Chapter 37: Harang’s Adorable Swim and the Twins’ Playfull Game

The speed at which I was flung wasn’t particularly fast, but from the perspective of the one flying through the air, it felt quite intense.

“Ahh!”

In the moment I was airborne, I could see the sky, which meant I was definitely going to land on the back of my head. At the very least, I could end up with a concussion, and at worst, I could die. But I didn’t want to die just yet.

Just as I was having such a terrifying thought—

Whoosh!

My tail curled around my stomach, and my waist jerked upward out of nowhere.

‘Huh?’

In the midst of my body moving on its own, I managed to catch a glimpse of Jinhyang’s face. She had rushed toward me, reaching out her hand, but then hesitated.

Tap!

Thanks to the sudden twist of my body, I landed on my feet—almost like a cat. Or maybe more like a frog.

‘What just happened?’

I had no idea why my body moved the way it did, but since the landing was smooth, I shook my bell proudly.

“Tada!”

I stood up and spread my arms like a gymnast completing a routine.

“How did you… do that?”

Jinhyang approached and asked, but honestly, I didn’t know either. The only explanation I could give was that my body moved instinctively to avoid the fall.

“It’s just natural athleticism.”

I said this nonchalantly, dusting off my hands. Since I had touched the ground, they were dirty with dust.

“Harang, you looked exactly like a cat just now.”

Yoon Bora came over and made a remark, and for some reason, I felt a bit self-conscious. My shoulders slumped. I knew very well that I acted like a cat sometimes.

“Bora, do you think it looks weird for a person to act like a cat…?”

“No, I think it’s great!”

Bora shook her head firmly, as if trying to block out all my negative thoughts.

“R-really?”

“Yeah. But more importantly, Harang, hold out your hands.”

“My hands?”

She pulled out a wet wipe from her handbag and began wiping my hands clean. It tickled a bit, so I tried to pull my hands back, but Bora held onto them tightly, not letting me move.

“Harang, do you remember what I said earlier?”

“Hmm? What did you say again…?”

“I told you to move slowly because it was dangerous, didn’t I?”

Bora smiled at me, a smile that in some ways was scarier than Jinhyang’s.

“I-I didn’t get hurt, so it’s fine, right…?”

Of course, it wasn’t fine. Knowing that, I fiddled nervously with my fingers as Bora held out her hand.

“Harang, give it to me.”

“Give you what?”

“The remote control for the car.”

“It’s over there.”

I pointed at Yoon Bora, or more specifically, at the box and controller she was holding.

Yoon Bora noticed and pressed down firmly on my head.

“Since it’s dangerous, I’ll be the one controlling it, okay?”

“Urgh.”

But controlling it myself was the fun part. I had just lost the most enjoyable aspect.

Well, it wasn’t like I could argue—I was the one at fault.

Brrr—

The toy car moved smoothly under Yoon Bora’s control.

‘This isn’t so bad after all.’

When I controlled the car, I had to focus on what was right in front of me. But with Bora driving, I could observe my surroundings, which wasn’t a bad deal.

“Bora, where are we going?”

“There’s an outdoor pool at the park over there. I thought we could check it out.”

An outdoor pool?

“But if we go in, we’ll get soaked. And we didn’t bring any extra clothes.”

“Yeah, but it’s a children’s pool, so adults can’t go in anyway.”

“Huh? Then why even bother going?”

We were four adults, with not a single child among us. I looked at Yoon Bora with confusion, and she scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“Uh… well, I thought *maybe* Harang could go in.”

“How could I, when it’s a children’s pool?”

“The deepest part would only come up to your chest.”

“Then it’s not really a children’s pool, is it…?”

As I said that, I recalled my height. I was probably somewhere around the mid-140 cm range. If the water reached my chest, that meant the deepest part was about a meter.

‘Okay, so it really is for kids…’

Under normal circumstances, the water wouldn’t even come up to my waist. The realization left me feeling oddly deflated.

Sigh.

While I was mentally sighing, the truck steadily moved forward, heading toward a humid area that almost felt damp. I switched my view to look straight ahead, and soon enough, a wide outdoor pool came into view.

“Harang, come out.”

“Okay.”

I popped my head out of the box, and Yoon Bora lifted me down onto the ground.

“You’re going to swim, right?”

“Hmm…”

“Are you scared of the water?”

“No, it’s just… it feels weird to play alone.”

I glanced around at the others. Yoon and Raxy was nowhere to be seen, and Jinhyang didn’t seem the least bit interested in swimming. It felt a bit awkward to be the only one in the children’s pool, playing by myself.

“We came here for you. Are you really not going in? We even paid the entrance fee.”

Sensing my hesitation, Jinhyang snapped at me with a sharp tone.

“To… to enter the pool, I’d have to shower first, right? But I can’t exactly use the women’s shower room…”

“It’s fine, there’s a private shower here.”

Yoon Bora giggled as she spoke.

“But I don’t even have a swimsuit…”

She replied, tilting her head in confusion.

“I brought you a rash guard.”

At Jinhyang’s comment, Yoon Bora pulled out a swimsuit from her handbag.

It was the kind that clung tightly to the body, accentuating every curve.

‘She expects me to wear *that*?’

I could only stare at it in disbelief, mouth slightly agape. It seemed like they had completely forgotten I used to be a guy.

“Hehe.”

Jinhyang crossed her arms, watching me as I swam in the pool.

“I still can’t tell whether Harang is a kid or an adult.”

Despite the small stature, the proportions were great.

There were moments I looked mature, yet at times I seemed like a young girl. My behavior was often childish, making me seem more like a kid.

It felt as though I could magically change my age whenever I wanted to.

“Unnie, Harang is still a kid, you know?”

Yoon Bora splashed her feet lightly while sitting by the edge of the pool.

Jinhyang glanced at her, looking slightly taken aback.

“Well… technically, Harang is an adult.”

“Huh?”

Yoon Bora blinked, her eyes darting left and right in confusion.

After pondering for a moment, she turned back to Jinhyang.

“Unnie, should I just hypnotize you?”

“…No, I’m not seeing Harang as an adult anyway.”

‘That makes sense.’

Nodding in understanding, Yoon Bora laid out a towel beside Jinhyang, inviting her to sit comfortably.

“Unnie, can you see Harang swimming?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of fascinating.”

Harang swam around the pool with only her face and tail peeking above the water. Since the water was so clear, every movement of her limbs was visible beneath the surface.

With tiny clenched fists, Harang paddled forward, her body gliding smoothly through the water.

Even her feet moved in a similar way, resembling the strokes of a swimming cat.

‘Maybe she’s floating because she’s so light?’

Anyone else would sink if they swam like that. It was hard to figure out how the buoyancy worked, but it seemed like a swimming style only Harang could pull off.

‘How can someone be so adorable?’

Realizing that I was the one responsible for protecting this cute little being made me feel all the more joyful. Yoon Bora’s cheeks flushed pink as she playfully splashed her feet in the water.

“Harang, don’t go too far, it’s dangerous.”

“Okay! I’ll just play around the front.”

Harang swam in circles, staying right in front of Yoon Bora. She never drifted more than five meters away.

“Hehe.”

Yoon Bora took out her smartphone and started recording Harang swimming.

Click! Click!

Yoon Bora snapped pictures from every angle—front, side, and back—capturing all of Harang’s adorable moments.

Just then, Jinhyang spoke up.

“Bora.”

“Yes?”

“Where did Raxy go?”

“She said she was going to buy something, but she hasn’t come back yet.”

As Yoon Bora glanced around in search of Raxy Bora, she spotted her twin sister running back from afar.

“Huff, huff… I’m so out of shape. I need to stop staying cooped up at home.”

Raxy Bora panted heavily, clutching her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

“Raxy, where did you go?”

“Oh, I went to buy this.”

“A beach ball?”

Raxy Bora raised a fully inflated beach ball above her head and aimed it directly at Harang.

“Harang, catch!”

The ball flew in an arc toward Harang’s face.

Boink!

With a soft thud, the ball collided with Harang’s face, causing her to slowly sink beneath the water’s surface.

Bloop, bloop, bloop!

Air bubbles escaped from Harang’s lungs and floated to the surface.

The twins watched with wide-eyed surprise as Harang remained underwater for a moment.

Suddenly, Harang stretched out her arms and kicked upwards, resurfacing like a playful kitten.

“Puha! Raxy, you can’t throw the ball at my face!”

“Oh, sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Harang accepted Raxy Bora’s apology and began swimming toward the ball. Using only her face to push it, she looked like a seal performing a show—one of those acts that had been banned for animal cruelty.

“Harang, you need to use your hands!”

Yoon Bora shouted toward her.

But Harang shook her head.

“If I do, I’ll sink!”

‘The water’s only one meter deep…’

Yoon Bora and Raxy Bora remained silent, simply watching Harang in fascination. They couldn’t help but want to keep watching.

After a while, Raxy Bora broke the silence.

“Bora.”

“Yeah?”

“Is she bringing it back here?”

Harang was steadily pushing the ball toward them, using only her face.

“Is this what I think it is?”

“…It looks like it.”

It was a simple game: throw the ball, and the player retrieves it.

A game so basic that most people didn’t play it anymore.

Gulp

Yoon Bora swallowed and, without looking at Raxy Bora, said, “I’ll throw it next time, okay?”

“Yeah, let’s take turns.”

The twins exchanged glances and then turned to Jinhyang.

“Unnie, do you want to join us?”

“…No, thanks.”

Jinhyang shook her head, deep in thought. Something seemed a little off about how they were treating Harang, but she knew the twins meant no harm. It was probably best to just accept the situation.

After all, it was all for Harang’s sake.