Chapter 63
Baek Eunseong's condition was a bit strange today.
"Uncle?"
Baek Eunseong stumbled while trying to sit at the dining table. Was he sick somewhere? He seemed a bit off in the dungeon too. I stared up at Baek Eunseong and quietly listened. His heartbeat was seriously fast, and his face was flushed red enough that I thought he might have caught a fever.
I looked at the meal Choi Jaegeun had prepared and separated Baek Eunseong's bowl from ours.
"Yang Jiyul."
"Yes?"
"Disinfect over there."
At my words, Yang Jiyul jumped up and purified the area around Baek Eunseong. As the silver light settled, I could see Baek Eunseong's complexion return to normal somewhat.
'It must be a fever, right?'
Well, he had been going to the dungeon quite often lately. Even my shoulders felt stiff. Still, we got the toad's heart yesterday, so it wasn't without reward.
I giggled and placed a quail egg on the spoon Baek Hamin held out. Then I asked Baek Gyeongmin, who was eating quail eggs with chopsticks.
"Did they say when the Guild Master is coming out?"
"I don't know."
Unlike us who only went in with four people, Baek Jiseong entered the dungeon on a large scale, so the number of waves would have been considerable. I should probably expect it to take at least another week or so.
After brushing my teeth, I went into the room and looked around. I had definitely tried to hold back, but I had bought things here and there, and it amounted to quite a bit. I could push as much as possible into my bag and use Asil's bundle for the rest. While I was pondering, Asil slithered up and met my eyes, then nodded.
"What did Asil say?"
"Just."
I stroked the head of the running Baek Hamin and pondered. When would be a good time to tell them I'm leaving? It would be a headache if he insisted on living together again. Sighing, I tossed Baek Hamin onto the soft bed and lay down too.
Actually, I didn't want to leave.
Baek Eunseong's house was comfort itself. A place where eating and sleeping were solved without lifting a finger—the reason I would leave was because of Baek Jiseong. Since I chose Baek Eunseong instead of him, he would surely be seething with resentment. If I provoked him further, I didn't know what kind of disaster might befall me.
When you strike, strike; when you pull out, pull out.
I had taken my revenge on Baek Jiseong according to my original plan, and as a bonus, I had paid back Yang Jihwan, so I had no more business with the Baekwoo Guild. The problem was this kid...
I looked at the morning glory vine wrapped around my ankle and pressed my forehead. Then I glanced briefly at Baek Hamin, who would notice with ghost-like perception that I was leaving and cling to me, before getting up at Baek Eunseong's call.
"Why?"
"Ah..."
When I went outside, Baek Eunseong, who made eye contact with me, froze for a moment before curling the corners of his mouth. Seeing that mask-like smile after a long time made me feel strange, and when I crossed my arms, Baek Eunseong averted his gaze and opened his mouth.
"What should we do with the byproducts from the dungeon?"
"I only need the toad's heart."
"Then I'll report it that way."
I stared at Baek Eunseong nodding and suddenly reached out my hand. When I pressed my hand against Baek Eunseong's forehead, I saw him squeeze his eyes shut.
"What, are you really sick?"
His complexion, his body temperature, and even the energy flowing out were all sluggish. When I removed my hand, Baek Eunseong slowly opened his eyes. I looked at his reddened cheeks and called Yang Jiyul.
"Take your brother and go."
"No."
"If you're sick, take medicine, medicine."
I was clicking my tongue when Baek Hamin grabbed my hand and placed it on his forehead.
"Uncle, I'm sick too."
"You go too and take medicine then."
I looked at Baek Hamin whining and flopping face-down on the sofa, then looked down at Baek Eunseong's empty seat. He hadn't even said he'd be back, which felt strange.
* * *
"Since I won everything, all the jelly is mine!"
"No! Since Hamin is second place, half is mine!"
"Ah! How does that make sense! Do it again!"
I looked at the living room turned into a mess and squeezed my eyes shut. They say you shouldn't even drink cold water carelessly in front of children, but ever since coming back from the dungeon, Baek Gyeongmin and Baek Hamin had been making bets at the drop of a hat.
Still, the sight of them fighting with veins popping in their necks over a bag of jelly made them look much more like kids their age. Rather than carefully watching each other and being cautious, they looked like real friend-siblings, I suppose.
"Stop."
Putting aside the fact that it was entertaining to watch, my ears felt like they would burst. Even though I had turned the volume of "Day Words, Night Words" down to the maximum, it felt like my ears were bleeding.
"Then can we swim?"
"No."
"Why not!?"
I spun the rushing Yang Jiyul around and showed him Baek Hamin.
"Baek Hamin says he's sick."
At my words, the brown head that had been excitedly going to get a swimsuit stopped dead in its tracks. Baek Hamin, who quickly looked like he was about to cry, came whining to me.
"No, no..."
"What. Was lying about being sick?"
"It's not a lie..."
Baek Hamin bit his lip and trudged over to hug his toy. I looked at Baek Hamin slowly starting to roll, tumble, roll and headed to the kitchen.
I didn't know if it was a fake illness or not, but since he said he was sick anyway, I was going to feed him porridge, but Choi Jaegeun was nowhere to be seen. Instead of looking for Choi Jaegeun, I opened the refrigerator and took out a chicken.
I threw all the ingredients into the pressure cooker and was boiling it thoroughly when the living room became quiet. I sneaked out and found all three children lying face down, asleep. After covering them with blankets, I went into the room and opened the skill window.
[Use Viewing Right]
Today, I turned past the pages I couldn't understand and opened M's belt repair page. Then I took out the toad's heart from Asil's bundle and split it in half, revealing a purple pouch. When I threw it into the status window, it began to glow brightly.
[Salamander's Egg (0/1)
Mosland's Wing (0/1)
Hawanu's Seed (0/1)
Kraken's Eyeball (0/1)
Red Poison Scorpion's Tail (1/1)
Dark Bat's Claw (1/1)
Swamp Toad's Poison (1/1)
Banquet Hall's Chandelier (0/1)
M's Key (0/1)]
[M's Belt Repair Progress ? / ? ]
Let's see... Hawanu's seed was promised by Baek Jiseong, so pass. How do I get the rest? It was pitch black ahead. Especially M's Key was something I couldn't obtain unless I became the Guild Master of the Baekwoo Guild.
Staring at the status window, I sighed and began organizing the room.
Somehow it felt like Baek Hamin had more things than I did. Feeling like this would never end, I was dividing the room in half and separating my things from Baek Hamin's when I heard a loud cry and a voice calling me from somewhere.
"Uncle!"
With the sound of pattering feet, morning glory vines snatched my ankle.
It feels familiar somehow—as soon as that thought ended, my body was whooshed up into the air. Hanging upside down with a resigned face, I glared at Baek Hamin standing at the door.
"Why."
"Waaah...!"
Baek Hamin didn't release me and instead threw himself face-down on the bed and began crying loudly. Eventually, after untangling the vines with my own hands and jumping down, I approached the bed, and Baek Hamin hugged me with a face covered in tears and snot.
"Why."
"Uncle, uncle!"
"What did I do."
"Sniff, I don't know..."
Baek Hamin mumbled and hugged my neck tightly. I patted the child's back and then sighed.
How could I cure Baek Hamin's separation anxiety? I couldn't stay by his side for the rest of his life, and even now, I had to prepare for when the original 'Seong Dohyeon' returned.
It would probably get better once I solved the curse for him. If things continued like this, he would grow up differently from the original work, and Baek Eunseong would be by his side, and Baek Gyeongmin and Yang Jiyul would be there too, so it would be fine. Thinking vaguely like that, I grabbed the armpits of the child who was still sniffling and unable to stop crying and pulled him off.
Perhaps having calmed down a bit, the small arms obediently released my neck.
"Done crying?"
"Sniff, no, I want to cry a little more."
Baek Hamin, shedding bead-like tears, clung to my arm and wiped his tears.
"Sniff... Mom and Dad, sniff, in my dream, sob..."
"Don't tell me."
I wasn't curious about personal matters. If we got closer here, it would obviously be hard for both of us later. Even when I reached out and covered Baek Hamin's steamed bun-like face, the child continued mumbling. He said he'd cry just a little more, but his eyes were brimming with tears.
"I'm scared the same thing will happen to uncle too, waaaah."
Waaaah, the child who burst into tears clung to my neck again.
"Can't uncle just live with us? I can feed uncle."
Baek Hamin continued speaking between hiccups, and I chewed my lip. It was true that I had used the child's affection for my own satisfaction, but I didn't know he would depend on me this much.
Thinking I should soothe the child first, just as I was about to carefully pat his back, a hand that had crept up grabbed my arm.
"Uncle, let's just have Hamin and uncle live together."
As expected of a Hunter, the grip strength of the hand clutching me to the point of turning white was extraordinary for a child. Baek Hamin spoke as resolutely as his hand strength.
"I'll raise uncle together with Pani."
"What?"
For a moment, I thought I misheard, but Baek Hamin's expression was nothing but resolute. I belatedly tried to shake off his arm, but I could instinctively tell it was already too late.
The moment the child sniffled, my field of vision gradually lowered. At the same time, everything surrounding me began to grow larger.
'...Huh?'
No, I was shrinking.