Chapter 12

It was fine that the PET bottles were piled up haphazardly, but it wasn’t okay that the “red caps,” which Chae-a classified as treasures, were stuck in the trash can.

I trembled, thinking that Chae-a might be very disappointed upon seeing this, and quickly tried to cover her eyes with both hands to shield her from the grim truth. However…

“Too short…”

Because of her short stature, my hands barely reached her eyes, only half-covering them. As I stood there dumbfounded by the shocking reality, Chae-a tilted her head while looking at me, then grinned mischievously.

“I get it…! You want to play hide-and-seek, right? I’m good at it, so I’ll teach you!”

Though I thought this wasn’t what was happening, I figured if it would divert her attention, it had to be done. Just as I was about to nod…

“Huh?”

Chae-a beat me to it and stared at the trash can instead.

“…”

At that moment, Chae-a froze like a statue, staring blankly at the trash can. Watching her reaction, I panicked, unsure of what to do next. Suddenly, she started jumping around in place and shouted loudly at me.

“Waaaaah! It’s a treasure-filled cave…! The squirrels must’ve hidden it here!”

“A cave…? Squirrels…?”

“Yeah. Though the contractor doesn’t fully understand yet, squirrels have the habit of hiding tasty things in their caves.”

“Uh…”

Not knowing how to respond, I just stood there dumbfounded. Chae-a, smiling brightly, continued talking.

“So they’ve piled up treasures like this in the cave, huh!”

“That’s right…”

“Yeah! Squirrels are amazing…!”

To preserve Chae-a’s innocent imagination, I decided not to say anything. After all, there are truths in this world that don’t need to be known. Silently stroking her hair, hoping her innocence would last, Seorin suddenly waved her hand.

“Aah, that’s dirty, so you shouldn’t go near it. No-no. Come on, kids, follow your big sister to work.”

Trembling again at Seorin’s remark about dirtiness—because there was no way I could cover for this—just as I was pondering what to do, Chae-a whispered to me softly.

“Squirrels dislike water, so maybe that’s why she thinks it’s dirty. But it’s actually not dirty at all!”

“Hrm?”

“That means we can still play together. Got it!? But since Onee-san doesn’t like it, we should play secretly…”

Chae-a, clearly enjoying herself, whispered conspiratorially to me. Seeing her like that, I nodded quickly in agreement.

“That works.”

Thankfully, Chae-a’s innocence remained intact. Determined to protect the still-childish Chae-a, I ruffled her hair affectionately when suddenly Seorin picked both of us up and said,

“Shall we go then, princesses?”

“I’m not a princess, I’m a spirit beast!”

“Okay-okay, then Spirit Princess.”

“Wow! Thanks!”

Watching the two laugh and chat happily, I couldn’t help but smile.

*

The first place Seorin tried to take us was an incredibly expensive children’s clothing store, one that looked like it belonged in a luxury brand boutique.

I made various excuses to avoid going in.

‘No particular reason. Just… too expensive.’

Not just expensive—it was ridiculously so. If I bought even a few outfits here, I’d probably owe Seorin money for a year. So I suggested we check out other places.

“Well, alright? If you don’t find anything you like, there’s nothing we can do.”

Seorin looked disappointed but brightened up as she grabbed some clothes nearby and added them to the cart.

“But at least a few things would look great on Hae-un, so…”

“No way!”

“No? They’d really suit you…”

I shook my head quickly to calm Seorin down. Despite her actions suggesting otherwise, I didn’t want to accept any more free gifts. Having already received so much, I felt it was better to handle what I could myself.

‘I’m an adult, after all.’

At least where I could contribute, it felt right to do so myself. After calming Seorin down from trying to sneakily buy me clothes, I headed toward a nearby store that looked cute and elegant.

‘There are plenty of pretty and adorable clothes here too.’

Compared to the overly luxurious shop earlier, this one was clean and well-organized, making it a lovely little boutique. Feeling more relaxed than before, I began looking around.

‘These clothes would look cute on Chae-a.’

Animal pajamas or maybe dresses—something delicate and flowy that would suit her. Thinking these thoughts while observing carefully, I turned around to see Chae-a peeking behind me and asked her.

“Do you like anything here, Chae-a?”

Nodding enthusiastically after glancing around briefly, Chae-a whispered back.

“Yes!”

Good thing. Actually, I came here not just to buy clothes for myself, but also for Chae-a. Since her outfit selection took priority, I decided to focus on her first.

‘Since Chae-a has pink hair, white tones might suit her well.’

Wouldn’t a white dress look perfect? If she’s like the princess Seorin described, it might work. With this in mind, I resolved to prioritize buying clothes for Chae-a over myself, opting for a simple t-shirt for myself while exploring further.

After browsing for a while…

Seorin squealed excitedly, bringing us each a set of animal pajamas.

“These would make you both look so cute!”

She handed me shark-themed pajamas and gave Chae-a squirrel-themed ones. While the latter suited Chae-a perfectly, I wasn’t so sure about mine, so I subtly tried to put them back—but…

“Onee-san wants to see Hae-un in shark pajamas…”

Seeing the disappointed expression on Seorin’s face, I couldn’t resist stopping mid-motion.

“Oh, I’d love to see Hae-un wear these. It’d make my wish come true…”

Judging by her tone, Seorin seemed confident that this tactic would work. She repeated her request loudly enough for others to hear, causing my ears to burn with embarrassment. Hurriedly nodding, I tried to calm her down.

“Alright, alright… I’ll wear them. Stop it.”

“Really? Really?! Hae-un is such an angel!”

Trying to evade being lifted up by Seorin, I subtly hid behind Chae-a. She tilted her head curiously at me before patting my head gently. Smiling awkwardly at her, I noticed Chae-a suddenly holding her squirrel pajamas high and proudly declaring,

“I love squirrels! Did you know, Chae-a even has squirrel friends!”

Apparently, she wanted to boast about having squirrel friends. Finding her cuteness irresistible, I chuckled lightly. Then, remembering something, Chae-a approached Seorin, flailing her arms to explain.

“Yeah! And squirrels aren’t dirty. They don’t like water, but they clean themselves by licking!”

She remembered Seorin calling it “dirty” earlier. Smiling warmly like a proud parent, Seorin stroked Chae-a’s cheeks and said,

“Really? Squirrels are actually clean animals, huh?”

“Yes!”

Standing tall with renewed confidence, Chae-a seemed pleased to have defended the honor of squirrels. Finding her utterly adorable, I giggled quietly before deciding it was time to pick out some clothes.

‘Pajamas aside… we still need everyday wear and underwear.’

For everyday wear, I chose simple t-shirts, and for underwear, I figured asking Seorin or a staff member for help would be best. Though slightly embarrassing, it had to be done. Selecting plain, unassuming t-shirts for daily use, I moved on—

“Hae-un, are you planning to wear this?”

Apparently, the design of the shirt I had chosen wasn’t ideal. Seorin looked surprised and questioned me.

“Mm-hmm.”

Thinking it was safe and decent, I held up the black t-shirt I had been examining. However, Seorin quickly shook her head and urgently advised me.

“Hae-un is cute, so wouldn’t something else be better?”

Looking where she pointed, I saw that even though children’s clothes nowadays are stylish and chic, they all emphasized ‘cuteness.’ While this might suit Chae-a, I felt a strong resistance wearing them myself. Trying to shake my head…

But seeing Seorin’s sad expression once again, I closed my eyes tightly and reluctantly agreed.

‘No matter what, Seorin is my benefactor…’

Not just a benefactor, but the person who saved my life and helped me stay at the association. To treat such a benefactor harshly would be against my conscience. Swallowing my pride, I nodded.

“Really? Thank you so much! Then I’ll buy this one based on Onee-san’s recommendation. And since it’s Onee-san’s suggestion, I’ll pay for it with her money, okay?”

“Eh? No, it’s fine…”

“What did you say? I couldn’t hear you properly. Let’s do it this way then.”

Unable to object further, I let Seorin have her way, giving up completely.

*

In the end, we ended up buying far too many clothes.

Wondering how much it all cost, I tried checking the receipt—but…

“Hmm? Oh yeah. By accident, I threw the receipt away, so I can’t tell. Maybe it came out to around ten thousand won?”

Seorin blatantly lied and dodged my questions. Wanting to tell her not to lie, I hesitated when I saw how thrilled she was. In the end, I kept quiet.

‘I’ll talk to her about this later when she calms down.’

Deciding to let her enjoy her happiness now, I carried the shopping bag, which was as heavy as my body but not too cumbersome, and confidently walked forward.

“Hey, look at those kids. They’re so cute.”

“Don’t they look familiar? Aren’t they from that association? Isn’t that Hae-un?”

“Huh? That’s right. Who’s the kid beside her?”

“Isn’t she a spirit beast or something?”

As we walked along, snippets of conversation reached my ears. Feeling slightly embarrassed to be recognized, I ducked my head and buried my face in the shopping bag.

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