Pet King

Sihwa could not really sleep the night before––or perhaps it would be better to say that she had not been sleeping well for the past few days. At first, she was troubled by Fina’s cruel, but enticing, suggestion; then, she thought about what Zhang Zian had said about the whales being killed off; lastly, when she saw the harpoon that was covered in blood, she began to worry about the fate of the whales again.

She rubbed her eyes. She sat up in the bathtub and the clear water rustled down her delicate skin. Except for her wet, dark, long, green hair, there was practically no water left on her.

Hah!

She gave a long, drawn-out sigh. She really missed the time when she had just been born. At that time, she was so carefree, taking advantage of how the ordinary person could not see her. She had played by the seaside, carefree and happy. She had even taken advantage of the high tide to sneak into a sea-facing villa’s swimming pool. She laid by the poolside and watched Korean dramas with the owner of the house who was inside the living room.

That villa was very stylish, and its design was very clever. There was only a wall between the sea and the pool, and the door to the yard was often not closed––probably because the owner did not think anyone would come in from the sea.

To have a seaside villa at a position with the best scenery, the owner of the villa must have been very rich. They were someone that, even if Zhang Zian worked his whole life, they would still be so far ahead of him that he could only see their dust. They were definitely not someone that worried about money. Even the bathroom in the house was most likely renovated magnificently.

Sihwa––no, at that time, she had yet to give herself a name––played by the seaside for a very long time. Even though the white whale was very understanding, after a long time, she felt lonely.

On another night, when she was swimming past the reef rock outside the villa, she suddenly heard the sounds of cheerful chatting and laughter. There were sounds of people toasting to each other, and it sounded very lively. It was very attractive to her.

What were the people inside doing? It seemed to be very interesting.

She took advantage of the high tide and leapt out of the water, jumping between reef rocks to try to get close to the villa.

The cold and hard reef rocks dug into her until it was very painful. The scales on her fish tail broke off, but that was unable to stop her passion in trying to find out what was going on. Perhaps she was just too bored.

She managed to get to the door of the yard with great difficulty. The door was just a false cover and it was not locked. She lightly pushed the door open until there was a small opening, and she looked inside.

The villa was effectively using natural light. The side facing the sea used a large, transparent, tempered glass––whether it was the designer or the owner of the villa, they probably did not think someone would peek in through that direction.

The first floor had a spacious living room that was brightly lit, and there were many people there. It seemed like it was a party. People were wearing evening gowns and suits and they were elegantly lifting their champagne glasses to greet each other and show respect. The rich women of high quality were all dressed up beautifully.

What especially caught people’s attention was that the people present were mostly dark-eyed and yellow skinned, quite different from how the majority that lived nearby were white. It seemed like a gathering of fellow townsmen.

Sihwa did not mind their skin color––anything was all right, as it did not have anything to do with her. After she had satisfied her curiosity she was planning on leaving. She could not understand why everyone was all shining with happiness. They all wore fake smiles on their face, and all they were talking about was business and investment––all things she could not understand.

At that moment, she suddenly noticed that the living room on the first floor was entirely dark, but there was just a television that was lit up. The light from the television illuminated a girl’s face.

The girl looked to be around the same age as her. She looked lonely, and she was curled up in the corner of a sofa, hugging her knees and staring at the television screen.

Sihwa found it weird. Why was the girl not partying with the others? Why did she want to hide in the dark house alone?

Unless… What the television was showing that was so very interesting? She was too far away to see it clearly.

Sihwa, who had been bored for too long, did not hesitate for a very long time. Actually, she did not hesitate at all, and she pushed open the door to the yard and rolled into the open-air pool. She was action-oriented, and an action-oriented person always moved first before thinking, or just make a move without thinking. She did not consider at all what she would do if she could not return.

The sound of something entering the water was noticed by a waiter who was carrying a plate, but since the sky was black and the yard was very dark, he did not notice anything weird. He just shook his head and carried the plate into the house, putting the incident into the back of his mind. He just wanted to finish his job, anyway. He was a waiter and he was not paid to be a security guard, after all.

Sihwa felt quite smug and was ridiculing that the people were all blind, despite keeping their eyes open.

The open-air swimming pool and the villa itself were very close together––they were only separated by a small walkway.

At that time, she was a bit puzzled. Although there was a large and spacious sea outside, why did the owner still want to waste so much land on a pool?

However, after she jumped into the pool, she understood.The swimming pool was filled with fresh water; it was not as salty as seawater. After one dried off, there wouldn’t be small salt crystals left behind on their skin and hair. There was joy in swimming in the sea, and there was also joy in swimming in the swimming pool. It was a new and interesting experience for her.

She first swam two circles in the swimming pool and washed away all the seawater left on her body, before she laid by the side of the pool and looked into the living room.

The girl inside was very focused on the television, as if she was so immersed in the television show that she could not pull herself out of it.

At that time, Sihwa could not see it, but if she were to go back now, she would definitely have realized that the girl was not happy. Her eyes were empty, and even though she was staring at the television, the truth was that she was not focusing on it.

Sihwa saw her appearance, and truly believed that the television was very interesting. The small people in the television were as natural to her as if they were actual living beings. They could even talk, and they acted out lives that Sihwa never believed were possible.

Of course, rich people could afford a large television, and the living room television was huge. Even though Sihwa was looking at it from the side at a 45 degree angle, she could still see very clearly. The colors were very real, and they made people feel like they were in the scene themselves.

She was instantly immersed in watching the television.

From then on, she stayed in the house’s swimming pool and refused to leave because she had yet to finish watching the show. Even if she had finished watching it, there was always the next show.

Perhaps it was because it was winter, there was no one else going into the swimming pool. It was even rare if people even walked past the pool.

The young girl in the house seemed to have a very bad relationship with her family members. Her face was black all day, and she did not want to interact with outsiders. Every time she talked to her family members, she would scream hysterically, and she would only calm down when she was watching television alone.

The owner of the villa seemed to be very troubled by the young girl. They were embarrassed that there was such a child like that in the family, and they did not let her meet outsiders. After a while, she became more and more lonely.

The Sihwa at that time did not care about such things. She only wanted to watch the television.

She watched one show after another, and whatever that girl played, she watched. She spent every day in so much enjoyment that she forgot to go home––she even forgot about the white whale.

On a certain day, she woke up from her sleep in the swimming pool, but found that both the inside and the outside of the villa was very quiet. There was no sound of arguments or shouting, and there was also no sound of television dramas.

The villa was empty.