seems a bit…

They looked like children because they were so thin, but now that she looked closer—they had the frames of grown young men.

Maybe… late teens?

Her younger brother, Changhee, had been just like that.

He’d looked tiny and frail until he finally started eating properly—and then suddenly jumped from a size M to XL in no time.

Thinking of him made Seorin’s chest tighten.

Why are you popping into my head at a time like this…

But seeing children the same age as the brother she had practically raised—it was impossible not to think of him.

“…Is it good?”

“Y-Yes…”

Their weak little voices squeezed her heart.

Worried she might stay until it got too late, she bowed to the monk and left.

If only I could use the guest kitchen freely…

Their painfully thin bodies bothered her so much that she wanted to feed them until their cheeks were round and full—just like a mother would.

Lost in thoughts of her brother, she descended the temple stairs—when a small figure caught her eye.

Under the big hackberry tree, a small child was squatting alone, drawing in the dirt with a finger.

Whose kid is this? He’s not a temple novice…

Leaning closer, she saw he was drawing something like an animal.

“A pig?”

“Ahh!! You scared me!!”

The kid toppled backward in shock.

“Why’d you appear behind me like that?! And this is a p-person! Not a pig!”

“Oh—sorry. I’m terrible at judging drawings.”

At her apology, the kid eased up a little.

“Well… that seems true.”

He dusted his backside and continued the drawing.

“But why’s this pig—uh, person—frowning like that?”

The drawn face looked angry.

“…He’s not angry. He just doesn’t smile.”

“Huh? Who is it?”

“…Who are you, by the way?”

The kid changed the subject, drawing two lines over the pig’s nose.

Yep. Definitely a pig.

“I work here. What about you?”

When Seorin picked up a twig and started doodling beside him, the boy glanced at her and answered.

“…I’m my brother’s little brother.”

“Your brother? Where is he?”

The kid pointed toward the room where the monk was staying.

No way Hyegwang is this kid’s brother… so…

“…Your brother is in that room? With the kids from earlier?”

She couldn’t bring herself to ask whether he’d been captured with them.

“My brother isn’t a kid! He’s an adult! He just looks skinny!”

So it’s true…

Seorin shot a sharp look toward the room.

“What kind of scum drags a little kid into stealing?! Unbelievable—”

“I’m NOT a little kid! And we didn’t steal anything!!”

“…What? You didn’t steal?!”

But the merchants had said they were ambushed—

“We just… wanted to share some of what they had…”

Kid… the world calls that ‘stealing.’

Seorin almost said it out loud, but—

What the boy said next silenced her completely.

“Father is sick in bed… He hasn’t had anything but water for days. He’s going to die. My brother… he can’t lose family again.”