The drawing depicted bleeding people and a ruined city. Despite the childlike, whimsical drawing style, the content was the complete opposite. Yeoreum hadn’t studied psychology, but even she could tell that Gyeoul’s drawing wasn’t ordinary.

"Um…"

"Hmm…"

It seemed that Sophia and the others were having similar thoughts, as they all stared at the drawing with a mix of shock and concern. Only Levinas, too absorbed in her own drawing, didn’t seem to understand the situation.

"This is…"

Who should speak up first? As the adults exchanged uneasy glances, Gyeoul began working on a new drawing.

A child hiding behind a tree, covering their mouth tightly. Nearby, bleeding people wandered aimlessly. Yeoreum felt her breath catch in her throat but decided to ask for the sake of the child.

"...Gyeoul, what’s going on in this picture?"

"It’s a situation where the child is hiding quietly."

"Hiding?"

"Yes. If they get caught, they’ll die."

If they get caught by the bleeding people, they die. Was this some sort of metaphor?

As Yeoreum pondered this, she remembered that Gyeoul had lived in the forest up until recently.

She had lived deep in the woods, avoiding people’s eyes. Sometimes, she hid in a safe container when someone approached. Yeoreum quickly realized that the drawing reflected Gyeoul’s past experiences.

"Hmm…"

Should she take Gyeoul to see a doctor? She was improving bit by bit, but… As Yeoreum wrestled with her thoughts, Sophia cautiously spoke up.

"Did the other people also turn into those bleeding figures?"

"Other people?"

"Yes, the people around you now."

At Sophia’s question, Gyeoul looked around at the people nearby. They were all watching her with strange expressions. Gyeoul thought that if a zombie apocalypse ever happened, she hoped none of them would turn into zombies.

"I hope they don’t change."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

The idea that the only people whose names she could call in this world might turn into zombies… That would be incredibly sad. Feeling a bit melancholy, Gyeoul picked up a red crayon. After all, zombie apocalypse worlds were only fun when they stayed fictional.

"Alright, we’ll work hard to make sure we never change."

"O-okay…"

Never change? Was there a zombie virus in this world? As Gyeoul tilted her head in confusion, Jung Yu-na cleared her throat and headed toward the kitchen.

"Oh, right. We have drinks."

Yeoreum followed after her, moving into the kitchen. She cast a soundproofing spell so that Gyeoul wouldn’t overhear their conversation.

"What do you think?"

"...For now, I think we should just keep an eye on things."

"Keep an eye on her? Are you sure that’s okay?"

"Yeah. Gyeoul said she hopes we won’t turn into monsters."

She did say that. But what exactly did that mean? Yeoreum had an idea but wasn’t quite sure, so she waited for Jung Yu-na to explain.

"I think it’s her way of saying she doesn’t want us to become bad adults."

"Hmm… That makes sense."

"Yeah. And the situation isn’t all bad. It means she still sees us as good people."

"Oh, right."

She didn’t want to be betrayed. Yeoreum resolved to try even harder from now on.

"I’m not perfect either, so I’ll check in with a professional."

"Do you think we need to take Gyeoul directly?"

"No. She’s far too smart and suspicious for her age. If we force her to go, she’ll only resist."

That made sense. If she didn’t go willingly, she’d only see it as being dragged away.

"Got it. I’ll leave it to you."

"Yeah."

With their conversation finished, the two returned to the living room with the drinks. There, Choi Jinhyuk was judging the completed drawings.

"And the winner is…"

"The winner is…?!"

Levinas clenched her fists tightly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. Gyeoul also seemed to be quietly looking forward to the result.

*Drumroll.*

With a dramatic pause, Choi Jinhyuk finally spoke.

"The winner is… Lady Sophia."

"Wh-what?"

"..."

Both children’s ears drooped in disappointment. Seeing their reactions, Sophia looked a bit flustered.

At the very least, the winner should have been one of the children. Sophia didn’t seem too pleased with her victory either, as she glanced nervously at the deflated kids.

"Hey, Choi Jinhyuk. Come over here for a second."

"W-what’s wrong…?"

"Just come with me, no questions."

As Yeoreum dragged Choi Jinhyuk away, Gyeoul thought to herself, *He must be a very fair person.* After all, Sophia’s drawing was indeed impressive, especially considering it was made with crayons.

"Next time, Levinas will win!"

"Yeah!"

Drawing. It was actually pretty fun, wasn’t it? I sipped the drink Yeoreum had brought me and flipped through my sketchbook.

'Let’s draw something else.'

This time, I’d try to make it more detailed. As Levinas and I worked on new drawings, Yeoreum returned with Choi Jinhyuk, who looked dejected.

"Gyeoul, are you drawing again?"

"Yes, it’s more fun than I expected."

"R-really?"

Yeoreum seemed strangely happy that I was enjoying myself. She leaned over and looked at my sketchbook. Even though my drawing skills weren’t great, she examined it as if it were a masterpiece.

"This time… is it a pond?"

"Yes. Sophia suggested I try drawing something with a lighter mood."

It was a good idea, considering all I’d drawn so far were zombie-themed pictures. Inspired by her suggestion, I decided to draw Sophia swimming in the pond like a shark.

"Gyeoul, you’ve really got a talent for drawing."

"R-really?"

"Yeah. Your skills improve every time you draw. This is Lady Sophia, right?"

"Y-yes…"

Did I really have a talent for drawing? Feeling embarrassed, I lowered my head, focusing on the sketchbook. Of course, I couldn’t hide my tail, which was wagging wildly.

It wagged so vigorously that it tapped Yeoreum and Levinas, who were sitting next to me.

"Hehe."

Yeoreum smiled at the sight of my tail. Embarrassed, I continued drawing in silence. After a moment, Yeoreum pulled out her phone and showed it to me.

"Gyeoul, I uploaded the pictures you took earlier, and the response was really positive."

"R-really?"

"Yeah. Want to see?"

"Okay…"

Yeoreum tapped her phone and opened the SNS app. The first picture at the top was one I had taken of a moth caterpillar, just out of boredom.

"Look at the comments. Everyone says you’re really good at taking pictures."

"...Is that so?"

I glanced at Yeoreum before reading the comments. There were so many that it was hard to find any specific praise for the photo. Or maybe I just couldn’t spot them among the flood of comments.

-Look at the shadow, you can see her ears and tail, haha.

-Did she just take pictures of whatever caught her eye? Haha.

-Wow, just wow…

There were way more "ㅋㅋ" (laughing) comments than I expected. Feeling a bit awkward, I glanced back at Yeoreum.

"There’s a lot of 'ㅋㅋ' in the comments."

"Yeah, that means they’re laughing."

I knew that. But why were they laughing at the pictures I took?

"Are they laughing because the pictures are bad?"

"No, no! They’re laughing because you took them so well."

"...People laugh at good pictures?"

"Uh, yeah! Your photos bring out a sense of childlike wonder in adults! They make people feel happy and nostalgic, that’s why they’re laughing."

Nostalgic laughter, huh? Were they reminded of their childhoods catching bugs or something? I didn’t fully understand, but if Yeoreum said so, then I’d take her word for it.

Deciding not to dwell on it, I picked up my crayons again. Just then, Yeoreum gently tapped my shoulder.

"Hey, Gyeoul."

"Yes?"

"How do you feel about living here?"

Yeoreum looked at me, cautiously watching for my reaction. I looked up at her, thinking carefully before responding.

"I don’t know? It feels about the same as anywhere else."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. Living here isn’t much different from living in a shipping container."

Did my answer seem strange? Yeoreum waved her hands in confusion, her voice flustered.

"B-but you have hot water here! And you can draw in the living room!"

"Sure, hot water is nice, but the people are the same."

"People…?"

Yeoreum gave me a puzzled look. Her hand gestured toward the bathroom.@@novelbin@@

"I don’t care how nice the house is. What matters is who I’m living with."

"Oh…!"

Yeoreum’s eyes widened as if she’d been struck by a sudden realization.

"A shipping container might not be as nice as this place, but being with everyone here and there is the same for me."

"R-right!"

*Clap!* 

Yeoreum clapped her hands together and flashed a bright smile. Her gaze, however, wasn’t focused on me but somewhere off in the distance, as if she was deep in thought.

"Money is important, but people always

 come first."

That was something I had learned after being transported to another world. The house and valuables I had cherished didn’t even cross my mind. All I had left was the longing for my family and friends.

That’s why I ended up donating to soup kitchens and charity, despite being poor.

"...Gyeoul, you really have a lot of insight."

"I-I guess so."

Sophia gave me a warm smile, while Yeoreum blushed and fiddled with her fingers.

I looked back and forth between the two of them, then picked up my crayons. This time, I was really going to focus on my drawing.