Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Suryeon's Search History
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As dimensional gates began appearing all over the world,
a climate crisis struck every country, including South Korea.
Summers hot enough to cook your skin, or sudden hail from clear skies.
All sorts of indescribable weather changes were observed.
Among them, the most noticeable phenomenon was that South Korea no longer had four distinct seasons.
“Ugh, it’s so damn hot. Why’d it suddenly get this scorching?”
Was it because people had gone mad for that sweet-salty craze?
Everything was extreme, no middle ground.
If it was hot, it was brutally hot. If it was cold, it was brutally cold.
I wiped the sweat dripping down my face and watered the lettuce plants whose leaves I’d waxed bare last week.
Splash, splash, splash—
“Grow big and strong, you lettuces.”
I’d made a tidy profit selling all the lettuce last time, luckily.
Though Tubby and Skinny bought nearly half of it.
Not a bad side gig.
“Haah, better water everything quick and head back.”
It’s hot as hell.
I finished watering all the planters on the rooftop.
Now, escaping the blazing sun, I headed for the rooftop’s metal door to go home.
“Someone’s coming up.”
I heard slow footsteps ascending.
I ran into the old lady climbing up to the rooftop.
I waved cheerfully in greeting.
“Oh, Granny. What brings you to the rooftop?”
“Gonna check on my crops, you rascal.”
“It’s so hot out—what’s there to check? I already watered everything, so just head back down.”
“You watered it all?”
“Yeah.”
The granny stared at me like she couldn’t believe it.
Am I that untrustworthy?
“That hurts my feelings, Granny.”
“Save your whining till you pay the back rent, punk. And that lettuce you gave me last time—was that really grown up here on the rooftop by you?”
“Yep, I grew it.”
“Not as useless as you look, huh? That lettuce was good. My back pain eased up a bit.”
“Who grew it? Of course it’s good for your health.”
It had dragon magic in it.
No way it wouldn’t be healthy.
‘Even if a regular person eats it, they won’t develop dragon magic in their body, she said. So if Granny keeps eating it steadily, her back should hurt less.’
Suryeon had told me,
‘Eating lettuce is fine. Unless you shower in, wash your face with, and drink water infused with dragon magic like Daddy does, you won’t develop dragon magic.’
It’s a unique phenomenon caused by sharing even the magic mixed in a dragon’s breath.
Grandma suddenly awakening dragon magic or something? Not happening.
I scratched my head roughly and said,
“Well, if you liked it, I’ll give you more next harvest.”
“Look at you, finally turning into a decent human.”
The granny looked somehow moved.
Just how much of a trash was I before?
She stared at me quietly for a moment, then spoke slowly.
“I’m not as young as I used to be. Climbing up here’s getting hard, and my back aches. If you’re gonna keep using those crops in the planters, handle them yourself.”
“The cherry tomatoes and peppers? I can take care of those?”
“I’m heading down to rest. Do whatever if you’re using them.”
Granny said it coolly and went back home.
I watched her retreating back and cheered inwardly.
‘Jackpot—my crops just doubled.’
Choryeon’s happy for more side dishes.
I’m happy for more money.
Granny’s happy for crops without the effort.
‘…Gotta bring her some after the harvest.’
More work on my plate, sure.
But looking at the planters on the rooftop, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
‘These are all my crops now, huh.’
Is this the joy of farming?
Feels good.
***
Even if the weather outside was scorching,
this cramped studio always stayed at the perfect temperature.
Because Hwaryeon radiated heat and Suryeon emitted coolness.
Choryeon handled humidity and dryness.
The dragon sisters maintained perfect balance.
“You adorable little treasures. Thanks to you, I don’t need to buy any appliances!”
How much are they saving me on the electric bill?
In my joy, I grabbed the cheek of Hwaryeon, who sat there slack-jawed staring blankly at the TV.
“My precious treasures!”
“Aha—! Leggooo—!”
Thud thud thud—
Hwaryeon shook off my prank and fled.
“I was watching TV! Why ruin it? That was an important scene!”
Grumble— grumble—
Hwaryeon scowled, fuming.
I quickly raised both hands in surrender.
“Got it. Won’t do it again.”
“Hmph, do it again and it’s war!”
Grrrr—
Hwaryeon warned me and plopped back down in front of the TV.
She was watching a childish cartoon about a penguin who became president.
“…It wasn’t like that when I watched it. How’d she get all the way to president?”
Scary kid.
Just how far does she plan to climb?
World domination next?
I felt fear at her growth trajectory.
Then I switched targets and headed to Suryeon’s side.
“Suryeon, whatcha doing?”
“…If you’re here to bother me, go away.”
Chilly—
Suryeon set down her smartphone and glared at me coldly.
She’d gotten hooked on her smartphone instead of TV lately.
When I asked why, she answered like it was obvious.
“TV’s full of useless info. Nothing I care about. But this smartphone lets me look up whatever I’m interested in.”
“I see.”
In that case.
“Suryeon, what are you into?”
“…!!”
Suryeon quickly hid her smartphone behind her back at the question.
Suspicious as hell.
“What exactly do you search for to react like that…?”
“…Daddy, don’t invade my privacy.”
“Your mental health’s seriously worrying me, Suryeon.”
Smartphones are great.
But they have their downsides too.
Especially for a blank-slate kid like her getting tainted by weird stuff.
Worst case, she discovers padlip.
‘Can’t let this slide.’
Confiscate the smartphone.
I reached for the one she’d hidden behind her back.
“Hand over the smartphone!”
“No, don’t…!”
Whoosh—
Suryeon held the smartphone high overhead.
Then she jumped up and bounced around the cramped studio.
Like she’d never let it go.
“Humans value privacy…! If you’re human, Daddy, you should respect your kid’s privacy…!”
“How can I respect it if it feels like a problem?!”
I’m a dad before I’m human.
Dragons can’t get corrupted by weird stuff.
The internet’s full of unimaginable crap.
Unaware of my intentions, Suryeon dodged my hand nimbly and yelled,
“You had issues too, Daddy…! Your search history had human females—”
“Th-that’s ’cause I’m an adult! Anyway, you’re too young for that!”
Why’s she so damn fast?
She barely moves otherwise.
I struggled quite a bit to catch Suryeon.
But you can’t keep running forever in a cramped studio.
“Aaah—!”
Suryeon stopped to avoid stepping on her self-built castle.
And got caught in my hand.
“…Why’d it have to be here of all places.”
“Gotcha now, you rascal!”
Heh heh heh—
I grabbed her wrist and snatched the smartphone she clutched tightly.
Seeing her slump to the floor, strength drained, made me feel like a thief.
“…I hate Daddy.”
“I didn’t wanna do this either. The world made me.”
Too much in this world kids shouldn’t see.
Fine when they grow up.
But not now.
To see what Suryeon usually did on her smartphone, I opened it and went to the browser.
Then, like she’d done to me before, I checked the search history.
“Let’s see.”
“…Hate you.”
“Hm?”
What’s this?
I checked the history and got a little flustered.
Totally not what I expected.
‘I figured she searched dragons and found weird comics or stories about them. Turns out it’s fine?’
Like classics such as a transparent dragon wailing, a high school girl turning into a dragon, or a dragon transforming into a carriage.
Guess that was my misconception.
Suryeon’s history was relatively normal.
“Let’s learn about SCP… Why Earth is flat… Reptilians exist…? AREA 51 has dragons, not aliens…?”
“D-don’t say it out loud… I really hate you…”
“…Suryeon. You like conspiracy theories?”
Unlike her appearance, Suryeon was into conspiracy theories.
Kids her age sometimes liked that nonsense.
Didn’t expect it from a dragon like her.
“Suryeon.”
“…What.”
“You’ve got some cute sides to you.”
“…”
Was my last line the finishing blow?
She burrowed into the blanket without a word and rolled herself up.
Back to blanket bug.
‘Oh no, did I tease her too much?’
Shouldn’t have.
I rushed over and spoke to Suryeon, now one with the blanket.
“N-no, I meant it’s cute! I-I’ll set it to kids’ mode! Won’t check your history next time! Sorry, Suryeon!”
“…”
And so.
I chattered nonstop beside her to soothe her.
Until her sulky mood lifted.
“…”
Suryeon stayed hidden in the blanket for a good while, then sniffled faintly and emerged.
I quickly slipped the smartphone back into her hand.
Her crying stopped.
“…Don’t check my search history.”
“Got it, Suryeon. Daddy’s sorry. Won’t do it again.”
Good, she’s over it.
Took a while, but we made up with some talk.
And so, the commotion with Suryeon ended—for now—with setting kids’ mode.
One thing I realized…
You gotta be way more careful handling a sensitive kid.