Chapter 64
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Wriggle Wriggle
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The day So-ye was coming home.
The road to the countryside house felt lighter than ever before.
For the past few days, I'd been busy preparing the annex where she would stay.
I'd peeled off the old wallpaper and put up new, and filled it with cute furniture to match her tastes.
Counting down the days to today.
"So-ye, we've got some new friends at home, but they're all good kids, so don't be too startled."
"Mm... What about Gorani?"
So-ye asked cautiously.
She must have been thinking about those scary, sharp teeth from last time.
"Ah, it should be fine now."
Finally, the car pulled up in front of the countryside house.
"Alright, let's get out."
So-ye stepped out of the car as carefully as if she were entering a whole new world.
She had been here once before, but back then it felt like visiting as a guest.
Now, this was truly our home.
"Up you go."
I lifted her into my arms and set her down, and the moment her feet touched the dirt yard...
-Hrmph!
"Ki-yot!"
"Pwaeng!"
"Cluck!"
Gorani and Muryong, Hasuo and the now-quite-sturdy chickens—all the family members had come out to the yard to welcome So-ye.
So-ye hesitated for a moment at the unfamiliar sight, but then her eyes widened at the sight of Gorani.
"Oppa, that... the scary teeth from last time."
"Not scary anymore. See?"
Gorani's long, sharp fangs had been hidden away thanks to the artifact long ago.
"Ki-yu?"
Gorani looked at her with innocently wide eyes, as if to say it had never had such things, pulling off the most naive expression—a giant deer, gentle as can be.
"Oh? It's true!"
Only then did So-ye relax her guard and approach carefully, stroking Gorani's massive neck to her heart's content.
Gorani wagged its tail happily.
The others approached So-ye cautiously as well.
-Hrmph!
Muryong grabbed the laces of So-ye's shoes in its mouth and tugged playfully, ever so gently.
It was Muryong's way of showing affection, now that it had gotten familiar with her.
"Huh? These petals—are they for me?"
"Pwaeng..."
Hasuo shyly placed its treasured petals at So-ye's feet.
"Thank you! Oh? Chickens too!"
So-ye especially took a liking to the chicken circling her without fear.
The chicken stayed right by her side, calmly accepting her pets without any fuss.
"......"
And in So-ye's arms, Bunny nestled as if it were the most natural thing, watching the whole scene.
And so, our little family was finally complete.
Today was all about So-ye.
I pulled out every trick I'd learned in cooking class to prepare a feast as lavish as possible.
I'd saved up all the fresh eggs the chickens brought every morning just for today.
Sizzle—
I whisked all those eggs and mixed in finely chopped Sweet Onions and Sun-Soaked Carrots to make fluffy omelets rice.
Instead of ketchup, I slathered on a tangy-sweet sauce made from Vitality Tomatoes!
From the Sunlight-Infused Pumpkins, I whipped up sweet purees perfect for spreading on bread.
"Alright, everyone, time to eat!"
We gathered on the porch for a meal that felt a bit livelier than usual.
So-ye took a big bite of her omelet rice, her eyes going wide.
"Wow! Oppa, the egg... it's like a cloud!"
The eggs melted silkily in her mouth, paired with crisp, crunchy veggies.
The Vitality Tomato sauce had a natural sweetness—no fake sugar—just delightful flavor that was perfect even for kids.
"It's sooo good!"
Maybe it was a taste she'd never had before, because So-ye's little fork wouldn't stop.
-Hrmph!
Muryong clutched a hamburger steak as big as its face and chomped away happily, while Gorani buried its face in a bowl of pumpkin puree.
It was a thoroughly satisfying meal for everyone.
"Ahaha! Muryong, that tickles!"
So-ye's laughter echoed across the yard.
I pulled out my old film camera to capture the moment.
Click!
So-ye riding on Gorani's massive back like a horse.
-Hrmph!
Muryong and Hasuo chasing after her excitedly.
The chicken clucked nearby like a referee, while Bunny sat quietly on the porch, watching it all.
"......"
I captured those precious moments one frame at a time.
In the flow of time rushing by, I wanted to hold onto this peaceful instant forever.
Taking photos might just be a kind of magic that freezes time.
"Quite the collection."
Looking at the dozens of film rolls I'd built up, I felt proud of all the happy memories piling up.
Then I took out the small artifact I'd gotten from my deal with Yu Seo-jin.
📜 Name:Memory Developer
⭐ Rank:Common
📝 Description:A convenient artifact that develops film into photos using mana in just 10 seconds. (No ink or photo paper needed.)
Whirr—
The photos I'd just taken emerged one by one.
In them, our family smiled the happiest smiles in the world.
After the meal, Gorani and Muryong dozed off on the porch.
The chickens seemed to have business up in the back hills.
Po-rong—
"Hm?"
Hasuo took So-ye's hand and led her to the garden.
Then it pointed to where the Hope-Infused Fleeceflower Seed was planted.
"Pwaeng."
"...Here?"
So-ye tilted her head but gently reached out toward the soil where a tiny sprout had emerged.
At that moment.
Shiiiine...
So-ye couldn't see it.
But Hasuo could clearly see the iridescent light blooming from the bead, softly enveloping her hand.
Hasuo finally realized it.
The final piece to complete this seed was in place.
Now it was time for the harvest.
In Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul—a three-story mansion with a sprawling garden beyond the walls.
"Noona, come down for breakfast!"
"Coming now, hold on."
S-Rank Hunter Seol Yun-ha, known as the Dimensional Witch, sat at the table with her just-woken face.
On the marble table sat a neatly prepared breakfast.
The walls held abstract paintings by famous artists, and a display case filled one side of the living room, gleaming with her father's Supreme Court Justice medal and her mother's proud lawyer trophy.
Her father, a former Supreme Court Justice, and her mother, head of Korea's largest law firm.
Seol Yun-ha's family was elite, at the pinnacle of politics and business.
Her mother elegantly set down her fork and spoke.
"I've set up dinner tonight with the youngest son of the Taesan Group. They say he's a good guy."
"...I'm not going."
"You're at that age now. How long do you plan to stay single?"
"I'm sick of guys who only approach because of my S-Rank title. Ruins my appetite."
Seol Yun-ha scowled.
Her silvery hair cascaded, framing amethyst eyes like jewels.
Mystical features that could belong to a Westerner, yet they harmonized perfectly with her Eastern facial structure, creating dazzling beauty.
Plus her S-Rank ability to manipulate space.
All of it drew blind courtship from countless men.
But none saw Seol Yun-ha herself.
They just lusted after what she had.
"Then, do you have someone you like?"
She paused her chopsticks at her father's question.
"Don't you remember what I always say?"
"What, someone overwhelmingly stronger than you?"
Her go-to ideal type.
"Does a guy like that even exist? Let me think... Yu Jin-hyuk maybe?"
Yu Jin-hyuk?
Seol Yun-ha pondered deeply.
'No, someone stronger than him.'
Suddenly, a certain back figure came to mind.
The nameless man—Gorani Man—who had saved her at the heart of the Okinawa disaster.
She was just curious.
What was he doing right now, wherever he was?
'I didn't even properly thank him.'
Her gratitude toward Gorani Man only grew with time.
If he hadn't appeared then, none of this—family breakfasts, her honor as an S-Rank Hunter—would remain.
"......"
Seol Yun-ha gazed out the window, silently thanking her nameless benefactor.
If they met again someday, she wanted to convey her gratitude.
He probably never knew how precious it was to be alive like this.
The time when dawn mist softly enveloped the countryside yard.
Po-rong—
Hasuo woke mid-sleep, rubbing its eyes, and headed to the garden.
Crunch, crunch.
It instinctively knew.
The signal that the time had come for the Hope-Infused Fleeceflower Seed.
Just as Hasuo arrived at the field.
Plop!
The small, milky bead at the stem's end had ripened perfectly and fell to the ground like dew.
"......"
Hasuo carefully lifted the tiny bead, handling it like the most precious offering in the world, lest it break.
Then it headed to So-ye's room, where she slept.
At that moment, So-ye slumbered soundly in her room.
Hasuo appeared by her bedside, holding the small bead.
"Pwaeng..."
Hasuo knew the fruit had finally found its true owner.
Like a knight completing its mission, it gently placed the fruit by So-ye's head.
But now what?
It pondered hard with its little mind, then soon fell back asleep.
-......
And beside it, Muryong had appeared before they knew it.
Muryong stared at the fruit Hasuo brought, then casually batted it with a front paw, rolling it up.
And with a pop, pushed the bead between So-ye's parted lips as she slept.
Gulp.
"Mm..."
So-ye felt something sweet slide down her throat in her sleep, but thought it was just a pleasant dream.
The next morning.
So-ye opened her eyes just like always.
But something was off.
Her body, once heavy and stuffy, felt as light as a feather, and her mind was refreshingly clear, like mist had lifted.
"Huh? That's weird. Is it because I'm at Oppa's house?"
She couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed, but a tickly, pleasant, mysterious energy had swept through her body.
Overnight, she felt better than she ever had—beyond compare.
Whatever it was, it felt amazing!
So-ye hopped out of bed, eyes sparkling happily.
"Up we go."
As she stepped down from the bed, her gaze fell on the desk.
The cute desk Oppa had set up for her.
Pamphlets from top elementary schools lay spread out on it.
Kang-hyun had meticulously noted each school's pros, cons, and features.
Seeing his caring touch made her smile without realizing it.
'School...'
Soon, she could really go to school with friends.
The thought filled her with so much excitement and anticipation.
"Hm?"
Then So-ye's eyes stopped at the bedside.
There, Muryong and Hasuo leaned against each other, fast asleep.
"Heehee."
So-ye gently stroked the heads of the two soundly sleeping little ones with her small hand.
A new morning dawned, full of great expectations.