STABLE BOY ; Trash of the Count's Family

45. HOMECOMING

"Horsejamin! Julianeiiiighhhh!!"

South definitely felt better after resting most of the trip. Which meant that the second they arrived at the County, and right after they were dismissed to unpack—

—he ran for the stables and dived for the horses.

Horsejamin shrieked like he was getting killed. Julianeigh squawked like she was terrified of his return. Horsejamin threw South right off with all the vigour of a bucking horse into the hay—

—South sprouted from the hay and immediately found, "Steedphanie! You're so strong and healthy now!"

Steedphanie then nosed him gently.

"South, help me out," Leon hollered from the entrance. "Get all the horses in here out on the grazing field, I'll have the knights come by with their own horses after they take around the mansion, you have until then."

"Got it!" South called back.

Right, this is the work he signed up for. Not long road trips, not dangerous sieges or bandit battles, and definitely not the frequent use of his damned power.

-

"Sou, you're not going to be able to brush every horse in the county before dinner. Stop that," Leon told him.

South frowned, looking up from where he was scrubbing away at Thomare's side.

"Is that a challenge?"

"No! Goodness, Sou, no."

With a chuckle South moved on to the next horse, more than happy to keep working. He was always of the mindset that when he was awake, he had to work. He slept— intentionally and unintentionally— too often, so it was just his way of making up for all the lost time.

Most of his bonds were brief and about utility. About how useful they were to him, whether in career, life, or battle.

But for horses, it's different. He wanted every bond with every horse to be genuine. Even the childish fights with Ponychael or the mean bullying from Joycequine, he treasured them all very much.

He doesn't want to compromise on them. Every waking moment after his transmigration he swore he'd use it to build real bonds. Even if he didn't know how to live like a real person, he would at least do that.

"Look— Sou, how about a break?" Leon offered, "continue afterwards. We had a new foal while we were on the trip. You might want to come see them."

And that got South's attention.

"We have new babies?!"

-

"You know, foals sleep all the time. They're kind of like you, South," Leon said.

"Enough already," South was annoyed now, "We're in the county now. The wolf beastmen children are not officially employed, and they're all younger than me. So you're now no longer allowed to treat me like the youngest."

"Huh. But you're still my hoobae, so I get to do it."

"Dammit."

South watched the other stablehands work. He didn't have to do this, since they've all done it while he was absent and were more familiar with the work. The new baby horse was small, limbs strong enough to stand now, but still shivering and shaky.

"We're letting him out to the pastures soon. We'll let the older guys handle this, okay?" Leon urged.

South didn't protest. He's done a lot of work related to horses, but caring for a foal was not one of them. Sure he's helped here and there, but there were older stable workers, and they were to be trusted with something this fragile.

"You know, now he's your younger brother," Leon teased. "So when he grows up, take care of him, alright?"

That struck South with a bitter feeling in his chest.

He leaned across the fence, looking over at the little foal nursing on the milk bottle in the stableman's hand— and his eyes downturned with a distant, sour thought.

He tore his eyes away from the sight.

"Horses grow up so fast," South sighed, "soon he'll be bigger than me and you guys will treat me like the youngest anyways, so what's the deal? Most of the horses are younger than me anyways."

Leon chuckled, "yeah. That's why you keep quarrelling with Ponychael. You're definitely siblings, you even fight like siblings."

South scoffed. "When that little foal grows up, he's going to be a menace too!" he said. "Well, let's hope he won't be mean like Joycequine."

Leon grinned, "that's the troubles of a big brother, South, you'll live."

"Sheesh, I've had enough of a break! I'm going back to brush the horses."

"You can't escape, you're doomed to the Hyungnim role someday, South!" Leon called out teasingly after him, "on the bright side one day you'll have hoobae to bully too! Until then you're going to have to deal with being the bullied hoobae though."

-

South felt conflicted, of course.

In this new life he's long found amusement in never getting to know a proper human family of his own. The only mother that mattered to him was Mama Northford, and the only family that he knew would stay by his side were the horses. But even then, if he were to one day get fired from the County, that would end too.

He was used to losing things.

His tattoos were never permanent. His bonds all eventually disappeared, either forgotten or dead in one way or the next.

So, he was fine with it.

The only thing that will always stay with him was the koi fish, the tattoo circling his heart. But he knew, better than anyone else, that it wasn't the same after this transmigration.

"... a new dongsaeng, huh..." he wondered about the things Leon said.

South was already transitioning into a big brother for many. For the wolf beastmen, for the kittens, for the dragon. For the new foal. And one day, he'll have underclassmen, too.

He's already, to some people, hyung. He didn't hate it, he didn't avoid it. It just— didn't feel right. He liked it, but he felt it would be nicer spoken by a different voice.

He put his hand over his chest and clenched, crinkling his shirt.

"It's just not the same when they call me hyung. Don't you agree?"

Of course, the koi fish did not answer him today either.