Chapter 101

Han Arin panicked at Chae-a’s request to raise her well and shook her head quickly.

“U-Um… If I do that, we might never see Hae-un again. Is that okay?”

“I don’t want to…”

“Then maybe we should catch her?”

At those words, Chae-a seemed to gain courage, nodding her head before shouting.

“Don’t put on a hood!”

“That’s right! … Not that you’d be able to catch me anyway. Which means you shouldn’t be wandering around at night, right?”

As I overheard this conversation, I thought of the hairpin gifted by Grandma Leseia and giggled mischievously.

While it was true that thanks to the hairpin, even if I wanted to be kidnapped, it would be quite difficult…

‘Still, one never knows how things might turn out.’

I thought it best to listen to Han Arin.

Even though I’m an adult, I felt what she said was probably right. Just as I nodded my head in agreement, Yuna patted my head gently and spoke.

“Got it, right? No more hoods.”

“…?”

Feeling somewhat wronged, I started to mutter when suddenly,

Han Arin, who had been softly lecturing from the front, seemed to remember something, raising a finger as she brought up a new topic.

“By the way, Hae-un, remember that mana circulation method I taught you last time? It seems like it’ll be completed soon. Once it’s done, I’ll teach you first, so look forward to it.”

Surprisingly, the research was progressing faster than expected.

In my understanding, research involved experiments, verification, and writing papers—it was supposed to be incredibly difficult. Yet here she was saying all of this could be resolved within less than a month. How could that be?

‘Magic must make it possible, right?’

Thinking about spells for time acceleration or creating virtual environments with magic, I found Han Arin truly amazing.

As I marveled, Han Arin turned to me and shared another piece of news.

“When the research is complete, your name will be listed as a co-developer, Hae-un. So start preparing for interviews, alright?”

Judging by her playful expression, she wasn’t entirely serious—but still, I couldn’t help but feel tense as I froze and blinked.

‘Interviews…’

Having never done an interview in my life, I felt overwhelmed. What should I say? How should I speak? As I fidgeted with my fingers, unsure of how to proceed, Han Arin continued her teasing.

“The reporters will swarm you asking questions like ‘How did you create this?’ ‘Is Hae-un a genius?’ ‘Why are you so cute?’ Do you have any answers prepared?”

“I-I don’t know…”

“Then let’s brainstorm together. What should we say during the interview?”

Thankfully, I realized I couldn’t handle this alone. With everyone’s help, it might just work. Nodding quickly, Han Arin smiled approvingly and suggested practicing interviews today.

* * *

“For the interview practice, I… borrowed a microphone from the nearby auditorium.”

Listening to Seorin’s slightly uneasy explanation, I took the microphone, which was almost as big as my face.

It was surprisingly heavy, made of metal, and I struggled to hold it with both trembling hands when suddenly,

Chae-a stared at it and giggled.

“It looks like ice cream!”

“Ashu…?”

“Ice cream!”

Upon hearing that, I looked at the microphone, realizing its resemblance to an ice cream cone—round on top and pointed below. The comparison made me smile at Chae-a’s creativity when suddenly,

Yuna, noticing this, placed her hand gently over my lips with a worried tone.

“You shouldn’t eat it. Got it?”

She thought I was going to eat the microphone. Feeling playful, I opened my mouth wide and playfully bit down on it like a puppy.

The moment I bit the microphone, Yuna’s tail and ears perked up dramatically, clearly startled.

Seeing her reaction, I couldn’t stop biting it. Eventually,

Yuna, flustered and restless, hugged me tightly and whispered.

“You shouldn’t bite things. Rather, bite my tail instead.”

She extended her tail, visibly embarrassed. Though her expression barely changed, as someone who understood her emotions, I could tell how flustered she was.

‘Revenge for treating me like a baby!’

Continuing my playful nibbling, Yuna rushed to Chae-a, explaining the situation.

“Haeuni is eating strange things.”

“?!?”

Hearing this, Chae-a looked shocked, staring at me before rushing over and yelling loudly.

“No way…!”

Her loud voice caught the attention of Seorin and Han Arin nearby. Realizing I might be perceived as a baby prone to childish behavior, I quickly lowered the microphone.

“That’s dangerous! It hurts!”

Ignoring my intentions, Chae-a kept shouting loudly about not eating things.

‘Really messed up.’

I realized I should’ve played my prank quicker and moved on. But Yuna’s reaction was too entertaining, and I carried it on too long.

Engrossed in brief reflection, I tried to explain it was a joke, but Han Arin picked me up first, checking inside my mouth.

“Are you okay? Did you swallow any metal pieces?”

Though the microphone was covered in soft fabric, making it impossible to swallow any fragments,

Han Arin ignored such trivial truths, examining my mouth seriously before addressing everyone.

“Hae-un’s teeth are tiny like small pebbles. So cute…”

“…?”

Wasn’t she checking my mouth?

Suspicious, I pouted at Han Arin, who finally seemed to realize and quickly put me down.

“You seem fine.”

Despite my apparent mischief, the lack of trust was evident, prompting me to stick out my lip slightly. Normally, I’d keep quiet, but combining my frustration over being treated like a baby and this incident, I decided to show I was upset.

“Haeuni getting hurt isn’t acceptable… Yuna will cry.”

Slightly, but noticeably, Yuna’s eyes watered as she hugged me and began whining softly. Given her usually stoic demeanor, seeing her express emotion this way surprised me greatly.

Quickly comforting her, I promised, “I won’t do it again!” and embraced her tightly.

“Understood.”

Happy with my promise, Yuna’s previously drooping tail wagged happily again. As I petted her to keep her spirits high,

Chae-a, watching us, grinned proudly and declared.

“Don’t worry! Chae-a will protect you! Understand?”

It seemed Chae-a didn’t fully grasp what happened, but seeing our emotional state, she confidently declared her protection. Han Arin, observing this,

“Didn’t you ask earlier to take good care of Hae-un?”

Though she teased slightly,

Chae-a confidently replied without hesitation.

“Yes, absolutely!”

Han Arin chuckled, suppressing her laughter, then suggested after taking a deep breath.

“Let’s start the interview practice. Since the microphone is dangerous, we’ll use candy instead. Agreed?”

Feeling overly judged, I grabbed the lollipop. Much lighter than the microphone, it was easy to hold with one hand. Climbing onto the couch,

Han Arin addressed Seorin, Chae-a, and Yuna sitting below.

“Each of you can ask one question. I’ll go first.”

Han Arin, the most experienced with interviews among us, seemed keen to demonstrate how it should be done. She asked her question first.

“Hae-un, how did you come up with the idea for the mana circulation method?”

Caught off guard by the serious question, I stammered, sharing the truth.

“I-It wasn’t me. Somterri came up with it. They taught me.”

Even with just acquaintances present, I felt extremely nervous. My tongue felt stiff, unsure of what I was saying, as I blushed furiously. Han Arin, noticing this, gently patted my head, offering praise.

“Even for your first time, you’re doing wonderfully. You have talent, Hae-en.”

“T-Thank you.”

“Next is Seorin.”

Seorin stood up eagerly, surprising me with her next question.

“What do you eat to be so cute?”

“…?”

“Answer quickly!”

“I’m not cute.”

Seorin couldn’t contain her laughter, chuckling for a while before calming herself, declaring it was a joke, gesturing dismissively, and sitting back down.

“Alright, now it’s Chae-a’s turn.”

“Okay, got it!”

Chae-a stood confidently, wiggling her fingers as she asked.

“Haeuni, do you like ants? Chae-a loves ants. They’re super cute and incredibly strong! For example, last time, Chae-a saw an ant brother this big carrying a cookie taller than himself and moving steadily!”

What started as a question ended with a passionate speech about how adorable ants were. Thinking this was very much Chae-a, I chuckled when suddenly,

I noticed Yuna beside me, having apparently realized something from Chae-a’s story, wearing an enlightened expression.

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