Little Saim felt deeply uneasy.
He did not know why he had spilled everything about killing the farm owner all at once.
Perhaps it was because keeping the matter buried in his heart had left him miserable, and he urgently needed an outlet to ease the pressure. Or perhaps it was because the other man had saved him, allowing him to see a sliver of light in the darkness of despair, drawing him close without his realizing it?
Little Saim did not know which it was. Perhaps it was both.
While telling his story, Little Saim had not thought much about it. But once he had truly finished, unease rose within him again. He feared that the stain of having killed someone would become a thorn in the other man's eyes whenever he looked at him.
If that thorn truly angered him, then with his legendary supernatural abilities, he might not merely curse his nose into growing longer. He might simply make him disappear from this world.
Thus, steeped in anxiety and unease, Little Saim passed the longest ten minutes of his life.
During those ten minutes, Little Saim kept his head lowered and did not dare meet Mr. Pat's eyes, afraid of seeing dislike in them.
He waited silently, waiting for the other man to speak, waiting for Mr. Pat's judgment of what he had done.
Yet it never came.
Ten minutes later, enduring the torment, Little Saim secretly raised his head and glanced at Mr. Pat across from him. He wanted to see whether the man was pleased or angry, so he could judge his mood.
But the moment he looked, Little Saim froze.
Mr. Pat's expression was calm, though his eyes flickered as if he were contemplating something.
However, Little Saim could be certain that Mr. Pat