Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: Molting (2)
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Lee Ha-jun entered the molting process.
It was because he possessed an amount of dragon mana that was too much for a human body to handle.
"Hmm..."
The living room.
Lee Ha-jun lay on the floor, enveloped in a thin membrane.
The dragon mana, fully packed inside the thin membrane, was reconstructing his body.
Once the molting process ended, he would undoubtedly face tremendous changes.
"Daddy, you'll be able to molt okay, right?!"
"...He has to."
"I-I'm so worried!"
That is, if he succeeded in molting.
Lee Ha-jun was human, after all.
Since he wasn't a dragon, the molting process came with great danger.
That was why the dragons trembled with anxiety as they watched the process.
"If you fail, I'll kill you myself, Daddy! So hurry up and shed that shell and come out!!"
"If Daddy dies, I'll hate the world. I'll bring suffering to the entire world."
"If Father passes away... I'll turn you into a vegetable so you can live forever... So please open your eyes quickly, Father...!"
Each and every one of the dragons made terrifying statements.
Yet their eyes were filled with worry.
If Lee Ha-jun failed to molt and died.
What would the remaining dragons do with their lives from then on?
...
...
...
The dragons had never once thought about such questions.
They had believed Lee Ha-jun would always live by their side.
They had never even considered that worst-case scenario.
"Uwaaah, I'm so worried! Hurry up and tear through that membrane and come out! Stupid Daddy!"
Stomp, stomp, stomp—
Hwaryeon stomped her feet in anxiety.
"...Do your best, Daddy."
Crunch—
Suryeon bit her nails in anxiety as well.
"Pray for our father, Mangmung..."
"Mangmang..."
Squeeze—
Choryeon hugged Mangmung tightly in her anxiety.
Once Lee Ha-jun entered the molting process.
The dragons began to feel anxious, like children who had lost their parents' hands.
That was why they prayed desperately in their hearts.
They hoped Daddy would return soon and take their hands again.
Even dragons didn't want to become lost children who had lost their parents' hands and gotten lost.
"But what do we do about dinner?!"
"...Yeah."
"We could just eat some grass from outside...?"
It had been one hour since Lee Ha-jun entered the molting process.
The dragons were already facing a crisis.
***
Pat, pat, pat—
The dragons immediately checked the kitchen.
They couldn't skip dinner.
"Let's see what's here!"
"I'll check the fridge."
Stomp, stomp, stomp—
Suryeon headed to the fridge.
Hwaryeon spoke to Choryeon, who was tightly hugging Mangmung.
"Yi Choryeon!"
"Yes."
"Put Mangmung down and help me! Go get a chair from the dining table!"
"Got it, Hwaryeon unnie."
Choryeon obediently followed Hwaryeon's words without complaint.
Choryeon pulled out a dining chair and brought it over with grunts of effort.
"I got the chair!"
"Put it in front of the gas stove!"
Choryeon placed the chair in front of the gas stove.
"Hmph, perfect! Now move aside!"
"Yes."
Hop—!
Hwaryeon landed lightly on the chair with her impressive jumping ability.
"Now I can see properly!"
She was too short to check the gas stove before.
But now that she was on the chair, she could finally see the pot on the gas stove.
"Let's see what's in this! Heave-ho!"
Hwaryeon opened the pot lid to check the contents.
Immediately, a sour, fermented smell of kimchi stew assaulted her nose.
"It's kimchi stew! There's pork in it too! We can have this for dinner!"
Fortunately.
There was stew left in the pot.
As Hwaryeon let out a brief sigh of relief.
"I checked the whole fridge."
Suryeon appeared, holding a side dish container from the fridge.
Suryeon used the dining chair to place the side dish container on the table.
"There were basic side dishes like kimchi, anchovies, soy-braised beef, and bean sprouts."
"There are still a lot of side dishes! That's a relief!"
Color returned to Choryeon's face.
Meanwhile, Hwaryeon checked the rice cooker and came over.
"There's enough rice in the cooker for today! Let's eat now! I'm hungry!"
"Sure."
"Yes!"
And so.
The kids began preparing dinner, each pitching in.
"Fire is my specialty!"
Whoosh—!
Hwaryeon boldly turned on the gas stove and heated the kimchi stew.
"I'll set out the spoons and chopsticks."
Suryeon neatly arranged the utensils on the table.
"How much rice do you all want?"
"A lot!"
"A little."
"I'll serve Mangmung some rice too!"
Choryeon used the chair as a step stool to scoop rice into the bowls.
With all the meal preparations complete.
"Let's eat!"
"Let's eat."
"Let's eat!"
They began dinner.
Unlike usual, it was a dinner with Lee Ha-jun's seat empty.
"See, we can do it easily without Daddy! Cooking isn't hard!"
"We're dragons. We can handle it without Daddy."
"Y-Yeah...! Ahaha...!"
"Mangmang—!"
We can handle it ourselves without Daddy.
That was the last conversation at the table.
Even though they said it without being honest.
...
...
...
They knew all too well how big the empty space left by Daddy was.
Even as they ate, their eyes were fixed only on Lee Ha-jun's empty seat.
***
It had been about two days since Lee Ha-jun started molting.
The kids' crisis began anew.
"Th-the kimchi stew is all gone!"
"...We ate almost all the side dishes too."
"This is bad!"
Emergency—!
With Daddy's prepared food supplies gone.
The kids panicked, not knowing what to do.
"What do we eat now?! Dinner time is coming up soon!"
"We could eat snacks."
"That won't fill us up."
The kids huddled together, deep in thought.
Among them, Hwaryeon made a suggestion.
"No choice but to eat Mangmung?"
Swish—
Hwaryeon turned her gaze toward Mangmung.
Startled, Mangmung's eyes went wide.
"M-Mangmang...?!"
"Mangmung. It looks like it's time to eat you!"
"M-Mangmang!!"
Scamper, scamper, scamper—!
Mangmung fled quickly, not wanting to be eaten.
Choryeon spoke firmly to Hwaryeon.
"Don't bully Mangmung, Hwaryeon unnie. Mangmung really understands what we say."
"Hmph, what am I supposed to do! More importantly, what about dinner! I'm getting hungry!"
Above all, meals were the priority.
Hwaryeon rubbed her growling stomach and thought.
About how to overcome this difficulty.
"Ah!"
"Did you think of something good?"
"We can eat ramen!"
Ramen.
Simple food that could be boiled quickly.
Hwaryeon dragged over the dining chair and checked the shelf.
It was packed full of ramen.
"We're three, so... let's boil four!"
Hwaryeon grabbed ramen from the shelf and placed it on the table.
"Everyone, let's prepare rice! Suryeon, you get the water! Choryeon, you get the side dishes!"
"What about you, Hwaryeon unnie?"
"I'm gonna boil the ramen! Bubble bubble!"
Shrug—!
Hwaryeon shrugged confidently.
She had eaten without issue so far, so she seemed quite self-assured.
...
"Hwaryeon unnie."
...
"Why is the ramen submerged in water? And the noodles are all puffy?"
That is, until they saw the monstrous Han River ramen.
Hwaryeon looked at the Han River ramen she made and slightly turned her head away.
"...This wasn't me."
"Then who was it?"
"Suryeon! She couldn't control the water! She put in too much water!"
Hwaryeon deftly shifted the blame.
Suryeon clicked her tongue in response.
"Tsk, why is it my fault? I just poured the water. You were the one boiling it, Hwaryeon unnie."
"You put in too much water to begin with! It's not my fault!"
Bicker, bicker—
Hwaryeon and Suryeon argued, insisting it wasn't their fault.
Caught in the middle, Choryeon sighed and shouted.
"Okay! Let's just eat! The ramen's gonna turn into rice cakes at this rate!"
Eat before the noodles swell more.
At those words, Hwaryeon and Suryeon clamped their mouths shut.
"Just eat all your rice."
"That's what I should say, Hwaryeon unnie."
Grrrr—
Hwaryeon and Suryeon declared a temporary truce and began eating the ramen.
Ramen swimming in water, with bloated noodles.
"It tastes bad!"
"No flavor at all."
Of course it wouldn't taste good.
But they had to fill their stomachs.
So the kids had to put the Han River ramen in their mouths.
It had been two days since Lee Ha-jun left his seat.
The kids felt his absence down to their bones.
"Kwaaaang—!! When are you waking up, Daddy—!! Hurry up and wake up—!!"
"I can't stand these idiots anymore. Come back quick, Daddy."
"Father, I miss you! Please save me and Mangmung!"
"Mangmang—!!"
The kids all wailed toward Lee Ha-jun.
But Lee Ha-jun lay on the floor with his eyes closed, unaware even in his dreams.
There was still quite a bit of time left before he shed his old skin.
"Please come back, Daddy! I want to eat your food! I won't complain about side dishes anymore! Come make us something delicious!"
"...I'll be a little more honest. Hurry back, stupid Daddy."
"It's been 54 hours and 29 minutes since I last heard Father's voice... I want to hear Father's voice... Please come back soon..."
If only I had been a little better.
If only I had listened better.
The kids thought that as they desperately waited for Daddy to wake.
A child's world is made of their parents.
Their world had come to a standstill.
Day two.
They still had a very long time to wait until the molting ended.