A Dragon's Job Hunt, Part 4
Following A-yeong's suggestion, Min-ah opened the refrigerator in the kitchen.
Inside, there was a carton of whole milk, and on the shelf below, two slices of fresh cream cake topped with strawberries practically begged her to eat them.
*Gulp.*
Upon seeing the cake, Min-ah seemed to interpret Silvere's (A-yeong's) permission to "grab a drink from the fridge" as "feel free to eat the cake too."
Not that Silvere would have ever denied her a slice anyway.
Regardless, Min-ah placed the two slices of cake and a cup filled to the brim with whole milk onto a tray. She carried it over to the table, picked up her fork, carefully set the strawberries aside on the edge of the plate,
and cut a bite-sized piece of cake to pop into her mouth.
*Nom.*
As soon as she took a bite, the perfectly sweet whipped cream and the fluffy sponge cake melted together in a harmonious blend.
The velvety cream enveloped her palate, while the airy sponge cake filled her mouth with a delightful softness.
But after finishing just one slice, she felt a lingering sense of emptiness.
After all, she was at an age where cake was only truly satisfying when eaten in massive bites.
Once again setting the strawberries neatly aside, she cut a huge chunk of cake and stuffed it into her mouth. The cold cream and sponge cake filled her mouth to the brim, making her throat feel a bit dry.
That was exactly when she needed milk.
*Gulp, gulp—*
"Phew!"
The rich, savory taste of the milk washed away the heavy sweetness of the cream, clearing her throat.
She then shoveled the rest of the cake into her mouth all at once and downed the remaining milk.
*Gulp, gulp—*
"Phew!"
Just as she was about to eat the four strawberries she had set aside, a finger poked into each of her cheeks.
Turning her head to find the culprits, she saw Sister Yeoreum and Aunt A-yeong? pressing down on either side of her face.
How embarrassing. They had been watching her eat this whole time!
Her face flushed red, and even her ears burned hot.
"How long have you been watching me? Ugh... this is so embarrassing..."
"Since you grabbed the cake and milk from the fridge and sat down?"
"So you've been watching the entire time... Ugh..."
"You were eating so deliciously, and your puffed-up cheeks looked so cute that I just had to poke them. Since you just finished, Sister A-yeong and I decided to poke them together, didn't we?"
"That's so mean! I was just about to eat the strawberries at the end... Ugh..."
Min-ah pouted, puffing out her red cheeks as she turned her head away.
Amused by her reaction, Silvere (A-yeong) smiled and gently patted Min-ah's head.
*Pat, pat—*
"Oh, how adorable. He had a phase like this once too... Was it really that delicious? Seeing you devour two slices makes me want to bring you some more from the display fridge."
At Silvere's words, Min-ah's ears perked up. She opened her eyes wide and looked at A-yeong.
"Really? You'll get me more? I want to eat more..."
"Should I? If you call me 'Sister A-yeong' and let me pinch your cheeks, I might just get you some. What do you say?"
"Doesn't that sound tempting?"
Silvere's offer plunged Min-ah into deep thought.
Based on appearance alone, she was a beauty just like Sister Yeoreum, but there was a certain maturity in her tone.
She didn't quite feel like an older sister of a similar age group like Yeoreum did.
Even so, the promise of more cake was an offer too good to refuse.
Could she resist the sweet temptation of cake? Absolutely not. In the end, she surrendered and called her 'sister'.
"S-Sister! I want to eat cake!"
"My, since you agreed to the deal, I must deliver. What would you like? Go ahead and pick whatever you want from the display fridge."
Watching this play out, Flare's expression grew incredibly cold.
Muttering to herself so that neither Hyun nor Min-ah could hear, Flare grumbled:
"Calling herself 'sister' after living for thirteen thousand years... She's practically prehistoric, even among the ancient dragons."
Of course, Silvere, who possessed nearly equal strength, heard her loud and clear.
*Glare—*
The moment she heard Flare's muttering, she shot her a murderous glare.
Feeling the gaze, Flare casually shrugged it off, deflecting Silvere's bloodlust.
As the Dragon Lord, she could easily neutralize any aura unless it came from someone of equal standing.
Even if that bloodlust belonged to a dragon who had once come close to defeating a Dragon Lord.
She also realized that even dragons, who were usually indifferent to age, could still get a bit touchy once they crossed the ten-thousand-year mark.
Putting that aside, she looked over at Min-ah, whose eyes were sparkling as she picked out a cake from the display. Before they knew it, she had scurried back to the table and was eating with a look of pure bliss.
Silvere was pouring milk for Min-ah while gently pinching one of her cheeks.
Using her mana, Silvere transmitted her voice directly to Flare, ensuring neither Hyun nor Min-ah could hear.
Flare, of course, retaliated using her own mana.
Silvere snapped back:
Flare countered:
Perhaps truly triggered by those words, Silvere directed a massive wave of bloodlust at Flare. But since it had absolutely no effect, there wasn't much she could do.
Especially since Flare's final, devastating blow immediately after resulted in a total knockout for Silvere.
Silvere conceded:
Flare added:
At Flare's suggestion, Silvere wiped Min-ah's mouth with a pleasant smile and told Hyun to get ready.
"Hyun, get yourself ready. We're heading to the mall now. I'll take care of Min-ah."
"And since we're going shopping, we're fulfilling that promise from last time today, okay?"
"Ah... fine, Sis. I made a promise, so I guess I have no choice... *Sigh.*"
Hyun reminded himself once again that one should never make promises lightly.
"Min-ah, once you're done eating, shall we get ready to buy some clothes? Sister will buy them for you."
Min-ah nodded at Silvere's (A-yeong's) words, then asked something she was curious about.
"Sister A-yeong, how old are you exactly? You feel older than the mom and dad who abandoned me."
*Pfft!*
At her innocent question, Hyun and Flare burst into laughter, while Silvere (A-yeong) did her best to force a smile and brush it off.
"Min-ah, dear? You shouldn't ask a lady her age so casually, okay?"
*Nod, nod.*
Seeing Min-ah nod obediently, Silvere let out a resigned sigh. She helped Min-ah get ready, finished washing the dishes, and handed Min-ah over to Hyun as they stepped out of the cafe.
After locking up the cafe, Silvere got into her car—which she rarely drove—and they set off for the shopping mall.
When Flare and her companions arrived at the department store mall in Silvere's car and walked through the entrance, they immediately drew the attention of everyone around them.
While black hair was common, a group of women with gray, red, and sky-blue hair entering together was bound to turn heads.
Yet, not a single man dared to approach them. Perhaps it was because Flare's natural aura as a Dragon Lord instinctively made them too intimidated to draw near.
To the men, they were stunningly beautiful, but they felt less like potential romantic interests and more like flowers blooming atop an unreachable cliff.
This was also the reason why Dragon Lords naturally ended up living single lives.
Unless one possessed an equally extraordinary lineage, it was difficult to even reach out to them.
Anyway, returning to the story, Silvere led Flare and the others into a summer clothing store.
An employee naturally approached to assist them, but Silvere politely declined, stating they would look around on their own.
After picking out a few items, Silvere handed Min-ah a light, casual outfit and guided her toward the fitting room.
"Here, Min-ah. Why don't you try this on? We should start with something light. We still have plenty of outfits to go through, you know."
Min-ah instinctively felt a sense of foreboding, but she stepped inside the fitting room anyway and began changing. Soon, the fitting room door swung open.
"How does it look...?"
Looking at her in the new outfit, both Flare and Silvere nodded in unison, thinking it suited her perfectly.
Unaware of their telepathic conversation, Min-ah fidgeted nervously, not knowing what to do.
Noticing her anxiety, Flare and Silvere quickly patted her head and showered her with praise.
*Pat, pat—*
"Oh, no, Min-ah! It's just because you look so incredibly cute that we lost our words. We're sorry for making you anxious."
"Really? I was getting scared..."
"Aw, of course. It's the absolute truth, so don't worry."
"Then, Min-ah, do you want to try matching outfits with Sister Yeoreum?"
When Min-ah nodded, Silvere called over an employee to ask about the stock.
"Do you have this same outfit in an adult size that would match this summer coat?"
"I'm terribly sorry, but we are currently out of stock for that size," came the reply. Unfortunately, the next target became Hyun.
Silvere grabbed a stealthily retreating Hyun and dragged him off to the men's section. Left behind in the store were
only Min-ah and Flare (Yeoreum). They spent their time finding coordinates that matched the summer coat and trying on various other clothes.
About three hours later, Silvere returned with a bright smile, her hands full of shopping bags, alongside an exhausted Hyun, who was now dressed in a highly sophisticated outfit.
Afterward, they grabbed some Korean barbecue with Min-ah and returned home. Flare and Hyun let Min-ah rest on the sofa while they organized the clothes. When they stepped back into the living room,
they found Min-ah fast asleep, curled up on the sofa from exhaustion.
"She must have been really tired today."
"Yeah. I'll take her to sleep with me again tonight, so you should go ahead and turn in, Hyun. We're all done organizing, and you must be exhausted."
"I suppose so. You must be tired too, so don't overdo it and get some good sleep, okay?"
"Sure. I'll carry Min-ah inside. Sweet dreams... maybe dream of me?"
The distance between Hyun and Flare had grown subtly closer.
