Home/The Beloved Young Divine Child of the Twelve Zodiacs/ch 43

Chapter 43

"How did you know?"

"I got one when I was little too."

"Hehe, what was your doll's name, Brother? Mine is Haerang—I named him that so he'd become a tiger as magnificent as the sun."

Arin lifted the tiger doll's front paws and waved them. Though he wasn't particularly curious, Dohun answered dutifully.

"Not sure. I don't think I ever named mine."

He had always preferred books to dolls anyway. As he recalled, Doyoung had received a doll once and torn it apart to eat it, leaving their father dumbfounded. In contrast, Arin seemed to treasure her tiger doll dearly.

"But it's just a doll," he said.

"Maybe. But Haerang is my friend. He protects me every night."

That's impossible.

Dohun's thoughts grew sharp, but he held them back. Perhaps because his mother's death anniversary was approaching, he felt on edge. He began reading to end the pointless conversation—but Arin's questions didn't stop there.

"What do you like besides books, Brother?"

Dohun looked up from his book and replied, "Nothing as much as books."

"Wow, I found the book Seyeon recommended quite difficult... Could you teach me?"

"If you want."

Despite his dry responses, Arin persisted with questions.

"I heard you travel a lot—where have you been? Where are you coming back from this time?"

"I just follow my teacher. I often don't know our route until we arrive."

"Have you been to Cheongmyo Village? I heard there's a huge rabbit burrow there..."

"I have. It's not as impressive as it sounds."

"Wow! Then have you been to the White Dragon Palace with your teacher?"

"Yes."

"What's it like? I heard it's enormous."

"It is quite large, but..."

Dohun stopped mid-answer and narrowed his eyes. She had asked him to read, but she seemed uninterested in the book. He finally realized she had used it as an excuse to talk to him and closed the book.

"If you're not going to listen, you should go back."

"No, I will! Keep reading, Brother. I'll listen quietly! Okay?"

Arin clasped her hands and pleaded. Though her intentions were obvious, Dohun pretended not to notice and resumed reading. He didn't know what scheme she was up to, but he planned to finish the book quickly and send her off.

Contrary to his hopes, Arin kept chattering throughout, distracting him from reading.

---

A few days later.

Dohun stared at the entrance to Cheongmyeongdang. It was around the time Arin usually came, but she didn't appear. He kept glancing at the entrance.

Has she finally given up?

For days, Arin had followed him around, asking him to read to her. The books were just an excuse—she wandered around him, constantly interrupting his time alone. Even when he gave hints, she stubbornly persisted, and he couldn't bring himself to push her away. A week had passed since he started watching her, wondering what her game was.

Now that the chattering child was gone, Dohun felt oddly empty as he stepped out of Cheongmyeongdang.

I'll just go check. Just a quick look.

If she was heading for Cheongmyeongdang again, he planned to avoid her first. Before he knew it, his steps had brought him near Maehwadang.

"Oh my, miss! The sparrow is finally eating on its own!"

"Hehe. I'm so relieved. Thank you for living, Chirp-chirp."

Through the open door, he faintly heard Arin and Choryeong talking, accompanied by a small bird's chirping. Unable to contain his curiosity, Dohun peeked through the gap.

"When will it be able to fly?"

"Its wing is injured, so it'll take a while. Still, thanks to you, the chick survived."

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect your parents, Chirp-chirp."

Arin was carefully tending to an injured baby bird. She was feeding it worms with her own hands, just like a mother bird. To Dohun, who hated bugs, it was a spine-chilling sight.

So that's why she didn't come.

He was relieved. While Arin was distracted by the chick, he could enjoy his freedom. But his plans were spectacularly thwarted when Choryeong spotted him.

"Oh my, Young Master Dohun?"

"Huh? Brother?"

Arin looked up and beamed, her gums showing as she waved enthusiastically.

"Brother! Perfect timing! Look—I saved a baby bird!"

Her face flushed peach with excitement, like a puppy desperate for praise.

"...Good job."

Dohun answered reluctantly, stepping back while eyeing the worm in Arin's hand. Misinterpreting his gaze, Arin cheerfully offered it to him.

"Do you want to feed it too, Brother?"

"Ugh."

Dohun covered his mouth with his sleeve and shook his head.

"I'm fine. More importantly, what's with the bird?"

"One of a family that nested on the roof. A snake attacked—the parents died, and only this one survived."

"You should have seen how brave Miss Arin was, Young Master Dohun!"

"Don't tell me you drove the snake away yourself?"

"Don't even mention it. She hit its head with a stone, then grabbed its tail and slammed it on the ground—it was so satisfying!"

"Hehe."

Arin squirmed shyly at the praise. She didn't look like she could even hurt an ant, let alone a snake—Dohun's eyes wavered with disbelief.

"Look over there! It's completely smashed!"

Indeed, a snake's corpse lay in a corner of the yard, so it must be true.

"That's impressive..."

"Just say the word, Brother! I'll protect you!"

"That won't be necessary. You don't need to protect me."

For a moment, Dohun pictured Arin facing off against a snake and let out a quiet laugh. Meanwhile, Arin was overjoyed that Dohun had come to Maehwadang.

He seems to be in better spirits.

After learning that Dohun's condition worsened as his mother's death anniversary approached, Arin had visited him daily to cheer him up. It must have worked—he had come to Maehwadang on his own for the first time.

"Hehe, Brother, did you come to see me?"

At her bright question, Dohun couldn't deny it and only mumbled. Why did I even come this far? It was frightening how habit grew. After seeing her every day for days, he had grown curious—it was awkward.

"Miss, go wash your hands first. I'll take care of the chick."

"Okay! Wait for me, Brother—don't go anywhere, alright?"

"Fine."

Dohun agreed, and Arin disappeared quickly. Meanwhile, Choryeong replaced the ruined nest. Watching her, Dohun asked,

"Is she always this interested in animals?"

"Miss Arin? Don't even get me started. She greets every passing butterfly when we go for walks. Isn't that adorable?"

"Hmm."

"Especially when she sees injured or weak creatures—she can't just pass by. Last time, she even helped a dung beetle that was flipped over in, well, dung."

"She touched dung?"

"She's surprisingly tough, unlike her appearance. You saw her earlier—she grabs worms with her bare hands. She spent the whole morning catching those just to feed the chick."

He had suspected as much, but to think she had caught the worms herself. Dohun tried not to look at the wriggling worms.

What an unusual child.

It was unlike any other girl he knew—most would have screamed and run away.

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