I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 177: Mom?

Gyeoul's eyes always had a downward slant.

They were gentle and kind, eyes that made one smile.

When she made eye contact with her family, she would beam and wag her tail.

Every action she did was endearing.

But suddenly, Gyeoul had changed.

Her eyes now slanted upwards, and she wore a mischievous grin.

Though the gentle child had turned into a rascal, her charm remained.

This was due to Gyeoul's exceptional looks.

'No matter what Gyeoul does, she's always cute...'

Even if she cursed, wouldn't she still be lovable?

Yeoreum seriously thought so.

Her appearance was so striking that even child actors known for their cuteness couldn't compare.

In a modern society obsessed with appearances, Gyeoul's cuteness was practically cheating.

It was easy to understand why adults gave pocket money to children.

'That Gyeoul is my child.'

Yeoreum grinned and held Gyeoul in her arms.

Unlike usual, Gyeoul squirmed in her embrace.

"Let's play! Let's play!"

"Uh, okay..."

She needed to break Gyeoul's hypnosis.

But maybe she could play with her for a bit first.

Rationalizing this to herself, Yeoreum gently pinched Gyeoul's soft cheeks.

Her cheeks were the softest thing in the world.

"But what shall we play?!"

"Do you have something you want to do, Gyeoul?"

"Tail! Let's play tail biting!"

"Tail biting?"

What was that?

A white tail waved in front of Yeoreum's face as if inviting her to bite it.

'What!'

Was she supposed to bite it?

Was Gyeoul trying to make her sister die of happiness?

As Yeoreum reached for Gyeoul's tail, Levinas suddenly bit it.

Giggling, the two children laughed playfully.

Saebyeok, after a moment of hesitation, put her tail in Gyeoul's mouth.

Oh no, my tail!

In the midst of everyone having fun, Yeoreum was the only one left out, lamenting her missed chance to bite a tail.

But seeing the children happy wasn't a bad consolation.

"Gyeoul, why did you suddenly want to play tail biting?"

"Tails are precious!"

"Oh..."

It was a simplistic explanation, different from usual.

Yet, Yeoreum understood what Gyeoul meant.

Thanks to Sophia's explanation.

For beast-kin, tails were as important as eyes and hands.

They conveyed emotions and thoughts and even gave signals during combat.

Tails were a communication tool unique to beast-kin.

Trusting someone with your tail?

It was the highest expression of affection a beast-kin could offer.

I trust you!

Here, take my tail as proof!

Gyeoul had chosen a game to show how much she trusted those around her.

What a lovely game!

Yeoreum unconsciously covered her mouth with both hands.

She couldn't stop her lips from curling up into a smile.

"Gyeoul, do you like your sister that much?"

"Yes! I like her!"

"...!"

Gyeoul was shy and usually didn't say such things easily.

But now, she didn't hide her feelings.

Perhaps Gyeoul had been suppressing her emotions to protect herself.

Expressing her affection freely was risky in many ways.

"Yeoreum! Hug Gyeoul tighter!"

"! I'm already hugging her, what do I do?!"

"Hug her tighter!"

"······!"

Oh, mother.

This must be heaven.

Yeoreum hugged Gyeoul tightly.

As her small body squirmed in her arms, a surge of maternal affection welled up inside her.

She seriously considered whether she should be her mother instead of just her sister.

"Me too! Levinas too!"

"Yes! I like Levinas!"

Gyeoul reached out to Levinas.

She immediately hugged her and rubbed her cheek against hers.

Gyeoul expressing her emotions so openly was quite shocking.

"Oh...! Wow...!"

Levinas' ears perked up.

Gyeoul, who usually just hugged her, now nestled into her embrace.

Her body, filled with joy, trembled with excitement.

"Wow! Wow...!"

"Levinas, why are you acting up?"

"King! King! Wow!"

Thump, thump, thump—

Levinas stomped her feet, holding Gyeoul tightly.

After a while, Saebyeok approached with her arms outstretched.

It was a sign for Gyeoul to come to her.

Even though she didn't want to, Levinas reluctantly handed Gyeoul over.

Being greedy within the family was a no-no.

"I like Saebyeok too!"

Gyeoul hugged Saebyeok tightly, making her shiver.

Even the usually stoic Saebyeok was emotionally overwhelmed.

Goodness.

My goodness.

Even watching this is so cute.

Click, click—

Yeoreum took out her smartphone and started taking pictures of the children.

She mixed videos and photos, capturing every moment.

"How old is our Gyeoul?"

Yeoreum pushed a little to coax more cuteness from Gyeoul.

She knew this was the first and last time she would see Gyeoul like this.

She was accidentally hypnotized today, but from now on, hypnosis was forbidden.

No matter how cute, it was forbidden.

"Gyeoul is... I don't know!"

"Don't know?"

"Yes!"

Gyeoul nodded with a bright smile.

Yeoreum held up eight fingers in front of her.

"Gyeoul is eight years old!"

"Eight...! Wow!"

Gyeoul held up seven fingers.

Seeing she was one short, Yeoreum held up another finger for her.

"Gyeoul is a complete baby, right?"

"Yes...!"

Giggling, Gyeoul laughed and hugged everyone around her.

After playing 'hugging game' for a while, Gyeoul sat on the sofa.

Her eyes, filled with a smile, scanned her family, and her mouth was biting Saebyeok's tail.

It was something Levinas usually did.

"Mumph!"

"Huh?"

"Mumph, mumph!"

It was unclear what Gyeoul was trying to say while biting the tail.

But the wagging tail indicated her emotions.

"Yes, sister loves Gyeoul too."

"Mumph!"

Gyeoul wiggled with happiness.

She even pushed her tail towards Yeoreum's mouth.

It was a clear invitation to play together.

'Tail!'

Gyeoul makes people lose their self-control.

Is it okay for me to do this?

As an adult, she knew it was inappropriate, but Gyeoul's trust was evident.

At least, she should pretend...!

As Yeoreum contemplated, Sophia returned home, opening the front door.

Thump, thump, thump—

Gyeoul ran towards Sophia instinctively.

Once again, Yeoreum missed her chance to bite her tail.

Next time, she decided, she wouldn't hesitate.

Yeoreum sighed inwardly.

"Shark! Shark!"

"Shark...?"

Sophia looked puzzled at Gyeoul's innocent voice.

Still, she welcomed Gyeoul with open arms.

"Has my favorite Shark come?!"

"Yes, but... why is Gyeoul like this?"

Sophia asked with her eyes.

Yeoreum pointed at Levinas and mouthed the word 'hypnosis.'

"Oh dear."

Sophia realized Gyeoul was under a hypnosis spell that made her express her emotions openly.

It wasn't entirely accurate, but close enough.

"Shark! Play with Gyeoul!"

"Why are you calling me Shark all of a sudden?"

Despite her feigned annoyance, Sophia patted Gyeoul's back, who was nestled in her arms.

Any version of Gyeoul was still lovable.

Sophia had the same thought as Yeoreum.

"Shark is the coolest!"

"That's right!"

Levinas agreed with Gyeoul's firm statement.

There was no way to express dissatisfaction with children who thought it was cool.

"Ahem... If that's the case, just call me mom."

"...Mom?"

"Yes, mom."

Sophia knew it wasn't right to take advantage of the child's hypnotized state.

But just once should be okay.

She decided to hear the word "mom" one more time before breaking the hypnosis.

Just as Sophia made up her mind...

"Gyeoul's mom has... passed away?"

A shocking statement burst from Gyeoul's mouth.

Hypnosis sometimes unearthed dormant memories.

---

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Her mother had died.

Such a shocking statement came from her innocent face.

Yeoreum quickly sent Saebyeok and Levinas to their room.

"Mom... guts... blood and guts?"

Gyeoul mumbled to herself.

Something was on the tip of her mind, making her head feel stuffy.

It felt like something significant had happened.

Why couldn't she remember?

Gyeoul frowned and tilted her head in confusion.

"G-Gyeoul..."

Yeoreum's face turned pale.

From the words she used, she could piece together what had happened to Gyeoul.

Blood and guts.

So, that's how Gyeoul's mother died.

One of the most tragic deaths a human could experience.

Yeoreum felt grateful to Saebyeok for erasing Gyeoul's memories.

The sight of a mother dying with her insides exposed was too much for an eight-year-old to handle.

"Gyeoul."

Sophia called Gyeoul in a gentle voice.

Unlike the pale-faced Yeoreum, Sophia appeared calm.

At least on the outside.

"Hmm?"

"Isn't your mom here?"

"Mom... Sophia?"

"Yes, Sophia."

It's Sophia.

Gyeoul smiled brightly.

Gyeoul really liked Sophia.

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