Chapter 67

Chae-a blinked her eyes and looked over at Yuna, who was speaking maturely, revealing a slightly flustered expression.

If someone called *me* mature, I might not notice, but it felt kinda weird coming from Chae-a…

‘Though it’s true that Chae-a is pretty mature for her age…’

Still, I couldn’t help but feel awkward about being praised so casually as “grown-up.” As I was pondering this, Yuna brushed some stray hairs off my clothes and continued talking.

“Hae-un is still a baby. She’s like a little sister.”

I wanted to argue, but knew better than to pick a fight with a toddler—it’s just plain ugly. Instead, I gritted my teeth and stayed quiet… until Yuna suddenly scooped me up and started dragging me somewhere.

“Time for bed!”

Even though it wasn’t really nap time yet, I shook my head to signal I was fine. Yuna gave me a puzzled look before starting to negotiate: “Just an hour? Please?”

“…”

By this point, I was pouting despite myself, cheeks puffing up involuntarily. Of course, giving in would be admitting how childish I am, so I tried hard to suppress it—but then Chae-a rushed back and announced:

“I’m hungry!”

It was definitely getting close to dinner time. Deciding to prove once and for all that I’m the most responsible one here, I rolled up my sleeves and declared:

“Let’s go make dinner!”

With renewed determination, I headed toward the kitchen counter.

*

Normally, it’s either the counselor teacher, Seorin, or Han Arin who handles meals. But today, everyone seemed busy, and no one came to prepare food. Feeling somewhat excited, I decided to cook something myself.

‘Last time Han Arin clenched her teeth and stopped me whenever I tried…’

This time, there’d be no interruptions—I could finally cook without interference! With great anticipation, I turned to the kids behind me and asked:

“What do you want to eat?”

“Meat!”

“Chae-a likes everything!”

Since Chae-a eats pretty much anything, I figured I should cater to Yuna’s preferences. While thinking about what to make, my gaze fell on a promotional sign reading “Marinated Ribs.”

That sounded good! Just as I spaced out imagining it, Yuna spoke up beside me, completely deadpan but drooling:

“I love marinades. Let’s have those.”

Looks like she wanted marinated ribs too. Puffed up with pride, I grinned and said:

“Got it! I’ll make them for you!”

At that, Yuna wagged her tail furiously, her eyes widening as she enthusiastically petted my head.

“Hae-un is so smart! You’re going to grow up into an amazing baby.”

“…?”

Her words were oddly phrased, but I ignored it and focused instead on cooking—because that was the important thing right now!

As I thought this, my eyes landed on the first obstacle: the countertop, towering several times taller than me.

‘To start cooking, I need to get up there…but how?’

Thanks to Han Arin always lifting me onto the counter effortlessly, I’d never even considered other ways to reach it. Reflecting on my complacency, I pondered solutions when Chae-a tilted her head and asked:

“Hae-un, are you hurt…?”

Shaking my head quickly at her concerned tone, I explained my predicament:

“I need to climb up, but I can’t reach.”

Chae-a exchanged triumphant glances with Somtul and confidently assured me:

“There’s a way! Just trust me… okay?”

Curious, I tilted my head as Chae-a pointed to a large chair nearby.

“You can use that to climb.”

“Oh.”

Such an obvious solution—I had somehow overlooked it entirely. Regretting my oversight briefly, I thanked Chae-a by patting her head. She beamed happily and offered:

“Want me to bring it over?”

She scurried over to the chair and began pushing it with all her might—”Grunf grunf!”—but alas, it didn’t budge an inch due to her lack of strength.

Seeing this, Yuna and I nodded at each other and quickly moved to help push the heavy chair together.

“Whoosh…”

Sure enough, teamwork made light work, and the massive chair slid smoothly into place. Impressed by our success, we pushed harder when suddenly Chae-a collapsed dramatically onto the floor, holding up one finger.

“I wanna rest for seven seconds… Can I take a quick nap?”

Perhaps recalling some lucky number association, she announced her desire for a brief pause and promptly lay down with Somtul, closing her eyes.

Worried she might catch a cold lying on the cold floor, I hesitated—but then:

“Seven seconds are up! Time to get up!”

Yuna swiftly roused Chae-a after precisely seven seconds, commanding her return to labor(?).

“Okay!”

Remarkably refreshed after only seven seconds, Chae-a eagerly agreed. Watching this, I giggled softly and returned to pushing the chair—when suddenly—

“Kamangi!”

The Kamangi appeared from nowhere, chirping amongst themselves before taking charge of moving the chair for us.

“Wow, Kamangi are amazing… They’re strong enough to lift heavy rocks, maybe even!”

With Chae-a’s admiration ringing in the air, the chair zoomed effortlessly to the counter. Relieved at how smoothly things went, I thanked the Kamangi by petting their heads and glanced upward.

‘Now all that’s left is climbing up…’

But could I actually make it?

As I debated whether to find a rope and tie it around the chair, the Kamangi stepped forward, insisting I step on them.

“Mmmph! Chirp!”

Though hesitant to step on my friends, they insisted enthusiastically, bouncing lightly to show they were ready. Finally relenting, I carefully climbed atop them.

“Chirp chirp!”

They launched me onto the chair with surprising strength. Determined to apologize later, I peeked upward again.

‘This is still high…!’

Even standing on the chair, the counter seemed impossibly tall. Unsure how to proceed, I mulled it over when the Kamangi reappeared beneath me, crouching low and signaling they’d help boost me further.

Having done it once, the second attempt felt easier. Though still reluctant, I trusted the Kamangi and stepped on them again. My tail flickered nervously as guilt lingered, but I steeled myself.

‘I’ll have to apologize properly later…’

Feeling ashamed, I avoided eye contact and scanned the counter area instead.

‘The kids are hungry—I can’t just stand here doing nothing.’

Resolving not to let Chae-a and Yuna starve, I inspected available tools and ingredients. Though not an expert cook, I figured I could manage something resembling marinated short ribs.

‘Soy sauce, sugar, pepper, seasoning powder!’

With these basics, I hoped to pull off a decent dish. Turning to the Kamangi already gathered below, I requested:

“Could you fetch onions, green onions, and meat?”

Recalling leftover sandwich ingredients, I added this to my list. The Kamangi chirped affirmatively and dashed off to rummage through the fridge. While waiting, I peeked down to check on the kids below.

“Help me lift her up!”

“Hae-un is still a baby and shouldn’t be alone. We need to bring her back! What should we do!?”

Below, Yuna and Chae-a stretched their arms upward, squirming anxiously. Though tempted to invite them up, I judged the counter too dangerous and refrained—just as the Kamangi returned with the requested items.

Deciding swift cooking and feeding would prevent further issues, I prepared to chop ingredients when cries from below grew louder.

“…”

Ignoring them might lead to disaster, so I instructed the Kamangi to lower the ingredients and carefully descended to calm Yuna and Chae-a.

“I’m right here.”

Upon hearing this, Chae-a immediately stopped crying and grinned widely before proudly declaring:

“Found you!”

Petting her comfortingly, I explained our next steps.

“We need to prep the ingredients.”

Onions, green onions, beef—they weren’t difficult to handle as an adult, but now with tiny hands, every task proved surprisingly tricky.

‘Still, if I don’t do it…’

The alternative meant letting everyone go hungry, so I bravely started peeling onions despite tears streaming down my face from the fumes.

“…”

Trying desperately not to cry, I struggled through peeling when Somtul suddenly intervened, laughing “Pii!” and swiftly using their claws to finish prepping everything.

“Wow!”

Chae-a and Yuna clapped in awe, and even I stared amazed as Somtul cheerfully chopped vegetables into perfect pieces, completing all prep work.

“Somtul is the best!”

“Pii!”

“Yup!”

Gratefully patting Somtul’s head, I combined previously found seasonings and sauces in a large bowl, added the meat and remaining ingredients, then announced:

“Now we just need to marinate the meat…”

At this, Yuna’s eyes sparkled, and she quickly darted off before returning with a blanket.

“With this, they’ll sleep well!”

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