TACBD 04

Chapter 04..

“Dohee-nim!”

Worried that someone might follow me, I immediately locked the bathroom door as soon as I stepped inside. Fortunately, it was quiet outside—no one had come after me.

Only then could I finally exhale deeply, my hand brushing over my chest in relief.

Phew… that’s a relief. I should wash up quickly and get out.

Luckily, there was warm water placed aside—not the icy water I’d washed with on the mountain.

Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen warm water in this life!

I stripped off my tattered clothes and dipped my hands into the full tub of warm water. The little hands submerged—plunged—into it, and the warmth traveled all the way up my arms.

It’s warm.

Feeling the comforting heat wash away the earlier sorrow, my body relaxed.

I almost fell asleep from how drained I felt, but I snapped back to reality. I realized that if I stayed in too long, someone might barge in thinking I’d had an accident while washing alone. A shiver ran down my spine.

Ugh, stop dawdling and just wash up.

Using a dipper from the corner, I poured water over myself and washed thoroughly, almost mechanically. Normally, a child alone might struggle with this, but I was fine. No one had ever helped me bathe in both my past and current life.

All clean!

I didn’t have a mirror to check, but I was certain. No matter how much I washed, no dirt or soot from being on the streets came off.

After drying my wet hair and body, I changed into clean clothes and opened the door. There, Suryun was quietly standing.

As I opened the door, her eyes widened in surprise.

“You really washed and came out alone? And… put on your clothes?”

“Yes.”

“How…? Even if you’re a beastkin, a child your age growing up without parents… washing alone must be difficult—ah.”

Suryun seemed to realize she had misspoken and quickly shut her mouth, but I didn’t mind. Words like that couldn’t hurt me anymore; I had long since grown calloused. Besides, it was true that I had never had parents.

“Hehe, Dohee is used to washing herself, so it’s fine. I’m okay.”

“I misspoke.”

Seeing Suryun lower her head as if she had committed a grave offense, I tugged gently on her sleeve.

When I met her questioning gaze, I smiled cheekily. A smiling face is untouchable—strategy in action.

“Did Dohee do well?”

“Yes, very well. Your clothes are neat too.”

“Thank you! I like compliments, Dohee does.”

Suryun froze for a moment. Does she not like being clingy?

After grinning boldly for a while, Suryun finally spoke.

“Um… really… very mature. Your face looks clear and noble after washing.”

The tone was so formal, like reading from a book.

Suryun hasn’t given many compliments, has she?

Still, she seemed to try because I liked it. I felt even happier and gently took her hand.

“Wow, another compliment! I love it, hehe.”

“Ahem. But you should eat first, shouldn’t you?”

Suryun’s awkward reminder made me realize:

Oh right, I’m hungry.

I had been starving since the day before and had even considered picking up fallen rice from the ground. My empty stomach growled silently, and I nodded vigorously.

“Yes, I’m hungry.”

“Then this way. The elders are waiting.”

“Eh? Elders?”

The mention of eating with them suddenly made my appetite vanish.

Why… I just wanted to eat comfortably, sniff.

Still, I forced a smile to hide my discomfort.

“The one you mentioned earlier, the old man?”

Suryun looked unusually startled at the word “grandfather.” Then, leaning slightly, she whispered quietly:

“You shouldn’t call him grandfather, Dohee-nim. No one in our clan addresses the elders that way.”

“I understand. I’ll call him Elder.”

The hierarchy here seemed extremely strict. Even a brief conversation revealed the tense atmosphere. The chilling, constant tension was as Suryun had said—there was no mercy in their hands, so they were stricter.

I can’t make a mistake. Be careful.

Swallowing hard, I followed Suryun down a corridor to a room. In front of a red-painted sliding door, she cleared her throat and called out loudly:

“Elder, Dohee-nim has arrived.”

“Enter.”

As the door opened, the same elder I had seen earlier sat inside with a few other adults, alongside a spread of appetizing food.

The elder smiled warmly at my clean appearance, raising his cup in approval.

“As expected of a Jinmyung spellcaster; even washing alone makes you look refined.”

I bowed slightly in gratitude.

“Hehe, thank you!”

Suddenly, I heard everyone else gasp.

Did I do something wrong?

I looked up in confusion, noticing everyone whispering in disbelief. Some clutched their chests in surprise. I froze, unsure what to do.

Why?

I was just thanking them for the compliment.

“I was worried you’d be weak and fragile, but your voice is surprisingly strong.”

Among all the astonished faces, only the elder maintained a satisfied smile.

If the elder was fine, I figured there was no problem. I hesitated and then knelt in the empty space beside him.

“You must have been hungry. Eat.”

“Wow, I’ll eat well!”

The food looked delicious even as I observed cautiously. After days without proper meals, I was eager.

Soup with rolled eggs… sounds tasty!

I grabbed my spoon impulsively, ready to shovel rice into my mouth. But then I remembered something and paused.

Despite my starving hunger, I refrained, and the elder spoke:

“Why aren’t you eating? Didn’t I give you permission?”

“B-but everyone else hasn’t started eating yet.”

In my previous life, at the orphanage, children were not allowed to eat until the director took the first bite. That rule had stuck with me to this day.

“I-I’ll eat once the elders and others start…”

I didn’t think it was a big deal, but everyone murmured in surprise.

“Wasn’t she called a deformed crow? Yet she seems more polite and well-mannered than the other children.”

“Normally, crows are unruly and never sit still.”

“As expected of a Jinmyung spellcaster, even from the start.”

Enough of that. Please eat, everyone. I’m starving here.

Thanks to the others’ chatter, I sat there, spoon empty in hand, sulking. Finally, the elder lifted his spoon.

Once he took a bite of soup, the others stopped talking and quietly ate. I, too, could finally scoop a mouthful of rice.

Wow, it’s delicious!

Warm rice like this, the first I had tasted in my current life, brought tears to my eyes. I blinked quickly as a few fell onto the white rice.

Why am I crying when it’s so good?

The heat in my mouth kept my eyes warm and throat tight. Afraid of choking on this precious food, I chewed each grain thoroughly.

While carefully eating each dish, I didn’t notice everyone’s gaze was fixed on me.

I finished every last grain, yet something felt lacking.

I want just one more piece of rolled egg.

I hesitated with my spoon, glancing around, and met the elder’s gaze.

“What is it?”

“Well… um…”

“Didn’t you finish already?”

“No… it’s just that…”

Looking at the gleaming egg white I had seen earlier, I felt instinctively frightened. Memories of threats and persuasion from before came back. If I were standing, I’d have stepped back.

Scary…!

The elder, oblivious to my inner panic, waited silently for my reply.

I resorted to my earlier tactic. I stretched my mouth into a wide smile and pointed at the empty plate, softly murmuring:

“Dohee… would like just one more piece of rolled egg, I think…”