I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 10: Let's Take a Rest

Scrub scrub scrub-

I rubbed the clothes with delicate lace on the ground.

The lace could easily get caught on branches or rocks, so I needed to remove as much of it as possible.

"Ugh."

At home, I could have just cut it off with scissors or a knife.

Rubbing my sore forearms with regret, the girl crouched down next to me.

"Gyeoul."

"Yes?"

"You know, if a person works too much, they can collapse from exhaustion, right?"

I nodded while scrubbing the clothes on the ground.

"Right. I often collapse myself."

"You do? You often collapse...?"

"Yes. Just the other day, I fainted while collecting acorns. My nose bled, and I couldn't move."

How scared I was when I collapsed deep in the woods.

It was a miracle that I didn't encounter wild boars or stray dogs in my weakened state.

"Isn't it dangerous to collapse like that...?"

"Yes, it is. But, what can I do?"

If I don't work, I have to go hungry.

For me, hunger meant death.

So, I had to work hard today too.

Zzzt-!

I eagerly tore off the lace attached to the hem of the clothes.

Then the girl grabbed my hand.

"Hey, Gyeoul, won't you take a break just for today?"

"Me?"

"People work better after taking a break."

Was she talking about work efficiency?

I understood what she meant, but I couldn't afford to rest just yet.

"It's okay. I have a lot to do."

"What do you have to do?"

"Well, I need to check the apartment recycling area for anything useful."

Maybe I'd find something worthwhile if I was lucky.

I was already excited about the treasure hunt.

Until she forcefully picked me up.

"...No."

"What?"

"You're going to rest today, Gyeoul."

"Why, why?"

My favorite treasure hunting time?

The time when I could get useful things for free?

And she was taking that precious time away from me.

I looked up at her, feeling wronged.

"What you need most right now is rest, Gyeoul. Trust me and take a break just for today."

"But, that's..."

Being forced to rest.

Was the wicked witch finally showing her true colors?

Reluctantly, I decided to follow her advice.

I knew that rest could improve work efficiency.

I planned to take the least possible loss.

"So, I'm only resting for today? Just today?"

"Yes, just for today."

"Just for today, then."

The phrase sounded odd, but I agreed for now.

"Can I go home to rest, then?"

"Yes. Rest should be taken in a comfortable place. I'll drive you there."

She's driving me?

That meant she intended to follow me home.

I wasn't sure what she was planning to do, but I had no intention of letting her have her way.

I clenched my fist and then confidently told the girl.

"Yes. Then, I'll clean the chair."

---

---

I returned home with the girl.

Although she said she'd drive me, it was disgusting how she followed me inside.

What was she plotting with such behavior?

I looked up at her with eyes filled with suspicion.

"Gyeoul, what are you going to do to relax?"

"Me, me?"

She suddenly spoke to me.

Startled, I just looked around nervously.

"Yes. If we are resting, we should rest properly."

Indeed, she wasn't wrong.

How one rests can affect their level of satisfaction.

I pondered for a moment and then ran to the vegetable garden outside the house.

I decided to make good use of this hard-earned resting time.

'I need to plant new tomatoes and lettuce.'

Holding a sharp stone, I thrust it into the ground, thinking.

Maybe today I could have found a planting spade at the recycling center.

I was disappointed, but since I had decided to rest, I chose not to complain.

Thump-!

Thump-!

Each time I thrust the stone into the garden, my palms ached.

The calluses I once had were all gone.

It would take a long time to get back to how it was.

Resolving to endure until then, the girl approached me.

"Um, Gyeoul...?"

"Yes?"

"We decided to rest today, remember?"

Her gaze turned to my hands.

They were covered in dirt up to the back of my hands.

"Yes. I was going to tend to the garden on my day off."

"Um... well... that's not really resting, is it? You'll be exhausted after taking care of the garden."

"Huh?"

Tending to the garden required a lot of physical effort, but don't ordinary people also tend to their gardens on days off?

Confused, I tilted my head in puzzlement.

"When you're done with the garden, you'll be really tired."

"Yes. It does make me very tired."

"Right. So, that's not resting. Resting means both your body and mind should feel relaxed."

Hmm.

Is that so?

I carefully set down the stone.

"Then what should I do to rest?"

"Um... doesn't Gyeoul have something that relaxes both body and mind?"

Something that would relax both my body and mind.

There was one thing.

"How about fixing the tent? Blocking the wind and rain relaxes both body and mind."

"Um..."

"Repairing the tent counts as resting, right?"

Although repairing the tent with patch tape was expensive, I now had the considerable sum of three million won.

It wouldn't hurt to indulge a little for just one day.

As I excitedly thought about the tent being refurbished, the girl let out a deep sigh.

"Gyeoul, you don't know what it means to rest, do you...?"

Not knowing how to rest?

Her outright dismissive attitude was irritating.

"I know how to rest! After fixing the tent, I'm going to collect firewood."

"Firewood...?"

"Yes. For making a fire."

Sitting by the fire relaxes both body and mind.

It was a perfect form of rest.

Even the foolish witch should know that much, right?

Peeking at the girl, I noticed her biting her lips, seemingly at a loss for words.

It was quite a while before she spoke again.

"Gyeoul, how about we rest my way today?"

"Why, why?"

"I want to show Gyeoul what rest is like. It will definitely be fun."

Fun, she says.

Wasn't she just planning something fun for herself?

I was worried, but I had no right to refuse.

I had no choice but to follow her lead.

"Yes..."

---

---

Yeoreum took Gyeoul to the playground at the foot of the mountain.

It was just before lunchtime on a weekday, so there weren't many people around.

Slides, swings, zip lines, and other equipment that children love were all around, but Gyeoul's expression remained utterly indifferent.

She looked at Yeoreum as if she had no idea what to do.

'Does she not know what a playground is...?'

Despite the brightly colored equipment designed to attract a child's attention, Gyeoul showed no interest whatsoever.

It was as if she didn't even understand the concept of playing.

'Oh no.'

Not knowing how to play.

I wanted to believe it was impossible, but she was also a child who didn't know how to rest.

Confronted with this harsh reality, Yeoreum closed her eyes tightly.

"Sigh..."

What kind of life had an eight-year-old child led?

The more Yeoreum learned about Gyeoul, the greater her guilt grew.

Just as Yeoreum's legs were giving out, and she was about to sit down, Gyeoul tugged on the hem of her clothes.

"Um, excuse me...?"

"Huh?"

"What is this place...?"

Gyeoul trailed off, but Yeoreum understood.

'What is this place for?'

She must have wanted to ask.

"This is a playground. Aren't the colorful things pretty?"

"Um..."

Flower beds, a giraffe-shaped slide.

Despite the beautifully decorated playground, Gyeoul just rolled her eyes, showing no further interest.

Yeoreum realized one thing from Gyeoul's behavior.

The child had lived excluding all elements unnecessary for survival.

How desperate must her situation have been?

Yeoreum's heart felt like it was being squeezed, but she put on a gentle expression for the child.

"Gyeoul, see that giraffe over there? You climb up and slide down, want to try it?"

"Me, me?"

Why should I do that?

Gyeoul looked at her with that expression.

"It's really fun. Let's try it just once."

"Yes. I know it's fun."

"You do? Have you tried it before?"

Had she been doing something resembling 'playing' on her own?

Just as Yeoreum felt relieved, Gyeoul's next words were shocking.

"I told you earlier that I fainted while picking acorns, right?"

"Right."

"I was on a steep slope, and I slid all the way down. It was really fun."

"Uh..."

Slid all the way down?

Doesn't that mean she ended up rolling down the mountain?

Yeoreum looked at Gyeoul with trembling eyes.

"Did you get hurt anywhere...?"

"No. A tree halfway down caught me so I wasn't hurt. My clothes got a bit torn, though."

"Th-that's good."

But wasn't it more like she slid into the tree rather than catching her?

Gyeoul was surprisingly tough, as tough as any boy.

'No, maybe she had to be.'

She was a child placed in an environment where being tough was the only way to survive.

It wasn't her nature to be tough; the circumstances had forced her to be that way.

Yeoreum made a resolution inwardly.

Someday, she would make Gyeoul a normal child.

One who loves being loved and enjoys loving others.

A regular child who would cry in someone's arms when scared.

At that moment, Gyeoul also thought to herself.

Why she had to play at a children's playground at all.

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