Chapter 7..

Dohee, who had been rubbing her cheeks, looked up at the Elder with eyes narrowed in a smile.

“No, I’ll do my best. If I do well… everyone will like the crow too, I’m sure.”

The Elder, mesmerized by her clear, transparent red eyes in contrast to his own white ones, found himself asking without thinking,

“Are you confident?”

Dohee hesitated for a moment, letting go of the hand she had been holding, before a bright smile spread across her face once again.

“Hehe, I’ll do my best.”

“So, in the end, you don’t really know, do you?”

“Nooo, it just means I’ll keep trying until I succeed!”

“Hmph… do you think it’s as easy as saying it?”

The Elder scoffed, but gradually his eyes softened.

‘It’s probably childish words, but somehow I want to believe them.’

The Elder, who had originally come intending to manipulate Dohee as he pleased, was ultimately undone by that pure smile.

He had become a strict, iron-hearted Elder, suppressing his emotions to lead his clan and gather wandering crows to survive.

His heart, once so parched it was almost bitter, now began to loosen at such a trivial promise.

“Very well. I will trust you. To see the day you rise in status and bring glory to our clan.”

“Yes… I will… no, Elder.”

‘He was about to call me Grandpa,’ he thought.

For a boy his age, he was unusually tender.

The Elder cleared his throat as he observed Dohee, who kept almost calling him “Grandpa” but stopped to say “Elder” instead.

“Hrm, your speech is still clumsy.”

It was such a small comment, yet Dohee’s eyes widened before drooping in disappointment. The pitiful sight, like a soaked little puppy, made the Elder’s heart sink like lead.

“Um, I’m sorry. Dohee isn’t very good at it yet…”

The child’s effort to speak carefully and clearly made the Elder’s heart thump violently. Why let such a small thing intimidate her?

Worried she might blame herself further, he quickly changed his tone.

“You are young; what can be done? Hrm… though, it seems slightly better than the first time.”

Dohee’s frown melted away, and she beamed again, pressing her little chest in relief. The Elder gazed at her small hands for a while.

Then he muttered something completely unlike him.

“It’s fine to call me Grandpa.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you find it hard to say ‘Elder’? Hrm, until your pronunciation improves, it’s okay to call me Grandpa.”

“Really? Thank you so much, Grandpa Hara!”

As soon as she called him that, the Elder gave a playful scolding that wasn’t unpleasant.

“Don’t get too rowdy. You must keep some dignity in your behavior.”

“Hehe, it’s just so nice… thank you for letting me call you Grandpa Hara.”

Seeing how happy she was, he thought that he should have allowed it sooner.

‘“Grandpa” isn’t as bad as I thought.’

From then on, the Elder taught Dohee many things with a much more relaxed demeanor. The dark intentions he had initially harbored were gone, as if a storm cloud had lifted.

‘When did so much time pass?’

At first, she had been so nervous and cautious that she could barely breathe, but the situation had completely changed.

The servants who had ignored her now greeted her warmly from afar.

“Dohee, did you sleep well last night?”

Adults sharing meals subtly asked questions like,

“Do you have a favorite side dish here?”
“Let us know in advance; we can have the kitchen make more.”

Even those who usually ate last were now eagerly scooping food into their mouths as soon as they sat down.

‘Did everyone go without food before? Why are they eating like they’re crazy?’

Confused, Dohee just blinked around with her spoon in hand.

As the unusual meal ended, the Elder and the others, including Suryun, disappeared swiftly. Even Suryun, who usually looked after her, was gone, which struck Dohee as odd.

‘Did something happen?’

Well, she enjoyed the quiet alone, basking in the warm sunlight that made her body relax.

‘Feels good.’

After a few days of properly eating and sleeping, her rough skin had regained some luster. Her pale cheeks had a faint blush, making her think she might look somewhat cute.

Of course, such thoughts were wishful thinking.

‘Still, I’m embarrassingly thin.’

Who would see her and think she’s cute? Likely, they would only feel pity.

A self-deprecating laugh escaped her.

Tomorrow she would leave this place; would anyone in a new place like her? Did anyone even exist in this world? In her previous life, there wasn’t anyone.

‘Even here, they care for me only because I’m a renowned shaman. It’s because I’m needed.’

She was grateful for that reason, yet inwardly, she felt miserable. After countless lives of unnoticed suffering, it all changed just because she now bore a divine name. The world that flipped so easily felt cruel.

“Dohee, what are you doing sitting here?”

She had been lost in gloomy thoughts, eyes half-lowered in the sunlight, when someone approached. She looked up to see familiar faces.

‘Oh, it’s the girls from the first day, the ones who hated me.’

Back then, they hadn’t even wanted to touch her. What had changed?

Blinking in surprise, a concerned hand touched her forehead.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Do you have a fever…?”

“Shall we call Suryun?”

They seemed a bit kinder now.

‘Are they being nice because I’ll soon go to the Yin-Yang Hall?’

As she pondered their sudden change, one of them suddenly stood.

“I can’t just leave it. I’ll tell them you seem unwell.”

“No, Dohee is fine.”

She hurriedly stopped them, and they relaxed.

“You didn’t answer, so we thought you were sick.”

“Yes, why were you so quiet?”

How could they treat her so kindly in just a few days?

Since she was leaving tomorrow, she decided to ask.

“It’s amazing.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s amazing that you approached me first and that you care.”

They froze for a moment.

“Does that mean Dohee doesn’t like us anymore?”

Seeing their flustered expressions, she realized she may have spoken carelessly.

“I don’t dislike you. It’s not that…”

“We were foolish before…”

“Fortunately, Dohee doesn’t dislike you.”

Their attempt to explain shut immediately.

“I’d be sad if you still disliked me since I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

“Dohee…”

“Hehe, thank you for caring and checking my forehead at the end. I’ll remember it even after I leave.”

Suddenly, both girls knelt to meet her eye level, eyes and noses red from crying.

Confused, she noticed tears falling to the ground.

“I… I was wrong, Dohee. I shouldn’t have treated you that way on the first day…”

“Because of our foolishness, you must have been hurt, but please…,” one of them said, meeting her tear-stained eyes.

“Don’t hold onto sad memories because of our mistakes. Please take only good memories with you when you leave.”

“…Yes.”

“I sincerely ask this of you.”

“All right, get up. You’ll hurt your knees.”

She had said it hastily, not expecting apologies. When she helped them up, they laughed with reddened eyes.

“Even in this situation, Dohee worries about us first.”

“No, it’s not like that…”