Chapter 053
< A Purer Chaos >
53
While I was packing the bags and bringing the car, So-ye remained dazed as if wondering if this was a dream or reality, just hugging Bunny.
“What are you doing? Get in.”
“Hmm? Okay!”
So-ye’s eyes widened as she climbed into the car.
“Wow! Oppa, I’ve never seen this car before! It’s totally cool!”
So-ye buried herself in the soft leather seat, having fun opening and closing the sunroof on the ceiling.
It was the pure joy of a child.
Then suddenly, So-ye’s expression became serious.
“So-ye, what’s wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?”
So-ye didn’t answer immediately and just twitched her lips.
Then, the words she finally managed to say were.
“Oppa······ do you have money? You’re not even going to work anymore······.”
I burst out laughing, “Pu-ha-ha,” at that sight.
It was a worry this little one had because she knew how much her hospital bills cost.
I knew well that because she matured too early, she was always agonizing over such worries in her heart.
“Our So-ye has absolutely nothing to worry about like that, okay?”
I played an idol song So-ye likes inside the car.
Only then did So-ye’s expression loosen a bit, and she began to hum along to the song.
Then suddenly, she looked out the window and opened her eyes wide.
“······Wow.”
The car left the complicated roads of Seoul and entered a quiet national road on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do.
The forest of gray buildings disappeared, and before her eyes, green rice paddies, fields, and high mountains unfolded like a painting.
By the time we arrived at the country house, the sun was already setting over the west.
“So-ye, before we go in.”
“Hmm?”
I held the hand of my sister who was getting out of the car and spoke carefully.
“At home······ there are some unique friends.”
“Unique friends?”
“Yeah. Don’t be surprised. They’re all good kids, so they’ll be nice to So-ye too. Even if there are very large or very small friends, you don’t have to be afraid. Got it?”
“Yes!”
I took So-ye and entered the yard.
The first one to discover me was Hasuo, who was playing with dirt in the herb garden.
“Pwa-aeng?”
Hasuo waddled out while waving its dirt-covered root hands.
“O······ Oppa, what is that? It’s coming here?”
So-ye was surprised and hid right behind my back.
But a child was a child.
In her unprejudiced eyes, curiosity was greater than fear.
“······That thing, it’s walking?”
“Pwa-aeng······.”
Hasuo also seemed to discover the stranger late, as it felt shy and hid somewhere else.
-Hmyu?
It was right behind Muryong’s back.
Only then did So-ye discover the white creature even smaller than Hasuo.
“Oh?”
So-ye approached Muryong as if possessed.
“What are you? You’re so smooth. You’re squishy!”
So-ye admired while carefully touching Muryong’s round body.
Perhaps thanks to a child’s unique unprejudiced perspective.
So-ye didn’t seem to have a single doubt about how these strange creatures existed, and just accepted them as new animal friends.
I was worried Muryong might be flustered, but apparently that wasn't the case.
-Hmyoot!
Muryong also didn't seem to dislike So-ye’s touch, as it rubbed its body pleasantly.
“Oppa, what is its name?”
“It’s Muryong. Do you like him?”
-Mu-nyo-o-ng!
As soon as I finished speaking, Muryong acted cute by rubbing its squishy cheek against So-ye’s palm.
As if it had met a new friend it had waited for a long time, welcoming vibes overflowed from its entire body.
Seeing that, Hasuo also mustered courage and approached So-ye’s feet.
“······.”
After staring at So-ye intently, it seemed to like her, as it plucked the prettiest leaf from the garden and waved it slightly toward So-ye.
It was Hasuo’s welcoming greeting.
“You’re so cute!”
In that way, the three small ones became friends in an instant.
A peaceful landscape where laughter bloomed over a mere blade of grass.
Watching them, a satisfied smile naturally formed.
“······.”
But somehow, I felt a stinging gaze from behind.
Someone who was watching this joyful scene while lingering alone on the outside.
It was the Gorani.
Thud, thud.
Unfitting for its giant frame, the sound of very careful footsteps was heard.
The long-awaited Gorani finally revealed itself from the shed.
Until now, it had reflexively hidden when seeing strangers, but because it was its first time seeing Muryong and Hasuo hanging out like that, it approached with its giant body as if it wanted to play together too.
But.
So-ye froze on the spot.
“O-Oppa······ Oppa!”
“It’s okay, So-ye. Try touching him. He’s a good boy.”
I felt So-ye’s stiff body.
But at the same time, I could tell she was holding back her fear because she was worried the Gorani might be hurt.
“I-Is that so······?”
“······Heh.”
As if it had been waiting, the Gorani wagged its tail and pushed its giant head toward So-ye’s small hand.
Please pet me!
That innocent look was unmistakably that of a large dog.
So-ye very slowly reached out her trembling small hand.
And just before her fingertips touched the Gorani’s damp nose.
“······Uwaaa! I can’t do it!”
In the end, So-ye burst into tears and hugged me.
“What’s wrong, So-ye?”
“The teeth······ those teeth are too scary···!”
“······!”
At those words, the Gorani froze on the spot as if in shock.
To think its proud fangs were an object of fear to a small person.
In those large eyes, it felt as if a deep sadness was momentarily visible.
* * *
That evening.
Kang-hyun mobilized all the skills he learned in the cooking class to prepare a feast for So-ye.
Everything was made from crops freshly picked from the herb garden.
Choosing only the smallest and softest among the [Tomatoes of Vitality] and peeling them.
Mixed with [Sun-kissed Pumpkin] puree, it was the so-called Sun-kissed Tomato Salad.
Next, egg rolls with finely chopped [Spring Sprout Radish] and [Crunchy Cabbage], with flavor added by [Sweet Onion].
And finally, a soft potato soup made by boiling and mashing [Cozy Potatoes] and adding milk and heavy cream.
He didn't forget the small hamburger steak, which was So-ye’s favorite.
“Wow! It looks delicious!”
So-ye began to eat the food with a bright face as if she had never cried.
Muryong and Hasuo also sat together at the small table and finished their portions smartly.
“Muryong really eats well! So cute!”
While eating her portion, So-ye occasionally cut the food into small pieces with a fork and shared it with them.
Muryong, in particular, didn't miss this opportunity and stuck close to So-ye’s side, receiving food while staring with bright eyes.
-Mu-nyo-o-ng!
Charmed by that sight, So-ye took care of Muryong more than herself, personally putting food into Muryong’s mouth.
Watching the two, Hasuo was quietly emptying its own bowl.
Po-rong, po-ro-rong!
Every time the food was delicious, a clear sound like a bell came from Hasuo.
But at that joyful dining table, only one fellow was not seen.
In a corner of the shed, a giant shadow was sulking in the darkness.
It was the hurt Gorani.
Kang-hyun had separately prepared a special meal made of [Strength-rising Arrowroot] for the Gorani, but it didn't even seem to enter its eyes.
“Kki-yoot······.”
Huddling its giant body with a weak voice, it was whimpering with its face buried in its knees.
Even in the darkness, the drooping large ears and the black eyes submerged in sadness were clearly visible.
Those black eyes turned toward a small puddle where rainwater had collected.
Its own ferocious appearance was reflected on the surface of the puddle.
The sharp fangs shining in the moonlight.
The very appearance that the small person was afraid of.
“······.”
The Gorani stared at its fangs for a moment.
And then, as if making a big decision, it stood up while planting its front hooves firmly on the ground.
* * *
Deep night.
The time when both So-ye and Kang-hyun had fallen into a deep sleep.
Only then did the old rabbit doll, Bunny, obtain freedom.
Lightly.
Bunny soundlessly got off the bed and began to roam the veranda.
Purr··· Purr······
The Gorani was deeply asleep while huddled in a corner of the shed, and Hasuo was sound asleep in the herb garden while covered in its favorite pumpkin leaf blanket.
And Muryong, perhaps because it ate too much compared to usual, was spread out in an 'X' shape in the middle of the veranda with its belly bloated.
Bunny’s gaze stayed on nothing else and headed only toward the middle of the field.
There, the [Disaster Flower], which emitted a요사스러운 (enchanting/wicked) red light even in the darkness of night, was blooming.
Why would this flower be in a place like this.
Bunny scrutinized the Disaster Flower with calm eyes.
During eternal ages, wherever that flower bloomed, there was always only destruction and despair.
Yet how could it be rooted so quietly in this peaceful rural herb garden.
Bunny approached the field and checked the Disaster Flower's energy.
It was out of concern that that ominous energy might harm its Master.
“?”
But it was strange. The energy flowing from the Disaster Flower was not the chaos of destruction.
Rather, it was closer to a clear and powerful life energy that made the surrounding land fertile.
Bunny knew.
That the Disaster Flower was absolutely not an existence favorable to humans.
Yet now, this Disaster Flower was dedicating its everything to be loyal to this land and the Master of this land.
An absolute obedience enough to even flip its deep-rooted nature.
Bunny thought of the master of the garden, Kang-hyun.
Of course, only the Master could make all of this possible.
The only existence capable of taming even primordial chaos into such a gentle lamb.
Bunny’s black button eyes were shining with deep awe.
Step.
Bunny approached the field and stood before the Disaster Flower, which was emitting its enchanting red light even in the darkness of night.
-Tremble···
The Disaster Flower emitted an ominous energy while trembling its petals as a sign of warning at the unauthorized approach of an existence that seemed equal to itself.
But Bunny didn't budge.
Rather, it took one more step.
And then, it lifted its small cotton arm and tapped one of the Disaster Flower's largest and most flashy petals "tuk".
In that instant.
-······!
Every movement of the Disaster Flower froze.
An extremely faint, but utterly pure energy of chaos flowed from the tip of Bunny’s cotton arm.
It was a high-density chaos closer to the source than the chaos the Disaster Flower possessed, capable of erasing everything.
The Disaster Flower realized instinctively.
That that old doll was an existence capable of making it as if it never existed at any time.
The Disaster Flower quietly drooped its petals downward as if bowing its head.
It was a sign of perfect obedience.
Bunny stared at that appearance once with satisfaction, and just as it was about to enter the room where So-ye was sleeping.
Squish.
“······?”
Something warm and squishy was felt on Bunny’s belly.
It was Muryong.
-Hmyo?
Muryong, having woken up, was stuck to Bunny’s body and was tapping the black button eyes with its front paw.
And in that instant.
Bunny felt its world stop.
< A Purer Chaos > END