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Chapter 3
“Kim So-jung? That’s an unusual name.”
Oops, I said my original name.
“Ah, Hailey.”
“Haley. Then what’s Kim So-jung?”
“A name I used before. The family name was Kim, the given name So-jung”
I jostled Baron slightly to readjust his piggyback position. His body instantly stiffened. He must have never been carried like this before, as he seemed very awkward.
But Baron pretended to be nonchalant and asked again.
“Are you a noble too, sister?”
“No. In the world I used to live in, everyone had names like that.”
“The world you used to live in?”
“Something like that. Kids can just accept it as ‘Oh, okay’.”
“…I see. Where do you live?”
I couldn’t help but smile at his manner, which was uncharacteristically obedient for a child, not throwing a tantrum.
“By the sea. There’s an old shack there.”
“Do you have family?”
“No. I’m alone. I don’t know my age.”
“Really? What about your parents?”
“I don’t think they’re around.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Then… sister might be an orphan too.”
“I’m an adult, so I’m not an orphan, right?”
“How old are you?”
My original age is twenty-eight. But I didn’t know Hailey’s age.
“I’m not sure about that.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know my birthday. By my looks, I seem to be in my early twenties.”
“Why don’t you know?”
“Because I don’t have verified identity. There probably isn’t a record of when I was born.”
“Ah… I guess that makes sense.”
My words seemed to make the atmosphere a bit awkward, but we happened to arrive in front of the orphanage.
“Here, we’re here. Get down.”
After confirming Baron’s feet touched the ground, I stretched my back straight.
“Ugh.”
Meanwhile, Baron, who had been examining the orphanage building, frowned.
“It looks like a prison.”
The square wooden building had a fence made of pointed wooden stakes, and the entrance was firmly locked with a padlock.
As I couldn’t agree or disagree with his ‘prison’ comment, Baron asked me,
“Do I really have to go in?”
“Y-you need a place to live. And if you stay here, you’ll probably meet some nice adults.”
I unintentionally stammered a bit, and Baron said to me again,
“I could just go to sister house, since you’re a nice adult. You said you live alone. That seems better.”
“My house? Are you asking me to raise you right now?”
“…Is that what this is about?”
As if that hadn’t been his intention, Baron’s eyes widened.
“If I go to your house, that’s how it would naturally be, right?”
Thinking of my house, which I hadn’t even finished cleaning, a sigh escaped me. No matter how I looked at it, my shack, which was practically a ruin, was not suitable for a child to stay.
But then Baron brought up something I hadn’t even imagined.
“Is it because I’ll be a mouth to feed?”
He seemed to have misunderstood my sigh, but even so! What kind of kid says that!
“That’s not it! Why would you say such a thing? Where did you learn such awful words?”
“The innkeeper said that when he threw me out.”
Then he shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s true, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s wrong!”
I strongly denied it.
They were words that could hurt even an adult, yet this child used such an expression so casually. It felt like proof that Baron was accustomed to verbal abuse and maltreatment, and it made my heart ache.
“Don’t say that. It’s not something an adult should say to a child. It’s something you must never say.”
Baron stared up at me intently.
“I might not be able to give you delicious things, but I can manage to feed one child somehow. But right now, there’s nothing at home. And the state of the house is a complete mess.”
That’s when it happened.
“You good-for-nothing parasites! Move it, quickly!”
A man’s shout came from behind the orphanage.
Startled, I went toward the sound and peeked over the wall. Beyond the wooden fence, I saw an adult man and several children of varying sizes.
The children were pulling weeds from the vegetable garden with their bare hands. They weren’t crying, but every one of them looked sullen.
And for good reason.
“Why the long faces! We feed you and house you! You should be grateful you’re not slaves!”
The man, who appeared to be in charge, was shouting abusive words at the top of his lungs.
Eventually, the children started shedding tears one by one.
“If you don’t finish before sunset, you’ll get no dinner today!”
“Ah…”
A sigh escaped me without thinking, mixed with a swirl of emotions.
Then, the children’s attire also caught my eye.
‘They’re wearing patched-up clothes that don’t even fit properly.’
Seeing the grubby children, they were no different from beggars.
That’s when Baron grabbed the hem of my dress.
“Do I really have to go into the orphanage?”
“……”
I couldn’t say anything and just looked at Baron.
If I leave him here, that pretty purple will be tinged with gloom. I can’t save all those other children, but…
I stroked Baron’s head.
“My house is really inconvenient and has no food… Can you bear with it for a while? If I work hard, I think I can feed at least you.”
That seemed better than sending him into that orphanage.
Baron seemed very clever, so in a few years, he’d probably be able to be independent.
“I can really live at sister house?”
“Yes. Let’s go to my house.”
A joyful light sparked in Baron’s eyes. The child, who grabbed my hand tightly, smiled brightly.
“Okay!”
However, by the time we arrived at my house near sunset, Baron’s expression was something to behold.
“This… is the house?”
A dented door, broken windows, a clothesline sagging with blankets still hanging. A small garden overrun with weeds and a broken fence.
This shack, standing alone at the end of the sandy beach dotted with stones, was where Baron and I would live together.
“I told you. It’s inconvenient and has no food. But there’s a stream behind it, so at least we don’t have to worry about water.”
When I said this awkwardly, Baron quickly waved his hands.
“No, it’s fine. It’s much better than the orphanage.”
“What a positive child. Wait a moment. I’ll make dinner.”
I stroked Baron’s head once, then gathered the blankets, went inside, and placed them on the bed. Luckily, they were bone-dry, so we could use them tonight.
‘I’ll be fine, but children catch colds easily…’
Fortunately, thanks to carefully covering the embers in the hearth with ashes before leaving in the morning, a weak spark still remained.
While I blew on them, added kindling, and revived the fire, Baron, who had been looking around the house, clicked his tongue.
“There are even broken furniture pieces lying around. This is practically a ruin. How did sister live in a place like this?”
“I don’t know.”
“Huh?”
“This isn’t where I originally lived.”
Still, after spending all of yesterday gathering usable firewood and cleaning up the most urgent spots, this was the best it got.
Baron seemed like he wanted to ask something, but I ignored it appropriately and checked outside the window.
Under the red setting sun, I could see the water receding from the sandy beach.
It was the perfect time for tide pooling.
“First, we need to get something for dinner, so wait just a bit.”
I grabbed an old bucket and went outside. Baron, good boy that he was, didn’t ask more and followed me.
“Where are you going?”
“The sea. I’ll be right back. Wait here.”
“The sea is dangerous at night. You absolutely must not go into the water.”
Baron’s eyes looking up at me were full of worry.
“Ugh, you cute thing.”
I patted Baron’s head.
“You’re right. But it’s okay. I’ll only go to places so shallow you can’t even call it being in the water.”
“Only shallow places?”
“Yes, it won’t even cover your ankles.”
“…Well, in that case.”
“I’ll be back before the sun fully sets, so wait here.”
Baron, who had touched his own head with both hands, nodded obediently.
Leaving Baron behind, I walked into the tidal flat and looked around.
Beneath the very shallow water, I could see fist-sized and sea cucumbers everywhere. It really didn’t seem like anyone was catching them.
‘Is there something I don’t know?’
It was a bit strange, so I examined the area carefully, but nothing seemed immediately dangerous.
‘Maybe there are better tide pooling spots in the sea closer to town.’
If they could be caught easily elsewhere, there’d be no need to come all the way out here, which required a bit of a walk from town.
Thinking that way, the situation wasn’t incomprehensible.
‘I needed to sort out my thoughts anyway, so this is good.’
As I picked out only the large ones and put them in the bucket, I gauged the timeline of the original story.
‘Since Baron was nearly kidnapped, the events of the original story are still ongoing, which means it should be before the male lead, Bloden, comes here.’
