episode_0239

“Oh, how could you do that to me… ”

“… ”

Has it been recently that Yeonminha has shown this much sadness…?

But this time, I feel wronged. I can’t explain something I don’t even remember.

Yeon-i, the person who caused this situation, had her head bowed and was just wiggling her fingers. Even though she said it herself, she seemed quite embarrassed…

But as things got to this point, a little bit of doubt began to rise in my heart.

First of all, the girl who appeared out of nowhere and called me daddy, and who is still sitting on my lap and flapping her feet. Suah.

That’s why I couldn’t really refute Yeon-i’s words. Even though she looked exactly like Yeon-i in every other way, the shape of her eyes and the color of her pupils were exactly the same as mine.

Even if we leave other circumstances aside, the fact that this child is my daughter… feels like a clear truth.

However, what is questionable is not Su-ah, but Yeon-i’s attitude in bringing this child.

There were times when I tried to forget about it on purpose, but Yeon-i and I spent most of our childhood practically stuck together.

Their affection for each other was also deep. This means that they had known each other’s habits and speech patterns from a long time ago.

Even if you don’t want to know, you have no choice but to know. In a non-urgent and static situation like this, it’s harder to miss a clue.

And earlier. When Yeon-i said that Su-ah was her daughter.

The attitude and tone of voice she displayed were undeniably the truth.

It was the same when I said that I tried to raise her on my own somehow, and when I said that Soo-ah missed her father so much.

That’s why it was more confusing.

If that’s true… it means Yeon-i really did something while I was sleeping.

-I did it… secretly… while you were sleeping.

But the subtle change that Yeon-i showed when she said that… was closer to the way she sometimes tells cute lies that don’t make sense.

“… ”

It’s the same now. I could tell just by looking at that trembling right eyebrow.

I don’t know about anything else, but I can be certain that the claim that it was done secretly is false.

“Dad?”

Suah on my lap stared intently at me as if she had noticed my complicated feelings.

As expected, I didn’t feel any negative emotions like awkwardness or distance at all.

But then… what is this child’s true identity…?

“I know that I have committed a great and unforgivable wrong against you.”

And while I was lost in thought, Yeon-i approached me. Unlike just now, her expression was extremely dark.

“I also know that you are a shameless, brazen, selfish, and shameless woman.”

Bitterness, loneliness, repentance. A jumble of emotions swirled around in her golden eyes.

“Still, still… ”

Yeon-i bit her lips hard. It was a habit she had when she was extremely distressed.

After hesitating and faltering several times, she finally opened her mouth.

“Without you… I don’t think I can do it… ”

“… ”

“I won’t ask you to forgive me right away. I won’t ask you to put me next to me right away. But still… ”

Then he lowered his head as if he couldn’t bear to look me in the eye.

“Just one more chance… Can’t you give me one more chance…?”

“… ”

The earnestness and desperation were clearly evident in his trembling voice.

I think I know a little bit about why Yeon-i planned today’s event.

If things were normal, this kind of situation would never have been created in the first place. Naturally, I would never have listened to her pleas.

There’s no way Yeon-i wouldn’t know about my personality…

“Opportunity? Stop laughing.”

And the one who intervened before me was Yeon-min, who had barely managed to control his emotions.

“Baek Seo-yeon. Stop being so sticky and get out of here. You know? Your chance has already passed.”

Yeonmin-ha glances at me. Her eyes are filled with a hint of resentment and regret.

Only after she had glanced at Su-ah in her arms did she turn her head back to Yeon-i.

“I will raise your daughter well with love. I promise. I will never discriminate against other children. Isn’t that enough? It’s good. Wouldn’t it be better for her to live in a harmonious family rather than a single-parent family? With a mom, dad, and younger siblings.”

“Ugh… ”

And Yeon-i, who had been glaring at Yeon-min-ha with a slight flinch, shook her head.

“… That won’t do. Parenting is a job that involves both delicacy and hardship. I can’t leave my Su-ah to someone who can’t even make a single piece of candy properly… ”

“How did you do that!!”

And Yeonminha’s face turns red in an instant. Candy? What is this story out of the blue…?

No way… is that the National Foundation Day celebration festival?

“Okay. That’s the end of the conversation.”

Memories of the past were about to flash through my mind. I was glaring at Yeon-i as if I was facing an enemy, with my teeth clenched in pity.

“Stop clinging to me and please get out of here!! A woman who is supposedly the heir to the throne is using such a dirty method…! Aren’t you ashamed? Huh?”

“Hyun-ah, please, just once… at least for the sake of our Su-ah… ”

Many voices mingled noisily and cut through the air. They were all just saying what they wanted to say, so there was no room for them to stay.

“Dad! Pat Suah’s head again!”

Now, even Su-ah has joined in. A leaf flutters over the bridge of Su-ah’s nose as she cries out with her arms outstretched.

“Whew, Whew… ”

Soon, the leaves blowing in the breeze touched her soft skin. Su-ah shivered slightly as if she was tickled.

And then, as if he couldn’t hold it in any longer, a cute sneeze burst out.

“Heh, heh, hetchuu!”

Swish!

And it only took a moment for me to sense the change.

“Huh… ?”

Suddenly, I felt something like fluffy hair under my palm. What I can say for sure is that it is a type of sensation that I can never feel from human hair.

I suddenly looked down. My palm was stroking Su-ah’s hair.

What was visible below was something too foreign to be hanging on a human head.

“Cat…ears…?”

***

“Oh, then that’s right.”

And then the situation changed in an instant.

Although he was expressing his deepest discontent through his pitiful voice, his face was filled with satisfaction and comfort.

“Hueuh… ”

On the other hand, Yeon-i… just blushed and lowered her head as if nothing could be more embarrassing.

“I, I haven’t done it yet… I knew it… Of course I knew it… ”

Yeonmin-ha, who is so confident and relieved, is a little annoying. If she was going to do this, why did she give me such a resentful look just now?

But isn’t that strange? I just heard that story.

Is there something more important?

“Heeelp… ”

And then all I hear is the helpless sobbing of some small, fragile creature.

“D, I got caught… Suah… I hid my ears well and used it… ”

Tears welled up in Su-ah’s eyes. Through her drooping hair, two fluffy animal ears could still be seen.

Suah held onto my leg tightly like a sloth. Then she raised her head and spoke as if pleading.

“Dad… Suah will be sad… ?”

“… ”

When I hear that sorrowful voice, I feel a mixture of emotions. I feel like it’s half Yeon and half me mixed together, so I feel that way even more…

“… No.”

Thanks to that, I was able to quickly gather my thoughts. My head hurt so much that I had a headache, but… at least it wasn’t the child’s fault.

“Why do I hate you.”

“Sua, you have ears… Don’t you want to cry…?”

“I don’t like it. It’s just good because it’s soft.”

“What the hell?!”

As I spoke while gently stroking her hair, Su-ah greeted me with a bright smile on her face as if nothing had happened.

“Hehehe! Dad, that’s great!!”

“But you still have to keep it a secret from other people. Got it?”

“Yeah! Secret! Promise!”

And just then, Su-ah nodded fiercely.

The animal ears, which clearly had a fluffy texture, seemed to disintegrate, but then in an instant, they turned into hair and disappeared as if nothing had happened.

It is a truly unbelievable sight, one that leaves one speechless.

“So… ”

I stroked Su-ah, who was clinging to me and enjoying the warmth, and asked Yeon-i, who still couldn’t raise her head.

“Really… Su-ah is a peanut…?”

“… Yeah.”

And Yeon-i nodded faintly.

Peanut. A cat with an unusually small body and fur that is a mix of amber and cream colors.

Ever since Yeon-i picked up Peanut, who had collapsed on the street, we spent almost all of our time together.

Because of that incident, Peanut was thought to have been lost forever, but he had an unexpected and happy reunion in the cradle.

Peanut, whom I met again, looked the same as before. Since he had not shown himself to me recently, I was curious about his current situation.

But… I never would have imagined that that cat would turn into a human like this.

“So… ”

According to Yeon-i, Peanut suddenly turned into a human about two years ago. It was some time after a tragedy struck the village.

Of course, Yeon-i also had no idea about his identity. Who would be able to do that?

At first, he was very wary, but he eventually had no choice but to soften his heart when he saw Peanut following him.

And he named her and secretly raised her as his daughter, thinking that she would be one of the few people connected to him.

“I’m bad at hiding my ears… so I couldn’t show them to anyone. I finally succeeded recently and brought them out like this… ”

The more I listened to the story, the more surprised I became.

It is a world overflowing with all kinds of mutated demons influenced by particles.

Some of them have high intelligence, and some even take on human form.

But, I have never heard of a cat that can transform into a human… even in the northeastern garrison where all sorts of sorcery and superstitions were rampant due to its close relationship with the demon tribe.

“… ”

A demon with high intelligence, or a demon with the ability to disguise itself as a human, or a demon with both.

In other words, it means that it is a being that can cause significant harm to us.

And humanity’s attitude toward such creatures is clear.

There is no other option than to immediately contact the purification unit and incinerate or preserve it for research purposes.

but…

“Hehehe… Dad, okay~”

I could immediately understand why Yeon-i couldn’t take such action.

No matter how I looked at it, it was just a harmless and cute creature.

Even someone who looks exactly like me and Yeon-i.

“Peanut… no, Su-ah.”

“Uhm?”

After much thought, I asked Su-ah. It was to get some clues that could help me figure out the truth.

“Do you remember when you met your dad and mom?”

“When we first met…?”

“Yeah.”

“Uuuuu… ”

Su-ah fell into deep thought, clutching her hair.

“Sua, when I woke up, I was in mommy’s arms. I was so hungry… Dad and mom gave Sua something delicious… ”

I vividly remember the time I fed blood to a skinny kitten. Half of it was Yeon-i’s blood, and half was my own.

I thought he would die for sure, but somehow he came back to life and appeared before my eyes the next day.

Does Su-ah remember that too?

“And, and, and… Ah!”

Su-ah, who had been groaning and wrapping her head around her neck, brightened her face as if she had remembered something. Then she turned to me and shouted loudly as if asking me to praise her.

“Dad, take Suah’s!”

“What…? What should I take…?”

“Here it is, here it is!”

I lifted up Suah, who was jumping up and down. Then Suah lifted her finger and poked a certain part of my chest.

Then he smiled brightly and said.

“Is it okay? Dad can take it. Su-ah likes her dad… Hehe… !”

“Take… ?”

“What…?”

And Yeon-i and Yeon-min-ha also look bewildered by Su-ah’s words. I also have no clue whatsoever.

The part that Su-ah poked at wasn’t particularly special. It wasn’t a place with any important organs, and I don’t have any special places like a spring.

A small area next to the heart. It’s just a place where I consciously visualize a vessel to hold my power when I’m not using it…

“Huh… ?”

And then I just stood there frozen.

My heart pounded violently. Blood flow circulated furiously as if it were tearing apart the blood vessels throughout my body. Suddenly, a tingling electric current flowed through my nerves.

Soon, slowly but surely, the moment of realization arrives.

“No way…!”

“Wow! This is fun!”

I picked Suah up again. Suah was smiling broadly and flapping her arms like a bird, absorbed in pretending to fly.