Chapter 129

Grandma Leseia is coming over—thinking about it made me pause for a moment.

Logically, I should’ve told the people around me, but…

“If I tell everyone…”

Every time something like this happened, chaos would erupt in the Association, so…

I thought it’d be better to stay quiet and let things unfold peacefully instead.

“…Umm…”

After pondering that thought, I decided to at least warn Han Arin ahead of time. Honestly, I didn’t want to say anything, but if problems arose, others might get hurt. So, it felt safer to give her a heads-up.

With that decision made, I approached Han Arin and relayed what was happening. She smiled faintly as if she already knew and said:

“Thanks for telling me, Hae-un.”

“Yep.”

While Han Arin rubbed my cheeks affectionately, Chae-a woke up, rubbing her eyes and wandered over.

“…Was I dreaming that Haeuni was holding me? But then Seoa came with some fluffies, and Chae-a got super happy! Is Haeuni happy too?”

“…?”

She’s still half-asleep. Watching her, I giggled and nodded while still being held by Han Arin.

* * *

The next morning, Grandma Leseia arrived early.

Judging by how early she showed up, she must’ve really wanted my dojo stamps. I was ready to hand them over immediately, but Grandma Leseia calmed me down and pulled out a lunchbox first.

“You must be hungry. Let’s eat first.”

It was literally “early morning,” so I wasn’t even that hungry—I was still full from breakfast—but rejecting Grandma Leseia’s kindness seemed impossible. So, I grinned and nodded.

Seeing my reaction, Grandma Leseia beamed happily and sat me on her lap, gently patting my head.

“Is everything okay? Do you need anything?”

When I shook my head and said I was fine, she patted my head faster and continued.

“That’s good to hear.”

“Yep.”

“Alright then, call the other kids so we can all eat together.”

Thinking that was a good idea, I nodded and stood up from her lap. As I did, Grandma Leseia looked slightly disappointed, but there was no way I could stay seated forever. So, I dashed into the bedroom to wake up Chae-a, Yuna, and Seoa.

“Hey, wake up!”

Yuna reacted first to my voice. Though she wagged her tail, she kept her eyes closed, still wanting to sleep.

“My eyes keep closing… they feel so heavy.”

Clearly still sleepy, I chuckled and gently stroked her hair. She slowly opened her eyes and spoke.

“Seoa is clinging to my pillow…”

Chae-a had rolled around during the night and ended up against the wall, while Seoa clung tightly to where I’d been sleeping. Seeing them both, I smiled again and started shaking each one awake.

“…Grrr… Hmm… Leave me alone…”

Seoa resisted getting up, pushing me away before realizing it was me.

“Meow…”

Then she latched onto me and started whining. I petted her head and reassured her, making her giggle and grab my hand.

“Next are Yuna and Chae-a.”

Since Yuna would wake up eventually without much effort, I focused on waking Chae-a. Shaking her body, I said,

“Chae-a, are you planning to hibernate?”

Unlike yesterday, she refused to wake up, mumbling nonsense. With no other choice, I used my secret weapon and whispered the magic word into her ear.

“If you don’t wake up now, there won’t be any snacks later.”

“…!”

At that, Chae-a suddenly bolted upright, scanning the room for food. Satisfied that everyone was awake, I led the girls back to the living room.

*

“Ho ho, eat up!”

Grandma Leseia watched happily as Chae-a stuffed her face with food. Though I don’t cook often, people say chefs feel fulfilled when others enjoy their meals. So, I tried my best to savor every bite.

‘Not that I needed to try hard—Grandma Leseia’s cooking is absolutely delicious.’

Even without extra effort, the taste was amazing. While I was enjoying the meal, Grandma Leseia glanced at us and smiled warmly.

“Hae-un, do you remember me mentioning a gift?”

Recalling our conversation from yesterday about trading stamps for a present, I nodded. Smiling brighter, she continued.

“I thought about it carefully, and I’ll buy land near the Association and transfer ownership to you…”

“…!”

That sounded excessive. I quickly shook my head to decline, but Grandma Leseia ignored me and went on.

“And maybe we could set up an ice cream shop and a snack shop nearby—they’d be perfect for the kids.”

At the mention of ice cream, Chae-a’s eyes widened, and she shot up from her seat, exclaiming in awe. Laughing awkwardly at her reaction, Grandma Leseia pulled her into a hug.

“Chae-a, you shouldn’t stand during meals.”

“Okay! Sorry!”

“Good girl.”

Content with Chae-a’s apology, Grandma Leseia continued.

“After finishing, we’ll go take a look.”

Her generosity overwhelmed me, but seeing how joyful she was, I couldn’t bring myself to argue and simply nodded.

*

In this world, hunters were celebrities whose mere existence drove property values sky-high—not just preferred facilities, but preferred humans altogether. The Hunter Association, where many hunters gathered, was among the most sought-after locations, making the surrounding real estate astronomically expensive. Yet Grandma Leseia casually mentioned buying it all.

“Buying this whole place and turning it into whatever you want wouldn’t be bad. It’s close to the Association, easy to visit, and has a great appearance.”

Walking around with Grandma Leseia, everything seemed fine to me, but I honestly didn’t understand much. Still conflicted about accepting such a gift, I paused when Yuna offered an opinion.

“A bear statue here would be nice.”

Apparently, the giant bear statue in front appealed to her. Watching Yuna and Seoa admire it, I realized how much they loved bears. Suddenly, Seoa shouted joyfully and began jumping around.

Ignoring their antics, I noticed Grandma Leseia making a phone call nearby. Thinking nothing of it, I focused on the girls playing with the bear statue.

After wandering for a while longer, since I lacked interest in real estate, I mostly just nodded along. Enjoying the stroll, I held Grandma Leseia’s hand tightly when Chae-a pointed downward.

“There’s a big ant over there!”

Looking down, I saw an ant three times larger than normal waving at us.

“Wow, it’s huge.”

Given its abnormal size, it was probably influenced by Chae-a—or maybe it was a spirit. Observing closely, the ant rushed toward a snack nearby, broke off a piece, and began shaking it vigorously.

Was it offering us food?

Though I sensed goodwill from the ant, eating something like that could cause stomach issues or food poisoning. I waved it off, but…

“Wow! Chae-a loves snacks. Thank you!”

Without hesitation, Chae-a grabbed the snack and ate it. Hearing Grandma Leseia gasp in shock beside me, I squeezed my eyes shut.

---