Chapter 68: Harang’s Overload and the Search for Family

Drip, drip—

Harang’s tears continued to fall as her body froze in place.

Watching her, Jinhyang immediately understood what was happening.

Harang’s rational mind had snapped.

Merely tasting the essence of the Abyssal Fish had overwhelmed her senses.

Sigh…

This was common among individuals suffering from Sudden Transformation Syndrome.

Before regaining composure, they would freeze like statues, only to slowly return to normal like a curse of petrification lifting.

‘Just how delicious could it possibly be?’

The meat of the Abyssal Fish wasn’t even involved; this was just its lingering essence.

To Jinhyang, who cared little for gourmet pleasures, it was incomprehensible.

“You okay?”

Jinhyang gently tugged at Harang’s cheek, watching her glassy eyes slowly come back into focus.

“Uh?”

Harang blinked, staring at Jinhyang for a moment before resuming her previous activity sucking on her tail to savor the lingering flavor of the Abyssal Fish.

“Stop that. It’s dirty,” Jinhyang said, flicking the tail Harang had bitten.

She expected some resistance but was surprised when Harang obediently let go.

At that moment, Harang seemed more like an innocent child than someone driven by primal instincts.

‘This kid really is peculiar.’

Typically, when individuals with Sudden Transformation Syndrome experienced sensory overload, it was accompanied by uncontrollable desires.

They would indulge in excessive eating or throw tantrums like children until they got what they wanted.

But Harang was different.

If told not to do something, she would stop. She never hoarded food selfishly and often gave up what she wanted to others.

It must be because of her inherently kind nature, Jinhyang concluded.

As Jinhyang pondered this, Harang stretched her tail toward her.

“Try it.”

Jinhyang frowned, perfectly aware of Harang’s intention.

“No.”

She had no intention of tasting Harang’s tail.

When Jinhyang pushed the tail aside, the twin sisters appeared out of nowhere,

bringing along a familiar blonde girl Jinhyang had once seen at the Association.

“Unnie, what’s wrong with Harang?” Raxy Boora asked, tilting her head in concern.

“Remember the last time she experienced sensory overload?”

“Oh no… Don’t tell me…”

Both twins gasped, covering their mouths in mock surprise. But Jinhyang wasn’t fooled.

She could tell by their sparkling eyes and barely contained smirks that they found this situation amusing.

For the twins, Harang’s occasional sensory overload was more like a delightful event than a cause for worry.

Since there were no lasting aftereffects, they saw no reason to be concerned.

‘Honestly… these two.’

Their synchronized reactions were uncanny, as always.

Jinhyang sighed, pulling Harang onto her lap and sternly addressing the twins.

“Don’t do anything weird to her.”

“Yessss,” they replied in perfect unison, their voices indistinguishable.

The synchronization was almost eerie, but Jinhyang chose to trust them for now.

After all, as mischievous as they were, they wouldn’t actually harm Harang.

“Here.”

When Jinhyang handed Harang over, the twins sprang into action like they had been waiting for this exact moment.

Raxy Boora grabbed Harang by the legs while Yoon Bora secured her by the shoulders,

adopting a stance eerily reminiscent of someone about to toss a person into a swimming pool.

‘What on earth are they planning?’

Jinhyang frowned, sensing trouble. Just as she stood to scold the twins—

“Bye-bye.”

Harang waved her hand at Jinhyang, as if bidding farewell.

“Hmm…”

Jinhyang watched Harang being carried off by the twins before settling back into her seat.

The shy little wave was a sight only Harang could see.

Whenever Harang entered sensory overload, the twins inevitably started bickering.

It always came down to who would get to spend more time with her.

“Raxy, you just went fishing with Harang earlier. Don’t you think it’s my turn now?”

“That’s different, Bora. This is something else entirely.”

The twins tugged at Harang’s arms in an escalating tug-of-war.

Despite being pulled back and forth, Harang simply smiled brightly, seemingly oblivious to the conflict.

Stretch—

The more the twins pulled, the longer Harang’s body stretched, to the point where she seemed taller than usual.

Her feline flexibility was kicking in.

“Heehee.”

Amused by her body’s elasticity, Harang extended her limbs even further, curious about how far she could go.

“Stretch-stretch.”

Harang’s arms and legs stretched vertically, with one twin holding each limb.

“Raxy, just this once, please let me have a turn.”

“Sorry, Bora, but no can do.”

Stretch—

The twins continued their tugging contest until Harang’s stretchy body finally hit its limit.

“Ahhhh!”

A faint groan of discomfort escaped Harang’s lips, startling the twins into letting go.

Thud—!

Harang’s face hit the floor with a dull sound.

“Oh my gosh!”

“Harang, are you okay?”

The twins quickly knelt to check on her. Fortunately, Harang wasn’t hurt.

Instead, she lay there giggling.

“Heeheehee.”

As Yoon Bora let out a sigh of relief, Raxy Boora seized the opportunity and swiftly scooped Harang into her arms.

“Raxy! That’s cheating!”

“Huh? What? I can’t hear you,” Raxy teased with a smirk.

“You—! This is…!”

Yoon Bora clenched her fists, trembling with frustration, but Raxy paid no attention.

Instead, she planted a kiss on Harang’s forehead.

“I win. Just give up, Bora.”

Raxy’s triumphant grin was infuriating enough to make Bora lower her head in defeat.

“Fine. Thirty minutes. You get thirty minutes, and then it’s my turn.”

“Deal.”

With a nod, Bora stomped off into the distance.

As Raxy watched her sister retreat, she turned her gaze to Harang and chuckled.

Raxy adored Harang in her normal state but found her overload-induced vulnerability particularly endearing.

Holding Harang gave her the satisfying feeling of being a protector for a small, fragile girl.

“Ahhh…”

Just having Harang in her arms made Raxy happy.

When Harang nuzzled her soft cheek against her or licked her eyelids with her tongue, an electrifying sensation coursed through her.

It was the kind of thrill that made her whole body tremble.

‘This is so strange.’

Raxy, who had always loved cute things, found Harang’s charm to be on an entirely different level.

‘Did Harang actually cast a charm spell?’

The thought crossed Raxy Boora’s mind. If Harang had indeed used magic to gain love, it wouldn’t be all that surprising.

And truthfully, Raxy wouldn’t even mind being caught in such a spell.

After all, the most Harang would probably ask for with her magic was an endless supply of cat treats.

“Hmm…”

Raxy smirked at the idea. If that’s all it took, then she’d gladly indulge Harang with as many treats as she wanted.

Content with her decision, Raxy closed her eyes and decided to fully savor Harang her soft texture, her warm scent, and even her “taste.”

As Raxy nibbled playfully on Harang here and there, Delphine approached with curiosity.

“Unnie, what’s up with Harang all of a sudden?”

“Harang?”

“Yes.”

Ah, right. This must be Delphine’s first time seeing this.

While absentmindedly kneading Harang’s tummy, Raxy began to explain.

“Harang’s in overload mode right now.”

“Overload?”

“Yeah. For patients with Sudden Transformation Syndrome, this happens sometimes. It’s like they’re newborns again.”

Raxy puffed out her chest with pride as she spoke, brimming with confidence as Harang’s self-proclaimed caretaker.

“So Harang’s like a baby now?”

“Pretty much.”

After hearing Raxy’s explanation, Delphine set down the toy fishing rod she had been holding.

“Harang?”

Delphine poked Harang’s cheeks gently, only to have Harang’s tail curl around her finger in response.

‘She really has become like a baby.’

Delphine realized that teasing Harang in this state wouldn’t be satisfying it was like trying to tease an actual child.

With a sigh, Delphine decided to give up on her usual “Harang tactics” for the day.

‘Everything keeps going wrong somehow…’

It felt as though something was deliberately interfering with her attempts.

While puzzling, she decided to let it go for now. There was plenty of time left, after all.

Instead, Delphine opted to use this chance to grow closer to the baby-like Harang.

Who knew? The emotions Harang developed during this time might linger even after she returned to normal.

Late that night.

While everyone else was fast asleep, Harang’s eyes fluttered open.

Still not fully herself, she sat up in bed, her mind foggy and her movements sluggish.

“Huh?”

Harang looked around, scanning the dimly lit room.

Her family? Her newfound friends?

No one was there.

Unable to process even the simplest thoughts, Harang moved instinctively in search of her family.

The first place she approached was a partially open window.

Tap!

With a graceful leap, Harang perched on the narrow window ledge. It was just wide enough for her to sit comfortably on all fours.

“Yawn…”

Harang casually licked the back of her hand, as though grooming herself.

Lick-lick—

She continued to lick various parts of her body, tidying herself as she gazed out into the night.

The chirping of crickets and the faint rustle of small animals in the forest stirred something primal within her.

Though her reasoning had been dulled by the overload, Harang’s instincts reminded her of who she truly was.

“Meow…”

With a soft howl at the moon, Harang leapt out of the window.

The second-story height didn’t faze her at all.

Tap!

She landed lightly on the balcony below and began running on all fours toward the forest.

Harang’s sole purpose was to find her invisible family, wherever they might be.