Byeol was once again heading to the daycare center. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy her time there, playing tag with the older kids, stacking blocks, and trying out different activities. That week, the daycare was hosting what they called a “party week.” The caretakers were preparing street food feasts, making tteokbokki, various fried snacks, ramen, and more.
At the entrance, Do-Jun helped Byeol into her fleece jacket lined with fluffy wool on the inside. Once he had zipped it up over her yellow daycare uniform that had the name “Changshin Daycare,” he finally felt relieved and smiled.
Byeol was clearly excited, bouncing in place before opening the front door and stepping outside.
Everyone has a driving force that motivates them to keep going, and this force differs from person to person. For some, it is family; for others, it might be a hobby or even a cold beer after work. But no matter what, they all share the same goal: bringing happiness.
For Hakase and Kiriel, one of those driving forces was Byeol.
As Byeol stepped out of the house, her face lit up with happiness, and her smile made Kiriel chuckle unconsciously. He held up a freshly made taiyaki and wiggled it slightly. Byeol waddled over to him.
“Come get your taiyaki. It’s free.”
“Yay!” Byeol blew on the taiyaki a few times before taking a big bite.
Kiriel tapped his right cheek with his finger and said, “Kiss.”
Byeol was in such a good mood today that she immediately kissed him without hesitation. Watching this, Hakase, who had been observing from the side, suddenly rushed out of the stall.
“M-me too!” he asked, urgently.
Byeol also kissed Hakase on the cheek. The two men were overjoyed, their spirits greatly uplifted.
They soon noticed that Byeol’s outfit was a little special today. A yellow uniform was peeking out from beneath her jacket, and she was carrying a backpack with “Changshin Daycare” printed on it.
“Is it daycare day?” Kiriel asked.
“Yep! There’s a pawty today!”
“Yeah! They’re making us yummy stuff to eat! Yestewday, we had tteokbokki.”
“Today, it’s fwies! Dunno what’s for tomowwow...” Byeol explained happily.
For some reason, Kiriel started to feel annoyed, as if the daycare was stealing Byeol away from him.
“Anyway, see ya!” Byeol had already finished the taiyaki and dashed off toward the daycare center.
“Lizard,” Kiriel called out.
“What...?” Hakase suddenly felt uneasy.
“We should host a party, too.”
“Can I... can I sit this one out?”
“No. You and I are Bonnie and Clint. Got it? We must combine our strengths,” Kiriel said firmly.
Hakase sighed deeply. “You mean Bobby and Clyde.”
“Yeah, that! Donny and Charles! Anyway, a party it is! A party!”
Ji-Hye, a teacher at Changshin Daycare, was cleaning up after the party. She pushed a mop across the floor, wiping away bits of fried batter and grease stains scattered everywhere. With a long sigh, she pulled out her smartphone to check an old message from the daycare director. It was a group text addressed to all the teachers.
Daycare Director: Starting next Monday, a new nutritionist and assistant will join us. Please hang in there a little longer. We apologize for the delay in selecting a new vendor. Parents have been sending constant complaints, so please handle them tactfully. Let us know immediately if there are any issues.
The daycare had been serving street food and snacks instead of proper meals because the previous nutritionist and assistant had been caught in a scandal, leaving a gap while a new vendor was chosen. Although the children enjoyed the snacks, the parents’ complaints never stopped.
Today alone had been chaotic, and while fish cakes were planned for tomorrow, Friday’s menu was still undecided, adding to her stress.
“This is a mess...” She sighed again.
The Plus Studio, located near Gangnam Station, was home to Pororong, a show beloved by most, if not all, Korean children.
Park Il-Sung, the voice actor of the bear in Pororong, had just finished his voiceover and stepped out of the recording booth. He approached the vending machine in the hallway and inserted 300 won to buy a cup of coffee. Just as the vending machine began whirring, a young man wearing sunglasses and a mask, with middle-parted hair, peeked out from around the corner of the hallway.
Park Il-Sung, now holding his coffee, tilted his head in curiosity and approached the man. “Can... I help you?”
The man looked flustered, cleared his throat, and asked, “Uh, um... are you free this Friday?”
It was an abrupt, random question, but the voice sounded strangely familiar. The man added, “Uh... you see, I was thinking of hosting a party this Friday...”
Park Il-Sung’s eyes widened in realization that the voice belonged to none other than Kiriel, the very person who had saved his life last year. Overjoyed, he set his coffee down and tightly grasped Kiriel’s hands.
“Mr. Kiriel! That’s you, right? Why the sunglasses and mask?”
“I... I have my reasons...”
Just then, a security guard came running down the hall, shouting, “Hey! You’re not allowed in here without a permit!”
“Eek!” Startled, Kiriel turned to flee.
However, Park Il-Sung quickly stepped in front of him and addressed the guard. “Sorry about the confusion. He’s a guest of mine. I invited him here today, but I forgot to notify you.” ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ Nove1Fire.net
“Oh, I see.” The guard scratched his head awkwardly and looked at Kiriel. “If you’re a guest of Mr. Park, you should’ve said so...”
With that, the guard returned to his post.
Kiriel finally removed his sunglasses and mask.
“What kind of party are we talking about?” Park Il-Sung asked.
“This Friday... ahem, I want to host a party for the kids at the daycare near my food stall. I thought having Pororong characters there would make it extra special, so I came to ask for your help. We can pay you whatever it takes.”
Kiriel knew how busy the Pororong cast must be, but he had to try. If they refused, he’d have no choice but to accept it.
“Of course. I’ll ask my colleagues about it,” Park Il-Sung said.
“Absolutely. We also don’t need your money, either.” Park Il-Sung smiled warmly.
That same day, he explained the situation to his fellow voice actors, who, upon learning it was a favor for the man who saved his life, readily agreed to participate.
“Come again...?” Ji-Hye asked, startled. She blinked in confusion as she arranged a container of fishcakes.
Kiriel furrowed his brow deeply and repeated himself. “You don’t want to find out what’s going to happen if you don’t let me throw a party here tomorrow at lunchtime. I’ve already made all the arrangements.”
Ji-Hye tilted her head, still looking like she didn’t understand. She asked, “Wait, are you saying you’ve arranged for the Pororong voice actors to come here?”
Ji-Hye’s expression showed clear skepticism.
Kiriel shrieked loudly, “That’s literally what I just said! Got a problem with it?”
“I mean, problem or not... is that even possible?”
This wasn’t just anyone, but the voice actors of Pororong. Not just one, but all of them. Ji-Hye was dumbfounded at Kiriel’s outrageous claim, her mouth slightly open in disbelief.
“Are you serious right now?” she asked again, still skeptical.
“I’m telling you, they’ve already agreed to come tomorrow. In any case, if you let me use the space, this great Kiriel and that cocky lizard will make food so delicious the kids will lose their minds. Got it?”
If what Kiriel said was true, it was the biggest breakthrough of the century. Ji-Hye had been thinking about ordering lunchboxes for the kids tomorrow because of time constraints, so this offer felt like a godsend—pure luck.
It was Friday, the day of Kiriel and Hakase’s party.
The start time for Changshin Daycare was pushed back from 9 AM to 11 AM.
Byeol left the house and walked down the street. However, the food stall that was always open was closed. Byeol approached the stall for a closer look and saw the sign hanging at the entrance.
Just then, Byeol saw a friend from the Bear Class at the daycare walking in the distance. Smiling brightly, she ran toward her. The child, Yoo So-Mi, was about three centimeters taller than Byeol and only four years old.
“So-Mi!” Byeol greeted her friend happily.
“Hi, Byeol!” So-Mi returned the greeting.
Both of them were very excited, eagerly looking forward to what delicious food the teachers would make today. When they reached the kindergarten entrance, their eyes widened.
A penguin stood at the entrance to greet the children.
The penguin’s voice was one Byeol and So-Mi knew all too well.
“It’s weally Pororong! Is this weally happening?”
The person inside the penguin costume laughed warmly and held their hands as they led the children inside. Inside the kindergarten was an even more astonishing sight: the characters from Pororong were gathered, playing and interacting with the children.
“Alright, everyone. Gather here, please!” Ji-Hye managed to get the noisy, excited children into their seats.
Pororong and his friends lined up in front of the children, waving at them. The kids’ reactions were explosive.
“Today, Pororong and his friends have come to visit our kindergarten. They’ve traveled aaaall the way from Pororong Village to be here, so let’s greet them warmly!”
Meanwhile, Hakase and Kiriel were in the kitchen, busy preparing food. From kimbap and pancakes to tteokbokki, fried snacks, and even taiyaki, nothing was left out.
Kiriel glanced through the kitchen window, watching the children happily play with Pororong and his friends, pouted, and then clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Do-Jun was carrying the dishes they had made to the table in the room. Noticing Kiriel’s sulking expression, he chuckled.
It was clear that Kiriel was upset that the kids, including Byeol, weren’t paying attention to him, even though he was the one who handled all the food preparation and arranged Pororong’s appearance.
Ji-Hye, who had been playing with the children, walked into the kitchen and smiled at Kiriel, who was rolling kimbap.
She said, “Thank you so much for today. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”
“No need. I didn’t do this expecting anything in return.” Kiriel clicked his tongue and started rolling the next kimbap.
Just then, Byeol, who was munching on a piece of kimbap, toddled over. Spotting Do-Jun, she stretched out her arms and whined. Do-Jun smiled and lifted Byeol into his arms.
“Are you having fun?” he asked.
“Yep! I pwayed tag with Pororong and the bear!”
Byeol had already finished the kimbap in her mouth. Seeing this, Do-Jun smiled, picked up another slice of kimbap Kiriel had just cut, and popped it into Byeol’s mouth.
Byeol’s face lit up as she savored the kimbap. “This is sooo yummy!”
Kiriel, who had been scowling, froze for a moment. Byeol blinked up at him.
Do-Jun brought Byeol closer to Kiriel and said, “Give Kiriel a kiss.”
Byeol kissed Kiriel on the cheek. And just like that, Kiriel’s sour expression softened, his lips twitching upward into a smile.
“Kiriel!” Park Il-Seong, who was playing the bear from Pororong, peeked into the kitchen. “The kids are clamoring for more kimbap. Can you make it quickly?”
“I’ll have you know that I am famous for being the fastest kimbap roller in the entire Deep Realm.”
Do-Jun and Hakase exchanged glances and chuckled.