Chapter 127: Outing with Choryeon

A typical weekend.

Choryeon was looking out the window with pitiful eyes.

"Sigh."

Looking out the window naturally made her sigh. It was quite understandable from Choryeon's perspective.

"District 04 has no romance. There's no nature! This shouldn't be!"

There wasn't much nature in District 09 either. But District 04 has too little nature, even for having no nature.

"It's not harmonious! The Earth can't breathe! I can't just sit still about this!"

Swish-!

Choryeon turned and went into her room. Not long after, Choryeon came out with a green band on her forehead.

"It's time to protect nature! Everyone, wake up!"

"Woof woof-! Woof woof-!"

Choryeon waved her arms enthusiastically, conducting a surprise protest with Mangmung. Hwaryeon frowned and muttered.

"You're interrupting my TV watching! Get out of the way before I burn down all of nature!"

"Protect nature! Wake up!"

"Woof woof-! Woof woof-!"

Choryeon and Mangmung started a protest on a precious weekend morning.

"Ugh, I just want to hit them both!"

Hwaryeon got a bit heated but decided to clench her fist and endure because she owed Choryeon her life last time.

"Nature is in pain! Let's start a tree-planting movement!"

"Woof woof-!"

Was this surprise protest somewhat effective?

On a golden weekend, Lee Ha-jun, who was taking a nap on the sofa, got up with a disheveled appearance.

"What's this, suddenly... What's going on now...?"

"Father! The Earth is in danger now! We need your help!"

"Woof woof-!"

Why is my help suddenly needed?

Lee Ha-jun didn't quite understand the situation, but he could roughly guess the atmosphere.

'Looks like the Earth love movement disease has flared up again.'

A chronic condition that doesn't get cured, like Suryeon's chuunibyou. If left alone, they would clearly continue their surprise protests until they achieved their goal.

"Ah, it can't be helped even though it's the weekend."

Lee Ha-jun sighed and got up from the sofa.

"Alright, Choryeon. Let's go protect nature."

"Really!? Yay! We did it, Mangmung!"

"Woof woof-!"

Hop hop-

Choryeon and Mangmung hopped like frogs, seemingly in a good mood.

'We need to walk Mangmung anyway. It should be fine to go out for a bit.'

Thinking this, Lee Ha-jun turned his head towards Hwaryeon, who was watching TV.

"Hwaryeon, we're going out. How about you?"

"I want to go out too! But the match is about to start and I want to watch TV! It's a big match starting now!"

"WWE. They're still doing that, huh."

It brings back memories. When I was young, I didn't know it was fake fighting, so it was exciting and fun to watch. After growing up, I stopped watching after learning it was all scripted.

"So Hwaryeon, you're going to watch TV?"

"I want to go out! But I want to watch the big match!"

"Choose one or the other."

"T-Then I'll watch the big match! If I miss this, I can't watch it later!"

Unexpectedly, Hwaryeon said she'd stay home. She looked full of anticipation for the big match.

Lee Ha-jun asked Suryeon, who was playing games on her A-pad in her room.

"Suryeon, we're going out. How about you?"

"I'm too lazy to go out, Dad. I'll rest at home."

She looked busy playing games. So today, only Choryeon, Lee Ha-jun, and Mangmung would be going out.

In this situation, Choryeon whispered quietly to Mangmung.

"If only Mangmung wasn't here, it could have been a date with just Father and me."

"W-Woof..."

"Mangmung. Next time, you can read the room, right?"

"W-Whine..."

Shrink-

Mangmung resolved to be more observant next time.

***

On a golden weekend, I went out with Choryeon and Mangmung.

It was to stop Choryeon's surprise protest.

"It was annoying to get ready, but it's nice now that we're out. The weather's good too."

It's going to get terribly hot soon, but the spring weather with a cool breeze is nice. 

I held Mangmung's leash in one hand and Choryeon's hand in the other.

"Choryeon, how's school life? Is it fun?"

"Yes, I've made lots of friends!"

As expected of Choryeon. She has good social skills, like a capybara. It seems she's made lots of friends, as I expected.

I continued asking.

"Then who are you closest with?"

"Hmm, first there's Ye-jin! I'm close with Min-ji too! And Hye-ji is okay!"

Ye-jin, Min-ji, Hye-ji. I memorized them.

'I should at least remember the names of the kids who are close to my daughter.'

Come to think of it,

"They're all girls?"

"Yes, the girls like me! And, I don't really like the boys!"

"Why?"

"They're mostly Hwaryeon sister's subordinates! There are some mischievous kids who keep trying to bully me."

"What? Which bastard is trying to bully my daughter?"

This won't do. How dare they touch my daughter?

Grind-

I gritted my teeth and opened the memo app on my smartphone.

"Who are the kids bullying Choryeon? Tell me their names and addresses. Dad will teach them a lesson."

I won't go easy on them even if they're elementary school kids. I'll punish them with a real-life confrontation.

"Hurry! Dad will scold them!"

"No, it's okay, Father."

"I'll give them a good scolding-"

"No, that's not it."

Smile-

Choryeon smiled brightly without a hint of concern and said.

"They only tried to bully me. They didn't actually bully me. And if they try to bully me, I'll turn them into plant humans, so it's okay."

"...Plant humans?"

"Yes, I'll put flowers in their heads! Like this!"

Swish-

Choryeon made a gesture of putting flowers in the air. Judging by the angle, it looks like they might be stuck in the crown of the head.

'...I guess I don't need to confront them myself.'

Hmm, Choryeon is brave. She looks small and delicate like a hamster on the outside. But if provoked, she can bite hard with her front teeth.

"I'll turn them into plant humans and restore the Earth to normal, hehe."

It seemed she would do well in school life without my intervention.

So Choryeon and I talked about what happened at school, and Mangmung went around marking with urine. We spent an ordinary weekend walking the streets.

Then,

"This should be good enough."

Choryeon started rummaging through her dress pocket. And she took out the seeds she had bought at the supermarket last time.

They were mostly flower and tree seeds.

"You're going to scatter these here?"

"Yes, there are a lot of sidewalk blocks around, but these flowers will grow through the blocks. They'll survive even when summer and winter come. They won't interfere with human paths."

As expected, Choryeon is the savior of Earth restoration. She plans to revive nature around the elementary school.

Choryeon scattered the seed bunches in the soil between the sidewalk blocks and said.

"Grow, seeds! Grow abundantly, seeds! Father, you do it too!"

"G-Grow, seeds."

"Great! Now Father is officially a member of our environmental protection group! I'll specially give you the vice-chairman position!"

Damn. Forced enrollment.

Suddenly becoming the vice-chairman of an environmental protection group, I scattered seeds diligently, befitting the vice-chairman of an environmental protection group.

"When they all grow, there will surely be a beautiful flower garden, right? Hehe, just imagining it makes me smile!"

Along with Choryeon, who was smiling while reviving nature, I walked around the elementary school with my daughter, scattering seeds for nature.

So that someday, flowers would bloom brilliantly and trees would grow to block the hot sun, rain, and snow.

"Father!"

"Yes?"

"Look at this! They're spirit friends!"

Swish-

Choryeon smiled and showed me her cupped hands.

"I can't see anything."

"Open your eyes wide and focus!"

"I still can't see..."

I opened my eyes wide and focused as Choryeon said. Only then did I start to see tiny dots in Choryeon's palm.

"These are newly born nature spirits. They were hard to see in District 04, but we'll see them often around here. Say hello when you see them! They'll surely like it!"

Choryeon said this and greeted them gently.

"Hello, spirits! Let's live happily together!"

"..."

"Father, hurry and greet them too!"

"M-Me too?"

"Yes!"

It's a bit awkward, but I waved my hand in greeting as Choryeon said.

"H-Hello."

Then, the newly born small spirits waved their hands at me. It seemed they were returning my greeting.

'How fascinating.'

I think it's my first time seeing such newly born spirits. Choryeon looked at me and said with a fresh smile.

"Looking at this, the spirits feel like children of Father and me."

"Choryeon."

"Yes?"

"I don't think that's quite right."

Don't try to get caught up in the mood. You're saying nonsense.

"They're your friends, Choryeon. What do you mean, like children?"

"...Tch."

Choryeon clicked her tongue as if disappointed.

Don't try to squeeze in an opportunity.

'How long does Choryeon plan to play marriage with me?'

I probably won't hear things like "I love Dad!" when she gets older anyway. But if she brings some strange person saying she wants to marry them...

'I absolutely won't forgive that. How dare they try to take my daughter?'

My daughter that I raised with such care.

Thinking this, I held Choryeon's hand.

"Anyway, stop talking nonsense. Let's go home now."

"Okay..."

"But I had fun today, Choryeon."

It's fun to talk while taking a walk together like this. We don't often get a chance to be alone like this.

Choryeon smiled brightly at my words and replied.

"I had fun today too, Father!"

"I'm glad then."

"Let's have more fun together, not just today! I love you, Father! Hehe!"

I patted Choryeon's head as she spoke so sweetly.

Father and daughter.

We'll probably experience many more fun things in the future.

As we walked the streets while walking Mangmung, I thought we undoubtedly looked like a harmonious family.