She stretched her small hand out, reaching for the half-shredded meat, but suddenly pulled it back.
The burly man pounding the meat had just raised his mallet high to smash down again when he noticed a little girl sticking out her hand nearby. Startled, he barely managed to stop the downward swing in midair.
"Whoa there! Where'd this little girl come from? Get back! Don't you know how dangerous this is?"
Bok Taejin had already chased after her and quickly scooped Yoon Areum up into his arms.
He was panting and had to catch his breath before he could speak, then hurriedly apologized to the man.
"Brother Taegeon, I'm sorry about that. She came back with me. I wasn't watching her closely just now."
He had actually seen Yoon Areum running over earlier, but after walking such a long mountain road back to the village, the moment he relaxed, fatigue hit him hard.
His legs just didn't want to move anymore.
