TSIT

Chapter 07

Unless she were insane, she couldn’t have slept under the watchful eyes of a natural predator.

So last night, she must have been half-crazed from alcohol and impatience.

Who would have thought that pretending to be dead would result in actually falling asleep?

She despised herself for giving in to exhaustion, sprawled out like the enemy of the world. Such a foolish otter, indeed.

Soram berated herself inwardly a hundred, a thousand times. She gritted her teeth and slowly lifted her eyelids, bit by bit.

The scene she saw with half-open eyes was a calm morning.

Sunlight, divided by the lattice windows, shone brightly and neatly across the room.

Only after confirming that the owner of the bed was gone did she finally exhale in relief.

She quickly rose and burrowed through the clothes scattered on the floor. One by one, she inserted her short arms and legs, and immediately transformed back into human form.

She should have just rested her eyes during the two hours she spent as an otter, then immediately stood up. Soram cursed her own self for having indulged in comfort.

She had also missed the perfect timing to secretly return to the dormitory.

Yet, perhaps the restful sleep had helped in some way; unlike the shivering night before, her condition wasn’t so bad.

Except for the scab on her wrist where Cheong-yeon had wrapped the bandage, she felt remarkably refreshed.

Humans had good reason to avoid that bitter taste.

She had even forgotten the worries she was supposed to carry. She had discarded even her final caution.

“What am I going to do…”

She had done something terrible to Dr. Nak, so surviving at the academy from now on would be an even steeper challenge.

Ah. Discouraged, she tugged at her disheveled hair.

Soram, careful not to be noticed, left the man’s room and headed straight for the dormitory.

Her dormmates were shocked as if they had seen a ghost.

“Soram!”

Yuran and Kyunghwa opened their mouths wide and pulled her in.

“Where on earth were you last night?”

“We searched everywhere and couldn’t find you. It was agonizing. It seemed like one of the professors might have taken you… You returned amidst the crowd in such confusion that we only realized later you had disappeared.”

Soram couldn’t reveal the truth, so she made up a vague excuse.

“I—I went for a walk because I felt stifled…”

“Roaming the academy all that time? And a sickly child at that…”

Kyunghwa choked back tears, clearly regretting that she couldn’t take care of her.

Seeing the tip of her friend’s nose turning red made Soram’s chest feel heavy.

“I… fell asleep in a corner during the walk…”

“You! It’s lucky you’re still alive. So many people drink and end up freezing to death while wandering outside in winter.”

Kyunghwa sniffled while Yuran fumed.

Pointing her straight index finger firmly at them, Soram said resolutely:

“You both must be careful with alcohol, and people too. No matter how much seniority they have, if you drink everything they offer, it’s going to cause trouble.”

“That’s right, Soram… Yuran’s right. Do you know how scared we were when you jumped into the pond first? Don’t ever do that again…”

“Yes…”

After Soram nodded vigorously, there was a sound at the door.

The servants had come to alter the formal clothes for the entrance ceremony in two days.

Soram handed them the messy clothes ruined from last night’s ordeal, along with her pristine new garments.

In the dormitory-labeled baskets, her and her roommates’ clothes were neatly packed, and the maids carefully measured every part of their bodies.

Soram suddenly remembered one thing she had forgotten.

“Oh, my jade token!”

Unfastening the jade token from her waist, her face turned as if she were about to cry. Among the scattered clothes, the benefactor’s jade token was missing.

Which meant…

“How did you get this…”

Seeing the half jade token, Dr. Nak, who had been quite surprised, immediately came to mind.

Once the clothes were taken, it was already lunchtime.

The main hall of Baekryun Academy was far larger than the room she had seen yesterday.

The students glanced curiously at the unfamiliar faces, eating half-heartedly.

Everyone but Soram.

How beautiful humans looked when they ate!

Even when eating the few side dishes under the old lady’s supervision, she had thought the same—but here, the feast was incomparable.

The colorful dishes and soup looked like a painting, and the taste was exquisite.

Having been hungry most of the time as an otter, Soram’s stomach grumbled even if she ate five meals a day.

Well, if humans eat to live, she might as well eat too.

Soram emptied every bowl and plate. Yuran and Kyunghwa couldn’t hide their amazement at her appetite.

As she silently waited for them to finish, something suddenly came to mind. She asked for permission and hurriedly left.

With her mouth clean, Soram rushed to the Munmyo (Confucian shrine).

The academy had several shrines, where the tablets of sages were kept, and they were also good places for spiritual cultivation.

Yesterday, at a drinking session, a senior she didn’t remember had told her this.

Originally, she would have come after the entrance ceremony, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she came early.

Carefully surveying her surroundings, she cautiously entered the empty shrine.

It was very different from the abandoned shrine she had visited daily as a tailed beast.

Though small, the shrine gleamed from floor to ceiling.

Even the row of spirit tablets stood tall. A faint incense scent gave calm to stiff limbs.

It was serene and sacred.

Soram knelt immediately before the altar, clasped her hands, and closed her eyes.

“Divine spirits… Soram has finally arrived at Baekryun Academy. Meeting good people, passing the exam in one attempt—all thanks to you.”

From the start, her prayer was completely different from before. She hesitated, unsure what to ask next.

“I… committed great sins from the beginning. What should I do…”

Soram whispered her mistakes, as if something heavy still sat uneasily in her stomach despite eating well.

“…And in the end, I troubled innocent humans greatly.”

Admitting her wrongdoing was both relieving and stinging.

It felt as if something sharp were poking her conscience.

This was… yes, her conscience! That human feeling of guilt.

Suddenly, a bright expression returned to Soram’s gloomy face.

She had, in some sense, become closer to being human. The academy’s effects were already noticeable.

“Everything happens for a reason, right? From now on, I will live honorably, kindly, and righteously! I, Soram Geum, swear it!”

So please forgive this one mistake…

Just like when she had prayed to become human, laying fish on the altar, she clasped her hands earnestly.

At that moment,

The door suddenly burst open, and a human appeared.

With a deep, resonant voice:

“Shouldn’t that apology be directed at me?”

Startled by the noise, Soram jumped up, turning around in fear.

“Dr. Nak?”

In stark contrast, Cheong-yeon looked calm. He entered the hall silently, hands behind his back.

Not only that, he didn’t even glance at the door behind him, but firmly closed it.

The sunlight peeking through the gap quickly disappeared. Trapped like in a jade prison, Soram turned pale.

“You… you recognized my scent…”

“I asked your dormmates.”

After she left, Cheong-yeon must have questioned the students coming from the dining hall.

Not knowing the details, they probably told him obediently. Soram had gone to the Samhwa Garden shrine, just as she had said.

“Geum Soram.”

Merely calling her name made her shoulders tremble as if they would break.

His piercing gaze was frightening. He seemed to see right through her true form.

“You remember what happened last night, don’t you?”