The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

Chapter 53

"Gyeoul, do you see the upload button here?"

"Yes."

"If you press this, the picture will be uploaded to my SNS."

"Oh..."

The way to use the device was similar to my previous life. Even though I was familiar with it, I nodded like someone seeing it for the first time.

"You can upload the picture yourself, or if it's too difficult, you can just let me handle the upload."

"Okay. I'll just try taking some pictures for now."

"Sure."

I hung the smartphone I got from Yeoreum around my neck like a necklace. Knowing I had something worth over a million won hanging on my chest made me nervous.

Wasn't this the most expensive thing I'd owned in this life? I hugged the smartphone tightly against my chest, treating it like a treasure. I planned to protect it as if it were more valuable than my own life.

"Don’t be too nervous. You really just have to take any picture you like."

"Okay..."

I held the smartphone and looked around. I was unsure what to take a picture of first, but then I decided to take one of the showerhead, which provided warm water. It might seem strange to take a picture of something like that, but it had brought me the greatest pleasure recently. It was perfect for a casual daily life photo.

*Click—*

After taking a picture of the showerhead, spraying out warm water, I stood there blankly. I wasn’t sure what to take a picture of next.

'...Maybe I should go outside for now.'

The photos I could take inside the house were limited. It seemed like I'd need to step outside for more freedom. After all, this was a mission to clear up the guild's misunderstandings.

But before that, I decided to look around the house a little more.

---@@@@

Yeoreum and Sophia sat on the sofa, watching Gyeoul as she wandered around the house with a serious expression. The small, cute child moving around so energetically was quite adorable.

"Sophia."

"What is it?"

"Look at Gyeoul's face."

"Hmm..."

Sophia's gaze followed Gyeoul. She seemed to be trying to look serious, but to an adult watching, it was just endearing. Like a child trying to mimic an adult focused on something. Sophia nodded as if she understood what Yeoreum was pointing out.

"It's not just because she's ours, but Gyeoul really is much more well-behaved and lovable compared to other kids."

"...There is some truth to that."

Her exceptional appearance certainly played a role too, though Sophia kept that thought to herself. There was no need to say it out loud.

"Lately, I've been really happy with all these cute kids around."

"...Are you excluding yourself from that?"

"Um... yeah, I guess?"

Actually, she was included, but it was probably better not to say that. To avoid Sophia’s gaze, Yeoreum pulled out her phone. It was a spare phone she used for work.

"Huh?"

Yeoreum's eyes widened as she checked her personal SNS through the phone. Gyeoul must have uploaded something, as a live broadcast for influencers was showing up.

'Wait, that's my ID.'

Who had started a broadcast using her ID? Yeoreum quickly realized who it was by looking at the shadow cast on the ground.

"Gyeoul?"

The triangular ears sticking up from her head gave her away. The low angle of the broadcast made it seem like the phone was hanging around her neck.

"This, I caught this."

I held up the plump grasshopper to show Yeoreum, who watched as it kicked its legs in an attempt to escape.

"Were you playing with bugs?"

Playing? No. This was an important food hunt. Maybe because she came from a wealthy family, her way of thinking was quite different.

"I caught it to eat."

"Eat... it?"

Yeoreum's eyes shifted down to the smartphone hanging around my neck. She swallowed hard, though I couldn’t tell if it was because she wanted to try eating it or if she was just nervous.

"If you grill it well, it tastes pretty good. Do you want to try?"

"Th-that... do we really need to eat bugs...?"

"Yes. When there's no food, you eat whatever you can to survive."

"Uh..."

Yeoreum's pupils shook. She really didn’t seem like she wanted to eat a bug. Since I didn’t want to force her, I quietly tucked the grasshopper away.

"Gyeoul, how about this: I'll buy you something really tasty, so you don’t have to eat bugs, okay?"

"...Bugs might look gross, but you know, they're actually called the food of the future. They're amazing creatures."

I had once seen a news report about it. In the distant future, insects might be used as food for space travel. They were rich in protein and nutrients. But despite my explanation, Yeoreum still had a pale expression.

"Yeah, I know bugs are amazing, but we have so much food around now."

"Yes, that’s true."

"Right. So, let’s not eat bugs anymore. You also need to think about hygiene."

Yeoreum glanced at her phone again, her eyes moving slightly as if she were reading something.

"Should I let this one go then?"

"Yes, let it go, let it go."

"L-let it go...?"

Let it go? That sounded like something you'd say to a child. It felt odd, but I decided to follow her advice. After all, I agreed that insects living in the wild could be dirty.

"Shall I let it go now?"

"Yes..."

As I released

my grip, the grass I'd torn scattered in the wind, and the grasshopper leapt away into the distance. Somehow, it felt like I was letting go of my poor past.

'It's about time I let go, huh...'

Goodbye, my poverty. Feeling sentimental, I couldn’t help but wave both hands at the grasshopper as it hopped away.

"Did you let it go?"

"Yes."

Yeoreum looked relieved, probably happy that I didn’t have to eat bugs anymore. She smiled as she gently tapped the smartphone hanging around my neck.

"Shall we turn off the broadcast now?"

"Broadcast?"

"Yes. You accidentally started a broadcast on my account."

"What?"

Did I really start a broadcast? Had people seen everything I’d been doing up until now? I looked up at Yeoreum in shock, my mouth hanging open.

Suddenly, everything I had done outside flashed through my mind like a reel.