As I gently stroked Seoa, who was clinging to me like a sloth, I listened to Han Arin’s words.
“Cleaning Magic is basically rooted in Classification Magic.”
At the mention of Classification Magic, I nodded my head.
After all, the first thing you do when cleaning is decide what needs to be thrown away and what doesn’t.
‘If you think about it more deeply, you also need to decide if a part should be wiped with a mop or swept with a broom…’
Because, in a way, classifying things is the most important step.
With a nod of agreement, Han Arin smiled and continued her explanation.
“Therefore, the first thing you need to do is input accurate and detailed classifications into the formula. For example, trash goes into the trash can, dust needs to be wiped away, etc.?”
Just listening made it already feel complicated.
You have to designate each item as trash individually at the very least.
Moreover, something that might just be trash to one person could be treasure to another, making it extremely difficult to clearly distinguish between them.
As I thought about how difficult Cleaning Magic must be and wondered if I could even learn it…
Han Arin gave me some good news with a smirk.
“You don’t need to worry too much. It looks complicated, but it’s actually simple.”
Is that so? I blinked in thought.
Han Arin pulled out a book and said,
“You just copy and paste.”
“…?”
I stared at Han Arin with a “Mooowaaaah?” expression at this rather shocking solution.
Han Arin giggled and poked my cheek.
“With hundreds, thousands of years of accumulated data… Nowadays, they call it Deep Learning, right? Anyway, by adding a spell formula based on this that predicts and decides the user’s intention, you can solve it.”
Still don’t really get what she’s saying…!
All I understood was that we just add a spoonful to the magic formula created by our ancestors while blinking my eyes. Around that time…
Han Arin patted my head and tapped the book, saying,
“So starting today, I’ll teach you how to apply the magic formula. You need to follow closely, okay? It’s not hard, so you’ll catch on quickly.”
“Nye…”
Since I didn’t think it would be easy, I nodded determinedly to keep up.
*
“Igo baba? Chae-a doing this makes it faster! Kyungcha!”
Chae-a, who seemed to have successfully learned the speeding-up magic faster than expected, showed it off in front of us by evening.
I applauded enthusiastically at Chae-a’s incredible speed, when an older Spirit Master nearby chuckled and said,
“You might get hurt, so walk slowly.”
“Woong. But Chae-a does this and gets faster, so isn’t it great?”
“?
I chuckled at their silly conversation and sneakily glanced at Yuna.
Yuna appeared to be struggling a bit with the mana circulation method she was learning from Han Arin, but…
Given how noisy it was around here, her impressive concentration suggested she’d likely master it soon.
‘I hope Yuna learns quickly.’
Thinking it would be fun to boast about the magic we’ve each learned later, I decided to work hard on mastering Cleaning Magic when…
Seoa, who had been glued to me, suddenly stood up as if remembering something.
“Kkoggeomi ilgeulkkko?”
She looked at me with sparkling eyes.
‘Did she ask if I’ll read? She must be talking about the picture book.’
Right, at this time every day, I usually read her a picture book.
Unable to say no to Seoa’s expectant face, I nodded and allowed it.
“Woong. Bo-go ship-eun geosu iss-eumyeon gajyeo wae.”
“NYEOO!”
With those words, Seoa grinned widely and ran toward where the picture books were stacked.
Deciding to study the Cleaning Magic formula further while waiting for Seoa to bring the book, I reviewed what Han Arin had taught me earlier when…
From afar, Seorin came running toward me shouting, “Hae-un aaa!”
“Seorini wasseo?”
“Unun. Ah, I was so tired today, but seeing Hae-un made it all go away.”
Seorin hugged me tightly, rubbed her cheeks against mine to relax, then started fiddling with my hands while observing what I was doing.
“Hae-un is learning Cleaning Magic, huh?”
“Woong.”
“Amazing! Our Hae-un is so smart, isn’t she? This won’t do—I need to brag about this on Insta. Our Hae-un is such a genius!”
Watching Seorin crack all sorts of jokes near me, I awkwardly smiled before calmly turning to look at her.
‘She seems less fatigued than before, but she still looks pretty worn out.’
Most likely, she’s suffering more than usual because of me.
Embarrassed, I gave her a sheepish smile, and Seorin responded with a matching grin.
***
“Kkukuri. Jyo-a. Myeoya.”
Even after reading “The Three Little Pigs” three times, Seoa didn’t seem bored at all as she continued flipping through the pages.
Looking at her, I thought kids have this weird dual nature—they either get bored super fast or never get tired of something—and kept reading calmly when…
Seorin, watching us, giggled and asked for permission.
“Hae-un-ah, is it okay if I upload this moment of you reading a picture book to Seoa on the community site?”
“Igoreul?”
“Yes. I think a lot of people will love it.”
To be honest, I wasn’t particularly interested, but since Seorin wanted it, I figured letting her do as she pleased would be fine, so I nodded.
“Thank you! This time, we’re definitely hitting 10 million views!”
Ten million…? Did I hear that right?
Shaking my head thinking it was impossible, I went back to reading the picture book.
“At that moment, the wolf appears and blows down the first piggy’s house.”
“Scary…”
Seoa, despite hearing it three times already, clung tightly to me and trembled.
Amused by her great reaction, I continued reading when…
Yuna, having finished her mana circulation practice, approached and alternately petted Seoa’s and my heads.
“Haeuni daedanaeyo. Eonni gatayo.”
“…?”
By now, calling her an adult feels exhausting, so I simply nodded when…
Seorin burst out laughing beside us and said with a bright smile,
“Why are our babies so cute…? Seriously, sister, I’m so happy.”
If Seorin’s happy, that’s good enough for me.
Slightly awkward but satisfied, I nodded when suddenly a curiosity popped up.
‘Now that I think about it, I never asked about the pull-up bar.’
I had intended to ask the Spirit Master why he installed the pull-up bar so high but completely forgot.
After promising Seoa I’d read again shortly, I headed toward the Spirit Master.
“Ajossi, eulreobogo sipeoyo.”
As soon as I asked the Spirit Master, he chewed his snack, stared at me blankly, then offered it with a smile.
“Yeah, yeah. Do you want some? It’s delicious. So, what’s your question?”
I grabbed a potato chip and asked about “the pull-up bar,” and the Spirit Master burst out laughing before explaining the reason.
“Ah, that? Actually, I made it for myself.”
“…?”
“Recently, my belly has gotten huge. So I wanted to exercise and lose weight.”
Hearing this, I silently stared at the potato chips.
To me, it seemed like he should start by eating healthier instead of exercising…
But deciding it wasn’t necessary to state the obvious, I awkwardly smiled and nodded when…
“Kkukuri!”
Seoa suddenly appeared.
Seeing the Spirit Master’s belly, she giggled and hugged it tightly.
Startled, I hastily picked up Seoa and urgently said,
“Nappeun mal hameon an da…!”
In response to my words, Seoa tilted her head, looking utterly confused, and countered,
“Kkukuri jyo-a. Kkukuri nnyam…! Myeoyeo. Kkomiya!”
Apparently feeling wronged, Seoa explained at greater length than usual.
Thinking I should still scold her, I was about to tell her not to call people pigs when…
The Spirit Master said, “It’s okay,” cutting me off.
‘Since the party involved says it’s fine…’
Still, I resolved to carefully explain later that this kind of behavior isn’t acceptable and nodded when…
Seoa embraced the Spirit Master dejectedly and said,
“Kkuuya.”
Is she apologizing?
Seeing this, I approvingly ruffled Seoa’s hair when…
The Spirit Master told us with a deeply moved voice,
“I only have sons, so this is the first time someone’s apologized to me like this.”
“…?”
“My son, you know? If he’s sorry, he punches me.”
“?!”
That’s not okay at all?!
Confused, I blinked when…
Seorin laughed and said,
“They say everyone does that these days! So it’s not without reason that Hae-en, Chae-a, Yuna, and Seoa are so beloved.”
“Yeah. Phew, if our son could be half as good as Hae-un, that’d be great.”
Feeling that wasn’t quite right, I awkwardly shuffled and shook my head, but…
Their praise continued endlessly.
While receiving compliments for a while, Seorin looked at her continuously vibrating phone and exclaimed,
“The video I took earlier already hit 1 million views!”