Chapter 77

“Kyaaaaa.”

Yuna seemed to really like the plastic bag, as she continued to gnaw on it while chasing after Somtul.

Normally so calm, Yuna’s sheer joy made me giggle and chase along with her… until Somtul finally reached their limit. Fluffing up their fur, they plopped right onto Yuna’s head.

“Peep!”

Clearly upset, Somtul buried their face (and the plastic bag) into Yuna’s hair.

Realizing the situation, Yuna panicked for a moment before sitting down cross-legged and turned to me.

“Sommuri is mad…”

“Peep!”

“It’s not on purpose…”

“Peep!”

Somtul wasn’t having any of it and continued to express their irritation.

Watching this exchange, Chae-a and I exchanged glances before deciding to hold an emergency meeting to cheer Somtul up.

“What do we do!?”

Chae-a leaned in close to whisper urgently.

After some thought, I suggested maybe doing things Somtul likes would help.

“Sommuri likes snacks!”

Chae-a grinned, offering a simple yet accurate suggestion. I ruffled her hair approvingly.

Meanwhile, Yuna quietly removed the plastic bag, watching us silently.

I reached out my hand to help Yuna up, then whispered my plan.

“…I like it.”

Yuna nodded enthusiastically, wagging her tail.

*

Our Somtul cheering-up operation was straightforward:

Simply give them everything they love.

We planned to buy treats and toys, but hit a snag—Chae-a’s clothes had been confiscated, meaning no snacks left.

‘Technically, these were Somtul’s snacks, not ours…’

As we brainstormed together, Yuna offered a brilliant idea.

“Convenience… Convenience store? Buying will be good.”

The suggestion to buy gifts from the convenience store seemed solid. I nodded, eyes sparkling.

‘Let’s see… how much will we need?’

After some consideration, I fished out a crumpled ten-thousand won bill from my pocket.

‘This should be enough.’

With ten thousand won, we’d basically be convenience store royalty (or so I hoped).

“Shall we go to the convenience store?”

At this, Chae-a hesitated, worry creeping into her voice.

“But at the convenience store, big people come and yell… what if they chase us away?”

Confused, I asked for clarification. Chae-a recounted a previous incident.

“I tried to enter with Uncle Pigeon… but they chased us away with a broom.”

It seemed Chae-a got caught in the crossfire while trying to shoo away pigeons.

‘Probably not intentionally targeting Chae-a…’

But from her perspective, being chased away must’ve felt pretty bad. Understandably, she reacted this way.

I gave Chae-a a reassuring smile, taking her hand.

“If anyone tries to chase Chae-a away, I’ll protect you!”

Chae-a beamed happily in response.

Thinking back, I realized I often acted maturely, not just today…

‘Anyway, what matters is…’

Cheering up Somtul. With our plan set, I took Chae-a and Yuna’s hands and marched forward.

*

Given we were all kids, going alone felt a bit risky.

So we asked our counselor teacher to come along as a guardian.

“Though I’m an adult, I can handle bringing Chae-a and Yuna around.”

Still, preparation was key, so…

The counselor suggested: “I’ll wait outside. How about the three of you try shopping yourselves?”

This was clearly aimed at fostering independence.

While I didn’t mind either way, I glanced at Chae-a and Yuna to check their reactions.

“Ice cream again please.”

Chae-a seemed unfazed.

“Totally adult-like.”

Yuna’s eyes sparkled, apparently viewing this errand as very grown-up.

Seeing their readiness, I nodded.

“Alright then, teacher will wait here. Go ahead and come back. If anything happens, let me know immediately, okay?”

“Nye~!”

“And Ha-eun, make sure to hold onto your sisters’ hands so you don’t get lost.”

“??”

At this, I pouted slightly before closing my mouth. Despite feeling a bit deflated, I tapped my tail against the floor.

Noticing my mood, Yuna grabbed my hand.

“I’ll show you the way.”

Nervousness made Yuna’s hand a bit sweaty. Realizing how challenging this might feel for the younger ones, I smiled encouragingly and patted her back in support.

*

Entering the convenience store, an employee greeted us…

“Welcome… ?”

Perhaps due to our unusually small statures, the employee scanned the room, looking puzzled.

“Are there ghosts in here?”

Before I could wave hello, noticing Chae-a and Yuna’s tense expressions stopped me.

‘Surprising that even Chae-a is nervous…’

Remembering her past experience of being chased out, I squeezed their hands reassuringly before starting our search for Somtul’s present.

‘I wonder what Somtul would like?’

Squatting down, we examined the dog biscuits, churu pouches, and pet food displayed below, discussing seriously.

“This churu is good for Sommuri.”

Pointing at the churu, Chae-a suggested.

“But something bigger might be better!” Chae-a countered, pointing at the larger dog biscuit.

Indeed, size does matter when it comes to impressive gifts. Considering this, we leaned towards the biscuit. Then Yuna chimed in, pointing at the pet food.

“This one has pictures of happy dogs and cats smiling. That must mean it’s good.”

Chae-a’s eyes widened in realization.

“You’re so smart, Yuna! That makes sense!”

Praised, Yuna wagged her tail happily.

Just as I was patting Yna’s head, enjoying her happiness…

“Kyaa! What a surprise!”

A scream startled us, causing all three of us to dive to the ground.

Terrified by the adult’s shout, we trembled on the floor.

After a moment, a flustered voice reached us.

“Oh, oh! So it’s Ha-eun and Chae-a… and Yuni?”

Apparently Yuna’s name wasn’t familiar to him yet. Still flustered, he gave an awkward greeting.

“So… uh, hello?”

Looking at his awkward waving hand, we exchanged glances before responding in turn.

“Hello?”

“Hello.”

“…Hello.”

Our greetings brought a relieved smile to the man’s face.

“Great! Hello! Do you need anything? If there’s something out of reach or needed, just let me know and I’ll help!”

At this, Chae-a’s eyes lit up as she darted over, flailing her hands excitedly.

“We need to buy something yummy for Sommuri… because Sommuri is peeping and mad, so we need to cheer them up. But even when mad, Sommuri is super cute. All white and fluffy, I love them so much. Do you like Sommuri too? I really really love Sommuri.”

The rapid-fire explanation left the employee momentarily stunned before nodding awkwardly in agreement.

“R-right, Sommuri is cute.”

“Exactly! Super duper cute! You’ll fall in love too!”

“Yes… yes.”

“And…”

Realizing Chae-a might go on forever, I decided to intervene, gently pulling her back.

“I apologize for bothering you.”

Offering a polite bow, I moved to quickly finish our shopping. However…

Yuna pointed at the pet food and addressed the employee.

“This one looks tasty?”

“Huh?”

“The dogs and cats look happy, so this must be good. Right?”

The unexpected question left the employee visibly flustered as he looked at Yuna.

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