Ch#190
"Hurry! Hurry...!"
Tese tan ran after Tie, who was pulling him along with a bewildered expression.
Incomprehensible things slowly passed by around them.
High roads supported by stone structures.
Even things roaring as they crossed above them.
Even the trees and grass by the roadside looked somehow strange.
When he looked toward signs of people, strangers in bizarre attire were staring piercingly at Tese tan.
"Here!"
At that moment, Tie dragged Tese tan and slipped into somewhere.
It was behind a large building.
Tese tan swallowed a sigh while facing the panting child.
'Not an illusion.'
Nothing felt real.
In this space, the only things he recognized were the sky and clouds...
Vrooom-
Then, something flashing from within the clouds shot out.
Tese tan reflexively hugged Tie and lowered his body.
Because he thought it was a flying monster charging toward them.
However, there was no attack.
For some reason, Tie let out a huge sigh in his arms.
"Not a monster, an airplane..."
"What?"
Tie wriggled out of his arms and spoke with a complicated expression.
"A flying auto... no, like a carriage."
Tese tan's lips parted.
A carriage flying through the sky?
He let out a scoff before slowly turning serious.
And asked in a grave voice.
"You know this place?"
Astie's expression darkened.
The child pressed her lips together before slowly nodding.
"Yeah."
"Then guide me quickly."
"Guide?"
"We need to go back, don't we."
Tie flinched and lowered her gaze.
And made a sullen face.
How nice it would be if she knew the way back.
But this wasn't a place Tie had come to willingly.
The child unwittingly fiddled with her chest.
The moment that strange gem-like thing by Ardiana's side had slipped into her chest was vivid.
After that, she couldn't do anything.
Separated from Lucarion, she had been dragged here to Korea with Dad.
The child's face grew serious.
'Did Kkamangi's magic wear off?'
But then, shouldn't only Tie have returned to South Korea?
She couldn't figure out why she had come with Dad or what had happened.
However, Tie clenched her fists tightly for now.
And took a deep breath before darting to the opposite side of Dad.
"Necromancer King. Where to now!"
Tese tan, who had hurriedly followed Tie, stopped in place.
The spot Tie stood at was in front of a bizarre green cylinder much larger than her.
The child pointed at it seriously and said.
"Vice Leader. Put your hand inside."
"What...?"
"Put your hand in like this and take it out, okay?"
Staring at the spot Tie pointed to, there was indeed a black hole drilled at the top of the cylinder.
Tese tan looked at Tie with bewilderment.
"What are you talking about. Let's go back right now?"
However, Tie didn't back down at all and replied.
"Listen to Tie for a bit! This is how we get home right now!"
"...By putting my hand in there?"
"Yeah! Everything Tie says from now on is to get home!"
The child's expression became quite resolute.
Tese tan ruffled his hair.
But soon,
"Ha."
He put his hand inside the green cylinder as Astie instructed.
Because there was nothing he could do anyway right now.
Touching something or other.
Various textures could be felt from inside.
"Take it all out! All of it!"
Tie jumped up and down.
Tese tan skeptically pulled out everything his hand grasped.
Slimy things, soft things, knitted items with unidentified fuzz.
"This is..."
"Vice Leader. Put this on, quick."
Before he could ask what it was, something black was thrust before Tese tan.
It was a strangely shaped cloth, but now Tese tan could guess.
"Clothes?"
Tie, who nodded, was already rummaging through the pile of clothes Tese tan had pulled out.
Finding a yellow raincoat inside, Tie hurriedly draped it over her own clothes.
On the chest was a drawing of a baby duck holding an umbrella.
"Hurry, hurry. Take this off."
Tie, fully dressed in the raincoat, urged Tese tan.
Tese tan sighed and finally took off the tunic he was wearing.
Then he threw on the unfamiliar clothes Tie gave him.
It was entirely black with a bizarre pocket attached to the back of the head.
"Put this on your head."
Tie picked up something else and handed it to Tese tan.
"...A shovel?"
"Not a shovel, a hat. Put it on quick."
A hat?
How could something with a dirt-digging shovel attached be a hat.
Tese tan gave up on retorting.
Though confused and frustrated, for now, following the Necromancer King seemed the right choice.
Since Astie seemed to know something about this place.
As Tese tan put on the hat, Tie extended both hands as if calling him closer.
The child bent Tese tan's waist and pulled the hood deeply over the cap.
"Hmm, pants..."
Tie, looking at Tese tan's torn breeches, shook her head.
The child rummaged through the clothes pile again but soon made a complicated face, finding nothing suitable.
Tie looked up at Tese tan.
"Vice Leader. Can't pull out more?"
Tese tan shook his head.
He couldn't pull out more clothes now even if he tried.
Because his arm wouldn't reach deeper inside.
Tie made a resigned expression.
The child pulled out thick floral quilted pants she had picked out in advance from the pile.
"Then wear these."
Tese tan's lips parted slightly at the pants thrust before his nose.
Why were all the clothes here like this.
On the pants with visible stitching, pink roses and green leaves were densely drawn.
He didn't know much about clothes, but he could tell these weren't men's attire.
"...You want me to wear these?"
"Yeah. Better than bloodstained pants!"
"Ha."
Tese tan took the pants.
He reluctantly stuffed his legs into them.
They were so short his ankles were fully exposed, but Tie immediately pulled him along.
"Now let's go!"
"...To the Old Palace?"
"Home!"
He narrowed his brow and tilted his head.
Home—did she mean the base on Rosewell Street?
He followed Tie around the corner first.
And upon reaching a crosswalk, he tensed up rigidly.
Vroooom-
Medium-sized monster-like things were quickly crossing the open areas everywhere.
All with people riding inside.
From the side, he heard the Necromancer King mutter weakly.
"Still, lucky we came back near home."
For some reason, the child's face was full of complicated emotions.
Then, as the vehicles stopped and people began crossing one by one,
Tie tightly grabbed Tese tan's hand and said.
"Let's go quick."
And quickly moved her steps, leaving the police car visible in the distance behind.
* * *
The Gold Apartment was about 10 minutes away from the park where Tie and Dad had been separated.
After crossing the street and entering the alley, Tie felt relieved that there were fewer people.
'Our neighborhood...'
The child's eyes welled up as she looked around the familiar scenery.
Honestly, it would be a lie to say she hadn't missed Jongno-gu after going to Talochioum.
She had left for Dad, but she had left too much behind here.
Tie glanced up at Dad beside her once more.
Dad had been quiet since a little while ago.
Ever since Tie had explained about police and jail.
Thanks to that, Tie didn't have to give the difficult explanation about why ID was needed or what trouble came without it.
Just then, a building Tie knew well appeared before her eyes.
The child read 'Gold Apartment' written at the very top of the second floor and swallowed hard.
But upon seeing the door to room 106 where she had lived with Dad, she shut her mouth.
"......"
Room 106, with lights off, had an unfamiliar padlock firmly attached.
