Hidden Sister

Chapter 16: Katan Village

~Early in the morning~

Yoon breaths out his fingers to cool it down with a huge cart of food.

"I think that'll be enough." He sighs, dusting off his hands before picking up the handles of the food cart.

"Yoon." Ik-Soo calls.

"Where is everyone?" Yoon asks.

"Still sleeping." Ik-Soo replies. "Are you going?"

"Yeah."

"Can't I go too?"

"No! You stay here! I'm this kind of self-satisfying hypocrite, after all."

"No." Ik-Soo says and hugs Yoon. "No. You're a kind boy, Yoon."

Yoon stares at Ik-Soo for the moment before he sets off.

~Fire Tribe - Katan Village~

"Oh."

"It's Yoon."

The children immediately run to him as they are happy to see him.

"Yoon!"

"It's been a long time. How have you been?" Yoon asks.

"Hungry..."

"Okay, I'll make something warm right away." Yoon tells them and looks up to see an old woman sitting on the floor. "Granny Mi-Rae, how are you feeling? I brought some medicine."

"What's this? You came? I thought you wouldn't come again." Mi-Rae says.

"Yoon." Yoon turns around to see an elderly man.

"Se-Dol-jiisan." Yoon calls.

"It's been a long time. You didn't show up for a while, so I was getting worried." Se-Dol says.

"I went far away for a bit. How is everything?" Yoon asks.

"As you can see, the food is scarce and there are only the sick and elderly here. Despite that, the taxes have only gotten heavier."

"There was another tax increase?" Yoon questions.

"Yes. Collections have been severe. We can't change it." Se-Dol says as Yoon looks down.

"I have provisions. I'll pass them around to everyone." He says.

"Thank you... By the way, are those people behind you friends of yours?"

"What?" Yoon says and looks behind him to see Yona and the others behind him. "Why are you guys here?!"

"Yona got worried since you left quietly." Mana says as Yona heats up her fingers.

"I accompanied the princesses." Kija says,

"Zeno came along with Seiryuu's fluff." Zeno says as he snuggles Shin-Ah's fur.

"Go back!" Yoon yells at them.

"Yoon, I'm hungry." Hak says.

"Yoon, could you make some perilla porridge?" Kija asks.

"Go back right now, you good-for-nothings." Yoon tells them.

"This is really warm." Kija says as he, Hak, Kija, and Yoon are snuggling Shin-Ah's fur.

"Right?" Zeno says.

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, YOU BEASTS?!" Yoon yells at them.

"You're helping this village out, right? We'll help you." Yona says.