“Wow, how can you not catch a single one?”
“……Be quiet.”
Elton, Larissa, and Yellian each held drinks they had won as rewards, but Leonard didn’t have a single one.
Even Larissa had won three rewards, her basket filled to the brim with drinks.
Meanwhile, Leonard, despite his ambitious attempts, hadn’t managed to catch a single reward. Yellian found Leonard’s unexpected clumsiness adorable and teased him even more because of it.
“How are you going to survive in this harsh world if you’re this bad at it?”
“Not being good at fishing doesn’t mean I can’t survive in the world.”
“Still, shouldn’t you at least catch one?”
“Be quiet.”
“Hmph, telling me to be quiet just because you’re at a disadvantage.”
Yellian pouted discontentedly, sipping his drink as if to show off to Leonard. In response, Leonard sharply turned his head away.
“Wow, gelato!”
Yellian quickly ran toward a stall selling gelato. Leonard, pretending to be reluctant, followed him.
Colorful fruit-flavored gelato was displayed in the fridge. Yellian’s ash-blue eyes sparkled as he pondered which gelato to choose.
“Which flavor should I get……. Leonard, you’re going to eat some too, right?”
“I don’t really have any preference…….”
“I’ll pick two flavors, so Leonard, you pick two as well, and we’ll share them.”
“……Fine.”
It was unclear when Yellian had become so assertive.
Back when he used to cry and beg not to have his ankle cut off, it was cute in its own way and made Leonard want to tease him. But now, this current side of him had its own adorable and amusing charm.
“Please put coconut and strawberry together, and grape and mango together!”
Soon, Yellian was holding a cone of ice cream in each hand, smiling brightly. It seemed he wanted to try many flavors but felt burdened to order so much just for himself, so he ordered for Leonard’s share too.
Leonard only pretended to eat a bit before pushing both cones toward Yellian.
“Wow, this is so good. Especially the coconut ice cream, it’s amazing. Of course, compared to what I had in Chiang Mai, it’s just a drop in the bucket…….”
“Chiang Mai? Where’s that?”
“Oh, it’s a place in the world I used to live in. It was also the first overseas trip I ever took. Anyway, I had coconut ice cream there, and it was sooooo delicious.”
“Is that so?”
“It was so good that, well, in that country, marijuana is legal……. Do you know about marijuana?”
“Of course. It’s a drug, isn’t it?”
“It’s illegal here too, right?”
“Obviously.”
“Oh, then it’ll be easier to explain. It was illegal in my country too. But the coconut ice cream I had in Chiang Mai was so good that my friend and I joked about whether it had marijuana in it, wondering how it could be so addictive.”
“Sounds like you had fun.”
“Of course, it was really fun……. I wonder if I’ll ever get to go back……. Probably not, right? Since I’m here now.”
“……Do you want to go back?”
Yellian, who had been speaking thoughtlessly, was suddenly at a loss for words at Leonard’s question. That wasn’t what he meant at all.
Of course, it wasn’t as if he had no longing for his original world. He thought about it from time to time, and it made him feel wistful.
But that was all. Most of the things precious to him now were here.
“I’ve got family to take care of here, so no, I don’t.”
“Am I included in that family you’re responsible for?”
“Of course. Could Leonard survive without me? No way. So I have to take care of you.”
At those sly words, Leonard couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Yellian glared at Leonard with an expression that seemed to ask why he was laughing.
“Hey, why are you laughing! I’m serious!”
“I know, I get it. You’re serious. But even if I know you’re serious, can’t I still find it funny?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Yellian grumbled, narrowing his eyes. Leonard found that expression so cute that he laughed, and Yellian, avoiding his gaze, focused on eating his gelato. No matter how you looked at it, his demeanor screamed, ‘I’m sulking.’
Leonard, with a smile on his lips, followed Yellian, who was walking ahead.
“Wow, this is insane! Amazing, amazing!”
Not long after, Yellian stopped in front of a stall, exclaiming in awe. His exclamations drew not only Leonard but also Elton and Larissa, who tilted their heads curiously and gathered around.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s hotteok!”
“So?”
“They’re selling hotteok here, wow! It’s so surprising and nostalgic. In the country I used to live in, this was the best winter snack.”
Yellian’s eyes sparkled with excitement. While his expression was quite cute, the mention of ‘the country I used to live in’ caused Leonard’s face to darken as if a storm cloud had passed over it.
But Yellian, caught up in the excitement of discovering hotteok, didn’t notice the change in Leonard’s expression.
“Sir, would you like to try some hotteok?”
“Yes! There are four of us, so please give us one each!”
“Sure, thank you!”
It didn’t take long for four hotteok to be ready. Having already finished his gelato, Yellian happily smiled as he received the hotteok.
“Be careful, the honey inside is super hot.”
Yellian, taking a small bite of the edge of the hotteok, warned the other three.
Leonard didn’t want to eat this suspicious-looking food. The reasons were simple.
First, it looked dubious. Second, it was something from the world Yellian used to live in.
But since Yellian was looking at him, Elton, and Larissa with eyes full of expectation, Leonard had no choice but to cautiously take a bite of the hotteok.
Contrary to its odd appearance, it tasted good. And now he understood why Yellian had warned them to be careful. The inside of the hotteok was unimaginably hot.
Leonard saw the hot hotteok overlapping with Yellian. At first, he seemed suspicious, but soon became lovable to the point of burning.
Yes, to the point of burning. He couldn’t help but think that Yellian might leave an indelible scar on him, like a burn mark.
* * *
They wandered through the night market mindlessly. The night market even sold dog treats, and among them were dried fish that seemed suitable for cats, so Yellian bought a bunch and returned.
“Ungnyanyanyat.”
[Kyuu! Kyuuung!]
Steamed Gamja and Geumdong were making a fuss, each insisting on being the first to eat the treats.
Since Geumdong was several times larger than Steamed Gamja, Yellian had no choice but to give more treats to Geumdong. But Steamed Gamja, unable to understand this, was determined to steal Geumdong’s treats the entire time.
Yellian watched the scene with a contented smile, when suddenly a certain story popped into his mind.
“Leonard, do you know this story?”
“What story are you talking about?”
“They say cats are really good at finding their way. So, if you’re on an unfamiliar path, you should follow a cat.”
“Is that so?”
“I think that’s why Steamed Gamja came back to us, because he’s good at finding his way.”
“That could be the case.”
Yellian looked at Steamed Gamja with an expression of immense pride. When he stroked his head, Steamed Gamja tilted his ears back, preparing in his own way to be petted, which was utterly adorable.
Unable to resist, Yellian vigorously rubbed Steamed Gamja’s belly. In response, Steamed Gamja licked Yellian’s hand as it touched his belly.
“Ahaha. Leonard, did you know this?”
“What are you talking about?”
“When you keep petting a cat, they start grooming you, right? Apparently, it’s not because they like it.”
“Then why?”
“It’s their polite way of saying, ‘Madam, shall we stop?’ That’s what Steamed Gamja just did to me. It’s so funny.”
Leonard looked at Yellian, who was chuckling, with an affectionate expression and asked.
“How do you know so much about cats?”
“I studied hard because I wanted to become a great butler someday.”
“Butler?”
“Oh, in the world I used to live in, people who take care of cats were called butlers.”
“I see…….”
Oddly enough, today Leonard had heard a lot about the world Yellian used to live in.
Though it was unlikely, if by some chance Yellian were to return to his original world, Leonard felt his heart sink at the thought of what he would do.
Should he follow Yellian and go to his world too? Would that even be possible? If not, should he cling to Yellian and beg him to stay by his side?
But what if that made Yellian unhappy? His thoughts spiraled, one leading to another.
“……I’m sorry, Yellian.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
Yellian tilted his head at the sudden apology. Meanwhile, a firm resolve solidified in Leonard’s heart.
I can certainly not give up on you.
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