"M-Measurements...?"

"Yes,"

"But why?" The meek Yothagou asks his master in genuine confusion. Hanse has been summoned, and just as he was about to ask her about her day, he had been informed to be having his measurements taken in a few minutes.

"I do remember saying that I will give you good clothes." Yun smiles at him as she grabs a spare chair from her round table. "Please sit."

"Thank you..." he does as told, albeit carefully.

"They should be here any minute now. By the way, are you hungry?"

"..." Hanse looks down on his lap. Of course he's hungry, but how can he simply say that.

But as if she had the power to read minds, Yun slides him a plate of food.

It looked like pastry, and it's brilliant red and white. The smell wasn't too fragrant, but the appearance alone was enough to make him foam at the mouth.

"Is this for me?" His restraint was commendable, even asking for confirmation despite his signs of extreme hunger. The girl smiles sweetly at him, and that was all it took for him to gobble up the piece of pastry.

"It's called red velvet cake, I first had it at the Kramers'. Thought you'd like the taste so I brought you some." Yun explains as she carefully watched him eat.

The rich flavor of said cake spread through his tongue. It was sickeningly sweet, but all the more reason for him to make a delighted sound from his throat. It was truly nothing he had ever tasted before.

"Did you like it?"

"I... I did," He eagerly nods after swallowing the last bit.

"I'll request for a chef to learn how to make it," Afterall, the food in the Jang household lacked desserts. It would be wonderful to at least have one addition.

"There's no need..." His ears reddened in embarrassment, and it turned an even deeper shade after realising he might've behaved too obvious for her to cater to him. But she only dismissed his concerns with a wave of her hand.

Right after, a knock sounded from behind the door.

"Young miss?"

"Come in," Yun stands up and opens her locked door, letting a dozen of servantmaids enter, to Hanse's surprise.

A couple were carrying strange equipment. Some of them were even carrying thick rolls of fabric.

"Isn't this... too much?" Hanse asks from where he is sitting, worried about the inconvenience he'll be causing just for having his clothes made.

"It is never enough." Yun says before talking to a servant maid who looked old enough to be the leader of the rest.

"Little boy, come close." Said maid then beckoned him to come close, and so he had no choice but to comply and walk to them.

"I shall start measuring you now." She says, before leaning down and wrapping measuring tape on different parts of his skinny body.

He was way too ticklish, he almost cried when he thought that the servantmaid wasn't able to take his measurements properly. It was a good thing that Yun was there to reassure him he was doing great.

After a couple of minutes, immediately the maids set down extra tables and chairs in the huge bedroom and started working on Hanse's clothes on the spot. Hanse could only gawk in amazement as he watched from Yun's bed.

Yun sits besides him after coming back from a group of servantmaids' workspace.

"I've told them to make you underwear, trousers, socks, coats, shirts, pajamas, skirts, and jackets. There'd be more in the future, don't worry."

"I'm sorry," Hanse bows his head.

"What are you sorry for?" She quirks a brow on him, and he almost started crying again.

"It's just, I've been receiving so much from you. I don't think I need this much."

Yun sighs, before giving him a helpless smile. Shaking her head at him, she pats his back. "Don't be too hard on yourself. This is basic human rights."

"Human...rights..." he repeats. He genuinely doesn't know what that is, and unfortunately it wasn't explained to him.

"Yeah, and if it makes you feel better, this is an advanced payment. I've got a job for you."

A job! Finally, he's useful once again.

"Are you curious?"

"I am—" he almost shouted out loud due to sheer excitement, but caught himself immediately. "...I am,"

"Good! I'll tell you." she squeezes closer to him, and leaned in to whisper to his ear. "Your job is to follow me everywhere."

"Alright!" It's easy enough, he is confident that he still has enough energy to follow her wherever she goes—as long as she doesn't run majority of the time.

Time passed slowly, he wasn't sent back to his "room" as he waited for his clothes to be finished as it was a must for him to be there to make sure the clothes fit him.

"Nayun, why are the lights in your room still open—" A familiar older woman carelessly opened the door to look inside, only to be surprised to see the group of maids working with sewing machines inside the bedroom.

"Young miss Nancy," the maids greets in unison, bowing their heads.

"What is this?" She invites herself in and approached the nearest worker. She grabs the cloth in progress, and inspects it.

"These are Nayun's?" It was too small. The look of doubt on her face shows that she's certain it wouldn't fit her sister.

"No, young miss."

"Is it for a doll of hers?"

"It is for the boy," a servantmaid points at the small boy sitting stiffly on her little sister's bed.

Nancy almost passed out from shock at the sight of the familiar face. "You—"

"I—I'm sorry!" Hanse raises his small fists up to shield his face.

Nancy puts down the shirt before walking up to him.

"You," Nancy was truly speechless. She could only harden her gaze at the boy in front of her, as if it was the only way she could express the negative opinion she had towards the Yothagou.

Yun had just finished using the bathroom when she stumbled upon the tense event. Almost immediately, she runs in front of Hanse and spread her arms as if to shield him protectively.

"Sister Nancy, don't hurt him!"

"..." Nancy winces at her in disbelief. Did she look like she was beating the creature up just now? 

"Are you hurt?" Yun asks Hanse who was clinging on her shirt behind her. He doesn't speak, but he shakes his head and she could feel it from her back.

"They were right, you are still too naive," Nancy sighs, crossing her arms in front of her. "What did that Yothagou say to you? Whatever he says, don't listen to him. He is lying."

That Yothagou... he looks so innocent but he's nothing but a wolf under sheep's clothing. I cannot believe father let him be Nayun's Yothagou!

"I don't know what you're talking about," Yun glares at her, and it reminded Nancy of a small cub hissing defensively. At the sight, the older woman grew even more distressed.

"Everyone, get out." Nancy orders, and every servantmaid present in the room stands up in a haste.

"Stop! Don't!! " The little girl's milky voice pleaded, but even though the servantmaids found their hearts aching for her, they could not simply disobey the older Jang's order.

The three remaining people stood silently until everyone else ushered out of the room. Once the door was shut behind them with a click, Nancy lets out a breathy nasal sigh.

"Why are you making clothes for that thing?"

"He is not simply a thing, he is my Yothagou."

"Precisely." Nancy crouches to get on eye level with her sister. "You only give them one set every year or two. There's no need to give them a lot of clothes for different occasions, as they are—"

"An extension of ourselves." Yun finishes the sentence in annoyance.

"...if you understood, then you shouldn't be doing this."

"Why can't I? If he's my Yothagou I'll do whatever I want with him. If he's my body, then I simply want to dress myself up."

"You are making no sense. If you want to dress yourself up, why are you taking that Yothagou's measurements?" Nancy reaches out to squeeze the little cub's fleshy cheeks, only to get avoided.

"Hmph," Yun looks away from her, and to the window which displayed the full moon outside.

Yun seemed like a fearless spoiled child at the moment, having no qualms on opposing her older sister—the truth however, was far too different. The only reason she acts like this was because she knew that Nancy dotes on this little sister of hers. The only way I could convince her is through being a brat!

"Nayun, look at big sis."

"..."

"....Nayun."

Nancy was getting sulkier at each moment passing. It looks like the child was adamant on ignoring her.

What to do... Nancy didn't expect having to deal with her sister's hard headedness past midnight.

"...alright, if you answer me now I might call the maids back to finish whatever you're doing." Nancy finally decided to play along with whatever that tiny mind is planning to do for the meanwhile. After all, the goal was to placate her and not cause any riffs between their close sibling relationship.

A success! Slowly, the small head turned to look at the woman's face. It was still scrunched up, but much less than before.

"What is the question..." she murmurs under her breath, and Nancy fights back the urge to pounce on the little girl. Smiling stiffly, Nancy began to speak.

"Why did you suddenly desire to produce clothes for that boy? And must it be tonight? It's way past your bedtime. You could've done it tomorrow morning,"

"You don't understand, sister Nancy!" Yun stomps her foot on the ground in a frustrated manner. "It has got to be tonight. Because he needs new clothes immediately!"

"Is he starting to stink?" Nancy wonders curiously. "You might not know this, but as long as you take over themselves the smell would change to yours."

From behind, Hanse turns bright red in embarrassment. The only times he took a bath was when he had the body of Nayun, never with his. Her older sister was probably telling the truth, he definitely smelled so bad, that's why she wanted to give him new clothes—

"It's not because of that!" Yun immediately denied. "It's because, how can he meet other people in tattered clothing?"

"Meet...other people?" Nancy was about to go through another shock again. "What on earth..what... for?"

"From now on, I decided to make him accompany me wherever I go, in his current form!"

"!!?"

Yun could visibly see the blood draining from her sister's face. But even so, she didn't stop there.

"Sister doesn't understand what I feel. Sister can't ever help me!"

"N-Nayun, if it's me, there is something I could always do..." Nancy breathlessly coaxed. "You don't need that boy's help..."

"Wrong! He can help me!" Nayun reached from behind to grasp Hanse's small hand into her own, before continuing. "It's really hard to make friends. I find it really hard to do so, but with Hanse, it'd be easy!"

She wasn't lying about having a front man—she was still the same as before. While Yun could do social interactions fairly well if she puts her mind into it, it's still overwhelming and sometimes nervewracking.

The afterparty at the Lais earlier was a failure.

Everyone invited was indeed a child. While Yun was a sight to behold, children weren't interested with shiny decorations for long. They would play with something more interesting, and interesting was something Yun isn't, aside from her appearance.

At first, Louis and Patt tried their hardest to include Yun in whatever they were doing, but was eventually swept by the crowd and played so hard they've forgotten to cater to their most esteemed guest.

Yun tried her hardest to socialize with the other kids, but she was still a teenager at heart—she couldn't meet their energy, she can't feign excitement over some silly games. She couldn't bring herself to, especially when there were no adults inside the room keeping an eye on them. Compared to the children she met at the Kramers', the children in the Lais' afterparty seemed to have an uncanny ability on detecting genuine and fake enthusiasm, so the crowd around her died down as they went to unite with their silly little groups.

In her last life, Yun was never left alone to herself. Whenever she meets new people, there was always someone beside her—family. Friends. In order to establish a connection with somebody new, she needed to already have someone to build the bridge between her and the new person.

Having someone accompany her would be a great help and  comfort, especially in this unknown world where she is left alone to fend off for herself.

And the best candidate for that would be none other than Hanse!

The first reason was because he was already with her anyway. They already share a peculiar bond, why not use it to her advantage? Not only that, because of this "bond", it was less likely for the boy to betray her.

The second reason would be his personality. He is meek and careful, but he is still a child. It could be changed in the long run, but while he is still as vulnerable as a fawn, cultivating trust with him is a must.

A trustworthy frontman. That is what Hanse should be to her life.

"My dear Nayun..."

It was a surprise for Yun and Hanse to see the curly-haired woman suddenly shed tears.

"Big sister is sorry for not understanding you,"

Nancy felt guilty and worried. Just as she anticipated, this little sister of theirs had a bit of an antisocial personality.

"I am truly, sorry... I hope you can forgive me."

Yun and Hanse exchanged looks, before Yun reached forward to give her an awkward pat on the shoulder.

"It's... It's alright."

Nancy pursued her lips into a thin line, hard enough that it trembled, before wrapping her arms around the little girl.

"Our poor Nayun!"

The trauma must've left Nayun emotionally stumped—now, not only was she unable to make friends on her own, she's even aware of it!

"Tell me, tell big sister who denied your friendship," she sobbed at Yun's shoulder.

They wouldn't dare, actually. Yun smiles stiffly. There is none.

"The point is, sister, I need Hanse by my side. Why are you so opposed to it?"

"But having a Yothagou serve as something else other than being an extension of the body is unheard of..." Never has she heard anyone use their Yothagou in this peculiar kind of way.

"Hanse is still part of me, sister. I just cannot trust myself alone when it comes to handling people."

Oops. Is what I said too articulate? Yun wasn't sure about the extent of this Nayun child's vocabulary, she hoped that it wasn't too suspicious.

Thankfully, Nancy was too busy pitying her. "....fine. If— if that's what it takes for you to make friends, I shall be convincing father to allow that Yothagou to accompany you in that form."

"Wait, for real?" She didn't expect this to be this easy. Nancy was indeed a sucker for her sister.

"I shall call the maids back immediately. Tomorrow, I will be informing father of this urgent matter. However, let me ask you one last thing."

"?"

"Does it really have to be that boy? The Jangs could easily find someone to be your companion, someone who's a Kleimann, a Tanla... maybe even a Dieustroi." and they're far more capable to be a companion to someone such as you.

But stubborn as ever, the little cub stood her ground. "No. I only want Hanse. If it isn't Hanse, I would rather stay alone friendless... forever..."

Yun even tried her hardest to produce tears at the corner of her eyes for added dramatic effect. And if this doesn't convince Nancy yet, Yun decided to tell her she'd be killing herself next.

Thankfully, Nancy nods, before engulfing the girl into another tight hug. She gives a wet kiss on her cheek, before pulling away and standing up.

"I will call in the maids now. But promise me, right after they finish making the clothes, you'll go to sleep." She heads to the door, but stops to say a few last words. "I'll be writing a letter to father."

After she disappeared, the room was silent for a while before the maids from before began ushering in and sitting back on their workspaces inside Yun's room.

Yun couldn't help but do little consecutive hops in delight. Nice! She worried about Nancy discussing the matter to their siblings, who will definitely protest to this, but luckily Nancy decides to directly ask permission from their father. Of course, it's not certain if he'd agree, but Yun could always threaten him with her life.

She finally looks behind her to see the ever familiar sullen look of Hanse.

"What now?" She didn't mean to come off harsh, but she was starting to get a bit frustrated. She had(almost) already won the battle for him to become her companion. Why is he still sad?

"I'm sorry,"

Yun frowns. "You don't have to be sorry about being born at the bottom of the food chain."

"B-Bottom of the food chain?"

Right. This kid surely doesn't have any education. Not like she has either, but she was a reader of this story. She knows a bit of information regarding this world. "You are a Yothagou. Your brother too. You might've already wondered why is the world so cruel to you and your kind."

"!!!" She was right. Everyday, and especially on days when they were chased, hunted down, hit, and insulted like living trash, he asks why was the world so unfair to them. Hanse and his brother finds these people who also looked like them, but was much more fortunate and living freely. Why can they walk around without worrying about their food, their shelter.... their safety? Why do him and his brother has to, even if everyday, they were already trying their hardest?

Unknowingly, he starts shedding tears. But Yun continues.

"This world values magic. Magicless Yothagou like you can't even use magic tools and equipment."

"..."

"The world you're born to is never fair. But that doesn't mean you can't get stronger."

She gently cups his small face and wipes the tears off the reddening ends of his eyes.

"Remember what I told you the other day?"

"Get... stronger.." Hanse hiccups in the middle of crying. "To find my brother.."

"Exactly." She nods. "Work hard to get stronger. You should be hardworking in order to be favoured by the world."

Tears didn't stop flowing from his eyes, but she could tell that he was intently listening to her as he didn't break eye contact and tried his best to suppress his whimpering.

"Hardwork will never betray you."

Not that she'll know. She has never worked so hard in her life, but she remembered this exact quote that was motivation to many.

And she was right. Hanse widens his eyes and froze on his spot, as if provided a groundbreaking revalation. Yun wonders if giving him a reality check this early was the right move, but seeing him look so determined, she could only sigh. As long as he's pumped...

"I—I will do my best on being your companion," He speaks up in a voice louder than she had ever heard.

Even the maids who were working casually glanced at the corner of the room where they were at, but unlike before, Hanse didn't care about the looks he got.

"I will be the best companion anyone has seen." He declares with all his chest, standing up from the bed. 

"And I will be strong."

"You will be stronger." Yun assures him. "And I will be by your side, helping you."

A small smile finally appeared on his chapped lips, but it was the brightest he had ever given to her. Yun's chest tightens at the overwhelming emotions he was unknowingly making her feel.

She was proud of him. He was nothing but a stranger to her, but she knows that this night would probably the turning event of his life. Something about the way his different-colored eyes shone tells her that this would probably be the start of his story... their story.