Chapter 206
Housekeeper in the Dungeon Episode 206
* * *
My eyesight flashed and I felt dizzy. And business-like letters appeared in the air. My oversaturated mind couldn’t immediately accept the meaning of the lines.
Heena opened her eyes round.
It wasn’t just because I was awakened.
‘Why doesn’t it feel amazing?’
Neither the system letters that appeared in the air nor the word ‘awakening’ felt strange.
I just felt like something natural had happened.
But even as she was thinking those thoughts, Heena’s mouth was moving naturally.
“…what? Awakening?”
Manager Kwon shouted in surprise.
“what? what? “What else did the client say?”
“Oh no! “Nothing like that has ever happened!”
“Then that’s good… Then what’s going on, Heena?”
“They said he was awakened because something suddenly appeared in front of his eyes…” As he
continued his conversation with Manager Kwon, someone suddenly interrupted.
“Are there any classes yet?”
“Oh, not yet. “It says it will take some time.”
“okay? “I was curious… It was a bit early here.”
“What’s happening?”
“There is such a thing.”
While answering, Heena glanced at the man who had intervened. It was unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar.
‘Are you an employee of the next department?’
The man’s presence was particularly foreign.
‘Should I say he seems like someone who shouldn’t be here?’
Soon Heena shook her head.
‘I guess I’m a bit distracted because of working overtime. ‘You’re thinking about all kinds of things…’
It was a moment.
“There’s nothing to see here because it’s all about work. Next scene.”
The man suddenly said something unintelligible and snapped his fingers in the air.
I didn’t even have time to think it was strange. At the same time, my vision completely flipped over.
‘Where am I and what am I doing now?’
For a moment, scattered strings appeared before my eyes and I briefly wondered about the current situation, but that was only for a moment.
‘…my eyelids are heavy.’
Heena’s consciousness was immediately sucked into a new memory.
* * *
Starting with that, Heena floated among countless memories.
Joining the Blue Dragon Guild, awakening as a housekeeper, picking up a piece of space for the first time, visiting the American Appraisal Society, meeting Jin-Hyeon Kang….
All kinds of memories came rushing out.
Heena reenacted the memories of that time as if she were role-playing.
The more I replayed old memories, the more foggy a corner of my mind became. It felt like something was constantly wearing out.
Previously, I couldn’t even remember where I was or who I was.
Heena surrendered her mind to the flow of memories, just as she surrendered her body to the capricious waves.
Because sometimes memories show very nostalgic memories….
* * *
“Heena, there are a lot of people, so you have to hold hands with your mom and brother! “If you wait, dad will bring you some cotton candy.”
“all right!”
“You’re brave, my daughter.”
“You have to get it with yellow cotton candy!”
“Of course.”
Heena’s father narrowed his eyes and left to buy cotton candy.
Perhaps because all the children at the amusement park wanted to eat cotton candy, the line was long and we had to wait quite a while.
Meanwhile, the parade began.
People gathered around. Heena and Heewon’s mother also joined the crowd to watch the parade.
I was looking at dancers twirling in colorful skirts.
Heena felt a strange sense of heterogeneity.
‘Something strange?’
It was hard to explain what that ‘something’ was, but it was strange anyway.
It felt like I was putting together a puzzle because the shapes matched, but then I saw that the picture didn’t fit.
There was something foreign about it.
‘It’s different from what I remember.’
After thinking this far, Heena tilted her head.
‘Do you remember me? What does this mean?’
Memory is a word used when recalling something that was done in the past.
But this is Heena’s first time seeing the parade. It also meant that there was nothing else to remember.
Heena, unable to concentrate on the parade and looking around, spotted a short girl.
It was surprising that there were so many people, but that girl suddenly caught my eye. Should I say that its presence stood out to a strange degree?
While thinking about why that was the case, Heena worked hard to come up with a reason.
‘There are no adults around, right? I guess I lost my parents.’
I felt strangely uncomfortable, but I also thought I should help.
Heena pulled the hem of her mother’s dress and whispered in her ear.
“Mom, my leg hurts. “I’ll sit on the bench back there.”
Mom smiled and stroked Heena’s head.
“Are you worried that Dad won’t be able to find us? are you okay. “We decided to meet on the bench back there in a little while.”
The answers were oddly off, but Heena was so preoccupied with the girl who was alone that she didn’t notice it.
“Then I’ll stay back there.”
Heena whispered to her mother and ran towards the girl. Mom didn’t hold on to Heena.
“excuse me. “Are you alone?”
When I immediately grabbed her hand and asked her, the girl opened her eyes softly, as if she was a bit surprised.
“You’re approaching me first when I didn’t even talk to you?”
“Did you feel bad because I suddenly grabbed your hand? sorry. “But I’m worried that there’s no adult next to me.”
Heena held the child’s hand and walked through the crowd. And I sat down on the bench that I told my mom about in advance.
He swung his short legs and tapped the seat next to him.
“You sit down too. “Don’t your legs hurt?”
The girl shrugged her shoulders and sat down next to Heena. I struggled a little to get up because the bench was too high for my height, but it was quite cute.
“If you are in a crowded place, it will be harder for adults to find you. “Let’s sit here and when mom and dad come, let’s go to the lost children’s shelter.”
Heena clearly explained what she learned in kindergarten. I felt a bit strange trying to teach others what my teachers had taught me.
Meanwhile, the girl who had been listening to Heena with her chin resting on her knees straightened her back.
And then the first thing he said was this.
“You’ve been a bit naive since you were young, right?”
“Ojirya?”
It was a bit of a difficult word for young Heena.
“He’s very interested in other people’s business.”
“aha. My mom and dad were like that too. “You will become a great person because you like helping others.”
When I answered cheerfully, the girl’s expression became even stranger.
“That’s not what I meant…”
The girl seemed to be about to retort, but Heena was quicker than her.
“Are not you hungry? I’m hungry.”
“…suddenly?”
Heena was seven years old, and she was at an age where the topic of conversation could change quickly.
“Dad decided to bring cotton candy, but it’s only sweet and doesn’t fill you up very much, so… I’ll share my snack with you.”
Heena put the small bag on her back on her lap and rummaged around for a while.
A hair tie, a card with a small doll’s name and parents’ number on it, a cute coin purse, etc…
“What’s so much in that tiny bag?”
The girl looked at the contents of the bag with curiosity.
“hmm. “Where was there anything to eat?”
Heena finally found something and took it out.
“…here it is!”
It was such a big, hearty apple that I couldn’t believe it took so long to find it.
“Can an apple that big fit in that bag?”
“huh. You just saw it. It’s my apple. “My brother gave it to me.”
Heena fingered the red apple without thinking.
Actually, I couldn’t remember when I received it, but I was certain that my brother gave it to Heena as a gift.
He wiped the apple until it was shiny with his sleeve and then handed it to the girl.
“Let’s share!”
“This?”
“huh. One bite for you, one bite for me. “Let’s share it like this.”
“Ugh. dirty. “I don’t like that.”
The child wrinkled his eyebrows, took the apple, and cut it in half. I had no idea how such incredible power came from such small hands. Heena opened her mouth wide.
“and. “You are so strong.”
“okay. I am very strong. “Ordinary humans can do it all with one finger.”
“huh? “What does that mean?”
“…It means eat an apple.”
“okay. thank you.”
Heena took half of the apple and chewed it. The sweet flesh refreshed my stuffy mouth.
‘This is so delicious!’
It was so delicious that my eyes lit up for a moment.
…That was it. This means that the apples were so delicious that they seemed like nothing!
However, the child did not eat this delicious food and just looked down.
“What are you doing? I’m not going to eat?”
“just. “It tastes good to you, but when I try it, it tastes nothing and it doesn’t mean anything.”
“You shouldn’t say things like that when you’re eating!”
Heena raised her round eyes as fiercely as possible.
The gaze was so stinging that the child sighed and brought the apple to his mouth.
“Ugh. “I think the festival is so amazing that people just watch it without forgetting about it.”
I didn’t forget to complain until the end.
Heena watched as she chewed the apple her brother gave her.
The child nibbled on the cross section of the apple with his small front teeth. There was a crunching sound of flesh being chewed…
and Heena smiled.
The reason the child was gnawing on the apple was because, for a moment, he opened his eyes wide and started eating the apple.
‘also! I knew it! Because apples are delicious!’
I always felt happy when I saw someone enjoying something.
‘Especially, the best feeling is seeing people enjoy the food I cooked…’
It was around this time when I unconsciously came up with a thought that a seven-year-old child might not be able to do.