A Dragon's Job Hunt, Part 3
Flare watched Min-ah, who had fallen asleep in her arms on the bed. It was a pitiful fate. She planned to ask Silvere to help track down the girl's parents. She needed to know where those so-called parents had run off to. Harsh as it was, it was information this child had a right to know.
But I should put those thoughts aside until tomorrow. The poor thing must have been terrified; she was clinging to Flare's chest as if she had no intention of ever letting go.
"So this is the weight of responsibility. Haha. I already have so much on my shoulders, but I can certainly handle this much."
Yielding to the drowsiness that gradually weighed down her eyelids, Flare drifted off to sleep.
When morning came and Min-ah opened her eyes, she remembered falling asleep in Yeoreum's arms. Perhaps because her arms had been so warm, she had fallen asleep in an instant. But now that she was awake, she wondered, What should I do now? She wasn't quite sure.
Just as she was pondering this, Yeoreum woke up and greeted her.
"Are you awake, Min-ah? Did you sleep well? Did I wake you up? I have terrible sleeping habits."
"No, it was just time for me to wake up. And your arms were so warm and cozy, unnie. Hehe."
"Shall we get up, then? We need to wash up and eat breakfast."
Min-ah climbed down from the bed, took Yeoreum's hand, and walked out of the room. Stepping into the living room, she saw a man sitting on the sofa—someone she supposed she should call an "oppa" who lived with Yeoreum. So, she asked what she should call him.
"Um, what should I call him? Oppa?"
Flare pondered Min-ah's question for a moment before deciding on a title.
"Let's just go with 'oppa.' Okay?"
"Mmh... okay."
With that, Min-ah approached Hyun and spoke to him.
"Excuse me...? Unnie told me to call you oppa. Is it okay if I call you that?"
"Of course you can. You're going to eat breakfast, right? Once you and Yeoreum finish washing up, it'll be ready."
"Yeoreum, you go wash up too, okay?"
Flare gave Hyun a quick nod, then turned to Min-ah.
"Shall we? Min-ah, the clothes you wore yesterday are in the wash, so can you wear these pajamas for now?"
"I just put your clothes in the dryer," Hyun added. "They'll be dry by the time you're done washing up."
"Okay! I'll go wash up now."
Leading Min-ah into the bathroom, Flare picked up the showerhead and adjusted the water to a warm temperature. She took off her own clothes, tossed them into a basket in the corner, and then helped Min-ah out of her pajamas, asking, "The pajamas aren't uncomfortable, are they? I'm sorry, that's the only children's clothing we have."
"No, they're fine! If it weren't for you, unnie, I would have been sleeping in an alleyway."
Min-ah surrendered herself to Flare's gentle care, letting the warm water from the showerhead soak her body.
Shhhhh—
The warm water drenched Min-ah's sky-blue hair, flattening the messy, bedhead strands. Watching the water run through them, Flare commented on the unique color.
"Your hair color is quite unique too. Has it always been sky-blue?"
Min-ah thought about it for a second before replying.
"Yes, they said it's been sky-blue since I was born. But your hair is really unique too, unnie."
"Hmm... I suppose mine is on the unusual side. But I bet you got a lot of attention from the people around you too, Min-ah."
"Um... can I touch your hair, unnie? Even when you were holding me, your scent and your warm arms made me feel so safe and happy."
Flare froze for a moment at Min-ah's words. Was it because she had never heard such a thing before? Or was it an experience she had never known during her past as the Dragon Lord? Even so, feeling that it was perfectly fine to allow this child, Flare let Min-ah touch her hair.
"Sure, you can touch it."
With Flare's permission, Min-ah reached out and gently stroked the red strands. Then, she wrapped her arms around the completely naked Flare, hugging her tightly under the warm spray of the shower. And then, she uttered something rather profound.
"To be honest, calling you 'unnie' doesn't feel quite right. You said you'd take responsibility for me. But I think it's still a bit too early, so I'll hold back for now. Look forward to it, hehe."
Flare wanted to ask what she meant by that, but seeing Min-ah's bright, innocent smile, the words caught in her throat. Besides, considering how much emotional pain the young child must have endured at such a tender age, there was no need to press her.
"Well, let's start by shampooing your hair first, and then we can finish washing up. Shall we talk about it later?"
"Yes! Since you're my unnie, I'll tell you everything."
Min-ah felt a strange reluctance to call Yeoreum "unnie." Was it because she felt a warmth entirely different from the cold "duty of responsibility" her biological parents had abandoned? Or was it because she instinctively knew this person would never abandon her? Whatever the reason, she was absolutely certain that this unnie would take care of her, protect her, and never cast her aside. And so, she whispered the word she truly wanted to call her deep within her heart.
Mom.
After the bath, Flare dried Min-ah off thoroughly and dressed her in the clothes Hyun had taken out of the dryer. Since they still didn't have any proper indoor clothes for children, it was a bit awkward having her wear outdoor clothes inside the house, but it couldn't be helped.
"I'm sorry we don't have any other clothes, Min-ah. We'll have to go buy you some later today."
Flare resolved to go shopping, but only then did she remember she was supposed to go to work at the Cafe today. She had completely forgotten about it while taking care of Min-ah. Hurriedly, she pulled out her phone and sent a text.
After feeding Min-ah, Flare's group set off and arrived at the Cafe where Silvere (A-yeong) was waiting.
Chime!
"Oh, you're right on time. Yeoreum...?"
Silvere trailed off, freezing in place as she spotted the little girl with sky-blue hair cradled in Flare's arms. A child whom the Dragon Lord had allowed into her embrace—where on earth had she found her? But more than that, hair like that was incredibly rare. It looked like a completely natural shade of sky-blue.
"Yeoreum, who is this child? She looks to be about eight years old."
At Silvere's question, Flare turned to Min-ah first.
"Can we talk about it here? No one here will tell a soul. Can you trust me just this once?"
Min-ah nodded at Flare's words.
"Since you asked me to trust you, unnie, I will."
The story that spilled from Min-ah's lips was shocking enough to startle even Silvere.
"My parents abandoned me and disappeared. I was crying in an alleyway when unnie found me, brought me to her house, fed me, and washed me."
Of course, she completely left out the part where she had cried and clung to Flare out of embarrassment, summarizing the entire ordeal in a single sentence.
A quiet anger began to simmer deep within Silvere. Looking at the girl Flare had taken in, she spoke softly.
"If Yeoreum took you in, it means she intends to take responsibility for you. I'm glad you met someone so kind. Now, why don't you sit somewhere comfortable and grab a drink from the fridge? We need to step away for a quick chat."
With that, she led Hyun and Flare into the empty storage room, her expression turning deadly serious.
"Tell me her name. I need to run a background check. I'm highly curious to see what kind of scum would abandon their own child and vanish."
"And I assume the shopping trip is for her? Since she was abandoned, she probably doesn't have any clothes."
Flare and Hyun nodded in unison.
"Her name is Han Min-ah. Since she has sky-blue hair, a background check should be much easier. That's also why we brought her here."
"Right. Even if you hadn't asked, this is something that needs to be done. I'll look into it."
"Since she's staying with you two for now, there's no need for me to interfere too much, but we must find the whereabouts of her parents first."
"It's been a while since I've seen you this angry, Noona. I know you absolutely despise this kind of thing," Hyun remarked.
Just as Hyun said, Silvere's fists were clenched so tightly that the veins on the back of her hands stood out. Considering she was a Dragon, this was practically the peak of her rage. If she were to swing her fist in this state, she could easily shatter the very ground beneath them. In fact, with power that rivaled a Dragon Lord, she could potentially split the Earth in half, making her current state incredibly dangerous.
Flare, well aware of this, quietly prepared to restrain her if necessary, but Silvere was not a Dragon who would lose control so easily.
"Calm down, A-yeong unnie. Min-ah is waiting for us, so let's finish this conversation later."
At Flare's words, Silvere composed herself.
"You're right. We can't keep a child waiting like this. Let's head back out."
"I'll look into this and let you know what I find, so just sit tight. It won't take long."
When they returned to the main area of the Cafe, the group found their defenses completely melted. Min-ah was sitting there with a bright, innocent smile, happily eating a slice of strawberry cake and drinking a glass of milk she had taken from the fridge.
Watching her eat, both Silvere and Flare felt an overwhelming urge to squish her plump, stuffed cheeks, but seeing how blissfully happy she looked, they simply couldn't bring themselves to disturb her.