Chapter 3
When Joo-hee looked closely, she saw a white shape.
It was a big wolf running through the tall grass—just like Mel had said yesterday.
“The wolf is here! Now we can go to the village!”
“Hm…”
While Joo-hee was still worried she might fall off, the wolf arrived in front of her and shook its body.
Its fur looked soft, so she reached out and gently petted the wolf’s head without thinking.
The wolf closed its eyes and leaned its head in closer to her, enjoying her touch.
“Joo-hee, we can’t waste more time.”
“Oh… Okay, I got it.”
Joo-hee took her hand back and carefully climbed onto the wolf’s back.
She was worried about losing balance, but luckily, she didn’t fall.
She held tightly onto the soft fur, and the wolf grabbed the basket of herbs in its mouth and began to run slowly.
A soft breeze ruffled her hair and gently touched her cheeks.
Joo-hee glanced at Mel, who was flying close beside her, and asked,
“Can other people see you?”
“Nope! Only you can see me because you’re loved by the forest.”
The wolf ran fast, but it wasn’t too much for Joo-hee to handle.
After running for a while, the entrance to the village came into view.
The wolf stopped near the entrance, not too far away.
“Thank you.”
The wolf dropped the herb basket on the ground.
It wagged its tail and stared at Joo-hee, so she smiled and petted its head again.
The wolf let out a happy howl, then turned around and ran back into the forest.
“Let’s go, Joo-hee!”
“Yeah.”
Joo-hee watched the wolf disappear, then picked up the herb basket.
As she walked into the village, she started to feel something strange.
The closer she got, the more people whispered louder.
When she turned her head to look, people quickly scattered like cockroaches.
She was worried they’d make a fuss, but thankfully, they avoided her on their own.
“Look over there, the witch is here.”
“Ugh, tsk tsk. Today’s going to be unlucky.”
Some even spit on the ground while talking badly about her.
“A witch?”
“Don’t mind them. They’re just jealous of you.”
Mel, who usually smiled, now sounded angry as she spoke to Joo-hee.
Joo-hee ignored the gossip and followed Mel toward the herb shop.
After walking quickly, they arrived at a place that smelled a lot like Korean medicine.
The familiar scent made her feel more relaxed, and she set down the heavy herb basket.
She looked around, but the shop was empty. There was only a small string with a bell on it.
“Joo-hee, if you pull that, the shop owner will come out.”
Thanks to Mel’s help, she didn’t get confused.
Without hesitation, Joo-hee pulled the string, and the bell rang.
After a few seconds, an old man’s voice came from inside.
“Someone’s here?”
The old man coughed a few times and came out.
“Oh, Eiril. You’re here.”
“…Hello.”
Even though she wasn’t Eiril, Joo-hee politely greeted him.
At least the old man didn’t glare at her or avoid her like the others.
“Hmm, let’s see…”
He carefully checked the herbs Joo-hee brought.
They were all rare herbs that could only be found in the Melina Forest.
Joo-hee stood quietly while the old man examined them.
After moving the herbs to another basket, he handed the empty one back to her.
“Thanks as always, Eiril.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Here’s your payment. There’s more than usual since you brought a lot today.”
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
The old man handed her a heavy pouch of money.
She didn’t know the value of the money in this world, but it looked like a good amount.
She bowed to the old man and left with the money.
With that, she bought ingredients and returned home.
While shopping, the shopkeeper looked at her uncomfortably, clearly not happy.
But Joo-hee didn’t care.
Mel, however, grumbled that it made her angry.
“Tonight we’re having stew!”
“Okay.”
At Joo-hee’s answer, Mel happily flapped her wings and sprinkled sparkling dust.
The house looked dusty, so Joo-hee started cleaning.
By the time she was done, the sun had begun to set.
Joo-hee usually skipped meals, but now she was feeling a bit hungry.
She went to the kitchen, and Mel flew over and sat on her shoulder, chattering.
“I love potato stew the most! Dipping bread into stew is super tasty!”
She didn’t know how to bake bread, so she let that go and took out the ingredients she had bought.
She had cooked a lot back at the orphanage, so she could make the basics well.
“Stew~ delicious stew~”
Mel hummed as she flew around nearby.
Joo-hee chopped potatoes, onions, and carrots like she was used to it.
“Joo-hee, it smells so good!”
Just like Mel said, the stew turned out great.
To be honest, Joo-hee wasn’t used to caring for someone else.
So it felt strange giving some to Mel.
But it wasn’t a bad feeling.
It had been a long time since she spent a peaceful day like this.
Joo-hee quietly wished every day could be like today.
But that peaceful life was about to break very soon.
* * *
It had been a week since Joo-hee came to this world.
At first, she was surprised by how kind the forest was to her, but now she was slowly getting used to it.
If she felt a little hot, a breeze would blow.
If she felt cold, warm sunlight would shine down.
It had become a normal thing.
And during that week, Joo-hee found out why the villagers called her a witch.
Mel didn’t want to tell her at first, but eventually gave in and mumbled the truth.
—It’s because the forest loves you.
“Why does that matter?”
—The Melina Forest is full of monsters, so no one dares to go near it. But you’re different. Monsters can’t come close to you because the forest loves you.
“…”
—The villagers saw that and thought it was creepy. So they started calling you a witch. But that’s not true!
Mel got upset as she explained.
—You tried to be friendly first, but the villagers pushed you away, so you had no choice but to live here instead.
Mel sat on Joo-hee’s finger and mumbled sadly.
Joo-hee looked at her and said in a calm voice,
“I’m fine. I like being alone.”
—That’s a lie! You cried every night because you were lonely. I know!
That wasn’t Joo-hee—it was Eiril.
“I’m really okay.”
—It’s alright, Joo-hee! I’ll stay by your side!
Mel kept talking nonstop, so Joo-hee gave up trying to argue.
Joo-hee headed to the pond to wash up, and Mel followed her closely.
She wanted to keep her promise to protect Joo-hee.
But as soon as they reached the pond, Mel’s ears twitched and she said,
—Joo-hee, I’m going into the forest for a bit! You can stay alone, right? Wait just a little!
Before Joo-hee could ask what was going on, Mel flew off.
Joo-hee arrived at the pond alone and didn’t hesitate.
She neatly folded her clothes and stepped into the water.
“It’s warm…”
Even though it was just a pond, the water was warm.
Soaking in it made her body feel relaxed and sleepy.
But then, a voice came from somewhere.
—Say my name.
Joo-hee was shocked and looked around, but no one was there.
She thought she imagined it.
But then the voice came again.
—Please say my name, Joo-hee.
She hadn’t misheard.
She wondered if it was Mel playing a trick.
But Mel had gone to the forest, so that wasn’t likely.
After hesitating, Joo-hee decided to just ask.
“…What’s your name?”
—Undine.
The answer came right away, as if it had been waiting.
When Joo-hee heard the name, her mouth opened a little.
She hadn’t read a lot of fantasy books, but she at least knew what that name meant.
“…Undine?”
As soon as she whispered it, a ball of water about the size of her fist floated up.
It turned into a small mermaid.
—You finally called me!
The mermaid’s tail splashed and smacked Joo-hee’s cheek.
Since it was made of water, it felt really cold.
The mermaid rubbed her face against Joo-hee’s cheek a few times, then smiled brightly.
—It’s been so long! I’ve been waiting for you to call me again!
“Me?”
—Of course!
Undine nodded her head hard.
Joo-hee was confused.
She thought she was just a background character.
She didn’t expect to be able to summon spirits.
—Last time you called me, you yelled at me to go away right after. You scared me.
“Did I?”
—Yup! Then you never called me again, no matter how much I waited!
Undine pouted and stared at Joo-hee.
But then she giggled and started spinning around her.
—I have to go now. If you want to see me again, just say my name.
Undine whispered softly near Joo-hee’s ear, then disappeared.
Joo-hee thought she should ask Mel more about this later.
Feeling confused after discovering this new power, she got dressed.
Just then, she saw Mel flying toward her from far away.
—Joo-hee! Joo-hee!!
“What?”
—There’s red blood! So much of it!
“Blood?”
Joo-hee tilted her head in confusion at the sudden mention of blood.
She looked Mel up and down, thinking maybe she got hurt, but Mel was perfectly fine.
She needed more explanation, but Mel just kept talking about blood and grabbed Joo-hee’s hand, pulling her along.
—Hurry, hurry!
Because Mel was rushing, Joo-hee had no choice but to walk faster.
And when they got to her house, a strange man was standing in front of it.
As she got closer and saw more clearly, Joo-hee stopped in surprise.
Mel got more excited and shouted,
—Joo-hee, blood! He’s bleeding a lot!
“…”
It seemed the blood Mel talked about was coming from that man.
He was holding his side tightly with one hand.
And through his fingers, blood kept pouring out.
“…Who are you?”
When Joo-hee asked in a calm voice, the man slowly turned around.
