Chapter 60

My burning lips were pressed against the cold cup as I tried my best to calm down.

“Ow…”

Usually, when I ate spicy food, I felt the heat, but never pain. This time, it was so spicy it actually hurt, and tears and snot were quietly streaming out.

“I didn’t know it would be THIS spicy…”

As I licked some water while thinking about why tourists said Korean fried udon was spicy, the counselor teased me with a smile.

“Hae-un, don’t you like ramen? Is it too spicy?”

Hearing that, I felt slightly embarrassed as if I had lied.

“Uh… I do like it, but it’s spicy.”

“Is it because you haven’t had it in a while?”

Though I’m not sure if it should be called “fortunate,” the counselor didn’t seem too concerned and smiled calmly. As I thought about their consideration gratefully, Chae-a pulled an apple from her pocket.

“Here, Hae-un, eat this!”

It seemed to be from the tree she picked earlier. I took it carefully and bowed slightly to express my gratitude. Then the counselor asked us something.

“Hae-un, I have a question. How are you adjusting to life at the association? Are you getting used to it?”

Thinking back on my experiences, I nodded. I’ve met so many wonderful people and received so much kindness. Despite trying to give back or avoid taking too much, it felt like I could only repay a fraction of what I received.

Because of that, I’ve become very accustomed to the association’s support and adapted well to this world. Nodding again…

“That’s good. Now, next question – If you weren’t living at the association, where would you want to live?”

That shocked me into freezing. The reason I started broadcasting was to ensure I could survive even if I were kicked out of the association. But recently, I’ve been so lazy, just focusing on having fun with Chae-a, Seorin, and Han Arin.

I need to snap out of it and refocus! Biting my tail wagging unconsciously, I decided to think more realistically. While everyone’s help means I don’t have to face reality now, once I leave the association, I’ll be swept away by its harsh winds.

So first, I need to…

But my mind isn’t working well as I try to tackle long-postponed issues. As I worried about what to do, the counselor waved their hand in front of me.

“Hae-un, are you okay?”

Realizing I’d caused concern, I nodded to show I was fine. But the counselor still looked worried.

“Just so you know, Hae-un, you don’t have to worry. If you want, you can live here at the association forever.”

While it was kind of them to say, I shook my head firmly.

“No way!”

“You sure? It’s really okay.”

I responded with a nervous laugh and glanced to the side, seeing Chae-a glaring at the ramen and Somtul sleeping nearby. Thinking about how I need to protect these kids made me determined to work harder. Smiling brightly, I rubbed my cheek.

* * *

Counselor Jung Su-a watched Hae-un pretending to be mature and bit her lip.

To someone who doesn’t know Hae-un well, they might think her behavior is admirably grown-up or adult-like for a three-year-old. But…

The maturity we see in children isn’t something they choose, but rather something society forces upon them. And knowing this process makes it hard not to feel sorry for them.

Especially since Hae-un’s constant talk about repaying kindness is likely more about self-defense than anything else.

What kind of trauma has she experienced to behave this way? Though my heart ached wondering, I couldn’t show my emotions now as it would only hurt Hae-un. So I continued acting like everything was normal.

“Hae-un, this isn’t just as your counselor, but as your older sister who cares about you – if you ever find yourself in a truly difficult situation, please tell me. I promise I’ll help you no matter what.”

At that, Hae-un hugged her tail and gave an embarrassed, toothy grin before nodding shyly and thanking me.

“Thank you…”

“Don’t mention it. It’s only natural.”

Hearing that, Hae-un trembled slightly and glanced at me nervously. Seeing that made my heart ache, but I forced myself not to say anything and instead gave her a warm smile.

* * *

Listening to the counselor’s words, I gave an awkward smile then closed my eyes to think more seriously about what to do.

Just then, Chae-a, apparently bored from sitting still, stood up.

“Let’s go already!”

She wanted to play. Deciding to set aside my worries temporarily, I nodded to play with Chae-a. But then…

“But Chae-a, I’ve never cooked before! What should we do?!”

Thinking back, we came here to cook but all I’ve done is crack eggs. Feeling bad about not giving her proper experience, I decided to focus on something else for now and try again later. But then…

The counselor, after talking on the phone, turned to us with a bright smile.

“Hey kids, the team – I mean, the sisters and brothers will be back sooner than expected.”

Did they successfully capture the terrorist? I wondered, but asking would just make everyone put on serious faces…

Yeah… That’s probably how it went…

You don’t need to know…

This isn’t the time…

Deciding to check the news later, I was interrupted by Chae-a’s urgent voice.

“Then… We need to cook!”

Apparently, she really wanted to follow through with our original plan to cook. Rolling up her sleeves, she declared loudly.

“Got it?!”

Seeing she wanted me to help too, I nodded. Taking my hand, she led me back to the kitchen and said excitedly.

“I can crack eggs pretty well now! Let me do it!”

Well, “cracking” might be overstating it a bit, but I didn’t want to deflate her enthusiasm, so I simply nodded. But then…

The counselor, sounding surprised, spoke up.

“Eh? You’re cooking again?”

“Yeah! To be full and happy!”

“Oh… Okay then.”

After a moment’s thought, the counselor gave a defeated laugh then reached out, suggesting.

“Alright then, let’s cook together. About 20 servings should be enough, right?”

“…”

Can we really make that much?

Though I had doubts, I decided to follow the counselor’s lead. But then, spotting a newly opened apple tree…

I needed to gather ingredients there. Since I couldn’t pick apples myself, I placed Somtul on my head to help and asked the counselor to buy various seeds for more supplies.

During this process, there was an incident where I threw a tantrum insisting on paying, but that’s unimportant. What matters is that through our combined efforts, we managed to gather a decent amount of ingredients, though not abundant.

‘This should be enough.’

While 20 servings might be impossible, I thought we could probably make around 5. Considering what to make, the counselor checked the time then spoke with a slightly panicked tone.

“They’ll be here in an hour. What should we do?”

In response to their suggestion to compromise, I shook my head and proposed.

“How about sandwiches? They should be fine…”

“Hmm, sandwiches?”

Seeming satisfied with that, the counselor ordered additional ingredients via phone then suggested.

“Shall we start making them quickly?”

Nodding at that, I steeled my resolve.

*

About an hour later, voices could be heard in the distance.

It seemed the group, including Seorin and Han Arin, had returned. Carrying the prepared sandwiches on a tray to greet them…

“…It’s too heavy.”

The tray was so heavy I waddled like a penguin. With each step, I worried I might drop it until…

The counselor kindly offered to take it from me.

“I’ll carry this. Hae-un and Chae-a, just bring one sandwich each, alright?”

Despite wanting to insist I was fine, I knew better than to overexert myself and reluctantly nodded.

Carrying one sandwich each with Chae-a, we ran forward quickly. In the distance, I saw Seorin spotting us and smiling brightly. As I smiled back seeing them running toward us, I noticed familiar Kamangi perched on Seorin’s head.

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