"…"

I brought Levinas back home, looking as stiff as someone guilty of a crime. She was terrified of getting in trouble, and I felt sorry for her.

"Levinas, don’t say a word about it, okay?"

"Okay…"

Holding Levinas’ trembling hand, I led her into the living room, where Yeoreum, Jung Yu-na, and Choi Jinhyuk were deep in conversation.

"Just let him go without mercy?"

"Yeah, seems like Park Min-gyu is…"

Park Min-gyu? Did I hear that right?

Curious, I stepped cautiously into the living room.

"Oh, Gyeoul…"

Yeoreum trailed off, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of Levinas and me looking so downcast. After a moment, she finally spoke.

"Gyeoul, did something happen?"

"I’m just a little worried."

"Worried about what?"

It wasn’t easy to come out and say that I’d been scammed by a bad person. I decided it would be best if Yeoreum realized it herself.

"I recently… started investing."

"Inv… investing?"

"Yes, someone told me I could make a lot of money…"

Yeoreum raised her eyebrows, then glanced back at Jung Yu-na and Choi Jinhyuk, who exchanged looks before they all turned to me.

"You know how to invest, Gyeoul?"

Yeoreum’s question made me flinch. It was the same one I had asked Levinas earlier. Not knowing how else to answer, I decided to respond just as Levinas had.

"Uh, no, I don’t really know much about it…"

Investing without really knowing how—yeah, that probably sounds strange. I fidgeted with my fingers awkwardly.

"So, where did you invest?"

"I got a message saying they’d help me grow my money."

I pulled out the smartphone Levinas had handed me and showed them the screen with the message, *“We can help grow your money.”*

"…What?"

Yeoreum, Jung Yu-na, and Choi Jinhyuk all froze, staring at the smartphone. I knew what they must be thinking, but I pretended to be completely clueless. I had to lie to protect Levinas. Deceiving everyone didn’t feel right, but I had no choice.

"Gyeoul, that…"

Yeoreum’s jaw dropped, and Jung Yu-na clutched her head in exasperation. Choi Jinhyuk pressed his hands to his face, eyes squeezed shut.

It was embarrassing, but at least Levinas seemed reassured. Right now, that was all that mattered to me.

---

"So, Gyeoul got scammed…"

Yeoreum placed a hand on her head. Despite Gyeoul’s maturity, he was still just a kid at heart.

As an adult, I should’ve been more vigilant. But Gyeoul acted so grown-up that I’d been tricked into thinking he could handle things on his own.

"Gyeoul, how much did you invest?"

"Uh, a million won…"

"A million won…"

Thank goodness. It wasn’t too much. Of course, I knew a million won was still a lot for Gyeoul.

I didn’t even want to imagine what Gyeoul would feel when he realized he’d been scammed out of a million won.

*Tsk.*

The thought of that scammer filled me with anger, but I kept my emotions in check. Showing my anger would only scare the kids. For now, I had to act like it wasn’t a big deal.

"Gyeoul, I think you got scammed."

"A s-scam?"

"Yeah. There’s a good chance they won’t give your money back."

"Oh dear."

Despite being told he’d been scammed, Gyeoul’s reaction was surprisingly calm. It was actually Levinas next to him who was trembling.

*Huh?*

Something seemed off about their reactions, but I decided to focus on comforting Gyeoul first. He might just be too shocked to react properly.

"It’s not your fault, so don’t worry about it too much, okay?"

"…You’re not going to scold me?"

"Why would I scold you, Gyeoul? The scammer’s the one at fault."

Gyeoul worked so hard every day to earn money. There wasn’t an adult in the world who would scold a child who’d been scammed.

"I see… I thought I’d at least get a smack on the head."

"Huh? No way, I’d never hit you! Got it?"

"Y-yes…"

It sounded like he thought being hit for mistakes was the norm. Knowing about Gyeoul’s past, Yeoreum could only feel a pang of sadness.

"Gyeoul, it’s just because you’re still young and lack experience in the world. It’s not your fault, so don’t talk about getting hit, alright?"

"Okay…"

Young and inexperienced. Gyeoul lowered his head at those words. Although he was neither young nor inexperienced, he accepted the gentle scolding because he felt he deserved it.

"And remember, no one deserves to be hit, even if they make mistakes."

"Even if I make a mistake, I won’t get hit?"

Strange. Isn’t it natural to be hit if you mess up? Both Gyeoul and Levinas tilted their heads, confused.

"…If Yeoreum hits you, let me know. I won’t let her get away with it."

Choi Jinhyuk raised a fist in mock threat, and Yeoreum waved her hands in alarm.

"No, I would never hit the kids…"

Watching her reaction, Yeoreum lightly nudged Jinhyuk’s shoulder in protest. Just then, Jung Yu-na spoke up.

"I’ll track down the scammer."

She placed a gentle hand on top of Gyeoul’s head. His ears perked up in response to her warm, reassuring touch.

"I’m an expert at catching people like this."

"R-really?"

"Yep. I can trace the mana used when they sent the message."

"Oh…"

So the internet here operates on mana. Gyeoul felt he’d learned something new.

"I’ll make sure we catch the culprit, so don’t worry and relax, okay?"

"Okay…"

He hadn’t expected to get his money back, but could they really catch the scammer? Gyeoul felt a glimmer of hope, but he continued to play the part of the guilty child for Levinas’ sake.

---

One day passed, then two. Despite the time that had gone by, Levinas hadn’t seemed to recover.

She was picking at her favorite carrots, even turning down chocolate. The once lively girl’s subdued behavior made my heart ache.

"Levinas."

"Mm…"

Levinas sat on a bench near the pond, head lowered. Empty bottles lay scattered around her, untouched.

"If you don’t pick up the bottles, Levinas, the park’s going to get dirty."

"Okay…"

Though she nodded, she still didn’t move to pick them up. The sorrow on her face was intense, even making her ignore her precious empty bottles. Worried, I sat down beside her.

"It’s all in the past now. Why are you so down?"

"Because Levinas is useless…"

"Why would you think that?"

"Because I can’t help anyone and only mess things up…"

Levinas, useless? That was ridiculous. I patted her leg firmly, making my point clear.

"You help me so much, Levinas."

"I… help you?"

"Yes. The house feels so much brighter and happier with you around."

"…?"

Levinas looked at me with a puzzled expression, so I decided to be honest.

"Sophia is always so serious, and I’m not exactly the lively type."

"Yeah, you’re both pretty quiet."

"Exactly. So the house used to feel really gloomy. But ever since you came, it’s been so much more lively. I’m really grateful."

"R-really?"

Absolutely. Thanks to Levinas’ lively spirit, every day has become more enjoyable. It was a happiness I’d never known back when I lived alone.

"And here, look at this."

I pulled a stack of cash from my pocket—exactly one hundred 10,000-won bills. The full amount Levinas had lost in the scam.

"What… what is this?"

"They caught the scammer today and got the money back. It’s yours, Levinas."

"What…!"

Levinas held the stack of cash up to the sunlight, inspecting it in awe. Watching her was like looking at my past self.

"Now you’ve got your money back, didn’t get scolded, and even helped catch a really bad person, all thanks to you!"

"It’s all thanks to Levinas?"

"Yes. Thanks to you, no one else will fall victim to that scammer."

She seemed to brighten up at my words, her slouched shoulders straightening. It was the cheerful Levinas I knew.

"Levinas really did help?"

"You were a huge help."

"Wow!"@@novelbin@@

Levinas jumped up from the bench, looking happier than ever. Her joy made my tail start wagging automatically.

"But this stays a secret, okay?"

"Why?"

"Everyone still thinks it was my fault, so you can’t tell anyone, alright?"

"Uh, okay…!"

Levinas nodded so vigorously it left a little afterimage.

"Now, shall we get back to picking up those bottles? The park’s gotten pretty messy."

"Yeah! Levinas will pick up all the bottles!"

Levinas ran off, picking up bottles one by one. I watched her with a bittersweet smile. The truth

 was, they hadn’t actually caught the scammer, and the million won I gave her was my own. For the next month, I’d probably be scraping by on dandelion greens.

It would be a hard month, but I felt good. I’d gotten to see Levinas happy.

*This is enough.*

Wagging my tail, I chased after her, planning to pick up every bottle in the park today.

______________________

TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!