Chapter 73: Party (8)

The beautiful multicolored world Lee Sunghwan created…

Even the mature Jang Nara and Jingyu gaped in awe at the dreamlike scene that seemed straight from a movie before rushing off to play.

Now only Han Dayeon and a few staff remained nearby.

Yet Gyeonwoo fidgeted in place, glancing around repeatedly without moving from her spot.

Maybe it was just her imagination but…

Uncle looked somehow lonely standing there by himself.

“Why aren’t you going to play? What are you doing here?”

At Lee Sunghwan’s question, Gyeonwoo gave an awkward “hehe” smile.

Though she had many things she wanted to say…

She worried her words might sound like she was judging uncle, so she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

As she stood there twisting her hands and feet anxiously…

“Mama? Should I spray uncle with water again?”

Pureumi spread her arms wide, ready to unleash water at any moment.

“Aaah! Not that! I told you we shouldn’t spray people with water!”

“Aww. Then when are we gonna play?”

“We’ll go soon. You’re a good girl who can wait a bit, right?”

Her constant glancing around showed she was clearly unhappy about not playing right away.

Ugh… I’m just being a burden to Pureumi and uncle!

Come on, be brave!

I’m only here now thanks to the monks and uncle.

I can do this!

Gyeonwoo swallowed hard as she steeled her resolve.

She carefully reached out to make sure uncle wouldn’t misunderstand what she was about to say.

“Hmm?”

She gently grasped his large, calloused hand that dwarfed her tiny one, and spoke carefully:

“Um… everyone else is playing with their families, but we don’t have one.”

Lee Sunghwan didn’t answer her trembling voice.

Instead, he slowly bent down to meet Gyeonwoo’s bright yellow eyes.

His gaze was gentle, as if ready to listen to whatever she had to say, not angry at all.

An implicit permission that she could speak freely.

Encouraged, Gyeonwoo hastily blurted out her thoughts:

“Ah! I-I don’t mean it’s strange! And I’m not saying it’s pitiful or anything! Just! Maybe we could all play together since we don’t have families…!”

Ah.

So she was still thinking that way.

“Whaaat! Mama… aren’t we family?!”

“N-no! We’re like family, but um, real family means being related by blood!”

He’d thought she was starting to see them as family given how much more open she’d become, but apparently not quite yet.

Well, the answer was simple then.

Just make her have so much fun that she’d agree to adoption right here and now.

“…I already thought we were family, but I guess not.”

Given Gyeonwoo’s personality, she wouldn’t catch on unless he directly called her ‘daughter’.

His assessment proved exactly right.

“Ah, um….”

Unable to deny it but also unable to agree…

“U-um….”

Gyeonwoo scuffed her heel against the ground, unable to answer.

“Pfft. Guild Master, stop teasing the children.”

Han Dayeon approached with an amused smile, having caught onto his intention.

Come to think of it, she’d forgotten with all the urgent events…

Our Gyeonwoo gets completely absorbed in anything interesting, doesn’t she?

If they played this right, they might get her to sign adoption papers today.

Han Dayeon and Lee Sunghwan exchanged silent glances.

In that moment.

The two moved beyond their superior-subordinate relationship to become one in purpose.

They understood each other’s thoughts without words.

“Well then, let’s enjoy the party together.”

“Oh! I agree! That’s a great idea!”

Before Gyeonwoo could gather her thoughts to respond, they formed a cozy family formation.

The four of them lined up holding hands: Han Dayeon, Pureumi, Gyeonwoo, and Lee Sunghwan.

“Tell me if there’s somewhere you want to go first.”

“Huh…?”

Gyeonwoo blinked her large eyes repeatedly, clearly flustered by the situation.

Like a confused puppy, she tilted her head this way and that, unconsciously making little questioning sounds.

“Pureumi! Pureumi wants to go there! Water! Want to shoot water!”

Only when Pureumi raised both arms excitedly, having spotted an interesting game, did Gyeonwoo snap out of it.

“Ah.”

Pureumi and I are connected by contract.

And since we lived together with sister and the monks, we are like family.

Plus we’ve eaten meals with the Guild Master too.

Jump!

Realizing something new, Gyeonwoo bounced up like a rabbit and exclaimed:

“We’re household members! We’re members of the same household!”

She’d seen it online before.

That household members meant people who shared meals under the same roof!

So while they might not be family, they could be household members – which meant playing together like this wasn’t strange at all!

This helped ease her guilt about her deceased parents.

Gyeonwoo finally noticed the water gun shooting gallery Pureumi had been eyeing.

“Then, should we go there first?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

With both Pureumi and Gyeonwoo’s agreement, what else was there to consider?

The four naturally matched their pace to Pureumi’s shortest stride as they headed toward the shooting gallery.

“How much money did you pour into this, Guild Master?”

What had he managed in those 30 minutes on the bus?

A massive shooting gallery like something from an amusement park gleamed brightly before them.

Though it was a simple game where you knocked down dolls with water guns to win prizes, setting this up couldn’t have been easy.

“Just borrowed things from amusement parks and game centers. Didn’t cost much.”

“Seeing how much the kids love it, I should do something similar next time.”

“Good. I’ll have my secretaries leave you the contact information.”

She’d thought it impossible, but he’d actually bought everything.

Though his telekinesis enabled quick setup, the simple solution surprised Han Dayeon and she made a mental note.

I’ll remember what Gyeonwoo and Pureumi enjoy today and set it up in the yard later!

“Wow! Water! That shoots water like Pureumi! Is that a spirit too?”

Pureumi looked more excited than ever as they approached the shooting gallery.

Her face split in a huge grin.

Her mouth gaped so wide a bug could fly in.

“Oh no! Pureumi! You need to hold hands while walking!”

She even let go of Gyeonwoo’s hand – something she never did – and ran ahead.

“What is that! How do you do it?!”

Pureumi’s attention fixed on a boy who was shooting a water gun.

Having never seen a gun before, she couldn’t have imagined one that shot water existed.

Her loud reaction startled the boy who had been aiming at a robot target, making his shoulders jump.

“Oh, um?”

“Water! How do you shoot? What is that?”

To Gyeonwoo, this was shockingly rude behavior.

Interrupting someone – a stranger no less – who was playing peacefully!

“Pureumi! You shouldn’t act so rudely!”

Despite having adults nearby to handle the situation, Gyeonwoo rushed forward reflexively.

Did she still not trust adults?

Though both the boy and his parents watched with amusement, she acted mortified over the minor disturbance.

Just as Gyeonwoo was about to bow and apologize…

“Hey… I don’t mind, but have you never used a water gun before?”

The boy was actually excited to have cute girls showing interest.

“Yeah! Gun! Can shoot water with gun?!”

“Yeah, want me to show you?”

“Yeah yeah!”

Before Gyeonwoo could intervene further, click.

The boy proudly aimed the water gun at the robot target, his stance a bit awkward.

“See, since it’s far away, you need to aim a bit up to reach it.”

When he pulled the trigger, a stream of water shot out with a pssh and hit the robot.

However, the weak water pressure only made the heavy robot sway slightly.

To win the robot, you needed to either hit its head precisely or hit it multiple times…

“Wooow! You hit it!”

“Ahem. I’m the best shot in our kindergarten!”

Unaware of this, Pureumi was simply thrilled.

Amazing! A tool that let normal humans shoot water without being spirits!

Clap clap clap clap clap clap!

As Pureumi clapped like a seal, laughter erupted from all around.

How could there be such an innocent and adorable child?

“Oh…”

Gyeonwoo, who had rushed out just to stop Pureumi, froze in place.

Everyone… really likes Pureumi?

True, our Pureumi is sweet and cute but.

She surely caused trouble, yet everyone is so kind – thank goodness.

Yes, definitely thank goodness but…

Her chest ached for some reason.

It had happened at the district office too, but she couldn’t understand why.

If there were any health issues, Mia’s healing ability would have activated, so she wasn’t sure what was wrong.

“Well, do you want to try shooting too?”

While Gyeonwoo stood frozen…

The boy excitedly ran to get spare water guns to hand over.

“Yeah! Pureumi and Mama will do it too!”

These girls clearly looked more delicate than him, so they probably couldn’t hit it in one shot.

He could show off his skills and then teach them how to shoot while becoming friends! Such were his innocent thoughts.

However, neither Gyeonwoo nor the adults – Han Dayeon and Lee Sunghwan – expected what would happen next.

“Water!!”

“…Huh?”

The only rule Pureumi understood was ‘you can take home whatever you knock down by shooting water!’

The problem was that she unconsciously used too much force, wanting to win a new doll for Gyeonwoo.

Such weak water wouldn’t knock anything down!

More water would do the trick, right?

An incredibly powerful stream of water burst from Pureumi’s gun.

Whoosh!

The water pressure was so intense it knocked over not just the dolls but the entire display stand!

“……”

“Oh dear.”

The boy froze with his mouth hanging open.

Han Dayeon and Lee Sunghwan couldn’t help but laugh.

They should have known these troublemakers would cause trouble eventually.

Author’s Note

Today’s menu is Oreo chocolate frappe!

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