TLCTS | 07

Chapter 7

Hugo.

A derogatory slang term — a mix of “human” (hyu) and “beggar” (geo).

No matter where it came from, it was obviously not a kind word.

The atmosphere froze.

The teachers’ faces all turned red, and the kid’s mother came running in a panic.

“Kim Seo-jun!”

She grabbed her son — the one with the shaved head — bit her lip for a second, and then, clearly aware of the eyes on her, quietly dragged him away somewhere.

Chaeri thought to herself calmly:

‘I hope proper discipline will be carried out.’

But more than that, she was curious.

Where on earth did a kid that young learn a word like Hugo?

‘They say K-toddlers’ information network is basically Google-level these days…’

Trying on a slightly sulky face, Chaeri asked:

“What does Hugo mean?”

Lee Ji-seok froze for a second — and then burst out laughing.

“Chaeri, that’s a bad word. You shouldn’t say that.”

Chaeri widened her eyes in feigned shock.

“Does that mean… Chaeri is immoral?”

“It’s fine. Just don’t say it next time. I’m not scolding you.”

He chuckled and patted her head.

“Okay.”

Chaeri sighed in relief and bowed her head politely.

“Then, see you later, Father.”

“Daddy will come pick you up later.”

“It’s okay.”

Not that she expected much.

Now that there was a “real child” on the way, it would be unreasonable to hope for genuine fatherly affection.

Just being able to coexist without awkwardness — that was good enough.

‘At least they’re not bad people.’

They cared about appearances and basic decency. Compared to her previous life, this one was far more comfortable.

‘As long as I don’t pick Medesa, my foster father won’t lose his mind.’

So far, nothing had gone wrong.

And she would make sure it stayed that way.

Also, there was something very important:

“Chaeri likes the van.”

Benz <<< (immeasurable gap) <<< the yellow kindergarten van.

The body’s innate desire had to be satisfied somehow.

*

The male lead of “The Final Villain Was Human All Along”, Kang Se-hyun, had liked magic wands more than robots ever since he was little.

It was foreshadowing of his future as a mage — but also just personal taste.

Was it such a crime to play with sparkly pink wands?

Kids made fun of him because it was pink and glittery.

A quick look around told her it was exactly as written in the novel.

No friends, a runaway mom, and a dad who was one of those “Tower-maniacs” (people obsessed with conquering the Tower).

Kang Se-hyun was always alone — at home and at school.

To such a boy, the heroine had appeared like sunlight.

“Mwahaha! I’m the monster!”

“No, I’m the monster this time!”

“Teacher! He pooped!”

Chaeri broke into a cold sweat.

‘These tiny humans… unbelievable.’

She hadn’t expected this level of energy.

The orphanage hadn’t been like this. There had been rules; the teacher’s word was law; the kids were quiet and well-behaved.

This place, though… felt a little like the demon realm.

‘They’re draining my life force…’

Her stamina was already running out.

Trying to rest a little, she quietly sat next to Kang Se-hyun in the corner.

“■■■.”

He was mumbling incomprehensible words — symptoms of the “magic tic” he had, a sign of his innate magical talent. It would fade naturally as he grew older.

“Hey, oppa.”

She leaned her back against the wall. Perfect.

Free time would end soon, and surely someone would come ask, “Are you a foreigner?” again.

“Life is survival of the fittest.”

“Huh?”

“Life is pain and struggle.”

“Uh… what?”

“Don’t be scared.”

Kang Se-hyun hung his head, unable to meet her eyes.

That was part of the tic too — other kids either feared him or mocked him.

“I’m nothing special, but remember this: no one else is either.”

For reference, this line would later become something the grown-up male lead himself would say in an interview.

You could say the future male lead’s words were being handed down to his past self.

“You can do anything, oppa.”

“I… I…”

Just in case, she pulled out a Haribo gummy she’d stashed away and handed it to him.

Kang Se-hyun stared at her with wide eyes.

“You’re giving this to me?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Why?”

It wasn’t easy for him to accept kindness.

Understandably so — his tics, his timid nature, his troubled home life… he hadn’t had many chances to receive such gestures.

This was probably his first gift ever.

“Chaeri likes Se-hyun oppa.”

Technically, she liked the future Se-hyun.

“H-huh?”

How could she not?

Grown-up Se-hyun was the embodiment of her previous life’s ideal romantic hero — the perfect rom-fantasy male lead.

A powerhouse fit for an apocalyptic world.

Devoted to his heroine, guided by justice and moral conviction.

Polite and humble to everyone — yet merciless to his enemies.

“You… you like me?”

“Yup.”

“Wh-why?”

“Because you’re cool.”

“T-that can’t be true…”

Kang Se-hyun’s face flushed red.

“I know for sure — oppa’s going to become super cool.”

Chaeri patted his shoulder.

“A tic? So what? Don’t let it get you down.”

He flinched slightly, startled.

“Hey, I said don’t be scared.”

“S-sorry.”

She gave him another Haribo.

And then — she felt it.

Someone was approaching her.

Chaeri snapped her head up and shouted:

“Not a foreigner! Not adopted!”

Shoo-shoo! She waved her hands like she was casting a “do not approach” spell.

*

‘It’s not the yellow van!’

Instead, it was a regular bus.

But she had no time to be disappointed about something so trivial.

‘That kindergarten… was intense.’

Her body was completely drained.

New environment, strange people, unexpected levels of physical contact…

All her energy had gone into just staying composed.

She stood on tiptoe and entered the door code.

Beep beep beep—

“I’m home.”

The house was empty.

‘Even better.’

When she was alone, she didn’t have to act.

No need to feign innocence or watch her manners.

It had been three months since she came here — and still, her favorite thing was:

‘My room.’

Her very own space for the first time ever.

Small, with only a few dolls and a cornered blanket — but still hers.

Now she understood why adults obsessed over buying their own homes.

Beep beep beep—

The door lock beeped again.

Chaeri jumped to her feet.

Every muscle tensed as she tiptoed silently to the entrance — a child with zero upstairs-noise emissions.

“Hello, ma’am.”

Ugh. Her pride took a hit.

She’d spoken automatically, reverting to her ingrained politeness after such a draining day.

“You say, ‘Welcome home,’ sweetie.”

“Welcome home?”

“That’s right. You’re back early, huh?”

“Yes. I came on the yellow bus.”

“Mom got the time wrong. Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. They dropped me at the front gate.”

Ha-sun, already used to how self-sufficient Chaeri was, simply smiled.

Chaeri was truly a low-maintenance child.

“How was kindergarten?”

“It was… tiring—”

“Hmm?”

“Fun!”

She quickly adjusted her expression.

Best not to create any reason for concern.

“What did you do today, Mother?”

“Mom had coffee with some friends.”

“Did you brag about your daughter?”

“Of course I did!”

At the mention of daughter, Kim Ha-sun’s face brightened immediately.

“Chaeri wants to brag about her baby sibling too.”

“Really?”

“Chaeri loves the baby sooo much.”

Ha-sun chuckled warmly.

Not her biological child — but aside from that, what a wonderful girl.

*

During dinner, an offhand comment came up:

“Apparently Chaeri said she wants to be a Human-City beggar someday?”

It was worded more like, “She might have said something like that,” but it didn’t change the fact that she was the subject.

Chaeri almost got excited — but caught herself.

After all, the real main character of this household was the baby that would be born in a few months.

“Thank you for the meal.”

She cleaned up her dishes by herself.

Washed her face and brushed her teeth perfectly.

Her tiny hands even held a squeegee as she moved across the bathroom floor.

“Chaeri, what are you doing?”

Ha-sun froze in the doorway.

The squeegee looked almost as big as Chaeri herself.

“Removing the water.”

“The water…?”

“Cleanliness begins with small habits.”

In truth, she’d been tidy even in her previous life.

“Who did you take after to be this good?”

“Kim Ha-sun, Mother!”

Who said childcare was hard? This was a breeze! Solo parenting? Exhausting motherhood? Clearly overblown myths!

Her confidence was soaring.

After charming Ha-sun with a few eloquent words, Chaeri retreated to her room.

Night had fallen.

“Phew.”

The day at kindergarten had drained her, but there was one thing she couldn’t skip.

The best part of her day —

Meeting Dabis.

“Chaeri summons you, Dabis.”

She whistled clumsily — fweee! — just because it felt cool.

A card rose into the air, spinning round and round.

With a flash of light, a magic circle appeared — and Dabis emerged from within.

“Huh?”

He was holding something — something surprising.

Chaeri’s eyes widened.

“Dabis?”