The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 29

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 29

Setting aside the fact that it had grown dark, it was far too cold without the sun.

Soya crouched beneath a tree trunk, trembling as she hugged her body.

Seolyeo approached the shivering Soya and nuzzled her head against her.

“Kying, kyng…”

“Are you cold too? Come here, I’ll hold you.”

Seolyeo hadn’t approached Soya because she was cold. She wanted to warm up the cold Soya.

However, not understanding Seolyeo’s intentions, Soya smiled gently and pulled Seolyeo into her arms.

“Kying?”

Suddenly, Seolyeo found herself snugly embraced in Soya’s arms.

Unconsciously relaxing in the warm comfort of her small embrace, Seolyeo suddenly darted out of Soya’s arms in a flash.

“Kyng!”

“Hm? What’s wrong? Did I make you uncomfortable?”

Soya’s lips had turned blue as she tilted her head and asked. Her warmth had been stolen by Seolyeo.

She had wanted to warm her up, but instead made her even colder.

With a demon beast’s body, she couldn’t warm Soya. Seolyeo drooped her ears dejectedly.

Feeling upset, Seolyeo paced around Soya for a while before suddenly disappearing and returning with two large, thick tree leaves in her mouth.

“Huh? Tree leaves?”

The tree leaves were as large as Soya’s body.

Though Seolyeo offered the leaves, Soya stared blankly, not understanding what she was supposed to do with them.

“Kyng! Kying!”

Seolyeo placed the leaves on the ground, slipped underneath them, and poked just her head out as she called out.

“Kyng, kyng!”

“…?”

“Kying…”

Having failed to communicate, Seolyeo let out a deep sigh before taking the leaves back in her mouth.

Then she approached Soya and layered the two large leaves over both her shoulders. It immediately became much warmer, as if she were wearing a coat.

“Ah…! You brought these because you were worried I’d be cold?”

“Kying! Kyng!”

“Thank you so much.”

Seolyeo’s drooped ears perked up again.

Wagging her tail and hopping around, Seolyeo disappeared once more, this time returning with fruit in her mouth that she placed in front of Soya.

“Kying, kyng!”

Seolyeo tapped the ground with her front paws as if urging her to eat quickly.

“This is for me to eat?”

“Kying!”

“Let’s eat together!”

“Kying, kying…”

Though Soya broke the fruit in half and offered it to her, Seolyeo shook her head.

“You want me to eat alone?”

“Kyng, kyng!”

“But…”

Just then, Soya’s stomach rumbled loudly.

Seolyeo snorted as if to say “see?”

Then she puffed out her belly and proudly patted her protruding stomach with a smug expression.

“Oh… right, you’re not hungry? Then I’ll eat it gratefully.”

Feeling embarrassed, Soya said this and crunched on the fruit.

Seolyeo watched with a satisfied expression before curling up in a spot a little distance from Soya.

“Still, I’m glad you’re here. I would have been so scared being here alone.”

Soya spoke in a gentle voice.

Though Seolyeo tilted her head as if not quite understanding, she stayed by Soya’s side without leaving.

But as the night grew deeper, the smile gradually faded from Soya’s face.

What would happen if she couldn’t get down the mountain like this?

She had broken her promise with Yeonjeong to return before sunset, and couldn’t bring flowers to Second Young Master either.

It was when Soya’s face darkened as she looked at the flowers in her basket.

Kuwoong!

The ground shook with a tremendous noise.

Soya’s eyes widened as she looked up.

Seolyeo, her fur standing on end, leaped in front of Soya.

Kung!

Kung!

Kuwoong!

Seolyeo growled toward the direction of the sound.

After a moment, the noise stopped.

Could it be that another wild beast had appeared?

Soya tensely swallowed and looked in the same direction as Seolyeo.

Swaaah―

A cool breeze from the opposite side rustled the tree branches.

Tak, tak, tak, tak.

Urgent footsteps could be heard between the sounds of wind.

‘Huh…? This is…’

Suddenly Soya’s lips parted.

‘It’s not a wild beast! Those are human footsteps!’

Even so, the tension on Soya’s face didn’t disappear.

Some of the people Soya had met before were scarier than wild beasts.

The footsteps gradually drew closer. Soya clenched her fists tightly.

Soon, a boy slightly larger than Soya appeared, breathing heavily.

“Soya!”

Unlike his usual gentle smile, the boy’s pale face showed not a trace of warmth, and he was none other than…

“Little Young Master…?”

It was Ga Hyeon.

* * *

Ga Hyeon had run all over the mountain searching for Soya.

She had definitely said she climbed the mountain with Gayul during the day, but there wasn’t a trace of Soya’s scent.

As if her trail had been completely cut off.

‘What if she got lost and went the wrong way? What if she couldn’t see properly in the dark and fell off a cliff…’

A frightening thought struck him.

[Forget it. I don’t need such trashy pebbles…]

That was his last memory with her – her wide, shocked eyes as she ran away after his words.

It wasn’t like that.

He hadn’t meant to dismiss her sincerity and hurt her.

He was sorry for saying such cruel words.

He hadn’t even been able to convey that apology, and thinking he might never see her again made his heart sink.

At that moment, a faint trace of scent brushed past his nose.

Ga Hyeon crouched down toward the dirt ground and sniffed around.

It was that soft, fluffy scent that always emanated from her.

The scent was so faint that Gayul, still a young beast-person in his juvenile stage, must not have been able to detect it.

Ga Hyeon followed the scent deep into the inner parts of the mountain.

Then, at a certain point, Ga Hyeon stopped and carefully reached his hand toward the air.

‘This is…’

He touched an invisible, transparent membrane.

‘A barrier…?’

The barrier, emanating an unfamiliar energy, was thick and solid as if protecting someone.

‘She’s inside this.’

There was no time to wonder why she was inside the barrier.

If by any chance Soya was in there, she would be unable to come out of the barrier and trembling in the darkness.

Ga Hyeon threw his body against the barrier.

Thud!

Although he had passed his juvenile stage and entered the First Growth period, eleven-year-old Ga Hyeon was still not a full adult.

Ga Hyeon’s body bounced off the barrier and fell face-first to the ground.

However, he got up again and threw his body against the barrier.

This caused the ground to shake and small animals to flee in surprise.

Ga Hyeon didn’t stop and continued throwing his body against the barrier.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

After several attempts, cracks slowly began to form…

Crack!

Finally, as the barrier shattered, his body rolled on the ground and his Beast Transformation was released.

But he immediately got up.

And that’s when he discovered Soya inside the broken barrier.

“Soya!”

“Young Master…!”

Relief immediately spread across Soya’s face as she recognized Ga Hyeon.

Ga Hyeon paused in place.

Soya had never made such an expression in front of him before.

She had always only given vague smiles while watching his reactions.

So Soya had known all along. That he had been avoiding her from the beginning.

And knowing that, yet being happy enough to see him like this, how scared must she have been alone in this dark and cold forest.

Ga Hyeon strode toward Soya, draped his outer coat over her shoulders, and pulled her small body into his arms.

“Uh… Young Master?”

Surprised, Soya opened her eyes wide.

Ga Hyeon’s shoulders were shaking.

What should I do at times like this?

She suddenly remembered Sara’s hand that had patted her back not long ago.

Recalling that, Soya gently patted Ga Hyeon’s shoulder with her small hand.

Then Ga Hyeon’s shaking gradually stopped.

“I’m sorry. You must have been very surprised when I suddenly disappeared, right?”

“You…”

Ga Hyeon was about to ask Soya how she could say sorry in this situation, but he trailed off and bit his lower lip hard.

He realized that it was none other than himself who had been giving this child with nowhere to go cold looks and showing displeasure all this time.

It was also none other than himself who made this child, who must have been cold and scared being left alone on the mountain, apologize first.

In that moment of realization, overwhelming emotions surged through him.

“Yes, I was very surprised. Soya.”

Ga Hyeon barely swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke to Soya.

“Not because of you, but because of me. You got lost alone on the mountain, but I was surprised because of myself – because I couldn’t find you and just wandered around like a fool.”

“What…?”

Toward Soya who was blinking her eyes, Ga Hyeon wrapped the large outer coat fluttering over her shoulders more tightly and said.

“I’m sorry, Soya. For coming so late.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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