A Cute Child Who Loves Cute Things
What a cute child, finding cute things so adorable.
Jeong-woo and the guide took a step back, watching the heartwarming scene with fond expressions.
“How old are you?”
Naturally, there was no answer.
The slime simply bounced from side to side like before.
Seah stared at it quietly for a moment, then glanced at the guide as if seeking help.
“Hmm? Oh, let’s see…”
What age was this slime again?
While slimes all looked roughly the same, each one had its own unique traits.
Their color, for instance.
The slime before them was a classic green slime.
That usually meant it fed primarily on plants.
There were carnivorous slimes as well, and those tended to be reddish in hue.
Slimes were originally magic beasts that lived inside gates. They could eat virtually anything, and their color changed according to the nature of their main food source.
A slime fed mostly blueberries turned blue, while one given grapes became purple.
There were countless variations. Some people even fed them glass to create transparent slimes.
“This is what Seah and Daddy made!”
Seah had offered the green slime the ingredients she and her father had prepared for kimbap.
Feeding them was simple.
You simply placed the food on your palm, and the jelly-like body would consume it on its own.
The plump, springy creature approached and swallowed her entire hand into what appeared to be its mouth.
“Ah!”
Even Seah, who hadn’t expected it, flinched in surprise, but she soon smiled at the dreamy sensation spreading through her hand.
“So soft…”
The slime’s body offered a perfect mix of squishy and velvety textures.
“Um, is it really okay to let it do that?”
Jeong-woo watched with concern as his daughter’s hand disappeared completely into the slime, but the guide remained perfectly at ease.
“No need to worry. The slimes here cannot consume living creatures.”
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
“Besides, they don’t usually eat this eagerly.”
“Then this slime must really like Seah.”
“Hehe, it seems so. Actually, the only ones it eats from like this are me and the keeper.”
For a creature to show such behavior toward someone it had only just met—when even the keeper and guide, who had spent long hours bonding with it, were the only others it accepted—meant Seah had won it over far more than expected.
Even the slime liked her. Seah’s charm apparently transcended species. It had been the same with the cat that visited them before.
Inside the slime that had eaten Seah’s kimbap ingredients, the food floated gently.
“How do you eat?”
At Seah’s curious question, the slime began to demonstrate.
Basking in the sunlight, it started digesting its meal. The sight reminded her of the blue lemonade from earlier.
The only real difference was that the food was gradually disappearing.
Seeing oxidation for the first time, Seah watched the slime with sparkling eyes.
It was cute and fascinating—an animal perfectly suited to her tastes.
“Seah, there are other friends here too, so you can’t give everything to just one. Understand?”
“Yes! Just a little!”
She seemed to have already given away nearly half the remaining food, but that was fine. They could always buy more from the guide.
“Oh, here they come now.”
“Wow…”
While she had been focused on the green slime, the others had arrived right on cue.
Red slimes, gray slimes, blue slimes—slimes of every color.
They weren’t bouncing along as usual. Instead, they moved slowly, almost like snails.
The green slime immediately began bouncing energetically, and the others slowly gathered toward them.
“Isn’t this too many?”
“No, they usually travel in groups like this. That’s why it’s rare to see one approach alone.”
Being at the bottom of the food chain, it made sense they would stick together.
Even though they were magic beasts from a gate, moments like this made them feel like ordinary wild animals.
The group of slimes seemed to be communicating with the green one, bouncing toward one side then the other.
Each bounce made a cheerful boing-boing sound, as if they were showing off who was the most elastic.
Those same slimes began to form a circle around Seah.
“This is… really okay, right?”
“Don’t worry. I can protect you no matter what happens.”
The guide placed a hand on the dagger and gun at his waist as if to prove his point.
Despite their adorable appearance, if they posed even the slightest threat to a human, those weapons would be turned on the slimes without hesitation.
“I may not look it, but I’m a B-rank hunter.”
To a B-rank hunter, slimes weren’t even worth warming up for.
“That’s reassuring.”
“Besides, I don’t think it’ll come to that.”
The guide removed his hand from his weapons.
In all his years guiding, this was the first time he had seen slimes show such affection.
It’s truly amazing…
Of course Seah was harmless. She was a tiny, delicate little girl.
That was probably why the slimes didn’t show much wariness, but even then, their friendliness was excessive.
“Why are they acting like this?” Even the keeper who had come with them looked astonished.
“Daddyyy! They seem to like Seah!”
“Haha. Yeah, it looks like they do.”
Indeed, there was something universally pleasant about being liked, regardless of who—or what—was doing the liking.
Though surrounded by bouncing slimes, Seah didn’t feel trapped.
She had simply thrown herself into the affection they were offering.
“Is that their way of saying hello?”
“The rhythm is a little different, so it means they like her.”
“Oh, the rhythm changes the meaning?”
“Yes. A low, fast bounce carries that meaning.”
The colorful slimes bouncing around almost looked like they were each trying to show off their own charm.
“Wow, you’re blue!”
When she pulled out a little food for the blue slime, blue bubbles clung to it as the food oxidized.
It was just like the blue lemonade from earlier—the way the bubbles rose and popped.
“You’re really bouncy, aren’t you?”
One slime in particular caught her eye.
The largest among them.
She had no idea what it had eaten, but this one happened to be a brown slime—Seah’s favorite color.
While the others bounced lightly, this one had a heavier, deeper thump.
Perhaps enjoying her attention, the brown slime gave a small bounce.
“That one’s much bigger than the rest, isn’t it?”
“Yes. There’s a leader among this group.”
“Oh, so that slime is the leader?”
“That’s right. It was the first slime to arrive here, but for some reason it started eating dirt and turned brown.”
“Haha, it ate dirt, huh.”
What a cute slime.
It was roughly one and a half times larger than the others, but the extra size only seemed to make it cuter.
“We had other activities planned, but it looks like we won’t need them.”
“There were more activities?”
“Yes. Normally a tour includes a separate feeding session where you can touch them. But you’re doing all of it at once right now.”
If it had been anyone else, the slimes would never have approached like this.
Thanks to Seah, Jeong-woo, the guide, and the keeper had all witnessed something truly rare.
“For the rest of the schedule, we can just spend time together like this?”
“Yes. Since I’m here anyway, I’d like to try feeding them too.”
“Hehe. By any chance, do you have more food with you?”
At Jeong-woo’s question, the guide showed the supplies he had brought, as if he had been waiting for the chance.
This was how guides earned a little extra—bringing food to sell to the guests they escorted.
“Still, since you’ve shown us something we rarely get to see…”
The guide’s gaze turned to Seah.
The extraordinary sight of every slime moving around her as if she were the keeper they had known their entire lives.
“I’ll give it to you at half price.”
“Oh, thank you. We’ll take it, then.”
After purchasing the food from the guide, Jeong-woo carefully made his way through the slimes to Seah’s side.
“Seah.”
“Daddyyy! They seem to really like Seah!”
“Haha. Yeah. They really do like you.”
“Hehe. Because I’m Daddy’s daughter~”
How could she say something so sweetly?
As Seah hugged his leg tightly and rubbed her face against it, Jeong-woo nearly handed her the food he had just bought on instinct.
Since they were fruits like blueberries, they were perfectly safe for humans to eat, which only made the urge stronger.
“Daddy brought more food.”
It was perfect timing; the last of the kimbap ingredients had already been given away.
All that had been left were drinks, but the timing worked out beautifully.
He sat down beside her so he could see the slimes at her eye level.
“Up we go.”
He lifted Seah, who had been standing a bit awkwardly, onto his lap and shared the food he was holding.
What followed was a stretch of pure happiness.
It was, quite literally, a happy time.
The area opened up like a wide meadow. Simply sitting there let a pleasant, cool breeze brush across their noses and cheeks.
The grass beneath them felt wonderful, and even the one possible downside—bugs—couldn’t be felt.
If any appeared, they became food for the slimes.
It was a bit small to call it true nature, yet it offered more than enough freshness.
Feeling that refreshing air while sitting with Seah already made it feel like a real vacation, and all around them, adorable slimes were showing off their cuteness.
Each time she handed one a piece of food, she could feel the firm, springy texture of its body.
“Sister! You give them food too!”
“Uh, me?”
The guide had been standing a step away, staying alert in case anything unexpected happened.
Seah, who didn’t quite understand why the guide was there, wanted her to experience this joy as well.
“Yes! They’re cute. So round and bouncy.”
“Hehe… Yeah. Thank you.”
The slimes were familiar with the guide too.
Thanks to that, she was able to sit beside Jeong-woo and Seah and share in the same feelings the father and daughter were enjoying.
“…It’s nice.”
One hand felt the fresh green of the grass.
The other felt the bouncy, cushiony softness of the slimes.
She had thought of it only as work.
A slightly more enjoyable and safer job than most.
She had always simply guided visitors and never imagined sharing a moment like this.
It was good.
A short sentiment, but for the guide, this moment allowed her to forget about the dagger and gun at her waist, if only briefly.
It was clearly while on duty, yet it felt relaxed.
As if they had come traveling to a quiet, peaceful place.