Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: Part 45. The Art of Negotiation (2)
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In that instant, Bom didn't miss Winter's gaze flicking toward the jelly.
A faint smile spread across her previously sullen face. So that's what you wanted that badly, huh? Bom kept her thoughts hidden and asked calmly.
"What's yours?"
"...Jelly."
"Jelly?"
"...Yeah. It's mine originally."
"Hmm~ No jelly for you. Our little Winter eats jelly every day, so she gets picky at mealtimes."
"...Jelly isn't picky eating."
Bom peered into Winter's eyes.
"Is that so?"
"...I eat everything else good."
"So you could just eat jelly every day?"
"...Yeah."
"What if it's a world without jelly?"
"......?"
"There's no jelly in Ascalifa. When we go back, Winter would starve, right?"
"......!"
"She might even die of hunger. Nope, can't do that. Big sis can't give you jelly."
Winter pondered for a moment before slowly opening her mouth.
"...From now on, I won't."
"Won't what?"
"...Be picky."
"Really?"
"...Yeah. You can believe me."
"Our Winter is such a good girl."
At the positive response, the corners of Winter's mouth twitched up slightly.
"Then no pickiness, and I'll give it to you then."
They twitched back down.
"...Big sis doesn't trust me?"
"Me? I trust our Winter."
"...Then?"
"But you know how jelly is sour-sweet, right?"
Nod nod.
"And fragrant. Chewy."
Nod nod...!
"Eating it makes you super happy."
Is that even a question? Winter's face brightened as she nodded.
"That's why I can't trust the jelly."
Kwabang. Something crumbled in Winter's expression.
Winter thought to herself. Negotiation Technique #1: 'Calm Conversation'—failure. No surprise; this technique only worked properly on anyone but Yoo Ji-tae.
No choice now. Time for Negotiation Technique #2...!
#2 was a proven method already tested on Gaeul unni.
Winter extended both arms toward Bom. She wanted a hug. Excluding Yoo Ji-tae, Bom hugged her the most, so Bom naturally scooped Winter up and settled her on her lap, supporting her back.
Now close to Bom, Winter hesitated briefly before lifting her head. Her water-blue eyes drew near. Bom watched silently, wondering what the kid was up to. Then the child planted a kiss on her big sister's cheek.
Slightly surprised, Bom looked down at Winter.
"What was that? What did Winter do?"
"...Um, a bribe?"
Then she grinned cheekily. Finding the smile adorable, Bom chuckled lightly.
But no way. Bom gripped Winter's arms tight and slowly brought her lips to the child's forehead. Mwah—a kiss with sound.
Now Winter was the flustered one.
A simple calculation ran through the child's mind. She'd offered a bribe, only to get it back. Plus minus zero, right?
"......!"
"Now the bribe's invalid. Right?"
"...Yeah."
But it didn't end there. With a subtle, deep gaze into Winter's eyes, Bom showered more kisses on her forehead and cheeks. Mwah mwah mwah.
"...S-Stop."
Having received too much bribe-back, Winter flailed her hands to block Bom's face.
"Now our Winter's a corrupt official."
"......"
Winter covered her face with both hands. ...I'm a corrupt official...? She murmured, recalling the corrupt official from the fairy tale her guardian had read to her.
Seeing the child genuinely distressed, Bom giggled.
Winter admitted defeat. Negotiation Technique #2: 'Bribe Offensive'—failure. Bom unni was terrifying.
The blue-haired girl, now in debt instead, sighed.
Only Negotiation Technique #3 remained.
This was the one she least wanted to try, but no choice now.
Surrounded by magic, Winter stealthily floated over and sat beside Bom's notebook device.
The smile faded from Bom's laughing face.
"What're you doing?"
"...Hostage situation."
"Hostage?"
"...Hand over the jelly."
Winter held out her hand with a stern expression. This was mimicking a scene from a drama Yeoreum had watched.
Bom laughed in disbelief and asked.
"And if I don't?"
"...If you don't give the jelly......"
Winter glanced at the notebook, pondering. She couldn't fold it in half. And she didn't know how to operate the device.
"......"
She wanted to threaten, but with the hostage in hand, she had nothing she could do.
What now...
Then a pretty decent idea came to her.
Winter conjured water from mana in midair, gathered it into a blob, and placed it atop the notebook. It bobbed gently, like floating in zero gravity.
"...The notebook has no life."
That was the threat she finally came up with after much thought.
Bom, who had been watching expressionlessly, paused before speaking.
"Doesn't matter~"
"...Huh?"
Winter wondered if she'd misheard and asked again.
"...The novel will be deleted?"
"Of course it's backed up separately. You little blue devil."
"......"
#3 was useless too. Winter sighed and shook her head. The mana-born water dissolved back into mana and vanished.
And what she wouldn't know.
Truth was, Bom wasn't that interested in the novel anyway.
"Done? Get down. Big sis needs to write."
"...Yeah."
In the end, she'd used up every prepared move.
Winter trudged out of Bom's room.
A perfect defeat.
Bom gazed at Winter's dejected retreating back.
Then she smirked faintly.
*
But she couldn't give up like this.
Winter ran to Yoo Ji-tae and whined. Jelly. Bom unni. Corrupt official. Behind the flowerpot. Help please. Despite her clumsy, slow speech, she explained fervently, so the regressor stroked her hair.
"Help you?"
"...Yes."
Winter made a pitiful face and nodded.
Unlike usual, her expressions and actions were easy to read today. So the regressor pondered briefly.
"How should I help?"
"...Um."
She racked her brain hard, but everything had failed, right? Winter's eyes bulged. Pondering, she placed both hands on her head and shook it side to side.
Meaning she had no idea.
"Come here."
Yoo Ji-tae picked Winter up and sat her on his lap.
"Look."
They faced the same direction. At the end of their gaze was Bom's door.
He spoke in a subtle tone.
"What do you see?"
"...Bom unni's room."
"What's inside if you go in there?"
"...Bom unni."
"Right. And where in Bom's room might the jelly be?"
"...Bookshelf third shelf. Behind the flowerpot."
"I see. The bookshelf is straight in, against the left wall. Gotta go around a bit. Right?"
"...Yeah."
"Then let's do this. I'll call Bom out for a sec. When I bring her outside, you sneak in, grab the jar, and come out."
"......!"
In other words, Uncle would lure the boss out of the boss room briefly. Then Winter just grabs the treasure and bolts.
A super simple, easy plan, but for Winter, who was conspiring with someone for the first time in her life, it felt thrilling.
Thump thump. Her heartbeat grew louder.
"...There's a way like that...?"
"Sounds good?"
Nod nod.
"...Genius?"
"Nah. Anyway, you get the gist, right?"
"...Yes."
"Don't knock the flowerpot over. Bom's writing, so I can't take her far."
Winter nodded.
"No sounds either. Bom's sharp. She'd notice right away."
Including Yoo Ji-tae, all the dragons suppressed their senses in 301 to live peacefully, so stealthy movement should go unnoticed.
"Stealthy. Careful. Quiet. Got it?"
Nod. Winter brought her index fingers to her mouth, crossing them in an X.
"Good. Let's start."
As Yoo Ji-tae rose, Winter grabbed his sleeve.
Why.
Then she held out her fist. Another scene from a drama with Yeoreum. Yoo Ji-tae nodded and bumped his large fist against her tiny one.
Operation start.
"Bom."
Yoo Ji-tae knocked on Bom's door.
Meanwhile, Winter swallowed dryly and crouched under the sofa.
She saw Yoo Ji-tae's legs and feet. The door opened, revealing Bom's feet and legs.
"Yes, Uncle."
"Wanna talk for a sec?"
"About what?"
"...Y'know. That talk from before."
"Ah, sure."
Yoo Ji-tae led Bom to the kitchen. The legs walked far away.
Winter moved to sneak out from under the sofa.
"Oh, hold on."
Suddenly Bom turned back toward her room, startling Winter into freezing in place.
Her heart pounded. But no tensing up. Tension leads to mistakes.
Bom emerged from the room again. They headed to the kitchen following Yoo Ji-tae.
Not coming back this time? Winter stared intently at Bom's movements. Seemed safe. Chance!
Winter slipped out from under the sofa and toddled slowly to Bom's room. Bom was especially sensitive to mana, so flying would get her caught instantly.
But right from the start, an obstacle: Bom had closed the door on her way out.
"......"
Winter reached up with both hands, grasped the knob, and turned it ever so carefully.
Very slowly.
Like the hour hand of a clock.
Gently twisting the angle—no way it'd make noise...
Click.
When the sound came, her heart dropped. If not for Yoo Ji-tae's dry cough from the kitchen, she'd have been busted.
Survived. Phew...!
Winter slipped inside quietly, crossing Bom's room on tiptoes. Neat and clean. Spotless, no trash. White room decorated with orderly books and flowerpots.
Finally at the bookshelf, the third shelf looked higher than usual. But Winter had grown quite a bit. On tiptoes, she carefully pushed the pots aside.
Porcelain pots—if she slipped, clink.
So careful. Extra careful.
She grabbed the opaque plastic jar. Heavy. Contents seemed intact.
Tucking it carefully, Winter suppressed the urge to dash and crept out.
Then hid behind the sofa, waiting for the timing.
"Then I'll go back to writing."
"Yeah."
Soon Bom entered her room. Yoo Ji-tae sat on the sofa. Winter behind it peeked up at him with a beaming smile.
"How'd it go? Success?"
"...Yes!"
Winter bent down and held up the jar.
He offered his fist. She bumped hers against it.
Success!
"...Hee hee."
Excited, Winter hurriedly opened the jar.
But. What was this?
No jelly inside—just dirt and sand packed full.
"...Wha—huh?"
Shocked, Winter shook the jar. Sand everywhere.
In that moment.
Feeling eyes, she turned—Bom peeked through the door crack.
Eye contact. Bom chuckled and shut the door.
Winter was deeply shocked.
Failure......
"...Wahh."
Failure. Another failure.
All that effort wasted—Winter whined and reached for Yoo Ji-tae, on the verge of tears.
He hugged her. Rubbed her back gently.
*
Lying on the sofa, Winter had buried her face in the cushion for twenty minutes straight, motionless.
Not crying, but reality must've hit hard.
Figured it'd end like this. Especially against Bom of all people. Still, Yoo Ji-tae was learning how to deal with Bom bit by bit.
Don't confront head-on.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on 301's door. Yoo Ji-tae opened it, receiving a black envelope from his counterpart.
"Good work."
"Your will be done, my liege."
Sending off the clone, Yoo Ji-tae approached Winter.
He pulled out a jelly jar by her head and shook it.
Winter turned her listless eyes. Spotting the jelly, confusion flooded her face.
"...Huh?"
She sat up with a dazed voice. Took the jar in numb hands.
Her shocked gaze darted: Yoo Ji-tae, jar, Yoo Ji-tae. Bewilderment gave way to rising joy—she looked ready to shout.
The regressor pressed a finger to his lips.
Shh.
Ah, right.
Winter clamped her mouth shut and nodded vigorously.
"Can't let the other unnis find out."
"...Yeah."
Winter wiggled with joy from head to toe, then stood carefully and bowed at ninety degrees.
"...Thank you."
"It's fine."
"...Uncle can't tell either."
"Got it."
And so that day became a little special.
Yoo Ji-tae and Winter now shared a secret just between them.