Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Going Out with Choryeon
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127. Going Out with Choryeon
An ordinary weekend.
Choryeon gazed out the window with pitiful eyes.
"Sigh."
Looking out the window naturally brought out a sigh.
It was perfectly understandable from Choryeon's perspective.
"There's no romance in 04 District. There's no nature! This is unacceptable!"
09 District didn't have any nature either.
But 04 District was utterly devoid of it.
"It's not harmonious! The Earth can't breathe! We can't just sit by!"
Whoosh-!
Choryeon spun around and headed into her room.
Not long after, she emerged with a green band tied around her forehead.
"The time has come to protect nature! Everyone, awaken!"
"Mangmung-! Mangmung-!"
Choryeon vigorously waved her arms, launching a surprise protest alongside Mangmung.
Hwaryeon scowled and muttered in response.
"You're interrupting my TV time! Move before I burn all this nature myself!"
"Protect nature! Awaken!"
"Mangmung-! Mangmung-!"
Choryeon and Mangmung began their protest first thing on this precious weekend morning.
"Ugh, I just wanna smack both of you!"
Hwaryeon was getting a bit heated, but she clenched her fists and held back.
She owed Choryeon her life from last time.
"Nature is suffering! Let's start our tree-planting campaign!"
"Mangmung-!"
Perhaps their surprise protest was somewhat effective.
A golden weekend.
Lee Ha-jun, who had been dozing on the sofa, sat up with a disheveled look.
"What's this all of a sudden... What now...?"
"Daddy! The Earth is in danger right now! We need your help!"
"Mangmung-!"
Why would they suddenly need my help?
Lee Ha-jun couldn't quite grasp the situation.
Still, he could roughly tell the vibe.
'She's got another bout of Earth-love activism.'
Like Suryeon's chuunibyou, an incurable chronic condition.
If left alone, they'd definitely keep up the surprise protests until they achieved their goal.
"Ugh, it's the weekend, but no choice."
Lee Ha-jun sighed and got up from the sofa.
"Alright, Choryeon. Let's go protect nature."
"Really!? Yay! We did it, Mangmung!"
"Mangmung-!"
Hop, hop-
Choryeon and Mangmung hopped around happily like frogs.
'I need to walk Mangmung anyway. A quick outing should be fine.'
With that thought, Lee Ha-jun turned to Hwaryeon, who was watching TV.
"Hwaryeon, we're heading out. You coming?"
"I wanna go! But the match is starting soon, and I wanna watch TV too! It's a big match!"
"WWE. It's still on, huh."
Brings back memories.
As a kid, he watched without knowing it was fake, so it felt tense and fun.
Once he grew up and learned it was all scripted, he stopped watching.
"So you're staying to watch TV, Hwaryeon?"
"I wanna go! But I'm watching the big match!"
"Pick one."
"Th-then I'll watch the big match! I can't miss this one!"
Surprisingly, Hwaryeon decided to stay home.
She looked full of anticipation for the big match.
Lee Ha-jun asked Suryeon, who was playing games on her A-pad in her room.
"Suryeon, we're heading out. You?"
"I'm too lazy to go out, Dad. I'll chill at home."
She seemed busy with her game.
And so, only Choryeon, Lee Ha-jun, and Mangmung headed out that day.
In that moment, Choryeon whispered quietly to Mangmung.
"If it weren't for you, Mangmung, it would've been a date just for Daddy and me."
"Ma, Mangmung..."
"Mangmung. Next time, you can sit this one out, right?"
"Ma, maang..."
Shriveled-
Mangmung resolved to be more perceptive next time.
***
A golden weekend.
I headed out with Choryeon and Mangmung.
To stop Choryeon's surprise protest.
"Getting ready was a hassle, but now that we're out, it's nice. The weather's good too."
It'd get brutally hot soon.
But the breezy spring weather felt great.
I held Mangmung's leash in one hand and Choryeon's hand in the other.
"How's school life, Choryeon? Having fun?"
"Yeah! I've made tons of friends!"
As expected of Choryeon.
With that capybara vibe, she's super sociable.
Just as I predicted, she'd made a bunch of friends.
I kept asking questions.
"So, who's your closest friend?"
"Hmm, Ye-jin for starters! Min-ji too! And Hye-ji's pretty cool!"
Ye-jin, Min-ji, Hye-ji.
Got it memorized.
'I gotta remember the names of kids hanging out with my daughter.'
Come to think of it.
"They're all girls, huh?"
"Yeah, the girls all like me! And the boys... not so much!"
"Why?"
"Most of them are underlings of big sis Hwaryeon! There are some mischievous ones who keep trying to bully me."
"What? Which punks are trying to mess with my daughter?"
This won't do.
Daring to touch my daughter?
Grit-
I ground my teeth and opened the memo app on my smartphone.
"Who are the kids bullying Choryeon? Give me names and addresses. Daddy'll sort 'em out."
Even if they're elementary kids, no mercy.
I'll punish them in person.
"Come on! Daddy'll teach them a lesson!"
"No, it's fine, Daddy."
"I'll totally sort them out—"
"No, that's not it."
Smile-
Choryeon flashed a perfectly innocent, bright smile.
"They only tried to bully me. They never actually did. And if they try to bully me, I'll turn them into vegetables, so it's fine."
"...Vegetables?"
"Yeah! I'll plant flowers in their heads! Like this!"
Swoosh-
Choryeon mimed planting a flower in midair.
The angle looked like it'd pierce right into the crown of the head.
'...No need for me to step in, then.'
Yeah, Choryeon's tough.
She looks like a small, fragile hamster on the outside.
But mess with her, and she'll chomp hard with her front teeth.
"I'll turn them into vegetables and restore the Earth to normal, hehe."
No need for me to interfere; she'd handle school life just fine.
And so, Choryeon and I chatted about school, while Mangmung wandered around marking territory with his urine.
We strolled the streets, enjoying an ordinary weekend.
At one point.
"This should be good enough now."
Choryeon started rummaging in the pocket of her dress.
She pulled out the seeds we'd bought at the big mart last time.
Mostly flower and tree seeds.
"Planting these here?"
"Yeah, there are a lot of sidewalk blocks nearby. But these flowers will grow right through them. They'll survive summer and winter. And they won't get in humans' way."
Truly, Earth normalization is super Choryeon.
She planned to revive nature wildly around the elementary school.
Choryeon scattered seed clusters into the soil between the sidewalk blocks and said.
"Grow, seeds! Grow big and strong, seeds! You too, Daddy!"
"Gr-grow, seeds."
"Good! Now even Daddy's an official member of our environmental protection group! I'll make you vice president specially!"
Damn.
Forced enrollment.
Suddenly, vice president of an environmental protection group.
I scattered seeds diligently, like a proper vice president.
"When they all grow, it'll definitely be a pretty flower field, right? Hehe, just imagining it makes me smile!"
With Choryeon, who bloomed smiles while reviving nature.
I wandered around the elementary school area with my daughter, scattering seeds for nature's sake.
So that someday, vibrant flowers and trees that block hot sun, rain, and snow could grow.
"Daddy!"
"Yeah?"
"Look at this! Spirit friends!"
Swoosh-
Choryeon smiled and cupped her hands toward me.
"I can't see them."
"Open your eyes wide and focus!"
"I can't see..."
As Choryeon said, I opened my eyes wide and focused.
Then, tiny dots appeared on her palm.
"They're nature spirits just born. They're rare in 04 District, but you'll see them often around here. Say hi when you see them! They'll love it!"
Choryeon greeted them gently.
"Hello, spirits! Let's all live happily together!"
"..."
"Say hi quick, Daddy!"
"M-me too?"
"Yeah!"
It felt a bit awkward.
But I waved as Choryeon instructed.
"Uh, hi."
Then, the newborn tiny spirits waved back at me.
They were returning my greeting.
'Cool.'
First time seeing spirits this newly born.
Choryeon smiled brightly at me and said.
"Seeing them like this, they feel like kids between you and me."
"Choryeon."
"Yeah?"
"That's not quite right."
Don't get too immersed in the mood.
What nonsense is this?
"They're your friends, Choryeon. What do you mean kids?"
"...Tch."
Choryeon clicked her tongue in disappointment.
Trying to squeeze into every gap.
'How long does this kid plan to keep up the marriage play with me?'
She'll grow up soon enough, and even "I love Daddy!" will be harder to hear.
But if she brings home some weirdo to marry...
'I'd never forgive that. Daring to take my daughter for free?'
The daughter I raised with such care.
With that thought, I took Choryeon's hand.
"Anyway, enough nonsense. Let's head home."
"Neeeng..."
"But today was fun, Choryeon."
Walking and talking together was enjoyable.
We don't get much alone time like this.
Choryeon beamed at my words and replied.
"I had fun today too, Daddy!"
"Good to hear."
"Not just today—let's have even more fun from now on! I love you, Daddy! Hehe!"
I stroked the head of my sweetly speaking Choryeon.
Dad and daughter.
We'd surely have many more fun times ahead.
Walking Mangmung down the street, we looked undeniably like a harmonious family.