Cleaning Up a Botched Enhancement!
Haah… this is honestly a little embarrassing of me. I've gone and turned a child's treasured friend into a monster — a kid who should still be full of nothing but innocence.
"Waaaah! Yeon-sol unni, I hate you! My precious Piyu got all weird! Huaaang!"
Is there any way to fix this? She's crying so pitifully that I feel like I have to make it up to her somehow.
Should I cancel the enhancement?
But it's already plenty stronger than before.
So then I just need to fix the appearance, right?
Think, Jung Yeon-sol. Think. The direction was right — it got stronger, didn't it? There has to be a way to clean this up.
Ah, that's it! Random Enhancement!
Just like when I made that pickled-radish gun sparkle, if I keep enhancing with my brain switched off, an appearance-related option might eventually roll. Then Piyu might turn back into a proper teddy bear. I broke it with enhancement, so I'll fix it with enhancement!
Alright. I am thinking nothing. I am thinking nothing at all.
Tap!
The hammer grazed Piyu's grotesque, taxidermied form, and a brilliant burst of five-colored light wrapped around it.
Yes, that's the feeling! This time it'll work!
But when the light faded a moment later, Piyu looked exactly the same as before.
Grrrrrrowl….
…No, wait. It had actually gained a sound effect option.
Wow, that's incredibly realistic….
It sounded exactly like that bear's growl I once heard in a nature documentary. Damn it.
"Waaah! Piyu doesn't make sounds like that! Unni, you're really the worst!"
As if answering the growl, Ji-yoon's crying grew even louder.
"Pfft… my, my, Yeon-sol-aaah. If you were planning to crack me up the second you walked in, you should've given me a heads-uup~."
CEO Hyun-ji patted Ji-yoon on the back — while fanning the flames all over again.
Ha. She's the worst one here.
But I'm not the kind of person who gives up after a single failure.
There's even a saying that the first swing sets the tone, and random enhancement is supposed to take multiple rolls before you land a satisfying option, right?
Okay. Brain off, again.
I think not. Therefore… do I exist?
Tap.
This time a deep brown light flared, and the growling cut off abruptly. The sound option must be gone, thankfully.
But when the light finally receded, what emerged was Piyu Mk.2, sporting tusks that jutted out like a wild boar's — a proud, majestic… no, a straight-up nightmare-fueling silhouette.
No, that's not it either!
Tap.
Before Ji-yoon could react, I tapped it once more, and this time a menacing glint flickered in its eyes.
Again!
Tap.
This time the teddy bear had grown to roughly twice its size. Far too big for Ji-yoon to carry around, and grotesque on top of that — another bust.
My head felt a little dizzy, and my body heavy like waterlogged cotton, but I could still keep going.
Alright, let's see who wins. You, or me.
Just as I was about to try again, Ji-yoon — who had apparently run out of tears at some point — grabbed my arm mid-swing.
"Stop it! Piyu isn't your toy, unni!"
For a little kid, her grip was surprisingly strong.
"You don't understand! Piyu is my friend! You don't know anything about Piyu, or about how I feel! Hic, hngg…."
The angry child's sorrow seemed to surge up all over again; she bit her lip and started to cry.
…I'd feel too guilty to keep working like this.
Only then did CEO Hyun-ji put on a smile and speak to both of us.
"Yeon-sol-aah, that sense of responsibility of yours isn't baaad, but Ji-yoon's tired, so how about we call it a day for todaaay?"
…Is she telling me to stop here?
No way. I, the youngest lion of mankind — no, wait — I, Jung Yeon-sol, woman! I can't give up here!
"Ji-yoon-a. It's late, so let's head home for tonight. Unni will finish the rest. I promise I'll bring Piyu back to normal, so shall we call it a night? Your mom will worry."
"…I can't leave Piyu behind and go alone."
At Ji-yoon's petulant protest, CEO Hyun-ji took her hand and spoke gently.
"Then why don't you sleep over at your auntie's place tonight? I'll call your mother for yoou."
"…Okayyy."
"Good. Want to go brush your teeth with auntie?"
After getting Ji-yoon up on her feet, the CEO shot me a sly wink.
"Don't stay up too late — get some reeest~. Today isn't the only chance you'll get, you know. You already pushed yourself hard todaaay."
And so the two of them left, leaving only Piyu and me in the living room.
I carefully raised the hammer once more.
One more try should do it. This time, for sure….
But just as I was about to swing, I stopped on instinct.
I'd failed so many times already — was this really the answer?
There was no telling when, or even if, an appearance option would ever come off a random enhancement roll. And even if one did land, there was no guarantee the bear would come back.
On top of that, my body seemed to have hit its limit; it recoiled every time I tried to bring the hammer down.
As if to say that going any further would be dangerous.
So I set the hammer down and stepped briefly outside instead, a cigarette between my lips.
I didn't want to feel any more frazzled by the sight of Piyu's grotesque, taxidermied face.
Not that I could actually smoke. The moment I lit it, I'd be stuck in a coughing fit again.
Taxidermy. The famous line of literature drifted into my mind.
You ask if I know the genius who was turned into a stuffed specimen? I am damn well delighted.
…Well, in my case it's a teddy bear that got stuffed, so I'm not damn well delighted.
Come to think of it, didn't that line refer to a genius who'd been cut off from the world? My memory's hazy.
…What am I, musing over pointless things? I should be figuring out how to fix Piyu.
"Wait. Cut off?"
…Maybe that was the problem.
Cut off, huh.
Come to think of it, did I ever actually talk things through with Ji-yoon?
Maybe I'd been trapped inside my own head, enhancing not the way she wanted, but only in the direction I thought was right.
Her angry words from yesterday suddenly resurfaced.
'You don't understand! Piyu is my friend!'
…Did I really not understand?
Ji-yoon told me she wanted Piyu to become stronger, so I swung the hammer with that in mind — without ever asking how she wanted Piyu to be strong.
I had enhanced Piyu in my own way, and in doing so, I may have flattened my own vision right over it — stuffing the bear like a specimen.
Of course, I can't be sure. This might be the wrong path too.
…But surely it's better to ask the person involved what they actually think, rather than sitting here alone speculating?
The next morning, I came out to the living room to find CEO Hyun-ji rubbing her half-open eyes as she greeted me.
"Eeeh, did you sleeeep well? There's breakfast in the kitchen. Ji-yoon's still eaating."
"And you, CEO…?"
"Unni."
Haah….
"…You're not having breakfast, unni? Or did you already eat?"
"Hm? This is all I neeeed."
CEO Hyun-ji playfully held up the bottle in her hand.
…She's drinking beer? First thing in the morning? With a child in the house?
"No, drinking in the morning…"
"Eeeung, I couldn't drink last night because I fell asleep putting Ji-yoon to beed~. Want one, Yeon-sol?"
Is she insane?
"Even if I like alcohol, I don't make a hobby of daytime drinking. Besides, Ji-yoon's here, and I have enhancing to do."
"Hmmt, Yeon-sol is so diligent~."
"You're just lazy, unni! Haah, you have a ten-year-old junior around and you're talking about alcohol… are you trying to become an alcoholic?"
At that, Hyun-ji gave an enigmatic smile, took a few swigs from the beer bottle, and said something I couldn't quite parse.
"Well, there are things in this world you simply can't endure without a drink."
…Does she have PTSD or something?
The moment a flicker of worry crossed my mind, she slipped right back into her breezy tone.
"Just like how our Yeon-sol draws a line with 'CEO' — that kind of thing. Heh, but this time you called me 'unni' so naturally. I'm glaaad~."
Ugh. She's just a drunk.
…Focus on my own work. Ignoring her overbearing meddling, I headed to the table.
Alongside the rice, the table was set with scrambled eggs and bacon — apparently cooked by that Tokkaengi creature — plus some kimchi. The smell was actually pretty decent.
Ji-yoon was sitting there quietly eating her meal. She looked a bit better than yesterday, but a shadow still lingered on her face.
"……"
When I sat down, Ji-yoon stared at me blankly for a moment, then went right back to focusing on her food.
…She's thoroughly sulking, apparently.
So, what do I do? Might as well start with a greeting.
"Ji-yoon-a. Did you sleep well at Hyun-ji-auntie's place?"
"……"
No answer. Guess that's not the way.
Then let's try this.
"Unni will definitely fix Piyu. She'll be back to normal today."
"…I don't believe you."
A curt reply. So she had been disappointed by what she saw yesterday.
…Looks like I should start with an apology.
I steadied my voice, set down my spoon, and looked Ji-yoon straight in the eye.
"I think I made a mistake because I didn't understand how you felt, Ji-yoon."
Only then did Ji-yoon's two brown eyes meet mine.
"Unni used her power because she thought it would be good if Piyu got stronger, but it went wrong. I'm sorry. And because I don't want to make the same mistake twice, I want to hear how you'd like Piyu to be stronger."
"……"
Still no answer came, but her expression had loosened a little compared to before — maybe my sincerity had gotten through.
So we're making some progress?
"How do you want Piyu to be strong, Ji-yoon? Do you want her super strong, so she can blast an apparition away with one hit — BAM!"
Ji-yoon shook her head side to side.
Not it, huh.
She said it yesterday, didn't she. Piyu got torn apart by an apparition's attack, and she was hurt because other kids teased her about it.
Then should I ask about durability?
"Then would you want Piyu to be super tough, so that even if an apparition attacks, she's perfectly fine? So nobody can ever pick on her again?"
This time, Ji-yoon didn't refuse right away; she began to think it over a little.
After a moment, she nodded cautiously.
"Yes. That way Piyu can play with me for a long, long time."
…A long time, huh.
Come to think of it, she'd said the exact same thing yesterday.
Right after saying she wanted Piyu to be stronger, she'd clearly added — 'I want to play with her for a long time.'
And I'd brushed it off. The result was a stuffed bear.
"Durability…."
When people hear "durability," they usually think only of toughness — but in games, durability typically comes in two flavors.
Negating attacks with high defense… and recovering from the damage you take, so you can endure the attack and keep going.
And if I only made Piyu hard, there was a chance — a real one — that the soft, fluffy feel of that teddy bear would be lost.
Maybe not. But if it happened, Ji-yoon would be hurt all over again.
"Ji-yoon-a. I think I've found the answer."
A little while later, back in the living room, we were greeted by Piyu still standing there looking as ferocious as a taxidermy exhibit — and CEO Hyun-ji sipping her drink as she contemplated it.
I picked the hammer up again.
Defense still mattered to a degree. Keeping Piyu from getting hurt was part of what Ji-yoon wanted, too.
But I would keep defense to the bare minimum, and pour everything else into regeneration — so they could play together for a long, long time.
So that Piyu's essence would stay intact.
So if anyone asked me, "How are you enhancing her this time?" this is what I would answer:
That Piyu would get hurt a little less.
That even when she got hurt, she'd bounce right back up.
That Ji-yoon and Piyu could stay friends, playing together for years and years to come.
The moment I poured that wish into the swing, the hammer glowed pure white.
"Ohoo…."
I heard CEO Hyun-ji's gasp of admiration, but I couldn't spare it any attention. There was only one thought in my head: this wish had to come true.
Tap.
The hammer met Piyu, and its light seeped into the bear. The glow spread until it covered Piyu's entire body, and a soft breeze began to swirl around her.
The light lingered over Piyu far longer than it had with the pickled-radish gun or Seo-yoon's gear — like a warm blanket tucked over someone lost in a good dream.
And the instant the light died away, the very teddy bear that had existed before yesterday's taxidermy disaster was sitting right there.
Granted, the effects of random enhancement had left her bigger than before — but at least she no longer looked like a horror-show exhibit.
"Piyu!"
Ji-yoon scooped Piyu into her arms immediately. She was still just as soft and cozy, it seemed — a smile spread across Ji-yoon's face, and a hint of tears welled at the corners of her eyes.
"I love big Piyu too! Hehe! Thank goodness, you came back!"
Clap, clap, clap.
Having watched the scene, CEO Hyun-ji applauded a few times, then rose and draped an arm around my shoulder to murmur slyly.
"I'm thinking three bottles of soju won't be enoough. Look how happy Ji-yoon is."
"…I did it because I wanted to."
I shot back curtly, for no good reason. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to hide my burning face.
CEO Hyun-ji soon let go of my shoulder and crouched down in front of Ji-yoon.
"Ji-yoon-aa, are you satisfied?"
"Yes, auntie! I'm so happy Piyu came back!"
Smiling at that, CEO Hyun-ji stroked Ji-yoon's head, then walked over to the quiver in the corner of the living room and drew out a single arrow.
"Ji-yoon-aa, auntie's going to show you something fuuun."
"…What is it?"
Ji-yoon hugged Piyu tight, evidently unnerved by the sudden appearance of an arrow, and CEO Hyun-ji stroked her head again as if to reassure her.
"I'm going to show you how strong Piyu has become. It'll sting just a teensy bit, and I won't be mean about it. Auntie promiise."
"…Really?"
"Yeep. Auntie doesn't lie, does shhee. If you don't want to, we don't have to do iit."
"…You said you'd stop drinking last time, and then you drank again."
"Ahaha, w-well, that's…."
KA. Park Ji-yoon, nice shot.
But after a moment's struggle, Ji-yoon held Piyu out.
"…Still. I'll trust you."
CEO Hyun-ji nodded once, then gave Piyu's back a light poke. A small tear opened behind the bear, showing a hint of stuffing.
The astonishing part came next.
As if resonating with Ji-yoon's magic, power flowed out from the girl's arm, and the damaged Piyu began regenerating all on its own.
In the time it took to blink a few times, the hole had vanished without a trace.
"Wow! Piyu healed super fast! Before, I had to nurse her all day long!"
Only then did Ji-yoon break into a radiant smile, and seeing it, I let out a breath of relief too.
…Thank goodness. It enhanced exactly the way I intended.
Having watched all this, CEO Hyun-ji picked up her phone, checked something for a moment, then met Ji-yoon's eyes.
"Ji-yoon-a. Want to go scold an apparition with auntie tomorrow?"
"Yeees…?"
At the sudden proposal, Ji-yoon's eyes went round as saucers.
"There's an Extra Class apparition showing up tomorrow, and I think a brand-new strong Piyu would love to give it a good scolding with yoou. What do you say? Auntie will help right beside yoou."
…She's planning a live combat test?
Whatever the reason, Ji-yoon nodded her head vigorously.
"Yes, I want to go… Piyu and me, we want to play more too!"
I'm looking forward to it, honestly.
To seeing how the very first build I ever crafted from scratch turns out.