Chapter 94

“Is it a deer?” I blinked in confusion.

Sure, the horns might look deer-like, but anyone could tell my tail was unmistakably draconic. And I certainly never twirled around dancing like some woodland spirit.

Taken aback, I stared at Jin-a who tilted her head quizzically and said:

“Not a deer? Oh well, I thought it suited you so I went with it.”

With surprising ease, she admitted her mistake with a shrug before alternating her gaze between my horns and tail.

“So what are you then? A reptilian?”

I swiftly shook my head. “A dragooni.”

“Dragoonia? Fascinating! Some kind of dragon, right? Anyway, nice to meet you, let’s shake hands.”

Too exasperated to bother explaining further, I grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously. That’s when Yuna interjected with a headshake:

“It’s not Dragoonia, it’s Dragon. Got it?”

“Ahh, Dragon! Of course, dragons hoard unimaginable wealth and power, secretly ruling the world from the shadows, right?”

“…?”

Objectively, not entirely wrong, but also not exactly correct…

As I blinked in bewilderment, Yuna chimed in confidently:

“Indeed!”

“Knew it! Rumors said your guild was secretive for a reason. You guys really are special!”

“Haeuni is even more amazing.”

“Really? Thought she was the youngest, but leader of the shadowy organization… Already showing signs of greatness?”

“…”

At this ‘signs of greatness’ comment, I just stared blankly, completely thrown off by such an unexpectedly negative remark.

Realizing this, Jin-a quickly added:

“Oh, you don’t know what ‘yellow bud’ means? It’s actually a compliment! Yellow is cute, right? So it’s good!”

Jin-a’s somewhat distorted knowledge became apparent at that moment.

“I’m working on becoming a yellow bud. Sounds pretty like a ginkgo tree, doesn’t it?”

“Ginkgo indeed.”

“Enough with the compliments. I just try my best every day…”

Watching this bizarre collaboration between Yuna’s bright-eyed curiosity and Jin-a’s half-baked explanations made me want to pull my hair out.

Stepping in, Han Arin clarified to Jin-a:

“That child, ‘yellow bud’ isn’t a good thing. It means someone’s been corrupted from a young age. We shouldn’t use that term. Understand?”

Upon hearing this, Jin-a’s face paled before looking around guiltily and squatting down:

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t worry, mistakes happen. No need to look so down.”

“…Okay.”

Thought she was mature, but seems she was just pretending…

Finding this realization rather endearing, I chuckled softly to myself.

After this minor incident, Han Arin announced she’d treat newly-made friend Jin-a to snacks.

At the mention of snacks, Jin-a lit up happily, clinging to Han Arin:

“I’ll have strawberry ice cream please.”

“Anything else?”

“No, that’s enough. Though if you’re feeling generous, adding some cookies on top would be amazing!”

Apparently not used to having sweets often, Jin-a seemed genuinely thrilled.

Thinking how nice it was to see Jin-a happy, I noticed Chae-a running over with about five balloon dogs tied to her.

“Bark bark team incoming!”

Seems she’d collected these balloon dogs from people nearby, grinning widely as she ran around.

Confused by the bouncing balloon animals, I blinked repeatedly until Chae-a proudly introduced them:

“This is Pong-pong, Mung-mung, Moong-moong, Ming-ming, and Wol-wol!”

Wol-wol stood out as particularly unique.

Curious about the reasoning, I looked questioningly until Chae-a held up Wol-wol and explained:

“Cry with Wol-wol!”

Ah, so they’re distinguished by their ‘barks’. Though since these are balloon dogs, they can’t actually make sounds…

Deciding this wasn’t too important, I was about to move on when Wol-wol started wiggling around.

“?!”

Of course, considering past events with Kamangi being conjured from a blank sketchbook, creating life from balloon animals wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Carefully helping each wobbling balloon dog maintain balance, I worried about their durability while gently supporting them. Watching this, Chae-a said:

“Wol-wol says Haeuni is nice!”

Does Chae-a sense something special about me?

Gently patting Wol-wol’s balloon head, I was rewarded with it rubbing against my hand affectionately.

*

Unfortunately, unlike the Kamangis, balloon animal companions don’t last very long.

Considering their balloon nature, I expected them to fade quickly. Just then, Chae-a patted my back comfortingly:

“Don’t worry… They’ll come back!”

Come back?

Curious about what she meant, I asked, prompting Chae-a to giggle and explain:

“They’re not disappearing, just going somewhere for a bit… So it’s fine!”

Judging it best to step in, Han Arin added:

“Spirits usually don’t die, they return. Meaning if conditions are met, we can call them back anytime.”

What a relief.

Sighing in relief, I gently patted the now still balloon dogs before placing them on the desk, thinking fondly about meeting them again. Han Arin smiled and spoke:

“How was school, Hae-un?”

More like a cultural center experience, but not worth nitpicking, so I nodded in agreement.

Learning to make balloons and attending lectures felt refreshing after so long.

Noticing my positive response, Han Arin nodded satisfactorily before continuing to plan our next outing.

Trying to avoid interrupting her thoughtful pause, my gaze shifted to find Jin-a face-deep in a parfait cup.

“Looks like Chae-a…”

No, Chae-a’s also face-deep in her own parfait cup, so it’s more accurate to say they’re identical in this moment.

Meanwhile, Yuna offered me some snacks:

“Eat these, you’ll grow tall. Haeuni should eat too.”

“Yuna should too.”

“I’m older so it’s okay for me.”

Yuna seemed delighted by my concern, brightening slightly as she kept piling snacks toward me.

When I reciprocated by piling them back, Yuna wagged her tail happily and said:

“Haeuni is kind.”

Her subtle expressions of joy appear more pronounced due to her usually stoic demeanor.

Thinking how nice it was to see Yuna happy, I smiled until Jin-a suddenly stood up with ice cream smeared all over her mouth and bowed deeply:

“I should go now. Thanks for the ice cream and snacks. And kids, listen to your elders – speaking as someone who’s lived seven whole years, I regret not listening to adults sooner.”

“Roar! Can I have this?”

“Yeah, I don’t like lemon.”

Chae-a happily nodded at getting Jin-a’s leftover lemon, prompting Jin-a to smile fondly before turning around without hesitation and leaving with a cheerful farewell.

“Such an interesting kid.”

Han Arin chuckled amusedly while watching Jin-a’s retreating back before suggesting:

“Shall we head back?”

At this, the three of us nodded simultaneously.

*

Leaving the place labeled as a school but functioning more like a cultural center, we instinctively headed toward Lair.

No particular reason, just a space that feels reassuring even when doing nothing.

“Today was super fun! Would’ve been great if Kamangi came too…”

Having shed the fear associated with the word ‘school’, Chae-a enthusiastically described how much fun she had.

Just then, Somtul popped in carrying something on its head.

“Peep!”

Looking closer, it was the lucky stone the Kamangis gave us long ago.

Wondering why it brought this, I watched as Somtul dropped it near us and sparkled its eyes.

“Peep! Peep!”

Asking if it’s edible.

Frantically shaking my head, I shouted “No!”