A Quiet Chat
When I was a kid, there were times when I suddenly wanted to be a good son.
Not just by saying things like, "I love you," or "Thank you for raising me."
But by doing things like cleaning up on my own, or washing the dishes.
Or maybe cooking dinner.
Of course, once I tried to make rice and dumped ten bowls of raw grains into the cooker, which earned me a beating from my mom like a dog on a hot summer day.
I had only wanted to get some praise from her.
Fortunately, after I wailed my eyes out, she told me not to do it again and made my favorite braised short ribs.
Anyway.
"Huuuuh..."
I wondered if Yuna had felt the same way.
Or maybe she just wanted to experience that small childhood satisfaction of cooking a meal for herself.
I stared at the curry splattered all over the floor.
"H-Heeeng..."
Yuna looked at me and cried even harder.
The towel in her hand was already caked in curry, so instead of wiping it up, she was basically painting the floor with it.
"*Hic*, ugh, I... I wanted to eat this... with Daddy..."
Her eyes were so flooded with tears that she couldn't even speak properly.
I scratched my head and stood up.
I didn't quite understand what she meant, but it was probably just a typical kid's excuse.
I was never any good at comforting crying kids.
Instead, I took the towel from Yuna's hands and rummaged under the sink for a few dry rags.
"You're going to step in it. Step back for a second."
I gently nudged Yuna back with one hand as she stood there sniffling, then began scooping up the curry spread across the floor.
Having wiped up grease multiple times a day back when I ran the chicken shop, this was nothing.
Cleaning up a mess of this scale was child's play.
"*Sniff*, I-I'm sorry..."
"Nothing to be sorry about."
I rinsed the rag, wrung it out, and replied nonchalantly.
"Even adults spill things all the time."
"...R-Really?"
"Of course. Daddy has spilled much bigger things before."
I recalled the time I spilled an entire vat of frying oil a few months ago.
I was so overwhelmed back then that I almost cried myself.
After wiping it down a few times, the floor was clean again.
I looked at Yuna, who was staring at me while sniffling, and spoke.
"If you wanted curry, you should have told Daddy."
"B-But..."
Fearing I might sound like I was scolding her, I forced a smile.
"...I wanted to cook for Daddy..."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Hearing that, a smile naturally spread across my face.
I suppose this was what they called a fatherly smile.
I felt a sudden surge of resentment toward Yuna's parents for leaving such a sweet girl behind.
Yuna came out after changing into her pajamas, looking hungry, so I took some jajang sauce from the fridge and heated it up.
I had originally planned to thaw the curry for dinner, but...
Anyway, I warmed up a bowl of leftover rice and poured the sauce over it, making a decent plate of jajang rice.
"Sit down and eat."
"...Okay."
At least her mother had cooked some rice before she left.
Making a mockery of her tears from earlier, Yuna opened her mouth wide the moment she picked up her spoon.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her stuffing her face until her cheeks bulged.
She really was a bright and endearing kid.
To think she had pulled out the curry just because she wanted to cook for me.
"Eat slowly. No one's going to steal it from you."
"...Mmhmm."
Despite her reply, her eating speed showed no signs of slowing down.
Since her mother made it, I was sure the taste was guaranteed.
"..."
Emptying the bowl in no time, Yuna set her spoon down.
She looked back and forth between the empty bowl and me.
"What's wrong? Want some more?"
"...No."
Yuna shook her head slightly.
"...Aren't you going to eat, Daddy?"
Ah.
Come to think of it, I had only prepared Yuna's portion, not mine.
I wasn't particularly hungry, so I had planned to skip it.
"Daddy's not hungry."
"..."
At my words, Yuna pursed her lips tightly.
She stared down at the empty bowl in front of her.
"...We were supposed to eat together."
Her voice trailed off.
How could I possibly refuse when she was pouting like that?
*Clatter.*
Having no choice, I prepared a bowl for myself and sat down across from her.
The moment I reluctantly took a spoonful and put it in my mouth, Yuna beamed, looking absolutely thrilled.
"Hehehe."
She let out a tiny giggle and flashed a happy smile.
I didn't know what was so great about it.
But the taste of a proper home-cooked meal after so long wasn't bad at all.
In fact, it tasted much better than the braised short ribs we had eaten in this exact spot the day before yesterday.
After quickly finishing the dishes, I walked out to find Yuna sitting on the sofa, swinging her feet.
Looking at the clock, it was still a bit too early for bed.
"Daddy."
"Yeah?"
Yuna patted the seat next to her.
She wanted me to sit down.
"Sit here."
Her face was so full of anticipation that I couldn't bring myself to say no.
The moment I sat down, Yuna leaned her body against my arm as if she had been waiting for it.
Was this really the energy of a kid who had almost been killed by a monster and cried her eyes out just a few hours ago?
"Hehe..."
Unbelievable.
Yuna rubbed her face against my arm and stayed like that for a long while.
Breaking the sudden silence, I asked.
"Yuna."
"Yeah?"
"Earlier, when the magical girl saved us."
"Yeah," Yuna replied.
"Why didn't you do anything?"
It was Pink Rose, the magical girl she loved so much.
Yet even though she was right in front of her, Yuna had kept her face buried in my chest the whole time.
"..."
Yuna just bit her lip and kept swinging her feet.
"I thought Pink Rose was your favorite magical girl."
"That girl back there was Pink Rose. Didn't you know?" I added.
"Well..."
Yuna mumbled, her face still buried in my arm.
The faint warmth of her body didn't feel bad at all.
"...S-She wasn't that cool."
"Really? But she blew that monster away in one shot."
Yuna's eyes wavered.
"..."
Yuna hesitated for a long moment before speaking.
"...S-She took too long to get there."
She answered in a tiny voice.
I suppose she had a point. If that magical girl had been even a little later, Yuna and I would have ended up as rat food.
Her young heart must have felt slighted by that.
"Well... I guess you're right."
It's not like children's feelings are set in stone.
They say a woman's heart is like a reed, so a young girl's heart must be even more fragile and easily swayed.
"Yeah, seriously."
Yuna peeked up at me, gauging my reaction.
What was she doing? Why was she acting like this?
Not knowing what to say, I just ruffled her hair.
Yuna didn't resist and simply leaned closer against my arm.
"..."
As an awkward silence settled over us once more, a thought crossed my mind.
How did I end up like this?
Of course, I didn't hate this situation. In fact, because it was a precious and valuable experience I'd never had in my life, I felt happy in this moment.
But.
Just because I was happy didn't make it right.
I keep thinking this, but...
In the end, I'm a stranger.
Just a stranger paid to play the role of her dad for a week.
The warmer this embrace felt now, the harsher the cold Yuna would have to face later.
Once I left in a few days...
Yuna would lose her father all over again.
Maybe I should stop getting attached right now.
I tapped Yuna gently and spoke.
"Yuna."
"Y-Yes?"
Yuna looked up at me with a blissful expression.
"Should we brush our teeth and get ready for bed?"
I had let my guard down lately and treated her too warmly.
I needed to play the role of a cold, detached father.
"Oh..."
Yuna's face instantly fell into a look of panic.
My heart ached.
"But it's only four o'clock..."
"It's not bedtime yet..." she mumbled, her voice trailing off.
Come to think of it, she was right.
What elementary schooler goes to sleep at four in the afternoon?
Even I used to go to bed after nine.
*Pitter-patter.*
Yuna suddenly let go of my arm and jumped up.
Then, she scurried off into the master bedroom.
...?
What was she up to?
Why was she running off like that when she had just looked so disappointed about it not being bedtime?
As I sat there in confusion, Yuna soon emerged with her arms full of something.
*Clatter.*
She dumped it all in front of me.
"A puzzle?"
"...Yes!"
It was a massive pile of colorful puzzle pieces.
Judging by the pink hues and star patterns scattered across the pieces, it seemed to depict a magical girl when finished.
"...L-Let's do this together, Daddy."
There were a ridiculous number of pieces.
And just like that, I completely forgot my resolution not to get attached.
Somewhere in a redevelopment zone on the outskirts of Seoul.
*Boom!*
A pink beam fired by Pink Rose, the pink-haired magical girl, blew a monster's head clean off.
"How dare you monsters show up in an area with so many elderly people!"
The fallen monster dissolved into particles of light and scattered.
All around, the remains of other defeated monsters lay strewn about.
"Phew..."
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a breath.
*Tap.*
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed a moment too late.
"What? You took care of them all already?"
Turning toward the voice, she saw a familiar face.
A magical girl with her black hair tied up neatly stood there with an awkward smile.
"Blackberry!"
Pink Rose brightened up.
Blackberry was a close senior colleague who had started her activities a bit earlier, and their jurisdictions often overlapped.
"I felt a surge of magical energy and came over, but it looks like I was a step behind."
"Oh, not at all! I just happened to be nearby."
Blackberry narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the scattered remains.
"I don't even know how many times this has happened today."
"It's strange, isn't it?"
Pink Rose continued.
"Just a few days ago, we couldn't even catch a glimpse of them..."
It was true.
For a while, monsters had been so scarce that some magical girls even joked that they had gone extinct.
But starting from a certain point...
"Why are they suddenly appearing in such large numbers?"
"One even showed up at an elementary school today," Pink Rose added.
As Pink Rose muttered this, Blackberry remained silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
"...This is just my theory."
Blackberry wore a grim expression.
"But they only started crawling out after Senior Luminous passed away."
"...!"
Pink Rose's face instantly stiffened.
"Those things didn't dare show their faces when she was active."
Blackberry looked down at the dissolving remains of the monster.
"Now they're testing the waters. The territory Senior Luminous covered was massive, after all."
"Do you think they feel like they can breathe now...?"
"Probably."
Star Luminous was a magical girl whose mere presence suppressed monsters without her even having to fight.
She was overwhelmingly powerful and incredibly active, leaving the monsters with no room to breathe.
Although she rarely interacted with other magical girls, leaving her a mystery to most...
Regardless, the monsters seemed to be targeting the void left by her overwhelming presence.
"Sigh, those bastards are like sharks smelling blood when it comes to this stuff..."
Pink Rose could only nod, biting her lip.
While she was somewhat glad to be active as a magical girl again, it also meant more casualties.
"...Anyway, take care of yourself."
Blackberry turned around after leaving those words.
"I'll head out first. I'm going to be late for my lecture."
"Yes! You too, senior!"
Pink Rose waved toward the retreating back of her senior, who vanished into a streak of black light.
I have to do the best I can!
Making that admirable resolve, she even harbored the slightly arrogant thought that she would fill the void left by Senior Luminous.
Soon, she too departed, transforming into a streak of pink light.
Did she have any idea?
Of the terrible butterfly effect that the death of Korea's strongest magical girl would bring.
*Rattle.*
And as for me...
"L-Let's do it again, Daddy..."
Thanks to Yuna, who kept knocking over the nearly finished puzzle as if by "accident," my irritation was slowly beginning to mount.