Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: My Tooth Fell Out
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‘N-No way. Is my tooth falling out because of the candy?!’
My front tooth wobbled back and forth a few degrees every time my tongue moved, as if it had already lost its grip.
The moment I felt it, my mind went blank.
‘No! I don’t want implants!’
Setting aside the cost, implants came with all sorts of side effects. Nerve damage, perforation, inflammation, breakage, bone loss…
For an adult who wasn’t a kid anymore, a loose tooth was like boarding the express train to hell.
Terrified, I gingerly touched the wobbling front tooth with my finger. Fortunately, it wasn’t shaking all the way to the root—it felt more solid than I’d feared.
But my relief was short-lived. A strange sensation began to creep up from deep in my gums.
‘…It itches?’
Everything that made up that one front tooth—from the gum line to the tooth itself—was tingling. It was bizarre, like the tooth had been bitten by a mosquito.
The problem was, no matter how I tried with my fingers, I couldn’t scratch that spot.
“Ughhh…”
I felt like I’d go insane if I didn’t scrape at it with something hard.
My eyes naturally drifted to the mana heart fragment still in my hand.
‘Yeah, this’ll do.’
I popped the remaining mana heart fragment into my mouth and nudged it toward the wobbly front tooth with my tongue.
Crunch, crunch. Graaah.
The hard gem scraped against my tooth, producing a grinding sound. The pleasure was like scratching an itchy back with just the right tool—I fell into a brief trance.
But bliss was fleeting. The mana heart shattered quickly, melting like cotton candy and sliding down my throat. The itch hadn’t improved at all.
“…I need something that won’t melt and stays hard.”
Something that wouldn’t dissolve but would grind against my tooth to relieve the itch.
My head was going numb from the irritation. Almost on instinct, I bolted to the kitchen and flung open the fridge door.
Ice? Too cold, and it melts. Frozen pork belly? Same issue. Carrot? Too soft to satisfy this itch.
As I rummaged through the fridge, my eyes landed on a Styrofoam container wrapped in plastic—the leftover pig’s trotters from last night’s midnight snack.
‘Yes, the bone!’
Good thing I’d ordered the kind with bones instead of boneless. My gaze locked on the largest, toughest leg bone stacked imposingly inside the wrap.
I tore off the plastic and pulled out the bone. Some meat was still clinging to it, making it slick, but that didn’t matter now.
“Hoo…”
I plopped down right there and brought the bone to my mouth. I pressed the hardest part against my front tooth.
Crunch, crunch!
“Haaah…”
This was it. Far tougher than the mana heart. The sound and vibration of the bone scraping my tooth penetrated deep into my gums, scratching the itch so satisfyingly.
Like a dog, I forgot all dignity and started gnawing away at the bone.
I was lost in relieving the itch by mindlessly chewing when—
Ding-dong!
A familiar voice came from the intercom.
“It’s Yoo So-jeong. Are you home?”
“Ah, yes! I’ll be right there!”
I opened the door, and there she was—Yoo So-jeong, holding clothes on a hanger and shopping bags, just like always. She gave a light bow in greeting and stepped inside.
“Where did you leave yesterday’s clothes?”
“Ah, over there by the lair.”
She familiarly headed to my room, gathered the laundry, and came back out.
“Have you had lunch?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then I’ll prepare something. Any menu you’d like?”
Anything made by Miss So-jeong was welcome. I replied loudly.
“Anything Miss So-jeong makes is fine by me!”
The moment I answered enthusiastically, a warning light flashed in my head.
With the itch temporarily eased, my brain started working normally again.
To prepare lunch, she’d have to go to the kitchen. The dining table was in front of the kitchen. And under that table…
‘Oh.’
I remembered the mess I’d made just moments ago.
The trotter container sprawled open on the table. The big bone on the floor with my tooth marks, surrounded by piles of white powder.
But Yoo So-jeong was already almost at the kitchen.
“W-Wait a second! Miss So-jeong!”
I called out urgently, but it was too late.
“Hmm…”
An awkward silence fell.
Yoo So-jeong said nothing. Her gaze just slowly shifted—from the trotter container on the table, to the leg bone on the floor, to the white powder piled around it.
Finally, her expressionless eyes turned to me.
I had no idea what to say and just flapped my mouth open and shut. I desperately tried to squeeze out an excuse.
“Uh… well, you see… it’s like… a sort of tooth strength test? Heh heh…”
Before my lame excuse could even finish, Yoo So-jeong spoke softly.
“You should probably get a dental checkup.”
Her voice was the same as always, which somehow made the embarrassment even worse.
I could feel my face heating up. It was probably beet red by now.
All I could do was hang my head and mumble in a tiny voice.
“…Y-Yes.”
***
We headed to the management office and soon arrived at the familiar examination room. When I opened the door, Jang Hee-yoon in her white coat greeted us.
“Hi~ Da-yoon. Long time no see? What brings you here today?”
Even with her gentle greeting, I couldn’t easily open my mouth.
Suddenly having a loose tooth was one thing, but how do you explain getting dragged here for gnawing on a bone because your tooth itched?
As I hemmed and hawed, mouth flapping uselessly, Yoo So-jeong spoke up beside me.
“I think Lee Da-yoon needs a dental examination.”
“Oh, your teeth? Da-yoon, is something hurting?”
She approached me with a worried look and knelt down.
“N-No, it’s not painful…”
“Then?”
“My tooth… feels a bit loose.”
Jang Hee-yoon nodded slowly, as if she understood.
“Hmm… Let’s take an X-ray first. Come sit here?”
I obediently sat in the dental chair she pointed to. A massive X-ray machine loomed toward my head.
“Okay, bite down on this and stay still~”
I bit down on the plastic piece she handed me. With a whirring sound, the short scan ended.
Jang Hee-yoon peered intently at the black-and-white image on the monitor. Her brows furrowed slightly.
‘…Is it serious?’
Her expression looked grave. Maybe I had dozens of cavities from all the sweets, or my gum bone had dissolved, or I needed implants.
As I swallowed dryly in fear, Jang Hee-yoon finally spoke.
“Da-yoon’s about to lose her first baby tooth. Congrats!”
“…Huh?”
What did she just say? Baby tooth?
“Baby tooth? Mine?”
I was twenty-five, had done my military service, prepared for job hunting—and I had a baby tooth?
Jang Hee-yoon laughed and pointed at the monitor.
“Look here. It’s not usually this clear, but it’s amazing.”
Where she pointed, something round sat faintly below the root of my tooth. Especially above one upper front tooth, the shape of a new tooth was vividly clear.
“This is like the seed for your permanent tooth. Once the wobbly one falls out, a new one will grow right above it, and the others will too.”
Jang Hee-yoon continued enthusiastically, clearly intrigued.
“And Da-yoon, yours are unusually clear. Looks like they’re gearing up to regrow like a shark or crocodile. Must’ve been super itchy, right? You okay?”
Her explanation cleared up all my doubts. That unbearable itch from deep in my gums—it wasn’t some disease, but a sign of new teeth coming in. Probably because turning into a dragon had regressed my age or something.
“Y-Yeah… it itched a lot.”
“I bet. Must’ve been tough. But it’ll be fine soon. From the look, it’ll probably fall out in a day or two.”
“Okay, Da-yoon. Don’t freak out when it falls. If it bleeds, bite down on some gauze. Got it?”
“…Yes.”
Jang Hee-yoon patted my head encouragingly, but it only added to my embarrassment. Especially since the touch felt kinda nice.
In the end, I couldn’t lift my head the whole way out of the management office. Staring only at the tips of Yoo So-jeong’s black shoes, I scurried after her and got into the car.
I didn’t say a word the whole ride home. The moment we entered through the front door, I bolted straight to my lair.
Then, Yoo So-jeong called out.
“Lee Da-yoon.”
“…Yes.”
I answered softly without turning around. What would she say? Probably scold me for gnawing the bone?
“You made it to the clinic safely, so how about a snack as a reward?”
“Huh?”
Her unexpected words made me turn. She held out a small caramel candy on her palm.
Maisu. Strawberry flavor.
Hmm. No reason to refuse if she’s offering.
“Sure.”
I unwrapped the pink caramel and popped it in. The sweet-tart flavor somewhat masked my embarrassment.
And on the third chew of the Maisu, something felt off.
Pop!
“Huh?”
I stopped chewing without thinking. I moved my tongue to probe where my front tooth should be.
It was gone. A bloody taste filled my mouth, and air whistled through the gap in my teeth.
“Eugh.”
Hoping against hope, I spat the chewed Maisu onto my palm.
In the center of the pink candy lump sat a small, white something embedded there.
“Congratulations. Your tooth fell out.”
Yoo So-jeong watched me, slowly clapping her hands.