Chapter 170: Yerim
-Flutter.
As soon as Yuhyun and Yerim appeared, the two unicorn foals darted behind the training dummy, peeking out cautiously with nervous eyes. Whether it was due to the difference in rank or their species’ nature, those foals were far more sensitive than other beasts. When Yerim had first met them, one had even bitten her hand. Now, they wouldn’t even dare to approach her.
“White, Black, come here.”
At my call, White trotted toward me first, his hooves clicking softly against the floor. Black, on the other hand, crouched low before leaping over in a single bound. Although they were still the size of young foals, it was a struggle to hide both of them behind me, yet they pressed their bodies tightly against mine, as if desperate to stay concealed. At the same time, they gnawed on the hem of my clothes—a bad habit that had already ruined several outfits.
“I’m moving in too!”
Yerim exclaimed, startling the foals, who flinched in response.
“It’s so unfair that only Han Yuhyun gets to move in!”
“Yerim, Yuhyun is my brother. Why is that unfair? We’ve lived together for years.”
The time we lived together far outweighed the time we spent apart. Except for the three years after I returned, we’d always been together. If things had gone smoothly, we’d still be living together. He’d probably have enlisted for military service by now.
At my words, Yerim’s expression turned resentful, and Yuhyun, as if on cue, approached me and stood by my side. The foals freaked out and scurried back to the dummy in a frantic clatter of hooves.
“I’ve lived with him since the day I was born.”
“That’s still so unfair!”
…What’s unfair about something so obvious? Both of you are impossible.
“Is that all you brought with you?”
The suitcase he carried seemed too small for a move, more like he was going on a short trip. Yuhyun didn’t seem to have many personal items at his place, but still.
“I just packed the clothes I’ll need for now. I have everything else at the house, and I can always buy anything I need.”
I guess money solves everything. Still, it felt odd that he didn’t seem to have any other belongings to bring along. After three years of living in a different home, you’d think he’d have collected some mementos by now. Then again, since he wasn’t fully moving out of the Haeyeon residence, it made sense he’d leave most of his stuff there.
“Go ahead and head upstairs. Are you going to use the same room as before?”
“Yeah, I like that room.”
Yuhyun beamed, and I couldn’t help but smile back. Even as an adult, he was still so cute. It brought back memories of when he was younger.
After sending Yuhyun upstairs, I told the two unicorn foals to return home. They hopped away obediently at my words. Then I turned to the sulking Yerim, who stood with a pout.
“Yerim.”
“I don’t like living alone.”
Her voice was quiet, her words dropped like a heavy sigh.
“The dorm is nice, and it’s more convenient than before, but it still feels a bit lonely.”
Only then did I realize that I’d left a kid alone. She always seemed so lively, getting along well with others and going out to have fun, so I’d assumed she was fine. Of course, it was natural for her to feel lonely.
“I’m sorry I didn’t pay more attention.”
“No, it’s much better than living with people I don’t get along with. But I want to live with you, Mister. Can’t I?”
“There’s nothing stopping you, but we’re different genders, and you’re still young…”
“I’m way stronger than you, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Still, wouldn’t it be uncomfortable?”
“When I lived with my uncle, I had two cousins I hated sharing the house with. I couldn’t even have my own room.”
“That must’ve been hard.”
“I wanted to kill them.”
Yerim said seriously.
What should I do? I thought about it for a moment before starting to walk.
“Let’s go for a walk together.”
“Isn’t that a bit much? Mister, if you don’t want me to, you can just say no.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to.”
There was just something on my mind.
I took Yerim to the rooftop garden. There were streetlights scattered around, but the area was still relatively dim. Even though the sun had set, the summer air was still humid and warm.
And then—
“Ugh.”
A mosquito landed on my arm. Near the lights, other bugs were swarming as well. I hate bugs.
“Oh yeah, Mister gets bitten by mosquitoes, doesn’t he?”
“Of course I do. And their poison isn’t high enough for Poison Resistance to block the itchiness, either.”
Yerim said she hadn’t been bitten by a mosquito even once since awakening. She lightly activated Cold Sigh, cooling the air around us. My skin felt refreshingly cool as a faint white mist spread out, repelling the insects.
“This should keep the mosquitoes away.”
“That’s nice.”
“Right? It’s like having built-in air conditioning.”
At that moment, there was a flurry of wings, and Blue appeared. She yawned as she opened her beak wide in greeting, her half-closed eyes showing just how sleepy she was. Since she wakes up with the sunrise and sleeps when the sun sets, this was her usual nap time.
“Why did you come out instead of staying asleep?”
-Kyaw.
“Blue, long time no see!”
The griffon, rubbing her head against me, then headbutted Yerim with considerably more force before letting out a big yawn. I stroked the back of her neck, telling her to go back to sleep. Blue wagged her tail and flew off again.
“Are you really going to give Blue to Hyunah?”
“If Breaker successfully wins the monster auction this time, I might not have to send her. Hyunah would take good care of her, though. Don’t you think?”
“She’d spoil her rotten. If Blue had cold resistance, she could even run dungeons with me. I’m so jealous Hyunah doesn’t have to worry about elements like I do.”
“I’ll find a mount with cold resistance for you, Yerim. If we get a monster that fits, I’ll raise it for you first thing.”
“Won’t people accuse you of favoritism?”
“So what if they do? The world runs on connections anyway.”
We walked along the path, chatting about this and that. At one point, Yerim brought up the recently conquered S-Class dungeon. She mentioned that she’d received a nice S-Class item, likely as a reward for quickly taking care of the boss on her own.
“With that, I’ve finally paid off all my debt. I had about half of it left, but the appraisal value of the S-Class item was exactly enough to cover it.”
“If you put it up for auction, you’d probably get even more. Still, it’s impressive you’ve already paid off half. I thought it’d take longer.”
“It’s all thanks to that dungeon with the giant toad. I got all the mana stones from it, and we split the value of its byproducts too, which were super expensive.”
She smiled brightly, saying that the higher distribution ratio she received as an S-Class Hunter had allowed her to save up steadily from other dungeons as well. She’s only a middle schooler, yet she’s already accomplished so much—it’s both admirable and a little heartbreaking.
‘The keyword effect of My Kid Is the Best…’
I hadn’t intentionally activated it for Yerim. But still, it lingered in my mind. Unlike Yuhyun, whom I had raised from the start, Yerim was different. She had seen someone else in me, someone she had cared for deeply, and that had led to her affection toward me.
I couldn’t keep ignoring that fact. More importantly, I cared about this kid too.
If I had only intended to keep things at the level of an acquaintance, I could have stayed silent. If our relationship had been no deeper than that, even if it had started due to a skill effect, I wouldn’t have been too bothered. After all, I’m not the most morally upright person.
But Yerim had grown too close. And she wanted to get even closer. Both of us did.
“Yerim, there’s something I need to tell you.”
The skill description stated that if the target became aware of the keyword effect, the skill would no longer apply. How far did that awareness extend? There was no mention in the skill description of the effect where I appeared to be a parental figure to others. Would it still count if I explained it vaguely, without directly stating the keyword? Was I even allowed to describe the hidden effects not listed in the skill window?
‘If the skill gets canceled…’
Losing the growth buffs of My Kid Is the Best for Yerim would be a significant loss. But I could find ways to make up for it, just as I had with the Mermaid Queen’s skill. So, I began.
“Remember how you once said I reminded you of a man you used to know when you were a kid?”
Yerim’s expression turned startled, almost flustered.
“Uh, you noticed that? I don’t feel that way anymore!”
“You don’t?”
“Yes! At first, I really did think a lot about that man when I saw you. And honestly, the fact that you showed up in my life felt like something I’d always imagined.”
Yerim looked a little shy as she continued.
“I knew that man had passed away, but I was just a kid. So, I’d imagine he might still be alive and suddenly appear in my life, like something out of The Little Princess. You know, like he’d take me out of my uncle’s house and let me live in a big mansion with a garden. A dream like that. But then you actually showed up and awakened me.”
She added that even though it was different from her imagination, it had turned out much better. Rather than being handed money, a house, or dolls, she liked how she could now earn those things on her own.
“So yeah, it’s true that you reminded me of him at first, but not anymore. I like you better now.”
She looked at me directly, her gaze firm and clear. For some reason, I thought of Kim Seonghan. Perhaps, just as Kim Seonghan had outgrown the keyword effect that made him see me as a guardian, Yerim had too. And yet, even without the skill’s influence, she still seemed fond of me.
I felt a warmth spread through my chest. After a brief moment of hesitation, I turned off my Fear Resistance skill. If I spoke with it activated, it would be like keeping up a wall while delivering my words too easily.
“Well… thank you.”
“Thank me for what? I like you because you’ve been good to me, Mister.”
“Still, thank you. And, Yerim, the truth is… the reason we got close at first was largely because of a skill effect.”
“…Huh?”
Yerim’s eyes widened in surprise. I suddenly felt my mouth go dry.
“It’s… a skill that causes the other person to feel a kind of affection toward me. It doesn’t show up in my skill window, so I didn’t know about it at first. But the reason you saw me as the man who used to take care of you when you were a child—that was because of the skill.”
As I explained, I glanced at the skill window. Park Yerim’s name was still there, unchanged. It seemed this level of explanation wasn’t enough to cancel the keyword application. I let out a small sigh of relief and continued.
“I’m sorry. It’s not much different from lying to you. But I—”
“Hold on.”
Yerim raised a hand, her face a mix of confusion and thought.
“So… um, was the way you treated me all because of the skill?”
“Huh? No, the skill only affected you.”
“…You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“That’s a relief.”
The momentary anxiety on Yerim’s face vanished, replaced by her usual bright smile. She lightly tapped my arm, careful not to hurt me.
“For a second, I thought you were only kind to me because of the skill. Like, maybe you didn’t actually like me without it.”
“Of course not. And the skill has a time limit, so it’s not even active for you anymore. You even said earlier that you don’t see me as the same man you knew when you were little. That’s because the skill’s effect is gone now.”
“Really? Then I don’t have to feel guilty about it anymore, do I?”
Saying she’d felt uneasy all this time but now felt completely refreshed, Yerim stretched her arms out wide. She added that she was so happy it felt like she could fly—and then she actually floated slightly off the ground. Smiling brightly, she adjusted her height to meet my eyes.
“Mister, you were really worrying over nothing, weren’t you?”
“…Worrying over nothing?”
“That’s what it was. You suddenly showed up, gave me everything, practically announced ‘I like you, you’re adorable,’ and then go, ‘Oh, by the way, I used a skill to make you like me.’ Honestly, isn’t the opposite more believable? Like, instead of you charming me, it’s like I charmed you.”
…Was it really that one-sided? I wasn’t sure.
“Yerim, it’s because you liked me first. That was only because of the skill effect.”
“Someone who buys me good food, awakens me, helps me with contracts, and takes care of me—I’d have to be completely heartless not to like them.”
“Still, it’s something serious to think about. Using a mind-affecting skill to influence someone’s feelings is a big deal. It’s not something to take lightly. Yerim, I think you’re underestimating how serious this—”
“There you go again.”
Yerim cut me off, grabbing my hand and shaking it like we were making a deal.
“Just say you’re sorry, and let’s leave it at that. Also, give me Blue’s old loft to use as my room.”
“The loft? It’s spacious, but one side is open with a railing instead of a wall. Wouldn’t that be inconvenient for a bedroom?”
“I’ll just hang some curtains. I’ve always wanted to live in a loft! It even has fake windows. If I could actually open them, it’d be perfect. I’ve got too much stuff to move everything, so I’ll use both the dorms and your house, like the Guild Leader does.”
When she asked if that was okay, I nodded.
“Then stop looking so gloomy. Quit apologizing and help me get rid of Han Yuhyun, who’s definitely going to hate me moving in!”
“I don’t think he’ll hate it that much.”
“I can already see him scowling the moment he hears it. He’s probably already annoyed that you’re coming home so late.”
She took the lead, saying we should hurry inside. I stared at her back for a moment, feeling dazed. I still wondered if it was okay to leave things like this, but my heart felt much lighter.
Our Yerim was too kind, forgiving me so easily. Just then, she turned sharply to look at me.
“There you go again, making that face. And then you’re going to keep apologizing, aren’t you?”
“Huh?”
“Hurry up. Let’s go already.”
She waved her hand at me energetically, and I took a step forward, following her gesture. Maybe it was the cool mist swirling around us, but the warmth of her presence felt especially comforting as she hooked her arm through mine.
–TL Notes–
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