Chapter 37
Chari was deep in thought.
“It’s not wrong.”
She had just thought it would be simple because it was a kids’ café.
High risk, high return.
It was something that often appeared even in novel settings.
Moreover, it was advice from the Seoul Lord, Choi Deok-gyu.
“Did I underestimate it too much?”
She had thought all she had to do was slide down a few slides and roll around in the ball pit.
But was that not enough?
Could there be a hidden narrative trick behind “super fun”?
A threat as severe as a 90th-floor boss fight, perhaps.
Or a children-only “death café.”
“Ugh.”
The body of a child—so easy to misread.
Suddenly, a surge of unease hit her, twisting her stomach.
The anxiety spread from her head to her toes.
Chari pressed her face into Davis’ arm.
Her voice was barely audible.
“Davis… is the kids’ café really that terrifying…?”
It wasn’t terrifying at all.
Davis knew the truth.
There wasn’t really any narrative trick hidden there.
“In my opinion, it doesn’t seem particularly dangerous.”
He subtly glanced at Choi Deok-gyu and Kim Myung-ja.
Lately, Davis had been forming a subtle rivalry (all by himself) with Kim Myung-ja.
“Generally, the Seoul Lord’s words are not wrong.”
Then it couldn’t be helped.
“I guess I’ll have to accompany her myself.”
At that moment, Kim Myung-ja interrupted.
“Sveta, aren’t you currently wanted?”
“That doesn’t pose any threat to me, Teacher Kim Myung-ja.”
“But it could be a threat to Chari, right?”
Now it was about Chari.
It would be a real burden for Davis to go directly.
If his close relationship with the child became exposed, it could cause problems.
“We’ll just disguise ourselves.”
“One should always prepare for the worst-case scenario.”
“…….”
Davis was momentarily at a loss for words.
His admiration for Kim Kang from Incheon vanished instantly.
“Kim Kang, you bastard! How dare you plot something like this?”
He hadn’t actually plotted it.
Or rather, he had, but not in this context.
Choi Deok-gyu cleared his throat and agreed with Kim Myung-ja’s words.
“I think the same. Luckily, we have someone suitable in our guild.”
Choi Deok-gyu was thinking of Um So-young.
Since it was already known that she was friendly with the parents during observation classes, it wouldn’t be unusual for Um So-young to accompany Chari.
Besides, being a tank, she would be useful for protecting Chari.
Just as Pyraion vented his anger at Davis for no reason, Davis felt the same.
“Kim Kang, you son of a—!”
He gritted his teeth.
There was no forgiveness.
Sullivan Kindergarten.
Her friends rushed over to Chari.
“Chari-ya!”
“I-Cha-ri!”
Chari instinctively stepped back.
This was a bit too much.
“It’s exhausting!”
Even for Chari, a small person herself, the energy of these little people was sometimes too much to handle.
The kindergarten space itself drained both mental and physical energy.
And if you added this excessive attention on top of that?
She was utterly drained.
“Can Um So-young unnie give me her autograph?”
“I want to become friends with Um So-young unnie too!”
“I-Cha-ri! I-Cha-ri!”
Though she didn’t understand the context, everyone was calling Chari’s name.
Her face turned red.
“I want to be alone!”
After the commotion, Chari managed to retreat to a corner.
She leaned against the wall, letting herself collapse.
It was still morning, yet she felt melted like melted cheese.
“Gang Se-hyun oppa.”
“Hmm?”
“Wanna do something after kindergarten?”
Gang Se-hyun had a regular schedule.
He trained under private lessons from Lee Jong-cheol, a Seoul guild magician.
“Why?”
Chari remembered Lee Jong-cheol’s words.
“Go straight to the 28th floor after kindergarten! Special training!”
Lee Jong-cheol was enthusiastic about guiding Gang Se-hyun.
He was thrilled to be teaching a genius like Se-hyun.
“I’ll prepare everything for your magic training! Come immediately after kindergarten!”
He tended to speak forcefully, though he rarely actually punished them.
“Oppa, do you have time?”
“Huh? Yeah!”
Se-hyun’s voice was calm, but inside he erased the image of Lee Jong-cheol from his mind.
“You need to practice magic, you brat!”
But he dismissed it.
“Yeah, I’m free. Why?”
“I have somewhere to go.”
“Somewhere to go?”
“Yes.”
His heart thumped.
Honestly, anywhere with Chari would be fine.
Chari lowered her voice and whispered confidentially.
“Kids’ café.”
Se-hyun swallowed hard.
The legendary “kids’ café” he had only heard of.
It was his first time seeing it.
That morning, Chari tried a small trick to avoid the children’s frenzy.
“Hooey-hooey, Um So-young unnie doesn’t know me well!”
If she didn’t do this, the little ones would cling endlessly, and she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
But her clever trick didn’t work.
“Chari!”
“…….”
A voice of perfect beauty.
Just hearing it, you could tell how cute it was.
All the children’s eyes turned instantly toward that side.
“Unnie So-young!”
“It’s Um So-young!”
“Waaah! It’s Um So-young!”
The little ones erupted in excitement.
A future of exhaustion was already being predicted in 1080p resolution.
Chari had no choice but to hide in a corner.
Slightly flustered, Kim Myung-ja looked around.
“Wait, where did she go? Maybe she went to the bathroom?”
“I’ll find her. Don’t worry, teacher.”
Unaware of Chari’s feelings, Um So-young cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted,
“Chari~! Where are you~? Hey, did anyone see our Chari?”
Chari’s heart burned black with exasperation.
“Are you really close with I-Cha-ri?”
Um So-young smiled brightly.
“Yes! We’re really close.”
“How close?”
“Today, we’re going to the kids’ café and have so much fun together!”
“Waaah!”
Actually, Um So-young had already noticed Chari was hiding.
As a Seoul guild ranker, her instincts were excellent.
“Looks like Chari wants to play hide-and-seek!”
No! She was hiding purely from exhaustion.
“Alright then, I’ll be the seeker for real.”
She tightened her hairband.
The pro seeker was ready.
“Chari~! Where’s our cute Chari~?”
After much effort, they arrived at the kids’ café.
Um So-young discreetly looked at Chari’s face.
She seemed slightly darker than usual.
“The kid looks tired…”
She seemed either dissatisfied or just exhausted.
It wasn’t entirely clear, but she looked a little worn out.
Hmm?
But that was a misunderstanding.
“Heehee!”
Chari jumped into the ball pit filled with colorful balls.
She ran around and began to conquer the kids’ café.
“Ah, whatever! I’ll just play!”
The moment she decided that, she felt relieved.
She didn’t need to calculate or time anything.
She just played according to instinct.
For the first time in a while, the real child inside Chari awoke.
Then something amazing happened.
“Oh! I’m full of energy!”
Her mood changed dramatically.
Her exhausted mind melted away.
Her body felt lighter, and her heart soared.
She felt reborn as a true little person.
“I’m so happy!”
Sometimes it was good to just surrender to instinct.
“Oppa! I’m running away!”
“Okay!”
Thus began a game of tag.
Um So-young watched the “catch me if you can” scene with delight.
“See, that’s how the kid should be.”
She didn’t even need to play along. Chari entertained herself perfectly.
“Can I join too?”
As a Seoul ranker, she considered using her agility and speed to take the optimal route through the kids’ café.
But there wasn’t even time for that. Chari had already dominated the “battlefield.”
“This kid is really a kid.”
Sometimes she thought life was on its second run, but today proved otherwise.
An unmistakable child.
Um So-young quietly rested her chin on her hand, observing for a long time before speaking.
“So this is Chari’s true self, I suppose.”
She whispered, with no one else around.
