Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Sister and Little Sister = Jealousy
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Just like always, I went to work and came home, repeating the same routine.
Once I got back and was relaxing.
The conflict between Su-ryun and Cho-ryun started becoming crystal clear.
'Things have felt off ever since then... and it seems to be getting worse day by day...'
My body felt heavy.
I looked at the two dragons pressing down on me from both sides.
Su-ryun was leaning against my shoulder, watching a video on X-Tube about the Seven Wonders of the World.
"The reason the Leaning Tower of Pisa tilts. It has to be because a dragon made it lean that way. The Moai statues were definitely moved by dragons too. No way humans did that."
Su-ryun was insisting on her theory that dragons were behind everything, while leaning against me.
And Cho-ryun was also leaning on my other shoulder, drawing pictures.
"What should I draw today! Maybe the family? Oh, but it looks like the blue crayon is all used up! I don't know where it went, so I'll draw Su-ryun-unnie later!"
...The blue crayon seemed to be right there in its place.
Even though it was there, Cho-ryun claimed it wasn't and kept ignoring her.
Seeing that, I was convinced.
'I can't just leave this alone. I need to step in and fix it.'
I abruptly shook off the two dragons weighing me down and stood up.
They looked at me with expressions like, 'What's this all of a sudden?' but I ignored their stares and headed toward Hwa-ryun, who was glued to the TV.
Then, I spoke to the back of Hwa-ryun's dumb-looking head.
"Hwa-ryun."
"Eek? What, Dad! Why all of a sudden?"
"Wipe your drool first. And, Hwa-ryun, you."
"Huh?"
I pointed to the front door.
"Come to the rooftop with me."
"What?!"
Hwa-ryun jumped up from her seat like a frog.
And then, she suddenly started shadowboxing as she said,
"Alright, Dad! You've accepted my challenge!"
Whoosh-whoosh- swish-swish-
Hwa-ryun threw punches with a pretty stable stance.
But I firmly told her, who was starting to warm up,
"No, I said come to the rooftop because I have something to talk about. What fight? You think I'd fight you?"
"...You could've just said that from the start!"
Hwa-ryun blushed and stopped shadowboxing.
"It's not like that. Come quietly to the rooftop."
"Hmph, I don't like it!"
"You're the one who misunderstood first."
I headed to the front door with Hwa-ryun.
Then, Su-ryun and Cho-ryun tried to follow us.
"I wanna go too."
"Me too, Dad...!"
They scurried after us.
I stopped Su-ryun and Cho-ryun, who were trying to come along, and said,
"You two can't. I have something to talk about just with Hwa-ryun."
"..."
"O... okay, Dad..."
"I'll be back soon. Let's go, Hwa-ryun."
And so, I went up to the rooftop with Hwa-ryun.
Because as a dad, I had to ask the eldest daughter.
Once we got to the rooftop, I confirmed no one was around and opened my mouth to ask.
"Hwa-ryun."
"Yeah, Dad."
"Do you know why those two are acting like that? The atmosphere's been weird."
With me in the middle, they kept glaring at each other, looking ready to fight any second.
What the heck was going on.
Frustrated, I asked Hwa-ryun, who spent the most time with Su-ryun and Cho-ryun.
"Do you maybe know why they're like this?"
"Hmm, looks like Dad has no idea..."
Why was she suddenly striking a pose.
Under the moonlight, Hwa-ryun struck a pose like Sherlock Holmes.
She'd clearly been watching too much TV.
"Dad knows nothing about this case! The truth is always one! What a total dummy!"
"So, Hwa-ryun. What's that truth?"
"It's this, Dad!"
She dramatically pointed her finger at me, hamming it up as she said,
"In the end, you're the problem! I don't know why they're acting up! But the compass of this incident points straight at you!"
She exhaled dramatically, pretending to smoke a cigarette.
'No cigarette, and yet she's puffing out that much smoke.'
Anyway.
"I'm the problem. That's it, Hwa-ryun?"
"Yeah, that's it?"
"Don't you have more to say? Something more specific about why they're fighting."
"Nope?"
"..."
So basically, she just posed dramatically and was totally useless.
Hwa-ryun had apparently mastered how to annoy people.
To cool off my frustration, I charged at Hwa-ryun.
"Hwa-ryun. Get over here."
"W-What! Don't come closer!"
I scooped her up to punish her for all that posing.
"P-Put me down! Let go, Dad!"
And then.
I spun her wildly in the air.
Like a helicopter propeller.
"U-Uwee... This is fun...! D-Dizzy...!"
Revenge for striking that pose and concluding it was my fault.
"Kwaaaang...! Sorry for calling you a dummy...!!"
That evening.
Screams mixed with cheers from Hwa-ryun echoed through Happiness Villa.
***
Today, I went to the Association instead of a Dimensional Gate.
Because there was a monthly counseling session.
"Lee Ha-jun."
"Yes."
"Are you satisfied with your hero work?"
"Yes, yes."
I had a brief chat with the Association staff and got feedback on my shortcomings.
We also discussed what training I should do to improve them.
The Association had this process down pat. It felt really well-structured.
'The Chairman must be scary smart.'
Of course.
I'd heard he'd been planning to establish the Hero Association even before Dimensional Gates appeared in Korea.
He had to be pretty brilliant.
'Wonder if I'll ever meet him.'
What kind of person was the Association Chairman, who was so elusive even rumors were rare.
Thinking that, I walked down the hallway to leave the Association.
That's when I spotted a familiar face coming from the opposite direction.
"What do you know, it's Han Ji-su sunbae, my former mentor."
"Lee Ha-jun. Long time no see."
Han Ji-su greeted me with her usual cool demeanor.
"I've heard you're doing well as a hero. Good results too, right?"
"Of course. I might even catch up to you soon."
"Confidence is good. But."
She looked me up and down.
"What's with that tracksuit? How long do you plan to wear it? You've made good money—wouldn't a sharp suit suit you better?"
"You're right, but..."
I scratched my head awkwardly.
"Raising kids costs a ton. No time, lots of worries. So I keep wearing this. Honestly, it's comfy."
"It does look comfy. Mind if I ask something?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"What kind of worries do you have raising kids?"
Han Ji-su was curious about child-rearing.
As a woman, it made sense she'd be interested.
I sat on a hallway bench, sipping vending machine coffee she'd bought me, and said,
"Raising kids brings a ton of worries. How to raise them right, what parenting style is best, did I do well by them today? Feels like I'm maturing a bit, I guess?"
"Sounds kinda fun."
"It is."
Even if emotions rollercoaster.
It definitely was.
Han Ji-su looked at my slight smile and asked,
"Anything new lately?"
"Recent stuff... yeah, there's one thing."
I explained to Han Ji-su about the situation between Su-ryun and Cho-ryun.
About how they kept glaring at each other with me in the middle.
She listened intently and replied,
"I've been through that myself."
"Huh?"
"I'm the youngest, so I know. I have an older sister and brother. My sister used to bully me a lot."
"Why?"
"Because the youngest steals all the affection. Youngest kids tend to hog their parents' love."
The late-born youngest monopolizes parental love.
The older sister, jealous of the youngest, vies for affection.
The youngest, feeling robbed by the sister's actions, gets jealous in return.
"So back then, my sister and I fought every day. Pulling hair, turning away from each other in photos. Funny now that we get along."
Han Ji-su closed her eyes, lost in memories, sharing her old stories.
I listened closely and reflected on my own actions.
'...Have I been favoring Cho-ryun too much lately as the baby? Su-ryun, who was already in a bad state, got jealous, and then Cho-ryun got jealous of that jealousy.'
Was Hwa-ryun right that it was my fault after all.
I'd wrongly punished her with the Dragon Helicopter.
'Sorry for slandering you, Hwa-ryun. I'll buy you something tasty on the way back.'
I apologized to Hwa-ryun in my mind.
Maybe because she saw how down I looked.
Han Ji-su added softly,
"But that doesn't mean it's the parents' fault. Parents naturally dote more on the youngest. And give a bit less to the older one."
In the end.
"Fighting between older and younger sisters over favoritism is natural. Kids grow up fighting. I don't think it's the parents' fault."
Han Ji-su clearly conveyed her thoughts to me.
Hearing that, I pondered all the way home.
'Han Ji-su's right. So what can I do?'
What could I, as their dad, do.
I wanted Su-ryun and Cho-ryun to get along.
But apparently, sisters fighting is normal.
Unable to find an answer, I went home and saw the kids.
"Hi, Dad!"
"...You're back?"
"You're home! We were waiting! Bath first, or dinner?"
"Hmm..."
The three dragons welcoming me.
I looked at them one by one and decided on my parenting approach.
'If fights between sisters are natural...'
I'd mediate to prevent fights as much as possible.
But sometimes letting it play out wasn't bad.
Kids growing through fights was true, after all.
'Expecting these super strong-willed dragons not to fight is just my greed.'
Still.
"Yi Su-ryun. Yi Cho-ryun."
"...Why use full names, Dad."
"I don't think I did anything wrong... What's up...?"
"Don't fight each other. If you have complaints, tell Dad directly. I'll listen."
My wish was for the kids to get along happily without fighting.
Even if it was greedy.
Parents are beings who greedily wish for their kids' constant happiness.