Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Let's Eliminate the Interfloor Noise (2)
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The downstairs apartment was quiet.
The humans must be sleeping in the master bedroom.
There were no signs of life.
"They haven't even noticed we're here."
If I just blow away the downstairs completely, the noise problem would be solved.
All I need to do is scare them out with a simple fire.
Humans are afraid of fire, after all.
Suryeon admired her own plan.
"Ha, as expected of me. I can solve this peacefully."
Praise myself a lot.
Suryeon fell into self-admiration.
Meanwhile, what had Hwaryeon been doing?
"Grab all the tasty stuff! Sweep it up!"
Clunk-!
She was opening the fridge door and checking the food.
She had to stock up on food before chasing out the owner.
"Pudding! And drinks too! But no really good stuff! Mangmung, grab the snacks!"
"Mangmang-!"
Chomp-
Mangmung held the snacks in its mouth to store them.
'Doing well.'
Suryeon gave a thumbs up and entered another room.
Curiosity.
She wanted to look around how the humans of this house lived before chasing out the owner.
Suryeon was curious about other humans' lives.
'How do ordinary humans live?'
Creak-
Suryeon opened the door to a small room and entered.
Suryeon looked around the room and said.
"A room used as a storage shed. Lots of books."
It wasn't tidy enough to be called a study.
It was a room full of workbooks rather than books to read.
Suryeon picked up one workbook and checked its contents.
"Hmm, I don't really get what it says. Are these formulas written down?"
Xs and Ys, strange formulas were written.
She could roughly understand what kind of formulas they were.
"A formula to find the values of X and Y, I guess. Easy."
But why bother writing it down?
She could just solve it mentally.
Suryeon thought so and quickly flipped through the workbook pages.
Every problem had those formulas neatly noted in handwriting.
"Hmm, solved a lot. Did they solve other workbooks like this too?"
Curiosity sparked in Suryeon.
Suryeon picked up another workbook and roughly flipped through the pages.
Just like the previous one, it was solved diligently with handwriting.
"English. Underlines everywhere here too."
She couldn't read really difficult English words.
But she could tell how they solved the problems.
And Suryeon could see that the person who solved this workbook had put in quite a bit of effort.
"Studying by underlining everything. They tried hard. But humans are so dumb. Solving easy problems like they're hard."
Still.
The effort wasn't bad.
Suryeon thought so and came out to the living room.
Hwaryeon, munching on a banana, asked.
"When do we start!? Humans are scared of fire! If we start a fire, we can chase them out, right!? I hate wearing indoor shoes!"
"Wait a little longer. I haven't decided yet."
She wanted to know more about the owner of this house.
Wondering what kind of person they were.
Suryeon placed her hand on the doorknob of the master bedroom where the owner was sleeping.
Then, Hwaryeon jumped in surprise and shouted.
"Hey, Suryeon! What are you doing! There's a human in there!"
"I know."
"But why are you going in! What if they wake up!"
"I'm curious what kind of human they are. I'll be careful not to wake them. Don't worry."
"I, I don't know!"
Turn-
Hwaryeon turned her head away, saying she didn't know.
But Suryeon didn't back down and immediately opened the door.
Creak-
As the door opened, the yellow light from the electric lantern on the desk welcomed Suryeon.
"They're sleeping, as expected."
The owner was slumped over the desk, asleep.
Her pillow was a workbook densely filled with handwriting.
"Hmm, fell asleep while solving these easy problems."
Suryeon peeked at Na-kyeong's workbook.
By dragon standards, they were simple math problems.
Then, the deeply asleep Na-kyeong mumbled in her sleep.
"This time... I have to pass... Can't fail again..."
Suryeon heard Na-kyeong's sleep-talk and said sharply.
"If you're keep failing the same exam, maybe you have no talent. Wouldn't it be better to just give up?"
Still.
She was curious how it would turn out later.
Could this human pass the exam later?
Suryeon looked at Na-kyeong with a face full of curiosity and said.
The face that fell asleep while studying hard didn't look bad.
"Well, a human desperately striving for something isn't so bad. Reminds me of my dad."
She changed her mind.
Changing the plan.
Suryeon left the master bedroom and said to Hwaryeon, who was waiting obediently.
"Hwaryeon unnie. Let's just go back up."
"Huh? We haven't chased out the downstairs yet! We only ate the food in the fridge!"
"Plan changed."
"Why!?"
"Why? Well..."
Hmm.
Suryeon pondered for a moment and said with a cool expression.
"Just a dragon's whim."
And she thought to herself.
'I was pretty cool just now.'
Heh-
Suryeon was still suffering from severe middle school syndrome.
'Still curious. What will happen to that human.'
It was a dragon's whim born of curiosity.
***
I heard that thieves broke into the downstairs apartment last night.
They only took the snacks from the fridge.
It was a very strange incident.
"Kids, aren't you curious? Who could have done it?"
To my question, Suryeon pointed at Mangmung and said.
"I heard a white dog ate everything by itself!"
"Ma, mangmang-?!"
As expected, Lee Hwaryeon and Mangmung.
It was you guys.
"Everyone except Suryeon and Choryeon, it was you who did it, right?"
"No! Suryeon did it too!"
Not wanting to die alone, perhaps.
Hwaryeon immediately ratted out Suryeon.
"Tch."
"Suryeon, you don't even crave food that much?"
"I just wanted some late-night snacks. I didn't plan to cause a big incident."
Sigh-
I sighed and looked at the suspects of this incident.
They all hung their heads, showing signs of remorse.
'Even so, stealing is not okay.'
The most dangerous bad habit to pick up is kleptomania.
Hwaryeon said to me in a slightly excusing tone.
"But we only ate food! We didn't do anything else!"
"Yeah, we only stole snacks, Dad. We won't do this again."
"Mangmang-! Mangmangmang-!"
The kids started defending themselves.
Would they really not cause such an incident again?
'They're smart kids who understand words. But still, I'm a bit worried.'
Still, the kids' eyes showed sincere remorse, vowing there would be no next time.
Seeing this attitude, if I punished them harshly here, it might backfire.
I think when kids reflect first, bow their heads, and apologize, the adult should forgive accordingly.
'I need to toughen my heart. It's not easy.'
Sigh-
I sighed and said simply.
"You know you did wrong, so I'll let it slide lightly this time. No mercy next time."
"Okay!"
"Got it."
"Mangmang-!"
"If something like this happens again, you'll really cry your eyes out from the punishment. Be prepared. And if you want something to eat, tell Dad."
And.
I should give a light punishment too.
"Everyone, foreheads out."
Time to deliver the knuckle rap from hell.
So they never break into someone else's house and start a fire again.
I loaded the knuckle rap on Hwaryeon's forehead, which she lifted with a pouty face.
"Here it goes."
"Come at me!"
And.
"Take this!"
"Kyaaang!"
Thwack-!
I landed the knuckle rap perfectly on Hwaryeon's forehead.
Hwaryeon grabbed her forehead and rolled on the floor, yelling at me.
"It hurts! Dad!! Dad is beating his child!!"
"Quiet, thief. People might misunderstand."
"Kyaaang!"
In the end.
A bright red knuckle rap mark remained on Hwaryeon's forehead.
I left Hwaryeon to cool off.
"Next, Suryeon."
"..."
"Come here."
Such a large-scale incident was probably planned by Suryeon.
Even if they stopped midway, wrong is wrong.
So I loaded the knuckle rap on Suryeon's snow-white forehead.
"Here it goes. Any last words?"
"Tch, I should have hidden the evidence. I wasn't thorough."
You know well.
I delivered the knuckle rap to Suryeon's forehead.
Thwack-!
Suryeon immediately fiddled with the spot and muttered.
"I, I have to endure. The seal will break."
"What are you even watching on that A pad, Suryeon..."
"Kuku... kukuku... Better if Dad doesn't know... You'll get hurt if you do..."
Suryeon seemed to have broken from the strong impact on her forehead.
After leaving a red knuckle rap mark on Suryeon's forehead too.
I looked at the remaining culprit, Mangmung.
"Ma, mangmang-!"
Mangmung knelt with a face ready for death and offered its forehead.
But I had no intention of hitting Mangmung's forehead.
"I won't hit Mangmung."
"Mang-?"
"So Mangmung, no snacks for 3 days."
"Ma, mangmangmang-!!!"
Thud-
Mangmung made a face like it lost the world.
Mangmung grabbed my pant leg, as if asking me to hit its forehead instead.
But I had zero intention of hitting Mangmung's forehead.
Because.
'I heard knuckle rapping a dog might kill it.'
Mangmung's head is small too.
It seemed like it would die if hit.
"Mangmang-!! Mangmangmang-!!"
Mangmung seemed to prefer being killed.
But for that reason, I couldn't hit Mangmung.
"Maaaang-!!"
***
After the strange theft.
Na-kyeong, just in case, went to a fortune teller.
"My luck has been really bad lately. There was some unknown theft at home too. Will I mess up the exam terribly again this time?"
"Let me see... Let me see..."
The fortune teller grandma stroked the crystal ball and stared at Na-kyeong.
"When did your bad luck start?"
"After the upstairs neighbors moved in. Especially, the owner of that house has a bad vibe. The way he looks at me is kinda lecherous, I guess. But his daughters are super pretty."
"Hmm, kids' dad and daughters..."
The fortune teller closed her eyes for a moment.
Soon after, she opened her eyes and said.
"It could be great misfortune, or it could be great fortune."
"Huh? What does that..."
"It depends on you. The exam too. The upstairs too. Nothing else matters."
"Please explain in detail. Does that mean I have no luck-"
"Pay and get out. Next customer!"
Na-kyeong was chased out by the fortune teller grandma like that.
Without even hearing a clear answer.
"I came because she's supposed to be good, and this is it?! What the hell! Ugh, ridiculous!"
She just wasted a lot of money and felt bad.
Na-kyeong sighed and went home.
She went to the hair salon for the first time in a while, bought some food, bought past exam workbooks, and returned home.
But at the front door, a young girl was leaning against the door.
'Definitely the kid from upstairs? I remember because she's pretty.'
Her hair color like the blue sea.
A frail and pretty child that feels like a child actress, so memorable.
'The noise is annoying, but the kid is cute.'
She liked kids anyway.
Na-kyeong saw Suryeon standing still in front of the door and asked.
"Little girl. What are you doing here? Your house is upstairs. Did you get the wrong door?"
"I'm not a little girl."
"Uh, um?"
"And I didn't get the wrong door. Human. I was waiting for you."
"R, really? Why were you waiting for me?"
First time talking.
The kid is a bit unusual.
Na-kyeong was slightly flustered.
Suryeon put her hand in her pocket and took out a small sticker.
"Take this."
"A sticker? Are you giving it to me, sis?"
"Yeah, it's a sticker enchanted with soundproof magic. Stick it on your house, and the interfloor noise will disappear."
"Oh, really? Thanks, sis. I'll take good care of it."
She came to apologize for the noise.
Na-kyeong smiled and reached out to pat Suryeon's head.
However, that hand couldn't reach Suryeon's head.
"Don't touch me carelessly. Human."
Turn-
Because Suryeon immediately stepped back to dodge.
"Anyway, I gave it. Stick it on your house. I almost died learning the enchant magic on the ring by myself. Use it well."
Suryeon said that and quickly left the scene.
Na-kyeong was momentarily dumbfounded by that sight.
"Wh, what just passed by? Have I finally gone crazy from studying too much?"
Things are getting weird.
Ever since the upstairs moved in, I feel like I'm gradually going strange.
With a dizzy feeling, Na-kyeong entered the house.
And she looked at the sticker from Suryeon.
"Just a random star sticker... This is supposed to solve the noise...?"
No way it's real, probably kids' prank.
Na-kyeong thought so and placed the sticker on the dining table.
But suddenly, she thought what if.
"...Whatever. Let's just stick it on."
She felt pathetic for believing it.
Na-kyeong stuck the sticker on the living room wall.
Naturally, nothing changed.
"What, it's nothing."
I was dumb for believing it.
Na-kyeong sighed and simply washed up before starting to study again.
But unlike usual, no noisy sounds came from upstairs.
"...Maybe it's just quiet today."
However.
A day passed.
Two days passed.
Even after a week.
The usual interfloor noise didn't come.
"Was that little kid telling the truth...? No way. They must be being careful upstairs."
Either way.
Thanks to that, Na-kyeong could focus on her exam studies again.
"Whew, problem solved. This time, I'll definitely get into the university I want."
With the disturbance gone, Na-kyeong gained even higher concentration than usual.
To get into her target university.
To achieve her own dream.
She started repeating the daily study routine without a single day off.