Chapter 100

Han Arin wore a serious expression as she watched Yuna, who was earnestly asking how to eat lots of ice cream. She couldn’t help but suppress a laugh.

The question itself was adorable, and the fact that Yuna was so seriously pondering such a trivial worry made it even cuter.

Thus, Han Arin unconsciously patted her head while sharing her thoughts.

“Maybe when you grow up, you’ll be able to eat more?”

At the mention of “growing up,” Yuna tilted her head, looked up at Han Arin, and continued with an utterly confused expression.

“Then… do I just sleep for ten nights… no, a hundred nights to become an adult?”

It seemed like “a hundred” was the largest number Yuna knew, so she used it as a benchmark, asking if sleeping for a hundred days would make her an adult.

Finding this question irresistibly cute, Han Arin chuckled again before shaking her head and replying,

“Maybe you need to sleep even longer?”

Yuna’s eyes widened in shock at these words, then she blinked repeatedly. Soon after, she stared blankly at the ground, fidgeting with her fingers.

Not wanting to leave Yuna feeling upset without reason, Han Arin quickly added:

“If you listen to your sister and do good deeds, you’ll become an adult soon—so don’t worry too much.”

Though Han Arin muttered “maybe” quietly at the end, it wasn’t important enough to dwell on.

Anyway, hearing this, Yuna’s eyes sparkled as she nodded vigorously, looking determined as she declared:

“Then Yuna will try hard!”

Though unclear exactly what she planned to “try hard” for, Han Arin felt relieved by her newfound enthusiasm…

…until about thirty minutes later.

—

“Here, take some! Yuna shares!”

Apparently, the lesson about listening to her sister and being good had stuck firmly in Yuna’s mind. Now, she started doing what *she* thought constituted “good behavior.”

The problem? A child’s idea of “good” doesn’t always align with an adult’s.

As Han Arin chewed through the massive amount of cookies and candy stuffed into her mouth, she could already feel the sugar rush hitting her hard. Despite not yet being anywhere near diabetes age, consuming so much sugary food left her dizzy.

Struggling to maintain her balance amidst the sugar high, she noticed Yuna still cheerfully carrying over more snacks. With grunts of effort, Yuna dumped another pile of sweets in front of her.

“Here, eat more!”

“More? Again?”

“Yep!”

With a wagging tail, Yuna nodded enthusiastically before seeming to remember something. Perking up her ears, she gazed at Han Arin earnestly.

“Am I doing well? Am I sharing nicely?”

“Uh… uh… yeah. But Yuna, maybe that’s enough now?”

At this suggestion, Yuna’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, her face fell dramatically as she bowed her head dejectedly.

Seeing this, Han Arin’s heart melted, and she teased, “Just kidding!” Instantly, Yuna perked up again and nodded confidently.

“…Oh dear…”

Once kids latch onto one thing, they tend to repeat it endlessly—or so Han Arin read somewhere online. While the source might not have been credible, the gist was clear: kids don’t get bored as easily as adults. If things went wrong, Han Arin might spend the entire week shoving cookies and candies into her mouth!

“What should I do?”

While pondering ways to gently decline, Hae-un and Chae-a emerged from the bedroom, rubbing their eyes sleepily. Fearing they’d mimic Yuna’s actions, Han Arin panicked—but then…

“Yuna, eating too many sweets isn’t healthy. You shouldn’t give so much.”

Surprisingly, Hae-un stepped in to calm Yuna down. Listening intently, Yuna sat cross-legged on the floor, nodding slowly. Smiling sweetly, Hae-un began tidying up the scattered snacks.

—

I glanced around the living room filled with mountains of cookies and candy, giggling softly. It was both adorable and hilarious how Yuna thought giving away all her sweets would help her grow up faster.

Turning my gaze toward the seedling I brought home last night, which had sprouted slightly, I felt inexplicably cheerful.

“Hmm… everything seems so pleasant today.”

Whether it was because we were all together or due to the sunlight streaming in, the atmosphere radiated happiness. As I observed the little plant contentedly, Chae-a approached me with a serious look and proposed something unexpected.

“Since the sprout woke up, let’s dance together!”

Confused by this sudden request, I tilted my head quizzically. Undeterred, Chae-a grinned brightly and explained,

“The sprout loves dancing!”

Although shy, dancing wasn’t particularly difficult, so I nodded in agreement. Together, we decided to move rhythmically—though our movements barely qualified as actual “dancing.” We flailed around energetically until Seorin appeared, yawning widely.

“What are you guys doing?”

Curious about our morning antics, Seorin asked. After briefly explaining the situation, Seorin squealed excitedly, lifting Yuna high into the air.

“Oh my goodness! Isn’t our Yuna just the cutest?!”

“…”

While Yuna didn’t seem to understand why everyone found her so adorable, Seorin clearly didn’t care. Clutching Yuna tightly, she rubbed her cheeks affectionately.

“Ahhh… this is pure healing! This is what true healing feels like!”

“What’s ‘healing’?”

“It means… umm… like when you feel happy? For example, how do you feel when you see Hae-un?”

“My heart feels soft, like cotton candy!”

“Exactly, that’s it!”

Overjoyed by understanding the concept, Yuna wagged her tail furiously and turned to me while still in Seorin’s arms.

“Seeing Han Arin makes me feel healed too!”

This unexpected compliment left me flustered. Twiddling my fingers nervously, I struggled to respond appropriately when Chae-a suddenly brought up an unrelated topic.

“Hey, last night when Somtul and I went out… Somtul stayed behind!”

Her cryptic statement left me puzzled, prompting me to clarify further.

“I took Somtul along, but Somtul refused to come outside. Said there was a ghost.”

“A ghost?!”

At the mention of ghosts, Han Arin stiffened momentarily before forcing a nervous laugh. She seemed uneasy discussing the subject.

“Ghosts don’t exist. They’re just distortions of mana manifesting as strange phenomena.”

Clearly uncomfortable, Han Arin avoided elaborating further. Just as I nodded silently, she pointed out something unusual.

“That’s strange though. Usually, when mana distorts within the association grounds, traces are left behind. But I checked thoroughly, and there’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

So what could it really be?

Unable to find an answer despite racking my brain, I crossed my arms thoughtfully when suddenly, Seorin started snapping photos of me, claiming I looked cute.

After a brief pause, I ventured a hypothesis.

“Could it be related to the seedling arriving?”

The possibility that the seedling’s arrival caused these events intrigued Han Arin, who nodded thoughtfully in agreement.

“It does make sense. The World Tree possesses immense mana and can spread it around. Still, it’s odd that I detected no abnormalities earlier.”

Han Arin patted my head reassuringly, signaling deep contemplation was needed.

“But there’s another issue. Last night, I don’t recall going out with Somtul. Why does everyone insist we did?”

Oh no, trouble!

Desperately seeking backup, I glanced at Seorin—but she evaded my gaze, showering endless praise upon the seedling instead. Feeling betrayed, I slumped in disappointment when Yuna boldly spoke up on my behalf.

“We went to see the seedling. It was fun!”

“You went without telling me?”

Yuna blinked innocently, alternating her gaze between me and Han Arin, then shyly hid behind me. Before I could console her, Chae-a proudly chimed in.

“Yeah! That wasn’t an adventure, so we didn’t say anything!”

Chae-a’s bold declaration left Han Arin momentarily speechless. Sighing deeply, she gently pinched Chae-a’s cheek while explaining patiently.

“What if something dangerous happened? Even though the association is safe, accidents can occur. What if Yuna got kidnapped during the night? Would you be okay with that, Chae-a?”

“I’m brave enough to protect her!”

“Really? So if I kidnap Yuna right now, you think you could stop me?”

Upon hearing this, Chae-a’s confident demeanor faltered instantly as she stared wide-eyed at Han Arin, becoming visibly deflated.

“You need to raise her properly…”

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