Chapter 83

As far as I was concerned, I had no clue how extraordinary the mana circulation method Somtul taught me truly was, and thus couldn’t grasp its worth.

But one thing was certain: anything gained purely by luck usually came with a price to pay.

‘So instead of indulging in unnecessary greed…’

I thought it best to know my place and not let excessive greed get the better of me, absentmindedly wagging my tail.

‘Anyway, there are plenty of ways to make money…!’

If I trained hard in magic and healing abilities, I could surely earn lots of money like Han Arin someday.

Deciding not to be greedy about such matters, Han Arin added a few words for me.

“Also, obviously, there’s no way I’m taking all the credit for what Hae-un told me. I plan to give her a fair share of the research results, and she’ll be listed as a co-owner of the relevant copyrights…”

She kept explaining something, but honestly, I didn’t understand much of it.

While I blinked confusedly, making “Mwaangh” noises, Han Arin smiled gently and spoke to me.

“Anyway, I’ll steer things in a direction that will help you, Hae-un, so feel free to look forward to it.”

Just as I was about to suggest it might be better to give it to Somtul instead of me,

Han Arin mentioned needing to conduct some research and said,

“Then, I’ll be back from the lab soon. Spend today with the counselor, alright?”

Before I could say anything, Han Arin hurriedly left the room.

Staring at her quickly disappearing figure, Chae-a suddenly piped up with excitement.

“Then, shall we go on an adventure?!”

The word “adventure” made me tilt my head in confusion.

Looking at Chae-a for more details, she explained eagerly to Yuna and me.

“Chae-a saw it once before…! There’s a big mountain over there. It looks fun!”

Worried if the mountain might be dangerous, I asked her to show us where it was.

Chae-a darted to the window and pointed to the hill behind the association.

“Jogi!”

At this, Somtul, Kamangi, Chae-a, Yuna, and I gathered near the pillow, stood on it, wobbled around, and peered out the back.

‘Maybe this is doable?’

Since we were only allowed to stay near the association, saying we’d visit the back hill shouldn’t be a problem.

‘Besides, I’m here as the adult.’

If I manage the kids well, it should be fine!

Thinking it would be good to set an example as an adult after so long, I proudly grinned and wrote a detailed note with a pen and sticky note, stating we’d be visiting the back hill.

‘This should work, right?’

With this note, all problems should vanish. Probably!

Believing this would ease any worries, I told Chae-a,

“Shall we go then?”

At my words, Chae-a nodded enthusiastically with shining eyes.

*

Surprisingly, the group heading to the back hill grew larger than expected.

It started with me, Chae-a, and Yuna, but Somtul and Kamangi also decided to join, making our numbers bigger than anticipated.

Laughing to myself at how it turned into more of a picnic, I grabbed Chae-a and Yuna’s hands and gave them safety instructions.

“Don’t run or play around on the mountain…”

After delivering numerous warnings,

We decided to embark on our expedition to the mysterious back hill.

Of course, a minor mishap almost stopped us when we realized the hospital door was too high for us to exit easily.

Thanks to Kamangi’s help, we somehow managed to get outside.

“Where are you guys going? Be careful not to trip!”

As we stepped out, many hunters walking through the hallway greeted us.

Unable to ignore their greetings, we politely responded to each one.

Each time we replied, the hunters kindly handed us snacks, filling our arms with cookies and candies.

“…!?”

Chae-a was delighted with the snacks, and Yuna happily considered them emergency rations—so everything seemed fine.

But just as I began worrying about the overwhelming amount of sweets, Chae-a held hers above her head and declared,

“We’ll store these in a secret base and eat them when we’re hungry! Mashigetta…!”

Already imagining eating the treats, she giggled loudly.

Watching her joyfully, I smiled and carefully led everyone out of the association while looking around.

‘That way should be fine.’

Since the ward was nearby, following this path should lead us straight there.

Noticing how high up my room was compared to the surroundings, I became curious.

“How did Chae-a even find my room?”

Unless she flew, there was no plausible explanation.

Wondering if Chae-a could fly, I glanced at her, but she was deep in thought, debating whether or not to eat her cookie.

Her intense stare-down with the treat left her completely unaware of my gaze.

‘No idea.’

Climbing walls seemed unlikely, so assuming she flew seemed reasonable.

While pondering this, Chae-a pointed somewhere and said,

“There’s a baby over there.”

“A baby?”

Hearing Yuna’s words, I looked around cautiously. While finding a baby wasn’t alarming, considering we were on a mountain, it wasn’t the safest environment for little ones.

Scanning the area worriedly, I spotted a child sitting cross-legged on a bench, staring blankly into space.

‘No guardian in sight… Is it okay for them to be alone?’

Thinking it was my responsibility as an adult, I approached the child determinedly and called out,

“Baby, what are you doing here?”

Turning around, a child who looked about seven years old gave me a peculiar look.

Standing taller than even Yuna, they exuded a slight intimidating presence, but as an adult, I maintained a friendly smile despite it.

And then came an unexpected reply:

“I’m not a baby. You’re the baby.”

Though tempted to argue, I swallowed my pride and sat nearby, asking casually,

“It’s dangerous to be here alone! Where are your mom and dad?”

Trying to display adult-like calmness, I expressed concern, but the kid continued giving me strange looks before responding.

“You’re an adult, yet you’re shorter than me?”

“…”

Frustratingly accurate remarks…

Feeling deflated, my tail drooped until Yuna intervened, sensing the tension.

“Haeuni is an adult!”

Upon hearing this, the stranger tilted their head, clearly confused, then looked down at me and said,

“An adult with short stature? Weird!”

Why must they cruelly state the truth?

Grasping Yuna’s hand and pondering briefly, I decided it was time to change the subject.

“That aside, why are you here alone?”

Despite the obvious topic switch, the child followed along without hesitation.

“I can see animals here.”

The mention of animals immediately caught Chae-a’s attention.

Hiding beside me until now, she sprang forward upon hearing “animals,” frantically scanning the area.

“Chae-a wants to see them too!”

The seated child pointed somewhere and said,

“They’re over there. Rabbits, squirrels, and sparrows.”

Following their directions, we spotted the animals peacefully eating.

Mesmerized by the serene scene, I stared silently until Chae-a pulled out her snacks.

“Should we eat too?”

Tearing open the bag loudly, she offered.

Once Chae-a ripped open the snack bag, the stranger looked interested.

I gestured that they could eat freely and sat nearby.

‘Perhaps Seorin will scold me for sitting on the cold ground.’

Worrying about potential reprimands, I crouched awkwardly until Yuna patted her knees with her palms and said,

“Haeuni is a child, so don’t sit there.”

Imitating what Seorin and Han Arin often did, she tried lifting me.

Quickly shaking my head, I insisted I was fine.

Seeing my refusal, Yuna’s expression saddened instantly.

Momentarily deliberating, I reluctantly climbed onto her lap, which made her quickly wrap her arms around me and wag her tail happily.

“So, why are you guys here?”

Thanks to the snacks, we’d grown closer. The previously sullen child softened and asked us.

“Exploring.”

“Exploration? Sounds fun. I used to do that too.”

“…?”

Something felt off hearing this from a seven-year-old.

Perplexed, I listened as the child sighed deeply and continued,

“You wouldn’t understand since you’re young, but at seven, you need to prepare for elementary school and attend cram schools. It’s exhausting.”

“…”

Hard to respond to that.

Awkwardly laughing and wagging my tail, I noticed Chae-a lighting up and chiming in,

“School and cram schools. Chae-a goes too!”

“I used to want to go when I was younger, but now that I’m at that age, my feelings have changed.”

Anyone listening might think this kid has lived a lifetime.

Of course, knowing these were imitations of adult speech, I found it endearing rather than anything else.

Still, it felt slightly heartwarming seeing such maturity from a child.

In the middle of these thoughts, a distant voice called out,

“Jin-a! Where are you? We need to go to cram school!”

At this, the child who’d delivered such profound lines froze before hastily running off.

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