ORCA 63

Orca, who had been watching the Goldfish—whose mind seemed busy with whatever he was thinking about alone—suddenly scooped up a handful of soil. He then sprinkled it over the back of Niah’s hands, which were held together. As he lightly pressed down as if planting a seedling, a small, rounded hill of dirt was piled up and smoothed over. Niah froze, unable to do anything. The sudden mud-play was simply bewildering.

“Shall we plant it here?”

His master had been saying only difficult things today. He couldn’t decipher the meaning all at once. It felt as though he were being teased for being an idiot, or perhaps he really was too much of an idiot to understand. For some reason, he felt cowed.

He wondered if other Goldfish were as foolish as he was. The thought that they might not be made him feel distressed, but at the same time, he envied those Goldfish who were smarter than him. If he were smarter, maybe he would have been scolded less by Pepe and hated less by Adrian, perhaps even receiving some praise.

His master occasionally told him he had done well, but that wasn’t enough. He worked diligently every day, but his master only offered praise very rarely.

Niah, who quickly became dejected, fidgeted under the cool hill of soil. Digging in the ground like a mole, he finally confessed. He had tried hard to contemplate it, but he couldn’t understand the meaning at all.

“I don’t really know what you mean….”

Orca waited patiently until such a futile answer came out. In the meantime, although he had messed up the soil of the ridge a bit, fortunately, the seedlings were safe.

Niah realized belatedly that he was almost planted in the field himself. A sound similar to an exclamation burst through his teeth. Mud-play didn’t suit his master. Orca, unconcerned, tapped the rounded top part of the mound.

“I think you’d grow the fastest if I planted you here.”

Realizing he was being teased, Niah ripened faster than any of the tomatoes, just as his master had said. A fire spread from deep inside his body, and he felt hot. He thought he had risen in temperature because of the heat, but that wasn’t it. He tried to calm himself down somehow, but instead, he was engulfed in a sultry fever. His heart thumped loudly, as if it were about to burst.

“See. You’re all ripened.”

Orca tapped his nose with his index finger. A bit of soil smudged off. If the Goldfish had been born in the sea, he would have been something like a peppermint shrimp, a barnacle, or an orange coral. They were creatures he wasn’t interested in because they were weak, harmless, and slow. The barnacle was a bit drab, so a peppermint shrimp or coral would have been suitable.

Of course, no matter what he had been born as under the sea, he couldn’t guarantee he would have been safe from him. This Goldfish was an unlucky fish that had been born as a weak, harmless, and slow Goldfish in some river, only to be spotted by him. These insipid fantasies continued.

Orca inwardly enjoyed observing the Goldfish, who fluttered and fidgeted whenever he poked him. His plain expression did not show it. He brought his finger to the rounded soil mark once more. Niah’s lips were puffed out in a pout, and he was making a fuss about being embarrassed. Then, he wrinkled his nose. His lower lip tucked inward. His cheeks moved as if he were chewing on it. He could see his Adam’s apple bobbing significantly.

Ah, this.

“I, I’ll go get some water!”

Unable to hide his tearful face, Niah jumped to his feet. Carrying the watering can, he hurriedly moved away from Orca. Because of that, the mole’s house collapsed in a heap. He was ashamed. His master was always cool, but he was always like a fool.

He hated the version of himself from yesterday that had pestered him, saying he didn’t need him and that he only scolded him. It was natural that he didn’t need him. Even if he were his master, he wouldn’t have needed someone like him. As he ran to the water tap, he dabbed his eyes with his sleeve. He didn’t want to be caught.

The “Orange” was placed roundly not too far away. He could hear the sound of water being turned on full blast and the sound of him sniffing his nose. He wasn’t wailing, but he had likely shed a few drops.

Orca stood up to follow without taking his ease. It felt as if his ability to learn was gradually disappearing, following the Goldfish. It was laughable to be in a situation where he was weighing whether or not he should be grateful that Niah had said he would return instead of running away this time. Even if someone came to mock him, he had no room to argue.

Niah plunged his hands into the watering can as it filled with water. Perhaps because he touched the cold water, the burning fever soon subsided. Rubbing his muddy hands clean, he steadied his breathing, which came in gasps. The heart that had been crumpled by disappointment toward his master and hatred toward himself gradually flattened out.

After letting out a deep breath, Niah turned off the faucet. He planned to go back and plant the rest of the seedlings as if nothing had happened. Although his master had the wonderful ability to know everything, he felt he wouldn’t be caught just this once. The faucet was far from where his master was, and he had run away before his tears burst out, so he likely wouldn’t know. The excuse that he was going to refill the water also seemed plausible.

Niah tried hard to reassure himself. Yes, that’s right. It’s okay. He even echoed it to himself internally. There was still a lot of work to do to be feeling dejected. He couldn’t afford to be idle if he wanted to plant the remaining seedlings, set up the stakes, and fix them with strings. He wanted to finish the tomato planting before the afternoon. Only then would he have the leeway to follow him to his master’s room or the study.

He had to go and do some work, make tea, and watch his master as he read books. It was a pity that he couldn’t gaze at his master leisurely if he finished his morning chores late. Being in the vegetable garden was nice, but in reality, he preferred being alone just the two of them. It was less nerve-wracking without the other servants.

Adrian no longer sought him out or even acknowledged him, but Pepe still made him afraid. Whenever their eyes met, he felt a shiver. It was a ghostly face. He looked exactly like a dead person. It was a gaze where he couldn’t tell if he was looking at him or through him.

Looking at Pepe felt similar to having a nightmare. His body would stiffen and become immovable, a sensation different from the tension of having his master beside him. It was worst when he met him in isolation. He was crushed by a massive fear he had never felt before. The fact that he hadn’t harmed him made it even more terrifying.

Since he was bound to meet Pepe if he did garden work, he wanted to finish it quickly. It was fine in the vast garden or in the greenhouse where, for some reason, everyone except for him and his master disappeared, but the vegetable garden was not. Even though the garden was spacious, it wasn’t as large as the main garden, and it didn’t have trees like the greenhouse, so the view was completely open. Perhaps that was why, whenever he happened to lift his head, he would discover himself trapped within Pepe’s line of sight. Goosebumps rose at that gaze.

Because of this, he was slightly reluctant to come to the garden these days. He felt sorry for the children growing here, but it couldn’t be helped. The urgent matter was the tomatoes. He had to take care of them without skipping a day, but it was unsettling to come alone. Yet, he didn’t have the guts to ask his master every time he came.

The garden didn’t have a proper chair to sit on or a place to avoid the sun, and if he were to refuse, he would become gloomy. It was a matter he shouldn’t be disappointed about, but it was obvious he would be sad and disappointed. He was becoming a greedy person day by day.

Niah let out a sigh he couldn’t hold back and racked his brain. Rather than worrying about coming to the garden tomorrow, fixing the ridge was the priority. He couldn’t leave it looking like a chocolate cake that had been bitten into. After finishing the work, he would follow him to his master’s room and then prune the garden shrubs in the afternoon.

Having decided on the order, Niah gripped the handle of the watering can tightly with both hands. Just as he was about to stand up, a large presence approached with long strides. The shadow cast from behind devoured the surroundings. The shadow that passed over his head landed beside him with a one-span gap.

“I wasn’t slacking off. I was just about to go.”

An excuse he hadn’t even been asked for poured out immediately. Wondering if he had dragged his feet too much, he bit his lip without realizing it. The tender skin that hadn’t healed yet burst easily, and blood pooled. Not even knowing it stung, Niah only looked up at Orca. Orca, having glanced at the thoroughly intimidated Goldfish, turned on the water. The traces of the mole’s house were washed away.

“It’s the truth… I was really going to go….”