Baekyang’s story was both short and long. The content itself was not long, but it was because the story was cut off in the middle as if speechless.

After hearing that long story, the conclusion I came to was simple.

“It’s not your fault.”

It’s not the white sheep’s fault.

“It’s not the kids’ fault.”

It wasn’t the kids’ fault either. There was only one problem.

“I’m just too young.”

It’s just that we haven’t been able to establish a foundation for understanding each other.

It could be seen as wrong to hide that Baek Yang is a goblin. Because the intention of approaching him in the first place was a joke.

But in the end, she chose to play innocently with her children.

Isn’t that the wrong thing to do?

“A lie like that isn’t much different from secretly snatching a few to eat later when I was peeling potatoes.”

“Give me back the potatoes.”

“Let’s not be so cheesy. We’re talking serious right now.”

Anyway, that’s about all the lies Baekyang told.

concealing one’s identity.

That’s it.

And so do children.

When Baek Yang is discovered to be a goblin. They couldn’t trust Baekyang. Just seeing the fact that it was a goblin, he ran away in fear.

but they aren’t kids

Children are greatly influenced by the stories of adults around them.

So, the conclusion is simple.

“It’s just a misunderstanding because I was young, and it’s no one’s fault.”

“Still, the moon fell into the three provinces because of me.”

“That was an unfortunate accident. Besides, you said you were trying to save Wolha?”

“… … .”

Baekyang nodded timidly. Deep down, I’m grateful that he said it wasn’t his fault.

“I can see why you are so afraid.”

What Baekyang feared was Soyeon’s refusal.

this is basic But look deeper and you’ll see.

She has been trying to blend into the human world.

He avoided lies more than humans and took care of others more than humans.

Such efforts are the steps she has taken so far.

I tried so hard

I can’t bear to be denied again. It corresponded to the fear she harbored while wandering around the three provinces just in case.

A word that denies life itself.

So-yeon can say that one word.

Only she, who is the source of Baek-yang’s regret, can deny all the paths Baek-yang has walked.

that’s why i’m afraid

“I heard the story… … .”

“Where are you going?”

“I have an appointment.”

Baekyang silently grabs my sleeve. However, unlike before, its power is quite weak.

“Do not worry about it. I don’t intend to go and ask So-yeon about this right now. I have business with another guy.”

“… … .”

At my words, Baek Yang let go of her sleeves, perhaps because she was afraid, and shrank back, gently hugging her trembling body.

It’s a non-adaptive look.

Could this coward be the white sheep I’ve been seeing?

“Ah go.”

He looked nervous, so I tried to stroke his head, but he was stabbed by a horn.

It’s sharper than you think.

“What are you doing?”

Baekyang looks at me with his usual tone and his sullen eyes.

“No, he looked nervous, so I thought I might stroke his hair. However, seeing that it has returned to its original form, it seems that I was not wrong.”

“It must be because it’s ridiculous.”

Anyway, I hope the results are good.

“Then I will go. Don’t worry, take care of your condition now. The kids are worried too.”

* * *

It is not a lie to say that there is a promise. It wasn’t a conversation, but I definitely made an appointment with someone.

“Are you welcome? Unformed.”

“Why are you so late? If you understood roughly, you should have come out immediately.”

While I was being dragged away by Baekyang earlier, Bihyung kept paying attention to me.

Do you want to hear all about your work, or do you have something you want to say?

he was waiting for me

“How are you? The magic of this old man. You didn’t even know I was here until I started talking to you, right? You bastard.”

“Should someone pretend to know a strange goblin drinking in the middle of the street?”

Bihyung was tilting his glass.

He wasn’t crazy, so why was he drinking in the middle of a street where other people wandered around? Even if you noticed, you don’t want to pretend to know.

“Looking at the expression on his face, he seems to have heard the story, is that right?”

“I heard about Baekyang’s past.”

“Did you hear that? After all, is this different?”

Bihyung wiggled his huge little finger and laughed sinisterly.

I want to break that finger

“Anyway, if you heard it, it would be quicker.”

Bihyung giggled and poured a drink into his glass. He is holding something like a soju glass with his big fingers.

Rather, I don’t know if I’m going to get a message or not just because I drink like that.

“The children of the Commonwealth grow up listening to fairy tales when they are young.”

Bihyung drank the alcohol from the small glass in one gulp, then tilted his head and licked his lips.

After all, at that size, it doesn’t seem like there’s even a message from the liver. If that’s the case, I’d just drink it from a big glass… … .

“Anyway, the federation is inhabited by youkai. Aren’t fairy tales dealing with youkai very important?”

“Or things like immortals and tigers, too.”

“I know you well.”

Bihyung smiled cheerfully as if he liked my answer and shoved the bottle into his mouth.

no, what is that Are you eating sick? why? Is it like a performance?

“You’re drinking today.”

“I think the proportion of illness is higher than alcohol… … .”

Was it the alcohol or the circumstances? Bihyung frowned.

“The goblin in fairy tales is always a bad role.”

The treatment of youkai in the federation is inevitable.

No wonder.

In the imperial territories where youkai do not exist, such negative perceptions tend to be less, but in the federation it is different.

To them, a youkai is a being that infiltrates deep into everyday life and causes harm.

No matter how hard the goblins try to change now, the achievements they have made over the years have carved out the perception that they are monsters that harm them.

A youkai that is not of a different species because it cannot be understood and cannot be recognized as the same.

We cannot escape the annihilation of being a being that harmed humans.

“Even the children who avoided Baekyang because they were afraid. Yes, it must be because I grew up hearing such fairy tales.”

“I was just young.”

“Is it really so?”

“… … .”

“Did you say that when you persuaded Baekyang? But, surprisingly, there is no way that a person like you doesn’t know that the influence of childhood can follow you throughout your life, right?”

That’s right.

It is dismissed as a story of immature days, but there are many cases where it is unexpectedly deeply entrenched in life.

It is the same logic as a child who fell into water as a child is afraid of the beach as an adult.

“I think so. It shouldn’t have been involved in the first place.”

“Then why did you ask Baek Yang to find out about the world?”

“Because I thought Western kids would be different. And look. Are you sure it’s different? You appeared in front of me.”

“Then it wouldn’t be possible to go east either. Because they are the same people.”

“But the way they live is different. Being human is not important. How you live matters.”

“What do you want to say?”

If interacting with humans is so negative, why aren’t we blocking the entry of humans from outside?

“After that happened. Baekyang’s face has become quite serious. Did he look like he was going to die soon?”

Bihyung laughed at my criticism and continued the story. This time it is the story of the white sheep. That is, it was the main point.

“This old man knew that the child would be hurt. Yes, I have had similar experiences.”

“If you knew that, wouldn’t you have stopped it like an adult?”

“Did you hear it was dry? So I just left it… … . The situation has become bizarrely twisted.”

Bihyung crossed his forehead. Perhaps the result he was thinking of was the prickly advice of his childhood days.

I never thought that missing a child would be such a big deal.

Baekyang was young, and Bihyung, who looked at Baekyang like that, was not an adult either.

“It will work out on its own, I did, so he will too. I passed it lightly. That’s when something happened that would scar you for the rest of your life.”

It seems that Baekyang at that time looked quite dangerous. That is why Bihyeong forced Baekyang to appoint him as ＜Imae Mangryang＞.

“Because I am the boss. I had to do something. Have you tried many things? They gave advice and made them work, and the most effective of them was making the Red Mae a rival of Baek Yang.”

“I wondered why they couldn’t eat each other, and that was also your fault. It’s a really good thing.”

“hahahaha! But don’t you think you’re a little alive when you hate each other? This old man made it that way because of competition.”

As a result, it was good, but it ruined the relationship between people.

It’s trash with no excuses.

“Still, I don’t speak well, so I can’t fully understand the child’s heart. It kept failing.”

It seems that Baek Yang’s relaxed demeanor and strangely elongated tone came from Bi-hyung’s advice.

“I didn’t want you to be in a hurry.”

Even so, Baekyang’s behavior did not improve. Bihyung couldn’t stop Baekyang from going in and out of Samdocheon.

When you think about it with common sense, there is no chance that a child lost in Samdocheon will be alive.

“But it seems I was the one who was really impatient.”

Bi-hyung knew about it, and Baekyang also knew about it.

Even so, Bihyung acquiesced to Baekyang’s self-satisfied behavior.

“If that is comfortable. So if you feel comfortable, yes, that’s fine. That’s what you thought.”

“You haven’t grown up.”

“Originally, a goblin is like that. No matter how much we grow, we are fundamentally children. Because that’s the identity of a goblin.”

Eventually, when Baekyang’s stay in Samdocheon became more and more severe day by day. It is said that Bihyeong kicked out Baekyang for the sake of interacting with the outside world.

It had to be. There is nothing good to be exposed to the Yoki of the Samdocheon for a long time.

That’s how close it is to death.

“It was nice to see that he brought a lot of friends.”

But again, his stupid mistake caught his ankle.

The child that Baekyang missed might have become a shaman. The result of letting go of actions for self-satisfaction appeared in front of my eyes.

he regrets it

I should have stopped it right away when I knew it was wrong. He cursed his hasty judgment.

“How far can you go for Baekyang?”

aww

Bihyung turned the drinking glass into powder with only his grip.

It looked pretty pissed off.

“Are you sure the kid won’t get hurt any more?”

Bihyung looked at me.

Carefully, to never let it pass lightly this time.

Now he has nothing in his hands.

No bottles, no glasses, just bare hands.

“First, let me point out one thing. A fairy tale about goblins. I know of a few things that end with a happy ending, though.”

“What?”

“There are already fairy tales like that. Then there is already a precedent, so is there anything difficult?”

I had only one thing to say in front of his sincerity, throwing away any façade.

“If it is a perception that comes from fairy tales. There will also be a perception that the goblins are friends.”

Did I ask how far I could take her?

“You can go anywhere. Just like the goblins in fairy tales.”

Bi-Hyung looked at me blankly in response to my determination, and then raised his ring finger.

“As expected, is this something different?”

“… … .”

I tried to break it off, but I didn’t have the strength to even break my ring finger. Uselessly strong

You gave me a serious answer, so what are you going to do?

“hahahahaha!”

Bi-hyeong laughed at me as I tried to break my finger.

I really want to kill you.

“Oh, and I mean. Because hating each other means you understand each other better than anyone else, right?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“When you look for flaws, you see so many things. It means that the red seller must know about this. But I don’t know how he will respond.”

“You see, there is one more wall to overcome.”

This non-hyung guy really doesn’t help at all. I’m going to be crazy about how I killed everything I did.

“Oh, and this is just my personal curiosity. After this is over, let’s have a fight. I want to see your real skills.”

“What are you doing with Alexios?”

“Allosaurus?”

“Yes, anyway, he’s also looking forward to a revenge battle, so the two of you can figure it out on your own.”

“Hmm… … . That would be fine too.”

Hwang Seung-shim.

That’s a good word.

But I think it would be better if it wasn’t directed only at me.

I’m sorry I seem to be passing it on to Alexios, but he’ll understand.

“… … .”

No, thinking about it, I’m not really sorry.