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Chapter 189

“Today, we’re going out to play!”

“Going out to play!? Where to!?”

“We’re going to check out the attractions in Harmony City. Don’t you want to see the city too, Nea?”

“Well, since this is where I’m going to live, I do want to check it out. Will you take me?”

“Of course! Shar and Tae-oh want to go with Mom and see too, right?”

“Yes! I want to go on a date with Mom!”

“Tae-oh too! Tae-oh also wants to go out with Mom!”

Even though Shar had seen the city before and looked a bit indifferent, he perked up once he realized Nea was joining and rushed into Nea’s arms with Tae-oh.

Anyway, those kids just loved to cling to Nea for everything. I wonder if that’s really good?

“Hehe, my kids are like this. So, shall we have a tour guide?”

“Hold on, there’s something I need to clarify.”

“Um? What’s that?”

“Shar, the one going on a date with Nea is me, not you.”

“Dad, that’s so unfair! You just want to monopolize her.”

“You’re right, you’re right. Dad will share an unlimited Mom access pass.”

Nea sighed, facepalming while watching Yeon-woo bicker with the kids.

“Three kids, huh…”

*

After a simple breakfast and spending some time at home, Yeon-woo’s family headed out of the dorm. Claire decided not to join them. She mentioned that the last time she came, she wandered around alone.

Or perhaps she simply didn’t want to intrude on a happy family outing.

So where was their first destination? A clothing store! Although Shar and Tae-oh had enough clothes, Nea, who had just recently arrived, didn’t have many.

Nea questioned why she should buy clothes when she could change her appearance with mana, making it easy for Yeon-woo to persuade her.

“I wish you’d think of me every time you see an actual item.”

“Yeon-woo…!”

Shar watched his parents embrace each other while gazing passionately at one another in the street with an expression that screamed cold disdain.

Tae-oh, on the other hand, was grinning just to see Yeon-woo and Nea getting along.

“You two can play in the playroom. What do you want to do?”

“I can’t trust Dad’s fashion sense.”

“Sorry for being an untrustworthy father. What about you, Tae-oh?”

“Yeah… I want to play, but it feels a bit weird to do it alone….”

Of course, Yeon-woo was expecting that response. The truth was, coming to this clothing store was a scheme of Yeon-woo’s. After all, this was the only clothing store in Harmony City with a children’s playroom.

Yeon-woo signaled an employee who was standing nearby. The employee handed Yeon-woo a box, which he accepted and tucked under his arm.

The employee smiled brightly and spoke. They had received cooperation because of a business connected to Lunaria.

“Everything’s fine, Lord Tae-oh. Today, there’s a child who could become friends with you. Shall we go say hello?”

“Huh? Who came to be friends with Tae-oh? Then let’s go meet them!”

With a cheerful response, Tae-oh tightly held onto the female staff’s hand. Oh my, the employee blushed at that. What’s this? A little fan? I guess that’s possible since Yeon-woo’s family is kind of famous.

“Okay, if you make friends, make sure to introduce them to Mom and Dad later.”

“Got it! I’ll be right back!”

Watching Tae-oh’s cheerful back as he headed toward the playroom, Nea sighed.

“I’m not sure if it’s right to let him meet that person or not.”

“Why? Isn’t she a decent potential daughter-in-law?”

“…What did you just say?”

“Just kidding, just kidding. But still, if he wants to make a friend, we shouldn’t stop him. Honestly, I think Tae-oh was more looking forward to it than that girl.”

“I’m okay with him becoming friends, but… is it really okay to go this far to orchestrate their first meeting? Isn’t a casual encounter more natural for friends?”

“Nea, you’re a bit too laid-back about dating. But I understand that child’s perspective too.”

You often feel that way about someone truly precious to you. If the conditions were a little better, it would have been great to meet in a proper place, but the thought was the same.

Yeon-woo felt the same. He wanted to go back to the time when he first met her, but unexpected timing had robbed him of doing a proper introduction.

“But usually, that’s not possible. That child has gotten a chance they may never have again. I wanted to help as much as I could because I understand that feeling.”

“…Yeon-woo….”

Nea looked at Yeon-woo with a bittersweet gaze. Well, she had thought of that too. Now she was simply glad that she could meet Yeon-woo, but…

“As long as the kids don’t ask for help, I won’t interfere in their relationships. No matter how it flows, they’ll learn something from it.”

That’s what human relationships are, and that’s what Yeon-woo wanted the kids to learn.

Though it might sound cold at times, Yeon-woo wore a warm expression beside Nea, who quietly watched him.

“Looking for the person here to buy clothes. Looking for the one to buy clothes~”

Amid their conversation, Shar was interrupting. Yes, yes, we need to buy clothes…

*

A girl hid and watched a boy who had entered the playroom, steeling her heart. Wasn’t that the face she’d been longing to see? Now that she was here, there was no reason to hesitate.

Soon, the employee finished introducing and exited the playroom. The girl, who had been fidgeting with her fingers, slowly took a deep breath. Though she felt ready emotionally, her body seemed underprepared.

The boy, likely having heard where he was supposed to wait, looked around as if searching for the girl and pouted. Silly boy, hiding here! The girl chuckled quietly.

“Ahem.”

Pretending to be grown-up, the girl made a fake cough and revealed her hidden form. Upon hearing that sound, the boy, Tae-oh, with his brown skin, brightened up.

The two children stood facing each other. One was a boy with strikingly dark brown skin. Amid the ebony-like calmness of his color, his jet-black eyes sparkled.

Surrounded by such deep hues, the boy wore a wide smile overflowing with the thrilling excitement of childhood.

Watching him, the girl with light brown skin smiled gently. The boy stood before her, showing significant change since their last meeting a month ago.

Though he had burst in boldly, now he seemed to hesitate at odd moments, as if he had grown comfortable with interacting with others.

Then, the boy’s eyes widened in surprise. She was an unfamiliar person. Yet, there was a somehow familiar vibe.

Finally, the girl broke the silence. Trying to maintain the coolest demeanor, she flicked her yellow-tipped hair back dramatically.

“Didn’t you come to meet me? Aren’t you going to say thank you?”

“……”

“I said, I came to meet you, didn’t I? Tae-oh? Are you listening?”

Tae-oh, who had been standing there like a statue, suddenly erupted into a big smile. Tears streamed down those wide-open eyes. Startled by this reaction, the girl moved closer.

“Why, why are you crying? There’s no need to cry….”

Tae-oh gently took the girl’s approaching hand with both of his. The girl, unfamiliar with physical touch, flinched and squirmed.

“Will you play with me this time?”

“If you want to, I can play with you.”

“Will you be my friend?”

“Actually, I’ve been thinking you’re my friend already.”

“…You won’t leave me behind this time, will you?”

“Nope, Dad convinced me with some solid logic.”

It was hard to believe such a sweet voice came from a child.

“I heard you have something for me, Tae-oh. You have a gift for me. I’m really looking forward to that.”

At her soft whisper, Tae-oh wiped his tears and looked up. Despite being damp, his focus was crystal clear, surprising the girl.

“Tae-oh wants to give you a name… Will you accept it…?”

At that, a radiant smile bloomed on the girl’s face like a flower.

*

The night before, Yeon-woo had a prior meeting with the God. Though he had heard from Riley about the process of creating the divine body, he had never seen it firsthand.

He listened to various explanations. Somehow, the God who had died before was now a woman, and that bit got resolved in the course of their discussion.

From what Riley said, the divine body had no gender initially, but once the God was resurrected, suddenly a gender was defined.

The resurrection of a God was said to mean complete rebirth. Although they retained the same memories and experiences, they were reborn as the same single deity with only the divine position the same.

The trouble was that this also meant carrying over the feelings of wanting to die, even after being resurrected. Ultimately, they couldn’t shake off the thought that they had already caused too many deaths just from dying once.

Yet Yeon-woo didn’t think that way. That sin wasn’t something to drag into a second life.

The God could have claimed their own mental struggles and all sorts of things, but they had accepted that they committed sins themselves.

In a way, that God was too soft-hearted, both in the first life and in the second. Of course, Yeon-woo brought her back just because he liked her soft-hearted nature.

Naturally, the God couldn’t just brush off such discussions.

That was understandable. Yeon-woo’s words were really just a fable. Yet now, the God had decided to live, swayed by Yeon-woo’s persuasion.

‘What could a naive child think logic holds up when they’ve never even bumped into people?’

As he pondered over a hilariously crude costume that he wished Nea would wear, he thought about that.

If she wouldn’t fall for such a flimsy argument, then he could just keep throwing such absurdities until she couldn’t think straight.

Among all the matters, this was the most valid one to argue.

‘Is it right to say a newborn has sins just because their mother died during childbirth?’

Perhaps because of a tendency toward a lack of affection, that topic resonated splendidly with her more than anything else.

Amazingly, the God had said that the child had sins. This was likely because she projected herself onto the newborn.

Yeon-woo, asked for an answer, simply stated there wasn’t one. Naturally, the God panicked, seeking reasons, and Yeon-woo proudly replied.

There was no reason. It was simply free of sin. It was just an accident. So the child shouldn’t worry about incidents that occurred before they were born.

Being a child, she should just focus on her own happiness, and he even patted her on the head lightly.

To that, she looked incredulous, clutching her head in surprise. She said it was the first time she had been scolded.

“See? You really are still just a kid.”

Having a third daughter was out of the question, but he considered her as a friend living next door for now.

“Still, I can’t let you wear that.”

Nea looked back at the outfit Yeon-woo was checking with a frostbitten gaze.

It took quite some time to convince Nea that he didn’t mean it like that while she hid her red ears behind her hair…

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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