Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: The Rapidly Growing Children
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Vacation ended.
The kids turned in their vacation homework.
Fortunately, they buckled down at the last minute and managed to finish it all.
And then.
"Dad!"
"What?"
"Game Ranger Black is dead!"
"Huh?"
Game Ranger Black, who had mercilessly chased away Hwaryeon.
Word came that the guy had died.
Of course, it wasn't like a real person had died.
"That idiot moron! He got careless and died! He looks so pathetic!"
Hwaryeon seemed pretty satisfied about Game Ranger Black dying in the show.
I later heard that the actor who played Black had gotten into some personal scandal.
'They say his personality was trash, so the production team killed him off before the real scandal blew up.'
It was pretty much a forced exit disguised as a death.
After that, school bullying allegations came out, and all hell broke loose.
This is why you have to live right from a young age.
"Hwaryeon."
"Yeah?"
"You can't bully anyone at school. You'd be the most dangerous one."
"Got it! If I have to hit someone, I'll do it outside school!"
How does she even think like that?
I couldn't help but admire Hwaryeon's logic.
Anyway.
The kids' first summer vacation came to an end.
I dove back into work to make money.
'I've been off work too long. Gotta pay back the loan—I can't just sit around.'
Hwaryeon had been ordering way too much delivery food, too.
To pay off the house loan, I'd have to hustle for a while.
"A Dimensional Gate in 04 District? Better head there."
I sent word that I was on my way and headed to the site.
There, I spotted the Association staff waiting for me.
I gave a small bow in greeting.
"Hello."
"Yes, hello."
Bow.
The Association staff bowed back to me.
And then.
"...?"
That was it.
No explanation about this Dimensional Gate or anything—just fiddling with his smartphone.
'What the hell? Is he telling me to get lost?'
It felt like a total brush-off.
As I stood there confused, not saying a word.
The staff glanced at me and asked.
"Uh, do you need something from me?"
"...No matter how I think about it, that sounds like something I should be saying."
"Pardon?"
The Association staff looked utterly baffled.
Frustrated, I shot back at him.
"When do I get the Dimensional Gate briefing? Should I just go in?"
"No, you can't. This one's already reserved."
"Who's it reserved for?"
"Hero Lee Ha-jun."
That's me.
What the hell was this guy talking about?
Right then, it hit me.
'Oh, right. I underwent marrow cleansing.'
Unlike my old face, I looked pretty handsome now.
Looks like the staff didn't recognize me.
I smirked at him and said.
"I'm Lee Ha-jun."
"What? Your face is different."
"How should I put this..."
I couldn't exactly say, "I'm not a reptile, but I shed my skin."
I had no choice but to bullshit my way through.
"I got plastic surgery. Fixed my nose. Shaved down my jaw a bit. Looks natural, right?"
"Hmm..."
"Don't believe me? Do fingerprint recognition. I've got another reserved gate after this one, so I need to hurry."
Time was short.
I authenticated via the fingerprint scanner he held out and headed into the Dimensional Gate.
As I walked away, I heard the staff mutter under his breath.
"He looked so fierce, I figured he'd never be popular. But after plastic surgery, he's handsome—might actually get some fans now."
"..."
What was wrong with my original face?
It pissed me off a little.
But my mood lifted right away.
'He said I might get popular?!'
Thump.
Suddenly, the whole world looked pink.
'Countless DMs from hot models are waiting for me...!!'
Dreaming of that rosy future, I tackled the undisturbed Dimensional Gate.
Maybe because my body felt so light compared to before.
I even set a new record for fastest clear.
Marrow cleansing.
No, the power of plastic surgery was impressive.
***
Summer vacation passed.
Time flew by for us.
I'd take Association jobs, the kids went to school.
Weekends, we'd relax at home together.
Just ordinary daily life.
"Time for everyone to sleep. TV off."
"Okayyy!"
"Mang mang-!"
Late evenings, we'd turn off the TV and get ready for bed.
Brush brush.
Brushing our teeth.
Then flop into the soft bed and sleep.
"Ugh, it's cramped."
"You're too big, Dad!"
"Yeah, Dad's the huge one."
"That's right!"
It was a king-size bed.
But sleeping together left no empty space.
We slept all snuggled up tight.
'When the heck are these kids going back to their own beds?'
Such peaceful days went by.
And we welcomed our first winter vacation.
"C-C-Cold! I'm staying under the blanket!"
In winter, Hwaryeon became one with her blanket.
We could light a fire to beat the cold, but we couldn't in the house, so blanket it was.
"Hmm, it's not that bad. You're overreacting, big sis Hwaryeon."
"I-I'm really cold!"
"Is it, though."
Meanwhile, Suryeon enjoyed winter the most, saying it was refreshing.
She'd go outside to play in the snow and watch it fall from the window at dawn.
"I hope this white snow turns the whole black world upside down. Heh heh heh..."
"...?"
She'd say stuff that was hard to understand.
But Suryeon enjoyed the winter snow in her own way.
"...I don't get what's so great about winter. All the plants die from the cold."
And.
Winter was when Choryeon got the prickliest.
Because all the plants died from the cold, and she couldn't grow veggies indoors, making them scarce.
"Winter being this cold is all because of global warming. Humans are no good for nature after all. For the planet's health, we should probably wipe out about half of them."
"M-Mang mang..."
Shiver shiver.
Mangmung trembled at Choryeon's shocking words.
Winter passed, with each kid reacting differently.
"You know you start school tomorrow, right? Everyone, bed early!"
"Second grade at last! I'm even stronger now!"
Flex!
Hwaryeon proudly showed off her tiny bicep.
It wasn't threatening at all—second-grade muscles, after all.
"...School sounds annoying."
"We still have to go, big sis Suryeon! It's compulsory education!"
"...If we're just learning stuff I already know, why bother going to school?"
Sigh.
Suryeon let out a sigh, like she couldn't comprehend it.
But she knew she had to go anyway.
"Second grade! I hope I make some new friends!"
Of course, Choryeon was super excited.
She seemed thrilled at the idea of meeting new friends.
'At least they're each enjoying school in their own way. No major incidents either—lucky.'
The kids moved up to second grade.
And repeated the same cycle of semesters and vacations.
Maybe because they'd been through it once in first grade.
They adapted perfectly and finished the year without any drama.
"It's so quiet, it's worrying..."
As I voiced my concern, Hwaryeon—mid-rib—replied confidently.
"I took care of everything in second grade, Dad! So of course it's quiet!"
"Hwaryeon. I told you no school violence."
"I didn't do anything! They just came under me on their own!"
Hwaryeon sounded totally innocent.
Was it true?
To fact-check, I looked at Suryeon, my fact-bomber.
"Is what Hwaryeon said true?"
"Surprisingly, yes."
Even Suryeon seemed baffled.
She stared at Hwaryeon like it was ridiculous.
"I can't fathom what these kids see in that single-celled brain of a big sis."
"You're too harsh, Suryeon! Wanna die!?"
"Rude mouth, violent, no delicacy. What the hell is so great about you, big sis Hwaryeon?"
Shake shake.
Suryeon shook her head like she'd given up.
At that, Hwaryeon grabbed a galbi jjim bone and stood up.
Thud!
"Outside, Suryeon! You're dead today!"
"No thanks. Let's talk it out. Dragons should act mature."
Grrr.
Even as they got older, they still bickered nonstop.
'Feels like they're fighting more now that they're in second grade.'
Their bodies grew a bit.
But their minds still felt like little kids.
As Hwaryeon and Suryeon fought, Choryeon jumped in.
"D-Don't fight, big sisters! Dad's watching! If you're gonna do it, at least go somewhere out of sight!"
"Mang mang-! Mang mang mang-!"
Mangmung joined in to stop the fight.
With dinner right in front of them, I held back my anger watching the chaos.
'I need to do proper family dinner etiquette training later.'
Sigh.
They'd aged, but hadn't grown at all.
Sighing at their mental states, I checked my smartphone.
"...Why no messages?!"
Unbelievable.
I'd posted a profile pic showing off my sculpted body.
Proof of my killer hero performance too.
So why zero likes or DMs?
"Why is this happening...? Models should've messaged me by now...!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Is there something on my face?
The kids stopped fighting and gave me pitiful looks.
Then they started unloading their opinions.
"Hmph, guess Dad's not appealing to humans!"
"Ahem, obvious outcome, Dad. Just quit SNS. Better that way."
"I think avoiding SNS is best too, Father. It's bad for the environment. It'll destroy nature."
"Tsk, something's off no matter how I look at it..."
There had to be a problem.
No way after a whole year.
As I pondered my phone intently.
The kids exchanged glances.
"I'm hungry! More rice, Dad!"
"You haven't finished yours."
"I want more! Fill it up ahead!"
Hwaryeon demanded more rice.
"Dad."
"What, Suryeon?"
"Buy me a Nintendo."
Suryeon asked for an expensive gaming console.
"Father! Marry me!"
"You still on that? Dream on, Choryeon."
"Hiiing..."
Choryeon suddenly proposed marriage.
"Mang mang-!"
"Mangmung, what about you."
"Mang mang-!"
"Dog treats?"
"Mang-!"
Sigh.
Even Mangmung wanted treats.
I stared at the kids in the house.
"Are they getting weirder as they age...? Nah, just my imagination...?"
They say worries grow as kids do.
Maybe it's true.
I clasped my hands tight, praying desperately that my daughters wouldn't dark-evolve.
'Please let them grow up big without any accidents.'
Anything but dark evolution.
Even though I don't believe in God, I prayed fervently.
For the kids about to enter third grade.