Chapter 68

I was standing there with a blanket, watching Yuna who actually brought it to put the meat to sleep, awkwardly fidgeting.

I quickly shook my head and corrected her about what “putting meat to sleep” really meant.

“It’s not like it’s snoring or anything—it just needs to rest undisturbed!”

“But why is it snoring?”

Her question left me momentarily speechless since I’d never really thought deeply about this whole “putting meat to sleep” thing.

“Why does it even do that…?”

Isn’t leaving it alone enough, as Yuna said? Or maybe there’s some other meaning I don’t know about?

As these thoughts swirled in my mind, Chae-a stepped in confidently, grinning at us.

“Just like how Chae-a slept for seven seconds earlier… meat gets stronger when it snoozes! It rests to become more delicious.”

Hearing this, Yuna nodded understandingly. Meanwhile, I hesitated for a moment—realizing how brutal her statement sounded if you thought too hard about it—but decided against overthinking it and reluctantly agreed.

*

Though I wanted to let the meat rest for at least 30 minutes, we compromised on ten because the kids would starve otherwise. As I squatted near the meat waiting for time to pass, Chae-a suddenly took interest in my actions, crouching beside me and staring intently. When asked why she was looking at me, she gave an odd reply:

“Because Hae-un shouldn’t eat weird stuff… so I’m keeping an eye on her.”

This slightly deflated me; did I really have such low trustworthiness? Then, from behind, several soft tails began caressing my cheeks and head gently.

“It’s fine. Hae-un is still little, after all.”

Yuna added, leaving me feeling dejected as I stared blankly at the meat. Just then, Kamangi and Somtul started making comforting noises, patting me softly.

“…”

At this point, I felt not just a little but *extremely* wronged. But having nothing else to do besides sulking, I slumped onto the floor. That’s when the timer alarm began beeping.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

The sound startled everyone, especially Somtul, who freaked out instantly. Fluffing up their fur dramatically, they hissed suspiciously at the phone, eyes wide with suspicion.

“BEEEEEPPPPP! BEEEP! BEEEEEP!”

(There’s something strange here! This must be a monster!)

To them, the harmless alarm seemed bizarre beyond belief—like how humans might find cats meowing strangely unsettling.

Before Somtul could cry, I quickly turned off the phone and calmed them down by petting their head. Then, turning to Yuna and Chae-a, I suggested we start cooking the meat.

Just as I was about to ignite the flames with determination, someone urgently called our names from outside the kitchen.

“Hae-un! Chae-a! Yuna!”

Recognizing Seorin’s voice, I wagged my tail happily and greeted her.

“Seorin!”

She approached swiftly, panic evident in her tone as she asked what we were doing. Upon spotting the meat I’d prepared, she gasped in shock.

Surely, she must think I’m incredibly talented based on my cooking skills, right? Feeling proud of myself, I grinned smugly until she pointed at the meat skeptically.

“Did you make this, Hae-un?”

I nodded, and Seorin gawked in amazement before examining it closely.

“Wow… Is Hae-un secretly a genius? How did you manage this? No, wait, how should I handle this? Should I post it on SNS?”

While she pondered something ridiculous, I attempted to lift the meat for cooking. However, Seorin stopped me, taking the meat herself instead.

“You’re trying to cook this, right? Let me handle it.”

Although I wanted to insist, remembering the trouble of climbing onto the counter—and possibly stepping on Kamangi again—I reluctantly agreed.

‘It’ll hurt too much otherwise.’

Still feeling guilty, I glanced up at Seorin as she raised her pristine white arm confidently.

“Trust me!”

With resolute determination, she tossed the meat into the pan like a pro.

*

Whether alchemy exists in this world remains uncertain. What *is* certain is that through this event, Seorin has undoubtedly advanced the field of alchemy significantly.

Watching Seorin turn my meat into literal charcoal, my jaw dropped open. Not just burnt—it was pitch black, darker than regular coal, perhaps resembling some sort of dark extraterrestrial carbon. Never had I seen anyone reduce food to such a state. Stunned, I listened as Seorin chuckled nervously.

“Well… Maybe I overdid the ‘smoky flavor’ a bit.”

“There’s no flavor left except burning.”

“…”

Avoiding my gaze awkwardly, Seorin cleared her throat and addressed the rest of us.

“In any case, knowing this would happen, I ordered pizza beforehand.”

“Knew this would happen?” I muttered skeptically while poking the charred remains with my finger. Yuna promptly grabbed my hand, stopping me.

“Don’t touch it! You’ll get burned!”

She wiped my fingers carefully on her clothes despite ruining them in the process.

“It’s okay. Your hands are clean now.”

Grateful for Yuna’s care, I wagged my tail happily when suddenly, a knock came from outside the kitchen door.

“Delivery!”

Rushing out, expecting the delivery person, I found only a giant pizza box sitting there instead. Impressed by its speed, I tried lifting it—only for Seorin to intervene.

“It’s hot! Let me do it.”

Taking the box, she instructed me.

“Go tell the others to wash their hands, alright?”

“…”

Though my lips pouted briefly upon hearing “the others,” excitement over pizza quickly erased it. Thinking about how joyful eating pizza would be, I eagerly ran back to fetch Chae-a and Yuna.

Seeing my approach, Chae-a looked worried but reassured me.

“Don’t worry, Hae-un! Chae-a won’t let you starve. I’ve already stocked up snacks in my pocket, just in case…”

Realizing she might misunderstand further, I hurriedly clarified.

“No need! I’m not hungry!”

Her expression brightened visibly.

“Really!?”

Nodding, I pointed toward the wet wipes.

“Yes. So let’s wash our hands first.”

Though I preferred washing with water, the sink was too high, so we settled for wipes. Gathering together, we scrubbed our hands diligently when Seorin arrived carrying the pizza box.

“Let’s eat, kids. Sorry I didn’t prepare sooner.”

Shaking my head, I replied sincerely.

“No worries. Just giving us food is amazing…”

But Seorin appeared shocked, blinking repeatedly.

“No way. Taking care of Hae-un is obvious. After all, you’re my little sister!”

Thinking about the burden this placed on her, I intended to decline next time… until remembering A and the others waiting outside. Of course, Seorin’s definition of “sister” included Chae-a and Yuna too.

‘So even if I’m trouble without conscience…’

Blushing furiously, I hid my face behind my tail as Seorin set the pizza in the center.

“If it’s not enough, let me know, alright?”

“Yes! But this looks plenty. It’s huge, like the moon!”

“Good to hear. Shall we dig in?”

Seorin handed out plates and began slicing the pizza. Just as we were about to eat…

“MIAOW!”

Yuna fluffed her nine tails dramatically, mewing loudly before frowning.

“This is too hot! My hands hurt. Hae-un shouldn’t try grabbing it either—it’ll burn you.”

Grabbing me from behind, she dragged me away from the pizza. Watching it retreat, I flailed helplessly until Seorin, after a brief pause, retrieved scissors and plastic forks.

“I’ll cut it for you guys. Use the fork to pick it up, alright?”

Relieved, I nodded as Yuna dragged me back toward the pizza.

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