Episode 006
Even though he was only four years older, the height difference was wild.
Sol-ah had to look up at Song Jae-yi—even while she was sitting on a high sofa.
“How old are you?”
Jae-yi asked, clearly curious.
His eyes were sparkling with interest.
Sol-ah didn’t answer and just held up five fingers.
“Oh, you’re a baby?”
Her brain short-circuited for a second.
“…A baby?”
“Yeah, a baby. You’re five. That’s baby age.”
A. Baby.
A. Baby?! Seriously?!
For someone who had lived a whole adult life in her past, being called a “baby” was physically painful. Cringe levels: extreme.
Sure, technically Jae-yi was older and taller, but still…
Sol-ah’s face scrunched in pure disgust, and Jae-yi just smiled wider.
“You don’t like being called a baby?”
Even if he was mature for his age, he was still 100% just a mischievous elementary school boy.
“Baby~”
“…Stop it.”
“Oh no, the baby’s getting mad~”
Jae-yi laughed, seeing her little frown deepen.
Sol-ah didn’t answer—just glared at him with her sharp cat-like eyes.
“Pfft—”
Jae-yi couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
“Dummy. You’re trying to glare, but you’ve still got cookie crumbs on your face.”
Oh no.
Turns out the chocolate cookie from earlier had left smudges around her mouth.
Totally embarrassed, Sol-ah scrubbed at her mouth with the sleeve of her hospital gown.
“Don’t do that, you’ll hurt your lips.”
Jae-yi gently grabbed her wrist and wiped her mouth for her with his sleeve instead.
“I’ll give you my handkerchief.”
“You… you little—”
“It’s oppa, not ‘you.’”
He grinned, and wow. Okay. That smile was actually kinda cute.
Not that she’d admit it. Hmph.
“Miss Sol-ah, congrats on being discharged!”
“Sniff! I’m so relieved to see you healthy again!”
“Sol-ah, we missed youuu!”
At long last—freedom from the hospital.
Sol-ah was welcomed home in the most over-the-top way, with the entire Geumho Guild celebrating her return.
“So this is home…”
The Geumho Guild was located in one of the most prestigious, historic buildings in Taeyang City—an enormous traditional hanok estate that stretched so far, you couldn’t even guess the square footage.
To get to the family’s main house, they had to drive past what felt like the Great Wall of China, ditch their shoes, and then walk through a maze of hallways.
Finally, they arrived at a cozy, well-decorated little room.
“This is… Sol-ah’s room…”
Because of the memories she inherited, it felt weirdly familiar, like she hadn’t been here in forever.
“We’re just gonna go talk to the uncles and aunties. You rest, okay?”
Left alone for the first time in forever, Sol-ah flopped face-first onto the bed.
She’d been worried that Seonghwan and Ji-hyun would keep sticking to her like glue even at home, but thankfully, they gave her space.
“This looks… different from what I remember.”
The room wasn’t quite how she remembered from Sol-ah’s memories.
Probably because she was missing the last year.
There were fewer toys now, and the cutesy decorations were toned down.
It had a more mature vibe.
“Guess that means she grew up a little.”
Sol-ah got off the bed and did a slow circle around the room.
The wall that used to be covered in photos was now bare.
Overall, the place felt… kind of empty.
Knock knock—
She was lying back in bed when she heard a knock.
“Miss Sol-ah. It’s Apple.”
It was one of the Hunters, affectionately called “Uncle Apple,” and one of Seonghwan’s closest men. Basically a pillar of the guild.
A huge guy, standing stiffly with his hands politely folded—despite his intimidating size.
He’s so big…
Head-to-toe in black, including the trademark sunglasses.
Even indoors.
Geumho Guild members never showed their faces—it was a long-standing tradition.
“I’m so glad you’re out of the hospital, Miss.”
Apple sniffled and pressed the back of his hand under his sunglasses.
“W…wait, are you crying?”
“I-I just got overwhelmed with emotion…”
It was kind of hard not to be flustered watching a huge dude cry over you.
Sol-ah quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it to him.
He sniffled harder.
“You have to stay healthy, Miss. S-so you never scare us like that again…”
Oh boy.
Sol-ah scratched her head awkwardly.
“…So, uh. What brings you here?”
“R-right. Sorry. Got carried away seeing you so healthy again. The Guildmaster wants to see you.”
Sniffling, Apple started guiding her somewhere.
Why are we leaving the main house for this?
They walked for a while, until—
Suddenly, Apple shoved her into a dark room.
“A-Apple?! Uncle?!”
Sol-ah was panicking, looking around in the dark when—
POP!
The lights came on, followed by confetti and party horns.
“Welcome home, Sol-ah!”
“Miss Sol-ah, congrats on being discharged!”
♬ Happy discharge day~ Happy discharge day~ Congrats to Sol-ah on leaving the hospital~ ♬
It wasn’t a birthday song—but close enough.
She blinked, stunned at the whole crowd in front of her.
In the middle, Seonghwan and Ji-hyun were wearing bright, goofy party hats.
Behind them stood a wall of guild members in matching black suits.
“W-what is this?!”
Her eyes were wide like a startled bunny.
“It’s a welcome home party! The Guildmaster planned it himself.”
Uncle Apple said proudly.
“Didn’t you already throw one when I came in earlier?”
“That was just a warm-up.”
“Ta-da! Your favorite—strawberry cake!”
“We missed you so much, Miss!”
“Don’t ever get sick again!”
“I brought your favorite jelly candy!”
She was overwhelmed.
But looking around…
There wasn’t a single person who seemed fake.
Everyone was genuinely happy she was back.
Wow… this kid really is loved.
The precious gem of the Geumho Guild—Geum Sol-ah.
Now she understood what that meant.
“Sleep tight, sweetie.”
Muah. Muah.
Ji-hyun and Seonghwan each gave her a kiss goodnight.
They did it every night. Without fail.
After they shut the door, Sol-ah sat up.
She just didn’t feel sleepy.
Everyone in the guild adored Sol-ah.
They were all truly happy she was okay.
But sitting there at the party earlier, she’d felt like she was on pins and needles the whole time.
Sol-ah… so many people love you. Where are you now?
She couldn’t stop thinking about the little girl from the river—the one gasping for air.
She wanted to give the body back. But she had no idea how.
Pacing around the room, lost in thought, something caught her eye.
“What’s this?”
A toy laptop sitting on the desk.
She hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but the bright pink color definitely stood out.
“A Secret MyuMyu Laptop?”
The logo and design featured the main character of the show she’d been bingeing—the magical cat-girl princess.
It looked like a kiddie educational toy—for typing practice and simple games.
♬ Hi there! Are you ready? Let’s defeat the forces of evil with MyuMyu! Nya-nya! ♬
“…Nya?”
She’d pressed the power button and now the screen lit up with the cheery mascot.
“…What was I expecting?”
It had a full keyboard and even a mouse, which made her kinda hope maybe it connected to the internet.
Nope. Dumb hope.
Kids really play with this stuff these days, huh?
She started randomly pressing buttons, just for fun.
“Huh?”
She noticed a rainbow-colored gem-looking thing near the bottom of the screen.
“Is this… not just a sticker?”
Looking closely, it had little grooves around it—like it wasn’t part of the plastic shell.
It was weirdly shiny too, like a real gem.
Almost without thinking, Sol-ah reached out and pressed it.
Click—
No flashy sound. No sparkly effects.
Nothing.
She sighed and was about to close the toy when—
POP—
The screen, which had honestly been pretty decent for a toy, suddenly went black.
“W-wait. Did I break it?!”
She panicked for a second.
Then, a blue loading circle appeared on-screen.
[Fingerprint recognized]
[Face recognized]
[Iris recognized]
[Conditions met. Launching WP System.]
“D-dubble-you… P?”
Her voice slipped out all jumbled.
Dozens of windows flashed and disappeared rapidly.
And then—
The screen shifted into a full desktop interface.
It looked just like a real computer. Like, full-on Windows-style.
What the hell was this thing?!
