Chapter 71
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71
Her shout seemed to reverberate through my entire body.
The verge of tears so clearly etched on her face and the sorrow that made her shoulders tremble laid the little one’s emotions bare.
The moment I saw her crouched in the corner of the alley, hands clamped over her ears, I knew at once that she wasn’t just crying because she was lost.
I could only guess that Go Eun-ah’s trauma or some mental barrier had kicked in. She looked so anxious, it was the only explanation that made sense.
I didn’t know what had triggered it. I didn’t know what had happened while I was gone.
But I knew that I was the reason she was crying so sorrowfully.
I knew this was an accident born of my own carelessness.
And so, as I patted the sobbing kid’s back, I apologized.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
I’d only ever seen her running around so energetically that I’d failed to consider a crucial fact: this was the first time in her life she had ever been outside.
This place was unfamiliar to her, and I was the only one she could rely on.
I should have paid more attention, but I hadn’t. The thought weighed on me, and I apologized again.
“I was wrong. I’m sorry.”
“Hic…”
The sobbing continued.
“You’re… you’re supposed to always protect the princess…”
A small hiccup.
Her breath hitched, followed by another sob.
“Always… you have to always protect me…”
I could feel her small body trembling in my arms.
“You said you’d be my knight. You promised you’d be the princess’s knight today.”
Pat. Pat.
Even as I patted her back, I could feel the resentment in her words stirring my guilt.
“I’m sorry… I was wrong. I’ll stay by your side now, so let’s stop crying, okay?”
At my repeated apology, I felt her bury her face deeper into my chest, her breathing ragged.
“Kheu…”
And so, the conversation faded, leaving only the sound of small sobs hanging in the air for a long while.
Sensing the trembling gradually subside, Dokyun lowered his gaze.
Her eyes were puffy and swollen from crying. Her nose was scrunched up as she sniffled. Her lips were crooked.
Her flushed face told me her tears were finally stopping.
It seemed the worst was over. Finally starting to relax, Dokyun took a small breath and wiped at her messy face, speaking in a playful tone.
“You got ugly.”
“Sh-shut up!” she shrieked.
But even as she yelled, she ducked her head low. It seemed the usual, annoying kid was back, and the tension left my body once more.
I wiped away the tear and snot stains from her face, took a portable tissue from my inner pocket, and had her blow her nose with a loud ‘Hmph!’ Only then did she lean against me and stand up, muttering softly.
“The princess is hungry.”
She spoke in a mumble, clutching tightly to the collar of my shirt. Her head was bowed so low, but I could see the tips of her ears, which had turned bright red.
A small chuckle escaped Dokyun’s lips. He stroked her head and said, “Alright, then. Shall we go get something to eat?”
“Something delicious.”
“Sounds good. Hmm, how about pizza?”
When I asked for her opinion, she immediately looked up and nodded.
A smile spread across her face again.
“Let’s go. I’m starving after all that running around.”
With that, I took her hand firmly in mine and we started walking.
*
After leaving the amusement park, Dokyun went to a nearby pizza place and sat watching Eun-ji, who was seated across from him.
Her face, which had been full of sadness just a moment ago, was now filled with happiness as she nibbled on her pizza.
Do kids recover this fast? She looked so bright, tilting her head as she ate.
“Is it good?” Dokyun, who had been silent until now, finally asked.
“Well, it’s edible,” Eun-ji replied with a huff, a hint of arrogance in her tone.
Her reaction made me laugh again for a moment.
Watching her cut her pizza with a fork and knife, a mischievous urge took hold of Dokyun. He let his expression fall, covered his mouth with one hand, and spoke to her carefully.
“Um, by the way…”
“Yeah?”
Eun-ji looked up at his words.
Dokyun met her eyes, then glanced at the pizza she was eating before speaking in a cautious tone.
“You’re not going to put hot sauce on it?”
He spoke with a look of deep concern.
When Eun-ji tilted her head, Dokyun lowered his gaze, avoiding her eyes as he continued.
“When you eat pizza out, it’s ‘common sense’ to put lots of hot sauce on it…”
He trailed off, then added, “You didn’t… happen to not know that, did you…?”
Thud.
The reaction was immediate.
“O-Of course I knew! I just forgot for a second!” she shrieked.
She then grabbed the hot sauce from the side of the table and drenched her pizza with it. Shoving a piece into her mouth, she puffed out her chest and glared at Dokyun.
A moment later.
“Hmph!”
Her lips clamped shut, and her eyes went wide.
Eun-ji froze, her body stiff. She held the pose for a moment before forcing the corners of her mouth into a smile, striking a confident pose as she looked at Dokyun.
It was a posture brimming with pride, as if to say, ‘See that? Impressive, right?’
Dokyun fought back a grin and gave her a thumbs-up.
“Of course, you knew a piece of ‘common sense’ like this. Sorry for doubting you.”
As he said this with a gentle smile, she finally managed to swallow the pizza and replied in a haughty tone.
“Obviously! Who do you take the princess for?!”
Perhaps pleased by the compliment, Eun-ji began to look even more cheerful than before. She took another slice of pizza, doused it in hot sauce, and began to eat.
Wow.
That has to be spicy.
I watched her, but contrary to my expectations, she swallowed it with a much more comfortable expression than before.
Is she good with spicy food?
Dokyun, who had imagined her writhing from the heat, stared in surprise for a moment. Then, he recalled how Eun-ah always added spice to her cooking and nodded slightly.
Considering she mostly cooked red-colored dishes, he could conclude that her body itself had a certain tolerance for spiciness.
As he reached that conclusion, a thought suddenly struck him, and his mind began to race.
Do physical specs not change with the personality?
Dokyun mulled over the hypothesis, recalling everything that had happened so far.
Come to think of it…
The personalities he’d met so far all had different preferences, but none of them had ever shown an aversion to any particular food.
Even Eun-ah, who preferred the spicy version of Jinsun ramen, never said she disliked the mild one. Eun-seol had strange eating habits, but she could still eat normal food.
Then, Go Eun-chae came to mind.
The inexplicable, monstrous strength that crazy bitch had shown him.
Until now, he had thought it was a trait unique to Go Eun-chae.
Has Eun-ah ever used her strength against me?
Never.
With that realization, he recalled the kid’s surprising adaptability at the ice rink, and another possibility began to form.
That monstrous strength was a basic spec built into Go Eun-ah’s body.
It was just that the other personalities, aside from Go Eun-chae, never pushed the body that far, so it was never revealed.
If that’s the case…
It felt like he could see a way forward.
A way to subdue Go Eun-chae. Just as Dokyun’s expression hardened at the thought that he’d found a clue, a voice cut through his thoughts.
“Attendant.”
It was Eun-ji.
“Hm?”
Pulled from his thoughts, Dokyun looked up at her. Eun-ji was studying his face, and she tilted her head as she spoke.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“Ah, right. I should.”
Was I thinking too hard? It seemed he’d even forgotten he was in the middle of a meal.
Pushing his thoughts aside, Dokyun put a smile on his face and spoke to Eun-ji, who was still watching him, in a voice full of amusement.
“Are you looking out for me? Thanks.”
“H-Hmph!”
She whipped her head away, her face blushing.
Feeling another laugh bubble up, Dokyun shrugged slightly and picked up a slice of pizza. As he did, Eun-ji, who was watching him, pushed the hot sauce toward him.
“Here.”
“Huh?”
“You have to put hot sauce on it.”
She said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
What is she talking about? Dokyun pondered for a moment before he remembered the words he’d used to tease her and realized he had dug his own grave.
“Ah…”
A dumbfounded sound escaped his lips. As Dokyun froze, Eun-ji leaned forward and squeezed the hot sauce bottle over the pizza in his hand.
“Geez, how can you eat pizza without hot sauce?”
She said it with a bright smile. After dousing his pizza with so much hot sauce it looked like molten lava, Eun-ji poured the same amount on her own slice, then beamed and spoke again.
“What are you doing? Eat up.”
I’m fucked.
“Ah, thanks…”
I was hoisted by my own petard. Hiding his devastation behind a smile, Dokyun swallowed his tears, offered his thanks, and brought the pizza to his mouth with a trembling hand.
Instantly, a catastrophic flavor erupted from within.
Shit.
This mouth of mine was the problem.
*
My stomach felt like it was going to turn inside out.
A boiling sensation continued to churn within me, all thanks to the pizza I’d just eaten.
The intense flavor gave me a throbbing headache, and my expression soured for a moment. I glanced at Eun-ji beside me and felt a cold sweat trickle down my back.
Did I create a monster?
That terrifying kid had ended up finishing an entire bottle of hot sauce right then and there.
As if she couldn’t taste spice at all, she had casually drenched her pizza, emptying the bottle with the happiest expression she’d worn all day.
S-Scary…
A shiver ran down my spine. A wave of anxiety washed over me, and I tried to steady my trembling body as I drove. After a while, the car finally arrived home.
Getting out of the car in the garage, Dokyun stretched and let out a groan, glancing over at Eun-ji.
She was staring blankly at the closing garage door.
Her mouth was slightly agape, and her expression held a hint of disappointment.
Hmm.
Did she want to play more?
The thought occurred to me, followed by the realization that a kid is a kid. A small smile finally broke out on Dokyun’s face. He tapped her on the shoulder and spoke.
“Where should we go next?”
“Huh?”
Eun-ji’s head turned toward him. Meeting her blank stare, Dokyun smiled again and continued.
“I’m asking where you want to go next time.”
“Ah.”
Finally understanding his words, Eun-ji’s face brightened.
A smile touched her lips for a moment before she caught herself, her expression changing. She crossed her arms and replied in her usual haughty manner.
“It’s ‘common sense’ for the attendant to think of things like that!”
Her prickly tone was so familiar now it didn’t even make me angry.
That damn ‘common sense’ of hers.
I had no idea what she considered common sense, but I just chuckled and nodded. “Hmm,” I said, pretending to think, before finally speaking.
“Then how about the zoo next?”
“The zoo?”
“Yeah, the zoo. We can go see the lions, the giraffes, the pandas.”
As Dokyun nodded and continued his explanation, Eun-ji’s face grew brighter and brighter. Her voice, thick with anticipation, shot back in her usual prickly way.
“That sounds acceptable. Prepare the itinerary.”
“You got it.”
Honestly, that kid had no idea how to say things nicely.
Dokyun let out a long laugh, then tapped Eun-ji’s shoulder and started walking toward the house.
“Let’s go. I’m dead tired from running around all day.”
“Old-”
I flinched.
“Never mind.”
“Old m-”
This little brat.
As Dokyun narrowed his eyes and glared at her, Eun-ji’s lips twisted into a smirk as she finished her sentence.
“Old man.”
With that, she quickened her pace and walked right past him.
“Ha.”
A dry laugh escaped Dokyun’s lips. He stared blankly after her for a moment before starting to walk again.
It had been a truly eventful day.