Chapter 12
The Golden Mouse bit down on the back of A-hyeon’s hand as he tried to drag Arin away. It bit with all its might, pouring every ounce of its lingering resentment into the act.
“Argh!”
Startled, A-hyeon tried to shake the mouse off, but it wouldn’t budge. Only after it had bitten deep enough to tear the flesh did the Golden Mouse let go, standing tall to block Arin’s path and guard her.
“Older Brother!”
So-so, startled, wrapped a handkerchief around A-hyeon’s bleeding hand. A-hyeon glared at the mouse, baffled by the sudden animal attack. Then, noticing that one of the mouse’s ears was torn, his eyes widened.
“You’re that thing from before…!”
For some reason, the mouse had a silent bell hanging from its ear. Furthermore, unlike when he first saw it, its fur was a shimmering gold.
“Or am I wrong?”
As A-hyeon wavered in doubt, the Golden Mouse looked at Arin and asked:
- Squeak squeak?! (Are you okay? I wasn’t too late, was I?)
Fortunately, Arin seemed unharmed.
- Squeak squeak squeak squeak. (Can you believe those crazy bastards? Playing dirty and ganging up on you?)
The Golden Mouse glared at A-hyeon and So-so as if ready to exact immediate retribution.
“Right, that look. It is that thing.”
Only then did A-hyeon recall the mouse he had been playing with as a target a few days ago.
“What’s with that bell? Do you have a master or something? Did you dye your fur in the meantime?”
At A-hyeon’s arrogant remark, the Golden Mouse let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
- Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak. (Oh, you’ve met your match. I let it slide back then because I couldn’t reveal my true form, but today, there’s no way I’m letting you off the hook!)
Geum-geum, who had been waiting for the perfect moment for revenge, blew a whistle. At that instant, mice appeared from nowhere, swarming in to surround A-hyeon and So-so.
“O-Older Brother, m-mice!”
So-so shrieked in terror, burying herself in A-hyeon’s arms. A-hyeon was just as terrified to be surrounded by over a hundred mice.
“Y-you coward, calling your friends for help!”
- Squeak. (If you’re jealous, call yours too.)
Geum-geum stuck out its tongue and pulled down its lower eyelid with a front paw to taunt him. A-hyeon was horrified to see it standing on two legs like a human, which was hardly typical for an animal.
“What kind of mouse is that!”
“D-do something!”
As So-so tugged at his clothes, A-hyeon scanned his surroundings. Spotting a tree he could climb, he promptly abandoned So-so and scrambled up the trunk alone.
“Older Brother!”
So-so, terrified, followed right behind him and climbed the tree as well.
- Squeak squeak squeak. (Now that I see it, you’re not a snake, you’re a monkey!)
The more they struggled, the more amused Geum-geum became. As if closing a net, the mice began to gather around the tree. It was right in the middle of this heated act of revenge that Yeo-ryeong and Geum Do-gyeong arrived, having heard the bell Geum-geum had rung earlier. Do-gyeong was horrified to see Arin sprawled on the ground.
“My child!”
He had just finished washing and feeding her, only for her to end up rolling in the dirt again. Just as he thought that he couldn’t take his eyes off her for even a second:
“A-Ahjussi! D-don’t come any closer!”
At Arin’s shout, Do-gyeong stopped in his tracks. He was close enough to catch her in an instant, but he spoke calmly.
“I believe there’s been a misunderstanding…”
But Arin didn’t wait to hear the rest. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in focus, she began to run in the opposite direction.
“Ha!”
Do-gyeong watched Arin’s retreating back and rubbed his face in frustration. He could have chased her down immediately, but he feared that startling her further might cause her injury. Since he had already seen the child’s footprints, finding her again would be easy. Do-gyeong picked up one of Arin’s shoes that had fallen on the ground.
“I will leave this to you, Divine Priestess.”
“Very well. I hope you two can resolve things between father and daughter.”
As Yeo-ryeong gave her permission, Do-gyeong vanished leisurely in the direction Arin had disappeared. Meanwhile, A-hyeon and So-so remained clinging to the tree, trembling with fear.
“Geum-geum. That’s enough.”
- Squeak. (But it was just getting fun.)
Geum-geum smacked its lips as if disappointed and sent the mice away. Only then did a relieved A-hyeon and So-so climb down from the tree.
“Thank you for your help, Divine Priestess. I was so startled when the mice suddenly swarmed us. As expected, the Divine Power of the Divine Priestess can even drive away mice.”
At the tone of admiration, Yeo-ryeong narrowed her eyes.
“So you are the child who bullied my Geum-geum.”
“Pardon?”
When A-hyeon didn’t immediately understand, Yeo-ryeong gathered Geum-geum into her arms.
“……Oh?”
A-hyeon stared at Geum-geum and Yeo-ryeong with a blank expression.
“It is only right to treat the animals of the Twelve Zodiacs with reverence. Did the Family Head of the Hong family not teach you that?”
“N-no, he did not!”
“Normally, it would be right to deal with you strictly for laying hands on my Spirit Beast, but given the commotion yesterday, I shall refrain.”
To think the mouse he had been playing with was the Divine Priestess’s Spirit Beast.
‘No, how was I supposed to know a Spirit Beast was hiding its true form!’
When he first saw it, it had clearly just been a large mouse. If he had known it was the Divine Priestess’s Spirit Beast, he wouldn’t have treated it so roughly. A-hyeon pouted, looking as if he felt unfairly treated. Seeing that he wouldn’t apologize until the end, Yeo-ryeong said pityingly:
“What use is having power when your character is so twisted?”
“…….”
“I suppose that, too, is something you inherited from your father.”
There was no point in saying more; it would only be a waste of breath. Swallowing the words she wanted to say, Yeo-ryeong left leisurely with Geum-geum. The indifference she showed was as if she were dealing with someone she had never expected anything from in the first place. Feeling this, A-hyeon trembled with humiliation.
‘The Divine Priestess is coming to see you.’
‘Me?’
‘Even I, your father, was chosen by the Divine Priestess and went to the Village of the Twelve Zodiac Deities early on.’
Even when he was talking with his father, he had only thought that he would be acknowledged by the Divine Priestess and go to the Village of the Twelve Zodiac Deities together. But for So-so to have fallen out of favor with the Divine Priestess, and for him to have touched her Spirit Beast…
‘What if I’m not invited at all?’
As someone who didn’t know much about the Divine Priestess, A-hyeon felt dazed, as if his future had suddenly gone dark. An heir who wasn’t invited to the Village of the Twelve Zodiac Deities was nothing more than a half-wit.
‘Why did a Spirit Beast of the Divine Priestess have to look so ordinary in the first place! If I had known, I wouldn’t have done that!’
Feeling aggrieved, A-hyeon stomped away in a huff. Left behind, So-so looked at A-hyeon’s back with a troubled expression.
“This is all because of that girl.”
Turning her misplaced anger toward Arin, So-so’s expression hardened, and she glared fiercely in the direction Arin had vanished.
* * *
Meanwhile, Arin hadn’t been able to run very far. It was because she had sprained her ankle when A-hyeon pushed her. Her body, already weakened from not being able to eat properly, was now in pain as well. Even so, Arin didn’t stop. Her mind was filled with the thought that if she were caught here, she might die. Just as she was running with all the strength she could muster:
Arin failed to see the stone in front of her.
“Ah!”
Her exhausted legs gave way helplessly.
‘I-I’m falling!’
Just as she thought she would tumble forward, Do-gyeong, who had been following at a distance, closed the gap in a single stride.
“My child!”
With that shout, Do-gyeong caught Arin.
“Huk!”
The hand that touched her waist was large and warm. As if worried she might get hurt, Do-gyeong set her upright.
“You seem determined to break your nose.”
Arin’s eyes went round as she looked at Do-gyeong, who had appeared so suddenly. She had been sure she’d run quite far, yet she had been caught in his grasp so easily. She had no idea that Do-gyeong had been controlling his speed the entire time. Do-gyeong looked at the disheveled Arin with an expression of disbelief. He had felt so proud just last night, having fed her well and tucked her in. But the Arin before him had her clothes wrinkled and was covered in mud, as if she had been rolling on the ground.
“What is this…”
Even the two sons of the Golden Tiger Family didn’t play this roughly. Seeing her hem torn from who knows where, a sigh escaped him.
“Is she even worse than the boys?”
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