Chapter 80

To be honest, A couldn’t swing very far even with Chae-a pushing it.

It barely wobbled a little?

But despite that, not only did Chae-a give up her lifelong dream of riding the swing, but she also insisted on pushing me herself, leaving me no choice but to enjoy the swing without complaint.

“Truthfully, I feel so guilty I want to get off right away…”

However, every time I tried to get off, Chae-a would shout “No way!” and frantically shake her head, making it impossible for me to leave the swing. So, with no other option, I continued swinging when suddenly I heard Chae-a’s proud, huffing voice.

“Haeuni, is it fun?”

Her voice was filled with anticipation, so I quickly nodded my head and replied,

“Yeah! It’s super fun!”

“Really?! Thank goodness!”

With that, Chae-a pushed the swing again with all her might while giggling gleefully.

As I watched Chae-a’s happiness, I thought it was enough just seeing her smile. But then Seorin picked up Chae-a and said,

“Why don’t you try the swing now, Chae-a?”

At Seorin’s words, Chae-a beamed brightly, nodded enthusiastically, and started tapping her feet in excitement.

“I’ll push you this time,” Yuna said as she began grunting while pushing the swing from behind.

Seeing Yuna struggle, I urgently shook my head and exclaimed,

“No way! You ride, Yuna!”

But Yuna shook her head and repeated something we had discussed earlier.

“Haeuni is family…so I’ll push you, big sister.”

Then she perked up her ears and pushed the swing harder.

“…So embarrassing…”

I thought to myself how difficult it was to sit on a swing pushed by children while being an adult. Just as I was squirming in discomfort…

Han Arin, who had been watching, chuckled awkwardly and suggested,

“Uh…should I use magic to push the swing? Would that be okay?”

At her words, all of us turned our gaze towards Han Arin simultaneously.

*

“Chae-a, you’re the happiest person in the world right now…probably happier than ants!”

Chae-a laughed joyfully, her eyes sparkling as she enjoyed the swing.

Watching her happiness made me smile too, but then Han Arin asked me a question,

“Hae-un, do you want to swing some more? You can keep going if you like.”

Upon hearing this, I stared at the swing thoughtfully. I didn’t hate swinging, but because I’m short now, sitting somewhere my feet don’t reach felt a bit scary.

I politely declined, saying I was fine, when suddenly we heard a “pop-pop” sound from afar.

Curious, I blinked and looked over to see kids around my height walking around in pop-pop shoes.

*pop-pop-pop*

Their cute appearance made me hug my tail as I stared at them. Nearby, Han Arin teased me playfully,

“Hae-un wants pop-pop shoes too, huh?”

Startled, I quickly shook my head. Not only was it embarrassing, but Somtul could probably make me pajamas that make pop sounds if I asked nicely.

“No thank you.”

But Han Arin seemed completely unconcerned with my refusal. She poked my cheek gently and asked,

“Really?”

I vigorously nodded to emphasize my sincerity, but Han Arin chuckled mischievously and waved her hand.

“Alright, I’ll buy them for you. I’ll be right back, okay?”

“…Huh?”

Wait, I clearly said I didn’t want them, so why is she going to buy them? Did I say something wrong? As I tilted my head in confusion…

Yuna carefully grabbed my hand and began staring at me with shining eyes.

“Pop-pop…”

Apparently, Yuna wanted the shoes too. Seeing her reaction, I decided if Han Arin bought them, I’d give them to Yuna. While waiting, Han Arin returned carrying three small boxes.

“Ta-da! I got them!”

She proudly displayed the contents:

“A shark design for Hae-un, a squirrel for Chae-a, and a dinosaur for Yuna.”

Despite Yuna’s stoic expression, her tail wagged rapidly, showing her excitement as she focused entirely on the pop-pop shoes.

Thinking it best to set an example as an adult, I tapped a nearby stone with my palm and offered,

“Let’s put them on. Sit here.”

Though there was a minor incident where Han Arin kept checking my wings under the guise of humor while massaging my shoulders…

Ultimately, what mattered most was helping Yuna put on her pop-pop shoes. As I held the shoe…

“…This is kinda hard.”

My weak strength and short fingers made it difficult to help her. Still, giving up wasn’t an option, so I persevered. But as I struggled…

Yuna wiggled her toes and told me,

“It tickles…”

“It’s fine,” I reassured her. “Since Haeuni is putting them on, you can endure it. We’re family, after all!”

Yuna seemed particularly moved by the word “family.” Seeing this, I nodded in agreement and finally managed to fit the shoe on her foot with some effort.

When I reached for the other shoe…

Surprisingly, Yuna skillfully switched her shoes by herself.

“She could do it herself…?”

Of course, thinking about it, it made sense. They usually handled their own shoes.

Realizing I’d done something silly, I felt slightly embarrassed, but seeing Yuna’s happy expression reassured me it wasn’t entirely meaningless.

“Next, I’ll help you put them on.”

Yuna mimicked my earlier actions, tapping the stone where she had sat before. Reluctantly, I extended my foot as she confidently slipped the pop-pop shoes onto me and declared,

“I did well, didn’t I?”

Not sure exactly what she meant, but seeing her tail wag happily as she grabbed my hand confirmed her pride.

“Shall we go?”

Nodding, I stood up, and immediately…

*pop*

The sound from earlier echoed beneath my feet. Realizing everyone’s attention was on me, I blushed furiously. Meanwhile, Yuna, unperturbed, started walking excitedly while making pop-pop noises.

*pop-pop-pop*

Amused by her cuteness, I smiled softly when suddenly Chae-a, having exhausted herself on the swings, ran up to us wiping her forehead.

“That was the most fun ever…!”

Indeed, her hair was a mess, resembling a lion’s mane. Watching her, I smiled until…

Chae-a alternated her gaze between my and Yuna’s shoes before clasping her hands together.

“Woah! I know what those are. They’re squeaky shoes!”

“Squeaky?” Surprised by her unexpected description, I tilted my head curiously.

Chae-a grinned proudly and explained,

“They squeak every time you pull them on or off!”

Ah, so that’s what she meant.

Understanding now, I nodded in agreement.

“Right!”

Pleased with getting the answer correct, Chae-a beamed proudly. Offering her the shoes Han Arin bought, I said,

“Try them on!”

At this, Chae-a performed the same bow I once used to express gratitude, then collapsed flat on the ground.

A scream from Han Arin followed, but it wasn’t significant enough to worry about. Instead, I helped brush the sand off Chae-a’s body and pointed to the stone we previously sat on.

“Sit here!”

“Okay!”

Watching Chae-a dash off happily, I couldn’t help but smile.

* * *

*pop-pop-pop*

The pop-pop sounds echoed everywhere. Though embarrassing to walk around making noise, I couldn’t stop due to Yuna and Chae-a’s sheer joy. Together, we roamed the park and playground.

What stood out most was a massive dinosaur statue—gigantic compared to my current height. Watching Yuna, normally indifferent, cling to it with pure delight was incredibly adorable.

Moved by the scene, I thought others should see it too, so I turned on a live stream and announced,

“Yuna is so cute!”

As soon as I showcased Yuna clinging to the dinosaur statue, comments flooded in:

[SeorinSeorin – Babies calling each other cute is beyond adorable ㅠㅠㅠ]

[AnimalLover – Haha, did you turn on the stream just to show this? Awwwww!]

[RegretfulHeart – Your cheeks are puffing up! Watching yourself gush about your friend is so endearing. Haeun, you’re cute too!]

Strangely, most comments were about me. Perhaps Yuna wasn’t visible enough, so I approached her with my phone, but the chat still remained focused on me.

[MommyKnowsBest – This looks just like my daughter! Love those pop-pop shoes!]

[BabyRoller – Oh, they’re wearing pop-pop shoes! That explains the popping sounds!]

[NyaaNyaa – Haeun, did you get new hairpins? They suit you so well!!]

Feeling a bit self-conscious, I turned the camera away and focused on filming Yuna. Suddenly, Yuna noticed the phone, snapped out of her dino-clinging trance, and shyly covered her face with her tail.

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