Hakase was busy preparing ingredients for the evening service.
During the afternoon, he only sold snacks like taiyaki and fish cakes, but come evening, the stall would be bustling with customers looking for simple side dishes and a bottle of soju. Without prepping the ingredients in advance, it would be impossible to handle the crowd.
Hakase paused while skillfully slicing green onions on the cutting board. His attention was drawn to a small, cute girl and a toddler entering the food stall. They were none other than Karsiel and Byeol.
Karsiel softly said, “Byeol, we have to eat soon, so just one, okay?”
Hakase had felt stiff and tired from working all day, but now a wave of fatigue lifted as soon as he saw Karsiel. A smile spread across his face as he set aside his work and approached her, lifting her high. This was his favorite move, which he called the airplane ride.
“Hey, Karsiel! Haha!” He laughed happily.
Was this what it felt like to have a younger sister? The source of this content ɪs novel_fіre.net
To Hakase, Karsiel was the most adorable being in the world. Among dragons, she was the youngest, and having watched her since her clumsy hatchling days, Hakase still saw her as a child.
However, Karsiel’s reaction was cold. In a serious voice, she said, “Put me down.”
“I-Is this not fun?” Hakase asked, surprised.
“No, because I’m not a child anymore. I’m an adult.”
Karsiel sighed and added, “From now on, no more airplane rides.”
“My goodness, are you seriously taking away the only joy in my life?” Hakase was serious, letting out a genuine cry of despair, but Karsiel just sighed and looked away.
Despite Hakase’s multiple hobbies like farming, tinkering with machines, crafting artifacts, and running the food stall, nothing compared to playing with Karsiel. She was both his ultimate stress reliever and his cure-all.
She’s really grown up now, Hakase thought wistfully. For some reason, it was the saddest thought in the world.
On Friday evening, Do-Jun stopped by Hakase’s food stall late at night after dinner. Although the stall usually stayed open until 2 AM, tonight it closed early at 11, so Hakase could have a heart-to-heart chat with Do-Jun. Kiriel had already left, presumably gone back to Hakase’s nest.
Hakase gulped down a shot of soju and slammed the glass onto the table with a thud. After downing five bottles of soju by himself, his face was flushed, clearly showing he was tipsy.
Even dragons get drunk after five bottles of soju, Do-Jun mused, finding it fascinating.
“What does it mean to become an adult?” Hakase’s first words signaled the beginning of what seemed like a long rant.
Do-Jun sensed that Hakase wasn’t expecting an answer but was just thinking out loud, so he remained silent. Sure enough, Hakase kept ranting.
“I thought my little Siel would always remain a child, but I guess I was mistaken. She was so cute during her hatchling days. Then again, that’s just my selfish wish, isn’t it? Oh, this might sound silly to you, but to understand, I’ll need to tell you about my memories with Karsiel. It was back when I was deeply immersed in my mechanical research...”
Maybe because he was drunk, Hakase talked nonstop. But Do-Jun listened earnestly as Hakase recounted his time with Karsiel, from her hatchling days to the events of earlier today. In short, Hakase’s problem was that Karsiel had grown into an “adult” and no longer accepted his airplane rides.
“Even though I’ve grown up, I thought that wouldn’t apply to my little Siel and that she would always remain a child. But today, she told me she’s a grown-up. An adult! I guess her hatchling days are over.”
“Hmm...” After hearing the long rant, Do-Jun thought about what it really meant to be an adult. To him, both Hakase and Karsiel still seemed like children.
“Being an adult means developing self-control and not getting easily carried away by emotions. That’s what I believe. My little Siel rarely reveals her feelings and has become quite reserved. You live with her, so I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, don’t you, my King?”
Do-Jun sipped his soju without a word.
The next day, Do-Jun decided to head into the city for the first time in a while. During weekdays, he was too busy with work to run errands there, but now, with the weekend, he planned to do some shopping for daily necessities.
After having a simple lunch, he went to a large supermarket operated by a major corporation. Before entering, he stopped at a coffee shop near the supermarket’s entrance.
“Your Americano and Strawberry Latte are ready.”
The strawberry latte came in a disposable cup, topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Karsiel was accompanying him, holding his hand tightly.
She took the strawberry latte and marveled at it. “M-Master, there are real strawberries on top.”
Do-Jun chuckled, patting her on the head. She blushed, clearly pleased, and smiled shyly as she popped a fresh strawberry from the whipped cream into her mouth. Holding the latte with both hands, she looked at Do-Jun’s hand before holding the latte in one hand and holding his hand tightly with the other.
Do-Jun noticed a light brown tail peeking out from her coat, swaying gently. While she usually hid her tail in human form, she occasionally forgot when she was truly happy.
Seeing this, Do-Jun smiled and said, “You should hide it better.”
Startled, Karsiel quickly tucked her tail away. “M-my bad.”
“It’s fine. Just be careful next time.”
Hakase’s nest was a cave with four rooms, each as large as a university sports field, offering ample space for comfortable living. However, aside from the machine room, artifact workshop, and a storage room for miscellaneous items, the remaining room served as a shared living area for Hakase and Kiriel, and it was significantly smaller than the others.
About a hundred square meters, it contained two beds, random pieces of furniture, appliances, and cooking equipment. To put it kindly, at first glance, it gave off the vibe of a spacious vacation cabin. However, in reality, clutter was scattered everywhere, leaving barely any space to move.
“Th-this is a pigsty...” Byeol’s jaw dropped in shock. She had seen her own home get messy after playing, but it had never reached this level.
Hakase and Kiriel exchanged glances, silently agreeing with Byeol. The room was indeed a bit messy. After all, it hadn’t been cleaned in over a month. At that moment, Byeol’s gaze landed on a cup noodle container, still half-filled with soup and bits of food.
“No, even pigs wouldn’t live ,” she quickly corrected herself.
Hakase flinched. The leftover cup of noodles was from a late-night snack a few days earlier. Nearby, empty soda bottles, other leftover takeout containers, and clothes were scattered about haphazardly.
“This is unacceptable,” Byeol said, as she looked at the evidence of a month’s worth of unkempt living.
She then pulled out a trash bag she had somehow found in a corner and toddled around, picking up garbage.
Startled, Hakase and Kiriel dashed over, quickly lifting Byeol off the ground. “Byeol, no! Cleaning isn’t your job.”
At that moment, a silent understanding passed between Hakase and Kiriel, a kind of telepathic agreement.
—In my experience, this won’t end with just a reflection paper.
—If Byeol ends up cleaning, we’re doomed.
With a flash, all three disappeared from the cave. Moments later, Hakase and Kiriel reappeared, having taken Byeol back home. But now, faced with the overwhelming mess, a pressing question remained: who would clean it up?
Their eyes landed on a flyer lying on the floor. It was an advertisement for an arcade that had recently opened near Bangbae-dong’s large supermarket.
“Lizard, let’s settle this with a game,” Kiriel suggested.
“Fine. The loser cleans and has to call the winner ‘big brother’ for a week. Deal?”
“Dad! I want that one!” A little girl excitedly pointed at a rabbit plushie inside a claw machine, urging her father to win it.
“Alright, I’ll get it for you. Just watch me!”
The man inserted a 10,000 won bill and played twelve rounds, but failed to grab the plushie. He ended up spending an additional 20,000 won before finally giving the toy to his excited child.
“You’re the best, Dad!” the girl said happily.
Though the father’s face looked a bit pale after spending 30,000 won, his little daughter’s joy quickly brought a smile back to his face.
As Do-Jun observed this, he thought, All fathers must go through this at some point.
Karsiel silently observed the scene, her gaze fixed on the little girl and her father.
“Do you want one too?” Do-Jun asked.
Karsiel shook her head and replied, “Absolutely not.”
But her eyes remained fixed on the pair. Smiling faintly, Do-Jun walked over to the claw machine and inserted a 1,000 won bill.
The claw whirred to life with a mechanical sound. Despite it being his first attempt, he quickly picked up the technique by watching the man earlier and managed to grab the rabbit plushie on his first try. He pulled it out of the chute and gave it to Karsiel.
Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. “M-Master?”
“I just felt like getting it for you. Will you accept it?”
Her tail started to wag ever so slightly, betraying her joy. Karsiel’s face lit up as a wide smile spread across her lips. Do-Jun picked her up, and despite Hakase’s claim that she disliked being carried, her tail wagged even more enthusiastically. Her cheeks flushed a deep red.
“U-ugh, please don’t look at me like that,” Karsiel begged.
Do-Jun chuckled softly.
Meanwhile, Do-Jun climbed to the supermarket’s rooftop. The noise coming from above had been getting louder, and he recognized two familiar presences.
A crowd had gathered around them, talking excitedly.
“Look at those guys.”
“How many rounds have they been playing?”
“Wait, isn’t he the champion of the last Tekken tournament?”
“Oh yeah, you’re right! His name’s Kiriel, right?”
As Do-Jun moved closer, he saw two familiar men sitting in front of an arcade machine, playing Tekken Tag. The long-haired man kept losing repeatedly to the man with a middle part.
“Haha! You dare challenge me in Tekken? Stupid lizard!” Kiriel gloated smugly.
Hakase’s face turned crimson with frustration.
“Say it—call me big bro—” Kiriel’s words were cut short when Hakase conjured two flaming orbs in his hands and charged at him.
“Let’s see if you can survive this innocent attack from your little brother!”
Do-Jun sighed. At this point, nothing surprised him anymore.