Chapter 833 |
“Kids! Time to eat!”
With neither Han Yujin nor Han Yuhyun here, taking care of the children was her job.
Park Yerim decided as much and turned down the Breeding Facility employee’s offer to come by. The rice and side dishes had already been prepared. All she had to do was heat them up.
Even so, it was not easy.
“Byeol! No! You have to sit in the chair when you eat!”
“No. I’m eating with Peace.”
“Seol! Don’t put Byeol’s rice bowl on the floor! Or yours! You have to eat at the table too!”
“Auntie, maybe just put Peace at the table.”
“Uh, right. Peace.”
“Byeol, where are you going!”
Han Byeol suddenly took off running, and Park Yerim hurried after her and caught her. In the meantime, Hangyeol put Han Byeol’s, Han Seol’s, and Peace’s rice bowls up on the table. Han Byeol whined that the chair was too hard and uncomfortable, so Park Yerim brought over a cushion for her.
After they somehow managed to finish the meal, Park Yerim swept all the empty dishes up in one rush with water. While she started the dishwasher, Hangyeol cleaned the table with Sanho.
“Auntie can do it by herself, Gyeol. Go stay with your siblings. I’m kind of worried about Byeol too.”
“It’s okay, Auntie. Even if Seol does everything Byeol wants, he won’t let her get hurt.”
Since Han Seol stopped anything dangerous with absolute precision, leaving the two of them alone for a moment did not cause much trouble. Park Yerim moved a warm droplet of water across the table, wiping it clean, and sighed. Sanho circled anxiously by her ear.
– Yerim, are you tired?
“No, I’m fine. Feeding kids is just harder than I thought. Gyeol, I think you’re a really good, calm kid.”
“The uncles and aunties from the Breeding Facility and Haeyeon say Byeol is pretty calm for a kid her age.”
“Seriously?”
“They said she falls asleep right away and doesn’t cry.”
“Actually, Mister had the hardest time when Comet and Blue wouldn’t let him sleep, too. Taking care of kids is way harder than it looks.”
A loud crash came from the living room, like something had broken.
At least they did not have to worry about money if something got smashed, and there was less concern about the children getting hurt, so in that sense, they were definitely easy to raise.
“I was going to take them outside to play, but… I’m suddenly not confident at all.”
“Call the adults, Auntie.”
– He’s right, Yerim. Don’t do everything alone.
There were plenty of people who would help. Dodam and Haeyeon, of course, and Kang Soyeong called constantly as well. She told Yerim to tell her if she needed anything at all, and she sounded guilty that she could not leave her post because Moon Hyunah still had not woken and she herself had been the last person to enter the dream world.
But Park Yerim shook her head firmly.
“I can do it by myself. I got them through breakfast just fine, didn’t I?”
She was enough on her own. She could handle this much. If Han Yujin and Han Yuhyun were gone, then she was the oldest person here.
“Seol, Byeol! Let’s study social rules! They said you need to learn the basics before you go to kindergarten!”
Park Yerim called out energetically and headed for the living room.
Watching her from behind, Hangyeol folded his arms with a serious expression.
“Auntie seems kind of like how I used to be.”
The feeling that he had to accomplish something on his own.
Hangyeol, too, had once felt that very strongly. He had thought it was wrong to be separated from Han Yujin, wrong to only be protected. It had seemed as if he could only stay with Dad if he proved his own worth.
Hangyeol thought the Park Yerim now was a little different from him back then, and also very similar.
He could sense the uneasiness tucked inside her bright voice and brisk movements.
“Auntie is still young too, you know.”
Hangyeol rubbed his chin in a very grown–up manner. If Han Yujin had seen it, he would have said the gesture looked like someone else. Then Hangyeol took out his phone. After looking through his saved call list, he tapped one of the contacts and made a call.
“No, you can’t go into the road where the vroom–vroom cars drive.”
Park Yerim said this with a model city spread out in front of her. Han Byeol placed a car on top of a building roof.
“This is a crosswalk. This is a traffic light. People cross the street here.”
“Byeol wants to be a car.”
“A car is something you ride in.”
At Park Yerim’s explanation that she couldn’t, Han Seol objected.
“My little sister can be a car too.”
“People can’t—”
Park Yerim hesitated.
She probably could not become a car, but running along the road itself was possible. No, actually, becoming a car did not seem completely impossible either. Transcendents could do all kinds of things.
“…Still, you’re not a car yet, so for now, you need to stay here, on the sidewalk. Got it?”
“Chirp goes everywhere. He disappears.”
Spatial movement and flight.
Park Yerim was at a loss for words again. If someone was flying, there was no need to distinguish between sidewalks and roads. Park Yerim herself had, more than once, quietly flown across streets where there was no crosswalk.
“The most important thing is! Don’t crash into cars, people, or buildings. Right. As long as you don’t crash into anything, it’s fine. If you crash, you go ow.”
Han Byeol smacked a building with her palm. When she pulled out a model street tree and tried to put it in her mouth, Park Yerim hurriedly stopped her. Above their heads, Chirp was floating lazily through the air. Splash. At some point, Belare had gotten into a water cup. Park Yerim quickly washed the cup out with antidote, then filled a special bathtub with water for Belare, who wanted to swim. In the meantime, Han Byeol, now transformed into a baby monster, destroyed the city under her feet.
– Piiit, pyuit!
The ball of fluff bounced up and charged toward the kitchen. Her target was the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. But Hangyeol moved faster. Hangyeol snatched Han Byeol up.
“Here.”
Han Seol had already brought out ice cream from somewhere. Park Yerim took the ice cream away.
“Seol! I told you, you can’t give Byeol everything she wants just because she wants it!”
– Kyuuuuk!
Han Byeol kicked miserably, and Park Yerim hurried to the cupboard, searching for snacks. Where were the baby snacks again? They were not as tasty as ice cream, but Han Byeol happily ate almost anything, and if you put something in her mouth, she forgot about other snacks for a little while.
“Auntie, on the right! Don’t let Byeol see!”
Hangyeol said as he covered his sister’s eyes. Once Han Byeol received the snack, she soon quieted down. Time passed quickly, and lunch approached. The living room was a disaster. Looking at the smashed TV, Park Yerim let out a low groan. Han Byeol had seen fried chicken in a commercial and lunged at the screen.
“Cleaning… What do I even do about this?”
She had to make lunch too.
Would a TV fit inside a garbage bag? Was she supposed to smash it into smaller pieces and put it in? Or was it recyclable? Dungeons had come to be used for waste disposal, but recycling was still encouraged for various reasons. Park Yerim gathered the broken items into one place for now. In the meantime, something else broke. This time, perhaps Horang had done it, because there was a startled yelp and the sound of him scampering off.
Then the doorbell rang. The screen on the living room wall turned on, showing the visitor’s face.
“…Huh? Mister Shishio?”
It was Shishio, who was still staying in Korea. Park Yerim tilted her head. Why had that Mister suddenly come here? With Mister gone, letting someone into the house was a little… Maybe she should go out herself. While she was wondering, Hangyeol ran over and pressed the visitor approval button.
“Gyeol!”
“It’s okay.”
Hangyeol nodded, then ran toward the entrance. While Park Yerim was still flustered, the door opened and Shishio came inside.
“Good day! Ah, as expected, it’s a mess!”
“This is because—”
“Now! Miss Park Yerim, please sit down!”
A crowd of people came pouring in behind Shishio. In the blink of an eye, they cleaned up the living room and set down a new TV, sofa, table, and other furniture. Park Yerim, not knowing what to do, suddenly found a large Bunny Bunny Bear plush being placed in her arms.
“Huh? This is the Japan–exclusive one… No, wait!”
A toy house, toy cars, a ball pit, a slide, and more filled one side of the spacious living room, and delicious smells started drifting from the kitchen.
– Kyururuk!
“Mar!”
A large tank was carried in as well. Mar greeted Park Yerim happily. Sanho approached the baby Water Dragon and spun in a circle.
– Hi, Mar!
– Kyuuk!
“I should’ve come to see you right away. Have you been doing okay?”
Because she had been so focused on staying near the children, she had not been able to visit the rearing area. In the meantime, the people who had prepared lunch all streamed back out again. Han Byeol jumped into the ball pit, threw balls around, and laughed.
“Let’s eat lunch first.”
The only person left behind, Shishio, lifted Han Byeol and Han Seol at the same time and headed for the kitchen. Park Yerim, who had been stroking Mar, flinched and hurried after him.
“Excuse me, uh, probably Guild Leader!”
“Call me whatever is comfortable.”
“Mister isn’t here, so isn’t it kind of not okay for you to just show up like this?”
“Auntie, Gyeol called him.”
“…You did?”
“Yeah. That Mister has come to take care of us before. With Auntie Soyeong.”
Shishio sat in a chair with the two children still perched on his shoulders. Han Byeol, apparently enjoying being seated up high, did not whine about going somewhere else. This time, Park Yerim was able to eat lunch in peace as well. Once the meal ended, a few people came back in, cleaned everything spotless, and left.
“I could’ve done it by myself.”
The children went off to play with the new toys, and Park Yerim sat at the table after Shishio said he would make tea.
“And this is kind of burdensome.”
“There is no need to feel burdened at all. Director Han’s children are my children as well.”
“…Excuse me?”
Park Yerim frowned, silently asking what weird nonsense he was talking about. Pouring green tea alongside refreshments, Shishio lowered his voice.
“I’ll tell Miss Park Yerim specially. Director Han Yujin is… in fact, my mother’s reincarnation.”
“…What? Reincarnation? Mister is?”
“This is a photograph of my mother when she was alive. Don’t they resemble each other?”
Shishio pulled a photograph from inside his clothes. He then went on to explain in detail his mother’s time of death, Han Yujin’s birthday, blood type, preferences, and so on. Park Yerim’s expression, at first incredulous, gradually shifted into, Wait…?
“No, even then. Mister did turn back time, but… he didn’t reincarnate. Though since regression exists, I guess reincarnation could exist too.”
“It may not be true. But I believe it.”
His serious eyes met Park Yerim’s. Park Yerim could not answer and only touched the warm teacup.
“And I am an adult now. There are things I wish to do for Mother that I could not do when I was a child.”
“Ah… Come to think of it, if she passed away before Mister was born…”
Shishio might be older than Han Yujin, but he was still only in his thirties. As Park Yerim hesitated, Shishio smiled.
“I could do nothing for my mother as she weakened day by day.”
“Uh… that…”
“I was angry at the adults around me, of course, but also at myself. I even caused trouble despite knowing it would make Mother sad. Even while thinking I shouldn’t.”
“…Yeah. Because there’s nothing you can do.”
Park Yerim nodded slightly. She, too, had felt something similar. She had known, in any case, that she was supposed to go to school and study hard. But she had wanted to run away. She had been angry that she had nowhere to go, angry that she could do nothing but endure. Angry not only at her uncle’s family, but at herself too.
“I think I still feel kind of like that. I’m Awakened, and I’m an S–rank Hunter. But Mister… sent me back without even telling me. I’m mad at Mister, but I think I’m mad at myself too. I thought I’d be able to do anything now, but they say I’m still a little kid.”
“Being young does not mean you can do nothing. But unlike adults, children are allowed not to do things.”
His large hand lifted the teacup, and he took a sip.
“Even after Mother passed, I continued to wander. I could not forgive the world, or myself, for having let my mother go so helplessly.”
“…You don’t look like that at all. Honestly.”
Shishio laughed heartily.
“At the time, my middle school teacher told me this. Even if you cause trouble like this, it’s still all right for now. You are still at the age where you are learning how to take responsibility. It’s fine to fail any number of times. It’s fine to make mistakes. It’s fine even if you can’t accomplish anything. At your age, as long as you grow through it, it’s all right.”
He had been around Yerim’s age then.
“Of course, I was scolded. He said that was a separate matter, and that by middle school, I should know better than to repeat the same wrongs without correcting them. That being unable to do something and choosing not to do it were different. But what stayed with me most clearly was this: it is only natural for a child to be unable to do certain things.”
Because children lacked experience and strength, and above all, because they were still in the years when they were supposed to be growing.
“Adults have to take responsibility. Even if not for many things, then at the very least, for themselves. For what they themselves have done. But for children, the adults around them take responsibility on their behalf. Of course, there are children who do not have that kind of environment. But Miss Park Yerim, you are a child who can try anything, aren’t you?”
“…Yeah. Around me, there really are a lot of people.”
– I’m here too, Yerim. Always. Every time.
Whether because Shishio frightened him or not, Sanho, who had been quietly staying inside the earring, poked his head out and spoke. Park Yerim smiled. There had been a time when she had thought she had no one. Not anymore. It was not only Han Yujin. There were far more people than that now. She had more than enough adults she could ask for help.
“So it’s all right. If it’s hard, you may rest. If it’s dangerous, you may avoid it. Saving the world? Adults must stand at the front and block the way, but children are allowed to be protected. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to enter dungeons. Even if someone starts talking about S–rank this or that, the adults around you will protect you.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. But still. I want people to treat me like an adult already.”
“Nearly every child thinks that.”
“No, I’m a little different, aren’t I? And this time… Mister went too far.”
“The lack of explanation was indeed Director Han’s fault.”
“He didn’t have time, though! If Mister had enough breathing room, I’m sure he would’ve explained everything properly and tried to convince me. Still…”
“Being an adult does not mean being perfect. If anything, it is the opposite.”
“Just looking at my uncle proves that~. But I really didn’t think I’d be having this kind of conversation with you, Mister Shishio. I mean, you didn’t exactly make a good first impression, you know?”
“That is true,” Shishio said, laughing loudly.
“I have grown into such a fine man now, but I, too, am a selfish adult!”
“Fine… I mean, I did fight you back then.”
“You did. Miss Park Yerim was excellent too!”
He showed no lingering resentment whatsoever. Then again, even back then, when Park Yerim won, he had not done anything about it. He had accepted the outcome cleanly. He had been planning to kidnap Han Yujin, but his treatment of them as guests had been decent enough.
“Look at me. A child who could do nothing but cry has now taken hold of an entire nation! So there is no need to worry. Miss Park Yerim will grow splendidly too!”
“Ah, yes.”
Park Yerim answered halfheartedly. But whatever else had happened, it was true that Shishio had become Japan’s top guild leader. He had also been a great help to Han Yujin. Park Yerim looked at Shishio as he poured more hot tea and drank it down in one go.
If an adult like Moon Hyunah, someone who looked perfect in Park Yerim’s eyes, had told her the same thing, she might have felt even smaller instead. It would have been hard not to think that she, too, needed to become more perfect.
But with the somewhat sloppy–looking Shishio sitting in front of her, her heart loosened a little.
He had been an enemy at first. Then, somehow, he had sloppily ended up on Han Yujin’s side and become this close to them. Even so, he was still a high–flying S–rank guild leader, and he was playing an active role in saving the world on top of that. Seeing him laugh without hesitation made her laugh before she knew it.
“I honestly don’t really believe Mister reincarnated, but I’ll acknowledge it~.”
“Good. Now I only need to persuade Han Yuhyun!”
“That’s impossible… No, actually, with Han Yuhyun, maybe he won’t care. As long as you don’t insist on living with our Mister.”
“I have a guild, and my body must support the Japanese Hunter world. Regrettably, it is impossible.”
“Use that angle! Say you’ll just support Mister and follow him devotedly from far away. Then there’s a high chance Han Yuhyun will come around.”
If he was not going to stay by Han Yujin’s side, there was no reason Han Yuhyun would oppose Han Yujin gaining another ally.
“As for Mister, he’s getting a reliable son out of it, so that’s a good thing!”
“Naturally!”
Hearing the two of them laughing, Hangyeol peeked into the kitchen, then shook his head and returned to the living room. In Hangyeol’s eyes, both of them seemed like children.
That afternoon, with Shishio’s help, they all went up to the rooftop garden together. Warm water filled a large portable pool, and a temporary rest area, windbreaks, and heating equipment were set up in the blink of an eye. The children played to their hearts’ content and went to bed early.
The next day, Park Yerim accepted help from the adults. She left the children in their care and went out, meeting up with her friends for the first time in a while. She was still worried about Han Yujin and sometimes grew restless, but she ate delicious food and talked until she was satisfied. When Park Yerim said she wanted to become an adult quickly, her friends agreed. Someone also said people always said being a student was better.
“It’s already been days, and Hyunah unnie still hasn’t woken up. They still say we can’t enter the dream world.”
In the rooftop garden, where snow had fallen and piled up, Park Yerim spoke with a crease between her brows. Hangyeol nodded too.
“I trust Dad, but Gyeol is starting to worry too.”
Han Byeol, who had been running over the piled snow, began playing hide–and–seek. When Peace quickly found her, she told him to go away and ran off again. There were other baby monsters around as well. Kang Soyeong, who had come along as a guardian, checked on the Pegasus, whose wingbeats had become quite steady now.
“He’s grown a lot even without Director Han. Little Song is still the same, though.”
– Maaa.
“You miss Little Song’s dad, don’t you? Chief Song has been doing fine too.”
Beside the baby sheep, the baby reindeer’s horns had grown quite a bit. He was not an adult yet, but his strutting movements already had a rather convincing air.
“At least if there was some kind of news, I could wait! Misteeer!”
“Daaad!”
“My little sister!”
Han Seol suddenly shouted. Park Yerim, Hangyeol, and Kang Soyeong all turned toward Han Seol at the same time. Han Seol was looking around, completely flustered.
“I can’t see my little sister!”
“What? Byeol? Peace, find Byeol!”
At Park Yerim’s words, Peace twitched the tip of his nose and began searching through the garden. Then he stopped in one spot and circled around it.
– Grrrngh.
“Peace, what’s wrong! You can’t find Byeol?”
“Auntie! Check if Chirp is here!”
“Yerim, Chirp isn’t here either!”
Park Yerim’s face went pale. Hangyeol and Kang Soyeong looked the same. Kang Soyeong hurriedly pulled out her phone.
“This is an emergency! Send a request for cooperation to every Hunter Association and guild in the country—no, the whole world!”
“Chirp… Still, with Byeol’s size, he shouldn’t have been able to move that far. Mister said he taught him properly not to carry other monsters around!”
“What do we do, Auntie? Will Chirp bring Byeol back safely?”
“My little sister…”
“Don’t worry too much, Yerim. Who would dare touch her?”
Kang Soyeong’s eyes went ferocious.
“If anyone lays a hand on her, I’ll—”
That was when it happened.
Light flashed from the place where Han Byeol and Chirp had disappeared. The light rapidly expanded.
– Pyui!
– Chirp!
Familiar voices rang out in greeting. Beyond the ever–growing light, familiar figures began appearing one by one. Moon Hyunah waved cheerfully at their shocked faces.
“Hi. Nothing happened, right? The Puppeteer said quite a bit of time would’ve passed. Since Byeol and Chirp are connected, the time distortion—”
“Unnie!”
“Hyunah unnie!”
Park Yerim and Kang Soyeong ran toward Moon Hyunah. Moon Hyunah hurriedly waved both hands and stopped them.
“Wait a second, wait! This is a passage!”
“What?”
“How should I put it? It’s the path of a dream where you become an adult!”
–TL Notes–
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