A thick shrimp patty was sandwiched between hefty buns.
There were also vegetables, like cabbage, possibly for nutritional balance.
But what really tantalized me was the sauce, the epitome of culinary luxury.
The scent of the chemically concocted sauce, created solely for taste, almost numbed my nose.
Perhaps my sense of smell had also transformed to be more animal-like.
"Wow."
I never thought I'd live to see the day when I'd be eating a hamburger.
Mesmerized, I gazed down at the hefty profile of the hamburger.
"Aren't you going to eat, Gyeoul?"
"Yes. I'm about to."I carefully brought the hamburger to my mouth.
But my mouth was smaller than the thickness of the hamburger.
Regrettably, I decided to eat it in two bites.
Crunch-
Crunch-
The bread, cabbage, and freshly fried shrimp patty all danced harmoniously in my mouth.
"Mmm...!"
How many years had it been since I last tasted a hamburger?
I savored every bite for a long time.
'It's really delicious.'
This was the most stimulating food I'd ever had in this life.
My shoulders bounced with happiness.
"Is it good, Gyeoul?"
"Yes. I want to save it until tomorrow, but I'll just eat it all today."
"Why?"
Why, indeed.
Did the witch not understand even this simple thing?
Feeling good, I decided to just tell her.
"Last time, I tried to save a red bean bun, but it got moldy. So now, if I have something tasty, I just eat it all right away."
"Th-that's so..."
Crunch-
The girl took a bite of her hamburger.
She didn't seem as happy as I was, probably because she ate them often.
It seemed I had to teach her the importance of food.
"I was so sorry about the red bean bun that I only ate the parts without mold."
"Yo-you ate it...?!"
"Yes. I thought I was going to die that day."
Despite knowing it was wrong, I couldn't help it.
To someone hungry, mold is no different from a hamburger's chemical sauce.
"Gyeoul, you must never eat anything moldy again, okay?"
"Yes. I won't eat mold anymore."
I guess she must have understood the importance of food now.
I reached for the cola while looking at the girl, but for some reason, she looked even more downcast.
"Does the hamburger not taste good...?"
"No, no. It tastes even better because Gyeoul bought it."
Of course.
It's always better when someone else is paying.
I averted my gaze from the girl and looked down at the cola.
"Zero cola...?"
"Yes. It's calorie-free, so it's better for your body than regular cola."
Of course, I knew what zero cola was.
What shocked me was that she went out of her way to buy a calorie-free cola.
"If it has no calories, no matter how much you drink, you won't get any energy..."
"Ah."
The calories in cola, even more than my corn flour mixed with water.
She knew this, yet she still brought zero cola.
She was undoubtedly doing it to tease me and gauge my reaction.
'She's truly a bad person.'
Was tormenting people really that fun?
Annoyed, I just sipped on my cola.
The intensely sweet flavor and the fizz were more shocking than any drink I had ever tasted in this life.
---
---
It took Gyeoul about an hour to finish her hamburger.
Though it took a while because she savored it, Yeoreum patiently waited, not wanting to interrupt Gyeoul's moment of happiness.
"…Gyeoul, are you done eating?"
"Yes."
Yeoreum picked up a tissue as she watched Gyeoul, looking content, pat her stomach.
Maybe because of her small mouth, burger sauce was smeared all around it.
"You have sauce on your face, want me to wipe it for you?"
"No, no! I'll do it...!"
Gyeoul hastily grabbed the tissue.
Her dirty, stained clothes contrasted sharply with the white tissue, catching Yeoreum's eye.
'I wish she'd at least buy new clothes.'
But it felt wrong to force a reluctant child to buy clothes.
Yeoreum pondered before trying to guide Gyeoul's thinking.
"Hey, Gyeoul?"
"Yes?"
"Now that Gyeoul has a lot of money, what's the first thing you want to do with it?"
Considering her age, she might be interested in dressing up.
Yeoreum hoped Gyeoul would express a desire to buy clothes.
Just then, Gyeoul, with a startled expression, raised her index finger.
"Shh, shh!"
"Huh?"
Did I say something that shouldn't have been said?
Yeoreum instinctively clamped her mouth shut.
"You shouldn't boast about having a lot of money...!"
Gyeoul whispered just loud enough for Yeoreum to hear, her hands cupped around her mouth as if to contain the sound.
Yeoreum thought she understood why, but decided to ask anyway.
"Why not...?"
"Bad people will steal or take it away...!"
Ah.
Had someone done that to her?
Yeoreum matched Gyeoul's tone and quietly asked.
"Has someone stolen or taken from you before?"
"Yes...!"
What kind of despicable person would do that?
Yeoreum wanted to express her anger right then and there, but she restrained herself in front of the child.
"Tell me if you run into them again. I'll scold them for you."
"Yes, yes... but don't be too harsh on them..."
Telling her not to be too harsh on someone who stole her money.
Despite the deep wounds, the child's heart was still incredibly kind.
Yeoreum raised her hand to pat Gyeoul's head, but then stopped herself, remembering that Gyeoul didn't like such physical contact.
For now, she decided to prioritize buying clothes.
"Gyeoul, I'm really curious, what's the first thing you want to do?"
"I'm going to donate to the free food kitchen...!"
"The, food kitchen?"
Even with such a large sum of money for the first time, her thoughts were elsewhere.
Surprisingly, the child was thinking of others before herself.
"Yes! It's a food kitchen that operates on donations, and I've received a lot from there! I want to donate this time!"
"Wow, that's incredible. Gyeoul, you seem even more remarkable than me."
"I've been hungry a lot...! I know all too well that being hungry is the hardest thing in the world...! That's why I want as many people as possible not to go hungry...!"
The child's soft murmurs were endearing.
Yeoreum felt like tearing herself apart for having tormented such an angelic child in the past.
Feeling miserable, she closed her eyes tightly.
The more she learned about the child, the greater her sense of guilt grew.
"Hey, Gyeoul. Then, with the money left after donating, shall we buy some clothes for you...?"
"Clothes?"
"Yes. The clothes you're wearing are a little, just a little dirtier than other people's."
After looking down at her clothes, Gyeoul glanced around.
After a long comparison of her clothes with those of others, Gyeoul nodded.
"Yes, you're right."
"Um, yeah. So I was thinking it'd be good to buy just a few new ones."
"Um..."
Gyeoul, crossing her arms in thought, soon looked up cautiously at Yeoreum.
"Do, do you think there are clothes for just one thousand won?"
Clothes for one thousand won?
Knowing well that there weren't any, Yeoreum didn't bother to correct her.
She had plenty of clothes set aside for the child anyway.
"I have clothes I used to wear when I was young. I can give you one for a thousand won."
"Ah... Yes."
Gyeoul felt tricked.
She had hoped to buy new clothes, but now she was being pushed to take second-hand ones.
Knowing she was powerless, Gyeoul cursed the girl inwardly.
'This wicked woman!'
---
---
Led by the girl, we arrived back at the same hotel we had been before.
I followed her, thinking she was going to sell me second-hand clothes, only to end up back in this dreadful place.
Maybe the girl had lied just to keep me captive.
"Gyeoul, can you wait here for a bit?"
"Here?"
In the lobby of the hotel's first floor.
Looking around, I saw those monster-like figures I had seen before.
Leaving me in this den of beasts.
She really was a wicked and insane witch.
"The master has suddenly called me, I'll be back in ten minutes."
"Yes, yes..."
Well, fine.
If anyone dared to mess with her modified body, the witch would get angry.
After sending the girl off, I ran to a corner of the hotel and crouched down.
'For a den of villains, it's quite well-decorated.'
Luxurious artworks and golden lights everywhere.
The ceiling was so high that even five of my current height couldn't reach it.
Did they make this much money from modifying people?
Curious, I looked around here and there when suddenly I heard the sound of a door opening behind me.
"Huh?"
There was no door-like structure, so why from behind?
I hastily turned around to find a burly man looking down at me.
"I'll, I'll move!"
Before the man could say anything, I crawled on all fours to the side, moving away.
It would have taken too long to stand up and move.
"No, it's okay..."
The man reached out his hand towards me.
I kept my seated position and pushed myself backward with my hands on the floor.
Being in a secluded part of the hotel, there was nowhere far to escape.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know that was a door..."
"No, you don't need to apologize..."
Gulp-
The man swallowed his saliva.
What terrible thing was he planning to do that made him swallow his saliva in such a way?
My tail, in fear, passed between my legs and stuck to my belly.
To think I entered this den of monsters just to receive some used clothes.
I felt so pathetic I could cry.
---