I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 398: Shall We Leave?

The trees in the park varied in height - some were short while others were tall.

I wished Kkamang had attached their web to a tree of moderate height.

Instead, they had shot it at one of the tallest trees.

"U-ugh..."

Hanging from the branch, I looked down.

Through the dense leaves and branches, I could see the ground.

Just looking made my body tremble from the height.

"King! Just hold on a bit! Levinas will save you!"

"O-okay..."

As Levinas ran into the container house, I clung to the branch trembling.

My eyes, ears, and tail - every part of my body that could droop from fear drooped downward.

"Shuin..."

"Gyeoul, are you okay?"

"Yeah..."

In truth, I wasn't okay.

I was as scared as when taking photos next to the sand worm.

Though I tried to act calm, they seemed to see right through me.

"Shuin!"

"Yes...?"

"Gaeuriba!"

Gaeul pressed both her cheeks with her palms, making her lips puff out like a goldfish.

"Huh?"

"Bubu."

After playing with her cheeks and lips, Gaeul put her pinky in her mouth and stretched it sideways.

Then she stuck out her tongue going "merong merong" - it was quite funny.

"Merong merong."

Sticking out her tongue, Gaeul started hopping side to side.

Only then did I realize she was trying to cheer me up from my fear.

"Merong."

Seeming to catch on, Saebyeok stuck out her tongue too.

Though expressionless as always, I was happy she was doing this for me.

"Hehe..."

It made me happy that my family would act like this for me.

My trembling began to subside and courage started building.

"King!"

Levinas ran out from the container house.

She held bubble-blowing toys in her hands.

"King, Levinas will save you!"

"Okay."

Pububu.

Though she blew hard enough to make friction sounds, bubbles emerged thanks to magic.

Float-

A bubble bigger than my body rose into the sky.

It floated slowly toward me but got caught on tree branches.

Though magically reinforced bubbles were sturdy, they weren't heavy enough to push through branches.

"Heuk! King! The bubble can't get through! What do we do?!"

"It's okay. I'll jump."

"Will you be okay?!"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

With Gaeul, Saebyeok, and Levinas all trying so hard to help me, I didn't want to stay paralyzed by fear.

I stood up balancing on the branch.

If I went down just a little, I could reach Levinas's bubble.

"Here I go."

"Yeah! You can do it!"

Hop-

Just as I jumped fearlessly toward the bubble, Kkamang shot web toward another tree from the back of my hand.

"Kkamang?"

My falling body flew in an arc along the web.

It recreated that scene we'd seen in the movie.

"Nyaaah."

"Gyeoul...?"

While swinging on the web, I passed by Han Yeoreum.

I saw her surprised expression as I quickly flew past.

"Aaaaaah."

Though I was flying fast, unlike before I didn't land in a tree.

Instead, my body started swinging back toward where I'd started.

"Nyaaah."

I'd probably swing back and forth a few times like this.

Just as I squeezed my eyes shut-

Something soft caught me.

'Huh?'

Carefully opening my eyes, I saw Han Yeoreum's face.

She had caught me as I flew by.

"Gyeoul, what was that just now?"

"Well, I was training with Kkamang..."

"Ayu, you should do dangerous things when your sister is around."

"Yes..."

To ease my anxiety, I rubbed my ear against Han Yeoreum's cheek.

Then the children came running over.

"King! Are you okay?!"

"Shuin!"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Perhaps relieved I was safe?

The children let out sighs of relief.

"King! But that was so cool just now! You went swoosh while flying!"

"Shuuu!"

"Yeah. Hehe..."

I did fly kind of like in the movies.

Though I swung back since I couldn't shoot another web.

Still rubbing my ear on Han Yeoreum's cheek, I carefully climbed down her body.

I wanted to ask Gaeul something.

"Gaeul."

"Nyeng."

"Where did you learn to do that merong merong thing earlier?"

Using silly actions to cheer someone up.

I'd never taught her that, so where did she learn it?

As I looked at Gaeul curiously, she pointed at me.

"Shuin!"

"Me...?"

"Heuk... Gaeul uu..."

Nodding, Gaeul made a scared expression.

Her ears trembled before she suddenly returned to normal and pointed at me.

"Did I do merong merong whenever Gaeul was scared?"

"Nyeng!"

Giggle.

Gaeul laughed innocently.

She seemed to be remembering times when I'd done that.

I see.

Back in my hometown, in that world, I must have comforted Gaeul like this whenever she was scared.

Though I couldn't recall it clearly, feelings and emotions from those times started welling up.

"Hehe, I'll do merong merong again next time you're scared."

"Heuk...!"

Gaeul's tail wagged rapidly.

Levinas suddenly popped up beside her.

"King! Levinas too!"

"Yeah. I'll do it for Levinas too."

"Oh my, will sister do it for me too?"

"Yes. Just tell me if you're scared. I'll do it for everyone. Saebyeok too, just say if you're scared."

I turned to look at Saebyeok as I spoke.

Saebyeok gave me a faint smile.

**

"Whew."

After playing briefly at the pool playground, we returned home.

Though we hadn't noticed while playing in the water, it was quite hot once we got back.

"Since me and Gaeul bathed, Levinas and Saebyeok should go next."

"Okay!"

As the children went to bathe, I sat in front of the living room fan.

It was too hot, so I decided to turn it on.

Though we had air conditioning, that wasn't something I could use.

I knew air conditioning used a lot of electricity.

Though Yeomyeong Guild could generate its own electricity through mana stones, we still needed to save where we could.

"Hehe."

Though I couldn't use the air conditioning, I could indulge a little.

The fan's maximum setting - high power.

I pressed the high power button without hesitation.

Whoosh-

The fan blades spun, creating wind.

Gaeul must have been hot too, as she came and sat beside me.

"Gaeul, look at this."

"...?"

"My voooice viiibraaates."

"Shuin?!"

Speaking in front of the spinning fan made my voice vibrate.

Startled, Gaeul kept her eyes wide open for a while.

"Gaeuri too?"

Gaeul spoke into the air, but her voice didn't vibrate.

She was too far from the fan.

"Whyyy doooesn't it woooork?"

"Nyeng...!"

"I wooonder whyyyy."

My voice vibrated but Gaeul's didn't.

Had she not figured out why?

After staying blank for a moment, Gaeul spoke again.

"Gaaaeuuriii tooooo."

This time Gaeul's voice vibrated.

Not from the fan, but from her own vibration she added to her voice.

Though clumsy and slow, it worked.

"Wow, Gaeul's voice is vibrating too."

"Heuk...!"

Wagging her tail gently, Gaeul started tapping her throat.

When she spoke, her voice vibrated in an amazing way.

"Gaaeurii tooooo."

"Wow."

It sounded just like a ghost speaking.

Our Gaeul was so clever.

Feeling happy, I spoke in front of the fan again.

"Myyyy voooice is viiibraaating tooooo."

"Gaaeurii tooooo."

As I spoke in front of the fan and Gaeul tapped her throat, each making our voices vibrate in our own way, we sensed someone behind us.

"What are you doing?"

"...?"

Looking back, Kwon Arin was watching us through the open door.

We'd been so focused on playing we hadn't noticed she was home.

"We were playing with vibrating voices. Gaeul sounds just like a ghost."

"Gaeuri ghost."

Woo.

Gaeul held out her hands like a ghost.

Finding it cute, Kwon Arin smiled and patted our heads.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. But what brings you here?"

"I'm looking at houses."

"H-houses...?"

"Yeah. I've saved up quite a bit from working. I was going to look at new places - is Yeoreum not back yet? She told me to wait at home."

Was she seeking Han Yeoreum's advice about buying a house?

Though it should have been happy news, the thought of her leaving the guild made me uneasy.

"Does that mean you're leaving the guild...?"

I looked up at Kwon Arin, fidgeting with my fingers.

Seeming to finally realize Kwon Arin was leaving, Gaeul clung to her leg.

"No..."

Gaeul's ears and tail drooped.

Following her, my ears and tail drooped too.

"It's nice living in the same place, getting to hug like this and have our heads patted..."

"Um... hmm..."

I emphasized all the good points about living in the same building to Kwon Arin.

But she just rolled her eyes back and forth silently.

Whoops forgot to post.