Chapter 5
Chapter 5
After putting Yeo-reum’s furniture into her room, organizing her clothes, and finishing the final cleaning, it was already time for dinner.
Food and nutrition are absolutely necessary for a child’s growth.
Because of that, I wanted to make Yeo-reum a truly healthy, well-balanced meal.
The problem was…
“I can’t cook.”
I had never cooked a single meal in my life.
Not in my past life, not in this one. The only thing I could barely manage was instant ramen. And honestly, even that barely counted as cooking.
So how did I survive until now?
Well… my past life had special circumstances, and in this life…
To put it simply, having a monster body like Nacht’s was convenient in more ways than just having multiple tentacles.
I didn’t feel hunger, so I didn’t need to eat. I didn’t even have normal biological needs. That part was very convenient.
It wasn’t like I couldn’t eat. I could still enjoy food if I wanted to, but I just never bothered.
Now, that convenience was becoming a problem.
So what was I supposed to do?
Simple.
“I’ll just buy a meal kit.”
The convenience of the 21st century at its finest.
Ah, you might ask why I didn’t just order food.
Because I couldn’t teach a child the culture of delivery food this early. That kind of dopamine was too dangerous for a ten-year-old.
I walked over to Yeo-reum, who was still watching TV carefully.
“Hey, Yeo-reum.”
“Yes…! Mister!”
She turned to me a little late.
“I’m going to cook dinner, but I don’t have ingredients at home. I need to go buy some. Can you stay here quietly for a bit?”
As soon as I said that, she grabbed my leg and looked up at me.
“I… want to come too…”
“You want to come?”
“Yes…”
She nodded, still looking cautious, as if asking whether she was allowed.
I nodded back.
“Alright, Yeo-reum. Let’s go together. Go change your clothes.”
“Yes!”
She ran off to her room.
Just in case, I called after her.
“You can change clothes by yourself, right?”
“I can change…!”
Right. She was ten years old. That should be easy enough.
I turned back to the TV.
A magical girl on screen was currently being overwhelmed by a bat-shaped monster.
Watching that, I thought of Yeo-reum.
The future where I failed to stop her from becoming a magical girl… in that future, she would be fighting just like that character on screen.
The only difference was that the magical girl on TV had allies.
Yeo-reum would fight alone.
And unlike that character, she would always be exposed to dangers she should never face.
I clenched my fist slightly.
No matter what happens, I will protect her.
That became my goal.
About twenty minutes later, I arrived at the supermarket with Yeo-reum, who was wearing simple white clothes and blue pants.
It was my first time entering a supermarket in this world, and it was overwhelming how many things were inside.
I held her hand and guided her inside.
“Yeo-reum, is there anything you want to eat?”
“Something I want to eat…?”
“Yes. Anything you want.”
Preferably something that can be handled with a meal kit.
But Yeo-reum shattered that expectation instantly.
“…Egg roll.”
“Egg roll…?”
“Yes… I want egg rolls…”
Egg rolls.
I wasn’t an expert in cooking, but I knew enough to understand that egg rolls were not simple.
There were no meal kits for it, and store-bought ones were usually disappointing unless they were from good restaurants. And above all, it wasn’t exactly “healthy home food.”
Maybe she didn’t know that. Or maybe she knew but just really wanted it.
Either way, it didn’t matter.
What mattered was that she wanted it.
I quickly searched on my phone: “how to make egg roll.”
Several results came up, but the basic ingredients were similar.
“Alright, Yeo-reum. I’ll make you a delicious egg roll.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah. Trust me.”
We pushed the cart together and started picking ingredients.
Eggs, green onions, carrots, fish sauce, salt, cooking wine, pepper.
Yeo-reum quietly poked my leg.
“…Mister…”
“Yes, Yeo-reum?”
“…Can we not put carrots…?”
Carrots.
She didn’t like them?
Well, kids usually don’t like carrots.
They’re healthy, but…
After thinking for a moment, I nodded.
“Alright. But next time, you have to eat them, okay?”
“Okay… I will…”
Her voice lacked confidence. She clearly had no intention of doing it.
But I understood.
We finished shopping, and while picking up other items like rice, frozen meals, and kimchi, I realized something.
Wait…
Do I even have cooking tools at home?
No. There was no way. A monster like Nacht didn’t seem like the type to cook.
I looked at Yeo-reum.
“…Mister?”
“Yeo-reum, can we buy cooking tools too?”
She tilted her head, as if asking how I survived without them.
That innocent look hit me a little, but I kept a straight face.
She nodded.
“Yes, mister.”
And just like that, what started as buying ingredients turned into fully furnishing the kitchen.
Not that money was a problem.
Between Nacht’s hidden funds and police hazard pay, I probably had enough to buy several houses.
But that wasn’t important.
What mattered was Yeo-reum’s meals.
We went upstairs and picked out kitchenware.
Yeo-reum even picked matching items for herself, so I bought a set for me as well.
Eventually, she asked something unexpectedly direct.
“…Mister, what did you eat until now?”
A sharp question for a child.
It stabbed me directly in the heart.
I smiled awkwardly.
“Uh… I mostly ordered delivery food…”
“I like delivery food too…”
I couldn’t continue the conversation.
If I pushed further, she might start crying.
Food clearly reminded her of her past.
So I changed the topic.
“How about we order delivery tomorrow?”
“…Really?”
Her face brightened instantly.
So she hadn’t had much delivery food before.
That made sense.
“No parents are going to feed their kids delivery food every day.”
“Then tomorrow, let’s eat fried chicken. But today, we eat homemade food, okay?”
She nodded happily.
We headed to the checkout, but then she stopped.
Her eyes were fixed on something.
A display of stuffed animals.
Specifically, a hamster plush.
I walked over, picked it up, and brought it to her.
“Do you want this, Yeo-reum?”
“…No, I…”
She hesitated.
She didn’t want to ask for something like this.
I smiled.
“This little one, take good care of it, okay?”
She nodded immediately.
“Yes, mister!”
She hugged the hamster plush tightly and smiled.
It was the first time I had seen that expression from her.
And it made something in my chest feel strangely warm.
“Alright, let’s pay and go home.”
“Yes!”
We bought everything and headed home.
The plush hamster stayed tightly in her arms the entire time.
I sincerely hoped that smile would continue.
Always.
But life never follows expectations.
Two unexpected things happened.
First, Yeo-reum was cuter than I ever imagined.
“Ehehe… Candy~”
She was rubbing her cheeks against the hamster plush she named “Candy,” and it was dangerously adorable.
The second thing… was more predictable.
I really couldn’t cook.
Back home, I tried making egg rolls, but I failed to properly roll them.
What I ended up with was basically scrambled egg pancakes.
“…Sorry, Yeo-reum. I’m not very good at egg rolls…”
The taste was fine. The recipe worked. But egg rolls are about shape, and I failed that completely.
I bowed my head in apology.
But Yeo-reum shook her head.
Then she picked up a piece and ate it.
And she smiled while eating rice.
“It’s really delicious. So it’s okay…”
That bright smile melted something inside me.
Is she an angel?
Yeah. That made sense.
Someone like her being chosen as a magical girl… that must be because of that pure heart.
And once again, I made a vow.
I will never let Seo Yeo-reum become a magical girl.