Chapter 49

Chae-a, being the Spirit of Life or something, gets along with all living creatures without any fuss. Like animals, plants, and even bugs—she’s all about that insect life! She says they’re super cute, though I don’t get it, but if Chae-a likes them, who am I to judge?

Anyway, she has this thing where bugs (ants, earthworms, ladybugs) are her BFFs. So when someone mentioned squishing these little critters into strawberry milk, you’d think she’d flip out, right? But surprisingly, she just nodded like it was no big deal.

“Okay,” she said flatly, as if crushing bugs into dairy drinks was completely normal.

At first, I thought maybe she didn’t hear me correctly, but then she clapped her hands together and chirped, “Strawberry milk, please!” Like it was the most natural request in the world.

Is everything okay here…?

I watched her giggle innocently while thinking how weird yet oddly endearing this situation was. When I asked if she was alright, she grinned brightly and replied, “Yeah, it’s fine! It can’t be helped!”

Though tempted to press further, I decided not to dig too deep—it might hurt her feelings otherwise. After all, we already consume life energy from eggs, pork, fish, etc., so getting shocked over bug-infused milk seemed kinda silly in retrospect.

As I ruffled her hair approvingly, Chae-a beamed at me like the sun itself. Just as I thought things were back on track…

The Spirit Master uncle looked utterly baffled by our nonchalant attitudes and repeated his earlier joke nervously: “Eww… creepy-crawly bugs? Aren’t those scary?”

Before I could nod reassuringly, Chae-a suddenly scowled deeply, glaring daggers at him before yelling loudly, “BUGS ARE FRIENDS! NOT GROSS!”

Ohhh, so THAT’S why she’s mad.

Caught off guard, the Spirit Master blinked rapidly, clearly taken aback. Then, realizing his mistake, he awkwardly laughed and tried to placate her: “R-right! Bugs are adorable! Not gross at all!”

“Yeah!” Chae-a huffed indignantly. “Don’t say mean things about them! If you do, I’ll cry harder than an unfed earthworm sister!”

“Earthworm… earthworm…”

And with that dramatic declaration, she pouted fiercely, crossing her arms and refusing to look at anyone. Meanwhile, a tiny worm peeked out from her hat pocket, wriggling around cutely.

This is intense.

To diffuse the tension, the Spirit Master handed us some strawberry milk, saying, “Here, drink this. And Team Leader, stop teasing kids—you’ll go bald.”

“Huh?”

“Tsk.”

With a wink, he knelt beside Chae-a and patted her back gently. “Come on now, sweetheart. Let’s forgive Uncle Naughty Pants, okay? This milk tastes amazing.”

Still sulking, Chae-a buried her face deeper into her arms, though her squirrel-pajama tail betrayed her emotions by twitching uncontrollably. Seeing her struggle, I picked her up and whispered encouragement.

“Go ahead and drink it!”

Sometimes, all it takes is a little push. Encouraged by my words, she hesitated for a moment before finally nodding shyly. Taking the cup with both hands, she murmured gratefully, “Thank you…”

Though still slightly dejected, she sipped the milk—and BOOM! Her mood instantly transformed. Eyes wide open, she turned to me and squealed excitedly, “WOW! THIS IS SO GOOD! THE BEST IN THE WORLD!”

Relieved, I sighed happily as she cheered up. Meanwhile, the Spirit Master chuckled sheepishly and apologized.

“I’m sorry, kiddo. I thought pranks would make you laugh since they work on my own son. Guess I misjudged.”

Clearly trying to bond with us, huh? Understanding his intentions, I nodded politely. However, Chae-a remained unimpressed, clinging to his leg and lecturing him sternly: “Don’t talk badly about bugs! They’ll cry, and then I’ll feel sad… so don’t do it!”

Wow, logical AND heartfelt. Impressive!

The Spirit Master glanced at me knowingly, asking casually, “Hey, Ha-eun? Do you have time for a quick chat?”

Curious, I turned around to see him holding a cat in his arms. He continued, “I wanted to ask about Chae-a… Is there anything unusual you’ve noticed?”

Hmm? Before I could respond, he dropped another bombshell question:

“Has Chae-a ever tried returning to the Spirit Realm?”

Spirit Realm? Blinking in confusion, I shook my head. His expression darkened momentarily as he muttered, “Ah, never mind then…”

Something feels off here…

Deciding not to pry unless Chae-a brings it up herself, I stayed quiet. As we chatted further, more questions followed:

“How did you two meet initially?”

“She came looking for me…”

“Did she really starve before?”

“Yes…”

Each answer made my heart ache a little more. Sensing my discomfort, the Spirit Master quickly changed topics, offering reassurance about the strawberry milk: “By the way, don’t worry about the bugs—it’s just an old recipe. Nowadays, they don’t put actual insects in it anymore.”

Phew. Relieved, I took a sip, savoring its sweet tanginess. Despite trembling hands due to weak finger strength, I managed to finish the whole glass proudly.

When I showed off my accomplishment to the Spirit Master, however, he simply remarked, “Looks like you enjoyed it,” completely ignoring my hard-earned effort. My tail drooped slightly in disappointment, but I reminded myself—not everyone notices every detail.

Time to focus on chores now!

Feeling obligated after answering his questions, I rolled up my sleeves and vowed to clean up the mess scattered everywhere. While picking up trash, Somtul trailed behind me, chirping excitedly. Apparently, he wanted to play too.

“Alright! Go ahead and have fun!”

Overjoyed, Somtul leapt high into the air and infused my pajamas with a magical boost. Suddenly, I felt faster and lighter! Testing my new speed, I began cleaning vigorously—

DING DONG DONG!

Wait… what’s that sound?!

Confused, I froze mid-motion as everyone stared at me. What’s going on?!