HBSHF | CH 04

Episode 4 – The Big and Beautiful Thing of the Turtle

Whooo— (the wind blows)
“……”

Michael Arcanid.
He used to be the Captain of the Holy Knights, deeply respected by the people of Asteria.
A man who always stood proud under the blessing of the World Tree.

“Hey, Daebang! What are you doing over there? Grab that new box before someone else takes it!”
“Ah, coming! The Samnyang-ramen box, right? That one’s sturdy.”

…That glorious past? Let’s pause that for now.

Because currently, the former Holy Knight Captain Michael Arcanid has become Daebang — a homeless man at Seoul Station.

Yes, the once proud knight woke up one day… as a homeless man in Seoul Station.

To explain how that happened, we need to go back two weeks earlier.

***

Two Weeks Ago

Rumble—

Seoul, South Korea.

Above Seoul Station, a massive crack split the sky.
People called it “the First Gate.”

It was the first of the many mysterious Gates that started appearing all over the world — an unending rift in the sky that never disappeared.
Rumor said anyone who entered it… never came back.

And from that very rift, a man suddenly fell out.
Without any sound or warning.

“Ugh…”

He had shimmering platinum hair, calm eyes that hid a mysterious color, and graceful features — clearly not a Korean face.

He was Michael Arcanid of Asteria.

“Where… am I? Who am I…?”

That wasn’t a drama playing on the waiting room TV — those words came from Michael himself.

Yes… sadly, he had lost his memory.
The dimensional distortion inside the Gate had wiped it clean.

Something must have happened… but I can’t remember a thing.

Michael sat down on the ground, dazed, and looked around.

Hmm… if I move carelessly, something bad might happen. Better to stay still for now.

He figured wandering aimlessly in an unknown place would just get him in danger.
So he decided to stay put and think things through.
Also, to be honest, he was too shocked to move at all.

Clack, clink.

After about ten minutes—

Someone dropped a coin in front of him.

He stared at it spinning on the ground before it landed.
On the coin was an image of a crane spreading its wings to fly.

“What’s this…”

He didn’t know what it was, but it looked valuable, so he stuffed it into his pocket.

Then… he realized something else.

It’s cold.

He only wore a thin tunic.
Wrapping his arms around himself, he began to shiver.

It feels like I’ve forgotten something really important…

But hunger and cold made it hard to think.

“Achoo!”

A sneeze escaped, and he started trembling harder.

At this rate, I’ll freeze to death.

Just then—

“Hey, new guy? Got kicked out because of turf fights?”

A voice came from above his head.

He looked up to see a man wearing a hole-riddled beanie and a shabby, feather-leaking jacket.

“Come on over. No turf wars in our spot.”

The man gave him a friendly grin. There was something oddly charismatic and kind about him.

Michael followed without question.

They went down into an underground passage where more people in worn-out clothes were gathered.

“Here, take this. I’m giving you something special.”

The man handed Michael a torn, golden cloth bag.

On it were printed big letters: ‘Daebang Confectionery.’

“……”

“Usually I don’t give this stuff away, but you look freezing, so cover yourself with it and get some sleep!”

Michael looked back and forth between the man and the bag before finally accepting it.

“From the looks of you, you’re probably some undocumented foreigner. Eh, we’re all in the same boat. Let’s get along.”

The man reached out his hand.

“I’m Choi Dal-yong. You?”

Michael stared at his hand.

“…I don’t know.”

“What? You don’t know your name?”

“I lost my memory.”

“Oh dear. What a poor soul.”

Dal-yong looked around and then glanced at the words printed on the bag — Daebang Confectionery.

Somehow, it felt fateful.

“Then you can be Daebang for now.”

“Eh?”

“Yeah, until you remember your name — Daebang. How about Kim Daebang? Sounds nice and big, doesn’t it?”

Michael looked at the golden bag, then at Dal-yong’s outstretched hand.

Finally, he reached out and shook it.

“Alright then… please take care of me, Mr. Dal-yong.”

“Haha! Forget the ‘mister’ stuff. Just call me Uncle Dal-yong! I’ll call you Kim!”

Dal-yong’s hearty laughter echoed through the tunnel.

Someone grumbled at the noise from inside a cardboard box, but Dal-yong didn’t care.

Michael looked at him and thought,
Well… I need to survive first. I’ll rely on him for now.

And so, the once-proud Holy Knight Captain — cheerful and easygoing as ever — accepted his fate.

He, Michael Arcanid, became the homeless man Kim Daebang.

***

Meanwhile

“…C-cold… my legs hurt.”

Somewhere else, another “homeless-in-training” wandered the streets.

“D-daddy… where are you… sniff…”

Eire, a small child, had been wandering through the city for half a day.

The world she entered through the Demon’s Canyon was completely different.
No wide green fields like Asteria, no juicy fruits hanging from trees —
only cold, hard stone and glass buildings everywhere.

“Sniff… Daddy’s here somewhere too, just like Eire. So stop crying!”

She scolded herself, shaking her head fiercely.
She couldn’t waste energy on crying when she needed to find her dad.

Eire is a big girl now — already four years old!

But despite her determination, there was one problem she couldn’t ignore.

Growl—

“…Hungry.”

Her empty stomach ached.

Since arriving here, she hadn’t eaten a single bite or even drunk water.
For a four-year-old, that was torture.

Her little legs, once full of energy, now felt heavy and weak.

Sniff, sniff.

Then — something reached her nose.
A warm, sweet smell.

“It smells yummy…”

It was the same smell as the bread her dad always bought for her at the market.

Eire closed her eyes and followed the scent.
When she reached the source, her eyes sparkled.

“Bread!”

Through the glass window, freshly baked loaves were lined up on display.

Eire pressed her face against the glass, eyes wide and mouth open.

They look so soft and warm…
Just one bite and it’d be so buttery and delicious…

She clasped her cheeks and sighed dreamily.

Crash!

A loud noise startled her.

“Ugh! Damn it, Grandpa! All you do is nag!”

A woman stormed out of the big building next to the bakery.

She angrily kicked the wall.

“What? I should just live off Grandpa’s money because I’m a delicate girl?!”

She had soft pink hair like cotton candy, a frilly lace dress, and large black sunglasses covering half her face.

She stood out so much that passersby couldn’t help but stare.

She’s… a princess?

That was Eire’s first thought.

Just like the princess in the fairy tales her dad used to read — the one who defeated the Demon King.
Her role model.

Eire gazed at her in awe.

“Ridiculous! You think I was born to be a sheltered flower in a greenhouse?”

Despite her elegant look, her words were anything but gentle.

Lifting her sunglasses, she revealed big gray eyes filled with frustration.

“Just watch! I’ll work hard, get my hands dirty, ruin my soft skin, and break Grandpa’s heart! I won’t even use hand cream!”

It wasn’t clear who she was cursing, but she seemed determined.

Then she turned around—
and came face to face with a tiny girl staring up at her.

“Uh…?”

The woman froze. Her eyes widened as she looked down at the child.

Slowly, she approached Eire.

Wh-what’s happening? The princess is coming toward Eire?!

Eire clenched her fists nervously.

But the woman knelt right in front of her, staring seriously.

“You…”

Her lips moved—

And just as she was about to speak—